Chapter 86: The Medicine

Salser quickly complied. He went to the storage room, filled a tray with the necessary surgical tools, and had a white lizard, whose flames had been extinguished, carry a basin of water behind him. Returning to the treatment room, the soldiers had already tightly bound the short man with leather straps on the operating table.

"Hey mate, even though you gave me a boot earlier, I still appreciate your help, so forget about those love-struck idiots," a soldier mumbled to Salser as he approached the treatment room, supporting a fellow soldier with a scalpel lodged in his thigh as they walked out, "If you had killed that bastard just now, it would have been a relief for us. The brass insists on keeping him breathing, but we think he'd be better off dead sooner rather than later."

"Oh, sorry about that, when I was pushing through..."

"Don't worry about the formalities, I get it," the soldier cut him off, "I can't stand it either when someone grabs me in that situation. But on another note, that kick of yours really knocked the wind out of me! But listen, mate, that bastard shot our mage, and he's got a lot of our friends' relatives burned alive in that house. I can't stand those crazy cultists—I hear they're the vengeful types. You better watch your back for any sneaky moves."

"I'll be careful," Salser nodded in acknowledgment.

The soldier with the scalpel in his thigh laughed. "Verin, you idiot, what nonsense are you spouting to Master Mage!" Then his eyelids and mouth twitched, likely because his wound had reopened from the sudden movement. "Master Mage, don't mind those horny brats. Do they even deserve to think about Sister Caren? They couldn't even keep an eye on that son of a bitch! If you ask me, your three strikes really gave me some relief. When he was lifted up, he looked like a skewered roast, should've added more wood to cook him through! But listen, you should actually be careful about the church where the nun lives. I heard from the cook Fatalon at the Barghast tavern—there are rumors that someone plans to take advantage of whatever opportunity to lay hands on the church's assets. It's just gossip, but please be cautious."

"Has it always been this unpeaceful here?"

"It's just that the cultists' activities have suddenly become more frequent recently," he said, "But we can still handle it. After all, this is a city renowned for its mage academy, and we've been fighting those bugs for years. Even the legions of those Roman idiots couldn't take us down decades ago! We're not some border town; these are just minor issues!"

The two soldiers saluted him before leaving.

And the Roman idiot in their words carried the tray into the treatment room.

Caren washed her hands with the water from the basin carried by the lizard, put on another pair of sterilized white gloves, and began to examine the short man's abdomen, which had been hastily bandaged. His limbs and neck were strapped to the operating table, and a gag was in his mouth, so all that could be heard were faint moans of pain. Several soldiers stood at intervals around the room, blocking anyone who tried to approach, but only Salser managed to squeeze in with his expressionless face. His arrival seemed to cause a small commotion.

Nothing more than discussions about the mage, the nun, and their rumored romantic entanglements—all sorts of messy gossip.

Perhaps in a few days, these would also involve an inquisitor who just got arrested due to a street brawl.

Caren shifted her gaze from the short man's abdominal wound, a dark bloodstain splattered on her forehead: "Put a mask on me, this man's plethora is truly disgusting, then sterilize the scissors... you can do that, right?"

"What do you think?" Salser walked behind her, pulling her ears to put the mask on, and then—proceeded to do what he usually did during dissections of living specimens. "Do you need anything else sterilized?" Half a minute later, he placed the scissors in Caren's hand. 

"It seems you enjoy saying such nonsense because you lack confidence in your opinions. As a man, you're quite troublesome," she said in a very calm tone, picking up the scissors and cutting through the dirty bandages on the short man's body, "Personally, I don't particularly like vulgar men, but being too effeminate is also quite annoying." Caren put down the scissors and extended her hand. "Give me the scalpel," she said.

Salser also sterilized the scalpel and handed it over.

"Something broken inside his stomach?"

"Mmm... I was just about to mock you for your lack of knowledge, but it seems like I can't even do that, which make me quite unhappy," Caren leaned down, her gloved index finger touching his abdomen, then lifted the scalpel with her left hand and cut open the short man's wound. Her right hand reached in carefully to retrieve something. The short man's screams pierced through the leather strap gagging his mouth, echoing throughout the room, causing all the soldiers and onlookers to take several steps back, their faces filled with dread. "I heard that fragments from an explosive flew in, and there might also be a stray bullet during the fight. So, can you tell me..."

"To prevent infection," Salser said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Rough healing magic can integrate foreign objects into the wound, which usually leads to festering, and can also damage blood vessels and organs."

"You're really annoying, and also impatient... Can't even fulfill a small wish for a girl. Do you only use your useless knowledge to mock others for their lack of insight? What a devious man."

Caren continued to grumble as she reached into the short man's abdominal wound to search. He struggled like a wild beast, his body drenched in sweat, his veins popping out, his bulging muscles straining the leather straps that bound his limbs, even causing the thick straps to start cracking.

Salser shook his head imperceptibly.

Generally speaking, the face-to-face intimate contact with a beautiful girl can be quite exhilarating, but there are exceptions. 

This was no longer just a matter of face-to-face contact.

"Help me hold him down, you devious man," she said emotionlessly, her hands continuing their work, with the short man's unceasing screams and struggles .

Salser muttered a few incantations, and four terrifying white serpents silently slithered onto the operating table, wrapping several times around the short man's limbs. Another snake coiled around his neck and head. The snake's head slithered around in front of him, its menacing hissing mixed with his pained whimpers.

After a long and intense gaze between the short man and the serpent, Caren finally finished her search. She extracted several bloody, broken wooden fragments and a cracked metal bullet from the short man's stomach, tossing them all into a nearby metal tray.

"Suturing needle and catgut," she said, "Don't forget the sterilization procedure."

After Caren skillfully dealt with the wound, the soldiers immediately pushed the operating table away. Presumably, there would be more painful interrogations awaiting him, but Salser wasn't particularly interested in that. Judging from Caren's expression—she also seemed to want to avoid getting involved.

The surgery took almost an hour. After leaving, Caren received a fee for the operation.

When they reached the solitary alley outside the tower, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall for several minutes, her forehead covered in fine sweat. Finally, under Salser's gaze, she took out a bottle of medicine from her pocket, poured two pills into her hand, and swallowed them.

"Help me up..." Her face was a bit pale, indicating the Dark wizard to lend a hand.

"What's this medicine for, maintaining stamina?"

"It's similar to what you're imagining; my physical stamina has always been poor," she said expressionlessly, though her gaze was somewhat unfocused, "Such surgeries require particularly focused attention... especially to ensure the safety of blood vessels and organs, so I need to take some medicine to endure it."

"You're quite the shady doctor, I hope you don't suddenly collapse and die on the floor next to your patient one day."

"Did you just say something very unsympathetic? But it's fine, it's a secret I've hidden quite well so they won't revoke my medical license," Caren said without looking up, "As for who would be unlucky enough to encounter me as you described—just let the Lord represent me to apologize."

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