Volume 1, Chapter 37 – Breakdown (Part 1)

“Ouch, ouch, ouch…”

The intimate contact between her back and the floor made Yisi cry out in pain. The only relief came from the sudden brightening of her vision.

The moment she sensed the explosion, Yisi immediately activated a teleportation spell, carrying Camilla back to the mansion. However, due to inertia, they tumbled several times across the floor.

Though they couldn’t completely avoid the aftermath of the explosion, at least they had escaped fatal harm.

Pushing Camilla off her chest, Yisi rolled over and stood up from the carpet. Their sudden appearance in the living room left the maid cleaning there at a complete loss.

“You may leave. There’s no need to clean anymore.”

“Y-yes…”

With Yisi’s permission, the maid hurried away, leaving only Yisi and Camilla in the spacious living room. Whether due to injury or simply being dazed, the latter remained sprawled on the floor.

“Are you okay?”

Yisi reached out a hand to Camilla.

“Ah… I’m fine.”

It was as if a switch had been flipped—time, which had seemed to pause around Camilla, resumed its flow. Yet, no matter how one looked at it, Camilla’s appearance was unusually disheveled. Her golden hair was scattered by the shockwave of the explosion, her clothes were riddled with burn holes from sparks, and even her cheeks were smudged with traces of black smoke. At a glance, she looked like she had just survived a war.

“Glad you’re okay.”

After giving Camilla a quick once-over to confirm she hadn’t suffered any physical injuries, Yisi sighed in relief and turned her attention to the cause of the incident.

The explosion of the “Gift of Christmas” was likely due to Camilla’s level being lower than the minimum required to use the item.

“But if the level wasn’t sufficient, shouldn’t there have been no reaction at all? Why did it explode?”

Could it be a unique rule of this world? Yisi had no way to judge. To investigate the cause, the only option was to have Camilla attempt it several more times—but she couldn’t risk Camilla’s life for an experiment.

Just as Yisi was about to return alone to Niru Forest to assess the situation, Camilla coughed lightly and spoke up.

“Onee-sama, it might be because my level was too low to properly control the summoned entity.”

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“Hmm?”

“Summoning-type magical items usually have usage limits. Although summoning an energy entity doesn’t consume the user’s mana, the user must have sufficient mana to control the summoned creature. So I think my level was too low to manage the magic forming the summon, which caused the explosion. I’m sorry for damaging such a precious magical item, Onee-sama.”

In simpler terms, the reindeer could be seen as a construct of magic. Camilla’s mana alone wasn’t enough to control the more powerful magic of the reindeer, leading to the explosion.

“Don’t apologize. It wasn’t anything valuable.” Yisi waved her hand, signaling Camilla not to blame herself. For someone like her, who still didn’t fully understand magic, every principle of magic was invaluable. Compared to the knowledge gained, the lost “Gift of Christmas” hardly counted as a loss. “So, as long as it’s not a summoning-type item, it won’t cause an explosion, right?”

“Yes, I believe that’s the case.”

Yisi then considered having Camilla try using a sword or a staff, but the potential risks dissuaded her. While explosions might be unique to summoning-type items, experimenting again was too dangerous. If other weapons detonated faster than she could react, regret would come too late.

Though there was still the matter of examining Ouranos’s corpse, the incident with the “Gift of Christmas” had drained Yisi’s enthusiasm for further experiments.

After cleaning off the grime, it’d be best to just sleep.

Yisi took a clean handkerchief from storage and handed it to Camilla.

“I didn’t expect such an accident to happen. I’m sorry.”

If she hadn’t reacted in time, Camilla would’ve been severely injured—if not killed—caught completely off-guard. Yisi bowed her head sincerely. There was no need to put on the airs of the Count’s eldest daughter in front of Camilla.

However, Camilla didn’t focus on the apology. She simply took the handkerchief, stepped forward, and wiped away the blood on Yisi’s face before the latter could react.

Unbeknownst to Yisi, she was the one who looked worse for wear. Being closer to the explosion’s epicenter, the clothes on her arms and back had been obliterated, and her face bore shallow cuts from flying debris. If not for her terrifyingly high defense stats from her level, her arms and back wouldn’t have just been reddened—they’d have been far more grievously wounded.

Of course, given Yisi’s current defenses, even if she took the full force of the “Gift of Christmas” without any protective spells, she’d only suffer superficial injuries at worst.

“Camilla?”

“Onee-sama… could you come to my room first?”

Why?

Yisi almost asked but swallowed the words when she saw the seriousness in Camilla’s expression. Those deep crimson eyes held a resolute will, as if she’d drag Yisi along even if she refused.

Yisi’s resolve weakened.

