Someone Had to Do Something

In the hall

Vera sat beside Ifrit, one hand gently stroking the girl's forehead while a tame flame danced at the fingertips of her other hand.

She wasn't playing. She was recalling the feeling of using her skill in the Dungeon earlier.

When she resurrected King Snow Ape, nearly half the energy in her body had been drained in an instant...

The consumption was still within an acceptable range. After all, once resurrected, it could act on its own and did not require her to continuously expend energy to control it.

But...

The monsters in the Dungeon could obey her commands. Then... what about people with fully intact self-awareness?

Vera's fingertips trembled slightly, and the flame swayed with them.

Could the dead be resurrected?

The thought sent a chill through her.

To toy with life and death was one of the greatest taboos in the world.

Did she truly have the ability to bear the price of that?

"Mm..."

Just then, a faint sensation of movement in her hand interrupted Vera's chaotic thoughts.

She turned her head and met a pair of uneasy amber eyes.

Ifrit had awakened and was looking at her timidly.

Vera forced a gentle smile onto her face and lowered her voice to an almost whisper.

"You're awake? How do you feel? Are you hungry? The food will be ready soon."

At the same time, she discreetly urged the other three.

Carefully helping Ifrit sit up, Vera saw that the girl seemed somewhat at a loss.

During her time at Rhine Lab, aside from Silence, no one had ever treated her with such gentleness.

Even Silence, when they had first met, had carried the caution inherent to a researcher.

Seeing how tense Ifrit was, Vera softened her voice even further.

"What's wrong? Does anything still hurt? Or are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"N-no..."

Ifrit answered haltingly, habitually lowering her head to avoid that overly concerned gaze.

When facing researchers who saw her as an experiment and a monster, Ifrit could raise every one of her thorns and protect herself with roars and curses.

But when faced with such pure kindness, she was like a nocturnal creature suddenly exposed to sunlight, completely at a loss and even somewhat frightened.

Seeing the other girl nearly curl herself into a ball, Vera was at a loss as well.

Was her voice too cutesy? It had clearly worked when she took care of children before...

An awkward silence fell between them, and the atmosphere froze for a moment. Then—

"Hahaha, the meat soup is here~"

Vane's lively voice burst in, instantly breaking the awkward atmosphere between them.

Ifrit looked over at the sound. When she saw the familiar towering figure behind Vane, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Big mon—"

She instinctively wanted to call him the name she had given him in her heart, but the words stopped abruptly at her lips.

She herself... really hated being called a "monster."

Then calling someone else a "big monster" must be bad too.

With that thought, Ifrit swallowed the name that had reached her lips. She raised her head and tried to remain polite as she asked,

"My name is Ifrit. May I ask... what are your names?"

Gorth, who had just entered the hall, heard this and was about to give his usual name when Vera's urgent voice rang out in his mind.

Vera: Vane! Are there any powers on this land that can curse or kill someone just by knowing their name?

Vane: Seriously? Vera, you're being way too cautious!

Vera: Cut the nonsense! Is there or isn't there?!

Vane: Uh... I don't really know much about that, but the Sarkaz Banshee clan has the ability to use cursed words. Maybe... there really are related spells?

Vera: ...In that case, to be safe, let's come up with new names to deal with this.

Gorth: We have to lie... even to a child?

Vera: I!... Hah... Th-this is just a necessary safety measure!

Gregor: Enough. We'll do as Vera says. It's for everyone's safety, after all.

Vane: Fine, fine. Then I'll just use my skin's name, Vane? It's pretty cool anyway!

Sure. x3

Seeing the people before her suddenly fall silent as a group, Ifrit thought she had asked something she should not have. Her head lowered again.

Just then, Vane had already set the soup pot aside.

He darted in front of Ifrit in a single stride, a cloudless smile spreading across his face as he readily introduced himself.

"My name is Vane! As for my race, I'm a Vampire~"

"A Vampire?"

Some notorious rumors about that race instantly flashed through Ifrit's mind, and her body shrank back reflexively for a moment.

But she immediately realized—

Wasn't she also a feared "Flame Demon"?

They had not rejected her. How could she be afraid of them just because of rumors?

She suppressed that instinctive fear and cautiously held out her hand.

"H-hello."

Vane grinned, took her little hand, and gave it a shake. His movements were unexpectedly gentle.

"I'm Vera." Vera's gentle voice came from beside her. She extended her hand as well, wearing a faint smile that put people at ease.

Ifrit extended her other hand and shook hers too.

