Mae slowly lowered her hand, her eyes narrowing when her gaze stopped at Lina's waist.

"Here," she said quietly. "You've got poison residue on your clothes. A nerve stimulant."

Lina's face drained of color.

"I-I… I don't know anything, Miss Mae… I swear. I never felt anything strange," she blurted out, her voice shaking.

But the memory hit her all at once.

…That evening. The kitchen.

Liria standing over her, ordering her to pour that liquid into the bread.

Her hands trembling. The cap slipping between her fingers.

…and a single drop soaking into the fabric.

Lina swallowed hard.

If I tell her the truth… Healer Mae will know I tried to poison someone.

I'd lose my job. Liria wouldn't let me live.

Mae studied her for a moment, silent.

Then she sighed.

"Whatever the reason, if we leave it like this, the residue will sink deeper into the fabric. It won't hurt you now—but it could later."

She lifted her gauntlet once more.

"Don't move."

Mae pressed her palm against the stained area. A soft golden glow seeped through the gaps in the metal, washing over the cloth like warm fog.

Lina flinched—not from fear, but from the strange, tingling heat spreading across her skin.

The light pulsed.

Then it broke apart into specks of glowing dust, fading into nothing.

A few seconds later, it was gone.

Mae pulled her hand back.

"All done."

She met Lina's eyes again, gentler now.

"You're clean. Nothing's left."

Only then did Lina realize she'd been holding her breath. She let it out shakily.

She bowed quickly, gripping the medicine bottle to her chest, and hurried outside. The door closed behind her with a faint chime from the hanging bell.

Mae exhaled slowly.

She stared at her own palm.

"High-grade poison… on a cook's uniform?" she muttered.

This wasn't cheap street poison. The blend was precise. Carefully refined.

Professional work.

Far too refined to end up on a village girl.

A name surfaced in her mind.

Liria.

Mae pinched the bridge of her nose.

So her business has gotten this ugly…

Using drugs to keep customers around longer.

Bleeding them dry coin by coin.

Her gaze slid to the door.

"Poor Lina…"

The girl only cooked there. But a place like that ruined people slowly.

Few ever walked out whole.

Mae sighed again, heavier this time.

"This world really hates kind kids…"

Then her breath caught.

Her spine stiffened. Her hands began to shake.

"No… no, no—"

She pressed her palms together at her chest.

"I already said sorry… I already begged…" she whispered. "It can't be… he must've reported me…"

One name echoed in her head.

Lucian Voss.

Her knees nearly buckled.

"No… I'm just a village healer. Just a village healer," she muttered. "I belong here… with cats… cranky old ladies… feverish kids…"

She stared out the rainy window at the tiny village beyond it.

"Not the battlefield," she whispered. "I don't want to hear screams. I don't want to sew people back together while they're still alive."

She slapped both cheeks once.

"Get a grip. Tiny village. Poor patients. Low pay. Quiet life."

Breath in.

Out.

"Yes… I'm fine here. I'm happy here."

---

The moment Lucas and the two women stepped inside the manor, the air shifted.

Not lighter.

Just heavier.

The corridor felt colder than it should have. Water dripped from their soaked clothes, echoing softly through the silence.

Lucas cleared his throat.

"I-I'm gonna take a bath first."

And without waiting, he escaped down the hallway.

Silvara glanced at Liona.

"We should too. You're soaked."

Liona nodded. "Yeah…"

---

In the bath

Steam filled the room as hot water poured down.

The tension didn't vanish.

It only thinned.

Silvara undressed first.

When she turned around, Liona saw them.

Scratch marks.

Thin red lines across her thighs—some healing, others still raw.

Liona froze.

Silvara noticed too late. She reached for a towel, but her face was already burning.

"…I lost control," she admitted quietly.

Liona hesitated.

"In the cave… what really happened?" she asked. "All of it."

Silvara didn't answer right away.

Steam blurred her sight.

Then she spoke.

About the poison.

About the pressure crushing her chest.

About the fear of blacking out.

About her body moving without her consent.

"…I hated myself right then," she finished.

---

Later that night, Liona sat in her room, brushing her hair slowly.

A soft knock.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Silvara stood there awkwardly.

And then—

She walked forward.

Dropped to her knees.

And hugged Liona tight around the waist.

Like a child clinging to safety.

Liona startled. "Lady Silvara…?"

"Just… stay quiet for a moment," Silvara whispered. "Please."

Her breathing was unsteady.

"I still feel awful. I can't stop thinking about it. I still feel… wrong."

Liona blinked.

Then she laughed softly.

Silvara pulled back. "Why are you laughing?!"

Liona tried to hold it in.

"Because you're cute."

"Cute?!"

"Yes," Liona said. "You're always so strict. So strong. I thought you were untouchable."

She smiled warmly.

"But you're just a normal woman too. You get scared. You doubt yourself. You want comfort."

Silvara's face burned.

"O-of course I do!" she snapped. "I'm a woman too, you know!"

Liona laughed again.

And ran her fingers gently through Silvara's hair.

---

Lucas stepped out of the bath, towel around his neck, steam still clinging to his skin.

The moment he sat—

"Nggh—"

Pain flared through his ass.

He shifted, gritting his teeth.

"…That wasn't a 'ride.' That was straight-up torture."

A panel blinked into existence.

[HOHOHO~ (≧▽≦)

All clean at last, King~]

Lucas groaned.

"Why do you keep calling me King? That's weird as hell."

[Hehe~ (￣▽￣)

For fun.

'Host' is boring.]

Lucas pinched his temple.

"The one stuck suffering in this body is me."

[EH BUT 'KING' SOUNDS COOLER!

(｀▽´)]

Lucas sighed.

"Why are you here?"

[OHO~ (•̀ᴗ•́)و

It's time, King.]

"…Time for what?"

[EXCHANGE PP!!! (☆▽☆)]

His brain finally caught up.

"Oh."

Only now did it hit him.

After all the chaos, the poison, the emotional whiplash—

He'd forgotten the most important thing.

The PP.

Lucas collapsed backward onto the bed.

"Unbelievable… today felt like a soap opera with swords."

[TIME IS PP, KING (ง'̀-'́)ง

AND PP IS POWER!]

He shut his eyes briefly.

"Alright. Show me."

"Open the exchange menu."

[Diiing~! ♪(´▽｀)]

The screen loaded.

…

…

…

And then—

Something appeared at the top.

The name was wrong.

The icon was worse.

And the description?

Made no damn sense.

Lucas stared.

"…What the hell is that?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.