“Ah, fuck! Be more gentle! There’s a freaking hole in my stomach.”

“My arm! Aaah!”

“Hehe, I got lucky.”

Conrad, Urban, and Leaf were getting treated by the villagers. Conrad had a hole in his stomach, Urban’s arms were injured, and Leaf only had slight bruising. They weren’t important so I look for the members of Unit K and Cammy.

“KEN!!!”

“Rachel! Rachel!”

Looking over, Rachel was wrapped in bandages as she was holding onto Ken’s body. She had passed out at the sight of him and CZ was worriedly holding her. Ken’s entire body was purple and there was a large hole in his stomach. Fifi heals the wound and rubs some herbs on his body but the purple color wasn’t disappearing.

“Fifi, is Ken going to be ok!?”

“I-I don’t know. That snake’s venom is very potent.”

“Shit! Someone go get Brisben, he might know something about that snake’s venom!”

“I’ll go!”

Mako takes off at Gareth’s command. It wasn’t only Ken who was seriously injured, William was lying right next to him writhing in pain. The veins in his body were bright green and his left arm was broken. Cammy, Jill, Gareth, and CZ had minor injuries that were easy to heal but all of them were exhausted. William and Ken were both in critical condition.

“Damnit!”

It was such a frustrating situation watching the two of them squirm in agony. Healing magic couldn’t cure the poison and all I can do is watch. If only the 3-eyed snake hadn’t stunned me, this would have never happened. It’s my fault that they were injured like this. 

“I brought him!”

As soon as she put Brisben down from her back, Mako stumbles forward. I catch her and could tell that she was seriously injured. A few of her ribs were broken and there was internal bleeding. 

“Thank you, Jude.”

“It’s fine. Rest up.”

Mako immediately collapses out of exhaustion, she must have done her best to protect everyone. I hand her over to Gorou so he can heal her and I turn to check on William and Ken’s conditions. Fifi and Brisben were applying herbs to the wounds while some of them were fed mouth to mouth by Brisben. The herbs calmed them down and their suffering lowered, but their complexion still wasn’t improving. 

“We need to get the blood out of their system, but it’s going to be difficult.”

“The poison is already in their blood. We might need to cut off part of their bodies to save them.”

It seemed outrageous but Fifi didn’t say anything back to Brisben’s proposal. Even if they do cut off a body part it would be fine for William but not Ken. The poison was concentrated on William’s left arm while Ken’s entire body was affected. If they didn’t die from the poison then wouldn’t they die from blood loss?

“Blood...Blood! Kurulu, do you think we can extract the poison out of their bloodstream?”

“It’s possible but it requires precise control.”

I immediately tell Fifi my plans and the two of them agree with my method. Even they knew that cutting off parts of their bodies was too drastic. Many of the villagers had gathered to see what’s going on but the members of Unit K shooed them away. Jill creates walls all around us to prevent the others from distracting me while the others stood guard.

“Extract the blood little by little. Don’t try to handle more than you can take.”

Ken rested on a dirt bed as I made a small cut in his stomach. The blood comes out but it was a dark purple color. Using blood magic I take control of that small amount of blood, but it was difficult. Unlike my own blood which was easy and smooth to control, Ken’s blood was profusely rejecting me. The chaotic poison that was mixed into his blood didn’t make it any easier.

Little by little, I extract the poisoned blood with the utmost care. Sweat was dripping down my back even more than when I was facing off against a flame breath from Gul’sa Quan or the lizardman king. The life of a friend is on the line. All my concentration was put into saving Ken’s life that it felt like time had stopped. It could have been only a few seconds or it could have been a few hours, but I didn’t stop.

“Jude. Jude. Jude.”

“...”

Kurulu continues to give instructions and I follow them. I didn’t want to make a single mistake but it was becoming more difficult. My control of the blood was faltering and it becomes harder to extract. Water suddenly splashes my face and I was shaken out of my concentration. Looking around there was only Fifi and me in the room with William and Ken. William’s breathing was calm while Ken’s complexion had drastically improved. He was around the same level as William when we arrived.

“What’s wrong, Fifi? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing’s wrong but you need to take a break.”

“I’m fine. I’ll rest when Ken’s all better.”

I was going to continue extracting the blood but my vision turns blurry. My hands were shaking and I was barely even able to stand up. Exhaustion overwhelms me and I can feel that my mana was nearly depleted.

“See, go take a break.”

“But.”

“No, buts. You can’t even do anything in your condition, you’ll do more harm than good at this rate.”

“I...Yeah, you’re right. How long has it been?”

“About 6 to 7 hours so go take a nap. Brisben and I will keep a watch over William and Ken. They’ve gone through the worst of it and just need time to recover.”

I thank Fifi and exit the building. Gorou was keeping guard so I talk with him for a bit. I tell him of William and Ken’s condition while he tells me the conditions of the other members. Jill and Mako were still resting while CZ was watching over Rachel who still hadn’t woken up. Gareth had discussed with Kayla about our situation, and it seems like our team won’t be exploring tomorrow.

“Alright, go take a break, Jude.”

“I’ll see you later then.”

The temporary residence set up for William and Ken wasn’t far from where I was staying so it only took a few minutes to get there. It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep. Almost all the lights were out and it was quiet. It reminds me of the nights I spent in Ostempal by myself, and that’s why I was surprised to hear people talking.

“You piece of shit! You got my clothes dirty!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Who do you think is protecting this village!?”

There were three men surrounding a boy. They all had various injuries but their uniforms made it clear that they were from Unit I. One of them kicks the boy in the stomach as he was huddled up on the ground. Blood was coming out of his nose and mouth as he continues to apologizes. The anger rises inside of me as they beat up the helpless boy.

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

“Oh, it’s just you. Buzz off and we won’t bother you. This dipshit got my pants dirty.”

“Please help me!”

They were surprised when I announced my presence but shrugged me off as just someone from Unit K. But I couldn’t just leave after I was asked for help. I point the cursed spear towards them and state my intentions again. If they weren’t going to stop then I’m going to have to get physical.

“Hmph, you’re just from Unit K. Who do you think you are?”

“Let’s show this brat some manners.”

I can see that they were going to use their abilities but I won’t give them the chance. I charge forwards and sweep one of the men’s legs with the backside of the cursed spear. Once he was on the ground, I stomp on his stomach causing him to throw up. I dodge to the side as a giant hand tries to grab me.

Thinking that I was distracted the other man, clad in rock armor, charges at. I swing the cursed spear and it breaks through the armor as it sends him flying away. Now the only one left was the one with the ability to turn his hands large. He was staring at me in shock and fear.

“If I catch you guys doing something like this again, I won’t hesitate to kill.”

He scrambles away in fear as he retrieves his friends with his large hands. I feel a little better as I was able to relieve some of the stress and tension from saving Ken’s life. I walk over to the boy and help him off the ground. He seemed a little younger than me, probably in high school.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, thank you very much!”

“I’ll walk you home.”

I ask him why he’s out so late and it seems like he’s been helping to treat the injuries of the members from Unit I. Unit I had barely gotten back a couple of hours ago and many members had injuries. Since his family owns the only pharmacy in town, it was up to them to distribute the medicine. 

He was on his way back from delivering the medicine when he accidentally dropped one of the medicine bottles. Unluckily the bottle was open and spilled onto the pants of one of the three men who were just walking by. In a state of rage, they began attacking him.

“Does this happen often?”

“Yes, there’s been other incidents of people getting beaten up by them.”

“Why didn’t you guys report this to Kayla? I’m sure she would handle the situation.”

“It’s not like we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t. We’re too afraid of what they’re going to do if they find out we tattled on them.”

He shakes in fear just thinking about what might happen to him if he asks for help. It was like looking at my former self. He’s too weak to deal with the situation and afraid of being hurt even more. If I hadn’t met Fifi or gotten stronger, I’m sure I would still be like him.

“It’s fine, I’ll talk to Kayla about this situation. Just be more careful when you deal with them and if they do bother any of the villagers, tell me about it.”

“Thank you.”

We say our goodbyes as he walks inside his house. I hope I was able to give him at least some sense of ease. I’ll have to talk to Kayla and have her punish those guys since they’re a part of her Unit. I enter the building I was staying in and it was a little bit noisier than usual. I caught a glimpse of Ruka and caught her so I can find out the rooms of Rachel and CZ. Ruka’s been taking care of all the injured so she probably knew where their rooms were.

