Baron Adi and his son immediately returned to Viscount Leven’s residence to seize the opportunity and bring back the healers.
Luckily, Viscount Leven was absent, interfering with the marriage negotiations of the Astita family, making their task relatively easy.
Thus, they handed over the healers to the Empress.
Around the same time, Siara was preparing to return to her estate.
* * *
‘It’s already my last night in Huangdo.’
Having unexpectedly come to Huangdo, joining the family, and even undergoing training, I had been too occupied to gather my thoughts.
Meanwhile, Therid, my older brother, had found a suitable match and set a wedding date.
We would soon have to start preparing for the wedding, which meant that things would be busy even after returning home.
‘Have I grown accustomed to staying here? It feels awkward to just move to a different place.’
I lowered my gaze and looked at Hierian. His soft hair tickled my fingertips.
His light blue hair seemed almost ethereal at first glance, but under the light, it displayed shades of turquoise, blue, and a gray color resembling the color of his eyes.
As I absentmindedly caressed Hierian’s hair, I let out a slow yawn. While the bedroom was serene, the outside was bustling.
During our stay in Huangdo, we accumulated a considerable amount of luggage, which kept us busy with packing and organizing.
‘Outside feels like a complete battlefield.’
The servants were busy carrying and organizing the heaps of luggage, but I had no responsibilities in that matter. I obediently stayed in the bedroom, where it was warm due to the lit fireplace.
With Hierian still nestled on my lap, I lay down without moving him. The cool breeze seeped through the gaps in the window, but the warmth from the fireplace kept the bedroom cozy.
“Umm, I’m getting sleepy.”
As I close my eyes just like that, something revealed itself in the dark emptiness. It was a shallow cluster of light, like a dandelion seed. The light gradually grew in size and bloomed like a flower bud bursting open.
Pong!
With a lively sound effect, a fairy appeared within the cluster of light. Not knowing whether it was a dream or reality, I reached out my hand to follow the fairy. Just as I was about to chase after the fairy…
[Help me, please—]
A desperate voice called out from somewhere.
“Yikes!”
Startled, I jolted awake from my sleep and quickly sat up. Hierian, who woke up abruptly, rubbed his eyes and asked.
“Siara, what’s wrong?”
“Hierian, didn’t you hear that sound just now?”
“No? I didn’t hear anything.”
“But someone definitely asked for help…”
Hierian also sat up suddenly. The drowsiness that lingered around his eyes vanished, and he asked with a serious expression.
“Where did you hear it from? Should I try to trace it?”
“Well, it was… in a dream.”
“What?”
Hierian made a surprised expression but then immediately shook his head.
“…No, Siara, if it was in a dream, it must have some meaning. I’ll search the surroundings.”
It was amusing how tightly I clenched my fist. I burst into laughter.
“Why go to such lengths? It was probably just a mistake.”
“No, it won’t take long. It’s better than feeling uneasy. I’ll be back!”
Hierian disappeared in an instant. I looked at Hierian’s violet magical energy flickering in the air and then got up from my spot.
I pulled back the blanket and checked if I had the Goddess’ Blessing Ring on, just in case of unexpected situations.
The pink gem still contained the sleeping fairy.
‘I hope I won’t need to use this ring.’
As I absentmindedly caressed the gem, I heard Hierian’s voice from a distance.
“Siara!”
It seems like he’ll come here soon, so I hastily put on my coat. The cozy wool wrapped around my body, and Hierian grabbed my arm urgently.
“Underground…”
“?”
“There are healers.”
Hierian’s expression was grim as if he had seen something unbearable. His voice trembled with tears, and I calmly stroked his head.
Only then did Hierian manage to speak slowly.
“The healers are bound. They look very injured.”
“…Healers are hurt?”
Healing is the most envied ability as one grows older. Most healers have a robust constitution and live long and healthy lives.
“How badly are they hurt?”
“They have handcuffs on their wrists, and they…”
Hierian tightly shut his eyes. Despite his efforts to continue speaking, his whole body trembled, and his breath became irregular.
‘His skin looks pale.’
Seeing him on the verge of collapsing, I quickly bent down and met his gaze, placing my hand on his knee.
“Hierian, don’t force yourself to speak if it’s difficult. And give me your hand.”
“Umm…”
Hierian barely extended his hand to me. His small hand was damp and sweaty.
I held his hand tightly and gently stroked the back of his hand.
