Concerned about the progress of the Wystone refinement, Isis rushed to the Research Institute before dawn to ask how things were going.
There she found Altaïr, apparently back to normal, and Maki lying on a dissection bed as blood flowed into her through an IV.
Surprised and confused, she asked, "Altaïr, are you better? Is the Wystone ready already? Lady Maki, how did you get hurt?"
"Uh..."
"..."
Neither of them knew where to begin.
The Director, who had been observing from the side, spoke with a smile. "The Wystone is not ready yet, but Maki taught Altaïr how to overcome the Frenzy Virus. He has completed the process, so there should be no further problems. As for Maki, she is not injured. She merely has some chronic ailments that require a rather unusual form of treatment."
"I see..." Gratitude welled up in Isis.
As far as she could tell, Lady Maki was already incredibly busy, yet she had still given up a whole night's sleep to personally teach Altaïr how to overcome the Frenzy Virus. The lesson had barely ended, and now Maki needed a blood transfusion. Her face was still so pale. Just how severe was her anemia?
"Lady Maki, please take care of yourself and get more rest. You can leave anything that needs doing to us!" Isis said earnestly.
Maki's mouth twitched. She had just drained several hundred milliliters of "biohazardous waste" that would require careful disposal, which explained why she looked so unwell.
Isis had clearly misunderstood, but Maki could hardly explain the truth. The girl was terrible at keeping secrets. If Maki told her, Minoto and the others would probably know within a couple of days, and then Maki would meet a truly gruesome end.
She could only force an awkward smile. "I'm fine. It's nothing serious. A serving of Bunny Dango and two hours of rest will set me right."
Isis immediately said, "Then I'll find Nymera and ask her to make you some Bunny Dango! What flavor do you like?"
"Plain is fine..."
"No problem!" With that, Isis sprinted away.
"What a good girl," Maki said with a heartfelt sigh. "Altaïr, my boy, make sure you treat her well."
Altaïr had no answer.
Silence followed.
He could hardly respond to that, especially with Maki's strangely loaded tone.
Hunters possessed extraordinary constitutions, and there was also the risk that the microorganisms would become inactive if Altaïr's blood remained outside his body for too long. As a result, Maki's transfusion took far less time than an ordinary treatment would have.
Once it was over, Maki hopped down from the dissection bed and stretched.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort or unusual sensations?" the Director asked impatiently, clipboard in hand.
"Nothing feels wrong." Maki activated Demon Mode as she spoke, then prepared to use Beast Soul Possession [Dire Wolf] to awaken the microorganisms that had entered her body.
"Stop!" the Director barked.
Under Maki and Altaïr's speechless stares, she tossed aside her pen and clipboard, then picked up a sampling syringe and a dissection knife.
"Lie back down and let me take a sample first." Her voice grew sterner. "I need samples from before and after you stimulate your body's vital functions so I can compare them and confirm the microorganisms' activity!"
Cowed by the Director's forceful manner, Maki obediently lay back on the dissection bed and submitted to the procedure.
This was what happened when someone asked a scholar, rather than a professional physician, to treat a mysterious ailment.
A physician treated a patient; a scholar treated a test subject...
First sample. Maki maintained Demon Mode for a while. Second sample. Maki activated Beast Soul Possession. Third sample.
By the time that tedious process ended, Nymera had already finished steaming the Bunny Dango and Isis had delivered them, yet the sampling had only just concluded.
Even Isis looked puzzled as the Director hurried off in high spirits to examine the samples.
Was this not supposed to be a medical treatment? What was there to get so excited about?
Naturally, Nymera had made more than a single serving. Maki, Altaïr, the Director, and even the other researchers all received a share.
Once Isis had distributed the food, Altaïr found a pretext to send her away. She was better off not knowing the truth about Maki's condition.
Perhaps because there were so many samples, the analysis took an unusually long time.
—--
Over an hour later, the Director returned.
"Skip the good news and bad news routine. Just give us the result," Maki said with studied nonchalance.
Altaïr could still sense the anticipation and nervousness hidden beneath her carefree demeanor.
"The results are promising." The Director's smile was more pronounced than usual. "First, the transfusion worked. A sufficient quantity of microorganisms entered your body along with the blood.
"Second, stimulating your body's vital functions also appears to be the right way to activate them.
"Unlike when they first entered your body and lay completely dormant, some of the microorganisms showed signs of awakening after stimulation through methods such as Demon Mode.
"I suggest taking things easy for a few days while they adapt to the environment inside your body. Think of a newly transplanted potted plant that needs a few days to settle before it is watered.
"After that, try awakening them through more intense methods.
"You need to make them believe that your body is on the verge of collapse and that unless they activate their repair functions, their host will die.
"Mr. Altaïr's Devouring Demon is an excellent example."
"Why not try that technique too?" Altaïr suggested. "With your experience, you could master it in a few hours at most, couldn't you?"
"There's no need." Maki waved dismissively. "I have more techniques like that than I could count.
"If I weren't deliberately holding them in check, there would be far more than one or two things inside my body capable of killing me."
Altaïr fell speechless.
Maki gave him an amused look before her expression turned serious. "Take some advice from someone who has walked this path before.
"Some things are useful, but shortcuts always carry a price.
"As far as I'm concerned, the Radiant Dragon Mushi are already more than enough for you. They solve the problem of your body's limited resilience.
"The Frenzy Virus can be useful, but you do not truly need it. Once higher-quality Wystones and medicines are developed, you would be better off eradicating it completely.
"Even if I use the Radiant Dragon Mushi to heal my hidden injuries, they can only preserve my current physical condition and keep my body from collapsing the moment my strength begins to fade. My chances of progressing any further are extremely slim.
"But you are different. You have the potential to reach a far greater peak. There is no need to squander that potential for power you do not need."
"Radiant Dragon Mushi? Is that what you named those microorganisms? It has a pleasant ring to it." As a scholar, the Director had rather unusual priorities.
"Thank you for the warning. I'll remember it."
Altaïr seemed lost in thought, as though he had taken the warning to heart, but Maki's expression turned helpless.
She could guess exactly what he was thinking.
He had listened to her warning, but only up to a point. He probably would not use the Frenzy Virus in ordinary circumstances, but he would certainly leave a "seed" inside his body and suppress it with a Wystone.
Then, on the day he truly needed it, he would simply cast the Wystone aside...
How could she be so sure? Because she had once thought exactly the same way. After the first time, the second, and the third, it had become a habit.
After suffering grievous injuries in battles against the "Forbidden," leaving wounds that would not heal and causing her strength to decline, she had begun drawing more actively on those external powers.
That was how she had ended up in her current state, her body riddled with ailments.
Altaïr might not follow the same path. He had not been born into that chaotic era, and the most dangerous of the "Forbidden" had long since been hunted down.
But for people like them, becoming addicted to power was inevitable.
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on Maki's face. "I know you can tell the difference between a necessary risk and sheer recklessness.
"I also know that there will be times when your blood runs hot and you cast reason aside for the thrill of cutting loose in battle. We are all like that.
"But... you are unlucky. Or perhaps I should say you are very lucky.
"Hinoa and Minoto are neither as fast nor as strong as I am. They could only chase after me and complain; they could never hold me back.
"Isis is different. She has always been right there beside you.
"When you are ready to abandon all reason, throw away your life, and charge straight into hell, she can crack open your skull, stuff your reason and will to live back inside, and drag you out of hell again.
"So if you want to keep the Frenzy Virus, go ahead. It is no great concern."
Altaïr stared at her, speechless.
Was Isis really that terrifying?
* * *
This chapter was translated with YourTL.app. The site can also translate novels for readers when no English version is available.