I stayed silent for a while with lips pressed tightly together, then finally spoke.

“…I refuse.”

“What? Are you insane? Do you want to die young?”

“I don’t want to see your memories, Hessen.”

“Is this really the time to worry about that?!”

Hessen coughed up more blood as he erupted in anger. He looked like he was on the brink of death. Both of us were.

After wiping the blood from his mouth roughly, Hessen surprisingly calmed himself and began to speak.

“….Look, I know you hate me, but…”

He stopped speaking and abruptly turned his head towards a certain direction.

From there, there was a sound of hurried footsteps.

Sure enough, not long after, Zen and Somnia appeared.

— Lily!

“Lily! Duke Valentino! Are you both alright? …Huh, Hessen Everett?”

Zen, who was about to rush towards Theodore and me, stopped abruptly upon spotting Hessen. Hessen clicked his tongue at Zen’s reaction and glared at him.

“You got here quickly. Can’t you see that that one’s dying over there?”

“What? No, I… there was a limit on the number of people at the cave entrance…”

Zen, flustered by Hessen’s rebuke, looked at me and turned pale, then he hurried over. It seemed that ‘that one’ referred to by Hessen was me.

“Li, Lily, are you okay? No, you don’t look okay! What should I do… Ah, right!”

While scrambling to examine my condition, Zen took out a small bottle from his belongings. Inside the bottle was a transparent, golden liquid. Judging by the label, it didn’t seem to be a product of the Kingdom of Francis.

“This potion is said to have magical effects that heal internal injuries. It’s made by a great sage in the Kingdom of Runes who lives in seclusion, producing only ten bottles a year… Delacroix recently imported three bottles. I brought one just in case.”

Kingdom of Runes… is that Lokshvir Arendelle’s homeland?

I looked at the bottle Zen offered me, struck by the strange coincidence. Just moments ago, Theodore’s life was saved thanks to the coral bracelet made by Lokshvir Arendelle.

— Hmm, but this won’t be enough to heal your health.

Somnia, who had fluttered in, perched on my shoulder like a butterfly. As I looked at the bottle, I glanced at Somnia.

— Your health is, well… let’s just say fundamentally compromised… Without pure life force, it can’t be healed. It would be better to give this potion to Theodore instead.

Obviously, giving it to Hessen wasn’t an option. The person I wanted to save was Theodore, and he was also the one who needed to live for the sake of the world.

— Theodore was severely injured, so his internal injuries must be grave. Even as a descendant of a mythical hero, a proper recovery would take months. But this potion could aid in his healing. Go ahead and use it.

Somnia urged from the side. Opening the potion bottle, I threw a glance at Hessen, who noticed my gaze and let out a short laugh, then retorted sharply.

“Why are you looking at me? Just go save that guy. I know I’m a damned Everett bastard.”

“…”

— He couldn’t be saved with this potion anyway. It’s best used on Theodore.

With a sigh, I brought the bottle to Theodore’s lips. He blinked vacantly and then slightly parted his lips. I tilted the bottle slowly, allowing the potion to trickle in.

— Well done.

The small quantity of the potion quickly ran out. I put away the bottle and met Theodore’s gaze. His blue eyes were looking at me with concern.

“Lily…”

In a voice that seemed to fade into sleep any moment, he called out to me. He was clearly struggling to stay conscious. He was hanging on so hard probably because of me.

“…Rest now.”

I gently closed his eyes with one hand, offering a wistful smile. Just as I was about to turn to Zen, another wave of dizziness hit, and I bit my lip in frustration.

“Lily, are you okay?”

Zen took the bottle from me and asked with a voice full of concern. I nodded slightly. I closed my eyes for a moment to fight the dizziness and, when I opened them, my gaze inadvertently met Hessen’s.

“Ha… you really…”

“…”

“How long do you think you can live in that condition? Another day or two? Just do as I say. Let me die… and you live, Lily.”

…I don’t understand why that guy is acting this way now.

He was the one who constantly used violence and harassed me.

“…Are you trying to atone now? Only when death is near?”

“Yeah, that’s right! I feel sorry for you! Happy now? So just hurry up… kuhk!”

As he lost his temper at my rebuke, Hessen coughed up blood. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me, and he was gasping for air. He looked like he was dying.

“Damn it, you… you’re not really going to die. It would be unfair to die like this…”

“…”

__