The envoy's ominous proclamation lingered in the silence. The room, now emptied of fewer souls who'd rather flee than face the potential wrath of a blade, was left with only three occupants: Lily, the mendicar, and the guilty party. Lily's heart was a storm of emotions. Relieved that her interruption had been justified, but the shock of witnessing an execution right before her eyes rendered her numb, unable to even touch the guilt that might have bloomed for naming the now-dead man. The reality seemed too unreal, too detached from anything she could comprehend.

And then the envoy's declaration that the monster was created by design only twisted the knife of confusion deeper. How could such a thing be deliberately made? Who would do this to the unfortunate man and Master Orion?

"This... it's not natural. Who would even…?" The mendicar's voice trailed off as enlightenment struck her, a grim realization she hadn't intended to voice aloud. "Witches..." she whispered, more to herself than to the others.

"Witches?" Lily echoed, her mind racing to piece together the fragmented knowledge she held about them. Witches were characters of night tales, meant to instill fear in the hearts of children, or so she had believed. They were rumored to dabble in forbidden magics, using unspeakable ingredients for their spells. Lily had never encountered one, nor known anyone who had, but the stories painted them as masters of dark rituals, often involving innocent souls.

The envoy's stern glance towards the mendicar was a clear command for silence, a warning Lily observed but could not challenge; she had no authority here. Amid this tense atmosphere, a watcher burst into the room, breathless with urgency. "Your Excellency," he gasped, offering a salute which the envoy returned, a signal that he could proceed. Once instructed to ensure the room was cleaned, the envoy's attention shifted back to Lily and the mendicar.

"How did you know?" His inquiry was directed sharply at Lily, his tone accepting no evasion or deceit.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lily scrambled for coherence amidst the chaos of her thoughts. The truth was something she couldn’t give, but fabricating a tale, especially with the mendicar's keen eyes upon her, seemed equally dangerous. There was no escaping this situation. With a heavy heart, she exhaled a resigned sigh and began her lie.

"Your Excellency, it was... a feeling. I'm very observant, especially when it comes to healing practices and the conditions of patients," Lily responded, her voice imbued with a sincerity she hoped was convincing.

"Don't lie to me, girl. This is a serious matter. I won't tolerate–" the envoy began, his anger flaring, and his hand moving towards his sword in a threatening gesture, but he was cut off by Master Kali's timely intervention.

"Your Excellency, please, allow the girl to speak. It's not unheard of for some individuals to possess an innate sensitivity to the healing arts, rare though it may be. I've encountered such cases once or twice in my time," Master Kali said, stepping in swiftly to diffuse the tension. The envoy gave Lily a scrutinizing look but nodded for her to continue her explanation.

"Honestly, it was just a hunch. I remembered the patient's unusual symptoms. When the afflicted boy was brought to Master Orion's store, something about his condition unsettled me deeply. And today, that same feeling of dread returned," Lily elaborated, noticing the envoy's grip on his sword tighten with his growing displeasure. Hastily, she added, "I realize I shouldn't have been so certain without more proof, but I feared the consequences of inaction. If this was the same monster, it could have caused the death of many."

"So, you were present during the incident a week ago?" the envoy pressed, his tone accusatory though the answer seemed apparent to him.

Lily fought the instinct to avert her eyes and simply nodded. "I was there, hidden in the storage room. I left only after the watchers arrived to seal off the store," she confessed.

"You should have reported to the City Watch; you might have had useful information," the envoy remarked with visible irritation. Lily could only nod in response, her mind racing with excuses she dared not voice: fear, guilt, and the stolen books from the shop.

"What are the signs?" Master Kali interjected, shifting the line of questioning away from the interrogation and back to the matter at hand.

"Excessive abdominal pain and an unusual sensitivity to the air-aligned tincture we use in testing for mana poisoning," Lily replied. Then, a thought struck her, prompting her to add, "Also, the monster... it behaves strangely, creating visible movements beneath the patient's skin."

"And you were able to discern all this from where you stood?" Master Kali asked, now directing a challenging question at Lily herself.

