Chapter 143 - A Liar's Crystal

When Faustina was at the cabin, she and Eula encountered all kinds of people from the small town below—both kind and unkind, trustworthy and dishonest, good and bad; these people took the form of either the elderly who were senile and (sometimes) very patient, to a.d.u.l.t men and women looking at their doings with discontent whilst they receive treatment and medicines.

But people from Nebel—the town below—were poor enough to rely on mountain witches for medicine, so they pretty much had no room to complain. Nonetheless, people are still people. Even if their mouths cannot say their discontent directly, it showed into their face. Eula said so herself that their distaste was even as clear as the river water in the forest. 

Faustina often aided Eula in curing people. Eula was a mountain witch who never used magic to cure people as opposed to normal practices according to the books. She, instead, substituted the lack of magic thereof by using plant extracts—nature, which is abundant by the mountain, helped Eula give help to these people. Eula brewed potions that are for fevers, for coughs, colds, and other viral infections. She also created ointments for muscle pain and other types of extraneous illness. Sometimes people asked how she had done them, asking to be taught—and Eula, being the kind person that she is—taught those who wished to learn. 

Faustina was content being with her kindhearted master as she watches her do these things for free (the majority of the time). Even when the medicine would take at least a month to create, or brewed potions which plants are rare to find—were all for free if they cannot be afforded. Eula's services revolved around people asking her for favors all the time; seldom she gains enough money to buy her and Faustina's needs, so Eula and Faustina had to exert extra efforts to survive. But even if that's the case, they were both happy.

Townsfolk, more often than not, have worsened cases of diseases when winter and drought strikes. When plants and rice from fields do not grow, it equates to famine—and famine leads to starvation, sickness, and worse - death. These two seasons make Eula and Faustina the busiest among all the people in the small town. They had to save up so much because nothing grows in winter—and people by this time often take the effort to go to their cabin in the hope to be treated.

Eula, being herself, just does her work with a smile despite the odds. Faustina, being her apprentice, wanted to imitate her dedication. Faustina wanted to smile like her master when she treats patients. Eula said that "smiling will help them feel at ease, and if their heart is at ease, they can help themselves fight the illness and get better sooner."—Faustina took that to the heart and tried to muster a small smile from time to time, despite the fact that she's still struggling to even invoke conversation. 

However, the smile Eula was exerting every day gradually grew dimmer.

Like a light flickering to fade in a cold, wintry night.

It was winter that year—where extreme blizzards and piles of snow hindered people's movement and were the cause of many deaths to travelers.

"Master!"

Eula collapsed by the wooden floorboards, gasping. The vials and the bottles containing the medicine she was preparing earlier spilled straight to the floor, but they did not break or shatter. Faustina instantly rushed to Eula's side, helping her sit as she guides her backside. Eula's complexion was pale, and dark circles under her eyes were evident. She was clearly exhausted from all the work—usually, she would always look tired but a good night's sleep would help her regain her energy; but now, the fatigue seemed to have worsened. 

"You should rest first, Master. I'll handle this . . ."

Eula weakly smiled. "No, Faustina. I can still keep going."

That time, Faustina watched Eula more closely. Looking for symptoms similar to the ones they treated, under the assumption that her master probably got her disease from treating the townsfolk beneath the mountainside. Eula's pale complexion, hair loss, coughs that were ridden with blood, and her losing muscle coordination . . .

Eula displayed odd symptoms Faustina hadn't seen in those patients they treated. Under all those passing years, Eula's body only had gotten weak. Faustina did not seem to contract the illness despite being Eula's close contact because she hadn't seemed to be displaying any sickness other than occasional fevers. She was still as healthy as ever, so Faustina came to the conclusion that her master probably had the disease manifested in her alone. Faustina had read about books about it, and they were possible.

Days grew shorter and months passed quickly as a blink of an eye. Soon a year passed and Eula could no longer function properly—bedridden, weak, and sick. Faustina already made suggestions of taking her to a nearby town to heal her, and also took the courage to go to the small town and ask the townsfolk for their assistance.

Eula turned down her suggestion, and the people also ignored her pleas. All Faustina could do is to give her best efforts and try her best to cure her master, who was just nearing death's door at each passing day. But she wasn't any doctor—she was just a mountain witch's apprentice. She was also a Heilen, whom people wanted to sell for a good price. Faustina's options were limited, and so—before any of the two could have realized it, it was already autumn. 

