“Bella!”

Luca, who barely regained his senses at Bella’s voice, hurried over to check her condition.

She was so badly injured it was hard to find a spot on her that wasn’t hurt.

The worst were her legs.

They were so crushed it was a wonder they hadn’t fallen off.

Luca bit his lip as he looked at her legs.

“Young… master…”

“Don’t speak, Bella. I’ll take you to a doctor right now.”

Luca gently lifted her into his arms.

With ragged breaths, Bella whispered,

“Be careful… the Blood Pact…”

“Enough! I’ll listen later! Let’s heal your wounds first!”

At his slightly desperate tone, Bella gave a faint smile.

But soon, she went limp as if she’d lost consciousness.

“Damn it, Ottbo! Where’s the nearest infirmary?!”

“Um, well… let me see…”

Ottbo, flustered, looked around, then spotted something and shouted,

“Right next door! It’s in that building! I’ll go ahead and tell them to get ready!”

In her state, there was no way Luca could run while carrying her.

Ottbo dashed ahead, and Luca, lips twisted in worry, carefully walked in the direction Ottbo had gone.

Beeep!

Just then, Whistle appeared.

“Master. You’re too late.”

“Shut up.”

Luca snapped coldly.

At that, Whistle fell silent for a moment, then looked at Bella.

“She’ll die before she can get treatment in this condition.”

“I told you to shut up.”

Luca glared at Whistle with eyes blazing with fury.

Whistle held his gaze.

“There’s one way to save her.”

“!”

Luca’s eyes snapped wide open as Whistle hopped off his shoulder and sat atop Bella’s chest.

“Master. There’s a high chance this will fail. And if it fails, it’ll just sharply shorten your lifespan—are you still willing?”

“Tell me. What is this method?”

Luca answered without a moment’s hesitation.

At this, Whistle tilted her beak slightly.

“… Unlike when you were hurt, most of her body is damaged. Even the vital spots.”

“Enough talk. Just tell me what to do.”

“Reconstruct parts of her body using the power of the clouds.”

Whistle’s words made Luca pause.

“Reconstruct her body?”

“Not her whole body—just the critical places that are essential to keep her alive. If you don’t do even that, her body will fail before she can withstand even the doctor’s treatment.”

Martin had deliberately avoided Luca’s vital spots so Luca survived with treatment.

But Donovan had beaten Bella to kill.

Naturally, her body was so destroyed that treating her was barely possible.

“Reconstructing a body is practically taboo. Plus, it’s insanely hard. Normally, it’s hardly worth mentioning.”

“…”

“Also, it requires an enormous amount of life force. If you’re not careful, you could lose a fatal amount of your own lifespan.”

At this point, Whistle looked a bit downcast.

“I didn’t want to mention this. You can’t even properly handle the cloud’s power yet—if you try to force this, you could die. But right now, the feelings I sense from you are too strong.”

“…”

“If this woman dies, you’ll burn up your very life to get revenge, won’t you? That would end the same way: she dies, and so do you.”

Whistle spread her wings.

The power of the clouds billowed out, making her wings swell.

“So, I’ll choose to trust in your potential, master.”

“What do I need to do?”

Luca gently laid Bella on the ground.

Whistle covered her with her wings.

“First—do you have any more of your usual potion for restoring life force?”

“Of course.”

“Take some. It’ll increase the chances, even a little.”

At this, Luca immediately pulled out a vial and dumped the contents into his mouth.

Unlike usual, he barely tasted it.

He wiped his lips.

“What next?”

“Any image is fine. Think of fixing a broken situation—like putting a puzzle together or untangling a mess of threads.”

The cloud wings fully enveloped Bella.

Whistle closed her eyes.

“From now on, I’ll absorb your life force and use the power of the clouds to reconstruct part of her body—especially her damaged vital spots. You need to fix any abnormalities you sense in that cloud power.”

Luca couldn’t fully understand Whistle’s words.

But there was no time to ask for another explanation—and even if he did, he wasn’t sure he’d get it.

‘There’s no time to sit and understand—just do it.’

He was so tense his lips felt dry.

Bella’s life was in his hands.

“I’m starting.”

With those words, Whistle began to absorb his life force.

“!”

Luca was hit by a wave of dizziness, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

At the same time, he felt something alien coming from the cloud-covered Bella.

“It’s ready, master!”

“…”

Whistle said frantically that it was ready, but Luca had no idea what to do.

‘An image of organizing a broken situation—putting together a puzzle or untangling tangled threads…’

He recalled Whistle’s words and visualized them.

Fortunately, maybe because of the urgency, he succeeded in imagining the alien sensation from Bella’s body as tangled threads.

The problem was—how to untangle them.

‘Even if I imagine the threads coming loose on their own, nothing changes. Am I lacking in imagination?’

Nothing happened when he imagined the threads untangling by themselves.

‘A stronger image. No, something more certain…’

If only he could unravel them with his own hands—it’d be so much easier.

Only being able to use imagination was frustrating.

‘… With my own hands?’

Suddenly, Luca remembered when he was attacked mentally by Herote.

– Begone, witch.

– Y-You! What did you hide in your mind?

He recalled how ‘Luca Traverse’ within had struck down Herote as she invaded his mind.

Luca’s eyes brightened.

‘If it’s Luca Traverse, he could unravel this!’

The problem, though, was that inner Luca Traverse was currently silent.

‘Come to think of it, why is Luca Traverse so quiet when Bella’s hurt?’

Usually, he’d be thrashing about.

It was odd that he was silent now.

