Chapter 32 – Shut up, you lewd dense cabbage!

The world felt like it was closing in around me. The wind had stilled, as if even nature was waiting for my answer. I could hear Elise's soft sobs as she clung to Lisa, whose breathing was growing more labored by the second. The glow of the wrecked carriage's lantern cast flickering shadows across the damp earth, illuminating Scheon's still form.

Catherine's fingers tightened around mine, desperate, pleading. "I can make it work, Mashiro. I know it's a lot to ask, but Lisa doesn't have much time. If we don't act now…" She trailed off, her voice catching.

"Just do it. Tell me what to do," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

Catherine's lips curled into a faint smile, though her eyes remained sharp with urgency. "Drag that bastard over here."

I took a deep breath and rushed toward where Scheon lay sprawled on the ground. He was in rough shape—his clothes torn, bruises forming from Catherine's earlier attack. But there was no time to feel sorry for him. Without hesitation, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and started dragging him toward Lisa.

"Hey! Ouch! Be gentle, damn it!" Scheon shouted, squirming against my grip.

I scowled and, without thinking, brought my fist down on his head in a sharp smack. "Shut up, you lewd dense cabbage!"

He groaned, muttering something under his breath, but didn't resist further. The only sounds were the distant rustling of the trees and Elise's quiet sniffles as she held onto Lisa.

Finally, after what felt like forever, I reached Catherine with Scheon in tow. I let go of his collar and straightened, my breathing a little heavy.

"Okay, what now?" I asked, wiping my hands on my dress, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in my chest.

Catherine exhaled deeply, steadying herself. The dim lantern light flickered against the night, casting elongated shadows over the dirt road and the wrecked carriage. A cold breeze whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves like distant whispers.

Elise clung to Lisa, her small hands trembling as she wiped away the tears streaking her cheeks. Lisa's breathing had grown dangerously shallow—her face pale, her lips dry. Every second that passed felt like grains of sand slipping through an hourglass, and we were running out of time.

Catherine motioned for me to kneel beside her. "Mashiro, I need you to focus. Your spatial magic lets you connect two points in space, right?"

I answered, hesitating. "I… I think so. I don't really know how it works, but I've used it before."

The only thing I truly understood was that I could make objects disappear into my so-called "inventory." Beyond that, I had no real grasp of its full potential. No one had ever explained it to me.

Catherine's expression remained firm. "That's enough. Fox kin have a natural gift for spatial magic. At higher levels, a fox kin can even teleport—just like your friend did after spotting me, leaving behind nothing but flowers."

She reached out, pressing her palm gently against my chest. A faint warmth spread through me, pulsing like a heartbeat, a thread being tugged by unseen hands.

"I'll guide you," she continued, her voice softer now. "You just need to open a precise gateway—one that connects his chest to Lisa's. I'll handle the rest."

I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching as I glanced at Lisa. Her breaths were faint, shallow—like a flickering candle in the wind. Elise clung to her sister, gripping her so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

A groan came from the ground.

"You're all insane," Scheon muttered, shifting slightly. "This isn't how heart transplants work—"

Catherine silenced him with a sharp glare. "You should be grateful I'm even using you for something useful," she snapped before turning back to me. Her voice softened. "Mashiro, breathe. Focus."

The warmth from her palm spread through my chest, steadying me. And then—I felt it.

Something deeper than warmth, more than a mere sensation. Like an invisible thread tying me to the world around me. No, not just the world—space itself. A presence I had never truly noticed before, lying dormant within me all this time.

My magic.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to concentrate. The way I used my inventory… It wasn't just about storing things. It was about connecting places, linking two points in space—even if only for a moment.

Catherine's voice was calm but firm. "Imagine a tunnel. A passage linking one space to another. Right now, I need you to create that tunnel between Scheon's chest and Lisa's."

I clenched my fists. "I… I'll try."

The air around me shifted. A faint shimmer appeared between Scheon and Lisa, rippling like a mirage in the dim lantern light. My breathing grew shallow as I poured everything into keeping it stable.

