There was a problem with being alone in the maidservant's room after the medical examination, so I asked for a chair out in the corridor, where I tried to prepare for the change in His Highness' condition--

'This is not the time to only worry about us. Wouldn't it be better for Glass to rest too?

　Raquel stood beside me and glanced at me. I smiled bitterly and replied.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who can do this. That's how I learned the art of waking up in an instant, no matter how deeply I was sleeping.
'No, no ...... I'm not saying that I'm tired and that Glass is going to fall asleep when it matters. It's just that since I'm here, I thought you might want to let me rest in the room I was in earlier .......
Don't worry, there's a good reason to sleep in a chair. The chairs are usually made of wood, so if you ask them to wake you up in an emergency, they will wake you up.
...... Is Glass diligent or unusual? I'm starting to get the feeling it's both of those things. I don't know what a man his age is thinking.

　Raquel crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Looking at his profile, I was tempted to ask him something that had been bothering me for a long time.　

'Raquel-san, well, I don't think you're that far away from me. Presha-san was younger, but Raquel-san is .......
'I am one year older than Deite, and this year I will be twenty. I was made a knight's apprentice at twelve and a captain of the attack force at fifteen. Before I moved to the Isle Rose Fortress, I was given the rank of Knight Commander ...... yet I have yet to do any work worthy of that rank.
'Yes, no ...... that's too much humility. Twenty years old ...... then you're one year younger than my sister-in-law.
'I see ...... you're close to my age. I had heard that you and His Highness were old acquaintances, but I hadn't heard that much detail.

　Raquel-san huffs and laughs. Something about the way he looks at me when I say I have a sister makes me feel kinder - I'm too immune to women, myself.

'I'm sure there was some conflict in sending Glass out as a military doctor. When I first saw him, I wondered if it was right for a student to come to the battlefield. ...... I'm sure Glass's sister was worried about him, too.
'Still, I had always dreamed of being a court mage. I thought I was imagining the rigors of being a military doctor, and I knew it would be tougher than that. Still, I'm glad I came here.
...... that it's good to be in this situation. You think so. The people you see face to face could be dead tomorrow. Not many of us are sick at heart on the front lines like that.

　A lot of soldiers died today. I don't think we should ever become numb to the deaths of others, even if the damage done to the enemy is many times greater.

I want to help as many people as I can, face to face or not. I want to help as many people as I can. It's the same with using magic on the battlefield. ...... It's within the scope of a military doctor's job. Keeping the wounded out is part of medicine for me.

　Raquel closed her eyes and seemed to be thinking about something.

　-- right now she was probably thinking of her subordinates who had lost their lives today. Her thinly opened eyes seemed to be reflecting a place that was not here, but a place that could never be reached.

'Rita was an active girl. She was competitive and always competed for the most spears with her best friend, Sarah. Anna was born in the West and was a stout girl ...... who always wanted to protect her homeland with her own hands. Rebecca was an excellent sword user. His Highness Astina saw her skill as a great asset ...... and from now on, she will be a great figure ...... in our order.

　Sixty-two people died in the war. Each one of them had a dream that they wanted to fulfill, and they were cut off from their aspirations.

　Many died on the Zirconian side as well. How many people died in front of this fortress, swallowed up by the waves of war?

　Rather than feeling sad about it, I feel a strong urge to do so now. The war must end no matter what - as soon as possible.

　I didn't look at Raquel-san. I knew that even if she was crying, I wouldn't want her to see my face.

　I just clenched my right fist tightly. What can I do to avoid repeating this feeling of uselessness and the regret of not being able to do anything for the person who died, even if only for a little while?

(...... zirconia, stop it. Bring a ceasefire to ...... and figure out what you can do to make that happen. (What the hell can I do with what I have, in my position?)

'Doctor ......, Your Highness has regained consciousness ......!
...... Okay, I'll be right there.

　Soarer called me into His Highness' bedroom again. His Highness, who had been asleep earlier, raised his upper body on the bed and looked at us.

'...... glass weed. And Raquel ...... come here.

　Following His Highness' words, me and Raquel-san stood side by side by the bed. Raquel-san's expression was tightening as a Knight Captain - I could feel her strong determination not to show any fragility in front of His Highness.

'I ...... have also lost consciousness, haven't I? At the time of your bathing ......
Yes, yes, ...... we've had the pleasure of bringing you into this room.

　Soara and Karin are standing behind us, listening to what we have to say. The two of them brought His Highness into the bedroom and gave him his first care.

We knew that the ...... power was being lost from their bodies. Fighting and reading the 'flow' of the enemy ...... both of which must have taken a toll on my body.
'Yes ...... Your Highness is right. Your Highness has a very strong magical power, but for one reason or another, he is unable to control it.

　His Highness places his hand around his own abdomen. Tanden - part of the Spiritual Guide Seal, around which a half-moon is depicted.

'...... I have felt myself that the power flowing through my body has been stagnating somewhere in ...... an unnatural flow. To identify the cause of this, I would have to go back to my childhood. However, some of my memories are missing. In that missing memory is the reason why I can't control my magic: ...... So that's what it is.
"Yes, I think it's probably ...... that, you know, I was just a few minutes ago at His Highness's .......
'You examined me at ....... I felt that somehow after I woke up. That it was you, Glass Weed ...... that woke me up.

　I applied a potion to His Highness' body and used magic to restore his magic power. If I knew at that time that my magic power had entered His Highness' body - I would have known how he was treated.

''There's no need to hold back. It was only a treatment that you went to ...... and I could tell from the warmth of the force that was sent to you that you were sincere. I am sorry that you came here as my direct report and were not immediately accepted ...... because of my narrowness.

　His Highness bows his head to me. His long blonde hair flows as if it were a thread of light - for a moment I didn't know what had happened and I couldn't react immediately.

　His Highness has shown his appreciation for my treatment. It was also the moment when he recognized me as a court mage in name and substance.

''You have something to tell me. Please do me a favor as well: ...... Zirconia will attack again without a pause. At that time, I want to do what I can to help my soldiers avoid being hurt as much as possible.

　-- Zirconia, which should have been defeated, is once again attacking across the border.

　There was an unwavering will in the eyes of His Highness as he spoke of this nightmarish reality. A strong desire to break through this predicament and protect everyone.