A trace of warmth stirred within the darkness, and she slowly regained consciousness from her faint. With great effort, she lifted her body, which felt unbearably heavy from the massive blood loss. Through her blurred vision, she could barely make out a single figure.
That figure was… Senpai!
Yukina Himeragi's muddled mind felt as if it had been struck by a hammer, instantly snapping back to clarity. Acting on instinct, she forced herself to stand.
"Senpai, why are you here… mm!"
Before she could finish speaking, a wave of weakness surged through her body. The strength that had momentarily returned from the shock vanished, and she collapsed again.
As the ground rushed closer in her vision, Yukina Himeragi instinctively closed her eyes. She gathered the faint remnants of Spiritual Energy left within her body, power that had been almost completely drained during the fierce battle, and concentrated it around her vital organs, hoping to reduce the impact of the secondary injury as much as possible.
Just as she was about to hit the ground, a hand caught her.
"Yukina, thank goodness, you're awake. How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere? I'll take you to the hospital right now."
When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a face filled with tension, anxiety, and worry.
It was Cid. He had caught her just before she fell. Now his right hand supported her while his left held her Sekkarou.
"N-no need, Senpai. You don't have to take me to the hospital. Just take me away from here."
Her chaotic thoughts gradually began to settle.
It seemed the Armed Apostle had let her go for some reason. Cid-senpai had probably followed her after she suddenly left, worried about her, and ended up finding her collapsed here.
Yukina Himeragi had no idea why the Armed Apostle and his group had not killed her, but she still urged Cid to leave immediately. If the Armed Apostle suddenly changed his mind and returned, staying here would be far too dangerous.
"That's not possible. Look at how much blood you've lost. How could you not go to the hospital?"
Seeing Cid's tightly furrowed brows and anxious expression, all born from his concern for her, Yukina Himeragi could only sigh helplessly in her heart.
Senpai really is a good person.
But she truly did not need a hospital right now. A moment ago she had checked the condition of her body. The injuries that had been quite severe before she lost consciousness had somehow completely disappeared.
If even she could not sense any injuries, what would a hospital possibly discover? It would only waste time and risk exposing her identity as a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization.
What she needed now was rest, or medicine that could restore her Spiritual Energy. Fortunately, she had exactly that at home.
Feeling Cid's hands firmly supporting her shoulders, Yukina Himeragi could clearly sense his concern. In her current state, resisting Cid-senpai was impossible. She probably would not even manage a few steps alone before collapsing again.
So…
Gathering the last bit of strength she could muster, she focused entirely on maintaining her balance so she would not immediately fall. Then she placed both hands on Cid's shoulders.
She pulled with all her strength. Perhaps worried about hurting her, Cid did not resist, allowing Yukina Himeragi to pull him closer until their eyes met.
Their gazes locked.
Each could see the other's eyes, and their own reflection within them.
"Senpai, trust me. I would not joke about my own life. Take me home. I have medicine there."
Looking into the reflection of herself in Cid's eyes, Yukina Himeragi felt her heartbeat quicken slightly.
To be honest, she had no idea whether this method would work.
She usually did this with her roommate at the Lion King Organization, Sayaka Kirasaka. According to Sayaka, letting someone see the sincerity in your eyes like this made it easier to persuade them.
But this was the first time she had used it on someone other than Sayaka Kirasaka, so she was not sure if it would actually work.
For a split second, an expression crossed Cid's face that looked completely speechless. It lasted less than half a second before it shifted into a slightly flustered look as he stared at her, making Yukina Himeragi wonder if her weakness was causing her to hallucinate.
From Yukina Himeragi's perspective, Cid seemed to think for several seconds. Finally, he clenched his teeth as if making a decision, then turned his back to her and crouched down.
"Get on, Yukina. Where's your house?"
"Thank you, Senpai."
After giving him the address, Yukina Himeragi climbed onto Cid's back. The surrounding scenery quickly blurred past them, and she realized Cid had already begun using Magical Power to travel faster.
Feeling the warmth of Cid's back, and as they gradually left the dangerous area behind, the tension that had been holding her mind together finally loosened.
Sleepiness washed over her in waves.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
...
Looking at Yukina Himeragi, who had already fallen asleep, Cid quietly increased the Magical Power of the Sleep Magic in his left hand to make sure she would not wake up by accident. Then he gently tossed her onto his bed.
Yes, his bed.
Do not get the wrong idea. He had no improper intentions. The main reason was that Yukina Himeragi lived right next door to him, but after searching through her backpack he still could not find her key. With no way to enter her house, he could only bring her to his own.
Fortunately, luck seemed to be on his side. His sister and Alexia were not waiting outside his door. Of course, it was more likely that they had already come by earlier, did not see him, and eventually left.
As for what he said about taking her to the hospital, that was just talk. No need to take it seriously.
Cid understood Yukina Himeragi's physical condition perfectly well. Aside from the weakness caused by heavy blood loss, her body was perfectly healthy.
The blood loss itself would resolve after some rest. When he treated Yukina Himeragi earlier, he had already prepared the Magical Power needed to regenerate blood. If she had not woken up midway, even the blood loss would have been completely resolved by now. Since she woke up earlier than expected, all that remained was to let her sleep while the Magical Power he injected into her body gradually transformed into new blood.
Even in the absolute worst case, if Yukina Himeragi somehow died, it would not be a big problem. A Holy Light Magic resurrection spell could simply pull her back from death.
Cid turned around and took a sticky note from the drawer. He wrote down an explanation for why Yukina Himeragi was in his house.
He would have preferred to stay and look after her, but he had something he needed to deal with outside. Leaving a note was the only way to explain the situation.
Following a habit he had developed over the past few days, he opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk that Eta had given him, drinking it casually.
After finishing it, he tossed the empty carton into the trash, walked into the bathroom, and slid open the mirror above the sink.
Behind the mirror was a cabinet.
Inside it, rows of masks were neatly displayed on the shelves.
A pitch black magician's mask, a pure white mask, a ferocious Hannya Mask, a human skin mask...
Looking at the collection of masks, Cid revealed an intoxicated smile and forcefully suppressed the urge to rub his hands together in excitement.
He took out the pure white mask and placed it over his face. At the same time, slime-like liquid spread from his body and covered him, forming a black noble-style outfit.
The next moment, a thin white thread emerged from the black suit. It quickly spread across the fabric, and the pitch black clothing gradually turned pure white.
The elegant and mysterious noble, Roland Augustus, has arrived!
After giving his outfit one last inspection, Cid used Magical Power to speed up the porridge cooking in the kitchen. He poured it into a thermos and sealed it.
Satisfied, he nodded.
Then he opened the window, jumped out, and flew into the air, heading beyond Itogami Island.