Lily offered a wry smile, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "Yes, I have... observant eyes," she admitted bitterly and resigned.

Master Kali offered Lily a knowing smile, one that hinted at secrets untold and conversations yet to be had. It was a look that promised more than just a passing interest in Lily's abilities, suggesting that perhaps later, away from the pressing crisis, the mendicar wanted to delve deeper into the mysteries Lily harbored.

The room was finally returning to the resemblance of normal, the mendicar preparing to delay the examination until the next day, when the urgent interruption of another watcher shattered the temporary calm. "Your Excellency, there's been another incident involving the monster," the watcher announced, his protocol momentarily forgotten in his haste, only to be quickly followed by a respectful salute. The envoy, foregoing formalities, listened intently as the watcher detailed the horrifying event at Mendicar William's store, just across the street. A middle-aged man, suffering from abdominal pains, had become the latest victim, the monster erupting from within him during an examination. The attack left Mendicar William gravely injured, claimed the lives of two apprentices and another patient, and ended only when the watchers intervened, confirming the same pattern as the incident involving Mendicar Orion.

The flicker of fear that crossed the envoy's face was not lost on Lily, sending a chill through her. The sight of such a powerful man panicking was frightening, compelling Lily to cast a 'clear' spell on herself to maintain her own composure. The spell was becoming a crutch in these challenging times. Perhaps, she was getting addicted to it.

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As soon as the watcher finished the report, the envoy’s and Master Kali's gaze fell heavily on Lily, who felt the weight of their expectations. Her preemptive use of the 'clear' spell was timely, steadying her nerves under the intensity of their focus.

"Miss Lily, can you identify others who might be afflicted with this condition?" Master Kali's question pierced the tension. Lily was momentarily lost in her thoughts, weighing the risks and the depth of her involvement. However, the severity of the situation, the lives at stake, and her unique position left her little room for retreat.

"If the condition is advanced, yes, I believe I can," Lily responded, cautiously framing her capabilities and their limitations, keen to hide the full extent of her talents while acknowledging the responsibility they entailed.

"That will suffice," the envoy declared before directing Master Kali to prepare supplies for emergency treatment. Turning back to Lily, he issued a command: "Consider yourself conscripted into the service of the City Watch, indefinitely."

With that, he strode towards the door, his movements swift, signaling the urgency of their mission.

"Wait, what?" Lily blurted out, her mind reeling. "Conscripted?" The notion seemed absurd, almost surreal. Could he really conscript her into service just like that? She looked desperately to Master Kali for some sign of support, but the mendicar was already busy organizing the healing supplies, her smile offering little comfort in the face of Lily's growing panic.

Master Kali, slowed by her age, coordinated her helpers and students with urgency, making it clear she couldn't depart immediately with the envoy. The responsibility of preparing for what lay ahead was too critical to entrust to the students alone. Lily, however, found herself in a different situation entirely.

"Aren't you coming?" The envoy's question, thrown over his shoulder without so much as a glance back, snapped Lily out of her daze. Her heart seemed to leap into her throat as she scrambled to follow. Her plans, so simple and clear just hours before, had been utterly derailed. Instead of leaving town quietly after her exam, she was now entangled in the affairs of the City Watch, risking the exposure of her class.

They took a shortcut to exit the tower, emerging from a side door. Lily trailed behind, worried about what lay ahead. Her thoughts were abruptly shattered by a chilling sight. Amongst the bustling crowd, a woman in a blue robe caught her eye. A water mage, perhaps, clutching at her abdomen with a pained expression. Even from a distance, Lily recognized the telltale signs of the affliction that had claimed the boy and the man. It seemed less advanced, but unmistakably the same monstrous intrusion.

The thought of such a creature devouring the mage from within sent a wave of nausea over Lily. She could almost feel the monster's presence, a silent predator lurking beneath the skin.

"What is it?" The envoy's voice, sharp with concern, brought Lily's focus back. He had noticed her sudden stop and fixed gaze.

Lily's heart raced as she weighed her options. How could she be the cause of this mage's death at the hands of the envoy? However, the alternative – remaining silent – could result in more deaths if the monster was allowed to emerge.

