"Tell me in details," Gidan told Yalen with a slight frown. Others might find his curiosity unncessary— meddlesome, even— but not him.
Gidan found the Saint's actions earlier out of character. Thus, he wanted to know how the two were connected. Maybe then, he could also understand why the Abbot decided to ask for his help.
Hilam and Soria exchanged glances. They already told Gidan how they met Kyran, and sensed his lack of interest. They only managed to pique his interest after they told them about the Abbot's abduction.
Come to think of it, rather than getting all worked up about the connection between the Saint and Kyran, should they not focus on finding the truth of the Abbot's abduction? Could it be that Gidan and the rest of the leaders did not believe the Abbot was abducted?
"I..." Yalen felt a little uneasy. She did not like talking about others but she also could not defy the commander.
"You are scaring her Gidan," Azikh greeted as he approached them.
Gidan glowered at him and said, "I am not. I only wanted to—."
"Understand how the Saint is related to our guest?" Azikh cut him midsentence with a slight smile. "We can ask her directly, there is no need to go through other people for that. Besides," he looked at Yalen and smiled, "She is Yalen, one our promising healers, you cannot detain her just to feed your curiosity. She is needed in the ward."
"Azikh you—."
"Run along, Lady Yalen."
"Oi—."
"Thank you, sir."
With that Yalen left before Gidan could find other reasons to make her stay.
Yalen went back to her ward and found the Saint had taken Kyran to her personal chamber.
It might sound a little grand, but that chamber was only a small room with a bed on one side of the wall and a table and medicine cabinet on the other. The Saint would normally take those critically wounded fighters into that room to be treated.
At that moment, almost all of the healers in every ward were gathered outside the Saint's personal chamber. This was not something strange because they usually do so to witness the Saint perform healing magic.
But Yalen knew better. These healers were not only there to watch the Saint but were also curious about Kyran. This made her feel a little perturbed. Unlike these healers, Yalen and Oded were assigned to become the Saint's direct assistants. She could not possibly allow others to learn from the Saint before her.
For the record, Yalen was Cyneah's mentee when she was still in the Abbey. That was two years ago. Before Cyneah left, Yalen promised to study hard so she could become her assistant soon after she graduated.
"Make way, please," Yalen said, squeezing her way through the crowd. "Assistant to the Saint passing through!"
The crowd gave way after hearing this. It was not a secret that the newcomers would be the Saint's assistants. They were relieved because the Saint had been working so hard lately, and they were worried she would collapse if no one assisted her. The problem was no one among them could keep up with her. Thus, Oded and Yalen's arrival was a blessing to them.
Yalen entered the room in no time. But when she did, she heard something that almost made her slip and turn bright red.
"Take off your clothes and get on the bed."
The Saint's somewhat demanding tone made everyone feel a little embarrassed because it was their first time hearing her use that tone.
Yalen looked inside the room just in time to see the Saint reaching the hem of Kyran's coat.
On the other hand, Kyran grabbed Cyneah's wrist before she could reach for his coat and said, "I am fine, really. Just a little exhausted. A short rest would be enough—."
"Take. Off. Your. Clothes."
The female Eidums could not help but chuckle, witnessing the Saint's assertiveness. Although what was happening inside the room differed from what they imagined, seeing her act this way rather than her docile self was good.
"I don't trust your 'I-am-fine,'" Cyneah continued, looking at Kyran sternly. "The last time you said that your magic core—." She stopped at once. Her brow furrowed slightly after recalling her conversation with Oded and Yalen. Then she continued, "You've fought beasts and enemies on your way here. Who knows how many internal injuries you've been enduring all this time? Let me give you a proper checkup."
Kyran sighed inwardly. Nevertheless, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he finally relented. He sat at the side of the bed and took off his coat.
Frankly, he had been worried after the Abbot hinted that Cyneah had been in Somuli for seven years. Worried that she would not want to see him. Or that she had already forgotten about him. He had imagined some of the worse reactions she could possibly have once he appeared before her: avoid him, flee, or worse, pretend not to know him. But none of those happened. Instead, she was the one who took the initiative to approach him.
Kyran remembered how shaken Cyneah had been believing the blood she smelled on him to be his.
'She is still the same even after seven years,' he thought while looking at her.
Yalen stopped short, witnessing the exchange between the two. More importantly, she found the gentle look on Kyran's face while looking at the Saint a little...
'A little what?' Yalen wondered, perturbed at the unfamiliar emotion in her heart.
"Oded," Cyneah turned to the side where she sensed the young man's position.
