"My apologies, Lady Furina, but Lord Warden is currently not in his office."
"What? Wriothesley isn't here?"
Furina, who had come to find Wriothesley, was stunned by the Overseer's response.
"Where has Wriothesley gone?"
"I'm afraid I don't know."
"When will he return?"
"I'm afraid I don't know that either..."
Seeing the guard's utter cluelessness, Furina was completely stumped.
"Lady Furina, is there something you need to discuss with Lord Warden Wriothesley? Perhaps you could tell me first, and I'll relay the message when he returns?"
"Never mind. Let's just come back another time."
Furina shook her head. She would have liked to wait for Wriothesley's return, but Fontaine was swamped with urgent matters that needed immediate attention. She simply couldn't afford to waste any more time.
She would have to wait until Neuvillette finished his shift before returning. That way, even if she couldn't find Wriothesley, she could go straight to Neuvillette.
"Let's go, Focalors. Our luck really is terrible today."
Was it really just bad luck?
Focalors remained skeptical. The day's events seemed far too coincidental. Moreover, Furina had mentioned that the overseer they encountered earlier, who normally worked as a supervisor, had been suddenly assigned to guard Neuvillette—an odd situation in itself.
Focalors kept her suspicions to herself, though. She sensed that Neuvillette was secretly working on something he didn't want them to know about.
The root of the matter likely traced back to the massive haul of Dottore Segments captured earlier.
Sigh, it seems I really can't avoid this month's work after all.
Focalors sighed inwardly and followed Furina.
"Lady Focalors?!"
The Overseer, only realizing the Gardemek accompanying Furina was Focalors after hearing her speak, nearly buckled in terror.
Just as he frantically scrambled to bow, Furina and Focalors had already moved on.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the Overseer pushed open the door to the Warden's office and reported to Wriothesley, who was absorbed in paperwork.
"Lord Warden, Lady Furina has successfully persuaded her to return, as you instructed."
"Hmm," Wriothesley replied softly, without looking up.
"However, Lady Focalors seemed to be with Lady Furina this time. Are you certain this approach is safe?"
Furina might not be the Hydro Archon, but Focalors was the genuine Hydro Archon. The Overseer feared that his involvement in this affair might earn him her ire, leading to future troubles.
"It doesn't matter whether Lady Focalors knows this is just an excuse. She won't reveal the truth to Furina anyway."
"If she knows something, all the better. We need her help to keep Furina occupied."
Wriothesley had no illusions about Focalors' ability to conceal anything from him, but he was confident she wouldn't involve Furina, an irrelevant party, so he wasn't worried.
"You may leave. If Furina comes again, maintain this same story."
"Yes, Lord Warden!"
Hearing Wriothesley's instructions, the Overseer bowed respectfully and withdrew from the room.
As Wriothesley gazed at the intelligence reports on Sumeru collected by his informants, his lips twitched.
"It seems Sumeru hasn't been peaceful lately either..."
-
Sumeru. Lumine appeared before the group with dark circles under her eyes. Collei immediately asked with concern, "Traveler, didn't you sleep well again last night?"
"This time, the Traveler didn't dream of anything unfamiliar," Paimon said to Collei, a hint of hesitation creeping into her expression.
"Still, I had a rather absurd dream."
"This is the first time I've ever heard of such a case," Tighnari murmured, stroking his chin. He turned to Lumine and Paimon, asking, "When you entered Sumeru, did you consume anything wild? Any herbs, mushrooms, or anything of that nature?"
"Of course not!" Paimon exclaimed, waving her hands emphatically. "Me and the Traveler are super experienced travelers. We'd never eat anything from a suspicious source!"
"It seems the problem lies within your own body!" Dr. Edward declared decisively. "Your Dendro element is likely overflowing."
"No wonder you can wield Dendro Elemental Power without a Vision. It seems your unique constitution is indeed the key," Tighnari mused.
Lumine scratched her head in exasperation. She never imagined that her body's extreme affinity for Elemental Power would one day cause her such trouble.
