Chapter 468: Chapter 467- Relief and unexpected help

“How is she now?” Adrian asked, his voice low, as he looked at the medic who was currently in the room checking on Ariana.

The nurse wore a deep frown as she assessed Ariana’s neck with her armament. That expression alone did nothing to ease the tension hanging in the air. If anything, it made everyone more uneasy.

After a brief delay, the nurse finally spoke.

“Her windpipe was compressed because of the pressure. That’s why she’s having trouble breathing. If it had lasted even a second longer… her windpipe could have been severely damaged. Or worse.”

Adrian inhaled sharply and then went completely still.

Just a second longer…

And he would have lost her.

Just a second.

“Will she recover?” Ruby asked, her voice edged with impatience she didn’t bother to hide.

The nurse nodded. “Yes. But don’t let her swallow anything solid for now. And if the breathing problem persists, inform me immediately. I’ll have to insert an expansion tube into her throat.”

“Then use it now!” Annabelle said at once. “She’s clearly struggling.”

Every time Ariana exhaled, a deep, strained sound escaped her throat—a raw, painful noise that made it impossible to ignore how much she was suffering.

However, the nurse shook her head.

“An expansion tube would cause her even more pain, Miss Annabelle. Stretching the throat is only recommended when the patient is suffocating and unable to breathe at all.”

Her tone remained calm as she explained the reasoning behind her decision.

Ariana wasn’t gasping for air. There were no signs of immediate suffocation.

But breathing normally was clearly difficult for her.

“Can’t a Light-user help?” Adrian asked, hope creeping into his voice despite himself. “The damage she took could be cured with even a low-rank healing spell.”

The nurse nodded, then hesitated.

“Yes, but after the ambush, all three Light-users we had collapsed from overexertion while saving the soldiers. The headmistress personally sent them back to their hometowns to recover.”

Adrian clenched his teeth.

There should *always* be a Light-user stationed in the infirmary. But Ariana—being Ariana—had prioritized people over protocol. Over duty.

And now she was the one paying the price.

Just then, Annabelle spoke up.

“There’s a Light-user working under you in your workshop, isn’t there? Ruby?”

Adrian flinched.

That’s right. There was one.

The same person who had once been used as a test subject during an artifact experiment. Adrian had met him a few months ago.

But as if fate itself was against Ariana, Ruby shook her head.

“He… he’s visiting relatives in another city. Teleportation isn’t possible right now.”

Annabelle clicked her tongue, frustration plain on her face. Ruby understood that feeling all too well—she was just as upset by their helplessness.

Light-attribute users were rare. Painfully rare.

Even someone as resourceful as Ruby hadn’t been able to hire more than one.

The three of them instinctively searched their memories for alternatives.

Adrian considered reaching out to someone through the server.

Annabelle ran through the members of Umbral in her mind.

Ruby was already preparing to ask her father for help.

Just then—

*Knock.*

Everyone turned toward the door.

A black-haired youth stood there, his expression uneasy, almost hesitant.

“Allen?” the nurse asked.

He stepped inside. “I… I can help her.”

His gaze shifted to Ariana as he added, “I learned healing spells a few days ago. But for safety, please stay by her side while I cast them.”

Adrian’s eyes widened slightly.

“You can really use a healing spell?”

Allen nodded. “I have a first-grade armament—”

“No,” Adrian cut in immediately. “I’ll make it second-grade. Just to be safe.”

Allen was startled, but he nodded without protest.

Not long after, Allen lay on the ground, shirtless, with only briefs covering his lower body.

The nurse watched in stunned silence as Adrian pulled out his runic pencil and moved it with a speed she could barely follow.

The wand resting beside Allen suddenly flared to life, runes igniting across its surface.

Two seconds.

That was all it took for Adrian to attach the first thread.

Two… seconds.

He didn’t stop there.

Through his trained eyes, Adrian could clearly see the vast network of mana nodes within Allen’s body.

Thirty-six nodes.

He needed three runes to properly link all of them to the armament.

