Cold sweat ran down Felicia’s forehead. She seemed to be barely holding on to her sanity, but it looked like she might doze off at any moment.

The sight was familiar. I could imagine myself being like that just a few minutes before.

It was a strange feeling to think about how Claude might have seen me.

Still, I was at a loss. Felicia being in this state wouldn’t help us in the fight, especially since she was the only one who knew the weaknesses of these bugs. I had to snap her out of it.

“But how?”

As I thought about it, I decided to do the first thing that came to mind: I touched her shoulder, just like Claude had done to me. As someone else’s warmth reached her, her trembling seemed to lessen slightly.

I looked around to see if the spirits were in any danger. They seemed fine for now, but we couldn’t afford to take too long, so I spoke quickly.

“Stay calm. Felicia, think.”

“But…”

“Reedmore isn’t going to die. I have a potion. It’s a potion blessed by the Priest Adrian. It was brewed directly by him, so you can guess its effectiveness, right?”

“Such a thing exists? Then he…!”

Surprised, she quickly turned to look behind her.

Claude was carefully treating Reedmore’s back and chest wounds.

Each time he poured the potion, the melted skin visibly healed and the holes became smaller.

Ridim’s face had regained some color. He seemed to sleep peacefully. It felt different than before, even though his eyes and mouth were tightly closed.

“Runic deity…”

Felicia murmured gratefully.

Good. He didn’t die.

My heart raced with the result I had so desperately hoped for.

Felicia turned back to me. She looked better than before, but still had a confused expression on her face.

Although she was physically older than me, she seemed to rely on me for guidance and advice. After all, she was still a sixteen-year-old child.

“What should I do?”

It was the first time I had to comfort or lift someone in this condition.

As I thought about what to do, I decided to follow someone who came to mind: Claude.

“If you’re confused right now, it’s because of the sudden strong monster battle and our comrade’s serious injury.”

I first objectively assessed the situation and then added a few words that might be helpful.

“Try to calmly remember what happened that day, who was with you, what you were doing at the time, and what season it was.

“Who was with you, what you did before and after…”

Felicia wiped away her tears and began to think again.

Though she had been completely self-deprecating and sad just moments ago, she tried to stand again. She was the kind of person who could do that. I admired that about her.

This was the Felicia I had always seen at the Academy. Always staying with Pogos every hour, sometimes doing stupid things and being annoying, but always the confident Felicia.

“I believe in you, Felicia.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I added.

“And Pogos, too.”

“Pogos…?”

Her eyes and mouth widened at that moment. Felicia exclaimed loudly.

“Pogos! Yes! It was Pogos!”

I stood there confused, not understanding why she was suddenly doing this.

“Pogos may not be her weakness.”

Just as I was wondering when Claude had been there, I heard Claude’s voice from behind me. I looked at him in surprise. His face was unreadable.

‘Did he hear everything I said?’

I was a little embarrassed. Even if he had heard, he wouldn’t know that I was imitating him.

“That’s right.”

Still, I agreed because his words were exactly what I was thinking.

Felicia didn’t understand what was happening and finally explained.

“Pogos was there then! It was dinner time, and my father briefly mentioned those monsters. Then, when we were together, he told me, ‘If you stare at the spell book in the dark study every day, your eyes will weaken like Sidrothias.’ He said that!”

“Eyes?”

When I asked again, she nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes, eyes! Instead of sensing their surroundings with tentacle-like mouths, they have almost no vision. They’re as weak as flies. If you stab their eyes, you can kill them.”

“But… how do you stab something so small?”

I was puzzled. The number of bugs had increased, occupying the narrow passages like tunnels.

In between, Felicia’s ghosts and mine fought to keep them at bay.

Our attacks weren’t very effective, so our strategy was to occasionally hit their defenses or quickly dodge to make sure they couldn’t get close to us.

In the process, some of the children lost their strength and disappeared due to the monsters’ legs or acidic fluids. Each time they perished, I felt the backlash of reverse summoning.

I continued to summon more spirits during these moments, but it was clear that we couldn’t go on.

“It’s all about piercing their eyes.”

Claude murmured, holding his sword.

“Yes… Shall I do it, Your Highness?”

“There seems to be no other way.”

“But…”

Felicia looked unsure, her eyes shifting from Claude preparing to attack the monsters to me.

I was worried, too. Claude was a prince, and besides, I hadn’t heard of him getting proper training in swordsmanship.

Even at the academy, swordsmanship classes were rare, and he didn’t appear at the sparring grounds.

It seemed like we were the only ones worried, as Prince Claude remained calm.

“Can we tie its legs somehow?”

“If it’s their legs… it might be possible.”

Their naturally fast flying and crawling speed made them particularly challenging opponents.

Even if we could temporarily stop them from flying, it would be a great help. After a long thought, I nodded.

“If Undine ties them all up at once, it might work, but she won’t last long.”

The Undines usually disappeared with a single blow, but Undine could withstand several blows.

“How long?”

“If done well, about one minute, maybe two.”

“That should be enough.”

“Wait, Your Highness! Perhaps we should explore more methods with the spirits… Your Highness, wait!”

Felicia overheard our conversation and tried to grab Claude in her surprise, but Claude stepped forward without waiting.

I focused my mind and controlled Undine. My sensitivity to subtle movements was heightened.

There were about twenty of them. They occupied an entire cave, clinging to the floor, walls and ceiling.

When I opened my eyes again, Claude was almost in front of them.

“Shaah!”

The one closest to the cave’s entrance raised its tentacle-like beak, sniffed around as if sensing something, and then, recognizing Claude’s presence, let out a warning cry.

“Now!”

Claude yelled as he charged forward. I concentrated fully, spreading Undine’s power far and wide.

Suddenly, water poured out of nowhere onto the barren stone floor. Like waves, the water that flooded the corridor seeped into every spot where the bugs clung, soon becoming sticky and trapping them.

‘What’s happening?’

The bugs, stunned by the sudden event, screamed loudly, echoing through the cave.

I sat down, concentrating despite the cold sweat. Every inch of my body was tensed with effort.

This was the first time I had ever used my power like this. I couldn’t keep it up for long.

Meanwhile, Claude pierced their eyes one by one with his sword.

Felicia’s memory proved to be true. The creatures that had resisted all of our attacks screamed and writhed in agony at the slightest piercing of their eyes, before dying within seconds.

Even caught in intense concentration and biting my lips until they bled, I couldn’t help but admire Claude’s movements.

For someone who hadn’t received formal training, he moved with surprising speed and precision. There were no unnecessary movements and the sword seemed to be an extension of his arm, natural and fluid.

While he was engaged, Undine’s attacks bounced off the creatures as if deflected by the wind.

“It’s almost done!”

Felicia, as focused as I was, called out hopefully.

The horde of sidrothias was almost completely wiped out, with only a few left inside. The ground was littered with their carcasses.

Claude went deeper inside to deal with the rest.

I worried about Undine’s short duration, but at this rate it seemed possible within the time frame. Finally I felt alive again, and a real sense of relief washed over me.