Enzo hastily pulled the carriage to a stop on the mountain road.

They were at the eastern entrance of the Gravis Ridge, which had to be crossed to reach the capital.

"Hey, kid, hey! Wake up, will you? Can you hear me?"

Bale laid Astie down on the seat and gently shook her.

"Kid. Can you hear me? Hey?"

No matter how many times he called, Astie did not so much as stir.

Enzo touched Tie’s forehead and muttered,

"...She’s too hot."

Astie was literally burning with a fierce fever.

He anxiously looked at the rest of the squad.

"The child has a high temperature... that’s dangerous, right?"

Silence fell.

They exchanged bewildered looks when suddenly—

"...Ice."

Raul, abruptly snapping to his senses, muttered the word.

He rushed to the cargo compartment and opened the crate of provisions.

Inside, together with the fresh supplies the blacksmiths had given them, about half the box was filled with ice.

"If we lower her temperature a little with this?!"

"Yes. Not a bad idea."

Answering, Basto removed his cloak.

And stepped into the carriage as if intending to wrap Tie in it.

"Wait! Just in case, I have some fever reducer I picked up at the gate. This too—"

Nordix also took a tablet from his small pouch.

"Have you all lost your minds?"

At Lucarion’s words, everyone froze.

Lucarion, who had been examining Tie’s face, was already staring at them with a terrifyingly cold gaze.

He looked first at Raul.

"Ice? Do you not know that if you lower the temperature too abruptly, you can cause hypothermia? Astie is still a child. Her thermoregulation is already imperfect, and you—"

Raul hastily lowered the pouch of ice.

Then Lucarion turned to Basto.

"You too. Do not even think about covering her. Start a fire over there instead."

"...A fire?"

"Yes. Make warm water and bring a full container. And clean cloth."

Basto froze for a moment, then hurried in the direction Lucarion indicated.

Lucarion shifted his gaze to Nordix.

"Where did you buy that fever reducer?"

Nordix looked flustered, but after a pause, answered,

"On the outskirts of the capital, at a shop by the gate..."

"Not pediatric, is it?"

"For adults."

"Then cut it into a quarter."

"What?"

"If you do not want to overdose a child with an adult drug, cut it into a quarter."

Nordix’s eyes trembled as he stared at the tablet in his hand.

Soon he hastily drew a small knife from his belt and began cutting the medicine.

Lucarion added,

"And we will use it only at the very end, just in case. If other methods fail to lower the temperature—then."

"Understood."

Finally, Lucarion turned his gaze to the frozen Enzo and Bale.

"You—check where the nearest village is. You—heat drinking water. As I said, warm. If we delay, Astie will become dehydrated."

Bale swallowed.

But immediately grabbed a flask and ran to Basto.

Enzo had already disappeared toward the driver’s seat to get the map.

Inside the carriage, as the sun was already sinking toward the horizon—

"Uu..."

Astie’s faint groan sounded softly in the dimness.

Sitting at her head, Lucarion gently brushed a hand over Tie’s damp forehead.

"Easy. It’s all right. It’s all right, Astie."

At his words, the crease between the child’s brows slowly smoothed.

Tie, sprawled out, turned and curled onto her side.

Bale muttered,

"...At least the fever’s going down. Thank the gods."

Just remembering the situation from a few hours ago made his vision darken again.

The squad members had bustled about, following Lucarion’s instructions.

Basto brought warm damp cloths to wipe Tie’s body.

Nordix crushed the tablet and divided it into very small portions so the child could take it.

Raul and Bale continued to pour small amounts of warm water into Tie’s mouth to prevent dehydration. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Meanwhile, Enzo returned after checking the map, his expression troubled.

"If we go a little deeper into Gravis Ridge, there’s a village. Since there’s an inn, we could spend the night there..."

"But?"

"I heard from a blacksmith that because of a recently appeared Magic Stone nearby, most of the residents evacuated. If we arrive and the village is empty—it will be bad."

"...Yes. And if the stone has not yet been taken—worse."

Agavert convened an emergency discussion.

Since they did not know what would happen to Tie, they even considered turning back toward the Weapons District, but—

"It’s impossible to return to the Weapons District. Look at the sky—it will rain soon."

The problem was that the road they were traveling was a clay path with a slight slope.

Agavert’s carriage was already heavy.

Until now, they had been lucky—the road was dry.

But—

"If it starts raining on the descent, everything will change. It will all turn into mud. If the horses slip, it will be dangerous for everyone."

Considering the weight of the carriage, loaded with the mercenaries’ belongings and the cores of Magical Beasts they had obtained.

On a steep slope or in the rain, the probability of overturning was high.

"I thought for sure we would end up trapped."

Recalling that dangerous situation, Bale ran a hand over his face and looked at Astie.

Fortunately, after being wiped with warm water, the fever had gradually begun to fall.

The dehydration symptoms Lucarion had feared most also seemed to have been avoided.

"It will be all right, Tie. It will be all right."

Bale looked with an ambiguous expression at the summoned being tending to Tie.

"If the kid is a monster, then is her summon a monster too?"

Until now, Bale had seen only strange lumps making ridiculous noises and dangling beside their summoners.

He had never seen a human form before. And such an intelligent one at that.

He shook his head and looked away.

At that moment, he met Basto’s eyes, who was sighing with the same expression.

At first they had snarled at each other, but they had already grown somewhat closer, and Bale easily read his gaze.

Apparently, Basto was thinking the same thing.

Meanwhile, Nordix, looking at the fire burning nearby, muttered,

"Next time we stop at a shop, the first thing we buy is children’s medicine..."

He too had been deeply shaken by what happened.

"I’ve never raised a child in my life..."

His gaze involuntarily shifted to Astie’s summoned being.

His name was Lucarion, was it?

If not for this summon, Astie’s condition would likely have worsened.

And considering they were isolated in the forest, if one assumed the worst—

Nordix turned pale and asked Lucarion,

"Where did you learn all that?"

The summoned being turned his head.

Though he was a summon, his human form was so natural that for a moment he seemed like an ordinary young man.

"From a man."

"A man?"

"I learned from the man who was Astie’s father."

Nordix’s eyes widened.

The other squad members were also stunned.

Lucarion glanced at them indifferently, as if too lazy to explain, and added,

"Astie summoned me quite a long time ago. I have been with her since she was an infant. It has been more than four years, probably."

"..."

"When Tie was sick, that man always did exactly this. And I heard everything and remembered it."