Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Between Life and Silence
Lyra stepped forward, her hands glowing as she began chanting a complex healing incantation. Then, with a brilliant surge of magic, she released a powerful area spell —[Area High Heal].

A luminous circle of healing energy, spanning nearly twenty meters, illuminated the battlefield with a warm, golden light. The radiant magic washed over everyone in its range — not only healing the critically wounded like the Patriarch, Princess Amelia, Cain, and The Magi Silvanya — but also restoring the injured knights and mages still scattered across the area.

Even I felt the searing pain in my side begin to fade, as the wound on my waist closed steadily under the spell’s effect.

“This is incredible… Lyra’s grown into such a formidable support mage,” I murmured to myself in awe.

“You’re right, Nao. She must’ve worked hard to get this far,” Envi echoed in my mind, his tone filled with genuine admiration. “She’s… an amazing woman.”

Just then, a figure approached me — it was Theresia, and with her usual bluntness, she elbowed me playfully and grinned.”Hehe, what do you think of Lyra, huh? Amazing, isn’t she?” she beamed proudly, her eyes practically sparkling.”I totally acknowledge her — even Serena and the Saintess do! She’s got real talent. In fact, she learned to upgrade her healing magic directly from the Saintess herself. Natural-born genius!”

I hadn’t met Theresia von Stormheim before, but I recognized the name — the older sister of Termina, and a prominent hero in her own right.

“Oh? I see. I’m happy to hear that. Lyra has always been my most trusted support.” I extended my hand politely.

“I’m Naoki von Blackmore. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

She blinked in surprise, as if just realizing we hadn’t been properly introduced.

“Ah—ha! That’s right! We haven’t done the formalities, have we?” she laughed, shaking my hand enthusiastically.

“I’m Theresia von Stormheim — Hero of the Stormheim family, and The Captain of 4th Division fo the Royal Braveheart Knights. I’ve heard so much about you from Serena and Lyra — like, all the time. Every day.”

My cheeks warmed at the comment. I wasn’t expecting that.

“R-Really? Haha, well, we’re just… close friends,” I replied awkwardly.

“‘Close friends,’ huh?” Theresia repeated, eyeing me suspiciously with an amused smirk. I quickly looked away, desperate to change the subject.

“Anyway, how did you and Lyra even end up here? I thought you were all headed straight back to Braveheart.”

She nodded. “We were — but Serena had a gut feeling. She ordered our unit to split up. Said this border region might also turn into a crisis zone and someone with healing magic should be dispatched here.”

Hearing that, I thought, Serena’s instincts really are something else.

“She truly is a remarkable woman,” I murmured internally, with Envi nodding in agreement within me.

Theresia continued, “Actually, it was the Saintess who originally wanted to come here. But Lyra insisted she stay in Braveheart, where she’d be more essential in restoring the barrier and healing the larger population.”

I agreed with that decision. Braveheart had suffered massive damage from the invasion led by Xir, the Rank 1 Demon Warlord — half the city in ruins, their barrier breached. The Saintess’s presence there would be vital.

Theresia went on, “Serena trusted Lyra’s judgment, so she sent me here with her. We were supposed to take horses, but I said screw that — with my speed and lightning magic, I figured we could run faster without them.”

Ahh, I realized, that explains why they arrived looking like a pair of walking disasters… sprinting here full-speed. Reckless, but the right call.

I smiled and said earnestly, “Thank you, Theresia. If it weren’t for you, Lyra wouldn’t have arrived in time. I truly mean it — thank you.”

She puffed her chest and huffed. “Hmph, well, it was my duty after all. But still… if I’d known the situation here would get this bad, I would’ve come even earlier. Seeing Princess Amelia, the Patriarch, Cain… all of them defeated — and Lucius betraying us — it breaks my heart.”

Her voice trembled. She wasn’t just strong — she cared.

I gently patted her shoulder, then awkwardly lifted her chin so she’d face me — which was a bit difficult, considering how short she was.

“Don’t blame yourself. We’ll crush those damned demons next time. Together.”

Theresia blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile.

“Heh. You’re right! You know, I think I get it now… why Serena and Lyra are so drawn to you.”

I choked on her words, completely blindsided.

Before I could respond, I quickly deflected and said, “R-Right! Could you please take the rest of my mana potions to Lyra? She’s starting to run low.”

Theresia laughed and nodded. “Leave it to me!”

As she ran off, I watched her go, still bewildered. I couldn’t believe that someone so childishly enthusiastic… was actually a full-fledged hero.

But maybe that’s what made her so effective — a brave heart wrapped in innocence, rushing into battle with all she had.

—

Lyra stood in the center of the battlefield, her hands glowing with radiant magic as she tirelessly chanted healing incantations. She had already consumed three mana potions, yet she showed no signs of slowing down. With unwavering focus, she cast [Area High Heal] again, her spell blanketing the area in a warm, golden light.

Wounded knights of the Braveheart Kingdom and mages from Solara who had been on the brink of death began to stir. Slowly, their breathing steadied, their wounds closed, and life returned to their battered bodies.

Among them, Cain von Flamemore and Silvanya the Magi stirred. Their eyes fluttered open — groggy, but alive. Cain’s first expression was one of burning frustration. The pain of his defeat against Nosef, the demonic blood sorcerer, was etched deeply on his face.

Silvanya, in contrast, looked devastated — haunted by the memory of her fallen comrade, Diamantus, the esteemed Magi of Solara, who hadn’t survived the battle.

My eyes remained locked on two figures: Princess Aria, and the Patriarch — my father. But something was wrong.

