Chapter 7 – Trauma (Part 1)

After finishing her meal, Ellerdin hurried to the garden.

In the spacious garden, the other races were sprawled out in sleep. Of course, Parin was no exception. He was in a state of sleep without pain for the first time in a long while.

The only ones awake in the garden were the young hatchlings, Phil and Pearl. At Ellerdin’s appearance, Phil and Pearl excitedly ran towards her.

Just yesterday, they were small enough to fit in her hand, but now their bodies had grown to the size of Ellerdin’s hand. It was now difficult to hold them with both hands.

“You’re really growing fast, aren’t you?”

Ellerdin said in surprise, lifting Phil and Pearl.

“Squeak, squeak!”

Phil and Pearl climbed up Ellerdin’s arm to her shoulder.

They began to explore her neck and shoulders, hidden under her hair.

“Haha, it tickles.”

Ellerdin burst into laughter. At the sound of her joyous laughter, Parin’s ears twitched. He opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at Ellerdin.

“You’re here.”

“Oh? You’re speaking now?”

Ellerdin trotted over to Parin.

“Speaking is more tiring than you think. But now that my mouth is fine, I should speak.”

Parin opened his mouth wide and yawned. In the middle of the yawn, a sharp pain made Parin frown.

Because he rubbed his body excitedly after the poison fell off yesterday, his wounds had reopened.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Ellerdin approached with a worried expression.

‘She’s quick to notice…….’

Parin closed his mouth with a displeased expression. Such excessive worry was not good.

Especially for someone with special powers like her, compassion was the worst.

The greater the power, the colder the heart must be. The desire to save all living things would ultimately consume her.

‘This is just her nature, nothing can be done about it.’

In a daunting situation, Parin sighed inwardly.

He knew that the mermaid race had souls so pure it was almost foolish, but the human before him was even more so.

‘Is it because something else is mixed in?’

That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Parin narrowed his eyes.

From his perspective, having seen countless corrupted souls, Ellerdin’s existence was perplexing.

‘This seems even more than a Saintess…’

Who was the Saintess in this era? It couldn’t possibly be this child. 

Since Ellerdin didn’t have divine power, another human must have been chosen as the saintess.

‘I doubt the human chosen as the Saintess has a purer soul than this child… Usually, someone this pure would be chosen by the gods, it’s peculiar.’

Parin thought to himself while looking at Ellerdin.

‘He seems to be in a lot of pain… What should I do?’

Meanwhile, Ellerdin was fidgeting with her eyebrows furrowed, seeing that Parin was silent.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt much.”

Parin said nonchalantly.

‘Ah, even thinking about it now, there’s nothing I can do. I just have to protect her.’

At that moment, Ellerdin gained a reliable ally. Unaware of this, she diligently tended to Parin’s wounds.

As expected from a dragon, Parin’s wounds were slowly healing even though only a few days had passed.

Ellerdin looked at Parin in amazement. At this rate, Parin’s wounds would soon be fully healed.

However, contrary to expectations, Parin’s wounds stopped healing at a certain point.

“Why… aren’t they healing?”

Unlike the serious Ellerdin, Parin yawned with a relaxed expression.

“They’re wounds that can’t heal anyway, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Can’t heal…?”

Ellerdin looked at Parin with a puzzled face.

“It was the concentrated poison of a monster, so natural healing has its limits.”

“There are potions in the Duke’s territory. I’ll go get them.”

Ellerdin stood up abruptly. Parin chuckled.

“Stop it. Those trinkets won’t heal these wounds… unless it’s healing power.”

At the last words, Parin shut his mouth in realization. But Ellerdin, who had already heard the word, asked with a trembling voice.

“Do you know about healing power…? Then do you know how to use it? Maybe I can help!”

Could she possibly know how to use blood? 

Looking for an answer, Parin raised an eyebrow.

“That reaction suggests you’re not unaware of what to use… but you don’t know how, do you?”

“Yes, I want to know that method.”

