It took Lady Aria one full day to wake up. During that time, I was standing guard outside her room. I could not sleep, as I had a lot of things to think about.

  After that, Lady Aria continued her activities during the day as usual and stayed up late at night.

  Four days after that accident, I was summoned by Lady Aria for a private meeting.

  She presented me with a ribbon. It was imbued with the shielding technique she used. It was capable of stopping a full-blown attack from a swordmaster once. It was automatically displayed when the damage my body sustained exceeded the threshold of a normal attack I could take. It was the double shielding teaching combined with the sealing technique. In simple terms, when the first shield broke, it would release the seal of the second shield. It was a novel idea. Just with these techniques alone, what she presented to me could be considered an artifact. Adding to the fact that it could stop a full-blown attack from a Swordmaster, its value skyrocketed. It was a game-changer in life-or-death situations. It was the perfect match for me, a speed-type swordsmanship. My style was not to take damage. I did not take the attack head-on. Instead, I evaded the attack and exploited the opening.

  The next day, in the middle of the night, we went to meet Duke Melbon at the abandoned church outside the town. We went there to fulfill our transaction. Upon arriving there, we found a dozen of his men lying down, covered in injuries. However, all of them were unconscious.

  He stood up to greet us. “You really came?”

  “We are bound by the contract after all.” Lady Aria bowed down in greeting, to which he lightly responded with a slight nod.

  “Huh.”

  “Shall I fulfill my end of the bargain first?” He peered at those injured men as she showed concern for them.

  “Just hurry and do it.”

  After he said that, he walked away and sat at the broken altar, overlooking us.

  Lady Aria paid little attention to him and immediately began her work. As for me, I stood beside her, ready to grab her and run away if I sensed any danger.

  After a while, Lady Aria stood up and looked at him.

  “Where are his legs?”

  “Why are you asking that?” He was lazily biting down on a piece of jerky.

  She shifted her gaze to her patient; her eyes filled with compassion. “It would be possible to attach it. Although it won't be able to function as well as before.”

  However, his reaction was too violent for me to accept. He threw away that piece of jerky and spat out what was left in his mouth. As he walked to us, I took a stand, shielding Lady Aria behind me. However, he paid me no mind. As he came to stand in front of us, he peered down at her, who stood behind me.

  “Are you joking with me, little girl?”

  “My apologies, but I am serious.” And she did not back down from his threat.

  “……………….” They entered a staring contest. After a while, he said. “Then do it.” He took off his shoes and cut his pinky toe.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “……” We could understand what he was talking about. Then, without a word, Lady Aria stepped forward and knelt down.

  It did not sit well with me to see her kneel at his feet. She was not someone to kneel down to others. She was the most noble person in this land. Before I acted, Lady Aria stopped me. “Please leave it to me.”

  “…. There are many more ways to do it, Duke Melbon. It was not right to intentionally harm your body. It was a gift from your parent and the goddess. Do treasure your body in the future, for it has been blessed by the goddess.” She said so as she reattached his toe.

  You also should direct those words to yourself, milady.

  After she completely healed his toe, she stood up and looked up at him.

  “Since it is a fresh wound, it heals nicely. With a bit more time, it would be as good as before.”

  He tried to move his toes. After confirming that he could move them, he looked back at Lady Aria. “You really can do it?”

  His surprised face… It was refreshing to witness it.

  “I would never jest about this kind of thing. So, where is his leg?”

  He looked sideways as he answered it in a whisper. “…We burned it already.”

  “I see. Unfortunately.”

  She turned to look at the soldier who had lost his legs with compassion while biting her lip. Losing one of their legs could make their life miserable enough. But losing both of them… we could foresee that only hell awaited him. You could say that only death awaited him.

  A heavy silence presided over us. Sensing something was wrong, he tried to soothe her.

  “Even if we kept it, it would be rotten already.”

  “You can preserve it with ice for a short while or with divine art.”

  “Huh?” His face told us that it was genuinely new information for him.

  We could not dwell on it any longer. Thus, Lady Aria continued to heal the rest of them.

  After she finished healing them, after he checked that they were all healed, we proceeded to another business. We moved a bit farther away from the injured soldier.

  “So, where are the promised items?”

  As he said that, Lady Aria looked up at me. Perceiving her intention, I carefully unloaded the box from my back.

  “Please,” I opened the box for him to check the contents. “Inside here is the Holy Water. I will round it down to five thousand.”

  “Are you playing with me? These tiny marbles are Holy Water?” He picked one of the marbles to examine it closely. I could see that we, at the very least, had built a foundation of trust among us. He did not violently react to the unusual things Lady Aria introduced.

  “It was inconvenient to carry the standard Holy Water. So, I condensed it. Although the size is far too small compared to typical holy water, I can guarantee its potency. You can try to break it.”

  I could guarantee it. I sometimes presented there when she made these marbles. We have also experienced it many times already. Although she tried to downgrade its performance, the high priest confirmed that it was more effective than the highest-grade Holy Water on the market. No, it was the highest of all the Holy Water in the main church. Its small size and durability carried significant strategic value. It could be a game-changer in a war or expenditure. Many innovative operations could be conducted with it.

  Yet, he was a bit skeptical of her explanation. “…..”

  “Just mix this droplet with the normal water at the same amount of typical holy water if you want to spray it. Its effect would remain the same.”

  Lady Aria showed him an example, which he awkwardly followed.

  After confirming its effect, he raised a question as his eyes filled with excitement. “Were you the one who made it?”

  “…… Yes. I can guarantee the consistent quality.” Taken aback by his newfound enthusiasm, Lady Aria took a step back.

  “…. All of these five thousand?” Unfazed by her discomfort, he pressed forward.

  Only after he held my hand could she reply to him. I found that her hand was a bit cold and… trembling. “……. yes.”

  After he peered at her face one last time, he pulled back. “I will trust you for now,” he said as he laughed.

  “Since I have proved myself, I trust you would do the same.” Although she regained her composure, she did not let go of my hand.

  “…… Alright, I will see you later,” he said, picking it up and turning his back on us. Then, he walked to his man lying near the altar. After a few steps, he looked back. “Are you engaged?”

  “...” I felt discomfort at his question.

  “…No.” Puzzled by his question, Lady Aria tilted her head sideways.

  “I see. Good……. You should go now. My men are coming.” He waved at us after giving his playful smile.