A few days ago, a herbworker walked towards the Lonorith river a few moments after the man in black had left.
"My machnilla herbs are almost exhausted, I should be able to find some near the Lonorith river. But even so, walking five hundred steps in the morning is not my idea of happiness." He took lazy steps forward.
"It would be convenient if I could borrow a horse. Too bad I don't have the coins to spare."
Just then, he paused as he stared at the sight before him.
The river was not where it was supposed to be. The bed was empty and the entire surroundings were burnt to ash.
"What in the third sky happened here?"
It was at this point that he found something.
"A person? How is her body intact when the entire surroundings is wrecked?" He drew closer, examining the person who lay on her side with her neck twisted in a bizarre pose.
The sound of the water rushing back in fury drew his attention for a moment.
Meanwhile, in a space detached from the scorched field, a baby spoke to a woman in all white.
"Aunt Laurina, mama dying. Lira help not enough. Lira want mama live..." Lira's voice echoed in Laurina's head with an urgent tone.
"Don't be afraid, darling, your mother will not die. Nonetheless, she shouldn't have faced that cursed abomination on her own. But that isn't something you should worry about. You need to focus on growing big and strong, so that when you meet her again, she'll be happy when she sees you." Laurina smiled and carried Lira in her arms.
Meanwhile, the man adjusted Aeloria to lie down in a comfortable position. That was when he was able to see the face of the woman.
"Such beauty. How did she end up all alone?" He checked her pulse only to almost die of a heart attack.
The moment his hand made contact, the woman opened her eyes, staring into his soul.
The man jumped backwards in fright, a few paces away.
He watched her eyes change from deep crimson to purple then close.
'Purple eyes with slit pupils, isn't that the description of the Cannibal I heard from the inn's eatery?' In the distance, he studied the maiden once more, noticing the wolf crest on her shoulder.
"There's no doubt in my mind, she's the Head Captain of Runevale. If that is correct, then what is such an important figure from a Great Kingdom doing here? Was she betrayed and stabbed in the back?" He had a lot of questions with no way of getting answers.
"Wait, what am I doing when there's a wounded person lying right in front of me? I should treat her first. But how do I get her back to the inn?" He got closer, nudging her with his foot to make sure she was unconscious while preparing to flee at the slightest sign of danger.
Even if he wanted to help, the rumors surrounding the Cannibal were enough to make any person flee by just the name alone.
He tore off the crest from her shoulder and took a round pill from his pocket. He then swallowed it before carrying her on his back.
***
Meanwhile
Aeloria looked down at her almost bare body, then at the man. The simple motion of turning her neck sent sharp pain shooting through her spine and shoulders.
"Please don't move around yet," the man said quickly in a defensive voice.
"Many of your bones were broken, so I had to take off a part of your clothes to treat you properly."
Aeloria straightened her neck against the pillow as best she could. She wanted to speak, to tell him to stay away, but her throat refused to cooperate. Only a faint rasp escaped.
She never wanted to have anything to do with a man who showed her kindness out of the blue after what Ramai had done to her.
'Don't touch me. I don't need your help. I can heal just fine on my own.'
The words formed clearly in her head, but they couldn't come out.
The room was dimly lit by a single oil lamp hanging on the wall, casting long shadows across rough wooden walls. The bed she lay on was extremely soft—far softer than anything she had slept on in years. A thick curtain hid what looked like a small bathing area in the corner. A bookshelf stood against the opposite wall, filled with jars of dried herbs and a few worn volumes. It looked like an inn room, but smaller, and more lived-in.
After grinding the medicine to a fine paste, the man filtered the thick liquid into a small cup. He set the mortar aside, then slipped one hand behind her head with the gentle care of someone handling something precious, raising it slightly.
"I know it's painful," he said, "but please bear with it."
He brought the cup to her lips and fed her the herbal medicine in slow sips.
'Don't touch me. I'll eat you.' If only the man could hear the terrifying thoughts in her head.
She no longer believed there was kindness without expectation. Ramai had been nice to her only because he wanted access to her body. After he had his way with her, she never saw him again.
So was she supposed to believe there existed a man who was naturally kind? With the exception of Orin—who would rather knock her senseless than lay a hand on her in any other way—she had never allowed any man to get skin contact with her. So what this stranger was doing made her deeply uncomfortable.
"I'm sure you have your questions," he said as he set the empty cup down, "but please listen first."
He sat back a little, giving her space, though his hands still hovered ready in case she needed support.
"I was out in the hills by the Lonorith river, searching for machnilla herbs. That's when I found the field burned down. The river itself was gone—evaporated, like something had boiled it away in an instant. Just as I stood there trying to understand what could do that, the water rushed back in with fury, filling the empty bed like it had never left. It's unbelievable, right?"
He gave a small, nervous laugh, then began to carefully undo the cloth and herb wraps around her body.
Aeloria watched in silence.
"I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable," he continued.