While healers can heal just by touching the body, healing done with sincere intentions yields the best results. Only when you genuinely wish to heal someone does your healing ability truly shine.
A yellow glow of power emanated from me and transferred to Hierian. Immediately, he relaxed his expression and took a slow, deep breath.
I embraced the weakened Hierian and comforted him gently.
After regaining his composure, he held my arm tightly and whispered. Tears welled up in his eyes, which looked at me with a gaze full of concern.
“There was a child there too.”
It seemed that the sight of that child had triggered Hierian’s trauma. I nodded in understanding and gently laid Hierian down on the bed.
“You rest here. I’ll go and see.”
“No! What if it becomes dangerous?”
“You’re in pain right now.”
“Thanks to you, Siara, I’m already feeling better.”
“Still, you can’t go. Rest here.”
Hierian pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. Seeing his lips relaxing, it seemed like he was feeling much better.
I reassured him and turned to leave the room. As the door closed, I heard a faint voice from the gap.
“I’ll wait nearby. If it becomes dangerous, call for me.”
I couldn’t deny his willingness to stay by my side, so instead of responding, I smiled and left.
In response to my positive interpretation, I soon heard the sound of someone getting up from the bed.
* * *
The place Hierian informed me about, where the healers were trapped, was the underground of the palace. Iron bars filled the area.
‘Usually, there are prisons in the underground of palaces, and it seems to be similar here.’
The guards had been knocked unconscious by Hierian, so I was able to walk comfortably through the underground.
The difference from other underground prisons was that the cells were empty. However, I could hear distant groans. It was the sound of people, not just one or two voices.
‘Is it over there?’
I walked toward the direction where the sound was coming from, but unfortunately, it led to a fork in the path.
‘Hierian must have turned right, then left, and then…’
What was it?
While contemplating, a bright light appeared on my right.
‘There it is!’
As I approached, I saw about twenty people trapped inside the iron bars. Just as Hierian said, they had handcuffs on their wrists, and upon seeing me, they flinched and crouched down in fear.
‘They are healers too, but they don’t even sense my presence.’
Healers can recognize each other. Even if they possess powers from different races, it’s still the same.
But they didn’t sense me and reacted with fear upon seeing me.
‘They all have unfocused eyes.’
The only person who could still speak pleaded to me,
“P-please, save us. Please, please…”
It was a whisper that sounded more like sobbing. He kept pushing himself into a corner, desperately trying to hide his body.
I approached the man and placed my hand on his body. Fortunately, he was positioned closer to the outside, so it was easy to reach him.
As soon as my hand made contact, the man convulsed as if he were about to retaliate, but I didn’t let go.
‘My healing can provide mental stability as well.’
Since he seemed to be the only one capable of conversation, I wanted to calm him down first and ask about the situation.
Warm energy, like the sun illuminating everything, emanated from my power.
As soon as my power was absorbed into the man’s body, his eyes, which had turned pale with fear, gradually regained their light. His tensed body relaxed.
Only then did I part my lips to speak to the man.
“What happened?”
“Th-th… Who are you?”
“Don’t worry. I’m a healer. I came to rescue you because I heard that you were bound here.”
“You… You’re going to rescue us?”
The man asked loudly, then immediately clamped his mouth shut. I patiently waited for him to continue speaking. My power continued to flow into him.
After a while, the man spoke with a much calmer expression.
“I was kidnapped. Everyone here… they were all kidnapped too.”
The man showed me the inside of his cold handcuffs. There were thorns embedded inside the iron cuffs, piercing his wrists.
“You’re wondering why they’re like that? It’s because of these thorns. They’re coated with a drug that clouds our minds.”
“Why would they do such a thing? They could simply administer a drug.”
“If we continue to be pricked by the thorns, our healing abilities are activated. The better our abilities, the more frequently they are activated. Those who fall behind in the activation time seem to be graded by those who kidnapped us.”
“I’ve heard rumors about healers being involved in illegal activities, but you all are the victims.”
“Well, you’re a noble, so you probably didn’t know about these things and lived a different life.”
The man glanced at my attire and then slumped against the wall.
“I’m grateful for your offer to help, but please save the others first. I’ll be fine like this.”
“Why?”
“Because even if I escape, I’ll just be caught again. I’m an orphan. There’s a bounty on my head at the Guild… There’s no hope for me to live.”
“…”
“You wouldn’t understand, noble lady. You’re a healer with great power, and I envy you.”
As I listened to his despondent murmurs, my hands trembled. Anger swelled up inside me.
