CHAPTER 138: NEVER LET GO

Even so, Quintus could not stop himself from getting to his feet, pacing the room in frustration.

He could hardly laugh at Gabrant’s restlessness, because he himself was no different—anxious, impatient, unable to calm down.

In truth, everyone in the room was feeling the same.

Quintus had no idea how much time had passed when the door finally opened.

Louis appeared while supporting Dominic by the shoulder.

On the other side, Shiao Yi walked closely, his arm wrapped firmly around Dominic’s back.

Everyone in the room stood up at once.

Dominic’s shining blond hair was filthy, tangled with dust.

His face and hands were covered in wounds, his clothes little more than tattered rags.

But his blue eyes had regained their steel-sharp clarity.

The madness was gone.

He looked almost normal again and with that sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dominic!"

Gabrant shouted his son’s name, but Dominic did not so much as glance at his father.

Instead, he moved to sit on the long couch.

"I’ll go get a healer right away! And also some basins of clean water, towels, a bath prepared, a proper bed, and oh, something to eat too!"

Louis was ready to bolt when Dominic spoke up in a weary but steady voice.

"Don’t rush, Louis. First, call the healer. The rest can wait until after."

"Y-yes, y-yes, right away!"

Louis dashed off like a fired bullet.

After watching him leave, Dominic slowly stood up again.

He turned his gaze straight toward Quintus and bowed his head deeply.

"My lord, I have caused you great trouble. I offer my deepest apologies."

"The situation was what it was," Quintus answered firmly. "The true crime was that bastard Roaille releasing that attack spell in the first place. You only acted to stop him from going any further. It was a defensive act. Still... it is true that you went too far."

"Yes. I am sorry," Dominic said while bowing his head again.

For some reason, even Shiao Yi, who was sitting right beside him, bowed his head deeply as well.

Shiao Yi had not moved away from Dominic at all.

He stuck close to him, as if bound to his side.

Maybe, for both of them, that closeness was necessary.

Quintus decided to let it pass.

Everyone in the room—except for one person—likely felt the same.

"More importantly, are you alright, Dominic?"

Quintus gestured for him to sit on the long couch and asked with genuine concern.

For a moment, a shadow flickered across Dominic’s face, but his voice was sharp and firm when he answered.

"Yes. I’m sorry to have worried you. I will never again let you see such a disgrace from me."

—As long as Shiao Yi stays by his side.

Quintus thought he heard Dominic’s heart whisper those words.

When he looked at Shiao Yi, whose eyes burned with the same determined resolve, he felt relief.

Surely, there was nothing more to fear now.

Soon, one of the healers from Dalmasca Castle arrived and began treating Dominic.

They purified his body first, cleansing away the dirt and blood, before focusing on the most severe wounds on his hands and feet.

The healer poured magic into them with careful precision.

The infusion of healing magic caused his body’s tissues and cells to suddenly activate and regenerate at high speed.

This process came with intense pain and a high fever.

Having another’s magic forced into your body was, by nature, torture.

The worse the injuries and the faster the healing, the greater the suffering.

Even so, Dominic endured it without a sound.

His eyebrows did not twitch, his mouth never let a groan escape.

Perhaps it was because he knew these injuries were his own doing.

But more than that, it showed the sheer strength of his spirit.

Next to him, Shiao Yi wrapped an arm around his back, watching anxiously.

In truth, Shiao Yi looked more pained than Dominic himself.

Quintus could not help but wonder: if Dominic had this much mental strength, then why had he fallen into madness before?

Why had he lost control so completely?

Quintus tried to recall in detail what had happened earlier at the parade grounds.

So many things had occurred one after another in such a short time that, even though he had been in the best position to observe objectively, the whole scene remained only a blur of chaos in his memory.

First, Libertus was accused of using the magic circle and pushed the blame onto Roaille.

Roaille then pulled something from his cloak—it must have been the design of a magic circle—and tried to launch an attack.

Shiao Yi placed his hand on the ground and raised a wall of stone to block it.

The wall absorbed most of the attack, but not all.

The leftover force exploded outward, and everyone nearby was blown away.

Quintus, being further away, managed to stay upright with only a stagger.

Dominic, too, had withstood the blast, bracing himself firmly against it.

Then Dominic roared in fury, his body wrapped in anger and overflowing magic.

In that state, he unleashed a powerful magic blast.

Just before that, Quintus thought he saw Shiao Yi appear in front of Roaille.

Did Shiao Yi try to protect him? Did he shield him? But the blast was fired anyway...

Was that it? Was this the cause?

Did Dominic lose his mind because he thought he had fired his magic at Shiao Yi?

That would explain it.

Afterward, Dominic’s behavior had changed completely.

He looked dazed, as if his soul had been torn out.

He offered no resistance, even when bound in restraints.

Now Quintus looked at Shiao Yi and Dominic again.

At this moment, it was as if nothing had happened.

Dominic appeared calm, even smiling faintly when he glanced at Shiao Yi’s worried face.

Quintus made a decision in his heart.

For the sake of the nation, and for the peace of the people, Shiao Yi must be protected.

He must never be separated from Dominic.