Chapter 18
Episode 18
Solskjaer's body was very flexible and agile. He crawled into the cave and dragged out the unconscious Ero. Even as he did, the landslide worsened, and the passage narrowed. People frantically dug away the soil to prevent the entrance where Solskjaer and Ero would emerge from being buried. Finally, when Solskjaer's head began to appear, people rushed in unison and pulled him and Ero out with all their might. Rumble, crash! The heavy rain poured down again, and the soil surged forward.
"Everyone, get out of the way!"
Gunther shouted, and people quickly ran away from the cave. However, the scale of the landslide grew, threatening to engulf even the workers' quarters. If things continued this way, before long, everyone here would be buried under the pile of earth. At that moment, Stone reached out his hand to Maria and shouted.
"Maria! Magic Stone nante jo."
A little over 30 minutes passed, and Stone had returned to being a child again.
'Magic Stone?'
Maria didn't even realize she was holding the Magic Stone until Stone spoke. She had been desperately clutching something, and it was the red Magic Stone. Stone received the Magic Stone and began drawing a magic circle on the ground, chanting something. But the pile of earth was already right in front of Stone's nose. Gunther briefly put Maria down from his arms and threw himself towards Stone.
At that moment, a pillar of light rose from the magic circle on the ground, and a transparent barrier soared high. Gunther saved Stone by a hair's breadth.
"Whew! Dahainda. Heukgaemula jambyeoteun mo ppussilgeol? Stone-i teunteunage mandeueotgeodeun?"
Indeed, the barrier Stone had erected with magic was very sturdy. The surging pile of earth, like a wave, could no longer cross the barrier. It was thanks to Maria bringing the Magic Stone that they were able to get through that chaotic situation. Gunther hugged Stone and stroked his head.
"Stone, you're amazing."
"I'm a Spirit, you know?"
Gunther smiled as he watched Stone boast like a child. But his worries didn't completely disappear. No one knew what would happen with this landslide in the future. According to Stone, once the Magic Stone found its owner, it would become docile like a well-behaved puppy. Meanwhile, Solskjaer blocked Ero's nose and blew air into his mouth.
"Breathe. Hurry!"
Solskjaer, still finding Ero's breathing faint, pressed down on the upper part of his abdomen with his palm and continued to blow air into his mouth. After repeating this several times, Ero suddenly coughed and exhaled. Only then did people breathe a sigh of relief. They had been so anxious that Ero might die.
"Are you okay?"
Solskjaer asked, tapping Ero's cheek.
"Yes, I'm fine. Cough, cough—"
Maria ran to Ero and hugged him tightly. She cried like a child, and the workers who were watching also wiped away tears.
* * *
After washing up, Maria headed to Gunther's quarters. And in her hand, she held a medicine bottle.
[Maria, please apply the medicine to the Great King's hands.]
She had heard it from Solskjaer. How hard Gunther had worked to save her and Ero. He had desperately dug at the soil until the skin on his palms was scraped raw and bleeding. She had thought he was a heartless person when he tied her to a wooden pillar for breaking the rules, or when he locked her in a solitary cell and punished her for days on end.
'He's really a man I can't figure out.'
But one thing she knew for sure. Gunther Paisley was unusually obsessed with her. Of course, he must have his reasons. She was a hostage to collect the debt from Henry. When Maria opened the door and entered, he was all cleaned up, as if he had washed up too. Everyone had been covered in mud and a complete mess... It had truly been an exhausting day.
Maria walked straight towards Gunther. Gunther even took a slight step back at her approach.
"Ya... uh, Baya."
She took Gunther's hands in hers and made him spread his palms wide.
'It must hurt.'
As Solskjaer had said, Gunther's palms were a mess. They were covered in pus and blood, making her wince involuntarily. She gestured to Gunther that she would apply the medicine for him. Gunther then nodded with a gentle smile. Maria carefully applied the medicine to the wounds on Gunther's hands. Gunther watched Maria with a pleased expression.
"Hoo!"
When Maria blew on his palms after applying the medicine, his heart fluttered so much he thought he would go crazy.
'Oh, I could have asked Stone for help.'
She remembered when Gunther had bitten at his own skin, and Stone had applied his saliva, which had healed the wound. Maria looked at Gunther with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Sto...ne."
When Maria gestured that Stone could heal the wounds on his hands, his expression hardened.
"Stone used a lot of power today, it's too much."
"!"
Ah, that could be true. He had used the Magic Stone to create a magic circle and erect a barrier, so he must have exhausted his energy. She had been short-sighted.
"Ah!"
