After leaving Captain Deus behind, Aster moved closer to his master and asked,
"What happened with the negotiation?"
Valorant answered while continuing to walk.
"There won't be any problems. We just need to be there tomorrow morning at eight."
'Looks like it ended in our favor—thanks to Deus,' Aster thought inwardly.
As if responding to that thought, his master added,
"I didn't lose."
Aster's heartbeat suddenly quickened, the blood rushing through his ears.
'He read my thoughts!'
He froze in place.
But that was impossible—Aster knew that well. Unless black magic was involved.
'Just a coincidence,' he decided, hurrying to catch up.
An eerie calm hung over the streets of Vorkalis. No ordinary citizens were in sight—only travelers and merchants who had come to the city.
Valorant and Aster walked along the road when something unexpected happened.
A woman wrapped in a cloak burst out of a narrow alley, stumbled into the middle of the street, and fell. The heavy bag she had been carrying rolled across the snow, spilling its contents onto the snow. She scrambled to her feet and began frantically gathering her belongings.
She looked like she was running from someone.
Moments later, three men emerged from the same alley.
'So they're the pursuers.'
One of the men approached her and said coldly,
"We gave you a chance. We gave you time. We even offered money to settle this peacefully. You refused. Whatever happens next will be your responsibility."
The woman backed away in panic, trying to distance herself from the group of men. At that moment, one of them pulled a dagger from inside his clothing and began advancing toward her.
"I won't change my mind!" the woman shouted.
Watching the scene, Valorant glanced at his disciple.
"Wait here for a moment."
He walked calmly toward the men—silent, unhurried, utterly composed.
A few seconds later, the sound of bodies hitting the snow echoed through the street. The men who had been chasing the woman now lay scattered across the ground.
'It ended quickly,' Aster thought as he followed his master.
Valorant extended a hand to the woman and helped her stand.
"Shall we go?" Aster asked as he approached.
"Of course."
The woman's face was mostly hidden by her thick cloak—only the lower part visible.
"Thank you," she said.
Her voice was slightly hoarse, yet clear.
"How can I repay your kindness?"
Valorant turned toward her, looked her over briefly, and then asked,
"We heard there's a doctor nearby. Do you know where their house is?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. She paused for a moment.
"To be honest… I'm that doctor."
***
After that, the woman led Aster and Valorant to her home.
"You may come in," she said, opening the door and inviting them inside.
The house wasn't much different from the others—completely ordinary, except for the clutter scattered around inside.
As soon as they entered, she gestured toward a room.
"Please, this way."
The moment the door opened, Aster covered his nose with his hand. An unpleasant smell wafted out. The woman, having lived with it for so long, seemed accustomed to it.
Various items were scattered throughout the room. As Aster stepped inside, he felt confused.
'This side of the house is a mess… but over there—it's spotless.'
It didn't match the state of the rest of the house they had just seen.
She pointed to a sofa nearby.
"You can sit here. I'll be right back," she said, leaving for another room.
Valorant sat down on the sofa as if he were in his own home. Aster followed, sitting beside him, visibly tense.
Aster gripped the pendant tightly, trying to calm the anxiety rising within him. His past experiences with doctors were… unpleasant.
'What if this woman is the same…'
His thoughts drifted to the village healer.
'What if she's like that witch…'
Not long after, a young woman—around twenty or twenty-two years old—entered the room. She wore round glasses, her hair neatly tied back.
"Sorry for the wait."
Aster stared at her in confusion.
'Is she the doctor's daughter? But… she apologized?'
He had never seen a doctor this beautiful in his entire life.
The young woman sat down on the sofa opposite them.
"Who is the patient?"
Valorant gestured toward Aster.
"This boy."
Aster nodded slightly.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Aster didn't know how to answer.
What could he even say in a place like this?
He hesitated—and his master answered instead.
"He fell badly."
'A good excuse,' Aster thought.
While sitting there, a sharp pain suddenly flared in Aster's chest. It seemed the effect of Valorant's green flames was wearing off.
He clutched his chest and bent forward.
"It looks like the pain is coming back," Valorant said, placing a hand on Aster's back.
The young doctor stepped closer and examined his face.
"Bring him here," she said, standing up.
Valorant grabbed Aster by the shoulder.
"Can you walk?"
Aster's expression answered for him.
Valorant lifted his disciple and carried him to the room she indicated. She opened the door and pointed to a bed inside.
Valorant laid Aster down and stepped aside. The young doctor sat beside him and removed his clothing.
"This doesn't look like an injury from a fall," she said after examining his chest.
A bruised imprint of a fist was clearly visible, with red marks around the impact.
She gently placed her hand on his chest.
Even that light touch made Aster tense.
Placing her hand on his forehead, the doctor said softly,
"You can sleep while I finish."
At those words, his eyes closed, and he drifted into sleep.
After some time passed, Aster's fingers twitched slightly. He raised a hand to his head and tried to sit up.
"Ah—!"
He grabbed his chest.
His body was wrapped in white bandages, especially around his torso. The pain he felt was far lighter than before.
'It barely hurts.'
As he looked down, he noticed something strange.
The cloth that had been tied over his eyes was gone.
He turned his head, searching for it.
"Looking for this?" a voice spoke from the corner of the room.
Aster turned toward the sound.
In the dim, shadowed corner sat a man around twenty-seven or thirty years old, holding a long strip of cloth in his hand.
The aura emanating from him was oppressive.
Aster frowned and asked coldly,
"What do you want?"
The man stood up and approached the bed.
"I never thought I'd see you with my own eyes!" he said excitedly.
Aster's expression hardened.
'I can't remember where I've seen him before.'
"How should I address you?" the man continued.
"One of the Four Great Heroes… or should I call you by your current name—Aster?"