Chapter 40: The Cure For Fox Beast

[Luceille’s POV — Ashcroft Manor — Later]

By the time we finally reached Ashcroft Manor, the sun had already begun its slow descent beyond the snowy mountains.

The familiar sight of the enormous stone manor appeared through the trees, its dark towers rising against the pale winter sky. Usually, seeing Ashcroft Manor after a long journey would have made me feel relieved. It was home, after all—or at least the closest thing I had to one in this strange world.

But today, the moment our horse crossed through the gates, I barely had time to appreciate the sight.

My mind was already somewhere else, with my babies.

The White Fox Beasts had been sick for days, and every minute that passed without knowing what was wrong with them felt like another weight pressing against my chest. I had barely dismounted when several knights and servants rushed toward us.

"Your Grace! You’re back!"

Their voices were filled with relief, but that relief lasted only a few seconds; their eyes shifted toward the unfamiliar figure riding behind us.

Elyan.

The young elf had followed us all the way from the hidden village, riding the horse the elves had provided for him. His silver-green hair was slightly disheveled from the journey, and the pointed tips of his ears were impossible to miss.

The servants froze. The knights froze. Even the stable boy carrying a bucket of water stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

Everyone stared at him, and I couldn’t really blame them.

If I had been living peacefully in Ashcroft and suddenly watched my Grand Duchess return from the Northern Forest with an elf, I would probably have the exact same reaction.

One of the knights finally opened his mouth.

"Your Grace... is that an elf?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

The courtyard became even quieter.

I could practically see the questions multiplying inside everyone’s heads.

Where did she find him?

Did the Grand Duchess somehow enter the legendary hidden elven village?

Honestly, I would have liked to explain, but right now, I had exactly zero patience for an interrogation.

"Where are the White Fox Beasts?"

My question immediately changed the atmosphere; the nearest knight straightened.

"They are still in the recovery chamber, Your Grace. Sir Aurelius has been monitoring them continuously."

My heart tightened.

"And how are they?"

His hesitation was enough to tell me the answer before he spoke. "They haven’t improved."

I didn’t wait for anything else. "Take us there."

I turned toward Elyan.

"You can examine them immediately, right?"

The cheerful expression he had worn throughout our journey disappeared. The moment I mentioned the foxes, his entire demeanor changed.

He nodded seriously. "Of course. I need to see them as soon as possible."

"Then let’s go."

I hurried inside the manor.

Cassian followed close behind me, his presence steady at my side. I could hear Elyan and the others following behind us, but I barely paid attention to them.

My thoughts were fixed entirely on the foxes. When we reached the recovery chamber, I pushed open the door. The familiar scent of medicinal herbs and healing magic immediately reached my nose, and there they were.

My babies were lying on soft blankets arranged across the room. Their fluffy white bodies were curled up, but they looked nothing like the lively creatures that had once raced through the manor halls, stolen pastries from the kitchen, and followed me around like a pack of mischievous shadows.

Their fur looked dull.

Their breathing was weak; even their ears barely moved. My heart ached. I immediately went to the nearest one and knelt beside it.

"I’m back."

The little fox slowly opened its eyes, and for a moment, it simply stared at me. Then its tail moved weakly against the blanket.

Just once.

That tiny movement almost broke me. I gently stroked its head. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"I’m sorry I was gone for so long."

The fox made a faint sound and pressed its head against my palm. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"But I brought someone who might be able to help you."

Behind me, Elyan approached; he didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he crouched beside the fox and carefully studied it.

His eyes moved over its body, observing its breathing, its fur, and the faint traces of mana surrounding it.

After several seconds, he slowly raised one hand, and a soft green light gathered around his fingertips. The atmosphere in the room immediately changed.

The magic wasn’t aggressive. It was gentle, almost like sunlight filtering through leaves. Elyan moved his hand closer to the fox without touching it.

His expression gradually became more serious.

I watched him anxiously.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m sensing its mana flow," he explained quietly. "I need to understand how its energy is moving through its body before I attempt any treatment."

I nodded.

For the first time since we had left the elven village, I saw the healer rather than the excited young elf; he was focused and careful, as his movements were precise.

The green light slowly spread around the fox’s body.

Then—

Elyan’s expression changed; his eyebrows drew together.

"What is it?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he moved his hand slightly and concentrated harder. The magical light flickered. For the briefest moment, I saw something beneath the fox’s white fur, thin, dark lines.

They seemed to move beneath its skin like veins filled with black mist.

I froze.

"What was that?"

Elyan immediately withdrew his hand; the strange markings disappeared. He stared at the fox for several seconds, then he moved to another one.

He repeated the examination, and the same thing happened.

Another fox.

The same.

Another.

Again.

My anxiety grew with every passing second; finally, Elyan stood.

I looked at him.

"Well?"

He didn’t answer immediately; that alone made my stomach twist. "What did you find?"

Elyan looked toward the foxes.

"Their mana hasn’t disappeared."

"I know. Aurelius told me that."

"Yes, but this is different." He crouched again, placing his palm gently against the floor beside the fox as a faint green glow spread outward. "Their mana is still inside their bodies. Their cores are functioning. Their life force is intact."

Hope flickered inside me.

"Then that’s good, right?"

Elyan looked at me.

"Normally, yes."

My hope immediately became nervousness.

"But something is preventing the mana from circulating naturally."

I frowned.

"Something?"

He nodded.

"Something is interfering with their mana pathways."

I glanced at the fox lying beside me. "Can you remove it?"

Elyan remained silent and my fingers tightened gently around the fox’s paw.

"Elyan."

He finally looked at me.

"I don’t know yet."

Those words frightened me. He had been so confident when he arrived. He had spoken about elven healing as though there wasn’t a single magical illness in existence that could escape their knowledge.

But now he looked genuinely troubled.

"I’ve never encountered this kind of interference before," he admitted. "It’s not poison. It’s not corruption. It’s not a normal magical illness."

"Then what is it?"

"I don’t know."

I lowered my gaze.

For a moment, the room felt unbearably quiet, then Elyan slowly looked toward the window.

His expression changed.

"What?"

He didn’t answer.

I followed his gaze.

Beyond the window, the snowy landscape stretched toward the distant mountains. The Northern Forest was no longer visible from here, but somehow I could still remember the enormous trees, the ancient roots, the glowing sword, and the strange feeling that something had been watching us beneath the forest.

Elyan’s voice was quiet when he finally spoke.

"Lady Luceille..."

"Yes?"

He turned toward me.

"I don’t think this sickness is natural."

My heart sank.

"What do you mean?"

His eyes moved back toward the foxes. "I think something may have affected them before you brought them here."

I frowned.

"But they were perfectly healthy before."

"I know."

He hesitated.

"And that’s what worries me."

I stared at him.

Elyan slowly looked toward the direction of the Northern Forest. "There may be something in that forest capable of interfering with the mana of Divine Beasts."

A chill ran through me, not because of the cold, but because suddenly, the journey to the elves didn’t feel like a coincidence anymore.

The sword, the ancient tree, the elves, and the foxes. All of it seemed to be connected somehow.

And I had a horrible feeling that we had only just begun to uncover how deep that connection went.

Then---

"But if we can remove that interference, their mana should begin flowing normally again, and for that...it will take much time."

"Take as much time as you want...please cure them."

Elyan nodded, and just like that, the healing process for my babies started.