Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 221

221

“What kind of side effects?”

“Even if it’s regenerated, it’s still divided from one into two. There won’t be any problems with function, but the life force will be significantly weakened. It will affect their lifespan.”

“Are you saying their lifespan will be shortened?”

“Yes. Well, they’re still Elves, so they’ll probably live for hundreds of years. Depending on how they manage their health, they might get even better results. The younger one might even live longer than the average lifespan of Elf hybrids.”

Hmm, that doesn’t sound too bad.

The tension eased a bit at the lighter-than-expected price. If it depends on management, I can compensate a lot by not doing anything too strenuous and consistently eating nourishing food. It wasn’t that bad of a side effect for a treatment that could save a life and even change a race, without anyone having to die. Endymion and Kaitain’s faces brightened, probably because they thought the same thing.

Cecile might even live longer than her original average lifespan. It feels like sharing Endymion’s lifespan. It wouldn’t be entirely wrong, considering they’re actually sharing a heart.

“Will you do it?”

“Yes, I’m in!”

As expected of a guy who was ready to risk his life from the start, Endymion’s answer was without hesitation. He still looked uneasy, but this time Kaitain didn’t stop him. Lapis’s gaze turned to me.

“What about you? What are you going to do?”

“Huh? Well, that’s…”

“What are you hesitating for? This method is impossible if you don’t participate. You said Endymion can’t die, right? Then we’ll have to find someone else’s heart. Should I go out and catch a High Elf? Would that work?”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

I shouted right away, fearing he would really kidnap someone. At the same time, a smile that seemed to say ‘I knew it’ appeared on Lapis’s face.

“Really? You’ll participate. That’s great.”

“Mr. Lapis! Thank you so much!”

Before I could say anything, Endymion bowed deeply. They started out with one mind and one heart, and now they were perfectly in sync. I watched the happy Endymion with a helpless feeling, then glared at Lapis.

“But why are you suddenly being like this?”

“Like what?”

“You’re helping too willingly. I don’t think I’ve even set any conditions yet.”

When I first asked, he said that a dragon’s mercy is expensive, and not to expect help without a price. I thought that even when he examined Cecile, he would only tell me the possibility of treatment and then try to bargain with me, but I never thought he would proceed so casually. In this case, he’s the one who convinced me, so I’m even more confused. What’s his ulterior motive? I looked at him with distrust and suspicion.

“Because you’re friends.”

“Huh?”

“I just thought I could listen to a friend’s request? Is there something wrong with that?”

“…….”

I guess today is just a day for getting backstabbed. Lapis looked at me, who was frozen, as if I was strange, and then instructed Kaitain and Endymion on what they needed. While they moved efficiently according to his demands, Lapis bit his finger to draw blood, and then used that blood to write something on Cecile’s body. After concentrating for a long time, he soon frowned and stared at me.

“Why are you grinning like that? Get ready to start.”

“Ah, okay.”

Only then did I realize that I was smiling. I hurried to Lapis’s side, and he glanced at me before focusing on what he was doing.

‘Hehe.’

What should I do? This isn’t the time, but my heart keeps fluttering, and it’s a big problem. I could feel the muscles in my face moving on their own, so I coughed a few times.

The deepening darkness outside the window was melting away with the rain. It was a magical night when many things would change.

* * *

A pure white light came in through the tightly closed door. My vision seemed to brighten, and before I knew it, morning had arrived. Remembering that, the concentration I had maintained for a long time was broken for the first time. My body wasn’t tired, but my mind felt exhausted. I took a breath and slowly looked around the room. The floor, the ceiling, and even the air were flashing with unknown numbers, shapes, and letters, emitting a dark red light.

A thick, bloody smell permeated the air. The makeshift operating table was covered in blood. The sight of the two children lying on it like corpses was reminiscent of a bizarre scene from a horror movie. In fact, the reality was even more real, as the two were practically corpses. Their hearts had been removed, and their biological functions had long since ceased.

It was just a temporary phenomenon created by magic, and they were actually alive. But knowing that didn’t make the gruesome sight any less gruesome. I had seen more terrible corpses before, but seeing the insides of someone I knew was a different feeling, and my mind wouldn’t calm down. Kaitain had been sent out of the room early on. And now, two lumps that were hard to call hearts were back in place in the two people’s chests.

“It’s done.”

“……!”

Lapis, who had taken a light breath, nodded. It was a moment I had been waiting for for a long time. When he took his hand away, the red letters that had been hanging like a mobile [a decorative structure with hanging objects] in the air began to pour into Cecile’s body all at once. It was an orderly movement, as if red blood cells were moving along blood vessels.

“Now.”

Lapis’s signal fell in time with the moment the last letter seeped in. I poured the healing power I had been preparing directly into the bodies of the two children. The water that surged out with the thick steam quickly enveloped the affected area. I watched with a nervous feeling as the pure white energy that had penetrated into the body intensively circled the heart area. It was no exaggeration to say that all the difficult processes we had gone through so far were for this last moment. I had to succeed for Lapis, who had worked hard all night, and for Endymion, who had trusted and entrusted his body to me.

‘Please!’

The healing power that had seeped in began to envelop the half-hearts in earnest. It was as if a round water balloon was being put on. Then, the drooping mass swelled up at an astonishingly fast rate. New blood vessels and muscles sprouted here and there, and they connected to each other as if they were being assembled, naturally taking their place. When all of this was over, red hearts were already forming in the bodies of the two children.

“Ah……!”

