From that day on I got serious about my rehabilitation. I moved my body desperately until I could move my body, my fingertips, my arms …… what I mean is, move my brushes as I wanted them to. I moved my body as hard as I probably ever have in my life.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You were bedridden for 10 days, alright?” (Fay)
“Yes.” (Tougo)
“ Don’t push yourself too hard. I know you want to go back to the forest as soon as possible, but…” (Fay)
“Yeah. Because I want to draw as soon as possible.” (Tougo)
“…Oh, you’re that kind.” (Fay)
I want to draw quickly. I want to draw him but I don’t know if I cure him, but I still want to draw a Redgarde who is not injured and in a healthy state. If there is something I can do by drawing, I want to draw.
…While I was thinking that, I was moving my body.
“I see… you really like to draw, huh?” (Fay)
Redgarde let out a sigh while looking impressed.
…Really.
Yes. I really like drawing.
The picture materializes, the picture is reflected in the entity, the creature that shouldn’t be there is created, and even if you remove all of that… yeah. I like it.
I like it. I like to draw. That’s right. I remember now.
“…of course.” (Tougo)
When I nodded and answered, Redgarde…
“Hey, Tougo you laughed!” (Fay)
He looked somewhat happy as he said that.
“You always have that look on your face. Now, you have that kind of face, not the usual sulky one.” (Fay)
Do I sulk? I might be oblivious. But… yeah, well, if I’m allowed to continue to paint as much as I want, I’ll probably end up making “that kind of face” all the time. I’m sure.
Soon my body was back in shape, and I was ready to paint.
So, I decided to go back to the forest with Redgarde to get my painting materials.
“Okay. You get on this one.” (Fay)
…and I’m in trouble right away.
“Um… what is this?” (Tougo)
“Hmm? It’s my summoned beast.” (Fay)
In front of me is a wolf made of fire.
The wolf is bigger than me. And Redgarde is riding on the other one… He is riding a wolf.
“Oh, it’s all right, man. They can run normally even if I ride them. Tougo is lighter than me, so don’t worry about him. They are fire spirits, after all.” (Fay)
I gently touched the back of the flaming wolf while wondering if it was hot.
…Fluff, I felt something lighter than fur. Then it’s warm.
“I’ve told them about you Tougo so it’s okay.” (Fay)
“…I see.” (Tougo)
I took a chance and let myself climb on top of the flaming wolf.
Still, I was able to ride much more comfortably than I thought. … The fire spirit seems to be changing the shape of the wolf to fit me. No wonder it fits just right.
“Good! Well, we can’t go too fast, but let’s take it easy. Take it easy, okay.” (Fay)
And as soon as I got on the flaming wolf, Redgarde said that… and the two wolves started running at a great speed.
It took about two hours to reach the forest.
…It was probably a “can’t go too fast” speed, but it was too fast for me. Yeah, I’m a little, a little tired…
“Hi! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys!” (Tougo)
And when I got to the forest house, there were a lot of horses there. Unicorns and pegasi, all came up to me.
“See, just as I promised! I brought Tougo back safely!” (Fay)
Redgarde said, and a Pegasus patted him with a feather. I think it was a “good job” kind of thing.
“I’m back.” (Tougo)
I greeted the horses, too, and they came closer and closer to me… It was a little painful to be pushed so tightly. I was also tickled by their feathers and tails, which made me quite ticklish.
“Oh, you’re very popular, Tougo.” (Fay)
“Hmm… move back a bit. I need to get some art supplies.” (Tougo)
I managed to get the horses to back off for now, and I headed back toward the house. When I came back with my bag of art supplies… I was surrounded by horses again.
“Um, just a minute.” (Tougo)
I screamed in protest, but the horses didn’t back away. They didn’t back away even an inch. Moreover, more and more horses came from deeper into the forest and surrounded us.
What should I do? I can’t move with this.
“…does this mean we can’t not go inside the house?” (Fay)
“Yes…” (Tougo)
…It seems that Redgarde and I are not allowed to go back to Redgarde’s house.