"Yes, Lady Saint," Oded answered and stepped forward.
"Please prepare a new set of clean clothes. The size would be..."
Cyneah reached out and touched Kyran's shoulder but froze after noticing how much he seemed to have changed physically.
Only then did she remember how much time had passed since she left the Human plane?
Sensing Cyneah's sudden hesitation, Kyran looked up just in time to see her pained expression.
"Neah...?"
"It's okay, Lady Saint," Oded replied. "I know Nar's size. I'll find a change of clothes for him."
He left right after that.
Yalen, on the other hand, gaped at Kyran. Particularly at his exposed skin after he took off his coat.
'There are no wounds... not even a scratch,' she thought in amazement. 'Did he really not suffer any injuries after facing that horde?'
"Yalen," Cyneah called for Yalen without addressing Kyran's concerned call.
"Y-Yes," Yalen straightened and looked at Cyneah at once.
"Can you ask everyone to leave and close the door?"
"Yes, Lady Saint."
Even without Yalen asking the others to leave, they moved back after hearing Cyneah.
Before Yalen could close the door, Cyneah said, "I'll call for you if I need anything."
Yalen looked at Cyneah, wanting to protest. But after seeing Cyneah had not moved from her position, Yalen relented and said, "Then, I will be outside. Right, I should take Nar's clothes to the—."
"It's fine," Kyran said, looking at Yalen with a slight smile. "It reeks of blood. I'll take care of it."
He could not possibly let others take his coat, or else they would realize how much 'lost technology' was imprinted on it.
"But—."
"Thank you, Yalen," Cyneah firmly told the younger woman.
"A-Alright," Yalen replied and left the room.
Kyran looked at Cyneah with raised brows. He sensed a sudden change in her mood after asking Oded to prepare spare clothes for him. After that, he felt her hand on his shoulder turned cold.
"Neah? What's wrong—?"
"How long has it been since that day?"
Kyran paused, knowing full well what she was pertaining to that day. He looked at her and found her brows tightly knit together. Her expression suggested she was struggling internally at something.
Was she feeling regretful? Or guilty at what she had done to him before leaving the Human plane? Kyran could only guess what was running through her mind at that moment.
"A year," he replied after a short pause. He initially did not want to answer but found no point in hiding the truth.
"Did you know how long it has been for me?" She asked with a bitter smile.
"Yes. The old man told me."
"Old man?"
"I mean the Abbot."
"I heard he asked you for help before he got abducted."
"Yes."
"Was he really abducted by others?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I seem to recall you have a habit of kidnapping people, so..."
Kyran groaned, "I don't..."
Inwardly, he was sweating buckets because, technically, she was correct.
Cyneah chuckled at his response. Nevertheless, there was a melancholic ring to her laughter.
"It has really been a while."
Kyran did not respond. He continued to look at her wondering what was truly bothering her.
"You must have been shocked to find the girl who left a year ago to have gotten this old, huh?"
Kyran tilted his head slightly. She was worried about her age? Why?
"Rather than that, I think you've gotten more beautiful."
"Huh?" Cyneah gaped at him, wondering if she had heard him wrong.
"Huh?" Kyran repeated while belatedly realizing what he had just said.
He could almost imagine Zephyr and the others' amused faces if they had heard him say that!
What Kyran said was not a passing remark. Cyneah had been a pretty young lady, and now that a few years had passed, she had grown into a beautiful woman. Her short light brown hair had grown longer, and she had them in braids and loosely hung on her shoulder. Her mirror-like eyes also seemed to dance with the lights in the surroundings. And most of all, her body had changed tremendously, especially around her...
Kyran tried to clear his thoughts. But with Cyneah standing in such close proximity, it was a futile attempt.
"Are you done with my checkup? I'm not injured, right?" Kyran decided to change the subject instead.
'Coward.'
Kyran could almost hear Nolan sneering at him while saying that. His brow twitched inwardly at the thought.
He was not a coward. He only found the timing inappropriate. They had only met. He might scare her away if he started spouting things he does not usually say.
Cyneah blinked, still baffled at what happened, before moving her hands to check Kyran's body, "T-That... I'm not done with your ch-checkup...."
The more she moved her hands, the more she felt her face burn.
She had always had trouble seeing Kyran's silhouette; thus, she had to manually guide her magic energy in order to 'see' him. Before, she had no trouble doing it, but now she found it embarrassing.
"I... Y-You... D-Don't seem to be injured..."
A small smile appeared on Kyran's face as he watched Cyneah getting flustered.
She truly had not changed. She still stutters when flustered.
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