And in that certain, cold autumn night, Eula died. 

And thus started a new path for Faustina's life.

**

In the span of Faustina's entire existence, never had she been called any slurs and insults that really gotten into her. Sure, Sheila could call her weak, useless, and all that; but Faustina acknowledged that as a fact not far too long and took them to good faith with the determination to improve herself. The nobles, on the other hand, could talk behind her back and say all the nastiest things that they could think about—but Faustina did not and would not have an ounce of care, because she had her mission. 

But being called by someone as a 'manipulator' with only disdain painted all over their face hit Faustina tenfold. Anakin looked like he indeed believed what he had said, and rage that was evident in his eyes was the witness to this. Anakin Disfiegro believed what he had said as truth—and Faustina knows that there was veracity in his words.

"I never should have crossed paths with you," Anakin exclaimed, "you manipulating vixen!"

Faustina froze in her spot. 

Manipulator—

Was her cover blown?

Faustina knew in herself how many people she had deceived now to obey the king's commands and to help herself achieve the truth she was seeking. She had manipulated people for the reasons that were imposed on her by the individuals controlling her from above. She was a tool for those people high up; a convenient instrument that was given the circ.u.mstances to obey without much thought. But she doesn't blame anyone for it—for being someone that deceives people. It was her very own choice, after all. And no one is liable with Faustina's own choice but her.

Faustina felt her fingers tremulous from Anakin Disfiegro's words. Nobles' words were typically shallow and do not mean much if one would look at the big picture. However, in this case, it was different. Anakin was indeed looking at Faustina in sheer remorse—injured, and in rage. His words were sharp, and Faustina couldn't help but let Anakin cut deep. For a whole moment, there was silence enveloping Anakin's ragged breaths.

". . . w-what is this guy blabbering about?" One of the examinees from the group said.

"Yeah . . . manipulator? That's just too much."

"Mind who you're talking to! And considering you ditched us and helped those from nobility just because you looked down on us . . . heh. And now you still had the gall to tell Miss Faustina she's a manipulator?"

"I agree! This guy must probably be crazy!"

Dracus went forward, with a dark, glowering gaze set to Anakin. 

"You're that noble leader going on about splittin' the groups the first thing in the exam." Dracus' eyes constricted. "I've never forgotten how you abandoned Michelle at the entrance filled with vultures. Whoever should be called manipulator, it's you."

Anakin gritted his teeth and stood up firm to his ground. He held his staff firmly and then he thumped it onto the floor, evoking an upheaval to the earth below. The ground shook—and then suddenly—a red, magical hex appeared underneath Faustina. 

"Step back, all of you," Anakin said, enclosing all of the examinees with barriers. 

Michelle's eyes widened, "such power . . . !" Anakin, who's injured, had just made barrier for all of them . . . all of them except Faustina.

"Watch,�� Anakin exclaimed. "Watch as I expose this manipulator."

With Anakin's magic, he thumped his staff to the floor—and the next thing Faustina saw is a crystal floating away from her pocket as it drifted mid-air.

"Do you know, all of you, what this is?" Anakin spat. 

"What's that?"

"A crystal fragment?"

Michelle's body trembled as she beholds the spectacle. Her heartbeat grew louder—

"That crystal fragment . . ." Michelle murmured. "Is an advanced mana revitalizer . . . from . . ."

Michelle wasn't able to continue her sentence as her shoulders slumped.

"Mana revitalizer? I've never seen anything like it before!"

"That's right. It's too small to be a mana crystal, right?"

"This is a revitalizer of mana that steals mana from others to supply your own," Anakin exclaimed, seizing the fragment. "And it can be only bought from the dark market."

"L-lies . . ."

"That's a lie,"

"That's a 'lie'?" Anakin tilted his head. "I dare you all to feel your mana."

Michelle did, along with others. Feeling their mana. And then that's when they felt it. A slight slip of mana in just the tip of their fingers.

"He's right . . ."

"But that may be—"

Anakin crushed the crystal fragment.

"W-wait, I suddenly feel light . . ."

"That's right. My mana isn't also slipping from my fingers . . ."

"You can only notice the leaking mana when someone says it. If I didn't come, all of you would have been manipulated," Anakin exclaimed, looking straight to Faustina. "Like all of us."

Faustina scowled. "Like all of you . . . ?"

"Faustina Feuerlon—" Anakin accused, "drained all the mana of the majority of the noble examinees to revitalize her own. And now . . . she's after you all!"