The entire table rose in an instant. Cut Throat dropped to his knees beside her, calling out her name with a voice that cracked under real worry. Interesting. Maybe he was not half as bad as I thought, but it did not change much for me. My attention was already fixed on Lucy. Should I step in?

"She's poisoned, you! I will kill you all. Which one of you did it? Fuck! Lucy, hold on, please!" His voice shook with panic, and then his eyes locked onto me. The killing intent that poured from him washed over the room like a cold tide. "It was you! You witch. All because she took that flyer from you, you poisoned her? I will kill you!"

How in the world did the blame shift to me so quickly? He really was an idiot driven entirely by his emotions. The thought made me release a quiet sigh.

"Do you think I am as petty as you, resorting to tricks like that? Does your face not hurt from being such a fool?" I answered in a calm tone, which only made him surge to his feet. I was ready to freeze him where he stood and teach him a proper lesson, but Northern Wolf's hand clamped down on Cut Throat's shoulder before I could act. His massive arm closed around the man like a claw, stopping him in place without effort.

"Hey, let go!" Cut Throat snapped, trying to twist free, but the broad-shouldered leader did not loosen his grip.

"You need to calm yourself and actually use that thick skull of yours. Does this even look like poisoning? And even if it did, your first job is to stay by her side or try to help her, not swing accusations at strangers. Are you a man, or a child throwing tantrums?" His words carried weight, and for a moment, I found myself quietly impressed. A man who looked like a bear should not have been this well-spoken.

I took that moment to look at the woman again. No one was actually helping her; she lay on the floor with her hands trembling against her throat, her eyes fixed on me in a silent plea. Shit… I shouldn't step in. I really shouldn't. But…

Inspect. I whispered in my mind with a heavy sigh.

A soft shimmer answered, and the system screen unfolded across her body.

Above her throat:

[Airway: 32% Open - Rapid Swelling Detected]

[Cause: Acute Allergen Reaction; Risk of Respiratory Arrest]

Above her chest:

[Pulse: 138 BPM - Tachycardic, Weak]

[Oxygen Saturation: 76% - Critical]

Above her forehead:

[Temperature: 38.7°C - Rising]

[Skin Response: Erythema + Cyanosis]

Over her body:

[TIP: Recommended Skills: Frost Compression; Stabilize Patient]

[Warning: Time Remaining Before Collapse - 1:45]

[You have received a new quest: {Prevent Airway Failure.}]

Reward: {50 System Coins + 1 Medical Skill}

My eyes widened for a moment. Fifty skill coins and a skill, you say? Well… if you present it like that, why wouldn't I try to save her? A smirk threatened to slip onto my lips, but I forced it down quickly. No point ruining the act I was playing.

"Hold him tight. I know some medicine, and I might be able to save her. But I cannot have any interference."

Their expressions shifted as they looked between one another, weighing their options. Do we trust her, or do we stop her? The hesitation was clear, but Northern Wolf gave a firm nod. Cut Throat, on the other hand, thrashed even harder, his aura flaring as if he were ready to tear the room apart.

"Sleep for a bit."

Northern Wolf's strike landed cleanly against Cut Throat's neck, dropping him into unconsciousness before he could explode again. I met Northern Wolf's eyes, and the respect I felt for him grew quietly.

I settled beside the woman and placed a steady hand against her shoulder. Her breaths scraped out in thin, broken whispers, each one weaker than the last. Her lips had already taken on a faint blue tint, and the frantic rise of her chest showed how close she was to losing the fight for air. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face and let my gaze track the trembling of her throat. The swelling was rising fast. If I hesitated now, she would be gone in minutes.

"Lucy, breathe slowly," I murmured, though it was clear she could not hear me.

My fingers hovered over the center of her throat. I drew in a calm breath and gathered frost in the tips of my fingers, letting it settle into a controlled pulse. This had to be precise. One wrong move and I could freeze her windpipe completely. I pressed two fingers gently against the swollen line of her neck.

A soft wave of cold seeped into her skin, spreading in slow, deliberate ripples. Her body reacted immediately, twitching under the sudden chill, but the frost continued its careful work. The angry red hue around her throat began to ease. The tight, swollen flesh shrank with each pulse, loosening the hold that threatened to choke her.

Not enough yet, but she's responding.

Her breaths shifted from frantic scrapes to shallow draws, still unsteady but no longer collapsing entirely. I moved my hand to her sternum, letting the chill fade from my fingers. Green light began to gather instead, soft and warm, forming a subtle glow that wrapped around my palm.

{Healing Touch} sank into her body in a gentle wave, soothing the inflamed tissues and forcing her system to stop attacking itself. The shaking in her chest eased. Her pulse steadied beneath my fingertips, still fast, but not in the freefall it had been moments ago.

Her eyelids fluttered once, then again, as if she were fighting her way back to awareness. The worst of the allergic surge broke like a retreating tide, leaving only residual swelling behind. She drew a deeper breath, the sound rough but clear. Relief settled quietly in my mind.

"Good," I whispered, brushing her cheek lightly as her gaze started to return.

I rose to my feet, rolling my shoulders back. She was safe. Breathing on her own. And when I glanced around the pub, every single person had their eyes fixed on me. Northern Wolf looked subtly stunned. Several mercenaries froze mid-step. The silence that followed her first unhindered breath was almost reverent.

She lived because I decided she would.

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.