A sigh flowed out without me realizing it. The healing power, which had completely regenerated the heart in the blink of an eye, continued to take over other parts. Flesh and blood were piled up in the empty space, and even the torn skin was instantly sealed. Not even a small scar remained on the completely healed chest.

“It’s healed…….”

Seeing the clean skin of the children made my heart swell. The biological functions were still stopped, but I could feel that all the organs were in perfect condition. One heart was safely divided into two. I couldn’t believe that I had done it, so I stood there blankly, and Lapis’s fist landed lightly on my head.

“I told you it would work. Why do you know less about your abilities than I do?”

“Th, then is it all over?”

“Yes, it’s all over with this.”

Lapis’s face looked relieved as he nodded. He stretched his neck once and then muttered a short spell. Then, the numbers and shapes engraved on the floor and ceiling shone brightly, and gathered all at once on the bodies of the two children lying down. The effect of that phenomenon was immediately revealed by the scene that followed. The bodies of the children, who had been motionless like corpses until just now, began to come to life. The breath that had been stopped by magic during the surgery had returned.

“They won’t wake up for a few hours. Move them to the bed.”

As he said, Endymion and Cecile were fast asleep. Their faces, breathing evenly, were so peaceful that you couldn’t believe they had just finished a major surgery. Only the remaining residue in the scene was the only evidence of what they had gone through.

“Are they both okay?”

“Why are you asking me that? You’re the one who healed them, so you should know better.”

After retorting as if he was dumbfounded, Lapis plopped down on a nearby chair. He looked quite tired. I stared at him intently because he seemed somehow fresh, and he frowned.

“What.”

“No, it’s just that it’s the first time I’ve seen you looking tired.”

“If you know that, don’t just watch and give me some healing power too? Damn it, it’s even more difficult because they’re High Elves. I used more blood than I thought.”

He didn’t seem to be exaggerating, as his tone was more subdued than usual. It was true that he had used a lot of blood during the procedure. That was especially true when separating the human components from Cecile’s body. In the process, there were many parts that were discarded, which made me worry if it was okay, but Lapis filled Cecile with several times more blood than that. The red letters that seeped into Cecile’s body at the end, and the magic circles drawn all over the room, were all made with Lapis’s blood. It was fortunate that the dragon’s body was as big as a house; otherwise, an ordinary person would have exceeded the lethal dose several times over.

When I poured healing power into him, Lapis slumped as if he was soaking in a hot bath. Taejin used to make that exact expression when he put on a patch after hours of hard practice. It seemed to be hard even for a dragon.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Much better.”

After confirming that satisfaction had appeared on his face, I carefully moved the sleeping siblings to the bed. I thought there wouldn’t be much difference even if they were hybrids, but seeing Cecile, who had become a complete High Elf, felt a little different. The most obvious thing I felt was the change in skin tone. If her previous skin was close to beige, it was now a transparent white skin. Seeing that it was the same color as Endymion, it seemed to be the unique skin color of High Elves. It probably wasn’t just my imagination that her hair color had become brighter. The overall color felt faded, but her complexion was even better. I couldn’t find the figure of the girl who was dying day by day on her cheeks, which were ripe with a light rose color.

So the ‘human part’ is completely gone. I couldn’t believe the fact even as I saw it, and I kept exclaiming. The ‘human side’ that came out of Cecile was now piled up on the floor in a lump. Even if I only estimated it with my eyes, it seemed to be half of her body.

The reason why she can be fine even after so much has been taken out is all thanks to the dragon’s blood. It can replace the components of any race. It was indeed worthy of being the best race on earth. I snorted when Lapis said this with his own mouth, but I never thought I would admit it myself. People’s lives are unpredictable, and it really was.

“Anyway, thank you so much, Lapis. Thank you for helping me.”

“Hmph, of course you should be grateful. You should be honored. You’re the first one to use me so effectively. Even my parents have never benefited from me without paying. You know that?”

“Yes, yes, thank you so much. I’m so touched that I could cry. Should I say that I’m happy to have a good friend?”

“Is that even a question? Just don’t try to use me more than this. This is my hunch, but I think you’ll ask for my life someday.”

“Wow, what do you really think of me? Would you even give it to me if I asked?”

“Do you think I’d give it to you?”

Lapis’s eyes, which had been languidly relaxed, suddenly became fierce. Anyone who saw it would think I really asked for his life. I shook my head in disbelief.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t need your life. I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me.”

“What? Why wouldn’t you take it? You don’t know the value of my life!”

“Then will you take it?”

“I’m not giving it to you!”

“Ah, so what!”

He seems to be feeling better now that he’s picking on me for no reason. I let Lapis’s nagging voice flow out of one ear while looking around. Now that the atmosphere had calmed down to some extent, I noticed the state of the room. From the blood flowing from the table to the floor to the stench permeating the air. It was a scene where it wouldn’t be strange if someone had died here last night. Anyone with a weak heart would faint as soon as they came in.

“I need to clean up first.”

I could feel people stirring outside the door, where Kaitain had been pacing all night. It seemed that everyone had heard the news and gathered in the morning. I had to go out and tell everyone the good news, but I couldn’t leave it like this. There were no cleaning tools in the room, so I decided to use my abilities. I created water to wipe every corner, purified the air, and then gathered the waste into one place and cleanly destroyed it. It was a so-called water cleaning. Even in the meantime, Lapis’s nonsense continued.

“Hey! Shouldn’t friends say they’ll risk their lives for each other? You said we’re friends!”

……Who taught him that strange ideology? He’s always been a strange guy, but he seems to be getting stranger and stranger.