The Third Prince Of Darkness

"Is this... is this Lady Emilia?" Marsiel stuttered.

It was normal for Marsiel to recognize Emilia. Emilia was the youngest knight, and her sword skills were phenomenal. She was an idol too many girls, and her death had only increased her popularity across the continent.

"Yes, that’s her. Do you think you can heal her?" I asked.

Marsiel came out of her trance and looked at me, then raised her head to examine the frozen body of Emilia more carefully from head to toe. She took a deep breath and furrowed her brow as she looked back at me. She took some time to think.

"I don't know... I only know how to use my ability, but I have very little medical knowledge," she said.

"I understand. Then I will melt some of the ice on Emilia's body, and you try to heal her in those areas. That way, we can slowly heal her. Does that sound reasonable?" I said.

Marsiel nodded in agreement. "I will do my best," she said.

After receiving her approval, I approached Emilia’s frozen body and moved the setup I had prepared earlier. With this setup, by applying the fire element to a specific area and turning the wheel in my hand, the ice stone created from the combination of air and water placed above would cool the rest of Emilia's body. This way, the ice surrounding Emilia's body would not melt accidentally, and I could perform the delicate operations. I took the ceramic-based tube I had made earlier and placed it in Emilia's hand.

As I activated the fire element, I lightly turned the wheel, and the temperature in the room rapidly decreased. Especially as Emilia's body began to freeze more, I carefully used the fire element to create a small fireball. As the fireball melted the ice on Emilia's hand, water began to flow through a small hole in the tube. This process continued for a while, and once the flowing water decreased, I turned the wheel back, stopping the drop in the room's temperature.

I pulled back the tube and revealed Emilia's bare arm. Aside from a few knife scars, there were no serious injuries. I stepped back and looked at Marsiel. She was shivering and trembling because of the room’s low temperature. I approached her, took off my coat, and wrapped her up.

"T-thank you," she stuttered.

"I'm sorry; I should have given you something to keep warm earlier. Do you feel well enough to use your power?" I asked.

"It's okay, I'm fine!" she said, clutching my coat tightly and approaching Emilia's body. As she placed her hand on Emilia's arm, my heart began to race. "What if it doesn’t work?" While this question occupied my mind, I watched the green particles emerging from Marsiel's hand scatter into the air.

"B-but...?!"

Emilia's injured arm and scars slowly began to disappear, leaving her with a healthy arm. My eyes widened in astonishment as the despair inside me was replaced with great hope. However, when I saw Marsiel's swaying body and her collapsing form, I quickly moved and caught her unconscious body. 

Holding Marsiel's limp body in my arms, I looked at Emilia's healed arm. My heart was still pounding as if it was about to leap out. She was really healed. My mind took a few seconds to process this information. The truth was that I had always prepared myself for the worst-case scenario, so I wasn't very hopeful. But now... I didn’t know what to say. A smile spread across my face as I imagined Emilia getting back on her feet and walking again, feeling the warmth of her heart beating as I hugged her.

Even just imagining it felt incredibly good. I was deeply grateful to my past self for not burying Emilia's body in the darkness. Now that I think about it, I really love this world. If Emilia had been in my old world, I would never have been able to bring her back, and I would have lost her completely. But in this new and unusual world, bringing her back was possible! My skin tingled and my eyes began to tear up. For the first time in both of my lives, I felt this emotional.

"Get a grip, Ethan! Keep your emotions in check until she is fully healed," I told myself, trying to regain my composure.

Taking a deep breath while holding Marsiel’s unconscious body, I strengthened the hope inside me by looking at Emilia's healed arm. Marsiel’s power seemed to be working. However, her fainting was concerning; it indicated that the healing process might have overburdened her. I carefully supported Marsiel's head and carried her outside, laying her down on my bed. For now, I needed to wait for Marsiel to rest.

Also, I cursed the timing, as I would be heading to the capital of the Tamerid Empire in a few days. I had to return to the palace tomorrow, so I needed to teach Marsiel some things to heal Emilia before I left, especially the tools I use. So, I left the bedroom and walked towards Markuol. When Markuol heard my footsteps, he stood up and looked at me.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"Yes, it worked," I said, having regained my composure.

"And what about my sister? Is she okay?" he asked.

"Yes, but she seems to have fainted from exhaustion."

Markuol took a deep breath for a moment, then continued to ask questions with concern. "Can I see her?"

"No. You cannot enter that room. Now let's talk about what happens next. First, Marsiel will stay here and continue living here until she completes the healing task," I said.

Markuol’s eyes widened, and he glared at me with furrowed brows. "What does this mean? We didn’t agree to this... You can’t imprison my sister!" he said, raising his voice angrily.

"Remember where you are and who you’re speaking to, brat. I am not your employee, and if you raise your voice again, I’ll make sure you can’t speak at all," I threatened, causing Markuol to back off.

"Now that you remember your place, let’s continue. Marsiel will live here, but she can come to the palace whenever she wants to visit you or your mother. Also, you can come here to visit her, but you can never enter that room. Any questions?"

"No. Can I leave now?" he asked.

Interesting. Markuol, who was furious a moment ago and very concerned about Marsiel, suddenly calmed down and now seemed to be considering leaving...

"You may go" I said, and I watched as Markuol quickly exited the mansion. I then walked to Avanne’s room to explain the situation until Marsiel woke up. After explaining the situation to Avanne, I was glad she understood, but she still didn’t allow me to be intimate with her. Anyway, I spent the rest of the night explaining everything Marsiel needed to heal Emilia and all the details she needed to know. Fortunately, Marsiel was a quick learner, and from the way she looked at me, I could tell she was starting to like me. This saved me from the trouble of her betrayal and eventual execution. Also, I mentally noted to have Althea come here the next day and protect the mansion with a few groups of guards...

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Three Days Later

So far, Marsiel had managed to heal at least one of Emilia's arms completely, but she was more exhausted than usual, so I let her rest for a day. I also asked Althea to go to Arthur's mansion, my other identity, and protect there.. I don’t know why, but she accepted it quickly. I had thought she would object and want to come to Tamerid with me. Instead, another close guard was assigned to me. He was a man and looked quite strong. Still, I thought I needed to be cautious around him.

When everything was ready, I walked towards the palace courtyard and saw dozens of carriages waiting for their owners. I also noticed that outside, at least a thousand cavalry soldiers were waiting. This was quite normal. Although the Tamerid Emperor and Empress had already left the Asina Kingdom, the princes and princesses were still here and would be traveling with us. Considering that the royal family of the Asina Kingdom would also be coming, security measures were at their highest level.

As I walked towards my carriage, I saw Princess Evangeline approaching me. She looked at me with her usual delicate smile.

"Excuse me, Prince Ethan. My carriage is very crowded because of my siblings, so may I travel with you?" she asked.

Of course, she was lying. It was impossible for a Tamerid princess not to have a carriage. If necessary, carriages from the public would be commandeered and allocated to the princess. Understanding her intention, I nodded in agreement.

"It would be my pleasure, Princess. Please, come in" I said, raising my hand to offer support.

Evangeline grasped my hand and entered the carriage, followed by me. Since my temporarily assigned knight and Evangeline’s knight would be following us on horseback, we would be alone inside the carriage. Even as the carriage began to move, we did not speak. When we left the palace, I observed that both sides were heavily guarded and watched our departure from the capital with an immense level of security.

Once we passed through the thick walls of the capital, it became apparent that the number of cavalry escorting us had increased fivefold, and now thousands. Of cavalry were escorting us. It felt as though we were heading into a war. Looking at Evangeline, I felt in my heart that this journey would not be boring.

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