It was hard not to be astonished. The same boy whose armament Adrian had tuned two months ago had grown at an unbelievable pace.

But the thought lasted only a moment.

Thread after thread, Adrian worked relentlessly, attaching them at a speed that left not only the nurse but even Ruby staring in disbelief.

For a brief, wild moment, Ruby feared he might miss a few threads—or fail to draw their strength efficiently.

But he didn’t.

All of it was done in under a minute.

“Here,” Adrian said, helping Allen to his feet and placing the wand into his hand.

Allen didn’t hesitate. He moved to Ariana’s side at once.

Taking a deep breath, he recited the incantation.

A silver-gold hue bloomed around Ariana, soft yet radiant.

Precise healing was advanced magic. Allen had only learned complete healing—magic that restored the entire body to an optimal state rather than targeting a single area.

The glow didn’t last long.

But to everyone’s relief, the harsh sound from Ariana’s throat began to fade. Slowly. Gradually.

It didn’t vanish completely—but it softened.

“Let me check,” the nurse said, stepping forward.

Those few seconds of inspection felt unbearably long, especially for Allen.

Finally, she straightened.

“Her condition has improved significantly. If she isn’t disturbed, her windpipe should return to normal within a few hours instead of days.”

Annabelle released a long, shaky breath, her legs finally giving out as she sank into a chair. Only now did she realize how rigid her body had been, how tightly she had been holding herself together. The moment the danger eased, the strength left her all at once.

Ruby leaned back against the wall, arms crossing instinctively over her chest. Her eyes remained fixed on Ariana, watching every rise and fall of her chest, every subtle movement of her throat. Only after several steady breaths did her shoulders finally loosen.

Adrian stood where he was.

He didn’t sit.

He didn’t move closer either.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at Ariana, as if confirming again and again that she was still there. Still breathing. Still alive.

The crushing weight in his chest eased—just a little—but it didn’t disappear.

Allen lowered the wand slowly, his fingers trembling now that the spell was over. Only then did he realize how hard his heart was pounding. He swallowed and took a step back, giving the nurse space.

“She’ll need rest,” the nurse added, softer now. “No spells, no strain, and absolutely no stress for the next few hours. Her body needs time to settle.”

Adrian nodded immediately. “I’ll see to it.”

His voice was steady, but Ruby noticed the way his hand clenched briefly at his side before relaxing again.

The nurse gathered her tools and glanced once more at Allen, her astonishment still lingering.

“You did well,” she said. “For someone who only learned healing recently… that level of output was impressive.”

Allen stiffened slightly, then bowed his head. “Thank you.”

Only after the nurse stepped away did Annabelle speak again.

“…You really saved her.”

Her voice was quiet, stripped of its usual sharpness.

Allen looked at Ariana, then at Adrian, unsure how to respond. “I just did what I could.”

Adrian finally turned toward him.

For a moment, Allen thought the man might interrogate him—or worse, dissect his performance with cold logic. Instead, Adrian placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“You did more than enough,” he said. “You saved someone precious to us.”

That single sentence made Allen’s throat tighten.

The room fell into a gentle silence, broken only by the soft rhythm of Ariana’s breathing—no longer strained, no longer painful, but slow and recovering.

Allen finally smiled and said, “I am grateful to be of some help,” he extended the wand and said, “Please take this back, sir.”

For a brief moment, Allen believed that Adrian might ask him to keep it.

But…he took it away…reminding him how strict Adrian always remains about his armaments.

However, Adrian didn’t take away the wand for the reason he was thinking.

“I know you aren’t a sorcerer,” he muttered, “That’s why, I will make you a good sword in a few days.”

Allen instantly looked up with his eyes slightly stretched, “An armament…for me?”

Adrian nodded, “And a third-grade, no less.”

Allen nearly fell to the ground in excitement and shock.

A third-grade?! His first third-grade armament and from no one else but the greatest Runesmith he knows?

If this was a dream, Allen surely didn’t want to wake up at all.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been reading the story so far then you surely have to drop a review or at least a comment.

God, we are getting close to 500 mark.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep