LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 43
The consciousness that had been cut off began to resurface just above the water’s surface.
The sensations that had fallen into a deep swamp also started to awaken, stimulating my five senses.
The memories that had remained faint like fog slowly started to come back vividly.
‘Shione and Arachne.’
I had barely saved Shione from a near-head removal by Arachne and ultimately managed to take the spider down.
Thanks to that, I ended up with a large hole in my left arm, but somehow I avoided the extreme poison.
And I secured Shione without any major injuries.
So, what about now?
Seeing that I’m breathing just fine like this, I must still be alive.
That leaves the question of what became of Shione and that old tree that smelled of blood.
As I sank into a pondering that didn’t easily yield an answer, a headache began to throb.
Right, if I’ve worked hard enough for this, I should definitely be allowed to rest.
I don’t even know why I’m taking on such worries.
I chuckled to myself, pushing away the spiraling questions.
‘…Seems like as long as I’m overthinking like this, I must be alive somehow.’
Blood should’ve been oozing out of my shattered left arm.
From the gaping wound, blood should’ve spilled like a bucket, and not only that, my bones should’ve crumbled to pieces.
In the end, before I lost consciousness, the whole body couldn’t even withstand all that magic and collapsed from exhaustion.
I thought that moment would be my grave.
Yet here I am lying on something soft like a fluffy bed, which means my life is probably longer than I had expected.
By the way…
‘What happened to my busted left arm?’
Before checking my left arm with my eyes open, I tried wiggling my left hand.
Wiggle, wiggle.
With the touch of cloth felt at my fingertips, the sensations were definitely intact.
Did they give me some strong painkillers?
I was moving just fine without a hint of pain.
‘Nothing feels different from usual.’
The arm that had been wrecked couldn’t even muster a single ounce of strength before I passed out.
But now, as I focus on my left arm, oddly enough, instead of pain, I felt a tingling sensation.
Curiously, I looked up at my arm.
Twitch…
“…I guess I was expecting too much.”
Even though I wasn’t feeling any pain, I still couldn’t put any strength into my left arm.
Well, if I tried, it could move just a bit.
But it was drooping lifelessly and not following orders—probably because the muscles were all wrecked.
“Sigh…”
With barely anything but my body left as an asset, my mood plummeted since my arm was completely out of commission.
After gauging the condition of my arm, I finally opened my tightly shut eyes.
I could see the ceiling.
It wasn’t the tent from the Battlefield in the Beltlin Mountain Range.
However, if I had to ask if it was an entirely unfamiliar ceiling, then it wasn’t that either.
The atmosphere was familiar, hinting it was a place I somewhat recognized.
I propped myself up and surveyed my surroundings.
A large, plush bed that could accommodate two or three people.
Moreover, the design I often saw and the familiar blankets.
No matter where I looked, this bed was indeed the one Shione lay on every day.
On top of that, judging by the scenery of the room I had often thoroughly cleaned and wandered in and out of…
“Shione?”
This was none other than Shione’s room.
However, I wondered where the room’s owner had gone; not a single strand of her hair was in sight.
Well… putting Shione’s whereabouts aside.
The fact that I was here probably meant I returned from the Beltlin Mountain Range to the territory.
If that’s the case, at least a day must have passed since I lost consciousness.
Thinking I had been lying down for quite a while, I felt a strange itch all over my body.
I moved my body a bit to loosen up and examined my left arm.
“Looks good.”
The condition of my left arm seemed decent.
While I couldn’t exert strength, it appeared to have healed perfectly.
Judging by the broken bones that had rejoined and the new flesh that had formed, it seemed a priest must have poured divine power into my arm.
Thanks to the unknown priest’s efforts, my previously troubled mood improved.
At least in terms of appearance, it looked the same as before Arachne bit me.
I wouldn’t have to frown every time I looked at my left arm, which had a hideous appearance.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Having roughly grasped the fragmented situation, I finally spotted the status window hovering at the corner of my vision.
“What happened?”
With a little muttering, I quickly scanned through it.
[Three quests have been completed.]
[Would you like to receive the rewards for the quests?]
I didn’t particularly feel like reading through each detail in the status window.
I skipped all the unnecessary bits that I didn’t need to see and just checked the rewards.
The first quest, ‘Monster Subjugation,’ had the following reward:
[Your bond with Shione Shianella has increased.]
[Siabel Shianella has grown even more interested in you.]
[Due to resonance with Shione Shianella, a small portion of your original power has been unlocked.]
[Thanks to Siabel Shianella’s interest, your mana efficiency has improved slightly.]
Seemingly because I saved them from the orc and Arachne.
The status window clearly stated that only a small portion of power had been unlocked, but I instinctively felt that a greater amount of mana and abilities had been unlocked than before.
Spirit Magic.
Moreover, the affinity for wind attributes has increased.
In the future, the efficiency and power of whirlwinds and gentle breezes would increase as well as providing the ability to sense the presence or sounds of people nearby, at least to a certain degree with the information carried by the wind.
That was a good ability.
However, the timing was somewhat disappointing.
‘If only I’d received it a little earlier.’
If I had this ability before my left arm got punctured.
Perhaps I could have sensed Arachne’s presence before I even got near the cursed old tree.
I was glad to have regained a technique I had used effectively during my time as a hunter, but the bitter taste remained since it only manifested after I was already injured.