"Did you locate someone with the condition?" he pressed, his hand already on his sword, ready for action.

At that moment, Lily understood the weight of her responsibility. The safety of many could depend on her next words. With a heavy heart, she realized that silence was not an option. The potential consequences of inaction were too grave to ignore.

"Maybe," Lily said uncertainly. "The woman in the blue robe. I believe she might have it, but it seems... weak, or perhaps it's early stage. Maybe she has a chance of surviving?" Her eyes, wide with hope and desperation, sought understanding in the envoy's gaze.

"Early stage... Are you certain?" he pressed, seeking clarity.

"Yes, I believe it's the initial stages," Lily affirmed, her voice steadier now, clinging to the sliver of hope that early detection might offer a chance for intervention.

The envoy gave a nod of acknowledgment and motioned for Lily to stay put as he and a watcher approached the mage and her companions. Despite the group's initial wariness, the authority of the envoy made resistance futile. They were escorted back towards the tower, the mage receiving particular attention.

As they neared the entrance, they encountered Master Kali and her apprentices, ready to depart with their prepared supplies. The envoy briefly stepped aside with Master Kali, engaging in a quiet but intense discussion. Lily noticed Master Kali casting frequent glances her way, her expression going from concern to resolve. Eventually, Master Kali seemed to come to a difficult decision, nodding in agreement with whatever plan the envoy had proposed. The group, including the water mage, was then ushered back into the tower under the guidance of Master Kali and an additional watcher summoned for the task.

With the group safely inside, the envoy returned to Lily, who noticed with surprise that Master Kali did not rejoin them. They continued their patrol through the bustling streets surrounding the tower, the envoy adjusting his pace to allow Lily to scrutinize the passersby more closely. The gravity of their mission pressing on Lily; missing a single afflicted person could result in disaster for many.

Lily found herself silently pleading that they would find no more afflicted individuals. The thought of this condition being widespread was too horrific to contemplate. However, fate seemed to have other plans. Crossing a square, Lily's gaze landed on a young man crouched near a tree, clutching at his abdomen in distress. The signs were unmistakable to her trained eye; he was not only infected but on the brink of succumbing to the monster within.

The realization struck Lily with a cold dread. Lily's gesture caught the envoy's attention immediately, her silent communication directing him towards the young man in distress. With a practiced ease, the envoy signaled for nearby watchers, who approached the man cautiously and with feigned kindness, promising free treatment at the tower. Lily understood the grim reality behind their offer: away from the public's eyes, the man would face a swift and unseen end. Was she really a healer or just an executioner?

As they continued their grim patrol through the city, Lily's heart sank further when her eyes fell upon a small girl, a beggar, cradling her stomach and weeping in the seclusion of an alleyway. The sight was a reminder of the indiscriminate nature of this affliction, sparing neither the innocent nor the vulnerable. Upon closer inspection, Lily's keen eyes detected the initial signs of the condition – a whirl of chaotic life mana not yet fully unleashed. The girl was marked, but maybe not beyond hope; perhaps there was a chance that Master Kali could save her.

"Your Excellency, that girl," Lily spoke up. Her prolonged gaze on the child had already drawn attention, making her words almost unnecessary. "But she is at the beginning of the condition. Maybe Master Kali can save her," she added, emphasizing the possibility.

The envoy, initially wanting to dismiss the suggestion as a wasteful allocation of resources, paused at the sight of Lily's earnest, hopeful expression. Understanding the potential benefits of acquiescing to her request – not only in terms of saving a life but also in securing Lily's cooperation – he reconsidered. Assisting the girl could indeed be a small price to pay for the goodwill it would foster, particularly from someone as uniquely gifted as Lily. Recognizing her value, the envoy saw an opportunity to not only navigate the crisis at hand but to potentially leverage her abilities to his advantage in the future.

He was no stranger to the stakes involved; this situation posed a significant threat to his career and reputation. Successfully resolving it, especially if it led to the apprehension of the witch, could put him a step closer to a promotion.