"That's it," Catherine whispered. "Now, hold it open."

I could feel my strength draining, my arms trembling as if I were holding open an unseen doorway while something heavy pressed against it, trying to force it shut. The strain made my vision blur, but I gritted my teeth and refused to let go.

Catherine raised her free hand, magic swirling around her fingertips like frost forming on glass.

"Now," she said, her voice cold and unwavering, "undress him."

I flinched. "W-What?"

Catherine shot me an exasperated look. "We need access to his chest, Mashiro. That tunic won't remove itself."

Scheon groaned. "Oh, come on—at least buy me dinner first."

Without hesitation, I smacked his forehead with the palm of my hand. "Shut up."

Ignoring his grumbling, I reached down and yanked at his shirt, forcing it open. The fabric was stained with dirt and sweat, sticking to his skin. My fingers trembled as I pulled it away, exposing his chest beneath the flickering lantern light.

Lisa let out another weak cough, her body barely moving now. Elise held onto her, eyes wide with fear.

Catherine wasted no time. She placed one hand over Lisa's chest and the other over Scheon's, her magic flaring to life. A deep blue glow surrounded her fingertips, crackling like frost spreading across a frozen lake.

"Keep the tunnel steady," she commanded.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the pull of magic stretch against my very being. The shimmering gateway between them flickered, unstable. My body screamed for relief, but I held on.

Catherine took a deep breath. "Then let's begin."

The night air felt heavier as Catherine's magic swirled around us, sending a biting chill through the space. Shadows danced wildly against the broken carriage, stretching and twisting in the flickering lantern light. The world had narrowed to this single moment—Lisa's fading breaths, Elise's desperate grip, and the steady hum of power vibrating in the air.

I clenched my fists, willing the spatial tunnel to remain stable. It pulsed faintly, a shimmering tear in reality connecting Scheon's chest to Lisa's. My vision swam at the edges, the strain unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Catherine's hands remained firm, one pressed over Lisa's fragile frame, the other hovering over Scheon's exposed chest. The frost-like glow deepened, crackling along her fingertips.

Scheon let out a strangled grunt. "Ugh—this is insane. This is insane—"

Catherine didn't spare him a glance. "Be grateful I'm making use of your pathetic existence."

Then, with a sharp exhale, she moved.

A pulse of magic erupted from her hands, and suddenly, the scene before me became something out of a nightmare. Scheon's body arched as his chest was forced open—not with a blade, but with magic that wove through flesh as if it were nothing more than mist.

Elise let out a horrified gasp. I barely held back my own. Scheon coughed violently, but Catherine's spell silenced him, paralyzing his body in place.

His heart—glowing with a strange, eerie light—rose from his chest, suspended in the air between him and Lisa. The connection between them wavered, flickering like a dying ember, but I forced it to hold. Lisa's body shuddered. Her breathing hitched, then slowed.

"No—Lisa!" Elise cried, shaking her.

"She'll be fine," Catherine said, her voice strained but unwavering. "Just a little more."

The heart drifted forward, crossing the shimmering gateway I had created, and lowered itself into Lisa's chest. Catherine's magic surged, sealing the wound instantly as if it had never been there.

Then, all at once, the tension in the air snapped. The spatial tunnel collapsed. I gasped, feeling my knees buckle as exhaustion slammed into me. For a long, heavy moment, the only sound was the crackling of Catherine's lingering magic. Then— Lisa's fingers twitched. A small, quiet breath escaped her lips.

Elise's eyes widened. "Big sister…?"

Lisa groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering. Color had already begun to return to her face.

Elise let out a choked sob and threw herself onto her, burying her face into Lisa's shoulder. "You're okay—you're okay—"

Relief crashed over me like a wave, but I was too exhausted to fully grasp it. I let out a shaky breath, my arms trembling at my sides. Catherine exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking at me.

"You did well, Mashiro."