Iris restarted the chant right after turning her attention back to Murai. She ignored Timmy and his worry which was rightfully placed on the duck. She didn't question him about that. As an elder sister, this was the least she could do and to their promise.

Gradually, the feathers filled with blood became cleaned up and Murai felt the heat coming from outside, returning some of his lost vigor. His insides were also turning much better from the inner healing from before.

The surge of mana in terms of man-made Mana Construct proved his point. It was a fairly well-made spell that some mages created in accordance with specific and natural magic.

It was good in the hands of this girl. At least this one, not the one before. Maybe she was even too good, in his opinion, outside of the instance where she too eagerly moved to the inside before being done with the outside.

That was unnatural, and Murai noticed it right away. He also guessed this type of spell wasn't created by her but by someone else. It must be a technique that someone taught, gifted, or got to her.

Now the mana returned in the same way, clearing and cleaning his external wounds, but it wasn't fast, because the limits of the mana itself were up to the Handler who worked with them.

In this case, Iris wasn't as familiar with it, so it took her 5 whole minutes to heal his left wing. As for the destroyed bones, she was unable to do much with them.

Even with that Gift that Murai noticed on her shirt, there seemed to be limits to the physical healing she can solve. However, the sole ability to cease external wounds to exist was much better than nothing.

Murai was satisfied with that much, to say the least, while it was happening for free and without many problems. That, in itself, shouldn't be something he should be complaining about.

Overall, the open wounds were all gone in a matter of 30 minutes, which was a long time for any kind of healing mage even with a specially constructed spell at play. Since she could see external wounds, and feel the outside better, Iris did what she could.

Healing the insides was something she should do too, but bones themselves were extremely important to not mess up, so she didn't do much but tried to seek Murai's condition. She had to be much more careful about them since badly healed bones can be as bad as not healing them at all.

So, in the end, Iris decided to leave them alone and did so with potential issues of organs and muscles alike. Everything was connected, so it was a good call.

Ceasing her chant to halt, Iris stopped revolving mana around Murai. Her hands around him stopped the flow of mana, making the flow disappear into thin air. Her healing abilities reached the end.

Putting the much better-looking duck on the table, Iris looked at Murai after wiping the table clean from the blood with a sleeve of her shirt.

Timmy saw her do that, so he also helped. His face beamed with light and a wide grin upon noticing a healed Murai. It all led up to a silent cheer on his side, that the bloody duck was better because of him.

Taking a deep breath, and wiping her sweaty face with the other sleeve, Iris felt exhausted like never before. That feeling of handling something dangerous was definitely new to her, but she wasn't afraid since she believed in the goodwill of the world.

With this deed over, she shouldn't expect anything bad, right?

Well, there was obviously something bad in all of this, but that didn't involve this duck directly. At least not much, but its existence was the reason to be worried. After all, she healed a demonic beast because she could, and did so by her own will. If the Centralis Kingdom hear about it, she would be beheaded instantly.

Maybe even her brother and uncle would get involved as well, which may be understandable because Iris knew what the Centralis Kingdom was capable of.

Sighting, she looked at the bigger picture with her usual stoic expression. Was she thinking too much about that? Her pessimism was apparent, but would it be possible to let this be a secret?

“Timmy, I couldn't heal this duck all the way through since broken bones are hard to heal even with my magic. Its internals aren't healed like its appearance so most of the issues still prevail. Those aren't easy to solve like the open wounds and blood that could come back inside, closing. I have a piece of a med kid that is used in the military, it's on that shelf.” Iris pointed at the other side of the room, filled with many shelves, closets, and a small bed in the corner.

“Oh? Alright. I will get it..” Timmy replied innocently, not thinking much of what she talked about. He only viewed how the duck was getting better from his eyes alone, and that was it.

He retrieved the small handful box that he found after some time and got it to her. Inside the handful box were a needle, thin fabric thread, a few vials of some liquid, a bottle of clear alcohol, and all kinds of bandages.

It was about what a regular soldier could ask for, and for a priestess to have it, it wasn't anything strange at all. After all, so much can be done with blessings and the mana itself. Iris had this sort of box for the worse case scenarios, and occasional wounds which weren't necessary to get the mana involved.

Iris used some bandages to cover and cater to Murai's limbs, and both wings, since their bones needed attentive care. Those broken bones were very physical, meaning that the possible way to health them without the involvement of magic was possible and exactly what Iris planned for.

She used the most common methods to adjust the bones. Small wooden sticks beside the bandages would make the bones unmoving and secured.

With utter care, but vast apprehension and fear against a snap of this duck at her, Iris grabbed the twisted wing. It was the one that wasn't bleeding, but it was at an impossible angle to make it a wing. She had to put it back in its place, which may hurt a lot and anger this duck in Iris's view. Razmund twisted it rather hard, so she had to return it back to its socket.

