Chapter 238 : Chapter 238
Chapter 238 : Uninvited Guest
Inside the narrow room, there was only me, Ayan, and three members of the Windermere family.
Because light and noise had been blocked out as much as possible at my request, the room was endlessly quiet.
".........."
Ayan was looking down intently at the back of the Windermere family member lying face down with his clothes off. The bead of sweat gathered at the tip of his chin looked precarious, as if it would fall at any moment.
"..........I will give it a try, Sir Bihen."
I gave a small nod. It took over an hour just to get to this point.
I purposely didn't make a sound to avoid breaking his concentration. I just hoped the silent endurance would be worth it.
Slide.
Ayan carefully pressed down around the family member's neck and shoulders. His hand, moving cautiously as if searching for something in the dark, finally stopped at the Amun acupoint right in the center of the nape.
".........."
Ayan, who had briefly caught his breath, brought over the iron needle he held in his other hand. As he lightly flicked his fingertip, the thin iron needle caused a minute vibration and pierced deeply.
"Huu.........."
Ayan let out a trembling breath and repeatedly massaged his hand. It meant he was that nervous.
Meanwhile, I operated the Blood Points with my Ghost Eye to examine the family member's condition. The Amun acupoint was a dangerous spot that opened up Qi and blood, but could leave a person mute for life if stimulated incorrectly.
'No problem.'
Ayan picked up the iron needle again. The iron needles rolling on the metal tray produced a resonance like a clear bell. It was proof that they were smelted with high density and without impurities.
'Gaff's masterpiece.'
Bringing him to Pretoria was partly to reforge Urvasi into the Sword of Light, but it was also to obtain these exquisite iron needles.
Acupuncture is a secret art monopolized by only a very small number of renowned doctors even in the Empire. Because it requires a sense for pinpointing acupoints as well as anatomical knowledge, retired experts occasionally dabble in it.
'But even if you have the skill, it's useless if the tools don't back it up.'
The strength to pierce the resistance of tough flesh is basic. The key was the supreme conductivity capable of fully accommodating a mage's mana while amplifying its wave to transmit it to the depths of the blood vessels.
Even for the artisans of the Empire, whose mainstream is crafting weapons and armor, realizing such sensitive and heterogeneous mana receptivity in a metal as thin as a thread is close to impossible.
By my standards, the only blacksmith who could handle that ridiculous process was Gaff.
TAP, TAP.
Ayan continuously applied the needles. They were at the Tianzhu acupoints on both the left and right sides of Amun.
"Ugh, mm."
The family member let out a faint groan. Ayan flinched in surprise.
"Ah, a-are you okay?"
"I am fine. My entire neck suddenly felt stiff."
I chimed in on behalf of the flustered Ayan.
"Feeling stiff means the tightly blocked acupoints have been pierced. It's a natural reaction since the tangled blood vessels were stimulated."
The family member gave an awkward nod. He had a look of half-belief and half-doubt, but he had no other choice.
I sent Ayan a glance telling him to continue. Ayan took a deep breath and picked up the needle again.
'Just as I expected.'
Not only did the Windermeres have the same symptoms as the Springeuses, but it was also the same that everyone suffering from Severed Meridians Syndrome possessed mana.
The invisible paths inside the body where mana flows like blood vessels are called mana circuits.
Looking through the Ghost Eye, their bodies were a wreck, with the severing of their mana circuits taking a form similar to Severed Meridians Syndrome.
The Kingdom had evenly developed general medicine and mana medicine. Even if they couldn't see through the fundamental problem, they should have at least reached close to the diagnosis of 'severing or collapsing of mana circuits'.
However, until now, even the Kingdom's prominent doctors had only been barking up the wrong tree regarding the illness of these two families, like trying to find a path in the fog.
Why was that?
'The limit of mana medicine.'
The Kingdom's mana medicine was entirely engrossed in purifying the impurities of mana or inducing its flow.
The manifested symptoms of the members of both families varied wildly, and even the twisted forms of their mana circuits were different for each person.
Therefore, the doctors failed to see this as the fundamental cause and merely dismissed it as a secondary problem derived from the symptoms.
But there was a separate, decisive reason.
