I opened my eyes after showing Marcus his place, threatened him but it wasnt necessary at all as he would have anyways submitted to me due to Zenos being a loyal pup within my core.
I was staring at the sky again.
But between me and the clouds, a face appeared.
The girl.
Pouting. Looking very angry. As if I had committed some unforgivable crime.
I slowly sat up.
Didn't need a mirror to know my face was a complete mess. I could feel it. The dried blood. The clotting. The crusted wounds that pulled at my skin with every movement.
Total pain.
And I was too drowsy. All that blood loss had drained something essential from me.
I looked at her.
She didn't scold me this time. Just stared. Silent judgment radiating from those cold eyes.
Then she brought something in front of my face.
A vial. Small. Filled with shimmering liquid.
"Drink it."
"What's that?"
She didn't answer. Just gave me a deadly glare.
I don't know why, but I felt guilty under that gaze. Like a child caught doing something stupid.
So I gulped it down.
And immediately regretted it.
The pain didn't decrease.
It got worse.
Exponentially worse.
Every spot that had been hit started burning. Like someone had poured molten metal into my wounds.
"AGHHHHH!"
I screamed. Couldn't help it.
But then, slowly, the pain began receding. Not completely. But enough that I could breathe again.
"This will help you recover." Her voice was clinical. Detached.
"All your wounds will be healed by it in some time."
She paused.
"But don't think it will reset you back to normal."
Her eyes were harsh.
"That blood loss. That mental trauma you gave your body. I don't think it will recover for a month."
I was processing. 'A healing potion.'
'But this is too rare.'
I poked a finger at my forehead. Where the skin had been peeled away from repeatedly smashing against the tree.
I could feel it.
The skin was binding itself. Knitting back together in real time.
'This vial is too rare.'
'Not even a high rank healing summon could do this.'
An instant recovery potion of this quality would be astronomically expensive. Reserved for royalty and the highest nobility.
And then I finally understood.
"I get it."
I looked at her.
"I get it now. Who you are."
Nervousness flickered across her face. Just for a moment.
"That explains everything."
I nodded to myself.
"First, a high ranking summon. Then this rare healing vial."
I gestured at the empty container.
"It all points to one thing."
She wasn't hiding her guilty expression anymore.
I looked at her with complete understanding.
"You're a thief."
[ Freya POV ]
I sighed in relief. 'He doesn't know.'
But wait.
This dummy thought I was a thief.
Should I be happy that my identity wasn't revealed? Or angry that he just called me a thief?
Before I could decide, he continued.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about it."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Why would I? You were a huge benefactor for me."
"So—"
Before he could say another word, my fist connected with his gut.
THWACK!
"OOUGH!"
He doubled over. Gasping.
"Don't just babble anything without knowing!"
I stood over him.
"And if you dare call me a thief again, I will summon Ashen to give you a proper beating."
He smiled. Even while struggling to breathe.
"So, Ms. Gatherer..."
He wheezed.
"You're threatening me with your summon?"
He slowly straightened.
"But don't forget. I got mine too now."
He held up two fingers.
"Two of them."
I needed to put him in his place.
"Ashen is SS rank, by the way."
The shock on his face was priceless.
A mixture of expressions. Betrayal. Revelation. Disbelief. All swirling together.
"But... but mine is earned!"
He pointed at himself.
"And yours is—"
He stopped midway.
Finally realized what would happen if he finished that sentence.
Smart choice.
"So, Ms. Gatherer..."
His tone shifted. Became more polite.
"Can you help me call upon my summons? I know most of the theory and its not that hard though, but if I fail, can you assist?"
I stared at his face.
This man was transforming before my eyes. From complex and difficult to understand, to incredibly easy to see through.
Nothing about his insanity surprised me anymore.
But then he added more.
He glanced at a pocket watch.
"Looks like we still have half an hour left."
He smiled.
"So you know, right? You owe me for saving you."
I was hissing internally. Clenching my fist.
The audacity of this man. But then I sighed.
'Freya, just half an hour. It won't make you go mad.'
"Fine."
I turned toward the field.
"Let's end this."
[ An Hour Later ]
Eren was staring at his two summons.
Like a child with new toys.
One was an old general in worn armor. Standing at attention.
The other was an ancient mage. Robes flowing in an invisible wind.
This boy was really something.
Stupid yet entertaining. Dumb yet determined. Bravely stupid.
And now it was over for me too.
I didn't know why, but I was feeling... sad?
Sad about the farewell?
My mind was screaming at me to just leave. To let it calm down after the torture this boy had subjected it to.
I saw him approaching.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to my home for lunch?"
"No. Never."
I shook my head firmly.
"This single training session already fused my mind. I don't know what lunch would hold."
I looked at him.
"And I bet your family would be more insane than you. So it's a big no."
He thought about that for a moment.
"Yeah..."
He nodded slowly.
"You may be right about the family part. Things have been... turned this way for some time."
He paused.
"But I promise we will have a peaceful lunch."
I could see it.
When he said "peaceful lunch," his own words were trembling. As if he himself wasn't sure about them.
Not to mention he had just casually accepted the insane family accusation.
What should I make of this man?
But after everything I had witnessed about him today, one thing was clear. He was truthful from the start. Said whatever he felt like. Made me laugh without even trying.
He was a good guy.
In his own twisted way.
"I won't change my mind with that so-called assurance."
I turned to leave.
"But maybe someday we will have lunch."
His face lit up with a genuine smile.
"Again, thank you, Ms. Gatherer."
He bowed slightly. "Without you, I wouldn't have gotten them."
I looked at the ground.
Hesitated.
"It's... Freya."
But he didn't hear.
He had already turned. Running toward his summons like an excited child.
Seeing that, I left too.
Followed the road back.
[ Ten Minutes Later ]
"My lady."
Rogers appeared before me. Stepping out from behind a tree.
My butler. My shadow. My supposed protector.
"You should not have given him the Healing Draught."
His voice was concerned. Worried.
"What happens when the Matriarch hears about this? It is like a family heirloom."
He walked beside me.
"We have to give her intel about every use of it."
I didn't look at him. Didn't slow my pace.
"Don't say a single thing about what happened today to mother. The rest I will cover for you."
My voice was flat.
"But my lady, I will—"
I cut him off before he could finish.
"What will you tell her, Rogers?"
I finally looked at him.
"That I was about to be killed? That you failed to protect me?"
His face paled.
"You know what will happen."
"But young lady, you told me to fetch—"
"Enough."
My voice was ice.
"Rogers, don't make me any more pissed than I already am."
I kept walking.
"My quota for today has already been exhausted."