I had no choice but to paint a picture of Redgarde here.
I felt sorry for Redgarde, but he also laughed and forgave them. “If I bring Tougo back, Pegasus and the unicorns will get angry,” he said with amusement. yes. Certainly, they will feel angry…
Redgarde sits comfortably on the sofa, and I set up my easel and a wooden board with watercolor paper stretched over it so that I am facing him. Then I decided to draw him.
This is the first time I will paint a figure like this. It’s also the first time I’ve used such a large canvas… so I’m a little, nervous.
But I have sketched Redgarde many times. I know enough about his face to be able to draw it to some extent without looking at him.
Even if he has a bandage covering half of his face or one arm wrapped in a bandage, I remember enough to be able to draw him without it.
“Okay! Make the drawing cool!” (Fay)
“Yes.” (Tougo)
And best of all, his scarlet eyes are looking at me, shining powerfully.
…It’s okay. I can draw him properly.
The first day ended with a rough sketch. The first reason is that I didn’t have the stamina to do it, and the second is that Redgarde didn’t have the stamina to do it.
…It’s hard work being a model. It is absolutely hard to sit motionless for hours on end.
“Oh, my body is stiffening!” (Fay)
“Sorry.” (Tougo)
“Hmm? That’s fine! As long as you draw me super cool!” (Fay)
Redgarde stood up from the sofa and came toward me, stretching out his arms.
“Whoa, let me see a little bit… Oh.” (Fay)
He peered into the draft… and his eyes blinked.
Naturally, what is on the drawing paper is the figure of Redgarde without any injuries.
Seeing that, he probably guessed what I was trying to do.
“No way you… you are planning to cure me?” (Fay)
“……yes.” (Tougo)
When I nodded while feeling a little nervous… Redgarde eyes blinked.
“Well, that’s…… Awesome!” (Fay)
He stared at the drawing paper for a good few seconds… and then, like a dam, he asked me,
“How long will it take you to finish this? Oh, it’s fine, as long as you can handle it!” (Fay)
“Eh, um… maybe about 3 days…?” (Tougo)
I’ll do the undercoat, add layers of color, and then add the details, maybe in three days. I really want to do it faster, but it may not be possible with my skills. So, the fastest I can is three days.
…If I were to paint Redgarde, I felt that a heavy oil painting would be better than a light watercolor. But I wanted to do it fast anyway, so I chose watercolor, which dries much faster. Of course, it’s also because I was not used to oil paintings.
“I see! I’m going to be cured in about three days! That’s great, Tougo! You’re really amazing!” (Fay)
“Well, I am still not sure if you’ll be cured.” (Tougo)
“Yeah! I’ll be cured! I’m going to be cured! Oh, I’d better ask him to stop arranging the medicine. It will be wasted. Can I have this piece of paper?” (Fay)
“Oh, here you go. Not… but, huh, what?” (Tougo)
Redgarde then took a piece of notepaper that was lying around, wrote something on it with a pencil… and suddenly produced a bird made of flame.
…This is also his summoned beast, I guess. The bird made of flame came out of Redgarde’s earring, took the piece of paper from Redgarde, and flew out the window. Probably that bird is going back to Redgarde’s house.
“All right! I’ve stopped arranging the medicine! And I told him I’m staying here for about four more days, so it is all good!” (Fay)
“Huh……?” (Tougo)
Is that a good thing? Stopping the arrangement of medicine, isn’t that a big deal?
Slowly, I get nervous, and my thoughts froze…
…But, Redgarde patted my back and laughed.
“You should be confident. You brought the Red Dragon back to life, right? Then surely, you can handle my injuries!” (Fay)
When he says that, I can’t help but think…
…Yes. I will do my best, and make sure I succeed.
That day, I slept surrounded by horses. In a hammock outside.
…My body was sluggish, and I feel like I should have slept on the bed, but the horses wanted to stay with me… Yeah, as expected, I gave in.
