"I heard Dian Cecht's best prosthetics cost hundreds of millions of fares. I don't want more. But if you want a discount, I'll give you ten million fares!"
At the unfamiliar voice, all the girls turned toward the door.
There stood a young man wrapped in bandages, only his dry gray hair visible. His pupils, shaped like valis's symbol, gleamed brightly.
"Hey~ Did you hear that? This kid still wants a discount! Ten million and counting, and he still wants a discount. What a greedy little devil!"
"This is the corruption of the human heart!"
"Shameless!"
"You're too arrogant!"
"Climb up the pole!"
"Bah, no shame at all!"
"Despicable, shameless, downright lecherous demon!"
"He's the very definition of the light novel protagonist!"
Lyra and Kaguya volleyed insults one after another without pause.
"Ah, Kaguya, Lyra, if you keep this up, the poor guy will turn into an unforgivable villain," Alise groaned, clutching her head and imagining him as a lust-crazed beast.
Charles sneered, "No, a skeleton alone won't do it!"
"That's enough!"
A firm, gentle voice cut through the noise and silenced everyone instantly. Expecting a reprimand from a strict elder elf, the group was surprised to see it was little Airmid.
"This is outrageous!" Airmid's eyes blazed with determination as she clenched her fists and stared Charles down.
"You're reckless! How can you even get out of bed with injuries like those?"
Raising her arm, she pointed toward the treatment room door and commanded with an unyielding Spartan tone:
"Go back… and lie down!"
"Uh… okay!"
Charles shuddered, suddenly finding this little puppet girl terrifying.
"Actually, I think the discount's a good idea. Maybe I don't need treatment for a while…"
"Go back!"
"Hai!"
Boom.
The door slammed shut and the hall fell silent.
Alise and the others were so impressed by Airmid's aura that they swallowed nervously.
Only when Airmid exhaled in relief did the tension ease.
"Um… Airmid-chan?" Alise probed carefully.
Airmid glanced at Lyra and calmly asked, "Do you think he's normal right now?"
"What?" Lyra scratched her head. "How would I know? I'm not a doctor."
Airmid folded her arms, expressionless. "You're not a doctor. That means as adventurers, you should be even more aware of abnormal states."
"He… can actually joke at a time like this?"
"Uh…" Kaguya opened her mouth, sensing something wrong.
Alise's emerald eyes, shimmering with divine light, darkened with sorrow:
"Pain…"
Ryuu's eyes widened. "His body's been pierced everywhere, burned extensively, and then there's Lyra's disintegration attack. Anyone else would've fainted from the pain, let alone move freely."
Kaguya rubbed her arm thoughtfully. "True, adventurers endure suffering, but he is…"
"Hey, little one, you didn't knock some sense into him, did you?"
Lyra glared. "I didn't hit him on the head."
The group could not reach a conclusion and silently turned to Airmid.
Using her medical knowledge, Airmid explained, "After experiencing despair, the human body can develop self-protective mechanisms. One is coma, the other extreme excitement. His state now likely fits the latter."
"Maybe?" Lyra caught the grammatical slip.
"Hmm." Airmid clasped her hands behind her back, unwilling to admit she was still a half-baked saint with limited knowledge.
"But his case is a bit different from typical excitement. I'll need time to study it further. It might be related to his own skills."
"There's nothing we can do for now," Alise sighed, curious but resigned.
The adventurers' ability stats were clan secrets, strictly guarded.
As the righteous clan leader, he naturally made no exception.
But…
"By the way, does that kid really need over 100 million fares for treatment?" Lyra grimaced, calculating the clan's finances.
Though reluctant to pay, she had no choice with the youngest's request. Still…
One hundred million fares?
Even for a level-3 clan, that was astronomical.
Enough money to buy two million potato balls, filling all of West Street.
Airmid froze, and the saint unfamiliar with such business matters looked embarrassed. She rubbed her fingers nervously and stammered:
"Yes… yes, that's right. Our prosthetics are the best available, so naturally they're very expensive."
"So, there are cheaper versions?" Lyra's keen mind picked up on this.
"Uh… um. Yeah."
"Or maybe his injury doesn't actually require a prosthetic?"
"If fully repaired, treatment costs would be even higher." Airmid spoke more confidently now.
"The old man said treatment is troublesome, so amputation is easier. Also… it serves as a live advertisement."
"He's an evil… evil god!" Ryuu exclaimed, shocked again by the treatment center.
"We're a legitimate medical institution!" Airmid retorted quickly, then added weakly, "It's just… the old man said this is a normal 'business model.' Yes, that 'business model.'"
"Compared to his physical injuries, I think his mental state is worse. I suggest reporting to his main god and asking his friends to come help. That may aid recovery."
Alise looked at Lyra. "Does this boy have anyone close? Friends, relatives, siblings?"
Lyra stroked her chin. "The Soma clan is large, but adventuring teams usually bond best."
"That means they're all dead."
"…."
No wonder he's so strange. Trying to forget his best friend's death like this?
Ryuu thought quietly.
On her own journey fighting darkness, she'd witnessed this too many times.
This time… again, arriving a step late, so many died, and they almost killed an innocent.
In the end, she felt powerless.
She bit her lip and vowed silently: next time, she would never let this happen again!
Bang!
Someone patted her shoulder hard.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Turning, she saw Alise's bright smile. "Lyon, blaming yourself again? Don't be discouraged. Didn't we protect the little brother? Though it's regrettable, we'll definitely make everyone smile again!"
Alise patted her chest proudly. "It's decided. Since he has no friends, we'll be his friends. Fighting darkness means caring for people too. Hehe~ I deserve this."
"Yes! Alise!"
Just as the two idiots felt proud, Kaguya placed a list in front of Alise:
"Hey, before you get so kind, look at this…"
"Lyra excluded most treatments but still imposed excessive charges. The cost to ensure a normal life is outrageous."
"Dumb tape, Lyra's at fault, so let's all pay it back together. That'll be quick."
Alise took the list, saw the numbers, and her eyes rolled back:
"Twenty million fares? Now, Lyra, wouldn't a discount be better?"
-End Chapter-
Visit the Patreon!!
Read 30 chapters ahead, more on the way!
P@treon.com/TrashProspector