Free Web NovelChapter 10: Light of Hope
I hurriedly explained to Aurielle that the ten women were Apprentice Mages and even told her about their different elemental affinities.
But after hearing everything—
She only reacted to one word.
"...Light Mage?"
Her purple eyes widened slightly.
I got confused by her sudden reaction, but still nodded slowly.
The next moment—
She grabbed my wrist tightly and hurriedly dragged me out of the room.
"W-Wait—"
I barely had time to react before she started walking quickly through the mansion corridors toward the mages’ resting room.
Her footsteps echoed rapidly against the stone floor.
Clearly—
She was desperate.
BANG!
The door suddenly burst open as we entered.
The female mages jumped in shock because they were already nervous in an unfamiliar mansion.
"M-Master!"
But the moment they saw me, their tense expressions relaxed immediately.
They respectfully bowed toward both me and Aurielle.
However—
Aurielle’s gaze wasn’t on them.
It was on me.
I immediately understood what she wanted.
"...Elena."
The moment my words fell, all the mages turned toward one girl.
A beautiful young woman with long blonde hair, soft golden eyes, and fair skin slowly stepped forward.
"Master."
Elena approached quietly before kneeling respectfully in front of me.
And unfortunately—
The moment she moved, even her loose robes failed to hide her overwhelming figure.
My eyes almost drifted downward instinctively.
*Cough.*
I quickly coughed to hide my embarrassment.
Thankfully Aurielle wasn’t paying attention to me right now.
Her eyes were completely locked onto Elena.
Almost immediately, Aurielle stepped forward and sat down in front of her before tightly holding Elena’s hands.
"Can you use healing magic?"
Her voice carried obvious urgency.
Like this answer alone could solve countless problems.
Elena became slightly embarrassed by the sudden closeness but still nodded softly.
"I can."
The moment those words left her mouth—
Aurielle’s face brightened instantly.
"Perfect..."
Then suddenly—
She hugged Elena tightly.
My eyes widened.
Because from where I stood—
The sight was honestly dangerous to my mental health.
Because both of their assest are tightly pressing hard against each other.
"Gulp."
The swallowing sound escaped before I could stop it.
Aurielle immediately froze.
Then slowly turned toward me.
Her beautiful face became slightly red after realizing what position she was in.
She quickly stood up and cleared her throat.
"T-Thank you, Luke."
"The territory has many sick people..."
"Some are even infected with demonic miasma."
Her grateful voice became softer near the end.
I smiled after hearing that.
"It’s fine."
I lightly hit my chest proudly.
"You don’t need to worry anymore."
"Because I’m your husband."
"And your problems are my problems too."
The moment I said those words—
Aurielle’s face reddened slightly again.
"Hmph."
She turned her face away immediately before walking toward the exit.
But I still noticed the faint smile trying to appear on her lips.
---
Soon we left the mansion together.
The afternoon sun illuminated the high stone walls of Blackstone Highlands while cold mountain winds blew through the fortress city.
The moment we crossed the mansion gates, I noticed guards wearing heavy plate armor patrolling the area.
Large travel carriages stood nearby while merchants prepared supplies for mountain journeys.
The guards immediately saluted Aurielle respectfully whenever they saw her.
However—
One man didn’t.
A tall muscular knight wearing black armor leaned lazily against the wall while staring openly at Aurielle’s body.
The vice captain.
A smirk slowly spread across his face.
"Lady Aurielle..."
"You look even more beautiful today."
His tone carried zero respect.
And he didn’t even bother looking at me.
Aurielle’s expression instantly turned cold.
"Do your job."
Her voice cut through the air sharply.
Then she continued walking without stopping.
Behind us, the vice captain’s expression became ugly.
But his gaze still remained fixed shamelessly on her figure.
"My Lord..."
"Why not just claim her already?"
One nearby soldier asked curiously.
The vice captain laughed quietly.
"Taming a lioness is far more enjoyable than handling some obedient cow."
"Hahaha!"
Several soldiers burst into laughter together.
The sound echoed behind us.
