Chapter 866

“It doesn’t mean he’s going to die right away. Anyway, this guy has always been like this—going down and coming back again. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

Even with the harsh and somewhat disrespectful phrasing, Kishiar’s expression didn’t change. He slowly scanned Yuder’s face as he lay there, and merely nodded.

“...Yes.”

“The external wounds are severe, but they’re treatable. The fever too... despite how high it is, surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be cooking him from the inside, so it’s not fatal.”

Inon guessed that it was probably thanks to the sweat pouring endlessly from his body. Some illnesses worsen when you sweat too much, but in Yuder’s case, the sweat was proof that his body was desperately struggling to cool down the strange heat rising from within.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the weather was rough, filled with hail and bitter cold, which helped cool his body from the outside. So far, that hadn’t been a major issue.

‘Though it’s not exactly pleasant to look at.’

The truly serious problem, as Inon saw it, was still the blackish-red veins of unknown nature and the power of the Red Stone flowing within them. No one could help with that—it was something Yuder had to resolve on his own.

‘And... there’s one more thing.’

“...If anything, the problem might be the bond between the soul and the body.”

Kishiar’s brows twitched at Inon’s muttered words before smoothing out again. His voice, even lower and drier than before, slipped out from between parched lips.

“The bond between soul and body?”

“He didn’t mention that much to you?”

“......”

“Well. I suppose even if he had, it’s not something even he would fully grasp. Besides, this guy didn’t seem aware of the state his soul was in at all.”

You can talk all you want about pain that can’t be felt, but it won’t make anyone take it seriously. Knowing Yuder’s personality, he probably judged it as a lesser concern compared to everything else.

‘Especially since things had been improving recently, it probably reinforced that belief.’

But Inon was different. Remembering how Yuder had looked when he first appeared at his clinic, he opened his mouth.

“My eyes are quite a bit different from others’. I can see not only the physical body but also the energy and consciousness within—that is, what we call the soul. Every living being is supposed to possess it. If it becomes separated or damaged from the body, the result is a terrible death. There’s more to it, but let’s keep it simple for now. Usually, I avoid looking, but sometimes it just shows itself whether I like it or not.”

And one of those rare occasions had been Yuder. As Inon wiped the sweat-soaked face with a soft cloth, he continued in a voice devoid of emotion.

“When I first saw him, I was shocked to find a man whose soul seemed on the verge of separating from his body still walking around like nothing was wrong. His soul was in such a mess, it must’ve been incredibly painful... but he couldn’t feel a thing.”

The fact that he wasn’t dead despite such damage to his soul was surprising enough—but even more so was how the soul had managed to remain bound to the body at all.

“Then what about my soul? Is mine in a similar state?”

To that question, Inon lazily shook his head.

“No. It’s normal. Perfectly normal. That’s a separate issue from internal problems.”

“I see.”

“At the very least, you’re not going to suddenly collapse and die on the roadside from your soul tearing apart. That’s what being a normal human is. Not many people like that around, you know?”

It was normal to go an entire life without ever witnessing such a thing.

“......”

“Anyway, just leaving him alone like that would’ve led to a horrible death, so I took some steps that might help. I’ve been keeping an eye on him, and I noticed he improved a lot while he was with you.”

It wasn’t something Inon was eager to admit aloud, but especially after they’d started sleeping together, the bond between Yuder’s body and soul had noticeably strengthened. Recently, even though the wounds on the soul itself couldn’t be helped, he began to think maybe the connection was no longer such a big concern.

“Then right now...”

“You probably guessed it. His body and soul are naturally weakly bonded, so when his body becomes battered, the already fragile bond gets even weaker. Do you remember when he was injured while fighting monsters in the West?”

“A memory I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to.”

“There was a string tied to his scabbard back then. It was an item meant to absorb damage in place of the soul. It snapped completely during that incident. Afterward, I gave him the last one I had...”

Their eyes turned to the same place without prompting. Yuder’s sword and scabbard lay quietly nearby. Members of the Cavalry had picked them up and brought them back when they’d helped set up the tent.

A red string wrapped tightly around the top of the hilt—an item that had never been damaged through countless battles and trainings—now hung, worn and frayed, barely holding on.

“...I see. Understood.”

Kishiar’s voice turned even drier and raspier.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Then what should I do? If he gets better when he’s with me, there must be something I can do to help.”

Inon’s grim expression crumpled all at once. He paused for a breath, mentally tugged Yuder’s cheek ten times, and then opened his mouth with effort.

“That, well—sigh. Let’s ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) worry about that after you recover first. Right now, no matter what, you wouldn’t be able to help, even if you died trying.”

“So that means physical contact is still the most effective way, huh?”

‘Ah, this damned guy really drives me nuts!’

Still, Inon understood why he was saying this. He didn’t care what happened to his own body—he just wanted to do whatever he could to save and heal Yuder. Understanding that, Inon held back the words he wanted to lash out with and responded instead.

“...Sigh. If you’re that desperate to help, then just stay by his side. That alone is far better than doing something unnecessary. So stop with the pointless questions and just keep sitting there quietly like a proper patient who can’t even move a finger.”

He jerked his head toward the tent flap. The sound of Cavalry members returning could be heard nearby—it was his way of saying the conversation was over. As he calmly wiped Yuder again, acting like the whole exchange had never happened, Kishiar suddenly let out a short breath, almost a laugh.

“...What?”

Had he finally gone mad from the pain? Inon wondered suspiciously, but Kishiar shook his head.

“No. I just remembered something Yuder once said about you—he called you a bread-like person.”

“...What? Bread, like the food?”

“Yeah. Said that even though you look tough on the outside, you’re soft inside. Like western-style bread. Seeing you today, I think it really was the perfect description.”

“......”

Inon, baffled by the unfamiliar metaphor, fell silent after hearing the explanation. His face, once full of irritation and rage, twisted as if suppressing something, and the hand wiping Yuder trembled slightly.

At a glance, he looked completely furious. But Kishiar could see the flushed red rising to the tips of the pharmacist’s ears and neck as he bit his lip.

“You insane bastard... Bread? Really? Why would he say something that ridiculous and why tell me...”

Even muttering curses under his breath, Inon’s voice had clearly lost much of its bite.

Kishiar watched him for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze toward the sky peeking through the tent.

The monsters leaking from the fissure were no longer in sight. Judging by how the crack was fading and growing fainter, it would likely disappear entirely soon.

‘So the aftershocks of the disrupted balance have finally ended. Then the hail will likely ease soon, too.’

Even so, the monsters that had already emerged wouldn’t die on their own—others would still have to deal with them. But at least no new ones were pouring out, which meant the burden would be less. That was a relief.

‘Still... even with the temple sealing the place as best they can, not all the monsters could’ve been contained. It’ll be tough handling the ones that got out.’

Seeing that the Cavalry members hadn’t suffered serious injuries suggested the monsters weren’t particularly strong. But to non-Awakeners, even one of those could pose a serious threat.

He couldn’t help worrying, but he knew this wasn’t the time for him to act.

‘From here on... all we can do is hope everything we’ve done so far meant something.’

Kishiar turned his gaze back to Yuder and quietly moved the battlefield map he had drawn in his mind.

What had once been divided by specific zones and tokens, representing different regions of the South, was now beginning to shift to encompass the entire territory.