A borrowed bungalow in Val Royeaux.

"They haven’t reached your internal organs so you won’t die. You’re sturdier than most after all. Still......" The doctor poured a smelly liquid onto my whole body 

"Guooh." It's damn painful.

As the bolts dug into various parts of my body, my whole had to be removed.

I was only covered by a blanket.

"If only the elven girl is here." Sekrit muttered while leaning onto the wall beside the entrance door.

"Shhh. Don't mention about Selene who is faraway in Redcliffe." The shorter Reina told Sekrit while tugging the tall girl's sleeve.

I was laid on a mattress on the large living room. 

The doctor knelt down to treat me while Lucy the maid knelt beside him, acting as the nurse. Kneeling beside Lucy was Eli, the girl who we saved from Etienne de Chevin's castle. She worked as my maid, assisting Lucy which meant now this cute girl was something like assistant nurse.

When Lucy put her hand on my back, the pain I stopped feeling was suddenly brought back, causing a groan to escape my lips.

The doctor spoke in loud voice so the 13 girls in the living room could hear clearly.

"Because they weren’t pulled out right away, the flesh has started to wrap around the arrows. Not to mention it’s starting to fester...... taking these out will be hard. It will be extraordinarily painful."

If the arrows weren’t taken out immediately, the flesh would close around them.

In my case, my back was stabbed with many arrows and the circumstances were not appropriate for first aid to be done. There’s a chance I die from blood loss if they’re pulled out carelessly so there was no choice but to leave them.

"That sounds scary. I want to hold soft Clarice’s hand while they’re pulled out." I teased but the blushing Clarice scolded me in an undertone, "Stop it, you are half dead!"

"Aaaaa!" A woman let out a wail. I glanced and noticed Malty's mother stood behind the girls.

"Mother!" Malty caught her before she fell on her knees.

Malty's mother had a hand over her mouth and was left speechless. She must be devastated to see my bolt-riddled back. Some even dug into my hands and thighs.

"Mal...Malty...that man was hurt that much for saving me?"

Malty, while hugging her trembling mother answered, "He also risked his life to save my life. The name is Hiro Hezri."

I said jokingly, "She’s got some huge boobs, don’t you think? Hehehe, I can’t wait."

"Shut up!" Clarice, Myla and Reina yelled.

Mirai puffed her cheeks. The initial heartbroken atmosphere was gone.

The doctor turned around  at the girls and said,

"Pulling out would be painful and life threatening. You girls pull out from him. If that's, he might can stand. I teach you how to do it."

The girls knelt down around my mattress except Sekrit who remained standing, biting her nails while trembling. So, Sekrit, you did have this side of you?

"B-bear with it...... I’m really sorry......"

As I lied on my stomach, Myla straddled my back and pulled out a bolt.

I let out a groan despite biting down on a cloth.

"Irijina-san. You stayed back. Your rough ways will only hurt Hiro-sama." Mirai urged the tallest girl to retreat.

Irijina meekly crawled away from us.

Having them extracted was way more painful than being shot.

"There are still ten left." The doctor said.

Claire, Reina, Mirai, Clarice, Gretel, Suzy, and Gheyna took turn to pull out the bolts.

"Eei!"

"Guoooooh......"

Lucy wiped the leaking blood away after every pull and then slathered the ointment on.

Something like a pain-numbing agent must be in that, as the wound felt slightly more soothing.

Myla finally pulled out the last bolt. 

I was not actually tired. It’s due to the intense pain and blood loss that I couldn’t maintain my consciousness any longer.

Right before completely losing consciousness, I felt many soft hands brushing my body gently.

I saw the standing Sekrit biting her lips in agony while her eyes were locked on my eyes. 

Our eyes were locked until my eyes slowly closed on their own.

*** 

An hour later in a room if the same bungalow.

Malty Melromarc and her newly saved mother, Mirellia Melromarc flumped on the mattress facing each other. If anyone didn't know their actual identities, one might think them as a twin due to almost identical resemblance. 

Their only differences were hair and body. 

Both possessed red hairs but Malty's red hair was yellowish while Mirellia's hair was purplish.

After her treatment, her messy loose hair was redone to the state before the cruel incident. 

Her purplish red hair tied in a bob with collarbone-length bangs.

"Your father had died. So did our family. Our Count family doesn't exist anymore." Mirellia spoke in weak tone.

Malty waited but her mother ceased talking. The daughter grabbed her mother's hands.

"Forgive me, mother. I sold you to that man, Hiro."

Rather than questioning, Mirellia only gazed at her gloomy daughter.

"That man saved me when I was about to kill. Then, I begged him to save you. The condition was we gave our bodies and enslaved by him. We gave ourselves to the man, Hiro. But I never expected he was willing to risk his life for us."

Mirellia grabbed her daughter's hands and replied,

"We had nowhere to go. My body is dirty. Can he accept me?"

The mother and daughter remained silence and slept. It had been several hours past midnight.