“Don’t bother; it’s not something a child like you should do. I don’t need help to that extent.”

Parin turned his head as if he wouldn’t answer. At the cold response, Ellerdin pouted.

But Ellerdin wasn’t one to back down here.

If things continued like this, even a dragon like Parin would have their wounds fester again. At times like this, she needed to be shameless and change Parin’s mind.

Ellerdin bit her lip and, as if making a decision, opened her mouth.

“I healed you, Parin. So it’s only right for you to tell me the method. Aren’t dragons creatures that repay the favor they once received?”

Ellerdin hesitated and avoided eye contact after speaking. It was impolite enough for Parin to get angry.

‘I didn’t do it expecting anything in return.’

But if she didn’t say this, Parin would never tell her.

Having touched a dragon’s pride, Parin would tell her the method even if she didn’t like it.

Contrary to Ellerdin’s expectations, Parin burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! If you say it with such a serious face, what does that make me!”

Such a lovely being. 

Parin chuckled and shook his head.

“It will be very difficult; are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Ellerdin lifted her head brightly. She nodded vigorously, saying she could do it.

Parin looked at her with slightly subdued eyes.

“……As you know, this method is dangerous. Especially for a child like you who hasn’t unlocked any powers.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Ellerdin looked at Parin with steadfast eyes.

“Ah, even among mermaids, there are stubborn ones.”

Parin jested.

“Alright, if you wish, give it a try. It’s better to try and regret than not try at all and regret.”

At her words, Ellerdin’s face brightened.

“Then what should I do now—”

“Not today, let’s start tomorrow. Rest for now.”

***

“How should I heal this part?”

Ellerdin took out a knife she had hidden in her arms. The sharp object caused the surrounding other races to become agitated.

Phil and Pearl also bristled as they glared at the knife.

“Ah… sorry.”

She hadn’t considered how they had suffered from sharp metal recently. Ellerdin hurriedly hid the knife.

‘A different place….’

She glanced around and saw the glass greenhouse.

‘It’s a bit transparent, but it’s better than here.’

Ellerdin headed towards the glass greenhouse.

After arriving at the greenhouse, she looked around briefly and then, without hesitation, cut her arm with the knife. With a stinging pain, red blood flowed down her fingers.

Ellerdin calmly took out a prepared vial and began collecting the blood.

Drops of blood fell one by one onto the white vial.

Though she was prepared, the pain of tearing flesh made cold sweat bead on Ellerdin’s forehead.

“What should I do next?”

She asked Parin, who was standing guard outside the greenhouse.

“For external wounds, apply the blood, and for internal wounds, drink it.”

“Can it really work with just this much for such a big wound?”

Ellerdin looked down at the vial. The blood had only pooled a little.

“The power of a mermaid is strong. Although you may not know it well since you haven’t experienced it, that’s enough to heal most wounds.”

Parin reassured her with calm words. Ellerdin’s face brightened.

‘She’s bleeding but smiling….’

Parin sighed inwardly. It seemed like he had sighed more since meeting this child than in his entire life.

Once she had collected enough blood, Ellerdin pressed a cloth she brought onto the wound.

After confirming the bleeding had stopped, Ellerdin stood up with the vial of blood.

“Parin, please try it.”

Ellerdin brought the vial to Parin’s mouth. Parin stuck out his tongue and licked the blood.

As the healing power coursed through his body, his internal injuries began to heal. The stinging inside and festering wounds started healing.

Ellerdin poured the remaining blood over Parin’s wounds. The large gaping wounds began to heal as flesh filled in.

It was the first time she had encountered her power.

‘The wound really healed….’

She couldn’t believe it even after seeing it. That she had such power. And suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

‘If I had known about this power earlier, could mother have survived?’

No, that couldn’t be. 

If she had known about this power, she and her mother would have been even more miserable.

The greedy Earl would have used her, keeping her mother in a state between life and death to use this power.

Ellerdin lightly shook her head to dismiss the thought.