My fists clenched instantly.
A faint golden glow almost appeared around my arm.
But suddenly—
Aurielle grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Don’t."
Her voice became serious.
"He’s at the Peak Bronze Knight Realm."
"Same realm as Lucien... except far stronger."
She looked directly into my eyes.
"So don’t provoke him."
My expression darkened.
"I don’t like the way he looks at you."
The moment those words left my mouth—
Aurielle’s expression softened slightly.
For just a brief second—
A strange warmth appeared inside her heart.
Something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
But before she could say anything—
"Master, don’t worry!"
Elena suddenly spoke confidently from beside us.
"You are supreme."
"You’ll definitely beat that bastard one day."
Her golden eyes were practically shining with fanatic admiration.
My expression froze instantly. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Meanwhile Aurielle slowly turned toward us with a weird look.
Then silently continued walking.
---
After passing through the inner fortress gate, we finally entered the civilian district.
And immediately—
The atmosphere changed completely.
The streets became dirtier.
The stone roads were cracked.
Several buildings looked damaged and poorly maintained.
Many houses had broken roofs patched together with old wood and cloth.
The smell of smoke, sweat, cheap food, and damp air mixed together heavily.
People walked silently through the streets with exhausted expressions.
Thin children sat quietly near alleyways.
Old workers dragged tired bodies through the roads.
Some merchants still operated small stalls, but their faces lacked energy.
Many travelers and merchant groups passed through the territory with hired mercenaries because crossing Blackstone Highlands was still the fastest route through the mountains.
Dangerous—
But much cheaper than circling around the mountain ranges for weeks.
Yet despite the crowded roads—
Almost nobody paid attention to Aurielle.
Not because they hated her.
But because most people here had already lost hope long ago.
They looked too tired to care anymore.
I quietly glanced toward Aurielle.
And for the first time—
I understood how heavy the burden on her shoulders really was.
Soon we finally arrived at the clinic.
The building itself looked old and worn down.
Wooden boards creaked beneath our feet as we entered.
The moment I stepped inside—
The strong smell of herbs and medicine filled my nose.
Several injured patients lay weakly on beds while others leaned against the walls coughing painfully.
Some even had black marks spreading across their skin from demonic miasma infection.
Near the front table stood an elderly man with messy gray hair, a long white beard, and tired deep-brown eyes hidden behind small round glasses.
He wore old dark healer robes covered with faint herb stains while carefully mixing medicine inside a small bowl.
Doctor Aldric Vayne.
Beside him worked a young woman with chestnut-brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and soft hazel eyes.
She wore cream-colored healer clothes lightly stained with herbs while small medicinal pouches hung around her waist.
Clara Fenwood.
Meanwhile nearby—
A short black-haired girl with amber eyes and lightly tanned skin hurried between patients while changing bandages quickly.
Rolled-up sleeves exposed her hardworking arms while a dark apron covered her simple clothes.
Yuna Bell.
"Doctor Aldric."
The old man paused immediately after hearing Aurielle’s voice.
Then both he and his assistants turned around in surprise.
"Aurielle..."
"You finally returned."
A warm smile appeared on his tired face.
Even Mira smiled gently.
Several injured patients also noticed Aurielle and tried to kneel weakly.
But she quickly raised he
"There’s no need."
Her voice remained calm and gentle.
Seeing this scene—
I quietly realized something.
Even after years of suffering...
These people still trusted their new lord.
Aurielle then guided Elena toward a heavily injured young man lying on one of the beds.
An arrow had pierced near his lungs.
His breathing sounded painful and unstable.
"Elena..."
"See if you can heal him."
Aurielle spoke softly.
Elena nodded immediately.
Then she turned toward me.
"Master... please remove the arrow when I signal."
I nodded.
Soon everyone nearby gathered around curiously.
Even Doctor Aldric approached carefully alongside his assistants.
Because healing magic—
Especially Light Healing Magic—
Was practically legendary in a remote border territory like this.
I tightly grabbed the arrow.
