Beth's Sacrifice

Although Shaya had stopped struggling, he still didn't trust Thor.

"You? Treat me? Do you even know what's happened to me? Do you think you can claim to be treating me, temporarily suppress the Corruption, and then make me work for you?"

Perhaps because they had stayed in one place too long, the streetlights in front of and behind Thor dimmed again.

The shadows blurred Thor's expression, too.

But his voice remained exceptionally clear.

"You may not know this, but in the years since I left Kaositer, I've worked part-time as a physician. I'm quite good at treating Corruption."

Thor sounded perfectly calm and confident.

"Besides, even if I don't know what's happened to you, can't you tell me? No matter how skilled a physician is, they need to learn the cause and symptoms from the patient before beginning treatment. If you want to escape your predicament, cooperate with me!"

His sudden, forceful tone, combined with the pressure of his Mental Power, made the moon in front of him and the Orange Cat behind him both shrink back.

Startled by Thor's sudden show of strength, Shaya's lips trembled. But when he spoke, he said, "So you were hiding your strength after all. What tier are you now? What are you plotting?"

Dealing with Shaya really was a pain!

He always treated Thor like a swindler, suspecting him of ulterior motives.

Though Thor really was a swindler.

Now the "swindler" had run out of patience. He shoved the moon to the ground and ground it into the dirt. "Enough nonsense. I'm asking you one thing: are you going to let me treat you or not?"

"Yes! Yes!" Shaya's will to survive finally overcame his delusions, and he answered repeatedly.

"Yes! Yes! Meow!" Even Kate, behind them, mechanically echoed him.

Hearing the