While others had stabilized under Lyra’s magic, these two still writhed in pain, their faces twisted in silent suffering. Despite being enveloped in Lyra’s healing spell, they hadn’t emerged from critical condition. Their wounds refused to fully close. The agony lingered.

Lyra glanced at them with deep concern in her eyes, but she didn’t stop casting. Her resolve was unwavering. Even if her magic wasn’t enough, she refused to give up.

I turned to Envi inside me. “Why isn’t it working?” I asked him with a sinking feeling.

“It might be because of Nosef’s magic,” He replied gravely. “That demon didn’t just use blood magic. He tainted their bodies with something far worse…”

At that moment, Cain stood, wobbling but determined. His voice was hoarse but filled with fire.

“I think I know what’s wrong,” he said, loud enough for all of us to hear. “It’s Nosef. That bastard didn’t just manipulate blood — he poisoned it. His magic infects the bloodstream. If it weren’t for the self-cleansing fire of my flame aura constantly burning through the contamination… I’d still be unconscious or worse.”

The realization hit us like a wave.

Then Silvanya spoke up, brushing the dust from her silver robes. “I believe Cain is right. While I was lying there after Nosef defeated me, I could feel it — a strange toxin spreading through my veins. Fortunately, my silver magic allows me to extract and purify metals. The poison Nosef uses contains iron and silver traces. I can draw it out.”

She stepped forward, her gaze serious. “Let me help. I may be able to extract the toxin from Princess Aria and the Patriarch.”

A collective breath of hope rose from us all. Without hesitation, she moved beside Lyra and began channeling her magic.

Gradually, a dark, metallic mist began to seep out from the wounds of Princess Aria and the Patriarch — the poison, pulled from their veins by Silvanya’s precise sorcery. She cast it aside like smoke, and as she did, the pain on Princess Aria’s face slowly faded. Her breathing calmed, and her body finally responded to Lyra’s healing. The wounds closed. The pain left her.

But then… her eyes did not open.

“She’s alive,” Silvanya confirmed gently. “But she’s fallen into a coma. A deep sleep….”

We were relieved she would live. But it still stung — to save someone only for them to be trapped in endless slumber just like her sister Amelia. Still, it was the best we could hope for. At least I had fulfilled my promise to King Aslan.

But something still wasn’t right.

The Patriarch — my father — was different.

Even after Silvanya had removed the poison from his body, he continued to thrash weakly, his face contorted in unbearable pain. His condition wasn’t improving. It was deteriorating.

Panic rippled through us. Lyra’s hands trembled as she poured the last drops of her final mana potion into her mouth and tried casting one more time. Her face was pale, drenched in sweat, but she pushed herself anyway. Her voice cracked as she chanted. She gave everything — for him.

Inside me, Envi’s voice was low and grim.

“This isn’t just poison,” he said. “This… this is the cost of a forbidden skill.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “You mean…”

“Yes. The power your father used — it broke the laws of aura. It tore at his own soul. That damage… can’t be healed by ordinary magic.”

He urged me to use [Eclipse Foresight], the forbidden skill that allowed me to see aura down to its deepest flows — beyond the body, into the spirit.

I activated it — and what I saw chilled me.

My father’s aura was in chaos. Wild streams of energy spiraled around his heart, choking it. The core was being devoured from within. His aura channels were shattered, twisted like a broken web. It wasn’t just damage — it was disintegration.

“He’s dying,” Envi whispered. “Even if he survives… he’ll never wield aura again.”

But I refused to accept that.

I grabbed his hand — cold, trembling — and focused my own aura into him, forcing it down his ruined channels. I fought to subdue the wild currents, trying to cut through the storm that was strangling his heart.

It was agony. Like swimming against a river of fire.

Then — a miracle.

A soft glow emerged from my body, and his. The Blessing of Protection, a divine gift from the Goddess Miranda, activated on both of us at once.

Their resonance… was perfect.

The wild aura in my father’s body began to slow. It pulsed with rhythm again. The choking grasp on his heart eased. And finally — I was able to cut through the chaos, severing the last thread of destruction before it could claim him.

“Thank you, Miranda,” I whispered in my heart. I could almost feel her warm embrace, as if the goddess herself were holding me. She had always treated the descendants of Blackmore like her own children.

And now, I had saved my father.

He was alive. His hands and legs were gone. His aura… destroyed. He would never fight again.

But he would return home. He would live.

Envi was speechless — and then, simply said: “Thank you.”

But I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “The one who deserves our thanks… is Lyra.”

She had healed fatal wounds when no one else could. She had kept hope alive when everything felt lost.

I stumbled toward her. Lyra stood shakily, her knees quivering beneath the weight of exhaustion, but she remained upright — barely, as if sheer will alone was keeping her from collapsing.

“Thank you… Lyra,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

In that moment, all the strength I had left seemed to vanish from my body. My legs buckled beneath me. The toll of the long, grueling battle — the endless casting, the aura transfer, the fight against fate itself — had finally caught up to me.

I could no longer stand.

My mana was gone. My energy was spent. Even my will to stay awake was fading.

Like a tree felled by wind, I slowly collapsed forward — right into Lyra’s arms.

She caught me without hesitation, pulling me gently into her embrace. Her touch was warm, her body trembling, but her arms wrapped around me like a shield from the world.

Her voice, soft and soothing like a lullaby, reached my ears.

“Please rest now, Naoki-sama…”

Ah… this feeling…

So warm. So peaceful.

In her arms, the chaos faded.

And then — darkness, soft and comforting, wrapped around me.

I fell into a sleep, safe within the arms of the one who had healed not just my wounds… but my heart.

…

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