Chapter 147 I Can Do It

It was hardly a new thing for Mayona and Qianye to be at absolute odds with one another. Perhaps it was simply the spark that inevitably flew when physical combatants and spellcasters looked down upon each other. Ruby had no energy to spare on them at the moment, marching straight toward the emperor's study.

As for the reason behind Qianye's sudden appearance, it was nothing extraordinary. Although not quite as prodigious as Mayona, Qianye was one of the very few humans on the continent who had mastered spatial magic. The hair ribbon she had given Ruby might have looked ordinary, but it had an immensely intricate spatial teleportation array inscribed within it.

According to Lady Qianye herself, she had crafted the ribbon simply because she had nothing better to do. The Black Stone Empire lacked any real entertainment, and life there was rather dull, so it had taken her roughly five years to complete this idle project.

This left Ruby rather astonished. She had just handed over such a valuable item to him like it was nothing? Qianye, however, thought nothing of it. Were items not meant to be given away as gifts? Moreover, someone as interesting as Ruby could not be allowed to die, so the hair ribbon was programmed to activate its teleportation array the moment his emotions fluctuated violently.

"Now I want an explanation from you lot! How on earth did a massive tunnel dug right beneath our feet by magical beasts go completely unnoticed by you? Are you even human? You actually allowed yourselves to be outsmarted by the intelligence of beasts!"

Before he even reached the study, Ruby heard the furious, roaring voice of His Majesty the Emperor. It was evident that the tactical strategy employed by the magical beasts this time had dealt him a severe blow.

In the eyes of humans, magical beasts had always been regarded as mindless creatures. Yet this time, they seemed to have realized that Mayona was an insurmountable obstacle, choosing instead to bypass the defenses of Hetunmaru and strike directly at the core. Fortunately, Ruby and Tynassa had happened to cross paths with them and successfully thwarted an invasion that could have easily turned into a catastrophe. As the emperor, he ought to have been overjoyed, but from the perspective of a father, he could not bring himself to feel any happiness at all. This victory had been bought at the cost of his only daughter's sight for the rest of her life.

No one else knew of this yet, and King Caisque XIII had no intention of letting the common folk find out. If word of this spread, it might plunge the populace into sheer panic. Nothing was more terrifying than magical beasts acquiring tactical strategies resembling those of humans.

Two people were already waiting outside the study door before Ruby arrived: the first prince and the second prince. Upon seeing Ruby, Caesar offered a polite nod. Ruby noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes, the tear troughs beneath them appearing slightly deeper than before.

"Ruby, is my sister alright?"

Kaiyas spoke up first. Deeply worried about his sister's condition yet completely ignorant of medicine, he had chosen to entrust everything entirely to Ruby.

"The situation is somewhat complicated. Let's wait until His Majesty finishes venting his anger."

Ruby shook his head without elaborating further. A moment later, several unfamiliar strangers stepped out of the study, their faces drained of color and pale with fright. They had been ordered to rush back to Hetunmaru overnight to inspect every single subterranean cavity.

"Come in."

King Caisque XIII seemed to know someone was waiting outside, and shortly afterward, his weary voice echoed through the hallway. Led by Caesar, the group filed into the interior of the study.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, I wish you well."

The emperor apparently had not expected Qianye to follow them in, and his gaze lingered on her for a moment. As a princess of the allied nation, Qianye did not compromise on etiquette; the diminutive young girl gracefully lifted the sides of her skirt with both hands and bowed politely to Caisque XIII.

To Ruby's bewilderment, however, she had been dressed in form-fitting leather armor just moments ago, yet had now transformed into a black-and-gold princess gown. This must have been the legendary art of a one-second outfit change.

"No need for formalities. We owe our gratitude to Princess Qianye for her rescue this time. Please, name whatever reward you desire."

Caisque XIII felt a genuine sense of gratitude toward the princess who had traveled thousands of leagues to provide reinforcement. Without her, his own daughter would have met a grim fate. He had never imagined that the crude and rough emperor of the Black Stone Empire could father such a delicate and thoughtful daughter.

"In that case, please allow me to observe the proceedings from here. Tynassa and I are fairly recent acquaintances, and I wish to know her current condition."

"Very well. Mr. Ruby, tell me about her situation."

Caisque XIII turned his gaze to Ruby. Putting the nation above all else, he had not even had the spare time to check on his own daughter; upon learning that her life was no longer in danger, he had immediately convened an emergency meeting throughout the night.

"The outlook is grim. Her eyeballs have been destroyed. If she is to recover, the only option is to replace them with a new pair."

"Are you saying she can recover?"

The question did not come from the emperor, but from Caesar. This silent older brother understood Tynassa's plight far better than their father did. Any normal person would find it unbearable to live with their eyes closed for even a single hour, let alone facing a lifetime spent in utter darkness. Yet every healer they consulted could only shake their heads and declare the condition hopeless. The very thought of it tore his heart apart.

"Only possibly. In my homeland, the procedure for a complete eyeball transplant is still merely a theoretical concept. However, with Mayona's exceptional magical control, I can give it a try. If we don't try, there is no hope at all."

Faced with a difficult problem—one that could not even be solved on Earth—Ruby did not despair. While he could not accomplish it alone, this was a world of magic; why not give it a try?

"Then let's not waste any time. I will immediately issue an order to find someone to donate—"

"It's useless. Her current problem is not just her eyes, but the poison clinging to her optic nerves. It is a venom I have never encountered before; it neither dissipates nor spreads to other parts of the body, remaining anchored exclusively to the optic nerves. If it isn't cleared away, even a successful eye transplant will result in the new eyeballs being destroyed by the poison."

Ruby interrupted the emperor, who was already preparing to source a pair of donated eyes, and revealed the hidden danger lurking within Tynassa's body. To describe it, it was akin to the lingering curse of a dying mantis general.

"What about purification magic to clear the poison?"

"Useless. The venom has penetrated too deeply. If we attempt a forced purification, it will only damage her optic nerves beyond repair."

"Then what on earth are we supposed to do?"

"I am currently working on a solution. My initial thought is to find a pair of eyes capable of withstanding that venom. The owner of those eyes must possess immense vitality. We will need to iron out the finer details."

"I leave this entirely in your hands. Tell me whatever you need. Please, do everything in your power to restore my daughter. I promised her mother I would take good care of her, but... ugh."

The emperor rubbed his aching forehead, seemingly aging several years in an instant. The others remained silent, and the atmosphere within the study grew heavier still.

"I will."

There were no grand vows, no flowery oaths. Ruby answered the emperor with just three simple words, yet everyone present could hear the profound determination woven into them—the resolve to save his friend, even if it cost him his life.