“Master! If you don’t hurry, you’ll be in danger!”

“…”

Whistle cried urgently.

Even as he hesitated, his life force was draining away.

Luca immediately sat cross-legged.

‘Luca Traverse! Come out! Bella’s in danger!’

Luca desperately searched his mind for Luca Traverse.

He needed his strength right now.

– … Come here yourself.

“What?”

Chilled, he felt his consciousness blur.

* * *

“… Where am I?”

When Luca opened his eyes again, what he saw was the training arena of the Traverse family.

More precisely—it was a space where everything but the training grounds was shrouded in darkness.

‘That’s…’

Around the arena were countless fragments of wooden training swords.

‘So, this is the inner world of Luca Traverse.’

This was described in the original work, too.

Someone’s inner world.

A mindscape of the place most familiar to oneself.

‘Then, Luca Traverse must be here…!’

Luca swallowed nervously.

He’d dimly thought that ‘Luca Traverse’ must still be around.

He was impulsive, but the inner Luca Traverse had spoken so distinctly—and shown such anger.

‘… Just what does he think as he watches me use his body?’

He couldn’t even imagine what the original Luca Traverse thought, seeing him move his body in his place.

“If you’re here, speak up and get out of here.”

“!”

Just then, a person materialized at the center of the arena.

His back was turned.

A form at once familiar and foreign.

“Luca Traverse.”

“Tsk. Hearing my voice from someone else is a strange feeling.”

He felt the same.

Seeing the real Luca Traverse speaking just like himself made Luca’s skin crawl a little.

But he pulled himself together and stepped into the arena.

“Luca Traverse. Bella’s in danger.”

“I know.”

“Then that makes it quick. I need your help.”

Luca sighed in relief and asked Luca Traverse for help, but his response was ice-cold.

“I refuse.”

“… What?”

Luca was dumbfounded.

Luca Traverse said indifferently,

“You’re the owner of that body now, aren’t you? Everything that happens is because of you, and every result comes from you. Now you want my help? Shameless.”

“…”

“Go back. It’s your fault Bella’s like that—so saving her is also your responsibility. Don’t ask anything of me.”

Luca was silent for a moment, then ground his teeth.

“How can you say that when Bella’s like this?”

“Why should I care? She’s just a maid. If she dies, I can replace her with another one.”

“Luca Traverse!”

Luca shouted as he strode toward Luca Traverse.

He grabbed him by the shoulder.

“How could you let Bella…!”

But as he spoke, Luca froze.

He hadn’t seen Luca Traverse’s face before because he’d had his back turned.

Now, seeing it, Luca fell silent.

“Luca Traverse. You…”

“… Tsk.”

Luca Traverse was so gaunt he looked skin and bones.

‘Why…? No—could it be…!’

Luca finally realized why Luca Traverse had been so silent.

“Was it because you endured my pain for me…?”

It was pain unbearable for an ordinary person—

the reason Luca appeared unharmed was that Luca Traverse had borne it for him.

But if that pain was more than even Luca Traverse could handle…

“That pain was nothing. I just used up too much power holding back that witch.”

He spoke as if it were nothing.

But Luca knew.

That was just bravado.

‘Does this mean he can’t help me?’

Instead of helping, even Luca Traverse’s own existence was unstable.

Despair spread across Luca’s face.

“Tsk. I overestimated you.”

“Huh?”

Luca Traverse clicked his tongue.

While Luca was still lost in the meaning, Luca Traverse snapped at him.

“If I’d known you’d give up so easily, I wouldn’t have protected you.”

“…”

“If you’re that weak, don’t carry my destiny.”

Luca Traverse’s destiny—

the device that would turn Wylde Traverse into the protagonist’s ally.

To live a harsh life and meet a tragic end—such was his fate.

“How… how do you know…?”

Amazingly, Luca Traverse himself knew this.

Luca stepped back in shock.

Luca Traverse smirked.

“You think I handed my body over to you not knowing anything?”

“…”

“If you can’t overcome this kind of trial, give up. Use my body to chase cheap pleasures and then die, crushed by fate. Weakling.”

With that, Luca Traverse turned his head away again.

“…”

Luca stood silently.

Many thoughts swept through his mind, but quickly subsided.

His harsh words, somehow, helped clear his head.

‘That was his way of encouraging me—Luca Traverse.’

That was just the kind of man Luca Traverse was.

But with his memories, Luca understood that it was encouragement.

“Nothing else you want to say?”

At Luca’s question, Luca Traverse was silent for a moment.

Then, he turned his head and glared.

“If Bella dies, I won’t let it go.”

Luca’s eyes widened briefly and then he smiled wryly.

“I bet you won’t.”

* * *

Flash.

Luca opened his eyes.

He’d returned to reality.

“Master! Any more will be dangerous!”

Whistle was desperately saying something.

But Luca didn’t listen.

‘If Luca Traverse can’t do it…’

He half-closed his eyes.

And recalled the sensation from before.

‘I’ll do it myself.’

Srrrk.

Luca’s consciousness slipped out of his body.

Just like earlier, when he’d entered Luca Traverse’s inner world.

“Master!”

Sensing that something was wrong with Luca, Whistle tried to stop using the power of the clouds on Bella.

“…?”

That moment, the cloud power began to move against her will.

“This—is it… master…!”

The cloud power that had reconstructed the damaged vital areas was being purified.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

Whistle with the assist!

Also, Luca and Luca finally met…

And Luca is quite injured because he took the brunt of the damage for Luca…

And yes. I made that sentence to cause confusion…

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep