“Blood Card,” the woman said, not even bothering to put on a smile. Not that a smile would have made her look any more friendly. Maybe if she opened her eyes completely, and not just halfway through… Or if she focused her attention on him when talking to him, then he might have felt a hint of good will towards her. At the moment though…
“Here,” Alnea said, taking out his Blood Card, and handing it over to the woman, hoping to claim his rewards as soon as possible, and return to the girls. Thankfully, the woman did not disappoint him. Not interested in making any superfluous talks, she just placed his Blood Card on the groove in the black box placed on the table, and waited silently for the box to do its job. It was only when the box flashed in a red light, and finished updating his data, that she showed an emotion on her face.
“…Was this your first Black Desert Trial?”
“…Yes.”
“…I see,” the woman said, resuming her stoic face, before handing him his Blood Card.
N 06 08499
F I 7
000000
09827
000000
09827
011350
06836
019500
073416
0000783
143239
00000012176
Twelve thousand Blood Coins… Sighing in relief, Alnea hurriedly put his Blood Card away, and thanked the woman with a slight bow, before turning around and—
“Be careful.”
Alnea stopped in his steps, and turned back towards the woman in confusion. She still had an expressionless face, and droopy eyes, but something about the way she was looking at him was different. It was as if…
“…Did you say something to me, Wanderer?”
“…Be careful.”
“…I do not understand what—
“…There is nothing to understand. I am just asking you to be careful.”
“But why—
“Since you have received your reward for the trial, you should stop wasting everyone’s time, and get going.”
“…My apologies, Wanderer,” Alnea said, bowing to the Wanderer once again, before leaving in confusion. Be careful of what? What was the woman trying to say? Was it because of how many Trial Points he had gained on just his first trial? Or…
Shaking his head, Alnea pushed all his thoughts towards the bottom of his Heart, and rushed back towards the Healing counter, where the rest of the Star Seekers were. Four standing, and five lying on the ground. Of the latter, Aren and Fran were already in much better shape than before. They were still unconscious. But rather than being in coma, they seemed more as if they were just sleeping. At the very least, he could not see any wounds on their bodies.
“…How is it going?” Alnea whispered, as he joined the Star Seekers still having enough strength to keep standing. How long they could keep standing though, none of them could know. At least Alnea knew that he would not be able to hold his mask for long. Even if his Spirit Power was not completely drained, his body itself was beginning to fail. Especially the hunger that was beginning to eat into him…
“…Most of their major injuries and dark wounds have been dealt with,” Vestia whispered back, with relief and hesitation mixed in her voice. “But Wanderer Warren… That is his name, Warren. Anyways, Wanderer Warren specializes in the field of passive healing, which relies more on the stimulating the bodies of the—
“I know what passive healing is… Just get to the point.”
“…Although Wanderer Warren has tried his best to minimize the burden on their bodies, with the injuries that they suffered, forcing a full recovery might prove counterproductive. Considering the options, he has decided to leave minor injuries like hairline fractures and muscle tears be, and focus on treating only those injuries which might prove fatal, or leave dark wounds. Like the traces of Mysteries in the Aren’s blood. Or the nerve dislocation in Fran’s hands.
“Still, even then, their bodies are under too much pressure. Especially since they have lost so much blood. For now, they are out of danger, but it should take at least a couple of days for them to wake up. Maybe even a week. And even when they wake up, they will have to face a long period of weakness. Not to mention the time they will take to heal from their minor injuries, which Wanderer Warren advised us to let them heal naturally…”
“…As long as there are no hidden dangers…”
“You do not have to worry so much,” Vestia said. “Passive healers may not have as much potency when treating grievous wounds as active healers do, but they never leave behind any hidden wounds. There is a reason why Wanderer Warren was able to serve as a Healer for the Blood Hall.”
“…Even if you say a hundred more reassuring things about passive healing, or how we can see them getting healed with our own eyes, it will not stop me from worrying about them until they are back to normal…”
“…That should take more than a month or so,” Karl whispered from the side, reminding Alnea of his presence. The grey robed man was just as pale and exhausted as they were, and even had a few traces of wounds on his arms and chest to boast about. Like the tears in his robe, or the blood stains around those tears. As for the wounds themselves, Alnea had already taken care of them.
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Although those wounds had not been serious enough to be of concern, they were deep enough to leave a few scars if not taken care of in time. And since he was capable enough to handle such wounds, he had taken care of them while giving first aid to Zain and the rest. In exchange though, he had increased Karl’s fatigue. Even if the grey robed man was not as tired as Alnea himself was, he was not too far off. And yet, he was still as good at hiding his presence as ever…
“But if you are just talking about being able to move around normally, then they should be fine in around half a month.”
“…Considering how injured they were, getting away with just half a month of rest is not bad deal… What about their natural sustenance? Since they will not be able to move around much… and will not even be awake for a couple of days, how are they going to provide for the energy consumed during their passive healing, and their subsequent natural healing?”
“…About that,” Vestia said, and was about to explain the solution that Wanderer Warren had given, before Yuri cut in between.
“Remember the time you laid your Roots?”
