Translator: Nox
(22) The Golden Lion's Treasure and Contaminated Water (6)
Roxana, who had stopped beside Jewel's bed, looked down at the child for a moment before bending her waist towards Hexter. Her platinum blonde hair swayed, covering Hexter's shoulder.
"I might be able to heal the child, Sir Lenardo."
Hexter's eyes regained their light at the first hopeful words he had heard.
"You can heal her?"
"Nonsense!"
Arsene, who had been silently watching the situation, shouted abruptly.
"Don't delude a grieving father with useless words. False hope is more poisonous than despair!"
Roxana turned her gaze to Arsene, who was sharply criticizing her.
"Are you sure about that?"
"What?"
"Are you sure that my words and actions are useless, that they are false hope, that I can't do anything and can't help these people?"
Roxana was still thin and pale. Her posture was also unstable because she was bending down to whisper to Hexter.
Nevertheless, something unknown silenced Arsene. He couldn't believe that he was being overwhelmed by a small, thin, and fragile woman.
"Even if you can't believe it, even if you can't accept it, shouldn't you try anything in a desperate situation? Are you just trying to ignore the wishes of a father who wants to grasp at straws because you don't like my existence?"
"Let her try, Monarch."
Hexter said.
"Monarch, please... anything is fine. Our Jewel... our child... our daughter, ah..."
Hexter roughly rubbed his face with both hands to wipe away his tears.
"Please let her do anything."
Floyd clenched his fist and stared at Roxana.
He couldn't believe that a woman who had wanted to die as if she had lived her whole life was interfering in this situation and dealing with the royal guards. Moreover, he couldn't understand why he had the expectation that she would somehow be able to do something.
'The Princess of Kanta.'
Roxana, who had made a decision to do something, had a completely different atmosphere from the woman who had locked herself in Lily Palace. She had the same face and wore the same clothes, but it was as if he was seeing a different person.
Her voice was still small and thin, but it had the power to draw in the atmosphere.
"Alright, Princess. I don't know what you're trying to do, but go ahead."
As soon as Floyd's permission was given, Roxana visibly relaxed and said.
"Please leave only the patients here."
"No, we can't do that."
Kirshan said firmly.
Kirshan knew very well how much Roxana wanted to die, so he was worried that she might commit suicide with the patients.
Roxana didn't even look at Kirshan and looked up at Floyd, saying.
"It will only take a moment. I won't have time to kill everyone, nor will I have time to kill myself. It may be a bit noisy, but when that noise is over, this will be over as well. It may sound like a vain dream, but you have decided to give me a chance, so please believe me. If you are the Monarch of a country, you must be bold in a gamble that has begun, so what will Your Highness do?"
At that moment, Floyd recalled Roxana's words that she would become a brazen Sorceress.
'I thought she was a Sorceress in bed.'
No, it wasn't. At this moment, Roxana's every word was like the whisper of a Sorceress that charmed people and dug into Floyd's heart.
Floyd felt as if he had seen a fragment of Princess Franche, who was loved by the people of Kanta Kingdom. The Roxana that Floyd remembered was a young and cheerful girl who sulked at her brothers' pranks, but that girl had lived through times he didn't know and had become a quiet, gentle, but strong woman.
Lucas had shattered that woman, but Roxana had gathered the broken shell and was standing here. To help a young child and employees who were not related to her at all.
Floyd believed that she would not die here with the patients.
"Leave only the patients here."
"Monarch!"
"Your Highness..."
Voices of bewilderment erupted from here and there, but Floyd was adamant.
"Get out now!"
People cast uneasy glances at Roxana and left the treatment room. Kirshan followed the doctors and pharmacists, and the captains of the royal guard were next to leave. As Floyd turned around, Hexter said to Roxana.
"I'm here..."
"Rest assured, Sir Lenardo."
Roxana met Hexter's eyes and added in a voice so small that only he could hear.
"Even if it means the end of my life, I will save this child."
+++
After everyone left, only the groaning patients remained in the treatment room. They were unconscious, invaded by Magic Infestation.
Roxana whispered to the flower vase she was holding.
"What should I do now?"
-Lotty, it's really dangerous. Accepting Undine is difficult even for healthy Spirit Users.
-I heard that a Spirit User in the old days accepted Undine and didn't wake up for a year.