"Apart from the fact that I don't have the funds to take you to a proper herbworker, there's something else. Your purple eyes with pupils split like a viper's, your hair colour, your impossibly smooth skin…"
He paused as he peeled away the cloth from her chest. He tried his best not to look directly, focusing only on the wounds he was checking, but his sight had to stay on her to see what he was doing.
"What I'm saying is," he finished quietly, "they would know immediately that you're Aeloria the Cannibal."
His hand trembled visibly as he removed the last wrap from her torso.
'He's afraid. But then why would he treat me when he was afraid of me?'
Aeloria thought curiously, trying to figure the man out.
"I told you before that I was by the Lonorith river earlier, didn't I?" he went on, his voice a little quicker now.
"Well, as I was observing the surrounding, I found you lying on your neck in such a bizarre pose. I was terrified at first and thought you were dead. After I positioned you carefully, you opened your eyes for a heartbeat and closed them again. You can imagine my reaction when the person I thought was dead looked straight at me."
He laughed slightly, a nervous sound that filled the quiet room.
Aeloria lay still, watching him with an expressionless face.
He then paused, removing the last clothes wrapped around her.
"It was then that I realised you were the rumored cannibal. I was so scared I couldn't move. I normally don't think much about rumours, but to every rumour there is at least a hint of truth, and the fact that even one of those rumours about you could be true terrified me more than anything. After coming to a decision, I took off your crest because the crest of Runevale is recognizable at first glance. This made it easier to sneak you into the inn." He explained, then started removing the clothes from her lower body.
'He knows who I am but he's still helping me? If he turns me in to another kingdom, he could make a fortune. Why go through all this trouble?'
Under any other circumstances, she would've been even more uncomfortable that a man was treating her body in such a manner. However, Herbworkers specialized in the body. They were the healers of the world. As such, she was able to put her mind at ease for a moment.
"Your features will betray you if I hand you over to another herbworker. When I found you alone, lying in your own blood with no other soldiers in sight, I thought you were betrayed by your kingdom and didn't know if it would be right to return you, so I decided to leave that decision to you when you get better. Don't worry, my grandmother was a herbworker so I know a thing or two. I used to take care of her in her later days, so rest assured. You may be uncomfortable, but please endure. With how many bones are broken in your body, you may be crippled for the rest of your days if you're not treated right," he said, taking off the last remaining cloth. Aeloria now lay completely bare.
'What in the nine hells?
I've treated a lot of women, noble and regular, while learning the herbworking art. I've even bathed paralyzed women, but she puts them all to shame. Why is she so beautiful?
But wait, forget her beauty—I'm afraid out of my mind. Just what is going to happen to me after she gets better?'
He thought as he brought a bucket of warm water and a clean towel.
'I feel so uncomfortable. Now is he going to bathe me? And also why am I taking so long to heal? Lira, can you hear me? Why haven't I healed yet?'
Aeloria thought but got no response.
The man dipped the towel in the water and Aeloria moved her finger. It seemed she could now only move her finger.
He stumbled back and fell. His face was twisted in terror.
'Just how bad are the rumours?'
Aeloria thought.
"Sorry, I'm not the most courageous person. To be honest, I'm quite afraid of you, even as you lay helpless. I'm afraid you'll eat me when you get better. I'm an awful herbworker, aren't I? Just look at what I'm saying to my patient."
He walked back and continued to wring out the warm water filled with machnilla herbs. He began by wiping her forehead gently.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I'm just not used to taking such risks."
He then began to wipe her neck, then her chest.
'Makes sense. Commander Orin was the strongest man in Runevale, not to mention he wielded the cursed tongue, so it's only natural he wouldn't be afraid of me.
Wait—Commander Orin. It didn't seem like they were going to pass through Runevale. If Blank and the man in black head to Jorm, then…'
Aeloria struggled and the man jumped back.
She was broken everywhere, but she forced herself to sit, then stand. Every bone burned like fire.
The man was terrified.
'I'm a dead man. I touched her and she's out for my flesh. Should I scream?'
But then he stopped and walked to the woman. She had tears down her face. The all-so-terrifying cannibal was crying.
'Yoru was… I have to help Commander Orin. I have to inform him Šërēĺįťh doesn't work on them. For someone who was unbothered by a thunderstrike, it's safe to assume blades will be useless as well. I can't lose two people at once.'
Her legs buckled before she could reach the door and she fell, but the man caught her in his arms.
"I can tell you want to go somewhere, but it's been a month since I found you. Please, you need to calm down," he said, holding her steady
'A month… then that means…'
Aeloria cried into the man's shirt like a little girl.
'What in my grandmother's kitchen? She's just like any other woman. Why did people have to spread false rumors to terrorize us?'
Aeloria would like to believe the one she had accepted as a big brother would be able to defeat the man in black, but having fought one and fought beside the other, she already knew the outcome.
Now all the people who cared about her were gone.