"Are they all right?"
Arsene approached somewhat uneasily. "I mean... can they recover?"
He did not know these Blood Slaves, who had been tortured until they were barely recognizable as human.
—or rather, the Blood Slaves he had known at the Earl's Mansion were all old enough to run by now, even the youngest of them.
They were people who would only meet again in another life.
But that did not stop him from feeling pity for these Blood Slaves... nor from thinking of his former self.
Once, he had been one of them. He had suffered no less than they had, but he had endured through sheer willpower... He had also seen others go mad, or completely abandon their identity as human beings.
"Normally speaking..."
Iver shook his head slightly. "None of the mainstream treatments common in the Material Realm should work on them.
"They haven't simply been frightened. Their very personalities have been completely destroyed. They failed to endure the torture... Now, I'm afraid all that remains are their animal instincts."
"How could this happen..."
Arsene murmured under his breath as he looked at the Blood Slaves Iver had healed. Their limbs had completely regenerated, but their pupils remained empty and lifeless. They could neither speak nor move, only twitching at the level of a nervous reflex.
Obvious sorrow showed in his eyes. He lowered his head slightly and mourned for them.
Because in Arsene's understanding, if a person's personality itself was destroyed... then even if their body was intact and their soul complete, it was no different from death.
"—But for me, this kind of thing is still fairly easy to resolve."
Seeing Arsene's reaction, Iver suddenly revealed a proud yet approving smile. "I acknowledge the purity of your dedication.
"But do you know who I am?"