I felt dizzy and lightheaded. Healing Pro had already used up a lot of my magic power, and with the two battles in the wetland forest, I was starting to feel the strain.
Huff... huff...
I gritted my teeth and continued to use "Azure Crown," my underwear already soaked with sweat, but I still didn't let go.
Leah's body, with almost all of her bones broken, covered in bruises and frostbite, was in a very pitiful state, and her life was in grave danger.
To be able to hold on until I arrived in such an environment requires immense mental fortitude.
Although it can be repaired using the "Azure Crown," the magic power consumed is also correspondingly high.
...
"Fourfold Rashomon"
Using my last bit of magic, I cast a fourfold Rashomon, surrounding the stone walls around me and above my head, thus constructing a makeshift house.
Huff... huff...
Leaning against the stone wall, I gasped for breath, as if using magic again would deplete my magical power and cause me to faint.
I've set most of Lia's bones back up, so she should be able to stand up without any problems. But if she wants to fully recover, I'm afraid she'll have to go back to the guild to make further plans.
The nights in the wetland forest are unusually cold, probably due to the fog. Even when the sun is shining brightly, very little sunlight can penetrate inside. Darkness and dampness are its defining characteristics.
After a short rest, I gathered the branches I had just cut and made a small campfire in the room. Although it wasn't big, it was enough to provide warmth.
If we don't light a fire, we'll probably freeze to death, since we don't have enough magic left to maintain our body temperature.
The coat had already been put on Leah; her skin was already white from the cold, and her body was trembling uncontrollably.
"...cough cough"
Using earth magic, I made a stone bed next to the campfire. My body was getting weaker and weaker, so I struggled to lift Lia onto the stone bed, trying to get as close to the campfire as possible.
After feeling her body temperature still rising, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"And Martha..."
I don't know if Martha was also dragged away by the so-called man-eating tree like Lia. If that's the case, she probably won't have survived long enough for me to rescue her.
After all, not all man-eating trees are as lucky as Leah.
"call……"
We need to restore our magic power as soon as possible. Leah is absolutely safe in the stone house. Unless a physical attack like that of the man-eating tree is used, ordinary monsters simply don't have the strength to shatter "Rashomon".
"Um……"
“Leon…”
Leah finally woke up, looked at me with a puzzled expression as I leaned against the stone wall, and then at her naked body.
Contrary to my expectations, he didn't yell at me; instead, he remained remarkably calm.
She was fully aware of the severity of her injuries before she lost consciousness, and she also understood that if I used healing magic, I had to keep my palms pressed firmly against her skin, otherwise it wouldn't have any healing effect.
Moreover, it appeared that Leah had crawled in the snow, and a lot of snow had seeped into her underwear, wetting her bra and panties.
If she doesn't take it off, even if I use the "Azure Crown" to set her bones, she will still freeze to death.
I saw that Leah's coat was wrapped tightly around her body. Although she would occasionally glance at me out of the corner of her eye, she didn't say anything.
I really wanted to ask about Marta's whereabouts, because I believed she was even more worried about Marta than I was, but I couldn't bring myself to ask.
Just sitting quietly by the campfire...
My coat wasn't very big, after all, it was for a child. After Leah sat up, I could even see the "flower bush" between her legs.
Although I had already touched most of her body with my hands, I didn't pay much attention at the time.
Seeing this scene, little Leon felt a surge of excitement, but I managed to suppress it.
She seemed to notice my unusual behavior, but didn't try to hide it.
It was probably a reward she gave herself as a thank you for saving her.
"One should not take advantage of others in their time of need."
I know I'm not a saint, and I might have wicked thoughts when faced with such a beautiful painting, but I still have to restrain myself.
In our current situation, how can we think about unimportant things?
Even though I don't want to look, I'll still catch a glimpse of it somehow...
"Um... Leon... thank you!"
It was still Lia who started the conversation, and her words no longer had that prickly feeling.
Actually, if Leah speaks properly, her voice is quite sweet.
"It's nothing... It's what I should do!"
"Um……"
After a few hasty words, we reached another stalemate. I had expected her to ask about Pro or Marta's whereabouts, but she remained unusually calm.
Judging from her expression, she had clearly accepted the news of Pro, and even Marta's, death.
"Um... what exactly happened?"
What happened to Pro and his group in the wetland forest remains shrouded in mystery. It's still hard to believe that just a few man-eating trees could have brought them to such a state.
Waaah...
It seems that my topic touched a nerve with Leah, because I saw her trembling uncontrollably and her body starting to sob.
"Leah..."
"Ah...woo..."
She was already crying and trying to wipe away her tears, but I could still see them dripping onto her thighs and sliding down to the ground.
I hadn't planned to ask this question, but I did anyway, since blindly wandering among the man-eating trees might not be enough to find Martha's body.
I offered no words of comfort, since Marta's whereabouts are still unknown, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything like "please accept my condolences."
After a while, Leah started to sob, as if crying out her pain made her feel less uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry... Leon!"
I don't understand why Leah apologized to me. Since she felt better after crying, that's probably for the best.
"It's fine."
...
According to Lia's description, when Pro and his companions passed through the man-eating wood area, they were attacked by a "green dragon swarm," a type of monster that resembled a giant lizard and was classified as a B-rank monster.
They like to stay in swamps, using their skin to hide themselves and attack their prey by surprise.
Although the Green Dragon is only a B-rank monster, it has indestructible skin, which is why it is called a "dragon". However, its attack methods are not sophisticated. Apart from using its skin to charge, it does not have any other skills, so it is classified as a B-rank monster.
Because of the fog, Pro lost his right arm to the man-eating tree, and without the vanguard, Lia and Martha were unable to break through the "Green Dragon's" skin, in addition to having to guard against the man-eating tree's sneak attacks.
The three were completely separated by the mist, and Leah was also knocked down the hillside by the green dragon, breaking her left leg.
Although it was secured with arrows, the bow and arrows were lost, which is why I was able to find Leah's bow and arrows.
After finally climbing up the hillside, she discovered that Pro and Marta had vanished without a trace. She intended to bury herself in the snow and wait for rescue, but unexpectedly, she was discovered by the man-eating tree.
The man-eating tree treated her like a toy, throwing her from high above, picking her up, and throwing her down again, over and over again...
It seemed that it had realized that Leah had no signs of life, so it threw her into the heart of the tree, intending to use her as nourishment for its own growth.
To my surprise, Leah didn't die and actually waited for my rescue. I started to admire her. After all, she's just a woman, and it's really not easy for her to do something like that.
Listening to Lia's description, I began to lose hope for Martha. In that kind of environment, what could a magician like her do?
At least……
We need to find her body...
This is the main reason I came to the wetland forest; I was able to save Leah entirely because of her strong will.
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