"Where's Sister Anna?" Nana Wa heard footsteps thudding on the stairs and hurried to the doorway. Peering out, she was dismayed to find Your Royal Highness had arrived.
"She's still at work, probably coming later." "Work?" Nanaava had heard the word from Prince more often lately. "Are you talking about burning those gray clay powders?" "For now, yes." Nanaava pouted and returned to the table. "I have work too," she thought. "Staying here to treat those wounded in defending the town."
"Is Anna gone and you're bored?" Roland chuckled, pulling out a chair and settling into the corner by the fireplace.
"Hmm," Nana Wa propped her chin and replied obediently. It wasn't that she didn't want to treat the injured—she just... well, it was just too terrifying.
She still remembered the scene during her first treatment with Brian, when the man appeared as if soaked in blood, with reddish-brown clots coagulated in his chest. His mouth, resembling a dehydrated fish, opened and closed, spitting out red and white blood froth. Then... she fainted.
It is a shame.
Nanava lifted her head and stole a glance at Roland, who was dozing off in his chair. Prince must be exhausted too, she thought. Building walls, training soldiers, and protecting the town from evil beasts—that must be his duties, she concluded.
When he asked her to come here, she hesitated for a long time, but she did not refuse.
"You'll encounter things that make you want to keep going, even if it means fighting to stay alive." —Nanava couldn't quite grasp the meaning of these words, but whenever she closed her eyes, Anna's image would appear in her mind — those azure eyes like a lake, gently enveloping her, which was why she had promised Roland.
She wants to be as strong as her sister Anna.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed again from downstairs. Nana Wa jumped off her chair, eager to see if Anna had returned, but was stopped by an invisible hand.
"Wait, there's more than one person," Nana Wa said, pattering her chest in frustration. "You've scared me, Sister Nightingale." The door swung open swiftly to reveal Brian, the guard on the first floor. "Miss Payne, please come down—someone's been scalded." Was this supposed to be work?
Nanava took a deep breath. "I understand," she said. She descended the stairs as two guards were busy carrying a man who kept gasping for air onto the bed, with a short man standing nearby, his face etched with anxiety. Brian stepped forward and swiftly bound the patient's limbs to the bed. The guards then lifted the short man out of the room and closed the curtain that had been used as a partition.
"What happened?" Roland asked, rubbing his eyes as he descended the stairs.
"Your Highness, a severely injured man has been brought from the North Slope Mine. He appears to have suffered burns," Prince said, glancing over. "Steam burns. The primary unit should be fine, right? Where's the person who brought him?" "In the lobby," Brian replied, pointing toward the entrance.
"I'll check the situation and leave it to you," Roland said, then headed toward the exit.
Nanava edged closer to the man, scanning him with a sidelong glance. His features were a grotesque mess—skin that should have been rosy had turned a ghastly pale, parched white, its edges frayed like tattered rags. The neck was riddled with bowl-sized blisters, some already ruptured, their ooze mingled with blood staining the pillow. In the flickering glow of the flickering stove, his appearance was more terrifying than the Devil in nightmares.
She took two steps back, closed her eyes, and opened them again. Her father was looking at her with concern.
"How are you?" Nana nodded, recalling Roland's advice— "Treat the wounded as you would a small animal." She returned to the bedside and extended her hands.
An inexplicable sensation surged from her body, gradually converging in her palm. She observed a stream of light-green fluorescent fluid flowing from her palm and dripping onto the patient's face. Despite the conspicuous fluorescence, bystanders turned a blind eye to it. Subsequently, the wound underwent transformation, with the scalded skin continuously sloughing off while new skin regenerated at a visible rate.
The patient's agonizing moans gradually ceased, and his breathing became steady, as if he were falling into a deep sleep.
Nanana let out a sigh. Compared to her previous performance, she must have improved a lot this time, right?
"Good heavens, is this the healing power Your Highness spoke of? I've never seen anything like it," Tigu Pien exclaimed. "My dear, you're truly extraordinary!" "It's the power of God's light," Brian added, equally awestruck. "Miss Nanawa must have healed me when I was injured. Thank you so much." Ah, that fool, Nanawa covered her face. Had he not known that Sister Nightingale had secretly brought him out that night?
"What happened then," Tigu asked in surprise, "How could I not know?" "Well... her power has nothing to do with God Ming—it's solely the Witch's own," Roland said, lifting the curtain and returning indoors. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "How's the injured messenger doing now?" "Almost fully recovered," Brian exclaimed excitedly. "As if he'd never been hurt! Your Highness, with Miss Nanawa's help, everyone had a chance to survive the battle of the Demon's Moon!" "As long as you don't die on the spot, saving your life isn't a problem," the Prince nodded, gesturing for Brian to wake the man. "You're Ironhead, right?" The man named Ironhead sat up, looking bewildered. "Am... this a dream?" "No," Roland said. "You're still alive." "You...! I saw you in the square!" The man suddenly snapped out of his daze, rolling off the bed and kneeling. "Your Royal Highness, did you save me?" "This Miss Payne saved you. She's a Witch with healing powers." Nanawa's heart tightened. Was it right to admit she was a Witch so bluntly? Indeed, her gaze shifted. "W... Witch? Your Highness, they're not Devils..." "You're talking nonsense!" Tigu stood up, shouting in frustration. "My daughter has nothing to do with Devils. She's the one who saved your life." "Do you really think Devil would come to your rescue?" "No, no! Please forgive my rudeness," Ironhead immediately bowed his head deeply. "Thank you for saving my life, Miss Payne." Nana Wa suddenly felt inexplicably uneasy. She wanted to rush out of the room right away, but a voice kept urging her in her mind: "Stay strong."
After the iron-headed figure was escorted away, Tigu asked anxiously, "Is this really right, Your Highness? My daughter might never live a normal life." "Look on the bright side, Mr.Payne," Prince reassured him, "only by breaking the deadlock now can Nana Wa gain true freedom. Otherwise, as she grows older, she will eventually be exposed, and then she may have no choice but to live in isolation." True... freedom? Nana Wa didn't know. She felt free now, but if Your Highness's words were true, could Sister Anna also leave the castle and return to Teacher Karl's academy like she had?