"Take this bowl of medicine," Dr. Edward said. "It will reduce your body's affinity for Dendro, which should improve your condition."
Hearing his words, Lumine nodded and accepted the bowl of medicine from him.
She found it odd that the medicine seemed to have been prepared in advance. Had Dr. Edward already anticipated that her condition wouldn't improve?
Though puzzled, Lumine didn't dwell on it.
However, when she saw the bowl, her hand trembled uncontrollably, nearly dropping it onto the ground.
In her vision, the medicine appeared incredibly viscous and dark, constantly bubbling and bursting with a nauseatingly foul odor.
Lumine strongly suspected that what she was holding wasn't medicine at all, but something Dr. Edward had scooped from the sewer.
"Hurry and drink it. It may not look appetizing, but bitter medicine is good for the body!"
Dr. Edward gently urged her, but his words carried the weight of a demon's whisper.
Even with their masks on, Collei and Tighnari frowned deeply, while Paimon had already fled outside, nearly crashing mid-flight.
If Lumine had hesitated even a fraction longer, she might have collapsed on the spot.
Just a little more?! Lumine mentally raged, every cell in her body protesting as she fought the urge to fling the bowl of medicine away.
At that moment, Lumine would have preferred to remain trapped in those absurd dreams, or even face whatever horrors awaited her in the future, rather than swallow this wretched concoction.
She racked her brain, unable to comprehend why the medicine Dr. Edward had prescribed just days ago had been so normal, while today's brew was utterly despair-inducing.
"Drink it quickly," Dr. Edward said. "The taste intensifies as it cools."
"Or do you prefer a stronger flavor?"
Dr. Edward's reminder sent another violent tremor through Lumine's body. She closed her eyes and gulped down the medicine in one desperate breath.
The moment the liquid touched her tongue, Lumine's eyes snapped wide open. Her chest heaved violently, and a guttural, incomprehensible sound escaped her throat.
By the time Lumine had swallowed half the medicinal soup, her eyes were already rolling back, her body swaying precariously.
Sensing she was about to lose consciousness, Lumine immediately unleashed her full Electro Elemental Power, numbing her senses. Only then could she finally finish the soup and remain standing.
Finally over!
Lumine felt as if she had walked on the edge of life and death. She handed the empty bowl to Dr. Edward and was about to say something when her legs gave out, causing her to collapse in a kneel before him.
Collei and Tighnari: "..."
Paimon, who had just re-entered: "..."
"Ahem, I know you're grateful, but there's no need for such a grand gesture," Dr. Edward cleared his throat, smiling gently as he reached out to help Lumine up.
Lumine felt the back of her neck flush crimson. She wanted to explain, but realizing any explanation would only make the situation more awkward, she remained silent.
"Traveler!"
Seeing Lumine had finished the soup, Paimon quickly flew back.
Lumine turned to scold Paimon for deserting her mid-battle, but the movement caused the pungent odor to slam directly into Paimon's face.
Paimon couldn't escape her fate after all. She collapsed face-first onto the ground, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.
Witnessing the medicine's potency, Collei and Tighnari, even with their masks on, involuntarily recoiled two steps. They then turned to Lumine with awe-struck gazes, watching her down the entire bowl in one gulp.
Lumine glanced at Paimon, then at Dr. Edward, who remained smiling serenely, seemingly unaffected. A profound respect washed over her.
Dr. Edward's unwavering calm even made Lumine wonder if her own reaction had been exaggerated. But when she saw Collei and Tighnari's involuntary retreat, she immediately dismissed that thought.
At that moment, Dr. Edward looked down at the unconscious Paimon lying on the ground and said calmly, "There's a bit of medicine left. If we pour it down her throat, she'll wake up quickly."
Just as Lumine was pondering why the medicine had such an effect, Paimon jolted awake in terror.
"No need! No need! I'm already awake!"
Trembling with fear, Paimon hid behind Lumine. The mere whiff of the stuff had conjured vivid hallucinations—if she'd actually drunk it, she'd be dead!
