Chapter 15: Unclear intentions
The sound of punching was getting louder and louder now. There were cries mixed up in that sound as well and Iris knew these were the people she wanted to find in Oreta.
"You think you can get away? No one steals from the boss and lives to tell the tale" the corny line was said by a no-name NPC, her looks similar to the ones described in the books.
But was a scene identical to the one MC had walked in on the original novel when he had arrived in Oreta. It was also one which was common enough to experience.
But Iris was not here for the scene.
She was here for the grey-haired banshee that stood at the back of the group. Her imposing stare could make anyone break down in fear.
But not Iris because she could not afford to show weakness.
"You here to be a hero for these people? Should we beat you up as well?" the lackey asked, her hands twitching in excitement.
"I am not here for you low-life. I have things to discuss with the right-hand woman of the current Vizier. Lady Nicole, I've heard a lot about you and would like to negotiate with you" Iris ignore the lackey after the initial line.
She knew she was taking a gamble by angering someone who could seriously hurt her if she tried but she had to make her stand.
She needed the other side to view her as a threat and bowing down to them would not accomplish it.
"You little!!!! I'll show you who the low-life is" the female lackey attacked in anger, her fist moving far quicker than Iris had expected it to.
There was a flash of silver in the attacker's hand and it was only her bad feeling Iris had that made her dodge in the last second.
Still, the knife managed to leave a bleeding wound on Iris's face and it hurt.
But not for long as Iris urged it to heal visibly with her magic.
"That should show you - huh, w-what is with you? T-This is a m-magical knife. No s-special ability should allow you to heal naturally. I should know because this knife ended a lot of such creatures. What are you?" the tone turned from gloating to fearful.
Her attacker seemed as if she had seen a ghost and she might as well have.
There had been poison on the tip of that knife and it had been potent enough to kill as well.
A black shadow jumped down the roof in front of the group and ran toward the silver-haired woman in the back before snuggling at her feet. Her blue eyes narrowed at Iris and there was a curious light inside them.
"You are a healer. Why would the commission send one here? What are you playing at?" the silver-haired woman asked, clearly not believing Iris and her intentions.
"Commission? I'm not affiliated with them. I am here to do business and that's it. I want you to take me to the Sultan" Iris's voice was stone-cold and then tension remained.
Both sides did not know if they could trust the other or not.
Meanwhile, the group who was being beaten took this time to run away. By the time the lackey noticed, they were gone from the alley.
"Hey, our prey escaped us. What are we going to tell the higher-up now?" she did not sound happy but her superior did not pay any attention to her.
"Go and report to the Vizier that we will have a special guest today. Take this cat with you and she will do the rest" Nicole handed the cat to the lackey who looked shaken. But she nodded and ran away without another thought.
"Shall we head back to your companions and help them out? Those people would require more than basic medical attention after all" Nicole's words did not surprise Iris at all.
It had been clear that the other had been keeping tabs on their group. Long enough to know what their group had planned anyway.
"You don't mind if I treat those people? Weren't you suppose to 'teach them a lesson'" Iris sounded amused, her grin audible in her voice. The tone was still cold but it was no longer flat.
"Do as you like. My duty with them is done" Iris shook her head as she moved into the adjacent valley.
The three refugees looked startled to see the silver-haired female behind her but did not move when she made no motion to come into the alley.
"Show me your wounds. I will take care of them all for now" the three looked spectacle but hopeful as well.
Slowly, one of them made her way to Iris and she did a quick examination.
The condition was bad. There was a case of the bad lung there as well as residual poison inside the body. Nothing urgent but it would become worse in the long run.
The other two were also in similar conditions.
It was clear that they had never been examined by a real healer before because they could not stop moving and fuzzing.
"Feels weird. No other doctor felt like this when they examined us" one of them replied as Iris made her magic work around her wounds. They healed at a visible rate and the other seemed to be feeling better as well.
"Drink only warm water for a few days and avoid any cold beverage. I've treated your bad lung as well as take care from today" the other three looked relieved but worried as well.
Was there something wrong?
"P-Payment. I'm afraid we have no m-money to pay you back with?" the first female begged, flinching as she looked behind her and at the silver-haired female.
"I don't need your payments. I might ask you for a favor or two in the future but nothing financially or something that would put you in danger. If everything goes right, you might get a legit healing center here soon" the three looked shocked.
But happy and hopeful as well.
This might have been the first ray of light for people like them and they had nothing but praises for her when they left.
"Are you serious? A healing center? In Oreta? The council would have a fit, not to mention the loss you would sustain. Or, are you looking to leech off of this place as well?" Nicole asked, her tone curious.
One might not have noticed the underline concern she had but Iris did. She was familiar with her after all, the other being a low-life villain in the novel.
But despite all that, Nicole had cared about Oreta and its people. She had fought hard to protect this place and its people when the MC had come to liberate this place.
Many lives had been lost and many people lost their job.
It might have been libration for the world. But for Oreta, it had been a massacre. The place went down when its leaders were not there and never saw the light of the day again.
And that had not even a main plot-line, just a side plot to get one of the MC's harem members who fought with him since he refused to do something about this place.
Thousands of people had died just because one person was foolish enough to get scammed by a merchant in Oreta. It had been foolish and something Iris would make sure did not happen again.
This place needed to survive till the end.
Weekly Power Status
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