The Amber Sword

“My lord, what does that mean? Are you able to save her?” Amandina blurted out.

“No, my solution only delays the inevitable. The Blood of Gods is not something that comes from the mortal world. Any ordinary means would be greatly limited. You might not know this, but Scarlett is already deceased before she was given the Blood of Gods. The Blood of Gods is the sole reason why she has returned from the dead. One can say that reviving the dead is a taboo, but the Blood of Gods holds the overwhelming power to overturn the Laws......”

“Do you mean to change her into a spirit like Medissa?” Amandina asked.

“...... No,” Brendel hesitated before answering, “I’m uncertain of how things will turn out if I do that. My ability to turn a spirit into a card ultimately adheres to the Laws of this world, and the Blood of Gods is something that’s outside these Laws. In addition to that, it’s incredibly unfair to be anchored to this world for all eternity.”

Brendel glanced at Medissa, but the latter shook her head instantly.

“My lord, this was my decision to be turned into a card. I believe you should ask Scarlett directly. I think she would not refuse.”

“..... Even so, I would not use it unless there are no other options. The Blood of Gods can still take over her consciousness.”

Brendel had discussed this option with Ciel during his journey back to Firburh, and the latter shared the same opinion.

“I believe Scarlett was merely an Iron-ranked fighter and became a Gold-rank after given the Blood of Gods. While the Blood of Gods offers temporary life and strength, these two things are actually a by-product of the power that consumes Scarlett’s soul. The power also strengthens her body so that it finally becomes an avatar of the evil gods.”

“Is there no way to resist this power?” Amandina asked.

“If she’s alive while the Blood of Gods is used on her, she can resist it somewhat. But that itself is nearly impossible because of the tremendous energy from the Blood of Gods. Even if she somehow manages to overcome it, her body will be in shambles.”

Amandina shivered. Even though she had heard rumors about how terrifying the Tree Shepherds were, she merely regarded them as fables. In her eyes, they were merely robbers or bandits, and this was the first time she understood that how evil they were.

Perhaps the Unifying Guild was just as frightening.

“Why are they doing these terrible deeds?!” She asked through clenched teeth.

“To go against civilization, or to bring back chaos. I don’t know.” Brendel shrugged. “In any case, the Blood of Gods in Scarlett’s body is on the verge of consuming her soul entirely. The foolish solution I have is to provide energy to her body in order to resist it. If this solution was used when she’s still alive, perhaps she can overcome the Blood of Gods, but now, it’s merely delaying the inevitable.”

Ciel asked in a surprised voice: “But the Blood of Gods is capable of corrupting said energy quickly. Even if you spend a year of Trentheim’s income, you can only delay it for a few days. What is it that you have that could sustain her life, my lord?”

“Spend Trentheim’s income on what exactly?” Amandina asked.

“Well, Health Potions for an example,” Ciel said.

“We do have Health Potions.” Amandina said with a frown: “We found a few of them in Graudin’s treasury. Even though I’ve set them aside to be used on a battlefield, I can bring them out now. How many do you need?”

“A hundred bottles.”

“T-that many......” Amandina was taken aback.

“A day.”

Amandina was completely speechless; she finally understood Ciel’s surprise. Surely Brendel did not have an endless supply of Health Potions on him.

“Then...... doesn’t it mean that there isn’t a solution,” she said.

Medissa was quietly taking in everything. She too had a certain understanding of the Blood of Gods, and knew that this method was impossible to sustain. She did not why Brendel viewed it as a valid solution.

A cough suddenly came from the center of the room and attracted everyone’s attention. Scarlett slowly opened her eyes. Her body was wet from cold sweat because of the nightmares that she had. She slowly and feebly turned her head to the side.

[Who are these people......]

She looked at them in confusion and blinked several times. She had woken up to hear them talking about things that did not make sense to her. But after a moment, she finally realized they were talking about her.

There was a young man in front of her looking worried.

This youth had once told her that he would never leave her behind. She had only known him for a few months, yet he was there when she needed someone, while Makarov, whom she had known for more than ten years both as a father figure and a teacher, said that she was nothing more than a sacrifice.

She could hardly move a finger. She laid in bed and her mind slipped in and of consciousness and felt like she was going to be pulled back into that dark abyss once again to be haunted by shadowy creatures.

She knew clearly that it would not be very long where she would go back into Mother Marsha’s embrace. She was not worried and even a little disinterested. It was about time, and she was tired of everything.

“How are you feeling?” His warm voice suddenly pulled her back to reality.

Suddenly she realized why she continued to hold on in her nightmares, even though she had already forgotten what she waiting for.

Her eyes widened slightly when she finally recalled who the youth was. Tears started spilling out.

“My...... lord......” She blinked weakly, struggling to bring her voice out.