Author: Akashari	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Explain… thoroughly. I am on the verge of losing my composure.”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down! Don’t want to reopen those wounds, do we?”

Had I enough blood circulating to my head, I might have inadvertently unleashed my unique magecraft just now. Once, Axio had successfully severed the dragon gem from the infant. How could he now claim it couldn’t be done a second time?

“First off, the removal from the infant succeeded due to my unique magecraft. Naturally, I attempted the same method with your apprentice here, but—”
“For some reason, they can’t find the dragon’s orb in my body,” Momo chimed in.
“Saint, I’m going back to sleep. Clearly, I’m dreaming a very bad dream.”
“This is reality. Face it, please,” she replied flatly.
“I don’t wanna…”

The headache I was experiencing was no longer just from anemia—it felt like my lifespan had just been slashed by a good ten years.

Why, Momo? Why do you always manage to create situations so completely outside the realm of reason? Can’t you, just once, stay within the bounds of normalcy?

“Fine. I understand. I don’t want to accept it, but I’ll confront it. Axio, do you have any idea why it can’t be extracted?”
“Not a clue. What’s strange is that there isn’t even a trace of it in her body. It’s as if the dragon gem has fully fused with her.”
“And, hypothetically, what would the consequences be if that fusion occurred?”
“Hell if I know. There’s no precedent for something like this…”

Axio scratched his head, clearly stumped. Even after a millennium, it seemed no one had been enough of a fool to outright swallow a dragon gem.

“The issue is the nature of the dragon gem she swallowed. It’s the soul of a dragon that has soaked in the ghost ship’s curses and became immune to it, you know?”
“Yeah, nothing about that sounds remotely good.”
“Exactly. That’s why we restrained her and monitored her condition.”
“I was restrained and monitored!” Momo confirmed.
“Quiet, you unprecedentedly idiotic girl.”

It was clear that I hadn’t been asleep for just five or ten minutes, yet Momo, now bound like a caterpillar, showed no signs of change. Judging by her vibrant complexion, she seemed entirely unaffected. Could she even be considered human anymore?

“Perhaps we should just pretend we didn’t see anything and toss her into the ocean…”
“Master!? Please don’t abandon me, Master!!”
“Sigh……… Saint, what’s your take on this?”
“Let’s see… It’s hard to believe there won’t be any consequences. However, to investigate further, we’d need to literally open her up.”
“Wait, are you saying I’m going to be dissected!?”

The Saint silently shook her head. As sturdy as Momo was, cutting her open would likely still kill her.

…Or could it be done? If the Saint were supervising, perhaps a live dissection might actually be feasible.

“No, even I couldn’t manage that. Which means there’s no way to investigate further here in Aldebaran.”
“From the way you say that, it sounds like there’s somewhere else where we could investigate further.”
“Indeed. What about Rigel? That city, where all forms of knowledge converge, has no shortage of skilled medical practitioners.”
“Rigel? That place still exists?”
“You know of it, Master?”
“Know it? I—no, never mind.”

Rigel. A name I could never forget. It was, after all, my birthplace. Back then, the city was in its death throes, ruled by a despotic king who waged wars against neighboring countries. I had assumed it was long gone.

…Perhaps merely killing the king had been far too lenient.

“Master, your face looks a little scary right now.”
“Don’t mind it. I was just reminded of your idiocy, and my headache came back.”
“Wow, talk about backfiring…”
“You seem quite attached to your apprentice,” Axio teased. “If you’re heading to Rigel, I can write you a letter of introduction. I’ve got contacts there.”
“I never said I was going… but fine, I don’t have any better options anyway.”

A thousand years since my last visit. It might not be so bad, considering. Besides, leaving Momo as she was, with the dragon gem inside her, would only cause more trouble. That girl Ragna might attack again at any time.

Better to resolve this issue with a slight detour than to keep traveling with such a volatile risk hanging over us.

“So, you’ll be leaving Aldebaran, then. I’ll miss you,” the Saint said softly.
“You’ve got your own duties, don’t you? It’s not like we’ll never meet again. Now, get me up already.”
“No, I think I’ll keep you here for a bit longer. Pat, pat.”
“Stop patting my head! Let me go! Damn it, you’re too strong!”
“Maybe you’re just too weak, Master,” Momo quipped.

“Hey, big sis are you there?” called a familiar voice from outside. “Whoa, what’s with the gathering in here?”
“You idiot pink! If you’re alive, at least let someone know! I thought you were dead!”
“Oh, Mr. Nova! Ms. Kusuf! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Momo cried.
“Shut up, all of you! Get out of here! This is my tent!”

The narrow space of the emergency tent was rapidly filling up as one person after another piled in. So much for rest. My feeble body, unable to handle even this, felt like the cruelest curse of all.

“I heard you collapsed, sis, so I wanted to see what kind of monster managed to take you down,” Nova explained.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I couldn’t care less about you,” Kusuf added. “I was more worried about what would happen to our reduced sentences if the idiot bringing up the rear had died.”

“As you can see, this is a treatment tent for severely injured patients. Save your small talk for later,” I snapped.
“Then the idiot pink is… Oh, I see, her head’s the critical case.”
“Ms. Rocheee! Everyone’s calling me an idiot!” Momo whined.
“Don’t worry, Momo,” Saint said gently. “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.”

The cramped tent remained as lively as ever, showing no signs of quieting down. Whose fault was this? Was it the Saint’s charisma, or perhaps the far-reaching connections of the Umravolf family?

“No, Ms. Laika,” the Saint interjected my thoughts with a smile. “Both they and I are here because we are drawn to you.”
“…Don’t go reading people’s minds without permission. And that’s quite an off-the-mark assumption.”
“Oh my, you simply had it written on your face,” she replied, chuckling softly. “And I assure you, my words are not unfounded.”

The Saint’s hand gently stroked my head, her fingers threading through my hair as if combing it.

“It’s all right. You’re loved by everyone here. So, please, try to love yourself a little too.”
“……Hmph. Don’t act like you know everything.”

It was frustrating that I lacked the strength to push her intrusive hand away. The blood I had lost would take a while longer to replenish, and I’d need time to fully recover before I could move freely again.

Once I was ready, we would head for Rigel immediately. A few more days in Aldebaran—just a few more—was all I had to endure.

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