The doctor looked at Riza as she was laid out on the table.

"She's been grievously injured, then with a sudden breakthrough, push past all limits and even continued fighting after the powerup was over. She should've died from the physical toll this took alone, and then she fought once more and was sustained even worse damage‽ Just what the hell did this girl go through‽" Both Sonalius and the man was shocked. He didn't think that the lychni took that much of a toll on her at first. Seeing Sonalius was silent, the man continued on.

"She's strong-willed, that's for certain. Otherwise, she couldn't have pushed past so many of her bodily limits. What's her name? Your name as well." The man inquired, "I'm Kouta, but I suppose we can skip the formal introductions. She needs medical attention now. I expect 250 grams of flame dust to heal her." The man glanced at Sonalius.

"Take this instead," Sonalius flipped the man a coin, "and make sure to do your finest work. My name is Sonalius, she's Astral." Sonalius lied and gave a bitter smile to the man. Kouta nodded and caught the coin.

"1000 grams worth of flame dust... one flame coin, very well." Kouta repeatedly felt the coin's smooth surface. He took pocketed it and got to work.

Sonalius watched as he reached into a glass jar with his long, slender fingers. Inside of the container were giant red worms with a mouth at its bottom. Kouta carefully took them out and placed them onto Riza's burns. They immediately clamped down and started consuming the dead flesh and rampant energy on her skin.

"I'll need to undress her before we go further, using this medicine and assessing further damage is needed," Kouta suggested. Sonalius agreed as he undressed her. The candlelit room softly shone on Riza's skin, contrasting her natural beauty with the red burns and cuts.

"Should I tend to your injuries after I finish with her?" He looked at Sonalius as he dipped his hand in a red liquid and coated Riza's skin in it. Kouta's shadow went into the red liquid and turned it black wherever his hand touched. Soon after, her entire body was coated in a black liquid. Energy surged through her body and made the liquid bubble and steam on her body.

"This will allow me to sense her body's condition as well as get rid of any poisons and help her detoxify, clean her body of harmful forces left behind by whoever did this to her." Kouta glanced at Sonalius and sighed. "You should rest as well. Your body has taken its own abuse."

"I'm fine. I'll live." Sonalius bowed and thanked the man.

"You're no use to her in the state you are in. Your eyes are tired, covered in dust, pale-faced, how can you help her if you cannot help yourself?" Kouta shook his head. "Rest assured, I will take her health seriously."

Sonalius bit his fingernail and thought before relenting. He pushed himself beyond the limits as well. He needed to rest if he wanted to protect Riza from future dangers, so why not here?

"Alright." He sighed and got onto the table beside Riza.

"Your clothes as well, Sonalius." He coughed awkwardly. "I have a pair of socks onhand if you need it."

"Great physique, strong muscles, this is developed quality body you have." Kouta was intrigued as he squeezed Sonalius' muscles.

"…Can you give me something to help me recover faster?" Sonalius coughed and quickly spoke.

"Of course." Kouta gave an awkward chuckle as he slathered the red liquid over Sonalius' body. "This might be somewhat uncomfortable, sir. You might feel a burning sensation." He explained, and Sonalius nodded.

Kouta dipped his thin fingers back into the bucket of red liquid and placed his hand on Sonalius' chest. Kouta used his shadow once again and expected the strong, burly man to show a sense of pain.

"Haah!" Sonalius moaned aloud as Kouta shook. His hands fumbled as he looked at Sonalius, who had closed his eyes and fully relaxed, in disbelief. Shaking his head, he hoped he was just imagining things. He ran his hands over Sonalius again as the red liquid stuck to Sonalius' skin and became black. Yet another moan escaped his mouth and Kouta felt uncomfortable.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Sir, please allow me to go get the socks for you. I'm not the kind of 'doctor'" Kouta spoke in a calm voice, but inside blaring alarms rung out.

"Socks?" Sonalius blinked confusedly. "I don't need socks, they'd simply get in the way. You can continue, I need to be at my peak to protect her." He smiled brightly at Kouta, causing the man to tremble. He gulped aloud and continued his work painfully.

'Why did I suggest that he gets healing too! Curse my good nature! If I knew he had such preferences…' Kouta wore a wronged expression as he glanced at Riza. 'save me, please!' He pleaded in his heart.

"Eye's on me, doctor." Sonalius opened his eyes and found the doctor looking intently at Riza. Was the doctor a pervert‽ Sonalius decided to watch him more closely as Kouta worked on his body.

Kouta wished to scream aloud. 'This pervert wants me to focus on him‽ How obscene can a man get!' With Sonalius locking eyes with him, Kouta quickly finished the diagnosis and gave him a medicine to help his body recover and for him to rest.

With a heavy sigh, the doctor ran out of the room and finally got a breath of fresh air. 'What did I do to deserve being targeted like this‽ Should I laugh at my luck? Cry?' At least he was paid handsomely... At the thought of this, he became even more concerned! 'Was it his goal all along for me to 'service' him‽' Kouta gulped at the possibility and decided not to return until the girl woke up. 'This pervy uncle!'

Five hours later, Kouta decided to head back in to check on Riza. He's still a doctor after all. Both of them slept calmly and he sighed at the sight.

