Losing both legs and his right hand during the front-line expedition because he lacked the strength—there was nothing to be done about it. The dwarf knew it was his own inadequacy. He'd admitted that much in his heart, and yet the unwillingness kept tolling in his chest like a bell that wouldn't stop.
He thought of former comrades who had each gone farther down the path, while he could only waste away in a corner of the familia's residence.
If there were even one chance—if there were even the faintest hope—he would not let it slip. Faced with hope, he was the first to step forward.
"Tsunayoshi."
The atmosphere was properly warmed up; the rest was up to him now. Loki turned her eyes straight to Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Rest easy. Tsunayoshi gave Loki a reassuring look. He had absolute confidence in his monster-creation ability. Regenerating severed limbs? That much he could definitely do.
Tsunayoshi spread both hands. A rabbit covered in snow-white fur appeared on his palms. Unlike the spotless "Space Rabbit," this "Healing Rabbit" had a red cross marked on its ears.
With blood-red eyes, the rabbit looked at the dwarf sitting in the wheelchair. It clapped its forepaws together. A translucent barrier descended over the dwarf.
We're starting already? Doubt flashed across the dwarf's eyes. But the next instant, he felt a fierce pain lance through the ends of his severed limbs.
It wasn't an illusion. The pain swelled, as if it would burst out from the stumps.
"Puh!"
A gush of blood sprayed from the severed ends. The sight made the dwarf's jaw drop as he screamed uncontrollably.
"Ahhhh!"
The agony, the sight of blood jetting from the stumps—together they overwhelmed him, wringing the cry from his throat. Where his right hand was nothing but empty space, blood now ran, and in that emptiness something different pushed outward—bone.
At a speed visible to the naked eye, bones propped up the vacant space where his right hand had been. The bones thrust out from the sleeve, pale phalanges slick with blood, plain to see.
It wasn't only the right hand; the same thing happened to both legs. The sheer visceral impact of it, coupled with a sensation he hadn't known in two long years, made the dwarf cry out even louder.
"It's there! It's there—I can feel it!"
He felt it. The phantom limb pain that had tormented him for two years had always gnawed at him. But this feeling was different—not the ache of absence, but the sensation of truly having a right hand again. It hurt terribly, yes, but the dwarf felt nothing but elation.
Before everyone's eyes, the right sleeve that had been puffed up by exposed bone began to fill out. All eyes widened at the sight. Gaze after gaze locked onto the dwarf's right arm. Anxious and impatient, the dwarf yanked off the tattered sleeve. Flesh raced along the white scaffold of bone; in mere seconds, the skeletal frame of the hand was sheathed in living tissue.
The method of restoration was brutally violent. But that raw, violent rebirth made the dwarf so excited he wanted to leap. Even though his right hand still throbbed fiercely, all he felt for that pain was anticipation. It meant he was no longer a cripple.
And not only the hand—the missing legs roared with pain as well.
"My right hand… my legs… I can feel them again…"
Even a man of iron will couldn't hold back tears now. A broken body had driven even the stoutest heart toward inferiority and self-doubt. To regain everything he had lost, to have the past two years returned to him—his maimed resolve found its confidence again.
"Nicely done."
Loki lifted her hand and slapped Tsunayoshi hard on the shoulder. The tears on the dwarf's face left Loki feeling a touch of genuine relief.
"Baldr, your hand and legs have only just been regenerated—don't get carried away. Newly grown limbs need time to be conditioned before any heavy movement. Do not try to exercise early during recovery. Understood?"
"Ma'am!"
Baldr's face was wet with excited tears. His right hand still had no strength, his legs trembled beneath him. None of that mattered. To him, simply being able to recover was enough.
Loki left the overjoyed dwarf be; there would be plenty of time for celebration later. She looked to Tsunayoshi, who was still thinking things through.
"Tsunayoshi, that was a rather violent way to heal, wasn't it?"
"I think it was a bit violent too. I designed this with people who had only just lost their limbs in mind. If the wounds haven't fully closed, you don't get this situation where you have to tear open old scar tissue to regrow the limb. The Healing Rabbit followed my original plan, and that's what made it look so rough."
That did fit. Loki replayed the scene in her head: the newly grown limb ramming up through scarred flesh that had long since healed over—forcing the wound open to trigger regeneration. The method was extremely violent, yes, but the results were excellent.
"Forget it—this kind of healing is good enough. For adventurers, pain is no big deal, especially pain that comes with recovery."
Loki swept her gaze over the gathered, all of them scarred children. One by one, a new hunger for wholeness lit up in their eyes. None of them had found the scene terrifying or brutal—they had seen hope of restoration. Loki couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like that's how they feel too. Tsunayoshi, I'm counting on you."
"It's no trouble."
Tsunayoshi immediately set the Healing Rabbit to work. There were many people here; the rabbit could take them one by one. There was no need to rush. In the meantime, he had a moment to speak with Loki.
"Loki-sama, what do you think of the Healing Rabbit? The treatment's a little rough. It's a temporary protocol meant for field use. If we need something gentler, it's not impossible."
"No need. For the front-line kids and for these ones as well, this is more than enough. Losing a limb means losing the future—that's how it feels to an adventurer. A little pain to pick that future back up? They don't need a gentle touch."
Loki didn't see anything wrong with the Healing Rabbit. Too violent a method for mending severed limbs? The kids on the front lines wouldn't care.
"But you—this rabbit is a bit too strong. It can close wounds, purge poison, lift curses, and even regrow limbs. If word of that gets out, it'll be trouble. So we stop the 'healing demonstrations' here. Unless it's a special case, keep your rabbit away from the front lines. Understood?"
Right now, Loki had to think about keeping Tsunayoshi in the shadows. If others set their sights on him, things would get messy.
(End of Chapter)
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