Volume 7 Chapter 14 (1/2)
Soon after gaining valuable information from the [Time] Demon Lord, we headed back home.
And today, considering I shouldn't go outside, I did my work in the carriage parked near the [First Tree]. The reason I shouldn't go out was…
”Aura, are you sure Stolas is going to wake up today?”
”Yes. Her body has completely recovered. As far as her consciousness is concerned, it's stable. A little coaxing should be enough to wake her up. These are all thanks to my earnest efforts in healing her, master! Praise me, please!”
Aura said so with a self-satisfied grin while also puffing her ample bosom.
I praised her good job, good job and then brushed her head. To that, she giggled ehehe.
She really did a good job. I should buy her that cake she loves so much later.
While thinking that, a sound came from somewhere.
”Gauuuuuuuuuu”
It was from Enlil the Storm Dragon Knight Bahamut who had come to Avalon together with Stolas, his sleeping master.
When I looked toward his direction, I saw that he was licking his master's cheek. It was perhaps his way of trying to get Stolas to wake up.
Much like Duke who could change his form, Enlil was able to reduce his size to that of a kitten's. Ever since coming to Avalon, he had remained in this cute form and vigilantly remained at his master's side.
And then, suddenly, there was movement in Stolas's eyelids.
”Where am I? What happened…?”
After more than a week, Sleeping Beauty finally awakened.
However, having woken up in an unfamiliar room, she was understandably bewildered.
”Gauuuuuu”
Enlil made an affectionate sound and then rubbed his head against Stolas's cheek. After noticing it was Enlil, Stolas immediately embraced him.
”Oh, Enlil, that tickles. That's right. I… I named you Enlil, and then lost consciousness, and then…”
At that point, she examined her surroundings and then made eye contact with me.
”…and then, you helped me, Procell. The fact that Enlil's still here means that my crystal is still intact and that we won the war, doesn't it? Thank goodness. It seems I owe you a great deal, Procell.”
”Yeah. I'd greatly appreciate it if you do someday.”
I jokingly replied so. Hopefully this way, she would feel less pressure to pay me back.
”So, Procell, can you catch me up on things? First of all, I don't know where we are.”
”You remember up until you passed out, right? Well, you naming Enlil has caused quite a disaster. You see, that damaged your magic circuits to the point that there was even a chance your magic power and Demon Lord abilities might not ever return.”
Enlil was so strong, the act of naming him caused this much burden on her magic circuits. If we didn't have Aura, recovery might have been hopeless.
”…it's to that degree? The risks were far greater than I thought.”
”Yeah. That's why we brought you here in Avalon so that Aura—a healing expert—can look after you. Moreover, can you feel that warm and gentle life energy? That's from the First Tree, a sacred tree that's comparable to a world tree. That overflowing life energy helped in speeding up your recovery.”
”I see. That means I truly owe Avalon a great deal. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
”Don't worry about it. We're friends and this is what friends do, right?”
I sincerely believed she would have done the same for me if our roles were ever reversed.
”So, has your magic power and Demon Lord abilities returned yet?”
”Let's see… Nope, no matter how much I try, I can't gather any magic power or perform any of my Demon Lord abilities. I'm now actually worried. It won't be like this forever, right?”
I understood what she was feeling at the moment because I had undergone a similar situation.
I then looked Aura to give her the cue to talk.
”You don't have to worry, Stolas-sama. Between my medical treatment of you, the potions made from the golden apples, and the First Tree, you should recover soon. In fact, I estimate the return of your magic power and Demon Lord abilities in 10 days.”
Hearing that, Stolas felt relieved.
In ten days, huh. Making her just rest in that time period is kind of a waste. We should let her re-experience the joys of Avalon as much as is possible.
”In ten days? Okay. Sorry to be a burden, but please continue to look after my health. Also, will it be fine if I came home even for just a day? I want to see for my own eyes that everyone is safe and doing fine. I'm a bit worried about my dungeon too.”
Stolas appeared uneasy as she said so. It was perfectly understandable though. If I were to be away from Avalon for a whole week, I would not be able to calm down.
”Can that be arranged, Aura?”