Murai winced his body every time she tried to touch his bones. She wasn't that gentle, and the few try to fix this right wing almost snapped his mind.

Alas, she managed it after a few tries, making Murai scowl at how this girl handled his wing. He felt better after she bandaged it along with a couple of sticks.

It was clear to him that he shouldn't be able to move for a long time.

There was also something that was perplexing him. He noticed the nervousness of this girl through the use of Soul Read. There was also fear. He tried to not be too crazy with it, but not much pain was paining his mind, meaning he was getting better in almost every way.

Soul and the body again? It's interlocked quite a bit in this mess that Battleworld gave me, or it's the motions of the Anatidae itself, or my Will and soul? I wonder. Who knew that the motions of the healing body would ease the soul space to become calmer? Was it that, even? I am having a hard time understanding the motion of my Robust Spirit since it feels so... like one with me, that I am having trouble feeling its might. Soul was always hard to perceive in terms of powers. Others can do so instead, but one can't feel one's might alone. Not like I need that, but it's a welcomed change. Murai thought and began thinking of his next course of plans.

He won't be able to move for a long time, because of his bones. The Vitality was also smaller, making his recovery take a steep hit. His natural regenerative power will be slower, but he couldn't tell how much time it will take to heal these tiny legs of his.

That was the most problematic part. Wings were whatever at this point. The ability to walk was obviously something that no one can live without.

Handling Murai with little care after solving both wings and legs, Iris put him high in the air to see his whole body. This 30 or so centimeters tall duck wasn't that strange to her eyes, and it also didn't attack her as she feared.

Its feathers were peculiar, healthy but quite normal at first~for a duck. They had some glitter to them, but through touch, they were quite soft. At first glance, no one would think of it as a demonic beast.

Yet these feelings that she got within her Gift actually scared her a little. It put her mind on guard and hoped she wasn't doing a mistake.

“Well, you are a duck in any shape or form. That is, apart from these legs of yours and a few other things. See these little claws, Timmy?” Iris put Murai back on the table, showing his belly upwards which caused Murai to scowl inside at her poor handling of his body.

Though, he can't do anything physically, and could only curse inside his mind.

Timmy watched his sister with interest, observing Murai from the side. He even dared to touch the clean feathers on Murai's belly. They were soft like the finest of furs. Giggling, and observing this "monstrosity", he was quite happy for whatever reason.

“These things between those 3 fingers will cause it to swim faster. It is something that evolution made possible. These animals are quite familiar with the water lands. But this duck has it in a different case.” Iris pointed to the clawed fingers that protruded from the bandages. “It is a bit different from other animals of its kind. Well, mostly. I think it could run fast on the ground because of these little claws at the end, while these membranes around the fingers will work against the water. It is part of the evolution, which can make this duck a land animal as well. Another thing is also its beak, which has a strange shape to it, don't you think?” Iris asked upon observing Murai throughout her time of healing.

Now, without the visible anxiety of her previous fear, she was teaching her brother a few things that she discovered.

“Yeah, I see that beak. It's strange, and unlike something I see in wild ducks. Its tip is sharp, and even its sides are like that. Can I grab it to look myself?” Timmy asked with interest and care on his face.

Iris couldn't see a reason to say no, so she placed Murai in Timmy's hands and looked at him with a meaningful glance. “Now, my part is done, Timmy. It's healed, but the legs will take a long while to heal. It can be done without my interventions, so it's about the end of our deal. Probably... What are you going to do with this duck now?” she asked without much politeness in her voice this time around.

This caused Timmy to frown, and stop smiling since he knew he would never be able to keep it. Not after hearing Iris's words that this duck was a dangerous demonic beast. He would never go against her words, which implied quite a bothersome problem.

Since she took great care of him, unlike his other elder sister, he viewed her as an important figure. Going against her words wasn't something Timmy wanted to do. But, as for his uncle, that was a different story.

“Don't even think of keeping it here!” Iris insisted, imagining what sort of thoughts were appearing inside his head.

“I know... that.” Timmy hesitated, patting Murai on the neck and belly alike. He took it involuntarily, as he held no power over his movement. “But it can't move at all. What these bandages could do for it? It will starve to death in the wild? There are so many dangers outside and it would be an easy target.” Timmy argued while caressing Murai's neck and head as if he was a dog.

Showing it up towards Iris, he was confident that this duck wasn't a bad one.

“See? It did nothing to us, so what makes it a demonic duck? Have you ever heard of one as a duck?” Timmy changed his strategy to appeal to Iris's good side. This wasn't him, going against her worlds, but it was close to that. Considering it a roundabout around her word was the most correct term for this.

“I can see that... But you don't feel the mana yet, so you don't feel what I feel. In fact, it isn't as simple as that, and you know what I mean.” Iris argued.

