The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 57
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 57
My ears were ringing. The explosion sounds, screams, and clashing of swords that had been echoing just moments ago had all disappeared. It was as if the world had stopped.
All the assassins had fallen.
Blood was splattered across the forest floor. Red blood was soaking into the dirt.
Carlos stood in the middle of it all.
No.
Rather than standing, he was barely holding himself up. I could see his shoulders trembling as he struggled to breathe heavily.
His entire body was covered in blood. His black clothes were soaked even blacker. The blood flowing from his back was particularly severe.
“Duke!”
I jumped down from the carriage.
When my feet touched the ground, my legs wobbled. It was because the tension hadn’t left me yet. But it didn’t matter. I ran over and caught Carlos.
He was heavy.
It wasn’t easy to support a large man with my small body. But I couldn’t let go. If I let go here, this person would collapse to the ground.
“…It’s fine, so move away.”
Carlos said in a low voice.
His breathing was rough. His face was pale. There was blood at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were also growing dim.
He looked down at me and spoke with a resolute expression.
“Get the carriage moving right now.”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
“We need to go to the Ducal Palace. Additional forces might come. First, you need to…”
“How can you say that after seeing the Duke’s condition?!”
When I unconsciously shouted, Carlos looked down at me.
His red eyes wavered faintly. It seemed like his focus was fading.
“…Seeing you shout like that, you seem to be unharmed.”
With those words, Carlos’s eyes closed.
His body collapsed limply.
“Duke!”
I hurriedly caught him in my arms.
His chest was rising and falling faintly. He was still alive. I felt relieved at that fact. At the same time, I became even more frightened.
There was no color in his face at all. His lips were also blue with cold, and cold sweat had formed on his forehead.
Blood continued to flow from his back. The bleeding wouldn’t stop. My clothes were being stained red.
My hands trembled.
‘…What do I do.’
My mind went blank. I couldn’t think properly.
Would there be medicine in the carriage?
No, this wasn’t a situation that medicine could handle.
Magic backlash, excessive mana consumption, and on top of that, stab wounds from swords. All three had overlapped. It would be difficult with ordinary treatment.
Without time to think, I acted first. I pulled out a small knife from my clothes. It was something I had prepared for self-defense.
When I stabbed the knife deep into my skin, sharp pain came along with blood beginning to flow. My face naturally contorted in pain. But it didn’t matter. This level of pain was nothing.
I gathered the blood in my palm and concentrated my mind, and the blood slowly hardened and began to crystallize.
After a moment, a dark red purification stone began to shine on my palm.
“…Please.”
I placed the purification stone against Carlos’s chest.
Crimson light enveloped Carlos’s body.
The power of the purification stone seeped in, stabilizing his magic and beginning to heal the damaged areas. The warm energy characteristic of purification stones spread out.
Carlos’s breathing seemed to gradually stabilize.
His rough breathing became somewhat more even. The wrinkles that had been creased in his brow also relaxed slightly.
But it wasn’t enough.
The wounds were too deep. He had lost too much blood. The mana consumption was also severe. One purification stone wasn’t enough. More purification stones were needed. But I didn’t have the capacity to make more right now.
‘…You can’t die.’
My voice trembled.
Tears flowed down. I didn’t know when I had started crying. Tears ran down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them. Even when I tried to suppress them, the tears kept coming.
“You can’t die, please…”
This person had to live.
This happened because of me. This happened because he tried to protect me. This person couldn’t die. Absolutely not.
Then my wandering gaze fell on my finger.
The ring.
It was the ring I had received from Sion.
He had said to call him if there was an urgent matter. That he would come running whenever I called. I had listened lightly then, but now those words came back to me desperately.
I urgently gripped the ring tightly.
With desperate feelings.
‘Please, please come. Save this person.’
The air distorted, and a familiar silhouette appeared with blue light.
“What, did you miss me…”
Sion was about to say something but stopped right there.
The blood everywhere. The scattered corpses. The destroyed forest. The blackened trees. The holes dug in the ground. The collapsed Carlos. And me, bleeding from my arm and shedding tears.
Sion’s brow furrowed.
“Save him.”
I said through tears.
There was no dignity. There was no pride. I was just desperate. Please save this person. Please don’t let him die.
“The Duke, the Duke has lost too much blood. There’s magic backlash too, and he was stabbed with swords… He used too much magic too. All because of me…”
My voice broke off. It felt like sobs would burst out.
“Please save him. Please. This person can’t die.”
I clung to him desperately.
This person had to live.
This happened because of me. He fought the assassins to protect me. He took a blade to his back trying to shield me. If this person dies… If this person dies, I…
Sion looked down at me.
A moment of silence passed. Sion’s purple eyes stared through me piercingly. They were eyes like an abyss.
Then the boy’s gaze moved to the purification stone placed on Carlos’s chest, and next to my blood-covered hands.
“You…”
His mouth, which had been about to say something, closed.
“…Alright, I understand.”
It was a short answer, but I can’t express how relieved I felt at those words.
Sion knelt down and sat beside Carlos. He extended his small hand and placed it on Carlos’s chest.
A blue light spread out and slowly enveloped Carlos’s body.
“…His condition is bad.”
Sion said, frowning.
“His mana circuits are damaged too. His internal injuries are severe. It seems he forcibly drew up his mana.”
“Can you save him?”
I asked urgently.
My voice trembled. Please. Please save him.
“Fortunately, it’s not fatal.”
“Is he, is he okay?”
“Probably.”
Probably? Does that mean he might not be okay?
My heart sank with a thud.
Seeing me like this, Sion patted my back as if to reassure me.
“I can’t properly assess his condition right now, that’s why. I’ll give him first aid for now. I can stop the bleeding and stabilize his mana. But for proper treatment, we need to go to the Duke’s Mansion.”
“Can he be moved?”
“I’ll transport him. I’ll use spatial movement magic.”
Sion raised his hand.
Blue light enveloped us. It was a warm light.
“…You’re going to sleep for a bit.”
“What?”
“Movement magic consumes energy. You’ve lost a lot of blood right now too. It’s safer to move you while you’re asleep.”
“But.”
“Listen to me.”
Sion’s finger lightly touched my forehead.
Instantly, my vision blurred. I felt the strength leaving my body. As the tension released, fatigue washed over me. It felt like something heavy was pressing down on my eyelids.
‘…Please hold on just a little longer, Duke.’
With that thought as my last, darkness swept over me.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————