"Miss Anna, is something wrong?"
The young girl called Cecilia asked.
"My Husband, he..."
Compared to the beautiful young girl, the woman covered in oil stains felt somewhat ashamed.
But what mattered now was that her husband was severely injured, so she quickly explained the situation, then said, "They all say you can heal seriously injured people.
I really had no other choice. I can only beg you, please show some mercy and save my husband..."
Her voice carried pleading within the panic.
Though having a seriously injured person healed sounded far too miraculous, practically like some fairy tale, the abnormal nature of this young girl before her and the strange atmosphere surrounding her family made her willing to grasp at this slim chance.
The girl's gaze passed over the woman's shoulder, glancing at Lame Jack's injuries, then turned back to the woman before her.
"Alright."
She said.
The crowd buzzed, showing signs of slight panic.
People exchanged surprised glances. Though they'd been spreading rumors all along, actually seeing her agree so easily still made them feel it was incredible.
"Then..."
Hope lit up in the woman's eyes.
"But the payment I mentioned, you remember it, right?"
"Of course I remember. I've already sent our child to get it."
"That's good."
"Then, should I have them carry my husband inside?"
The woman asked tentatively, but the workers looked somewhat unwilling after hearing this.
Though they didn't know the specific situation, this house was clearly not a good place. They didn't want to go inside.
"It's fine, you don't need to go in."
The girl walked down the steps. Under the crowd's gaze, she came before the injured Lame Jack and bent down.
Her seemingly slender frame easily lifted Jack, whom several workers had struggled to carry, and walked steadily back into the house.
Before entering the house, she turned her head back.
"Please wait outside, and no matter what happens, don't come in."
Shadow covered her face, making her words sound eerie as well.
No one dared answer.
With a "bang," that door closed.
What followed was several minutes of silence.
People looked at each other uneasily, then turned their gazes to the woman at the front, whispering among themselves.
Their gossip was nothing more than her "losing her mind" and "that family is terrifying."
The woman waited anxiously, her hands tightly clasped together, as if trying to grasp at a thread of hope.
Her child came running in stumbling, holding a basket of fresh fish. Just as he was about to call for mommy, she grabbed him, not letting the child speak.
The air was unbearably silent. After an unknown amount of time, finally, that door opened again.
"Creak..."
The sound of the door opening made the woman jolt.
Looking up, she saw that absolutely beautiful young girl supporting her husband. He was still pale, still unconscious, but his leg...
"Jack!"
The woman, with incredible wild joy and disbelief, shrieked and rushed forward, trying to support her man.
She saw that her man's leg, which had been flattened, had returned to its normal shape and was now wrapped in bandages.
Though the bandages were covered in blood stains, compared to the previous tragic state, it was so much better!
The crowd looked at the healed man with uncertainty, and when they looked at the young girl again, their eyes held more awe and fear.
"His leg is saved, but he lost a lot of blood. He needs to rest and recuperate for a while."
She announced.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
The woman sobbed uncontrollably.
"Don't thank me. The doctor is my brother."
The girl said, taking the fresh fish from the woman. "Well then, that's all."
None of the watching crowd dared stop her with questions, letting her return to the house and close the door.
"Jack, you've survived..."
The woman said excitedly.
As long as her husband wasn't dead, their family still had a chance to live on.
Though her man needed to rest, relying on that one soli and the money she earned, they'd be fine for a few days.
She saw hope again!
People gathered around, helping her carry the man back home.
No one noticed that there was something off about the man's pale face.
Between his brows, there was a faint trace of frozen terror, as if he'd just witnessed some extremely horrifying scene.
After closing the door, the beautiful young girl carried the basket full of fresh fish and walked into the living room inside the house.
All the curtains in the living room were drawn, and the lights weren't on, making it very dark.
On the sofa in the living room sat a man in a straitjacket. In the darkness, his azure eyes reflected faint light.
The dark room couldn't conceal the man's handsome face, but he seemed somewhat strange, his expression slightly crazed.
He murmured in a low voice, using arcane language, speaking obscure ancient verses:
"...The Lord descended upon the world, proclaiming, I have come, and all defiance shall be punished.
His soldiers awoke from blood, and thus there was nothing else red left on earth..."
The filthy, blasphemous voice was like invisible blades, vibrating the surrounding air.
The girl held the basket, calmly approaching.
The blood vessels on her face rapidly protruded and turned black. But even so, she didn't stop walking until she came before the man.
"Brother."
She said, pressing a fresh fish to the man's lips.
The man's drifting consciousness returned. He opened his mouth and bit into the fish.
"Whoosh!"
The fish flesh melted rapidly like wax meeting high temperatures, becoming a clean skeleton in just a few seconds.
The young girl put down the fish bones and picked up another fresh fish, repeating the previous steps until the entire basket of fish had been devoured by the man.
After finishing the basket of fish, the man's lips became bright red, but soon, this redness slowly faded.
"Phew..."
He let out a long breath.
His expression returned to normal, and that crazed quality dissipated considerably.
He no longer recited epics about deities but quieted down, smiling and winking at his sister.
"How is it, Silas? Does the potion feel like it's digesting?"
The girl put down the basket, untying the straps on his straitjacket for him while asking with concern.
"I don't feel much significant change.
It seems the key to digesting the 'Rose Bishop' potion doesn't lie here."
Silas Londor sensed the changes within his body, shaking his head.
"I see..."
The girl's voice dropped slightly.
"What a shame. We couldn't treat your half-madness.
And because of this attempt, we've also exposed our special nature... I estimate we won't be able to stay here much longer."
"It's okay, little sister. Don't worry."
Silas chuckled.
"In any case, I'm now a Sequence 5 Shepherd.
Though my condition is unstable, as long as I slowly digest it, I'll eventually get better."
After comforting his sister, he looked around and couldn't help but sigh.
I actually ended up in Backlund...
He thought.