I shook off my regrets and moved on to the second quest, ‘Reconciliation with Siabel.’
[Your relationship with Shione has improved.]
[Beyond mere improvement, the bond has strengthens, and the rewards have been enhanced.]
[Siabel Shianella’s talent development has accelerated.]
[Shione Shianella’s talent development has slightly increased.]
The rewards weren’t bad.
Though it didn’t directly benefit me, the self-esteem of a servant can stem from the brilliance of their master.
It’s said that Shione, who had to cling onto life to change the fate of this world, was getting stronger, which can’t be a bad thing.
Moreover, it seems Siabel, who already had talent with the sword, would bloom even faster.
Since all the quests seemed to have their own reasons for pushing the Shianella family forward, I didn’t feel too disappointed.
Well, I’m human too, so it’s hard to not be slightly put off when there’s nothing gained for me.
But this was something I could just turn a blind eye to.
What caught my interest the most in this quest wasn’t the blossoming of Shione or Siabel’s talents.
“When did the two of them get close?”
I had thought it would be impossible for Siabel to get close again to Shione, who had always felt awkward around her sister.
Before capturing Arachne, I had never imagined this quest would succeed during the monster subjugation.
It seemed something must have happened while I collapsed from exhaustion.
…I would subtly ask Shione when she returns.
With that thought in mind, I finally checked the highly anticipated last reward.
The first emergency quest I received after falling into this world.
Emergency quests are notably challenging but offer valuable rewards, so without hesitating, I immediately checked the final rewards.
[Your bond with Shione Shianella has greatly increased.]
[Siabel Shianella finds you even more entertaining.]
[Due to resonance with Shione Shianella, one of your original powers has been unlocked.]
[Because of Siabel Shianella’s interest, your mana efficiency has notably improved.]
“Oh.”
I internally rejoiced.
Indeed, although I faced quite a few hurdles, in the end, I gained considerable rewards for capturing that one Arachne.
Naturally, it felt great to have received something substantial for my efforts.
I was pleased that the mana efficiency didn’t just improve slightly but significantly.
However, what piqued my interest was that one of my original powers had been unlocked.
Though it didn’t specify what that was, it didn’t matter if the status window didn’t explain it.
I could already feel the unlocked ability resonating within my senses.
“That’s beyond expectation.”
I could feel the vibrant energy of spirits filling my body.
A cool and agile essence flowed through me along with my heartbeat as I slowly exhaled.
The air that had been heated up inside me escaped, and I felt the refreshing air flowing back in.
I tuned the spirit energy that had steadily and surely increased within me.
“That should be good enough.”
The moment the energy settled comfortably within my body, I couldn’t help but smile.
The energy that would amplify the power of spirit magic.
It’s no trivial ability, and with the unlocking of spirit summoning, it’s everything I could desire, so there’s no way I wouldn’t be happy.
Sure, summoning them devoured a lot of mana, but spirits deliver results exceeding their cost.
Unlike the shabby replicas I previously struggled to summon, genuine spirit magic proved powerful.
And with the wind spirit being the one I could now summon, I should have no trouble escaping precarious situations while carrying Shione.
I thought it wise to try using this newfound ability at least once.
I called forth the spirit.
There was no need to call it out loud; just fervently wishing for it was enough.
Then it happened.
Whoooosh!!
A fierce wind rushed through and slammed against the window.
Clack!
“Finally here.”
The firmly shut window burst open, and a chilly breeze swept into the room.
The wind gathered at the foot of the bed, forming a small whirlwind before…
Boom……
“Huh?”
It scattered and vanished.
I was taken aback.
Normally, a spirit should appear within that whirlwind.
What on earth was happening?
The answer came unexpectedly from the status window.
[The connection between this world and the spirit realm is uncertain.]
[Spirit summoning has failed.]
“…What the hell?”
…It couldn’t possibly be a lie.
With a wry smile, I called forth the spirit once more.
Whooosh—
Boom……
“Ugh…”
No, this really can’t be happening.
I tried calling again.
But the answer remained the same.
The whirlwind that emerged through the window quickly dispersed into mere breezes.
Simultaneously, the mood that had once lifted me plummeted back down into the abyss.
Is this how a balding person feels?
The feeling of having something previously given to you unjustly snatched away is hardly pleasant.
“Sigh…”
I let out a deep breath, lying back down on the bed.
Thinking any further seemed like it might give me an ailment, so I needed some time to cool my head.
As my eyes closed and I quietly organized my thoughts, the door creaked open.
A visitor had arrived.
The only person who would come here would be Shione, so the owner of the footsteps must be my master, Shione.
Just thinking of Shione reminded me of her shedding tears right before I lost consciousness.
Perhaps I was feeling a bit more eager than usual as I sat up to welcome Shione.
“Shio…”
But I couldn’t finish calling Shione’s name.
The person who entered Shione’s room was none other than her sister, Siabel.
She wasn’t in a knight’s armor but rather wore formal attire embellished with beautiful patterns.
The coldly composed knight was nowhere to be seen.
With her hair, usually tied up, flowing down, she appeared as a beautiful young lady, showing no signs of her previous rigidity as a knight.
As I stared blankly at Siabel, perplexed at seeing her in such an unexpected form, she tilted her head slightly with a gentle smile.