Maria was startled by Gunther's awkward exclamation. She quickly grabbed Gunther's hand and repeated the action of reapplying the medicine and blowing on it.
"Maria."
He called out in a low voice.
"?"
Maria looked at Gunther with a blank face.
"Actually, I also injured my lip while using the tools earlier."
"!"
She carefully examined Gunther's face with a surprised expression.
'He's injured? Did a rock hit his lip?'
If so, he might have chipped a tooth. Let's see... But Gunther's lips were fine. When Maria tilted her head in confusion, he said with a serious face.
"The inside of my lip hurts a lot. I clenched my teeth too hard."
'That could be true.'
Maria finally understood Gunther's words. He must be indirectly saying how desperately he had dug at the soil. But she didn't know what kind of medicine to apply to the inside of his lip. There was no suitable medicine either.
"I think it would be fine if you blew on it like you did earlier."
Only then did she realize. Gunther's lecherous intentions. And the way he was looking at her was so intense, she felt like her face would burn up.
"Aren't you going to do it?"
'Blowing on it won't heal the wound.'
She never expected that a man who didn't budge even when a landslide occurred and heavy rain poured down would want such childish behavior, to the point of being embarrassing. Just then, Gunther muttered to himself as if talking to himself.
"It hurts..."
Maria felt sorry for him. He had been injured trying to save her, and she was hesitating just because he wanted some childish behavior. They had survived a near-death experience, so what was the big deal about blowing air into his mouth? Maria smiled helplessly and moved closer to Gunther. She was about to blow air onto his lips. At that moment, the door opened, and she heard the sound of pattering footsteps.
'Stone!'
At the same time, Gunther, who had been holding Maria's hand tightly, dropped his arm powerlessly. He then looked at Stone with a very desolate expression.
'Stone, the Great King is hurt. His palms are badly injured, and the inside of his lip hurts too. Please help him.'
"Gunther, appa?"
Stone jumped onto the bed and examined Gunther's palms and the inside of his mouth.
"I'll chiyo you."
"Stone, it's okay. Maria applied medicine."
"Maria Gunther geotjyeongae."
"What?"
Gunther looked back and forth between Stone and Maria.
'Maria is worried about me?'
A strange emotion surged in his heart. Then Maria tapped Stone.
'Tell the Great King. Thank you for saving me.'
"Gunther, Maria gomapte. Guaejeoseo."
"?!?"
Gunther's face flushed red with surprise. Then Stone pouted at Maria.
"Naneung? Nadu Maria guannunde."
Maria kissed Stone on both cheeks. And Gunther was horrified by the sight. Unlike Stone, who was giggling, Gunther's expression was not so good.
"Gunther-neung naega chiyo hae julkke."
"It's okay."
When he refused in a subdued voice, Maria grabbed his hand and pulled him.
"Ah... daeeo."
It must mean that he should definitely get treatment. Only then did Gunther reluctantly extend his hands towards Stone.
"Keureuk keureuk, keoeok!"
The sound of Stone gathering saliva was very loud. And it was dirty. But he's a baby, after all...
"Tweht!"
Stone spat a large amount of saliva on Gunther's hand. Gunther froze like a statue, staring at the frothy saliva on his palm.
"Here, if you apply my tim, you'll get better."
At that moment, Gunther jumped up from his seat.
"Maria, I need to go see Solskjaer."
Gunther left the room with a stiff face, and Maria and Stone stared at each other blankly, not understanding his actions.
'Could it be because baby saliva is dirty? He's not just a baby, he's a Spirit. It's not saliva, it's medicine.'
Maria tilted her head repeatedly. Then, the scene she had seen in the cave suddenly came to mind. No, to be exact, it should be called a dream.
'Stone, I had a dream in the cave.'
"Dream?"
Maria told Stone in detail about the dream she had seen. It was hard to simply dismiss her parents' conversation as just a dream. Until now, her dreams had only been about the Duke's residence burning and people dying in agony. But the sensation of sand clinging to her feet, the salty smell of the sea, and her parents' voices that she could hear clearly. It wasn't a dream, it was as if she was watching something happening right in front of her.
'The Magic Stone showed it to you.'
Now Stone also conveyed his words to Maria with his mind.
'Stone, you're talking like an adult on the inside?'
'Did you forget? I'm a Spirit.'
Also, Stone's eyes shone with intelligence. It seemed that Maria was the owner of the Magic Stone. That's why only Maria was unharmed when they were buried together in the cave. Stone listened to Maria's words until the end and remained silent for a long time. After much deliberation, he seemed to have found the answer to a difficult question. Then, he looked at Maria with a serious expression and said.
'Maria's parents are not dead.'