"Tell me quickly. What do I have to do to call Undine?"
The moment of silence made Roxana anxious. Just as Roxana was about to urge them again out of anxiety, she heard an answer.
-Just call her. If you call her while thinking that you want to meet her, Undine will come.
-Undine likes you so much.
Despite hearing the words that she might die several times, Roxana did not hesitate. She had more than enough desire to meet her.
Roxana hugged the flower vase and said.
"Undine."
At first, she thought nothing was happening. But soon she realized that the air had changed. The humidity increased and it became difficult to breathe.
Just as moisture was forming on Roxana's skin, she suddenly felt comfortable breathing and a transparent figure appeared before her eyes.
A transparent human figure the size of two palms put together. The figure, which was unclear whether it was male or female, was floating in the air.
-Lotty!
The transparent figure shouted in a clearer voice than the lower Spirits.
-Long time no see! How long has it been? About a hundred years? You've grown a lot. Wow, you've grown up beautifully. How old are you? A hundred years old? A hundred and fifty years old? Your hair is the same as before. Your skin is still smooth. Did you know? Our children always make the water you wash in clean to make your skin better. I told them to do that.
It was hard to keep up with the words that were pouring out without a break. But she could tell that Undine was friendly to her.
Roxana carefully reached out her hand. It looked transparent, but her fingers did not pass through Undine. Something moist and watery was touched exactly at the tip of Roxana's finger.
-Ahahaha. It tickles. Yes, you were like this when you first met me when you were little. Nothing has changed even after a hundred years.
It hadn't been 100 years, but Roxana didn't bother to correct her. Because what was important now was not such a problem.
"People are dying."
At those words, Undine turned her transparent body and looked around the treatment room.
-Yes. They've been hit by Magic Infestation. But it's not strong Magical Energy. The humans lying there are just too weak. Frail and annoying things.
Undine was strangely friendly to Roxana, but her tone towards other people was full of hostility.
"Can you heal people?"
-I can! All you have to do is push the Magical Energy out of their bodies. There's water in the human body, so this much Magical Energy is enough to remove with my power.
That's a relief.
Roxana said urgently.
"Then help me."
-No.
"Huh?"
-I don't want to help. To intervene in human affairs so directly, I have to borrow your body, but if you accept me, you'll die. You're too weak right now.
"It's okay if I die. So please..."
-I don't want to. There aren't many humans who can communicate with me. I don't want to see you die. If you're going to say something like this, I'm going back. Goodbye.
Roxana grabbed Undine's arm, which was fading as if she was about to turn around after finishing her words. Undine looked down at her arm that Roxana had grabbed.
-Oh dear...
Roxana pulled Undine in and hugged her as she was. Something cold came through her dress and touched Roxana's skin. She felt something wet entering her body.
-Don't do this, Lotty. Where did you learn this method? So forcefully... Ugh, no! This is not allowed!
The transparent figure disappeared. At that moment, Roxana felt as if her body was freezing. The voice that had been heard from outside was now ringing in Roxana's head.
-No way. How can you do this... Lotty, you're really going to die. If you accept me like this, you'll freeze to death!
Roxana had not learned how to use the power of the Spirit. Most of the Spirit Users had died a long time ago, so her mother, Angelia, did not know the method either.
Nevertheless, Roxana could feel how to use Undine, who had entered her. She shone her green eyes brightly and looked around at the patients in the treatment room, saying.
"I don't care, even if I die."
+++
The people who had been chased out into the hallway were staring at the door of the treatment room with stiff expressions. For a while, no sound was heard.
Adrian was dissatisfied with this situation, but he didn't dare to complain to Floyd, who was glaring like a tiger with his arms crossed. So he whispered to Cain, who was easier to deal with.
"The Monarch is crazy."
Cain shrugged his shoulders.
The first and last time Cain saw Roxana was when he rescued her from the merchant ship. After that, he only heard stories, so he just felt sorry for her.
A princess who was betrayed by her fiancé, lost her family and country, and became a slave. A pitiful woman who was considered an eyesore even by the employees of the Grand Duke's palace.
Roxana had enough room to be pitied by Cain, who was endlessly weak to the weak.
'Pity my foot...'
The Roxana he saw again today was completely different from Cain's memory. She was only tall and skinny, but she was slender but dignified.
'To silence that Arsene.'
