Bab 33: Deceit & Misunderstanding
"Stand down, Caelan!" Captain Rhys firmly ordered before sighing, "It is as Brother Vaan said; we failed to carry out our escort duties."
"Not only did we run into the stream first, but we also left our clients behind to fend off the hellhounds. Even if we die, we shouldn't have left our clients in danger."
Shortly after saying that, Captain Rhys continued to speak with a solemn look, "Nevertheless, there are some doubts I hope Lady Linette can clarify."
"I don't mind, but it will have to wait," Linette said in a low tone while inspecting her little sister's condition.
At the same time, Vaan observed Lillias with Magic Vision to see if he could pick up any abnormalities.
However, he could see nothing wrong in a person with little-to-no mana besides her broken mana veins and disconnected magic circuit.
Vaan furrowed his brows and said, "Lady Lillias's vitals must have been significantly harmed from the shock, but… has she not received any bodily reinforcement from mana?"
"No, due to her congenital condition, her mana has to be regularly drained to prevent harm to her body," Linette explained.
Vaan immediately understood.
Without working mana veins to absorb and circulate the mana in Lillias's body, any and all mana entering her body is no different from poison if left unchecked.
"I need to cast a healing spell on Lillias, but blocking the Rank 3 Dark Hellhound depleted all my mana. My sister's body is already very fragile. I don't think she will last much longer if she doesn't receive immediate treatment."
After Linette said that, she sought the others for their help, "If anyone has a recovery potion to lend, I will be eternally grateful."
"If we had any, we would be glad to offer them… But, unfortunately, the recovery potions were left behind in the wagons we abandoned..." Captain Rhys expressed his regret.
Linette bit her lips, and her eye revealed gloominess and despair.
When Vaan saw this, he knitted his brows and felt compelled to offer his assistance before Linette's emotion worsened.
Another berserk transformation was the last thing he wanted in a small and enclosed underground cave.
"Don't fret, Lady Linette. If you don't mind letting your sister drink my blood, it can be used as a substitute for recovery potions," Vaan offered.
Linette's eyes quickly shone with life.
She glanced up at Vaan with heartfelt emotions and uttered her sincerest appreciation, "Thank you. I will remember this favor."
After receiving her consent, Vaan calmly slit his wrist without so much as a frown before feeding the blood to Lillias.
Gradually but surely, a rosy color returned to Lillias's pale cheeks.
Only after Linette saw her sister's breathing stabilized did she sigh with relief, finally feeling a huge weight lifted off her heart.
Generally, there were ways to mend broken mana veins.
However, such methods were also separated into the good and the bad and had much to do with the witch's future progress.
Only a set of good mana veins will allow witches to absorb and refine mana better, whether it is quantity or speed.
That's why they had to wait for a wood-specialized High Witch for the best treatment results.
While ruffling Lillias's hair with a warm yet calm look, Linette said to Captain Rhys, "Speak, what doubts do you have?"
"Our current situation, does it have something to do with why you hired our service instead of using guards from your own Delarosa Household?" Captain Rhys questioned.
Linette's eyes flickered and shot Vaan an accusive look, but he shook his head.
"There's no need to look at Brother Vaan like that, Lady Linette. It wasn't difficult to figure out your household origins, especially when you are using your real name, my Lady." Captain Rhys clarified.
Upon hearing that, Linette immediately flashed Vaan an apologetic look for doubting him.
However, Vaan's expression remained tranquil.
Such a small matter was not enough to cause a ripple in his heart.
"I see… I suppose I wasn't really trying to hide it anyway," Linette admitted to being a member of the Delarosa Household before apologizing, "I'm sorry for getting everyone caught up in this mess."
"There may have been some internal conflicts within my household ever since my mother, Belline Delarosa, fell ill, but I didn't think that my aunt would be this ruthless to her nieces."
"So we are being caught up in an assassination attempt being disguised as an accident, huh?" Captain Rhys muttered with confirmation before he suddenly said, "There's no need to apologize, Lady Linette."
"An apology won't get us out of this mess. Instead, if we make it to the next city alive, I hope you will be able to raise the payment we initially agreed on," Captain Rhys requested.
"Of course," Linette accepted.
After resolving the issue of payment, Captain Rhys and the young warriors felt relief. Even so, some doubts remained in the back of his mind.
"It's strange, though…"
"What is?"
Linette glanced at Captain Rhys after sensing puzzlement in his words.
"No matter how I look at it, I still find it strange that assassins would use this method to target milady," Captain Rhys mentioned.
"Everyone would have noticed such a large-scale movement and sensed something wrong. If they wanted to get rid of milady, they should have chosen a more silent and covert method."
"True…" Linette frowned before recalling, "I did hear rumors of the Assembly of Silent Night taking on a new commission, but this doesn't seem like their usual way of doing things."
"What do you think, Vaan?" Linette sought Vaan's educated opinion.
Of course, Vaan highly doubted it was the work of a Dark Organization, but such a misunderstanding was in his favor.
"We lack critical information regarding what struck the cliff wall, but everyone would be able to guess it is the work of a Dark Organization if a high-ranking noble witch's daughter were to die silently and suddenly."
"However, if they used this method, although the Dark Organizations won't be crossed off the list of suspects, it would undoubtedly put more options on the table; for example, the Delarosa Household's enemies and rivals will all be suspects."
"Thus, in my honest opinion, the assassin or assassins chose this approach to obscure their tracks and avoid bringing the wrath of High Witches upon their organization," Vaan lied as naturally as he breathed.
Hadiah
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