"I'm Not Doing It For Him"

Sean's injuries should have been severe, in theory.

Not because he took a hit from Zajik's puppet, but because of Forbidden Meditation.

The Magic he consumed when casting the Maze of Truth was at least seventy to eighty lac, and it was a continuous output. This kind of power, tens of times that of a Rank Two, meant that his body also experienced autophagy reactions in tens of times the number of cells that would have otherwise been insignificant.

This was a terrifying thing.

Although Sean couldn't figure out exactly how many cells in his body would die from this Forbidden Meditation, he was certain it wouldn't be a small number. At the very least, he would lose a lot of weight, becoming skin and bones, like a slave imprisoned for years without enough food. In a more severe case, he might even show signs of aging or lose some physiological functions.

But in reality, Sean's body hadn't changed much.

He was indeed very tired, feeling like he had overexerted himself, but there was no sign of the weakness, akin to anemia or a high fever, described in The Beginning of Forbidden Spells.

He had noticed this when he used his forbidden power to kill Quill.

His body seemed to be peculiar, able to withstand the cost of using Forbidden Spells to a certain extent. This was the same as what his sister Elvily had told him in his dream, which was why he dared to go all out to support Elvily and the others at Floris Hospital.

Sean could tell that Elvily seemed to have misunderstood something.

But he didn't think he needed to explain.

A handsome and famous writer once said, "Life is fascinating precisely because it is full of uncertainties, and these uncertainties often stem from beautiful misunderstandings."

Admittedly, Elvily's embrace was very comfortable.

A girl's embrace, just like in his dreams, was warm, fragrant, and soft.

Now that Quill was dead and the hospital crisis was resolved, he needed rest. He might as well sleep soundly in his sister-in-law's arms.

When he woke up again, it was already September 4th.

"Huh, you're awake?"

A gentle, older sister's voice reached his ears. Sean opened his eyes and saw Iris sitting on a chair by the bed. Then his gaze fell on the calendar on the cabinet, and he couldn't help but freeze, "The 4th?"

"I slept this long?"

This was a high-class hospital room, with clean walls and good lighting, but it was definitely not Floris Hospital.

"Only three days, not long at all," Iris said with a smile.

Given the "severity" of Sean's injuries, it would have been impossible for him to wake up in less than ten days to half a month. Three days was already an exaggerated amount of time, indicating that Sean's physical condition was far superior to that of a normal person.

However, she had guessed that Sean's injuries weren't serious that night, so she wasn't too surprised. Instead, she was more astonished by the fact that Sean's "injuries weren't serious" itself.

A Rank One... no, he should be Rank Two now. Putting aside his incredibly fast cultivation speed, how could a Rank Two Wizard survive an attack from a Rank Five puppet and only sustain minor injuries?

Iris was very curious.

"Where's Elvily?" Sean realized he still had an IV drip on his hand and couldn't move much. He had to adapt to his "patient" status for a moment and asked about the girl.

"She went to get your medicine," Iris replied. Speaking of Elvily, a knowing smile appeared on her face again. "You're already looking for her as soon as you wake up. Mr. Sean, could it be that you're actually interested in our Miss Flame Crow?"

Sean coughed lightly. "Not at all. I'm like this with all my friends."

"Really?" Iris tilted her head. "Shouldn't I also be considered Mr. Sean's friend? Why haven't I seen Mr. Sean care about me?"

Sean: "..."

He thought for a moment, put on a concerned expression, and asked, "How have you been these past few days, Miss Iris? Have you eaten? How many meals do you eat a day? Are they delicious? What do you eat? Is it sweet or savory? Is there a lot of chili? Do you brush your teeth after eating? What brand of toothpaste do you use..."

"Enough, enough, stop," Iris said, both amused and exasperated. "Is this how you care for your friends?"

Was this concern?

It felt like he was just trying to make conversation.

Sean calmly said, "This is how we straight men are."

"If that's true, I can only say you're very successful," Iris said, referring to the previous topic—whether Sean was interested in Elvily—and wanting to attract the girl's attention. She smiled and said, "Do you know what Elvily has done for you these past few days?"

Sean: "Hmm?"

"Tell me about it."

"It's quite a lot, let me count."

Iris counted on her fingers, listing them like treasures: "First, she called for an emergency helicopter and brought you to this secret hospital overnight."

"Second, she forced the doctors out of bed, disregarding their rest, to examine you."

"Then, she invited the best priest here to heal you, and used her personal connections to have the best medicine in the world flown in from Klim State. The bottle you have hanging now is it."

"After that, there were dedicated food delivery personnel, nutritionists, and even an Alchemist capable of refining body-repairing potions... Let's just say, even when she herself was critically injured, she never received such treatment... No one has ever received such treatment; you're the first."

Sean's eyes curved as he listened.

So his sister-in-law was this good to him?

"Iris, who are you talking to?"

As they were talking, Elvily pushed the door open with a frown. She thought someone else was there, as she had said not to disturb Sean without her permission. Only when she came in with a plate of alchemical potions did she realize Sean was awake and sitting up.

Her beautiful brows suddenly relaxed, and she said with surprise, "Sean, you're awake?"

After speaking, she realized she seemed a little too agitated, so she lowered her voice and added indifferently, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Just woke up, didn't have time," Iris answered for Sean, smiling. "I was just telling him how busy you've been for him these past few days, that you're almost dead from exhaustion."

Elvily: "?"

As soon as she turned her head, she saw Sean's gentle, touched expression. Her heart fluttered inexplicably, and she quickly started to explain, "Busy with what? When was I busy?"

Iris and Sean said nothing, just looking at the mending potion she held, which had been specially refined for her.

Elvily continued to argue, "It's not for him. Including the helicopter, doctors, medicine... these were just to check our emergency treatment plan. There's no other reason."

"Okay, okay, if you say there's no other reason, then there isn't," Iris didn't argue with her, winking ambiguously. "I'm going to the restroom, you two chat."

Elvily glared at her. "Sit down and hold it in."

Iris: "..."

Sean: "..."

It wasn't like they were discussing anything shameful. She didn't need Iris to leave them some so-called "private time." Elvily snorted and walked to the bedside table, putting down the plate. She picked up a bottle of potion and instinctively reached out to feed it to Sean.

Sean thought, My sister-in-law actually has this caring side. Just as he eagerly opened his mouth, Elvily suddenly realized the person had already woken up. She grabbed his hand, the one not hooked up to an IV drip, and shoved the potion into his palm.

"Drink it yourself."

Sean: "..."

Iris chuckled from the side.

Sean had no choice but to do it himself, while his mind wondered if he should pretend to be sick for a few more days.

As he drank the potion... it was bitter, a little spicy, with a taste like absinthe. He changed the subject and asked the young woman, "What happened with the hospital matters in the end?"

Elvily calmed her slightly accelerated heartbeat and replied, "It went well. Most people were rescued."

Except for those who had already died, and some who had been brainwashed and tried to infiltrate them as moles, the other patients had all been sent to the hospital. They had been fed food containing Withered Leaf Grass for a long time, accumulating a lot of toxins in their bodies. They were now receiving treatment.

"Did you go to the morgue?" Sean asked.

He was very concerned about Chris's body.

Iris nodded. "We did."

She had gone herself. She also wanted the innocent and pitiful Wizards to be laid to rest, but...

"The morgue was empty."

Iris said, "Zajik had already moved all the bodies beforehand."

Sean: "?"