"I'm Gorth..."

A deep, steady voice sounded as Gorth introduced himself as well.

Seeing that both of Ifrit's hands were occupied, he merely gave a slight nod.

Ifrit looked at her two hands being held and seemed somewhat at a loss. Gorth immediately waved a hand.

"It's fine... I don't mind..." (Dejected.)

The group fell silent for a moment.

Vane could not help complaining in the group.

You totally sound like you mind!

Finally, Ifrit turned her gaze toward the last person present.

[Incomprehensible Flame Demon roar]

Ifrit: "???"

Vane hurriedly explained, "Ahaha, this is our boss, Gregor! Little Fire Dragon, you can call him Boss like we do!"

Little Fire Dragon?

Ifrit felt a trace of confusion at the sudden nickname, but she still nodded obediently. Looking at Gregor, she said seriously,

"Um... thank you, Boss."

After saying that, she turned to the others, her eyes filled with sincerity.

"And thank you too... for saving me."

Vera's expression was gentle, but before she could speak a soothing word, an unruly fellow beside her interrupted.

"Oh, no need to be so polite!" Vane leaned closer with a grin.

"The few of us just love cute little girls like you! If you want to repay us, then when you grow up... Aow! Hot, hot, hot, hot!!!"

A giant lava hand grabbed Vane's entire head, cutting off all the nonsense that followed.

With an expressionless face, Gregor dragged away the squealing Vane toward the Nursery.

"Wait! Boss, I was wrong! I was just joking! Have mercy—!" Vane's pleas gradually faded into the distance.

Ifrit was stunned by the sudden turn of events and instinctively looked in the direction they had gone.

However, a hand gently held her cheek and firmly turned her head back.

Ifrit met Vera's smiling eyes. That smile was still gentle, but for some reason, it sent an inexplicable chill down Ifrit's spine.

"Don't look over there, Ifrit~"

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, making Ifrit shrink her neck.

"Remember to stay farther away from that guy in the future, understand? If you stay around trash for too long... you'll start to stink too."

Ifrit swallowed and nodded obediently.

"O-okay."

She was practically a combination of Saria and Silence...

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Seeing that Ifrit knew how to read the room, Vera nodded in satisfaction and beckoned Gorth over, who had been quietly waiting nearby.

"Gorth, feed her," Vera said as she handed the meat soup to Gorth.

"I'm going to find them and 'take care of something.'"

Gorth silently accepted the bowl of soup and mourned for Vane for three seconds.

Holding the bowl, his massive body slowly crouched before Ifrit.

This posture made his ferocious deer head fill Ifrit's entire field of vision.

Then, under Ifrit's somewhat nervous gaze, Gorth used movements completely at odds with his size to carefully scoop up some soup and blow on it.

"Ah~"

Looking at the spoonful of soup held out to her, Ifrit quietly tried to negotiate.

"I-I can do it myself..."

Gorth said nothing. He simply held the spoon out and made that sound again.

"Ah~"

Ifrit: "..."

Meanwhile, inside the Nursery.

Did you have to say that in front of him? If you want to die, there are better ways to go about it...

Gregor helplessly released his hand, taking several strands of singed hair with it.

Vane rubbed his still-warm scalp, yet there was not a shred of regret on his face.

"Hehe, it just slipped out."

"Good thing Boss pulled me out in time, or Vera would've started playing dirty."

Enough messing around. Gregor shook his head helplessly.

Yell a few times for show. Put on an act, so he doesn't think we're being too perfunctory.

"Okay! Pretending is what I'm best at!"

"Pretending what?"

Vane's body stiffened. His neck turned one notch at a time, like rusted gears.

Vera had somehow appeared behind them. She was clearly smiling, yet it made their skin crawl.

The instinct to survive made Vane instantly pile a dazzling smile onto his face as he tried to muddle through.

"Of course... of course we're pretending to be mature and reliable adults in front of that child!"

As he spoke, he nodded vigorously in an attempt to make himself more convincing.

"I was asking Boss how I could become as calm and dependable as him, so I'll never spout nonsense in front of children again! Right, Boss!?"

He desperately shot Gregor meaningful looks.

Gregor: *...*

Seeing Vane's cowardly appearance, Vera waved her hand, and the intimidating smile on her face receded.

"Forget it. It's not like your rotten mouth has only been around for a day or two."

She rubbed her brow, seeming to have a headache, but soon turned serious.

"I came to find you because I need to ask something important."

Vane breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and assumed an attentive posture.

