I couldn't feel my legs. This was probably the backlash from removing my limits. My sister started to panic even more. She was trying hard not to cry because Emperor Kalva was right there, and crying in front of a lord was considered extremely disrespectful.
My brother looked at me, his eyes trembling.
"Andreas! What's happening!?"
He shouted at me in fear, which only made me more afraid.
"I don't know! I can't feel my legs!" I yelled, and my eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Does that mean…I won't be able to walk?"
Lord Kalva stepped in. For some reason, Kuon never said anything.
"Wait. I can arrange treatment for this. Come to the Imperial Palace tomorrow. The palace healers are of the highest rank. They should be able to cure a minor paralysis."
My brother looked relieved, though he was still worried.
"You have my gratitude, Lord Kalva."
But I couldn't get a question out of my head.
"What if that doesn't work? Because what I did was remove my limits. I think this happened because I used more mana than my body could handle. And…removing limits doesn't exactly sound normal."
My brother's eyes widened. Everyone in the room turned to stare at me.
"You…removed your limits!? Andre! Do you have any idea what you've done!?"
That was the first time he'd ever spoken to me so harshly, and it made me realize how serious it was.
"I had no choice! You were all unconscious, and Elro was going to kill me. What was I supposed to do!?"
"You're skilled enough with the sword to defend yourself. Why were you so obsessed with killing Elro!? And now look what happened to your legs. A soul fracture can't be healed by any healer!"
"My legs…won't heal?" I asked, my voice breaking.
"Our last hope is the church, Andre. If Goddess Zorea answers you, your legs might recover. Otherwise, there is no solution. And you only get one chance."
"Then take me to the church, brother."
My brother looked stunned by how determined I was. Crying wouldn't help—I knew it was better to try my one chance.
Without waiting for a wheelchair, he lifted me onto his back and carried me all the way to the church.
When we passed through the giant doors, I was mesmerized. It was magnificent.
"We're here, Andre. Sit here and wait. I'll talk to the priest."
"It's not like I can move anyway," I mumbled, pouting.
About thirty minutes later, he came back.
"I learned that the church will be empty after 10 PM. Until then, we have to find an offering to present on the goddess's altar."
"Then let's go outside and look around!" I shouted happily, forgetting how much my voice echoed in the church. My words boomed all the way across the hall, and it looked like the priests and the people were a little annoyed with me. I apologized quickly and left the church on my brother's back, laughing.
"Hey, maybe we should get a wheelchair now. I'm just a burden to you, and this really isn't comfortable."
"I thought my back was pretty comfortable, actually. But fine, let's look for a wheelchair."
After wandering through the market on my brother's back for a while, we found a place that looked like an apothecary. They sold wheelchairs inside. I entered still riding on his back.
"We're looking for a wheelchair for the little man on my back."
"Then you've come to the perfect place! All the wheelchairs are right behind you. Just pick one you like."
"Which one do you want, Andre?"
"The one on the far left looks comfortable. But…what's that one displayed in the window?"
"Oh, that? That's our newest model—a mana-powered wheelchair. If you channel your mana into it, you can control it however you want."
My eyes lit up, and my brother must have noticed how much I wanted it, because he immediately decided to buy it.
"How much is it?"
"We only sell those to nobles right now, since there are so few in stock. Which family do you belong to, if I may ask?"
"Verblade."
"V-V-Verblade!?" the shopkeeper stammered in a panic. "Twenty gold, just twenty gold! The launch price is normally fifty, but for you, it's twenty."
"Did you think I'd pay less just because you're scared?" my brother said coldly. "My brother wants this. I don't care about the price or the trade." He handed the man a pouch filled with a hundred gold coins.
"Keep the change."
My brother set up the wheelchair and helped me into it.
"Try channeling your mana into it."
"Okay, I'll try."
Once I sent my mana into the chair, I realized I could move it in any direction I wanted. It felt as natural as speaking in my mind—something I'd learned to do when I was still a baby.
"This is amazing, brother! Look—I don't even need you to push me anymore! I can move on my own!"
"I see, Andre. Let's hope you won't have to keep using it after tomorrow. Now, we still need an offering."
"How about Elro's dagger? After all, I'm going to ask Goddess Zorea only to heal the damage left from the fight with Elro."
"That's…a very good idea, Andre. Then we have everything. All that's left is to wait for nightfall."
"By the way, since we have some time—where's my sister? She was with us in the hospital, but she's not here now."
"She's talking with Kuon in private… You understand why."
"They love each other, don't they?"
"Unfortunately… That's why I can't even spar with Kuon anymore. My sister gets too angry."
"You're close enough to Kuon to spar?"
"Before you were born, I used to come here several times a year. But after you were born, I became your teacher, so I could never visit Ulsar again. I've missed this place… The Empire of Balance, Ulsar."
"If you're friends with Kuon, then why did you try to kill them in the hospital room?"
"Lord Kalva threatened me, and as a Verblade, I couldn't just let that pass. And if Kuon stays silent about something, that means he agrees. They both threatened me with death. But thankfully, Verblade blood let me push them back."
"I see…"
There was nothing left to do now but wait for 10 PM…