[222] 1. Memories of Galliant (2)
"I'll finish as quickly as I can. Don't worry. I even took surgical classes once."
The surgeon who would perform the operation spoke with calm assurance. Unlike general medicine, surgery uses schema. The local doctor knew the basic schema as well, so he could saw through the bone quickly.
"We'll begin. Hold him down tight—there could be a seizure."
Tess nodded through her sobs. Amy and Arin watched in silence, unable to say anything.
If it had been me, I would have run. But this was Tess—she'd resolved to take responsibility for Rian's life—and that's why she could stand there.
"Breathe! Breathe! Then we'll start!"
"Stop."
The moment the saw touched his shoulder, a voice made the physician start and spin around.
Shirone, finally conscious, was climbing out of bed. The exhausted healing mages lay sprawled on the floor, gasping.
"Tess, what are you doing? Why would you cut off Rian's arm?"
"Shirone… Shirone…."
Tess broke down. Unable to decide and surrendering to the flow of events, she found Shirone's recovery like rain after a drought.
"Shirone, what do I do? They're going to amputate Rian's arm. Rian will—"
"No. Cutting off his arm would ruin Rian's life."
"But he'll die if you don't! Rian will die!"
"Even if he dies, I won't allow it. I won't permit it."
Shirone's words struck Tess like a dagger.
Of course, Shirone was Rian's master. Even if Rian died, he wouldn't blame Shirone.
But then who would understand her heart?
"Tess, change your mind. Rian wouldn't want this."
"I know! I want Rian to be the greatest swordsman too! But that matters to Rian, not to me! I don't care if he loses an arm!"
"What kind of cruel thing is that to say! Could you say the same in front of Rian?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do! He's unconscious, so I can do whatever I want! Rian will abandon the sword. So you give up too! Doctor, please start!"
"He's holding the sword!"
Tess turned toward Rian and went pale.
"Look at Rian! He's still holding the sword! He's down to bone and yet he's still fighting! You can't amputate him! No one can tell Rian to give up until he gives up himself!"
Tess stared at Rian's arm.
Why wouldn't he let go of the sword? Was he determined to remain Shirone's swordsman until the moment he died? If so, she would never have him all to herself.
But it didn't matter. That was Rian. Because it was Rian…
"I love him so much."
Tess buried her face in Rian's chest.
She wouldn't have him treated. If he kept holding the sword to the last moment, he'd be a swordsman even in death.
A faint voice escaped Rian's lips.
"Tess…."
Tess snapped her head up.
"Rian! I'm here! Are you awake? Does it hurt a lot?"
"Shirone, Shirone is—"
"It's alright! You came back safe! This is Jis's house! You took the worst of the blows!"
Rian rolled and pushed himself up. When he glanced at the right arm that had been reduced to bone, his friends' hearts dropped.
"What is this?"
Contrary to expectation, Rian didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow. To remain composed while looking at a ruined arm was superhuman will.
Tess realized Shirone had been right. He had known. From the day Rian swore the knight's oath, he'd engraved his resolve into that sword.
"Why is my arm like this? How did it get so destroyed?"
Rian felt only irritation. His nerves were gone, so there was no pain. The hand holding the sword didn't feel like his own.
"Rian, um, that—"
At that moment the greatsword clattered free from Rian's hand. The five finger bones splayed, and blood geysered from the shoulder.
"Rian! Rian!"
The physician pressed on Rian's shoulder and shouted.
"The bleeding's started! Quickly—hemostatics and bandages!"
No one moved.
The doctor glared at them with desperate eyes, and then a strange sound came from Rian's arm.
Glub. Glub.
A viscous, splashing sound.
The physician turned, stunned like everyone else, and stared at Rian's arm in disbelief.
The blood running from the shoulder was forming a shape.
Impossible. Even a high mage of healing could not alter the nature of blood.
"Now, now, what on earth—"
Rian watched his arm being restored with quiet composure. As his nerves returned bit by bit, the feeling that it was his own arm came back. He inspected each muscle fiber carefully, then asked his friends.
"What happened? Can someone explain?"
"You ate a giant's arm. You cut off the giant's arm and it fed you. It turned into a liquid—like the stuff used in Ilhwa's liquor—and went down your throat."
"Cut off an arm? Of a giant?"
The images in his memory were only fragments, not enough to be called memories, but the scene of cutting Imere's arm vaguely surfaced.
'Still managed to land a hit.'
When he flexed his arm, he felt immense strength. Was this another secret tied to Ilhwa's liquor?
The room fell silent. When Rian looked around, everyone's mouths were hanging open.
"What's with you all? Like you've never seen muscles before."
"Are you really okay? Your skin looks like it's regenerating."
"Well, I'm fine."
Shirone shouted.
"That's not what I mean, you idiot! I'm asking how this is even possible!"
"I don't know. It just happened, so… I guess that's that."
No matter how bold he was, maybe some doubt about your own body is natural. Maybe he wasn't bold—maybe he was just stupid.
"All right! He's awake!"
The mages in charge of Canis shouted.
