Episode 32.8

"Fumu, Eda. How about you cast <Recovery> on everybody here."

"Un."

Eda stood up and pointed her palm at Riol.

"Don't forget your wand now."

"Ah, oops. Hehe."

Norma has sternly warned Eda to keep her remote <Recovery> strictly confidential. That kind of skill is better off left unknown for now. Not like it's needed for the treatment this time either.

Eda took her wand, recited <Recovery> spell to create a green sphere of light at the tip of her wand, then she stretched out her hands to put down that sphere over Riol's head.

"Aa."

The light sphere fell down from above, slowly vanishing into his whole body.

Eda casually produced light spheres one after another, casting <Recovery> on everyone present.

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

"<Recovery>."

The bodyguards sent out a warning glance when they were about to get their turns, but Eda didn't care and cast <Recovery> on them anyway.

Once she was done with Kogurus's group, she also cast <Recovery> on the townlord's employees. Even to those who were standing in the hallway.

Medic Aterna looked dumbfounded.

Of course she would. This spectacle was unbelievable to any medic. <Recovery> is absolutely not a magic anyone can just cast in rapid succession like this. To begin with, mages who manifest <Recovery> commonly have low mana pools. No one knows the reason why, but it's a well known accepted phenomenon.

"I wish to speak more with Riol-sama and Aterna-dono. As for the rest of you, would you like to be led to your lodging?"

"No. We're grateful for your offer, but I'd like you to explain to everyone here. After which we can rest."

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"I understand."

Eda came back, cast <Recovery> on Norma and then herself before flopping on the sofa. Norma resumed afterward.

"First of all, I shall explain about the treatment earlier. The patient was in a state of <Suspended Animation>. I believe this was done in order to keep the illness on track during the journey here, but that <Suspended Animation> was an extremely potent one."

"That was induced by a medicine medic Aterna made as approved by me."

Norma frowned and asked back when she heard Riol.

"Medicine?"

"Indeed. Townlord-sama has left all the care taking of Zack-dono to me. As for the suspended animation medicine, it was not actually done for the sake for this trip, we had it prescribed in order to keep Zack-dono alive while we wait for a <God Cure> since all kind of treatment was no longer effective. He was already taking the medicine before we sought Eda-dono's help."

"So you're deliberately putting him in <Suspended Animation> because there's no telling when you can get your hands on a <God Cure>? Uumu. That does explains the potency of that <Suspended Animation>, but... No. I'll put that aside for now. At any rate, he was induced into <Suspended Animation> for the sake of treatment."

"Can't Zack-dono be treated while he's under <Suspended Animation> state?"

"Riol-sama. In that state, all system in your body is dormant, no, more like dead. Neither <Recovery> or <Purification> work on the dead."

"Is that how it works."

"Yes. We cast <Purification> on him then, but there are two issues. First of all, the patient's vitality was on the verge of drying up. And the other is the fact that he was already in <Overwritten> state due to years of suffering from the disease even before getting Suspended."

"<Overwritten> state?"

Medic Aterna asked. The voice was hoarse and low, but it's a woman's for sure.

"Yes. I call a state in which the body normalizes being sick, <Overwritten>. Due to these two reasons, there is a danger of blowing out the patient's flame of life were we use <Purification>. Hence we're only administering fruit juice in order to prevent his body from fully awakening while we wait for it regaining its vitality back."

Riol looked confused.

Knight Jakof spoke out.

"Forgive me, but Norma-dono's explanation is too difficult for me to understand. Can't you make it easier?"

Norma smiled back at this candid protest.

"Then let's make an analogy. You're sending a reinforcement to help an ally whose castle is under attack by hostile. Even though you have managed to clear away the enemy around the castle, the castle itself has been occupied. Your side holds a huge advantage in brute force, so it's possible to eliminate all hostile if you wish, but doing so will lay waste to the castle, turning it useless. Also, the captured allies will get caught up in it as collateral damage."

"Umu, umu."

Knight Jakof nodded with sparkling eyes.

"That's where you halt your advance, withdraw the march and put yourself somewhere the enemy can't see you. Because the enemy may set fire to the castle if you besiege it and put pressure on them. You set forth a spy to scout the castle and found out that your allies were held underground. So now you send a little bit of food to these allies, and have them eat to regain their strength. That's our current situation."

"That's truly easy to understand indeed. I'm impressed. Pray tell, what will our next move be!"