Full Stomach

“Mmggghhh…”

With monsters crawling near his mouth so he could not open it, Arthur glared desperately at Hervé and the others.

They seemed to be discussing something, but all he wanted was for them to hurry up and cast their magic to get rid of the bugs… his irritation radiated like a petty complaint. Then, finally, they acted. Magic was unleashed—ice, lightning, and other offensive spells.

‘Haaa!? What are they thinking!? I’m right here! I’m royalty!!’

He wanted to shout at the outrageous idea of casting magic at their own prince, but with insects around his mouth he couldn’t open it.

Then he noticed Elaine looking at him. When their eyes met, she gave a sly smile. In that instant, everything was clear to him: Elaine was using the chaos as cover to get rid of him. Since she couldn’t beat him in healing, she had chosen this underhanded method.

‘Hah, too bad for you!! I won’t die that easily!! More importantly, the golden wheat—!’

Arthur felt no pain and healed instantly. The magic barrage meant nothing to him, but the golden wheat was another matter.

Pouring even more mana into the wheat, he saw the portions damaged by magic and the Army of Death recovering rapidly. Not only that, the wheat he hadn’t even touched seemed to revive, and his healing felt stronger than ever.

‘Could it be… I’ve awakened to my true power!? Hahaha! The classic crisis awakening!! With this strength, Elaine is no match for me!!’

Of course, it was actually Elaine’s supportive healing amplifying the effect, but that never occurred to him. When the bombardment ended and the dust cleared, what remained was Arthur—his lower half frozen, his upper clothing scorched—and the still-vast golden wheat, which the Army of Death continued devouring.

“…Impossible. Even after all that magic…”

“Is the Army of Death’s hunger endless…?”

The people sighed in despair. All except one.

“Only one left… in that case, this is doable!!”

Arthur, being closest to the wheat the monster was eating, noticed something others hadn’t.

Its eating pace had slowed. Yes—clearly, the amount of healing required was less. And that reminded Arthur of something.

It was like the time he had secretly snacked on cookies. Despite his favorite steak being on the menu that day, he had eaten too much beforehand. As a result, he couldn’t finish his steak, and Kei had caught him. He’d been scolded harshly and deprived of snacks for a while.

The conclusion was obvious!! This monster had gorged itself on golden wheat and taken so much magic that it was starting to feel full!!

“You lot!! Watch for underlings nearby, and strike them down with magic the moment you spot them!! Elaine!! Focus your mana, not wide-area healing, and channel it into the golden wheat!”

“Understood!!”

His orders weren’t kindness. He just wanted to claim credit: It was my command that defeated the enemy. But Elaine, Hervé, and the others, having mistaken him for a self-sacrificing hero, obeyed earnestly.

The two poured condensed healing magic into the wheat. After an hour, both Arthur and Elaine were near their limits.

“Its movements have stopped!!”

At Arthur’s shout, the Army of Death stilled. The magic stone in its forehead glowed ominously red, its light grotesque.

Arthur realized the mana inside was about to burst.

“Eat this, you bug!!”

From his bag, he drew out a magic stone imbued with Morgan’s mana and unleashed it. The Army of Death’s body began freezing. It thrashed, but the ice kept spreading.

“Hahaha! Morgan’s personality is the worst, but her mind and magic are genius!! Well, not as much as me, of course!!”

“Zzzz… zzzz…”

The forehead stone flashed once, then went dark. It could no longer absorb mana. Even so, it strained to…

Crack! With a dry sound, the stone shattered. A torrent of mana burst forth.

“Whaaa!? Is this… healing energy!?”

Arthur was stunned. Most of the mana spilling out was healing power. Compared to the knights’ spells, the combined healing of Arthur and Elaine had been so immense that it devoured all the monster’s strength. And that mana produced an unexpected effect.

“This is… a miracle… a miracle born of Lord Arthur and Lady Elaine!!”

“Hehe… this makes you look more like a Saint than me… Truly remarkable, Lord Arthur.”

As healing light sparkled and filled the land, Hervé and Elaine both gasped in awe.

Where the mana spread, the wheat devoured by the Army of Death revived. And not just revived—

“All of it… it’s become golden wheat…?”

Seeing the reborn fields, Hervé exclaimed. Yes, infused with that overwhelming mana, all the wheat had transformed into golden wheat.

“To think you could trigger the Army of Death’s mana to run wild and restore the land’s greenery… Was this all according to your design?”

“Eh… ah, yes, of course.”

Arthur nodded to Hervé, who rushed over in awe. In truth, he had no idea. He had only suspected the monster had a limit to what mana it could absorb. This miracle was impossible to calculate.

“How did you know the Army of Death would come, and how to deal with it, Lord Arthur?”

“Eh, well, that’s…”

Staring at him with respect, Hervé awaited an answer. Arthur couldn’t exactly admit he was reliving a second life. But before he could think, his strength drained.

“Ugh, my mana…”

“Lord Arthur, are you all right? You overused your healing magic!!”

Voices echoed faintly. Elaine shouted, and from farther back Kei, who had been watching Arthur’s deeds, rushed toward him. And then, Arthur lost consciousness.