"Go ahead. I'll tell you everything I know!"

"You mentioned before that the child was an experimental subject." Vera's gaze sharpened.

"What kind of experiment was it exactly? What did Rhine Lab do to her?"

Vane's expression grew serious as well, and he nodded.

"Mm... I told you that the child was an Infected, right?"

"Mm." Vera confirmed.

"Ifrit was nominally an experimental subject in Rhine Lab's research into 'Oripathy treatment technology,' but in truth..." Vane paused and lowered his voice.

"She was the vessel for a revival plan for an ancient entity known as the Flame Demon. They were trying to awaken—or rather, create—a controllable Flame Demon within her."

"So that means..."

"Yeah." Vane confirmed her guess.

"Besides enduring the torment of Oripathy, they forcibly stuffed an extremely restless Flame Demon fragment into her body."

Upon hearing this, Gregor's lava body let out a low rumble.

Can we just get rid of that fragment?

"...That would be difficult. That thing has basically already become symbiotic with Ifrit. Forcibly removing it would very likely kill her outright."

"Fortunately, Ifrit could suppress the Flame Demon fragment under normal circumstances. Unless she suffered extreme stimulation, the Flame Demon's power would not easily run rampant."

The boss nodded. [It's fine. I'll stay by this child's side at all times.]

[If that fragment dares show itself even once, I'll crush it once, until we find a way to solve this completely.]

Vera folded her arms in thought and picked up the conversation. "Then the next issue is another problem."

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy. They all understood what Vera meant.

[Oripathy...] The boss's voice carried a trace of barely perceptible hope.

[Is there really no treatment at all?]

Vane sighed and shook his head.

"Based on what I know of the story... there is currently no way to completely cure Oripathy. Existing medical methods can at most suppress the progression of the lesions and alleviate the symptoms."

Vera frowned tightly. "Not even a powerful healing potion like the red bottle? It can instantly heal even such severe injuries."

Vane denied it again. "Most likely not. The red bottle's effects lean more toward repair and regeneration. It can rapidly close wounds and restore stamina."

"But it most likely cannot reverse the constitutional changes caused by Oripathy. Strictly speaking, Oripathy isn't a disease..."

He gathered his thoughts, trying to explain it in a more understandable way.

"It is more like a... forced 'evolution catalyst,' or rather, Originium's deep infection and alteration of living beings."

"In a sense, it does indeed promote the host's evolution, such as awakening Originium Arts."

"But the process of that evolution is far too brutal. The host's frail mortal body simply cannot withstand such drastic changes."

"Powerful races can hold out longer with their robust bodies, while weaker races soon suffer organ failure, bodily crystallization, and even death. That is why it is so deadly."

Vera fell silent for a moment, then slowly breathed out the words that revealed the heart of the metaphor.

"...So that's why you called it 'cancer from another world' before."

Gregor silently turned around, and the other two looked over as well. Everyone's gazes passed through the open doors and landed on a corner of the hall.

There, Gorth—the Third Brother—was spooning meat broth into Ifrit's mouth, while the girl drank it in small sips.

Looking at this peaceful scene, and thinking of how the child had to endure both the threat of the Flame Demon fragment within her and the heavy shackles of the incurable disease known as Oripathy...

The boss's breathing grew heavier.

A low voice rang out through the mental link, carrying unquestionable resolve.

[Where is the best doctor on this land for treating Oripathy?]

Vane's expression also turned serious.

"That depends on the exact point in time. If it is after Rhodes Island was established, then the answer is unquestionably Rhodes Island."

"Rhodes Island is a landship without a fixed residence, though it has stationed branches in various places. But..."

Vane changed direction.

"If it is before that..."

His gaze finally settled on the Second Brother, his tone carrying a trace of uncertainty and gravity.

"Then the best doctors are unquestionably at Babel Tower..."

The Second Brother raised an eyebrow. "From the look on your face, this has something to do with me? Where is Babel Tower?"

Vane paused, then spoke a place name of extraordinary significance to the Sarkaz.

"Kazdel."

Kazdel.

The homeland of the Sarkaz, now a land scarred by war and division, beneath the shadow of the Demon King.

At the same time, it was also very likely where Vera was now.

[Sigh...]

Gregor sighed silently, then said,

[We should consider this carefully. First, we...]

"I'll go."

[What?] / "What?"

Gregor and Vane both looked at Vera. Vera spoke again, her voice quiet... yet deafening.

"I'll go."

"..."

[Next stop, Kazdel.]

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