The Mask's Bodyguards

When Wakamaru mentioned “traitor”, Hikaru recalled what Duinkler said to him, the traitor who apparently lured the Yamamaneki to the city. Is that what he's referring to? Hikaru wondered.

「Dream Maker is now a big city, but getting to this point wasn't easy.」Wakamaru began.「Our king worked extremely hard, but some didn't like monarchy—though personally I don't think we're being ruled over. Yet the king allowed people to hold such ideologies. Isn't he a magnificent man?」

「Y-Yeah…」

「There were people in the past who used force to overthrow the monarchy.」

「A coup d'état?」

「Yes. But their plot failed. The king, magnanimous as he was, pardoned them and asked them to devote their lives to the prosperity of Dream Maker. This happened during the previous king's rule.」

Can you really call that magnanimous? Hikaru thought. In j.a.pan, criminal insurrection was punishable by death. This world's laws were stricter than modern j.a.pan. A death penalty for the whole clan would be possible.

「Was the mastermind a man of authority?」Hikaru asked.

「He didn't have much power, no, but he was influential. But after failing and having shown mercy, he left the city, thinking he couldn't live out of shame.」

「Left the city? He's as good as dead, then.」

「Yes, everyone thought it was suicide. But then rumors started spreading about him maybe being alive. Then again, only a few believed the rumor. I myself thought it was nothing but gossips. Still people can't help but think that maybe, just maybe…」

「He's back in the city. Or there's a collaborator inside.」

「Exactly. I'm surprised you know.」

Duinkler was clearly referring to someone from inside when he said “traitor”. Arriving at this conclusion wasn't difficult. But Wakamaru arrived at the same conclusion in a different manner.

「Anyway, about that optical camouflage. That was King Eychi's idea, and after much difficulty, King Doriachi finally finished it. So it's strange for the tower to be using that technology.」

「So you're thinking the traitors built the tower, and a helper from inside is supplying the tech.」

「Yes.」Wakamaru nodded with a disgusted look.「Our nation is small. We don't have the luxury to be fighting among ourselves. Why can't they understand that? Why do they try to depose the king by force? After being spared and living in shame, they still hold a grudge? How embarra.s.sing.」

What Wakamaru said was possible, but Hikaru didn't think of it that way.

Why build a tower then? It stands out too much. Even if it can't be seen from see, it's visible from land. The camouflage is pointless. I guess we'll find out tomorrow when I get there.

The sun was low in the sky, casting reddish light over everything. Wakamaru stood up to make some tea. Suddenly, Hikaru felt something odd as he watched the old man.

「Wakamaru.」

「What is it?」

「What you said just now is definitely scandalous, but I don't think you should be that ashamed about it.」

「If I don't feel ashamed, who would? The name of the mastermind is Koukimaru. He's my younger brother.」

Hikaru now realized why Wakamaru volunteered to be part of the mission.

『Oooohhh… My knee! I can move it!』

『That's great! Thank goodness!』

Two middle-aged men were crying in joy after one of them was healed by Paula. He injured his knees years ago when out on an expedition and wasn't able to walk ever since. Paula was worried she couldn't cure old wounds, but it worked out in the end.

The men grabbed Paula's hand.

『I owe you my life! If you need anything, just tell me and I'll help!』

『You saved my partner, so I owe you as well! Don't hesitate to ask me for help too!』

「Uh, you're too close.」Paula said, looking uncomfortable.

『I understand you're overjoyed, but please don't bother the Healer too much.』Deena cut in.

Soon enough, the men calmed down and left.

「I'm glad they're happy, but they're too intense in expressing it.」

Deena chuckled.「You can't really blame them. They devoted their lives to fighting, but had to give it up. Now they had another chance. Your powers seem to be really effective against external wounds. No wonder the army's demand for it is high.」

「It's not my power. It's Lord Silver Face's.」

「Really?」

Paula knew that she gained her healing abilities because Hikaru configured her Soul Board. She couldn't tell Deena that, however.

