This Clueless Hero

Hearing the loud noise from behind Mildred's door made me a little concerned.

I furrowed my brows.

"Mildred?"

There was no response. However, once I listened a little closer, my ears just barely picked up on several faint thumps. I called out a little louder than last time.

"...Mildred?"

There was no response.

Was she being attacked?

After a few moments of deliberation, I decided it was best to be safe, even though this might be a breach of privacy.

I grasped the door handle and pushed hard against it. But it would hardly budge. I clicked my tongue.

This wasn't exactly the most convenient time for this...

I pushed against the door harder and also tried shaking it back and forth. However, that did little except make a few jiggling sounds.

The faint thumps continued on. They seemed to come from ground level and were rather swift, almost resembling the flapping of a hummingbird. The sound didn't resemble anything I've heard before, which made me really confused.

However, it sounded like someone was in there at least moments ago, while Mildred wouldn't respond. This hardened my resolve to force my way through.

It took a few steps back before rushing forward as fast as I could.

A violent bang resounded.

My shoulder crashed into the door. It brought me more pain than I expected, making me sharply inhale. However, the door remained standing, as though my efforts did nothing.

It wasn't made of anything simple, though that should probably be expected when within a palace. With my current strength, the best thing pushing against this door would do is hurt me.

That means... the only thing left is magic.

But if I casted magic right in the middle of the palace, that would essentially blow the entire 'no talent' pretense I had built up. At this point, it was more so I didn't want the others to find out I was lying more than the convenience it brought.

After all, it wasn't exactly easy to trust someone that had secrets.

But...

I couldn't help but recall how easily Erin accepted the fact I could cast magic.

'If you don't want anybody to know, I can keep it secret.'

...Maybe they wouldn't be so harsh.

In the end, I came to the decision to blow away the door with a firebolt. Ironically enough, my secret would be exposed right after Erin promised to keep it.

And so, I took a few steps back.

Wind rapidly whipped around me, whipping my hair and clothes around. My skin tore open, while pain flared in my mind once more.

In less than a second, a firebolt coalesced at the tip of my finger. It shot out and exploded upon hitting the door.

The door frame, along with the actual door, bent strangely and were charred black. Thankfully, the door was also forced open, revealing the room inside.

Like it had been before, the room was terribly messy. However, I couldn't care less about that right now.

That was because Mildred was currently spasming on the floor, with a pool of blood underneath her head.

I rushed over and got down on one knee next to her.

...Who did this?

I whipped my head around the room, trying to find a possible culprit. The room itself was devoid of anybody else, and the curtains were closed.

Logically, it made little sense for whoever did this to close the curtains after they left, making me think that someone was still here.

However, the room really seemed empty.

I decided to toss that thought to the back of my head and checked up on Mildred's condition.

She was convulsing madly, as though a strong electric shock was coursing through her body. Her eyes were rolled back into her head, while her body was covered in bruises and abrasions, making me believe she got into some kind of fight.

I quickly realized that Mildred was hitting her head against the floor really hard. Although there were a few clothes strewn about, they did little to cushion her.

I snuck in my hand underneath her head, letting it take the impact instead of the hard ground. Mildred's convulsions were no joke. That much was obvious from how much my hand hurt just from keeping it underneath.

That must mean the pain Mildred was experiencing...

I furrowed my brows.

"Mildred, stop moving so much!"

Unfortunately, she did not accede to my request. From the feeling of the back of her head, I could tell the back of her skull was cracked.

I grit my teeth and rapidly gathered mana once again. The resulting wind lifted up the bedsheets and clothes strewn about the room, making the scene look even more chaotic.

I was casting the healing spell.

After a few moments, it was completed.

Mildred's convulsions slowly died down the tremors while the frightening cracks on the back of her head healed up as well. As a bonus, the bruises and abrasions quickly healed over too.

Yet, before I could let out a sigh of relief, the tremors became convulsions once again. Mildred's skin was healed just moments ago, but became bruised once more.

I was distraught.

"Mildred, why are you moving so much! You're hurting yourself!"

Unfortunately, she didn't respond. I helplessly kept my hand underneath her head, even when the pain from her hitting it was making my hand go numb.

I grit my teeth.

"Damn it, you have to wake up, Mildred!"

My mind hurt bad, but I forcefully began casting another healing spell. Blood began to drip down from the tears in my skin.

A strong sense of vertigo assaulted me as I cast the spell. It felt as though a dull knife was directly cutting through my head.

Nonetheless, I finished the spell once more.

Mildred's convulsions calmed down to a stop while the abrasions and bruises disappeared from her body.

I let out a sigh of relief and pulled my hand away.

Yet, like a cruel twist of fate, Mildred began trembling once more. I hurriedly laid my hand under her head once more, right before they became violent convulsions.

...What was going on?

Why wasn't the healing spell working?

My breathing was ragged while my vision became blurry. Casting those healing spells took a toll not only on my mind, but my body.

If I cast another one...

I might just die on the spot.

It couldn't go on like this.

But...

What was I supposed to do?

My emotions burst out of my chest.

"MILDRED, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF."

"What's happening?"

Ned's voice came from the entrance to the room. I weakly turned to Ned.

"Something... something happened to Mildred."

Although my vision was blurry, I could still make out Ned's frown. He rushed over and crouched down.

"Oh dear..."

Ned carefully picked up Mildred, taking his time. His arms violently spasmed, following Mildred's, but his hold was firm.

Ned delicately laid Mildred down on the bed. Although she was still convulsing, it wasn't harming her body.

I tried to stand up.

"Who... who did this?"

Ned held onto my arm before I stood up.

"You need to lie down too! What even happened to you?"

I furrowed my brows.

"I... I'm fine."

Ned sighed.

"First lie down before you say anything more."

Honestly speaking, if I tried to stand up, I would probably fall down. As such, I gave a nod of agreement.

"Ok..."

With the help of Ned, my body was gently laid onto the floor among the randomly strewn about clothes. Although lying down brought a bit of comfort, anxious thoughts continued swirling in my mind.

"Did someone attack Mildred? No, it's more likely she was cursed."

I held the side of my head with my hand.

"Damn, why are people trying to attack us?"

A soft sigh escaped Ned.

"No, nobody attacked Mildred. But what in the world happened to you?"

I shook my head.

"I'm fine, but Mildred-"

"She's fine."

Ned cut me off. He shook his head helplessly.

"Thankfully, you didn't let her head bang directly against the floor, so her head is fine."

...But her head did bang against the floor. It was only healed because of the spell I cast. Anyways, it sounded like Ned... knew something.

"Y-You know what happened to Mildred?"

Ned nodded.

"Yes, I will explain. But first, what in the world happened to you? You look... I can't even tell what happened to you."

I slowly shook my head.

"Nothing... important."

Ned gave me a long look before sighing.

"...Alright."

My eyelids drifted between opening and closing.

"What... what happened to Mildred?"

Ned furrowed his brows.

"...Withdrawal."

After a few moments of silence, I spoke up.

"What is... that?"

Ned shrugged his shoulders.

"When someone stops taking drugs or alcohol this kind of stuff happens."

I raised an eyebrow.

"But I haven't done it, and I am fine."

Ned shook his head.

"No, this is different."

He pulled out a chair and sat on it.

"Basically... Mildred has been destroying herself."