Chapter 18: The Crimson Lotus and the Healing Scroll

The black monster thrashed wildly within the crimson lotus, slamming against its confines one moment, then relentlessly pummeling the walls the next. Yet, despite its frenzied assault, it could not breach the solidified lotus petals.

What appeared to be a fragile crimson lotus actually boasted defenses on par with anti-magic steel armor. It was a formidable prison, and within its confines raged the karmic fires of the red lotus.

The flames seared the monster’s hide, incinerating every coarse hair into ash and smoke, leaving its skin cracked and fissured.

Even through the inferno, the sickening scent of charred flesh seemed to permeate the air as the monster’s struggles grew increasingly feeble.

The relentless heat evaporated its blood, pulverized its flesh and bone, ultimately scorching it to the very marrow.

The monster thrashed and roared, yet it seemed as though invisible hands had gripped its throat, stifling any sound. Finally, it silently disintegrated within the searing crimson lotus.

Snap! Crackle!

Votila heard the sound of something crystalline shattering.

They watched as cracks, like a dense spiderweb, erupted across the crystal screen before Mulee Hua’s body, spreading to cover the entire surface.

The abundant magic that had once filled it was now depleted, and the once vibrant, flowing crystal surface had grown dim and lifeless.

‘Had the magic been completely drained?’ Votila wondered. ‘Did that spell truly require such an immense amount of magic? But, to cast a spell using an external magic source… how was that even accomplished?!’

The crystal screen, now devoid of magic, lost its power to hover and plummeted from before Mulee Hua, smashing onto the ground like a fragile glass vase.

The lusterless crystal shards shattered into countless pieces. A gentle breeze then swept through, transforming them into white powder that dispersed into the forest.

“This is a huge loss…” Mulee Hua lamented, her face contorted with visible heartache.

However, Votila’s gaze upon Mulee Hua intensified.

That skill! It was incredibly cool! Putting aside its power, Votila was immensely envious of the fact that it required no magic from the caster. As a black cat without magic, if they possessed such a skill, they wouldn’t have been so utterly humiliated by that monster.

To cast a spell without personal magic—even dragons couldn’t achieve such a feat! Wow! They desperately wanted to learn it.

“Sigh…” Mulee Hua let out a soft sigh, offering a wry smile. She turned to glance at the small cat on her shoulder, then raised a hand, intending to stroke its head. But before her hand could reach the black cat, her muscles went slack, and it drooped down.

It was only then that Votila noticed Mulee Hua’s hand had been trembling unnaturally the entire time.

‘This… was she completely exhausted?!’

It seemed using this skill was far less effortless than it appeared.

“Rinna, for your sake this time, I’m practically on the verge of bankruptcy.”

‘Bankruptcy? Wait, was she referring to those three thousand crystal scrolls? So that’s it; even if it doesn’t require the caster’s own magic, there’s still a significant price to pay.’

“Woof! Woof!” Several barks echoed as Gasla scrambled out of the woods in disarray, covered in numerous wounds and missing a large patch of fur from his back.

Gasla had now reverted to the appearance of a normal dog. Were it not for the extensive scars on his body, Votila would have found it difficult to connect him with the muscular, hulking dog from before, even considering he was a nearly two-hundred-pound canine.

“Whimper.” Gasla flopped down before Mulee Hua, licking his wounds and looking up at his owner with tearful eyes.

Votila thought the dog looked more appealing when he was in his muscular, hulking form.

Mulee Hua struggled to lift her trembling hand, scratching Gasla’s chin as she comforted him, “Gasla is also a good boy. You fought very hard this time. Thank you for your efforts.”

As she spoke, Mulee Hua subtly moved her wrist. With a slight twitch of her muscles, a small, exquisite crystal scroll sprang from a groove in her gauntlet, landing in her palm.

‘Oh? So that seemingly superfluous armor was actually for hiding scrolls?’ Votila mused with a hint of surprise.

The scroll in the young girl’s palm was different from the previous ones. It wasn’t the colorless, pure, transparent crystal shard that formed the screen, but rather one imbued with the tender green of fresh grass, exuding a vibrant sense of life.

Votila sensed a more structured magical energy emanating from it. If the previous colorless crystal scrolls were like a clear stream of water, then this green crystal scroll was akin to a meticulously carved ice sculpture.

Mulee Hua held the green crystal scroll, attempting to snap it in half with a gentle tug of both hands. However, the scroll did not break, instead slipping from her grasp to the ground. Mulee Hua looked a little helpless. “Do I really not even have this much strength left? It seems my training is still far from enough.”

Gasla crawled forward, taking the crystal shard that had fallen from the girl’s hand into his mouth. With a bite of his sharp teeth, the shard shattered.

A faint green light surged from the broken shard, spreading across Gasla’s entire body. Votila observed a look of enjoyment seemingly appear on Gasla’s doggy face. Enveloped in the green light, his wounds began to slowly heal.

‘This is healing magic?! So, these crystal scrolls have this kind of use too?’