I went to sleep while in such a situation I didn’t understand, with the horses packed under and next to the hammock. I was restless, but perhaps because I was tired or weak, I was able to fall asleep rather quickly.
By the next morning, I was feeling somewhat better.
I had been in the same condition before… but maybe it was horse therapy?
“Perhaps you were receiving magical energy from the Pegasi and Unicorns?” (Fay)
“Huh?” (Tougo)
That day, while I was painting Redgarde again, he gave me his opinion about horse therapy.
I understood it, but I didn’t know if he was right or not…
“I heard that they sometimes share their magic power with those they are close to.” (Fay)
…Certainly, the horses are surrounding me while taking turns.
However, even if I remember such things, I don’t know what really is happening.
“Isn’t that why they want to sleep with you? When you’re weak due to lack of mana, they want to share their mana with you, aren’t these brave guys like that?” (Fay)
In response to Redgarde asking that question, I feel a little sorry… I will listen.
“…what is magic?” (Tougo)
“Huh? Oh, I see, you don’t even understand that kind of thing! Ah, I see!” (Fay)
And I immediately feel a cross-cultural barrier. I’m sure Redgarde is feeling it too. Yeah, I’m sorry.
“Well, you see, magic is power. Magic is what makes things happen, and living creatures live by magic. It’s in the body, and to some extent, it flows outside the body. Umm… like blood, you know what I mean?” (Fay)
“I see…” (Tougo)
Somehow, I think, “That’s how it is,” when decided to ask. I just answered, “I see,” but I don’t really understand it.
“So, look, because I have so little magic power since I was young, I can only have a contract with summoned beasts that really like me. However, I can’t summon them for very long. I’m not sure how the Red Dragon became my summoned beast… Why did they like me that much? I’m not sure how it happened. It’s obvious that I don’t have enough magic power…” (Fay)
“…Maybe it’s because I drew them with your blood. I drew the eyes with your blood. Maybe that’s why he thinks you’re their parent.” (Tougo)
“I-Is that so? Hmm… I don’t think they consider me as their parent, but it’s true that if it was drawn using my blood, it would be strange if they were made with my magic. Well then, I’m convinced that we’re compatible.” (Fay)
What? You said earlier that “magic power is like blood,” but is blood really like magic power? I’m not sure anymore.
“…Well, it’s fine. I’m not sure if I’m going to bring it back or not, but it’s a delicate point. Magic is also a matter of affinity. It depends on the person, the magical beast, and the magic power… there are many things that don’t match. For example, my magic is compatible with fire magic, but not with other magic.” (Fay)
I see. So… if materializing my paintings is using magic, does that mean that my magical powers match the magic of the paintings?
“That means you’re compatible with Unicorns and Pegasus.” (Fay)
“Yeah… maybe.” (Tougo)
It’s nice to be able to get along with horses. yes. I don’t know what it means, but it is good.
“Well then… let’s get back to the topic this time. Okay? Tougo. ‘Humans may die when their magical power runs out.’ Remember this properly.” (Fay)
“What?” (Tougo)
I wondered if my paintings are magic, and I was taken aback. In other words…
“When you materialize a picture, you are probably consuming magic power. So, when you’re drawing too much, you faint, in essence, you fainted from lack of magic power.” (Fay)
…When I think about it, somehow, there are scenarios that come to mind.
When I healed a Pegasus’ wings and fainted, I felt something slipping out of my body. Huh, I wonder if it means that the magical power is gone.
Then, here comes…”Humans may die when their magical power runs out.”…
“…In other words, the reason I didn’t wake up for 10 days this time…” (Tougo)
When I timidly asked, Redgarde nodded slowly and gravely and said…
“If something went wrong, it could become more dangerous.” (Tougo)
Even if I could die, I will never stop drawing.
Even if I die, I’m going to paint. I’m going to die if I can’t paint anymore.
But… yeah. I want to draw for as long as possible…
…I have to be careful.