It seems like all the members of Unit K had rooms close to one another. I thank Ruka and head towards their rooms. Along the way, I could see rooms for members of Unit I. Many of them had injuries and it seems like some of them didn’t make it. The mournful wails echo through the hall as I reach Rachel’s room. Just as I was about to open the door, I stop myself as I could hear someone talking from inside.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You’re all hurt because of me, if only my ability was stronger!”

It was a voice I’ve only heard a few times and it was filled with anguish. Looking through the gap, I can see CZ holding Rachel’s hand who was sleeping. Tears were falling out and pain shot through my heart. It was that same feeling I had when Lisa cried at the death of her friend in Ostempal. I promised I wouldn’t let any of my friends cry and I’ve failed to keep my promise. If I was stronger then none of this would have happened. No, it can’t just be me who gets stronger, I can’t save everyone by myself. All the members of Unit K have to become stronger. 

“It’s me, Jude. Can I come in?”

“...yes.”

I enter as CZ wipes away her tears. It was the first time I’ve seen her eyes and they were heterochromatic, one of them was blue while the other was purple. I was mesmerized by their beauty and it was only when CZ slid me a chair did I come back to my senses. Looking at Rachel, she seemed to be calmly sleeping. I didn’t see any major injuries or poison so she was probably just tired.

“Do you want to get stronger, CZ?”

“...you heard?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for eavesdropping. Let me ask you again, do you want to get stronger?”

“...”

CZ was silent and thought over my question. I gave her the time to think because I also had to get myself ready. No, I’ve already decided and I just wanted to hear her answer. I really should have done this sooner. Everyone in Unit K has gone through life and death together so I can trust them. I don’t have to be afraid of them revealing our secrets to anyone else.

“Yes, I do. I hate being so useless every time we face off against a strong enemy! Please, if you can make me stronger, I’ll do anything! Even if it’s making a deal with a devil, I’ll do everything I can to protect Rachel.”

CZ’s resolve was there and I can tell my decision isn’t wrong. The only awkward thing is that she thinks she’s going to be making a deal with a devil. Did I really seem like a devil? I awkwardly laugh it off and explain to CZ my method of making her stronger. 

“I’m going to teach you magic.”

“...magic? ...really?”

Although I couldn’t see her eyes through the blue hair, I can feel her suspicious stare. I begin to explain everything about magic that I’ve learned from Fifi and Tigurka. Her uncertain gaze was still there but as the explanation becomes more detailed, I can feel her starting to believe in magic. I already have experience teaching Lisa, Mako, Jill, and Gorou so it wasn’t so hard to teach CZ.

“Can you feel the mana in the air and in your body?”

“...yes?”

“Umm, it’s tough because I can’t show you an example, but just remember everything I’ve told you. You can ask Mako, Jill, or Fifi tomorrow for more clarification. Please promise that you won’t reveal this to anyone.”

“...ok...I promise.”

Leaving CZ by herself to think, I leave the room and go check on Jill. She was still sound asleep and there weren’t any injuries on her. Overusing her mana must have left her exhausted. That Mud Bomb was quite a strong magic and must have drained all of her mana. Jill was fine so I leave the room and check up on Mako. Luckily her room was next to mine so I didn’t have to go searching for it.

Her complexion was pale and there were bandages wrapped all over her. The smell of herbs filled the room and I realize what’s wrong with Mako, she was also poison. I rush to her side but it seems like Fifi and Brisben already dealt with the worst of it. It was my mistake to not realize that she was poisoned.

“Father, stop it...It hurts! Help...help...help...someone save me.”

I was checking her injuries but it seems like Mako was having a nightmare. She was clawing at her chest with her right hand and I was afraid that she was going to take off the bandages. I held her hand and her scrunched up eyebrows relaxes. Her breathing becomes calmer and she stops tossing and turning in her sleep.

“Jude...Jude…”

“I’m right here. There’s no need to worry anymore.”

Maybe she heard me but a smile appears on her face. Seeing that she has calmed down, I was going to leave but I couldn’t escape her grasp. I tried prying her finger open but she squeezed even harder. Even when I freed myself, her nightmares came back and disturbed her sleep so I resigned to my fate. I held Mako’s hand for the rest of the night.