"Heh, if you're alright, then forget about it."
Saved by the skin of my teeth!
Watching Dr. Edward's retreating figure, Paimon felt a wave of relief wash over her, as if she had narrowly escaped death.
"Hey, Traveler, your dark circles seem almost gone!" Collei suddenly noticed, speaking up.
Hearing Collei's words, Paimon also scrutinized Lumine's face, her expression mirroring Collei's astonishment.
"Wow, it's true!"
"The medicine worked so fast! Dr. Edward's medical skills are truly extraordinary!"
Hearing their praise, Lumine gradually calmed down, feeling a flicker of anticipation for tonight. Surely tonight I'll have a normal dream!
But that night, Lumine dreamed of being relentlessly pursued by Muscle Paimon all night long. She finally realized her problem might not be so easily resolved.
The next morning, when Collei and the others saw Lumine's telltale dark circles, they understood everything without a word.
"Even suppressing your Dendro affinity didn't help?" Dr. Edward's face betrayed genuine surprise.
"It seems the issue lies elsewhere."
"How peculiar... Traveler, are you absolutely certain you haven't eaten anything suspicious or unknown in the past few days?"
"Everything we've eaten these past few days was made from ingredients we collected earlier. We haven't had anything unusual at all," Lumine assured Dr. Edward.
"Could I see the ingredients, please?" Dr. Edward asked. Lumine nodded without hesitation.
After a considerable time, Dr. Edward finally finished his meticulous examination of the mountain of ingredients.
"You can put them away now. I've finished inspecting them."
Hearing this, Lumine stowed the ingredients back into her Space Backpack.
"The ingredients are fine. They haven't undergone any adverse changes due to Sumeru's environment. They've just been stored for quite a while, so people with delicate stomachs might get diarrhea. But that's a minor issue."
Dr. Edward paused, then continued, "Think again. Are you absolutely sure you haven't eaten anything else besides the food you prepared yourselves?"
Just as he finished speaking, Collei suddenly spoke up from the side.
"Oh, right, Dr. Edward! Yesterday, I made some pita pockets for the Traveler and Paimon to try."
"But I ate some too, and I haven't had any health issues."
"We can't rule out a connection, given the Traveler's unique physiology," Dr. Edward said.
Collei quickly chimed in, "Actually, I made some pocket bread today to take on the road for the Traveler, Paimon, and you, Dr. Edward."
"Show me what you've got," Dr. Edward replied.
Collei nodded and produced the pocket bread she had prepared. After a thorough examination, Dr. Edward shook his head.
"It's not this."
"Have you eaten anything else of unknown origin?"
Hearing Dr. Edward's persistent questioning, Lumine inexplicably remembered the despair-inducing medicinal soup she had endured the previous day. But she quickly shook her head, banishing the thought.
"Really, nothing else, Dr. Edward."
Paimon pondered for a moment, then declared with absolute certainty, "Yup, nothing else!"
"I see... Then we'll have to start eliminating other possibilities one by one."
Dr. Edward sighed softly, then continued, "However, we must reach Sumeru City today. I'll treat you along the way."
Lumine and Paimon's hearts fluttered with hope upon hearing Dr. Edward's words. Finally, they were going to find Lesser Lord Kusanali!
"But before we leave, let's take another dose of yesterday's medicine. Perhaps its efficacy was insufficient, so I'll add some stronger herbs this time."
Upon hearing this, Lumine froze, then began to tremble violently, her eyes widening with terror.
Sensing her intent to flee again, Dr. Edward swiftly instructed Collei and Tighnari:
"Block the door!"
At his command, Collei and Tighnari rushed to the doorway, slammed the door shut, and braced their bodies against it.
Seeing this, Lumine's face drained of color, and the soul-piercing stench once again invaded her nostrils.
"Wait! I haven't even left the room yet! I haven't even left the room yet!" Paimon pounded frantically on the door, her voice echoing with utter despair and desolation.