Then—
When Elena nodded—
I pulled it out instantly.
"AAAHHHHH!"
The young man screamed painfully.
Blood spilled from the wound immediately.
But Elena calmly raised her staff.
"Healing Wounds."
Warm golden light bloomed throughout the clinic.
The bleeding slowly stopped.
Then the wound visibly began closing.
Everyone gasped loudly.
Some patients even stood up in disbelief.
"Healing magic..."
"It’s real..."
Doctor Aldric himself looked stunned.
But Elena continued casting one spell after another.
"Healing Wounds."
"Fatigue Recovery."
"Light Purification."
Soft holy light repeatedly filled the clinic.
The dark miasma marks slowly disappeared from infected patients.
Their pale faces gradually regained color.
Even the atmosphere inside the building changed completely.
Finally—
The young man stood up shakily.
Then touched his healed chest in disbelief.
"I... I’m healed?"
"There’s no pain anymore!"
"Hahaha!"
Tears filled his eyes as he laughed loudly.
Soon everyone looked toward Elena with reverence.
That was when I suddenly stepped forward and spoke loudly.
"You should all thank your Baroness."
"She spent enormous resources to recruit a Light Mage for this territory."
The moment those words echoed—
Everyone turned toward Aurielle. freёwebnovel.com
She stared at me with a completely baffled expression.
Then—
"Long live the Baroness!"
"Long live Lady Aurielle!"
"Long live the Baroness!"
Voices suddenly echoed throughout the clinic.
Even merchants and travelers outside began peeking inside curiously.
Meanwhile—
Aurielle stood frozen slightly.
Because perhaps...
This was the first time in a long while someone openly praised her efforts.
---
By the time Elena finished healing patients one after another—
The sun had already started setting.
Orange evening light entered through the clinic windows while exhaustion covered Elena’s face.
She repeatedly sat down to recover mana before continuing again.
But in the end—
Every patient left the clinic smiling.
Healthy.
Hopeful.
Some even tried leaving small payments behind.
But Aurielle refused all of them quietly.
Eventually we prepared to leave.
"We should return now."
Aurielle spoke softly toward Doctor Aldric.
The old healer nodded alongside his assistants.
But then—
I looked toward Elena.
She had completely exhausted herself and fallen asleep on a nearby couch while still holding her staff loosely.
I walked toward her intending to carry her.
But suddenly—
SLAP.
Aurielle smacked my hand away.
Then before I could react—
She carefully lifted Elena onto her back herself.
"You’re married."
"So stop touching other women carelessly."
Her voice sounded strangely annoyed.
Behind us, Mira and Celestine tried hiding their laughter while even Doctor Aldric showed a small amused smile.
Then suddenly—
Doctor Aldric looked directly at me.
"Take care of Aurielle."
"She has already suffered far too much."
His tired voice carried genuine concern.
I smiled softly before nodding seriously.
"I will."
Then I quickly hurried after Aurielle.
---
By the time we returned to the mansion—
Night had already fallen.
Moonlight illuminated the dark fortress walls while cold mountain winds blew across Blackstone Highlands.
The servants quietly lit lanterns throughout the mansion hallways.
Eventually—
After dinner and several more discussions—
I finally returned toward my room.
But after few moment later the door opened.—
My mind froze completely.
"...Why are we sleeping in the same room?"
Standing near the entrance was a breathtaking woman with raven-black hair and deep purple eyes.
Soft moonlight poured through the window and illuminated her beautiful face.
She wore a loose violet nightgown that barely hid her graceful figure.
And unfortunately—
Something deep inside me instantly woke up after remembering the night with Selene.
"...Gulp."
[Chapter End]
---
## Author’s Note
Huge thanks to **Thabangmundo24** and **Tra weebs** for sending Power Stones. I truly appreciate your support. ❤️
And finally—
Chapter 10 is here.
If you’ve been enjoying the story so far, then please consider adding this novel to your library and leaving a review if possible.
Your support really motivates me to keep writing more Chapters.
Thank you everyone, and more Chapters are coming soon.