“…So, we will basically have to carry them to the Blood Hall, and then back to our mansion every day?”
“…What exactly happened when you laid your Roots?”
“…It is a long story.”
“We seem to have plenty of time…”
“…I will tell you about it later… Did you reserve a mansion for us last night?”
“…I did,” Vestia said with a slight pout on her face to express her dissatisfaction, as if reminding him that she would not be tricked so easily. Still, even if she knew that he was just changing subjects, she chose to play along with him for the moment.
“It is a little farther off than our first mansion, but not too far. Maybe around a quarter of an hour’s walk from the Blood Hall.”
“…How much did it cost?”
“Five hundred—
“If I find that you are lying then I will cancel our day out.”
“What? Why? That is my reward!”
“…So, you were indeed lying…”
“…One thousand five hundred Blood Coins.”
“…Are you sure?”
“…I am not lying this time.”
“One and a half Stars then. As for the potions you offered before—
“You are not planning on just giving me some Stars, and asking me to forget about the reward you promised me earlier, right?”
“Of course not,” Alnea said, shaking his head. “Since I have promised to spend a day with you, I will not go back on my word. But if that is all you get in exchange for your potions, then it will be too unfair to you.”
“If you are so worried about it… How about spending another day with me?”
“Are you not getting ahead of yourself, Vixen?” Cecilia said, scoffing at the blue robed woman, almost forgetting to whisper her words. “Be happy that we are even letting you spend one day with Alnea.”
“…Letting me? I did not know that you owned Alnea.”
“That is not what I meant… Stop, twisting my words.”
“I just stated what you said. How am I twisting anything? Besides, Alnea promised to spend a day with me in exchange for my potions. It is what I earned on my own, not something that you let me have.”
“You…”
“She is right, Cecilia,” Yuri said, pressing her hand on Cecilia’s shoulders, and shaking her head. “You went a little overboard earlier. She has indeed earned her day out with Alnea on her own.”
“But—
“No buts, Cecilia. Nothing can justify denying what others have earned with their own efforts.”
“…I am so glad that you are finally recognising my efforts, Yuri,” Vestia whispered, with a bright smile on her face, and some fake mist in her eyes. “To have you speak out for me…”
“…We are friends, after all.”
“…Is this what having a friend feels like?”
Gritting her teeth in frustration, as she watched the amiable exchange between Yuri and Vestia, Cecilia turned towards him with a glare.
“…It is all your fault.”
…How was it his fault? He did not even say anything… Though, if he went back to how the whole argument had begun…
“…I will make it up to you when we go back, alright?”
“…You said the same thing the day before.”
“This time is different. I promise.”
“…Forget it,” Cecilia said after a brief moment of silence. “I don’t care what you do anymore. But you cannot promise to spend another day with the vixen.”
“Of course not,” Yuri said, answering Cecilia before he could. “Although I said that no one can deny her effort, it does not mean that she can just inflate its value either. Her potions are not worth more than one day alone with Alnea. As for the Stars that Alnea proposed to give to her… It is just to ensure the fairness of the team. Right, Alnea?”
The way that Yuri emphasized his name…
“…You are right.”
“See?” Yuri said, as if trying to prove her point to Cecilia. Yet her eyes were trained on Vestia… These girls…
“…That does make sense,” Vestia said, with a forced smile on her face. “However, I do not think that this is either the right time or place to discuss about how to distribute Stars amongst us… How about we postpone this conversation till the next team meeting?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Alnea said hurriedly, hoping to steer the conversation away from arguments. “Let’s wait until everyone has recovered to decide everyone’s contribution in today’s Black Desert Trial.”
“…Speaking of the trial, how many Blood Coins did you get?”
“S—
“Be careful.”
“…Enough to cover their treatment.”
“…That’s not an answer.”
“It is an answer. Just not the one you were looking for.”
“…Do you want me to tackle you down, and tickle you until you give the answer I want?”
“…If you are so curious, you should go and get your rewards. Who knows, you might get some surprise.”
“…Fine. I am just standing around anyway. Might as well use the time in a better way.”
“You three should also go get your rewards. I will stay back to keep a watch on them.”
“…We can get the rewards anytime. It would be better if I—
“Let’s go, Yuri,” Cecilia said, grabbing Yuri and Vestia by their hands, and pulling them towards the counter of the Black Desert Trials. “Let’s get our rewards for the trials.”
“…Why are you dragging me along with you?”
“Did you think I will leave you behind, and give you the chance to be all alone with Alnea? Hah! Keep dreaming!”
“Hey! This is blatant…”
“…You can go get your rewards too, Karl.”
“…I can wait until the girls return.”
“…That would be too inefficient. Besides, it is not as if you could do much even if you stay behind anyway.”
“…If you say so…”
With Karl following behind the girls, Alnea was left all alone, watching Wanderer Warren heal his teammates, giving room for some of his thoughts to bubble up to the surface of his Heart, and make its way to his face. Thoughts, which further sapped him of his strength. His teammates… It was only because of the sheer force of his will, and the weight of his responsibility, that he managed to keep himself calm, and standing, until finally, Wanderer Warren was done healing the Star Seekers.