Acht fell silent as he looked at Lieslet with a surprised look plastered on his face. He had seen Leislet angry before but he had never seen her this angry before. It was as if her calm and sometimes cheeky and mischievous personality was never really her true self. However, he knew very well that she was angry because she was worried over his injuries and his health.
This made Acht feel a warm feeling in his heart that he rarely felt before. It was subtle but also very noticeable. So, he smiled slightly and nodded his head.
"My bad." He muttered with an apologetic tone.
His reply took Leislet by surprise and made her blush and look down. She didn't feel herself when she lost control over her emotions and shouted at Acht. It made her feel as if she wronged him by shouting at him even though he prioritized the other two injured people over himself. It was simply an act of kindness from his side.
But, that doesn't mean that she was going to let him go without getting treated as fast as possible.
The group then left the den. They walked carefully so as to not disturb Mia and Sali who were barely alive and needed to get the cure before they died from poison. Even though Acht made sure to protect them, he would have not stopped a few poison drops to reach them. It was simply impossible to react faster than that when a monster of that size exploded out of nowhere and without any prior signs of that happening.
The trip back took them almost 20 minutes. Luckily, no monster attacked them during the trip back so they didn't have to stop at all.
When they reached the village entrance again, they found the villagers standing there with torches in their hands to help them see in the darkness. The worry clearly took a toll on their minds as they seemed extremely patientless.
However, when Acht and the group appeared, everyone ran toward them hurriedly.
"Did you get them back? Is Sali and Mia ok?" The chief asked as he examined the two people laying on Leislet's and Scarlett's backs.
"It's fine, they got poisoned but they could be treated. You have the antidotes for the golden-scaled snake, right?"
The chief nodded and looked at a certain person standing by his side. Then, the man left running to get the antidotes as fast as possible.
"What about you,Cero?"
"I'm fine. The poison doesn't affect me that much. Anyway, I will leave them in your care. I want to rest." He said.
"Thank you so much, Acht. You have done another thing that we will never be able to repay at all. The list became too long. How can we even repay in this lifetime?" The chief's eyes watered from agitation as he was about to go down on his knees and bow.
The other villagers looked at each other and nodded before following suit and crouching down. They wanted to bow down to Acht as a way to show how much they are grateful for what he did not only now but also for all the previous years. He had changed the whole village for the better and helped them basically in everything. He gave them knowledge, power and even food.
He was akin to a hero from fairy tales for them.
Acht looked at this scene and frowned slightly. Then, with a serious voice, he spoke.
"Please raise your head, chief. I never really did this for you to bow down to me nor to repay me. I did it for my own satisfaction. It was something that I wanted to do and so I did. I don't want to see you people ever trying to bow to me or I will be really angry."
His reply made everyone freeze in their place and look up at him in awe.
His reply made them feel ashamed of themselves for some reason. It was as if bowing to him was actually a way for them to disrespect everything Acht did. So, they stood up again and averted their eyes from him.
Acht sighed and then smiled calmly.
"It's ok, I understand your intention and I really appreciate it. You are all my friends after all and I don't want to see my friends bow to anyone, not even me."
"We understand, thank you so much." They all said at the same time.
Acht smiled even widely before walking away with Leislet and Scarlett in tow.
"You were amazing." Scarlett approached him and whispered.
"You think so? I didn't say anything special though. That's what I truly believe."
"No, that was indeed an amazing thing to do Acht. These people could see how great this small speech of yours was for them."
"Hehehe, I guess you might be right. Anyway, let's get back home. I want to take a
shower and sleep. It's been a very long day. I never thought I could exhaust myself this much." Acht muttered to himself. But, Leislet and Scarlett heard him and a toothy grin appeared on their faces. It was the kind of smile that meant trouble for Acht.
"Shower? What do you mean shower? You need to get treated first. We have to take good care of you for the whole night. Isn't that right, Leislet?"
"May of course. Acht is quite beaten up so he needs a massage too to relax his muscles. Don't worry… You will be as good as new by tomorrow~~" Leislet replied as she licked her lips seductively and eyed Acht like a prey.
Acht felt a chill run down his spine and a dangerous feeling attacked his senses.
'This day might still not be over. Sigh.'
************************************************
The next day, Acht left the house early in the morning. Both Leislet and Scarlett were still asleep. Even though they didn't show it, they were also exhausted from yesterday. Even Acht was still sore all over but he needed to do something.
'Is Sali and Mia fine?' He pondered as he walked on the road toward Mia's house. It was located in the other part of the village, directly opposite to Acht's house.
When he reached there, he found a few women cleaning the house from outside.
"Oh my, good morning, Cero. How are your injuries." A woman said.
"Fine, not really that big of a deal. Is Mia and Sali ok?" He went straight to the point without wasting time on pointless chatter.
The woman's face immediately frowned and she sighed loudly.
"Mia is fine… But Sali is still not awake."
"... I see. I will go check on them."
After that, he went inside the house. It was a medium-sized house with a few extra rooms inside that both Mia and Sali didn't use that much.
She lived with only her father as for her mother… She died one year before Acht came to the village which meant that it had been six years since her death.
Mia and Sali never talked about it as it seemed to be an extremely sensitive matter for them but Acht knew how much Mia was affected by her mother's death. So, if her father also died than even Acht doesn't know how she would react to that.
He could only hope for the best in this situation.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Who?" A weak voice replied from inside.
Acht could feel how weak Mia was at the moment and also how sad she was just from that one single word. But, he kept a calm front and replied.
"It's me, Acht. Can I come in?"
"Oh, Acht? Please come in." She said with a slightly more alleviated tone. It seemed Acht's arrival made her mood improve considerably.
The boy took a deep breath and then went inside.
The room was very spacious with two white beds next to each other. There were also two small tables and a wardrobe next to the wall.
He examined the room once before looking at Mia who was sitting up straight on the bed, looking through the window.
Her beautiful face coupled with the small rays of sun that entered the room through the window made her look even more mesmerizing. She was akin to a pure angel from the sky, resting her wings under the sun after a long journey.
Mia also looked at him with her tired eyes and tried to smile warmly for him.
"How are you?" Acht decided to speak first so that he could hopefully help Mia feel a little bit better.
"Except for the fact that I can't move at all and that the bed is way too warm then I am completely fine."
"I see." Acht muttered.
Then, he walked closer to her bed and sat on the chair next to her.
"Neh, Acht… Can I tell you something?"
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