"Hang in there." Arvin whispered softly.
Hum...
The golden light descended, penetrating Melisa's clothes and skin, going straight to the heart and the mana flow clogged with the poison of the disease.
Suddenly...
"AAAHHHH....!!!!!!!!!"
A heartbreaking scream broke from Melisa's tiny mouth. Her thin, dry body suddenly convulsed, writhing wildly on the mattress like a worm doused in hot water. Her back arched, her eyes widened showing the whites, and the veins in her neck bulged.
"Melisa!" Tresia shouted, her maternal instinct making her want to run and hug her child.
However, Gaile's muscular arm held her firmly. Although Gaile's own face was deathly pale and his eyes glassy seeing his daughter's suffering, he remembered Arvin's warning. They could only watch from near the door with crushed feelings.
The healing process lasted for two minutes. And during that time, Melisa continued to scream in pain, her voice becoming increasingly hoarse.
Finally, Arvin pulled his hands back. The golden light dimmed.
Melisa's body stopped convulsing. She fell limp back onto the pillow. Her breath hitched for a moment, then her eyes closed tightly. The girl fainted completely with sweat pouring down her face and over her entire body, as if she had just been pulled out of a pool of water.
Arvin exhaled a long breath, then turned around facing Gaile and Tresia.
"Tresia, why did you scream like that? What if I lost my concentration? Did you want to kill your daughter?" Arvin shouted, angry.
Tresia realized her mistake and immediately apologized to Arvin. "Forgive me, young master."
Gaile was also speechless. He couldn't defend his wife because she herself had violated Arvin's words.
Arvin sighed. "Forget it! Luckily everything went smoothly." said Arvin, lowering his voice.
Arvin stood up and walked toward the door. "She is unconscious now. Sit next to your daughter. When she regains consciousness, she will be able to see her parents' faces!"
Gaile and Tresia immediately rushed to the bedside of their daughter who was fainting. Tresia checked her daughter's breathing, which now sounded regular and light.
"Young Master, thank you very much!" said Gaile with a trembling voice, bowing respectfully.
Arvin answered calmly. "I just kept my promise."
"As promised, I will swear loyalty to the Vedegra family after my daughter is successfully healed!" Gaile stated firmly.
"Okay! In that case, let her rest. I'll wait outside!"
Arvin walked out of the room, leaving the family to care for their daughter who was still unconscious.
Upon arriving at the front yard of Gaile's house, Rayand welcomed his arrival with a curious face.
"Welcome back, Young Master! Have you finished healing Gaile's daughter?" asked Rayand.
"Done!" Arvin answered while wiping the sweat from his forehead. "The child fainted after the process, but she will be fine. I decided to wait for them here. Once they come out, we will discuss your departure tomorrow!"
A few moments later, inside the room.
Melisa's eyelids moved slowly. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the faces of her parents looking at her with happy smiles.
"Father, Mother..." her voice was weak but clear. "Why are you smiling happily?"
"Of course, we are happy to see you healthy again!" answered Tresia while kissing her daughter's forehead.
Melisa felt something different. The pain that always gripped her chest was gone. She immediately sat up in her bed. She moved her hands, head, and body nimbly.
"My body... My body feels light!" Melisa exclaimed in amazement. "Even though I had resigned myself to death. Who has healed me?"
"The one who healed you is Young Master Arvin Vedegra!" answered Gaile proudly.
Melisa tilted her head. "Young Master? Father, why do you call him by a title like that?"
"Previously, we made an agreement. If you are cured, then I will swear allegiance to the Vedegra family." Gaile explained seriously. "Now you are cured and he has kept his promise. It is only fitting that I also keep my promise to swear allegiance to the Vedegra family."
Melisa's curiosity exploded. She immediately stood up from her bed.
"Where are you going?" asked Tresia, surprised.
"I want to see with my own eyes who this Young Master Arvin is!" shouted Melisa enthusiastically.
Accompanied by her parents, Melisa walked out of the house.
Upon arriving at the front yard, she saw a handsome academy student with light blue hair standing and talking to Rayand.
So he is my lifesaver? His face is... so handsome!
Melisa's face turned blushing red as she looked at Arvin's handsome face for the first time.
Without hesitation, Melisa jogged towards Arvin. "Hey you! The blue-haired guy over there!!"
Arvin turned around. His sharp gaze met Melisa's eyes. However, after seeing Arvin's handsome face up close, Melisa was tongue-tied. She just stood transfixed staring at that face.
Arvin sighed. Without thinking twice, he decided to break the girl's hope right then and there.
"Melisa, I hope you don't like me because I like men! If you want to like someone, just like my younger brother! He is one year older than you!"
GASP!
The sound was clearly audible. As if something pierced Melisa's heart.
"C-Can you read other people's minds?" asked Melisa nervously.
"No! Your expression and gaze said it all, you know."
"S-Shut up!" shouted Melisa with a flushed face. "I'm feeling annoyed accepting the reality that my savior is attracted to men instead!"
The atmosphere became silent for a moment. Melisa looked into Arvin's eyes, but she found no hesitation in the eyes of the man standing before her.
"I guess I can't force you to feel the same way, but I'm happy. Thank you for healing me!" said Melisa, smiling broadly.
The smile radiating from her face made Melisa look very beautiful.
"Now, that's good! If you show that smile to my younger brother later, he will definitely fall for you! I know my brother's character very well."
"Have you ever said that you like your brother?"
"No! Even though he is very handsome and cute, he is my biological brother! How could I say such a taboo thing to him!"
A few moments later, Lorrin with his pregnant wife, along with the four mercenaries who helped him, arrived back at the mercenaries' living area. Everyone was now gathered in the yard.
"Listen!" ordered Arvin loudly. "Towards noon tomorrow, all of you will leave the capital! After I leave here, I will prepare all the logistics you need!"
Arvin looked at everyone around him. "Remember, you must look like vagrants being moved to the Vedegra territory! I don't want your true identities known by other nobles and the royal side!"
"Yes, Young Master!" they answered in unison.
Then Arvin turned to the ten men standing in the shadows, the elite assassins.
"And for the ten assassins here!" ordered Arvin. "I hope you can protect my mother, Duchess Olive Vedegra, from behind the scenes! Watch every movement of everyone in the main mansion. I will pay fully for your services for one year!"
"What if we get caught?" asked one of the assassins.
"Just say it is my order! I will also give a letter of authorization to one of you. If someday one of you gets caught, all of you must appear before them and give that letter!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Arvin nodded in satisfaction. He raised his hand high, and then, he closed his eyes for a moment, flowing his extraordinarily large mana. The empty space above his palm vibrated.
Poof!
A dimensional rift appeared in the air, purely created from Arvin's magic control. From within the dimensional rift, hundreds of jewels and dozens of magic crystals with very high magic purity fell, piling up on the ground like a small hill of treasure.