The moment the door opened, the room seemed to brighten.
Her golden hair caught the light and shimmered. Blue eyes. Fair skin. A girl dressed in vestments that seemed a bit too large for her entered the room quietly.
She was beautiful, I thought.
She was just a child, perhaps only slightly older than me. Hearing the title of Saint, I had imagined someone more mature. But her beauty alone was enough to live up to the name. It was a purity that seemed to clarify the very air around her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Rein. I am Therese. I am called the Saint."
Her voice was calm. She smiled gently, but it felt like a practiced mask.
Mira, standing by my bedside, gave a small bow.
Lady Therese sat in a chair and inspected my body. Her gaze followed the burn scars on my torso, then moved to the stump of my left arm and the flat sections at the base of my legs. For a fleeting moment, her eyebrows twitched. Her lips pressed firmly together, and something flared deep within her blue eyes. Anger—I think. But she suppressed it in a single breath and returned to her calm expression.
"I will explain the treatment," Lady Therese began.
"My magic is said to return the body to the form it should be. I believe that given time, I can regenerate your lost limbs and your crushed eye. For the limbs, the rate of regeneration is approximately one finger’s length per day. I plan to start with the burn scars first, then move on to the limbs."
"However," Lady Therese's voice hardened slightly.
"The treatment is accompanied by intense pain—greater than the pain of the original injuries. Gradually returning a wound to its original state is effectively the same as having the cross-section of the injury slowly shaved away. And because you will be under the effect of continuous recovery during the treatment, you will be unable to lose consciousness. Since the effects of numbing agents are also neutralized, the pain cannot be suppressed. You will not die from the pain, but your body will move against your will due to the agony. Therefore, I must have you completely restrained during the process."
It was a detached explanation. She must have said the same thing to many people before.
Pain greater than the original injury. That meant it would be worse than the sensation of that branding iron being pressed into me.
But that pain had been meaningless. I was only being burned for someone else's amusement.
This pain had a purpose.
I lifted my right hand.
Ever since I realized I couldn't speak, I had been thinking of a way to communicate. Writing with a pen was too slow with only one hand. Since I couldn't hold the paper down, I couldn't form the letters properly.
I had discovered I could use the light of Recovery Magic by sheer accident. The green light I kindled at my fingertip lingered in the air for a short while after I moved my hand. The afterglow only held its shape for a moment, but if I used Physical Enhancement to increase the speed of my movements, it stayed long enough to be legible. It was a struggle to learn how to write in reverse, though.
I lit a green glow at my fingertip and drew characters in the air. The trails of light lingered faintly before quickly fading.
『Please.』
Lady Therese's eyes widened slightly. She read the letters of light—and then looked at my fingertip. I must have been the first patient she’d ever seen use such a method.
For just a moment, she gave me a soft, genuine smile. But she quickly reverted to her professional mask and gave a small nod.
◇◇◇
I was secured tightly to the bed with leather straps across my chest, waist, and right arm. I couldn't move an inch.
I didn't mind. I was used to being bound by chains.
Mira assisted with the restraints. Her fingertips trembled as she tightened the straps.
"Take this, so you do not bite your tongue."
Lady Therese held out a leather bite block. Mira took it and brought it to my mouth with a shaking hand.
I opened my mouth slightly.
Mira slipped the leather between my teeth. The scent of brand-new leather hit my nose. It was a fresh piece, with no one else's teeth marks on it yet.
"I am beginning."
Lady Therese's hand touched the burn scars on my torso. A warm light spread out. It was gentle, almost pleasant.
That changed an instant later.
Deep within my flesh, something began to churn. From beneath the skin that had been dead and hardened, the nerves that had been burned away were revived one by one.
The pain hit.
The memory of the branding iron being pressed against me flooded back—and was immediately overtaken. Back then, only the surface had been burned. This was being rebuilt from deep within the meat of my body. Each nerve let out a scream the moment it was reborn.
My body bucked.
It wasn't by my will; my body was trying to flee on its own. The leather straps dug deep into my skin, yet the thrashing wouldn't stop. If I hadn't been restrained, I would have rolled right off the bed.
—A muffled cry leaked out from behind the leather.
My body jumped, screams were swallowed by the gag, and my vision flickered. Tears flowed incessantly, mixing with a mess of cold sweat. It was pain enough to make anyone pass out, yet my consciousness remained sharp, sewn fast into the center of the agony.
In the intervals between the waves, I saw Mira for a brief second in the corner of my blurred vision. I thought she was saying something, but the next wave struck, and I lost the ability to think.
I didn't know how much time had passed.
The light vanished. Lady Therese's hand pulled away. The pain receded like a tide. Strength left my body, and I let my entire weight slump against the leather straps.
Mira removed the gag. The leather, slick with saliva, came out of my mouth. Deep teeth marks were carved into it.
My throat, which had been groaning non-stop, burned with pain. My muscles ached from the haphazard tension.
I looked down at my torso with my left eye. Amidst the field of burn scars, there was one small, rectangular section of smooth skin. Just a few centimeters. The scars were gone, replaced by new skin.
It was my skin. This was different from that woman who only gave me pain. This girl had truly healed me.
『Thank you.』
I managed to move my hand to express my gratitude. At that moment, Lady Therese's expression was clearly tinged with surprise.
"Will you continue the treatment next time as well?"
Her voice was composed, but for some reason, her eyes were searching my face as if she were praying.
I nodded. I didn't hesitate.
Lady Therese’s expression wavered again, looking profoundly relieved.
◇◇◇
Lady Therese left the room, and silence fell. My restraints had been removed. My right hand moved freely. My throat was stinging, and my body felt heavy, but looking at those few centimeters of new skin made me feel a little better. I was moving forward.
I heard footsteps. Mira’s footsteps.
I turned my head. Mira was standing beside me. I looked up at her with my left eye, and that was when I noticed her state.
—Her eyes were wrong.
It wasn't just a lack of light. Though they were dark, something was squirming deep inside them. It felt like peering into a bottomless well. I wanted to look away, yet I couldn't. Something was swirling thickly within her, an emotion I couldn't identify.
"Lord Rein."
Her voice was calm. It was intensely, sugar-sweetly kind.
"Why don't we... just stop?"
"I don't think you need to receive any more treatment."
"I will take care of you forever. Your meals, your clothes, everything. I'll make sure you never have to struggle with anything."
Mira took my right hand, wrapping it in both of hers. Her hands were warm, but her eyes remained terrifying.
"When I'm older... I will be your partner, Lord Rein."
"I'll even bear your children. As many as you want."
"So—you don't have to go through any more pain. Let's just live here happily forever."
—She was breaking. Because of me.
I shook my head.
Mira's face twisted slightly.
I forced a sound. By sheer force of will, I made my throat vibrate.
"I don't... want you... to look..."
My voice was raspy and broken. My throat screamed in protest. My body tried to refuse the sound. Even so, I pushed out just a little more.
"...like that."
Mira's eyes widened.
The light returned to them. They grew moist, wavered, and finally overflowed. Pressing both hands to her mouth, Mira collapsed onto the bed. Her thin arms wrapped around me. Her face pressed into the crook of my neck, and warm tears trickled onto my skin.
Mira clung to me as if she were trying to melt into my body, her arms entwining around me as if she were trying to become one with me. I lifted my right hand. With my one remaining arm, I touched Mira's back. I hugged her back. Even though I could only muster a tiny bit of strength, I held her.
Lady Therese would come again tomorrow. It would hurt again, my body would buck, and I would scream.
But that pain had a meaning.
Because it meant I would eventually be able to hold Mira properly with both arms.