Wooden Prison

Ophelia's gaze leaned towards Eiji one last time. She approached him and reached out her hands towards him.

"Even though my magic is not yet fully regenerated, I should still be able to help you."

The concentration of mana in her hands increased to the point where it physically manifested as a faint blue glow. The mana surrounded Eiji, swirling around him, and entered his body. After a few seconds, murmurs escaped Ophelia's mouth: "Restoration."

Finally, she stood up, still staring at Eiji. She swallowed her saliva before smiling at him.

"I just cast a restoration spell on you. Unlike healing spells, it can only treat minor ailments such as lack of sleep or energy. Unfortunately, their effect is not immediate on the body, but you will be able to move quickly and fully recover in a few days."

She moved away from the young man and joined Tahrren, who was already waiting at the door. They both bid farewell to Eiji before closing the door and leaving.

They headed towards the village's exit.

"Good. The strategy is simple. We resume where you and Eiji left off yesterday. We split up to cover a larger area and move in a circular pattern relative to the town. Once we cross paths again, we backtrack but this time a little farther from the town. We'll continue this way until we find Father Andrea."

Ophelia nodded, and the two headed to where the search had been abandoned the day before. As planned, they separated. Every hundred meters or so, they cast their search spell, tracking any abnormal sources of mana in the surroundings.

They continued like this for three days while Eiji rested calmly in the inn room. Although time seemed to pass quickly, they couldn't help but feel tired of these searches. Using spells all day was exhausting, especially when they didn't yield the desired result.

Furthermore, on that day, there was neither bright sunlight nor a cerulean sky. Instead, the sky was covered with threatening grayish clouds. The damp atmosphere and occasional gusts that occasionally tore off budding branches announced an impending storm.

Before the twelfth hour of the day, the first raindrops fell, and the previously dry ground quickly became saturated with water. The earth turned into mud, slowing down their progress in the search, especially for Ophelia, who didn't have suitable attire for this kind of excursion.

Fortunately, they had already covered the first few kilometers around the town, so if there was something to discover, they were close. It was unlikely that Father Andrea had ventured farther, especially on foot. After all, he was neither an adventurer nor an explorer. He would never have wandered several hours' walk away from the town.

And time proved their logic right. As Tahrren cast the search spell once again, he detected a strange mana this time. The source was so faint that others might have overlooked it. But the mana, while weak, was present in a significant quantity. Significant enough to belong to either a monster or a human being.

Drawn to it, Tahrren headed towards the source, prepared for any necessary battle: blade in hand, he scanned the surroundings and advanced step by step. He had no choice, anyway, as the forest in the vicinity was so dense that visibility was low, and the ground was covered with branches and roots.

After maneuvering through these obstacles for a few seconds, he was finally close enough to see with his own eyes what his spell had detected.

There, amidst the trees, perched a man, immobilized by countless branches. They twisted around his body, preventing him from moving any joint.

"A wooden prison... Why would someone use such a spell to imprison a man?"

Being close enough, Tahrren deduced, based on the prisoner's attire and stature, that it was Father Andrea. Tahrren approached the priest and placed his hand on the wooden restraints. As soon as his fingertips touched the wood, he felt his mana being absorbed. The voracity of the restraints was such that he lost a tenth of his mana almost instantly.

"To modify this spell in such a way... What kind of monster would do this to a man?"

Tahrren drew his sword and skillfully cut through the restraints. He pulled Father Andrea out and checked his vital signs. Although weak, Father Andrea's heart was still beating, and his breathing, though feeble and irregular, proved that he was still alive. Tahrren could only conclude that he had been confined in this wooden prison for just a few hours, at most two days.

The priest looked up to the sky. He stretched out his arm and sent a bright signal into the air, illuminating the surroundings. After only a few minutes, a young woman rushed over.

"Ophelia, you're finally here! We've finally found him. Father Andrea!"

Delighted, Ophelia quickly approached the priest and knelt beside him. She checked the condition of the missing person herself.

"What happened to him? He's so weak," she said, rising to her feet. She locked eyes with Tahrren, curious for the answer.

"He was confined in a modified wooden prison that absorbed the prisoner's mana."

Ophelia closed her eyes and focused. After a few seconds, she opened them again and analyzed Father Andrea's mana flow.

"The situation is critical. His body is so low on mana."

Tahrren nodded.

"Indeed. I thought you would be able to heal him."

However, Ophelia refuted what Tahrren suggested.

"No. Unfortunately, healing and restoration spells have no influence on mana flow, only on physical injuries and fatigue. There are mana transmission spells, but they are complex and risky as they directly target the mana core. Since I don't master those spells, if any step of the procedure is done incorrectly, we would only worsen the situation. It could even kill him. Unfortunately, the only remedy that comes to mind is rest. Fortunately, Father Andrea is a dwarf. With their low affinity for magic, he should recover quickly, as it's longer to recover mana . He might even be able to speak by tomorrow."

Tahrren smiled slightly. Everything wasn't perfect, but he was relieved because everything was going in his favor. Thanks to Father Andrea, they would finally be able to get the answers they had been seeking. What was happening in the Holy City? Where was the immortal responsible for these monster attacks hiding? Why did a priest attack Eiji? So many questions that had been weighing on him for the past few days.

He squatted next to the priest, lifted him, and carried him on his back.

"Let's go, Ophelia. Let's return before nightfall and let the Father rest. The information he possesses will be crucial for us."