“But Uncle Lazar can feel the Mana even if he isn't a mage!”

“Being a mage has nothing to do with the mana. I told you that. Unle has it becue of something else than being a mage, and I and him already told you about that many times. He will discover this duck in a couple of days if you keep it here and then, it will be very painful to ease his anger away. Do you want to get scolded, or worse? If others will found out about it, we may even get into trouble because someone could snitch. Then, the Falconers would come and we wouldn't be able to do anything. Do you think after what happened today, anyone will be lenient?”

Hearing her firm, and resolute words, Timmy fell into silence. “I... I...” Speechless, he was thinking of what he could tell next. Since she sounded reasonable, he couldn't find any power within himself to go against her.

“Hmm? I hear nothing.” Iris crossed her arms, frowning, and began to ponder what she could do to him to change his mind. She could see that on his face.

Timmy was stubborn and she was also like that, so she could guess what he thought about. She could make it change since their relationship as siblings was deep, but as an older one, she had to be firm in her decisions.

“I can give you 1 day. I will look for a change in the church tomorrow, and maybe get medicine that can heal those broken bones. Will it satisfy you then? You are already asking too much for me, you know!?” Iris seriously said, glaring at him with quite a stubbornness, which hid a love for her brother.

Timmy stepped back, still having Murai in his hands. He looked at him with blank eyes, wondering if this demonic beast was really that, or if adults were just stupid. It wouldn't be the first he would think of that, so he shoved his arms around Murai. It was a bit tight embrace, causing Murai to quack inaudibly, but loud enough to be heard.

“Ah, sorry. Sorry, little duck!” Timmy quickly apologized, leaving Murai out of his embrace. “A-alright, sis... What will be the price for that? I... I don't know about some medicines... Aren't they expensive?”

Hearing his hesitant and afraid words, Iris was also helpless, but not enough to see his brother like this. She never spoiled him, and the Vermillion church influence was good on him, so she wasn't afraid of this duck, or the things that may happen if things go wry.

If it would be bad, she may regret it, but that was life.

In the end, Iris had full confidence in the church and believed in her Lady.

“I will tell you tomorrow how it will go. For now, go to sleep as I have Alchemy to do and it's quite late already.” Iris ordered, sounding nicer than before.

Timmy nodded in silence, looking at Murai with a questionable look. It was a look of wonder what to do with it, and Iris managed to read it without any words.

“Let me have this duck for the evening. I won't let you have this, for obvious reasons,” She said, making her intention and words unmoving and clear.

Timmy had no choice but to comply with her, so he left Murai on top of her palms, before reluctantly leaving her room. He turned his face to her as he shoved the door open. He didn't know what he wanted, but at the end of the day, he trusted Iris, so he left.

Murai was left alone with Iris, who was watching over this demonic beast if something will go wrong. Grabbing Murai between her both palms once again, she placed his head closer to hers.

“Alright... I didn't want to be clear with my brother, but... Are you a special duck? You... You have an intelligent awareness, don't you? Your stubbornness is vast. The soul too, and my feeling over the.... strangeness of the Will is quite bad, but I trust it. What are you? Who?” she asked straight into Murai's open eyes.

Murai looked from time to time around, which Iris already knew and noticed. It was time to make it obvious.

Murai observed her in the same way she did. In fact, he understood where she was coming from, but it didn't make him happy.

Now, what to do? She definitely felt something through that magic and that necklace she has. Connection to myself must have happened without my awareness when she healed me at the start. I was out of my fucking mind before, so this is... troublesome. Murai wondered in his mind, thinking of what to do in such a situation where he had no way of communicating. Forcing his soul upon this girl as he did with Rain seemed like a bad idea. He may hurt her while doing so since it was a rather universally accepted pawer in the universe.

On the other end of this side was Iris, who was questioning herself too, since she was certain to ask this duck out loud, but on the other hand, she was talking to a duck as if it would talk back. That was funny, and even Timmy would giggle if he saw her like this.

Frowning, Iris watched Murai's unblinking eyes, which were kind of mesmerizing. They were dark in color with shimmering specks of mana within. Those were unnoticeable specks of the Night Vision and Soul Read alike, which had some connection to his eyes also.

Most normal ducks would long struggle from her touch, and she knew it. Considering pain was a fundamental rule that went deeper than one would guess, she expected this duck to struggle much more. It didn't.

Maybe this duck was stupid? Iris considered that too, but what about mana and the demonic feelings she got from it? Her gift and feeling wouldn't lie to her and she knew it.

So, she could do the only thing right now. That was to use her gift again to confirm what was before her.

“Sorry for what I am about to do, duck, but I don't have a choice. If you are stupid or not, I had to do it, because I had to be sure for myself.” Iris said, oblivious to how reasonable or not she appeared.