News of the battle didn’t reach Dolan until about an hour later. He was sleeping with his wife and children when a soldier’s voice woke him by surprise. He then put shoes on and bolted out of the house in his pajamas, heading straight for the ship on the river.

Despite running as fast as he could, he didn’t run out of breath. After making it to the deck, he clung to the mast and scaled it at once without stopping.

There was a huge mirror here, although it was useless in the dark. Instead he turned on a magic item that casted light and spread out a black cloth. It allowed him to cover and uncover the light, therefore sending a message in the distance.

『Please notice it… Please!』

Zuzun might be asleep, but there should be someone keeping watch.

『There!』

The response came quick. Not even a minute had passed since Dolan sent the message. It seemed like a star blinking, but the flickering had a meaning.

—Beginning transmission. Beginning transmission. Beginning transmission.

—Beginning transmission. Relay message.

—We have an emergency. Bring the troops back at once.

—Roger. Who’s the enemy?

—The rebel army.

—Roger. Good luck.

Zuzun was a quiet guy, but a transmission like this was no problem. As soon as the transmission ended, Dolan leaped down the mast. The young soldier who delivered the news to him rushed to his side.

『Are you done, Sir?』

『Yes. Let’s go. We have work to do.』

Dolan put on the protector that the soldier brought for him and took a weapon.

『We will protect the king.』

There was no one else on the ship. They started running towards the field of battle—the palace.

A deadly battle was unfolding in the palace.

『Blast cannon, second round. Fire!』

The artillery spit out fire as Ludend, chief of the Sorcery Department, gave the order. Shells hit the soldiers deployed in front of the palace, scattering them.

『What…?』

But new soldiers replaced them, carrying huge shields. A crossbow fired from behind them hit a few members of the rebel army.

『What is wrong with them?! How are they not scared of a blast cannon?!』

『Sir Ludend.』

When the Environmental Sanitation chief arrived, out of breath, Ludend clicked his tongue in disgust.『Did you finish your job?』Ludend asked.

『Yes. We have the bell towers under control. I thought the blast cannons would be our last resort.』

『Duinkler is still alive.』

『What?』

『He found a way to escape and is now holed up inside the palace, so I’m firing the blast cannon at them.』

『But…』

Ludend was letting his personal grudge get to him. The sanitation chief had no idea what to say to him.

『Forget that. We have a problem.』Ludend said.『Men in their right minds would normally scatter in all directions if a blast cannon was fired into them. Yet they’re still blocking the way!』

The chief looked at the troops in front of the palace. They seemed organized, but something was off.

『Sir Ludend, why are they covered in blood?』

『Because they’re wounded from fighting.』

『For someone wounded, they seem to be quick.』

『What are you trying to say?!』

Ludend raised his voice high, not even bothering to hide his frustration. The sanitation chief had served in the army before, while Ludend avoided conscription by studying sorcery. He was made fun of countless times in the past, people calling him a coward who’d never been in the army. He developed an inferiority complex from it as a result. So words that implied that he didn’t know anything about being a soldier pissed him off.

『I believe they have a Healer on their side.』

『Hmm…』

『I heard they could restore a lost arm and even bring the dead back to life.』

『Bring back the dead?! That’s ridiculous!』

『Otherwise, I doubt they’ll calmly throw their bodies like that. Would you stand in front of a blast cannon?』

『Ugh…』

It goes without saying, but Healing magic can’t bring the dead back to life. But they didn’t now that.

『Then what do you suggest we do?! We can’t do anything if they can just come back to life!』

『Mana is a limited resource. We just have to keep on the defensive until they run out of mana. Once they can’t use healing magic anymore, we force our way through all at once.』

Ludend pondered the suggestion over.『That better be true. If not, there will be consequences.』

『My life is at stake here. We must succeed.』

『Very well. I’ll believe you.』Ludend said, regaining his composure.

Paula healed every injured person brought to her.

It’s strange. I don’t feel tired at all.

After they arrived in Dream Maker, Paula had been using her healing magic every day. At first, it was exhausting, but it gradually became easier.

【Soul Board】Paula Nohra

Age: 18 Rank: 18

4

【Magical Power】

..【Mana】7

….【Magic Principle】1

【Agility】

..【Stealth】

….【Life Obfuscation】2

….【Mana Obfuscation】2

….【Imperceptibility】2

【Willpower】

..【Faith】

….【Holy】4

……【Healing Magic】8

……【Support Magic】1

Before she knew it, her Mana had gone up and she awakened her Magic Principle stat. Hikaru guessed that this skill reduced the amount of mana consumed when casting spells.

Paula was healing the injured in the palace’s reception room at the moment. If worse comes to worst, she could use her Stealth to escape.

「My Lady. Dangerous here. You escape.」Galixson said.

「I appreciate the concern, but I can’t do that. As long as Lord Silver Face is still fighting, running away is not an option.」

If someone other than Doriachi seized control of Dream Maker, Hikaru’s party might not be able secure a ship to take them home. Paula and Lavia then decided to completely crush the rebel army if they ever showed up.

「Then please rest! No rest, too much!」

「Strangely enough, I feel fine even without breaks. Please keep on bringing the injured to me.」

The only people here that could understand Paula were Duinkler and Galixon. Duinkler was by Doriachi’s side, assuming command of the whole troops. Although frustrating, Galixon had no choice but to be the translator.

The soldiers were ecstatic the moment they received word that Duinkler arrived with the Healer.

—Oooooh! Now we can fight as many times as we want!

—We got this! I can take a lot of enemies down with me!

—Man, this is great! We can use our bodies as shields against the blast cannon!

Duinkler and Paula managed to enter the palace safely after coming from behind the enemy and causing confusion. Immediately after, however, the enemy brought out the blast cannon. Paula’s blood froze as the shell landed nearby.

Despite the dire circumstances, the soldiers were filled with joy after learning of Paula’s arrival and declared they would block the blast cannon attacks themselves.

It showed just how much word of Paula’s healing had spread among the soldiers. They even felt enticed to join the Flower Masked Goddess Bodyguards, a group of men released from active duty due to injuries.

Paula warned them not to die instantly, of course, but whether they understood was doubtful.

「Keep them coming. I’ll heal them all!」Paula declared in a reassuring tone.