'If the mana circuit is a road, then the Qi meridians are the foundation that supports that road.'
The foundation itself had rotted away, so there was no way the road would be restored just by repaving it.
To those who didn't know how to look at the land, the corrosion of the strata wasn't even a consideration in the first place.
"Ayan, don't force it in. You're solely harmonizing your mana with the blood pathways."
"U-Understood."
The answer was clear. Rebuilding the corroded soil.
My Correction of pulses and points, which lifts the entire foundation to weed out the rotten soil and pierces the blocked waterways to pack them evenly again, was the most certain method, but..........
'It's too much to expect that from Ayan.'
Thus, I imparted to Ayan his own exquisite 'swordsmanship'.
An ultra-precise process, so to speak, of capturing the points where Qi and blood had solidified and the pathways where the flow had dulled, striking them accurately, and crushing and stimulating them with vibrations.
'Originally, Severed Meridians Syndrome is an incurable realm that even the Empire's doctors gave up on, but it's different for mages possessing mana.'
Would mana be a magical resource that twists the foundation of the world for nothing? This spiritual energy exhibited miraculous efficacy in forcefully grabbing and connecting twisted blood vessels and piercing through tightly blocked Qi and blood.
In other words, the high-elasticity iron needles forged by Gaff were a mana conductor that fully transmitted the mana loaded by Ayan to the deep Qi meridians of the patient, serving as Ayan's personal treasured sword.
".........."
Ayan meticulously pressed around the area centered on the point he last needled. With a cautious yet firm touch, like connecting a broken bridge in the pitch-black fog, he inserted a needle into the next pathway.
TAP.
To find a path in the pitch-black abyss, a lantern is needed.
The process of flowing mana to explore the broken entire body's Qi meridians and repair the blocked pathways. This requires an overwhelming total amount of mana as much as precise control.
'If the lantern's fuel runs out, you'll just be trapped in the abyss.'
In the end, only Ayan was suitable for this ignorantly massive task.
"Keep going. I'll go check on the other patients."
"Yes, understood."
I was practically drained from holding my breath and watching.
To avoid disturbing Ayan's concentration, I quietly stepped out of the treatment room to get some fresh air.
"Ah! He's out!"
"Cult Leader! Is the treatment already over?!"
A crowd surged forward as soon as I opened the door. They were the ones who had been surrounding the door before the treatment even began.
The eyes looking at me, each with their hands clasped tightly together, were full of anxiety and desperation. Well, it was a matter of their lifelines, so how could they not be?
"..........The progress is much better than I expected."
Even to my ears, my voice was drier than usual. It was a remark thrown out with as much restrained emotion as possible.
Originally, the kind of people called doctors must assume the worst-case scenario. Uncertain hope is poison, and hasty comfort returns as resentment.
However, seeing the desperation of these people holding hands so tightly that their fingers turned white right in front of me, I didn't want to stubbornly stick to that principle. And well, there's no way I'm wrong.
"Don't worry too much."
Sighs of relief and hopeful whispers spread through the crowd.
I placed my index finger over my lips. The murmuring quickly stopped.
I slowly stared back at the dozens of desperate gazes fixed tensely on me. And then I pointed at a few of them.
"You people, follow me."
They were those with excessive scorching Yang and extreme Yin energies. These people couldn't be managed with Ayan's acupuncture, so I had to take them.
It was the moment I was passing through the corridor with them trailing in a line behind me, unknowingly drenched in excitement.
My gaze unconsciously drifted to the window on the corridor wall. The external view could be seen clearly through the window.
".........."
Familiar figures came into view on the quiet trail leading to the mansion's back gate.
It was Isaac, Roxy, and Bolero.
I paused my steps for a moment and stood there, quietly watching their retreating backs.
Just then, Bolero, perhaps feeling my gaze, turned around and our eyes met.
We looked at each other and simply nodded without a word.
***
When we returned to Pretoria, it was evening with dusk settling in.
Ayan and I rode our horses side by side toward the mansion visible in the distance.
Ayan's profile with his sunken cheeks caught my eye. His shoulders were also drooping.
'It seems it was quite exhausting.'
He had only been watching and learning until now, and today was his first practical exercise. It was natural for him to be exhausted as his tension released.