Canis sat up with drooping eyelids, glanced around, scowled, and said, "Noisy. Don't wake me—I'm exhausted."
Then he flopped back down and was out like a stone.
Having been tormented by the Sleepmare's object, it was a natural reaction, but given the situation everyone felt deflated first.
Arin patted Canis's head and whispered, "Sleep well, Canis."
@
For three days after returning from Heaven, Shirone and his group were lavished with care by Jis and Yuna.
They averaged sixteen hours of sleep a day—eat, sleep, sleep again.
In the early evenings when they gathered in the parlor to eat, Shirone recounted what had happened in Heaven.
But he kept silent about the final war.
Rian kept breaking things with his right arm. His strength had grown to the point of being uncontrollable. Tess was told it would take time to develop the fine motor control needed to regulate that power.
Tess spent any spare moment polishing and maintaining her drone. She never let it out of her hands, and even in her sleep she would pet it and make ghostly noises, which terrified Amy and Arin every night.
Canis and Arin spent a lot of time alone talking. They seemed to have gotten what they wanted in Heaven, but neither would say what it was. Canis admitted bluntly that he had shortened Kadum's life.
Amy kept the ancient spirit Jack O' Lantern lit and carried it around. When Shirone pointed at the bouncy flame and called it cute, Rian said Amy was cuter.
When the men and women split off, Amy would stare at Shirone for a long time. True to her meticulous nature, she never let the others catch her doing it.
Shirone often sat on the sofa lost in thought. Whenever he did, the face of the archangel Ikael came to mind first.
Ataraxia's insight still lingered warmly in his head.
Everyone who had gone to Heaven had achieved something, but none had received as great a gift as Shirone.
Canis whined that it was unfair and begged him to teach the secret, but Shirone honestly didn't know.
'Ikael… are you well?'
The Metagate had to be left in Heaven because of how it functions. Its coordinates had been reset, but with Heaven's technology it might still find a way around Miro's space-time.
In the end, at the final moment, Kariel had been unable to disobey Ikael's counsel. As long as she sided with humanity, the final war would not come to pass.
On the other hand, he wanted to see her again. Muttering annoyances while his heart remembered gentle Pheope, a wave of longing rose up.
"Shirone, stop sleeping. You should rest properly today."
Amy stood in pajamas. She looked beautiful in the moonlight.
Both had been plagued for days by the obligation to speak about something, but they settled it with a smile.
"All right, let's sleep."
Shirone entered the room where the men slept. In the cramped space, Rian's snores echoed like an attic. Beside him, Canis lay with a pillow over his ears and slept on.
Shirone sat in the corner and stared into the dark. When he made himself believe all that had happened was real, a shiver ran through him. Starlight gleamed in his eyes as he forced a tense smile.
That night.
Jis, returning from work at the harbor, burst through the front door. Panting, he looked around and ran first to the men's room.
"This is bad! Wake up! Now!"
He flung the door open and shouted; Canis's pillow flew and smacked his face. No one stirred. After a trip to Heaven, it seemed there was nothing that could rouse them.
"Get up now! Don't make me angry later!"
Shirone rubbed his eyes and woke.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Quick—wake the others and come down! We have to go now!"
Without explaining, Jis spun and dashed to the first floor. Then he stormed into the girls' room.
"Girls! Get up! Yuna, wake up!"
"Aah, what—"
Amy, deep in sleep, flipped like an animal. When she came to, she immediately understood and shot him a murderous glare.
"You—how dare you barge into the girls' room like that! Do you want to die?"
"Yikes! Sorry! It was urgent!"
Jis only realized his mistake when he saw the girls in their pajamas. Tess, sleeping with her belly exposed, always looked grown-up. But there truly was no time to hesitate, so Jis grabbed Amy's hand and pulled.
"Don't regret it later—get up!"
"Okay, okay. Everyone, get up. Jis must have something to tell us."
"Ugh, so tired. What's the matter?"
Meanwhile, the men rubbed sleep from their eyes and came down the stairs. Shirone felt foolish for making a scene in the middle of the night and having his sleep stolen, and he peered into the girls' room.
Arin and Tess made the beds while Amy, still sleepy-eyed, was hauled out by Jis.
"You really will beat us up if this is nothing. I'm counting the break-in as extra punches."
"Punches as many as you like! Just hear me out!"
After the fuss, everyone gathered in the parlor.
Jis agonized over when to say it without causing heart attacks, and finally opened his mouth.
"Do you know what day it is today?"
"No idea. Is it your birthday?"
"No! It only comes around once every ten years—!"
At that moment Yuna, who had woken up late, burst out of the girls' room and shouted.
"Onii-chan! Kaios! Kaios!"
Shirone cocked his head. "What's Kaios?"
Jis shouted louder than Yuna in reply.
"The sea dragon! The water dragon Kaios is coming here!"
@
"Sir, could you go a little faster, please!"
The carriage carrying Shirone's group raced toward the harbor.
Amy bit her lip anxiously. There had been no time to prepare, so she was still in her pajamas.