“I suppose I can…”

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……

Contrary to expectations of a room brimming with girlish charm or aristocratic elegance, Camilla’s bedroom was strikingly plain—almost ordinary. The less-than-15-square-meter space held only a single bed, a desk, and a small bookshelf. There were no other furnishings, not even basic decorations like a rug or a vase.

It was barely a step above the servants’ dormitory.

Any nervousness Yisi had felt evaporated, replaced only by sympathy for the unfair treatment Camilla had endured. As the Count’s second daughter, she’d been treated as little more than a tool.

After pouring Yisi a glass of water and guiding her to sit on the bed, Camilla hurried to the bookshelf, rummaging for something.

“What are you doing, Camilla?”

After all, it was her first time entering a girl’s room. Even though the furnishings were quite ordinary, Yisi couldn’t help but feel restrained. Moreover, since there was no wardrobe in Camilla’s room, most of her clothes were neatly folded and piled on a nearby chair. Even though Yisi did her best to keep her eyes from wandering, she still ended up seeing something she really shouldn’t have.

“Treatment.”

Camilla’s reply was curt.

“Treatment? I’m not injured, am I?”

Thanks to her formidable regenerative abilities, the cuts on her face had already healed by the time they reached the room.

Carrying a small metal box, Camilla walked to the desk. As she mixed substances from various bottles and jars, she answered Yisi.

“Rather than leaving it alone, it’s better to treat it properly. If scars were left on Onee-sama’s body, it would be my fault.”

“It’s really fine if you ignore it.”

Her HP bar was full. Aside from a slight warmth on her arms and back, Yisi felt nothing unusual.

“No.”

The refusal was firm.

Yisi found this side of Camilla somewhat refreshing. She hadn’t expected her to be so assertive.

Unaware of Yisi’s thoughts, Camilla quickly prepared the medicine, spreading a bitter-smelling, viscous liquid onto a bandage before carefully approaching Yisi, as if afraid the bandage might fall.

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“This medicine helps reduce bruising. It might feel cold, but please bear with it for a moment.”

“…Wouldn’t it be easier to just use healing magic?”

“Low-tier healing spells mostly work by stimulating life force to close wounds, which can affect lifespan. It’s best to avoid using them unless necessary.”

As if forgetting Yisi was her master, Camilla spoke to herself, her eyes fixed on the reddened areas of Yisi’s arms. With one hand, she lifted Yisi’s arm; with the other, she deftly wrapped the bandage. Faced with Camilla’s earnestness, Yisi couldn’t bring herself to refuse and could only wait helplessly for her to finish.

“Done.”

“Alright, alright. Can I go now? Camilla, you should change your clothes too.”

Honestly, Camilla’s faint, sweet fragrance was making Yisi restless.

As Yisi moved to stand, Camilla stopped her.

“Your back is still left.”

“Huh? That’s really not necessary…”

If her back needed bandaging, she’d have to remove her top.

“No, it’s essential.”

If this were a male body, Yisi wouldn’t have felt embarrassed. But the circumstances were different now. Even among friends, she’d never casually undress.

Only this once, then…

Just as people are unnerved when someone usually gentle suddenly loses their temper, Camilla’s rare request left Yisi unable to refuse. After hesitating for a long while, Yisi stole a glance at Camilla’s eyes—still filled with unwavering determination.

If she ordered Camilla to stop meddling, would she obey?

Probably.

But that would be ungrateful.

“Fine.”

Yisi scratched her cheek slightly before turning sideways and slipping out of her ruined top, leaving her bare back exposed to Camilla.

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What she didn’t notice was how Camilla’s expression brightened the moment she got her way.

“It’ll be over soon.”

Because her back covered a large area, it took Camilla quite a long time to finish bandaging. To Yisi’s relief, Camilla didn’t ask why she wasn’t wearing a chest binder, thus avoiding an awkward situation.

“Now can I go back?”

“Yes.”

Camilla nodded obediently and began tidying up the medical kit, her meticulous movements holding Yisi’s gaze for a moment longer.

Is Camilla trying to thank me?

She didn’t voice the question. Most likely, Camilla was expressing gratitude in her own clumsy way for saving her earlier. Pointing it out would be tactless.

After draping a random piece of clothing over herself, Yisi stood up.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yes.”

Again, just a single word in reply.

Baffled, Yisi shrugged and strode out of the room. But just as she stepped over the threshold, Camilla called out in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“Thank you.”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? The hostage exchange is coming up soon. Camilla, you should start preparing.”

“Yes, Onee-sama.”

Her tone had returned to its usual self.

Puzzled, Yisi closed the door behind her.

The mansion was left with nothing but the sound of boots against wooden floors.