"..........Come to think of it, did you not know how to ride a horse originally?"
I had definitely opened my mouth to offer some small comfort, but a random remark popped out.
The reason? I don't know either.
"I learned it first thing as soon as I officially became a guardsman. Horseback riding is a basic requirement, after all."
"I see."
"..........Thank you, Sir Bihen."
Ayan gnawed on his lower lip with his head bowed. I could see his hand holding the reins trembling as well.
"I-I felt, how should I say it.......... like I was a useful person for the first time. Today."
"Why is that something to thank me for?"
"Because you gave me the opportunity. By specifically picking me.......... Come to think of it, even when you first saved me from the Crimson Flame Cult's lair—"
"Ah, enough. Stop it. It's all your luck. And your skill."
Listening to it made my face itch again. When I waved my hands vehemently, Ayan gave a slight bow and firmly shut his mouth.
The contextless conversation ended with this.
'Hmm?'
Suddenly, my brow furrowed. It was because some trivial and noisy sounds were caught in my widely spread Qi-sense.
The epicenter was inside the mansion. I leaned my ears closer toward it.
"Hey! What's with you! Are we a joke to you? Huh? Let's fight, then!"
"Watch your mouth. I welcome a fight anytime, but now is not the time. His Grace the Duke is currently eating."
"I get it, so get lost. We just need to eat quietly in the corner, keeping out of sight as much as possible, right."
"It is etiquette for the rest to eat after His Grace finishes his meal first. This is a rule that applies not only to you but to everyone here, including myself."
"Man, these are some strange bastards. Is there an order for stuffing your face too? My stomach is practically sticking to my back, etiquette my ass. Cut the fucking bullshit and get lost. We didn't come here to follow your damn rules."
I knew at once. He was a guy whose self-assertion was clear right from his voice.
'Tiaro and Joel?'
They arrived faster than expected. I thought they would arrive sometime before sunset tomorrow.
"Ayan, take your time. Please take care of my horse too."
I kicked off the saddle, leaped up, and then unfolded my movement technique.
It didn't take long to arrive at the center of the commotion.
People were gathered around the Brakenport trio. It looked as if a great spectacle was unfolding.
"Both of you, stop it."
Tiaro and Joel, who had their faces close together and were growling at each other, turned their heads simultaneously.
As they spotted me, all sorts of emotions instantly crossed the faces of the two guys.
"Ah!"
Tiaro stumbled backward as if he had been struck by something. His moist eyes, looking as if they would spill tears at any moment, trembled violently.
THUD!
As if they had made a promise, Ellen, McRay, who had been standing behind, and Tiaro simultaneously took a knee facing me. A heavy, roaring sound rang out.
"Heavenly Demon Manifestation! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Submission!"
At the resounding shout of the three men, the area instantly became quiet, as if cold water had been poured over it.
In the heavy silence that followed the end of the echo, bewildered murmurs, short dry coughs, and the sounds of dry swallowing leaked out.
I left all those gazes and startled reactions behind. Because it was an excessively noisy and intense welcome.
"Stand up. It seems everyone's been doing well. Thanks for coming so quickly."
"Don't mention it! We were the ones who wanted to see you so much!"
..........Somehow, it feels like their way of speaking has gotten weird too.
When I furrowed my brow at the needless sense of incongruity, Ellen quickly approached and whispered softly.
"We reflected and repented a lot while reading the books you left behind, Cult Leader. At that time, we were truly.......... hopeless."
This time, Tiaro suddenly thrust his head forward.
"We are now nominally the subordinates of the Heavenly Demon, so shouldn't we have at least this level of etiquette as a basic requirement?"
I wasn't sure what on earth they had learned from what book to act like this.......... but more than that, I wanted to ask why his head was suddenly so shiny. After getting beaten up by Bolero day in and day out, I was worried that something had really gone wrong with him.
It was when I was looking at the guys with an absurd expression.
A small voice could be heard from the side.
"M-My lord.........."
It was Ramba, who was amidst the crowd. Because he was an unexpectedly welcome face, I was just about to rejoice.
"I really, really wanted to see you..........!"
Ramba shed tears and suddenly began bowing to me.
..........And twice at that.