He used his techniques to heal their wounds and let them recover faster. He reapplied Riza's coating and monitored her again as well. As he thought about reapplying Sonalius' coating, his hands trembled again. Kouta instantly rejected that thought as he decided to make a new role. Men stay clothed, unless for a life-threatening injury. He won't let his hands, the life-blood of his work, be violated like that any longer!

At this point, it was nighttime. Kouta went to bed and woke up in the morning to check on them. Walking into the back room, Kouta saw Sonalius sitting at the edge of the table smiling back at him with his tattered clothes barely covering him.

"Wait a moment, I got something for you." Kouta immediately walked back and returned with a slightly worn pair of clothes for Sonalius and Riza, including new socks. "Take these, they're on me." He coughed once.

"Thank you, Kouta," Sonalius grabbed the man's shoulder, "I'll be sure to tell my friends to come here if they need a doctor of your specialties!" When Kouta heard those words, he choked on his own saliva.

"Oh, sir, there really is no need for that!" He insisted and let out a pained laugh. "You're far too kind." The doctor really had been treating them well, almost to the point of being suspicious.

'I'm not that attractive, am I?' Sonalius thought as he went to a separate room and changed his clothes. When we walked back into the room, he saw Riza had woken up and was talking to Kouta.

"There's something peculiar with your body, and I don't know whether it is beneficial or not. Foreign energy is residing within your body. It seems to be eating away at your energy, but at the same time, helping it improve in quality. I wouldn't consider it a parasite, but it is very odd." He looked perplexed as he gradually formed a smile. "It shouldn't be a problem, come back in a few weeks so I can study and help diagnose you, Astral. Your body has recovered quite well and responded to the healing treatments aptly. Just don't push yourself so hard."

Riza simply sat as the man told her all of this with only a blanket covering her body. The black reddish oil slowly ran down her arms and neck as she nodded. She looked over and saw Sonalius standing behind Kouta. Her face relaxed and a comforting smile gradually formed. After all, waking up in a strange room with bottles around, creepy worms latched onto her skin and burns, completely naked, and covered in oil with a strange man near her calling her "Astral," Riza was instantly put on alert. That is until Sonalius appeared.

"How are you feeling?" Sonalius spooked the doctor as his loud voice suddenly erupted.

"Like I can fight an army," She nodded and turned to Kouta, "thank you, doctor Kouta." After expressing her thanks, she went to change and wipe off the sludge on her body. As she poured water over her skin, she noticed the burns were practically non-existent, and the cuts she had now merely scraps on her skin. Riza marveled at the doctor's work in awe as she walked out in simple cloth clothes.

When she returned, Riza was taken aback. Kouta had his elbow digging into Sonalius' shoulder as he was stretched over his leg. With a pained expression, the doctor closed his eyes as he groaned. Opposite to Kouta, however, Sonalius' sighed in relief.

"That feels heavenly!"

"Sir! Please, no more! This is not the type of doctor I am!"

Staring at the two, Riza was dumbfounded. Kouta opened his eyes and saw Riza's face.

"This isn't what it looks like! I-I'm—" Kouta was cut off by Sonalius.

"An amazing doctor! Riza, this man is a miracle worker. You know I have a bad back, and he fixed it!" Standing up and moving his torso in circles, Sonalius was delighted. "My whole body feels like butter!"

Riza stood with a blank expression on her face and blinked a few times.

"Sonalius… You have those preferences?" Riza felt as if she became enlightened once more.

Sonalius was confused as he looked at the doctor strangely, and the latter turned away with a coughed. 'Those preferences… socks… that type of doctor… Working on my body…' As Sonalius realized the weird looks he got from Kouta, he became extremely embarrassed.

"Why didn't you say anything before!" Sonalius tried to kick the man away, but he merely backed away.

"You paid me well, I thought you were looking for one of 'those' doctors!" He shuddered at the thought.

Riza's laughter interrupted the two as they both sighed in relief. After clearing their misunderstandings, Sonalius and Riza said their goodbyes and left feeling rejuvenated.

"Sonalius," Riza bit her lip as she thought more about king Sig'car, "will Rey be alright?" Her breathing became ragged and tears filled her eyes. "Was it wrong that I sold Rey out to him? What if he finds Rey…"

As Riza was speaking, Sonalius interrupted and buried her in his chest. Warm tears ran down her face and onto his clothes.

"Rey Nefasi will be alright. Remember his seventh birthday?" Sonalius patted her head as she nodded. "He snuck outside Lorea's walls and tried to fight a giant fire ant. Such a small fry yet under the fire law, became too much for him to bear. He wandered home with endless hope on his face. Even after getting beaten, he still smiled at such a young age. When you, his parents, Aizen, and I found out, we were furious, but he still smiled."

The story kick-started Riza's mind as she remembered those peaceful days. She sobbed and looked at Sonalius.

He smiled, the daylight highlighting her puffy eyes and tiny nose. "Rey had told us before, 'Once I cultivate, nobody will need to worry about me anymore.' I'm choosing to believe in him, that now he's cultivated, we don't need to worry any longer, Riza. He'll be alright." Sonalius wiped her tears away, "Now let's go see what we can do about king Sig'car."

The two of them left for the city of Yytar shortly after.