「All right. How many left?」Paula asked.

「Ten more. Are you all right? Do you need a break?」

「I'm fine.」

Only Paula and Deena were at the military's sickbay. Lavia roamed aimlessly throughout the facility as she wasn't really needed inside. They had been healing military personnel the past few days as per Grucel's request. Since Hikaru asked Grucel to guard their new home, Duinkler had no choice but to concede.

At first, men eyed the two masked girls with suspicious eyes, but once they realized how effective healing magic was, every day they greeted Paula and Lavia with cheers of joy.

『Next…?!』

Deena froze. An elderly man entered, half his face wrapped in bandages. His right arm had been severed from the shoulder, his left leg gone from the knee down. The man had to use crutches to walk.

『Th-Thank you… for seeing me… Anything… you can do… is fine…』

Paula had mostly healed light injuries at first, most probably members of the expedition squad so they could return to their jobs immediately. Those with old wounds started coming in today, but this was the first severely wounded person.

「This is too much… What do we do?」Deena asked, confused.「Should I ask him to kindly leave?」She thought giving false hopes to a man who barely managed to survive was too cruel.

「This will take some time, so please lie down.」Paula said.「Please take off your clothes too. I want to see all your scars. The bandages should be removed as well.」

Deena was taken aback.

「Miss Deena? I'm sorry, were my choice of words too advanced?」Paula didn't show any discomposure at all.

「Uh, no. I apologize. I'll translate right away.」

The man lay down on the bed. He tried to remove his underwear too, but they stopped him. He didn't have any scars there anyway.

「This is awful. 」

The part of his face covered in bandages was inflamed, his eye a color yellow. He had a deep scar that ran down from his throat down to his abdomen.

「The expedition squad he was in encountered a ferocious monster. As commanding officer, he protected his men and they all managed to take it down without no other victims.」

「He's a great man.」

Paula thought so because of the light in the man's eyes. He hadn't given up hope while he lived. His eyes said if he could be healed even a little, he could fight again.

「It'll be fine.」Paula said with a smile.

For a moment the man was stunned. Then Paula closed her eyes and began chanting. Her body emitted a golden light that flowed from her hands to the man's face.

『It can't be…』

The man's skin wriggled, regaining its natural color. Flesh that was cut off had been restored. His eyes returned to its original color.

「I'm going to continue. Don't move.」

Sweat beaded on Paula's forehead. With this many wounds, she had to concentrate. Her hands moved from his face to his neck, revealing the man's befuddled face.

『I can see…』

Paula's hands were already moving down his chest.

『I can speak…!』

「Don't move.」

『Please stay still!』

Deena had been watching the healing sessions for a while now, but this was her first time witnessing such a scene. She just sat there, dumbfounded, when she suddenly remembered her job and held the man down. The file she was holding fell, but no one cared. Deena was watching a miracle unfold before her eyes.

『Uh… m-my arm…』

His pink joint started squirming. Flesh rose and extended out.

Paula breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't even take a minute for the man's arm to grow back. Sweat trickled down Paula's forehead, but she didn't stop. Her hands moved to his knee next. The second miracle occurred without a problem. While his scalp was back to normal, his hair was only about a centimeter long. Otherwise, all his wounds had been healed.

「All right. Now we're done.」

Paula flopped down her seat from exhaustion. She gulped down a gla.s.s of water, filled it once more, and gulped down again.

『Ah… Oh…』

The man made inarticulate sounds, while Deena was speechless.

「Please tell him to try moving.」Paula said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief.「What?」

The man got down from the bed and prostrated on the floor.

『You're a G.o.ddess! Oooooohhh!』the man cried out, tears streaming down his face.

「Eek!」

Paula backed away. The man sobbed incessantly, not budging from his spot, but Deena somehow managed to take him out of the room. The men outside barely recognized him. Cheers of joy erupted, and some began sobbing.

Later the man would found the Flower-Masked G.o.ddess Bodyguards. As of this moment, however, Paula knew nothing about it.