News of the battle didnât reach Dolan until about an hour later. He was sleeping with his wife and children when a soldierâs voice woke him by surprise. He then put shoes on and bolted out of the house in his pajamas, heading straight for the ship on the river.
Despite running as fast as he could, he didnât run out of breath. After making it to the deck, he clung to the mast and scaled it at once without stopping.
There was a huge mirror here, although it was useless in the dark. Instead he turned on a magic item that casted light and spread out a black cloth. It allowed him to cover and uncover the light, therefore sending a message in the distance.
ăPlease notice it⊠Please!ă
Zuzun might be asleep, but there should be someone keeping watch.
ăThere!ă
The response came quick. Not even a minute had passed since Dolan sent the message. It seemed like a star blinking, but the flickering had a meaning.
âWe have an emergency. Bring the troops back at once.
âRoger. Whoâs the enemy?
âThe rebel army.
âRoger. Good luck.
Zuzun was a quiet guy, but a transmission like this was no problem. As soon as the transmission ended, Dolan leaped down the mast. The young soldier who delivered the news to him rushed to his side.
ăAre you done, Sir?ă
ăYes. Letâs go. We have work to do.ă
Dolan put on the protector that the soldier brought for him and took a weapon.
ăWe will protect the king.ă
There was no one else on the ship. They started running towards the field of battleâthe palace.
A deadly battle was unfolding in the palace.
ăBlast cannon, second round. Fire!ă
The artillery spit out fire as Ludend, chief of the Sorcery Department, gave the order. Shells hit the soldiers deployed in front of the palace, scattering them.
ăWhatâŠ?ă
But new soldiers replaced them, carrying huge shields. A crossbow fired from behind them hit a few members of the rebel army.
ăWhat is wrong with them?! How are they not scared of a blast cannon?!ă
ăSir Ludend.ă
When the Environmental Sanitation chief arrived, out of breath, Ludend clicked his tongue in disgust.ăDid you finish your job?ăLudend asked.
ăYes. We have the bell towers under control. I thought the blast cannons would be our last resort.ă
ăDuinkler is still alive.ă
ăWhat?ă
ăHe found a way to escape and is now holed up inside the palace, so Iâm firing the blast cannon at them.ă
ăButâŠă
Ludend was letting his personal grudge get to him. The sanitation chief had no idea what to say to him.
ăForget that. We have a problem.ăLudend said.ăMen in their right minds would normally scatter in all directions if a blast cannon was fired into them. Yet theyâre still blocking the way!ă
The chief looked at the troops in front of the palace. They seemed organized, but something was off.
ăSir Ludend, why are they covered in blood?ă
ăBecause theyâre wounded from fighting.ă
ăFor someone wounded, they seem to be quick.ă
ăWhat are you trying to say?!ă
Ludend raised his voice high, not even bothering to hide his frustration. The sanitation chief had served in the army before, while Ludend avoided conscription by studying sorcery. He was made fun of countless times in the past, people calling him a coward whoâd never been in the army. He developed an inferiority complex from it as a result. So words that implied that he didnât know anything about being a soldier pissed him off.
ăI believe they have a Healer on their side.ă
ăHmmâŠă
ăI heard they could restore a lost arm and even bring the dead back to life.ă
ăBring back the dead?! Thatâs ridiculous!ă
ăOtherwise, I doubt theyâll calmly throw their bodies like that. Would you stand in front of a blast cannon?ă
ăUghâŠă
It goes without saying, but Healing magic canât bring the dead back to life. But they didnât now that.
ăThen what do you suggest we do?! We canât do anything if they can just come back to life!ă
ăMana is a limited resource. We just have to keep on the defensive until they run out of mana. Once they canât use healing magic anymore, we force our way through all at once.ă
Ludend pondered the suggestion over.ăThat better be true. If not, there will be consequences.ă
ăMy life is at stake here. We must succeed.ă
ăVery well. Iâll believe you.ăLudend said, regaining his composure.
Paula healed every injured person brought to her.
Itâs strange. I donât feel tired at all.
After they arrived in Dream Maker, Paula had been using her healing magic every day. At first, it was exhausting, but it gradually became easier.
ăSoul BoardăPaula Nohra
Age: 18 Rank: 18
4
ăMagical Poweră
..ăManaă7
âŠ.ăMagic Principleă1
ăAgilityă
..ăStealthă
âŠ.ăLife Obfuscationă2
âŠ.ăMana Obfuscationă2
âŠ.ăImperceptibilityă2
ăWillpoweră
..ăFaithă
âŠ.ăHolyă4
âŠâŠăHealing Magică8
âŠâŠăSupport Magică1
Before she knew it, her Mana had gone up and she awakened her Magic Principle stat. Hikaru guessed that this skill reduced the amount of mana consumed when casting spells.
Paula was healing the injured in the palaceâs reception room at the moment. If worse comes to worst, she could use her Stealth to escape.
ăMy Lady. Dangerous here. You escape.ăGalixson said.
ăI appreciate the concern, but I canât do that. As long as Lord Silver Face is still fighting, running away is not an option.ă
If someone other than Doriachi seized control of Dream Maker, Hikaruâs party might not be able secure a ship to take them home. Paula and Lavia then decided to completely crush the rebel army if they ever showed up.
ăThen please rest! No rest, too much!ă
ăStrangely enough, I feel fine even without breaks. Please keep on bringing the injured to me.ă
The only people here that could understand Paula were Duinkler and Galixon. Duinkler was by Doriachiâs side, assuming command of the whole troops. Although frustrating, Galixon had no choice but to be the translator.
The soldiers were ecstatic the moment they received word that Duinkler arrived with the Healer.
âOooooh! Now we can fight as many times as we want!
âWe got this! I can take a lot of enemies down with me!
âMan, this is great! We can use our bodies as shields against the blast cannon!
Duinkler and Paula managed to enter the palace safely after coming from behind the enemy and causing confusion. Immediately after, however, the enemy brought out the blast cannon. Paulaâs blood froze as the shell landed nearby.
Despite the dire circumstances, the soldiers were filled with joy after learning of Paulaâs arrival and declared they would block the blast cannon attacks themselves.
It showed just how much word of Paulaâs healing had spread among the soldiers. They even felt enticed to join the Flower Masked Goddess Bodyguards, a group of men released from active duty due to injuries.
Paula warned them not to die instantly, of course, but whether they understood was doubtful.
ăKeep them coming. Iâll heal them all!ăPaula declared in a reassuring tone.