[Vol. 8] Chapter 134: Can’t Heal It… Gotcha!
“You say I’ve wrongly blamed her, but we’ve been chasing that fake the whole time, and almost never lost sight of them. So how could they secretly switch places with someone else without us noticing? And why would they choose to take this girl’s appearance just to frame her?”
“Hmm...”
Seeing that Mr. Ferryman was no longer trying to fight and was just arguing logically, Violet didn’t rush to argue back. Instead, she calmly looked at the girl beside her and smiled.
“Miss Ayla, what do you think?”
“…?”
The scholar blinked in surprise, looking a bit speechless.
She clearly understood that with Violet’s true background and power, this woman probably wasn’t just here as an ordinary trial challenger. Ayla could also guess that Violet must have some way to confirm whether she was real or not, maybe even proof that could convince others. But instead of using that power, Violet chose to ask her this question, clearly just looking to have a bit of fun and watch the drama unfold.
Still, since Miss Violet had already spoken like that, Ayla could only play along.
After all, this was a trial, and the church never told the participants what the challenges would be. Maybe everything happening right now was a test given by the goddess, using the people in front of her.
Ayla had a strong feeling that how this turned out might directly affect what would happen next. So even if it was troublesome, she had to do her best to handle it properly.
With that thought in mind, Ayla quickly came up with a rough plan. She nodded slightly and looked toward the man in the raincoat.
“Since Miss Violet is willing to act as a witness, I’m willing to try to prove my innocence. But before that, I need to understand what exactly attacked your group and what really happened. What I mean is, can we set aside our suspicion for now and exchange information? If you still don’t trust me, I’m also willing to stay at a safe distance.”
“……”
Mr. Ferryman looked at the calm and serious expression on the Lightborn girl’s face, then glanced at the two people standing beside her, especially at the priest girl who was casually whistling as if none of this mattered. He hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
After all, their captain, Mr. Dead Soul, wasn’t here right now, and one of their members had been taken down. This meant their group’s fighting power, usually reinforced by a contract, was currently weakened. And if Violet really wanted to protect Ayla, there was nothing he could do to stop her, even if he didn’t want to give in.
“Fine. But I’ll be watching your every move. Don’t try anything sneaky. If you really are innocent, I’ll apologize later. But for now, I have to treat you like a suspect.”
“Fair enough.”
With Violet helping calm things down, the two sides finally stopped fighting for the time being.
After that, Mr. Ferryman returned to the floating transport shuttle, guided it down to the ground, and spoke briefly with a gray-haired girl who had stayed behind. Then together, they carried out another teammate who had fallen unconscious.
That teammate was none other than Miss Dark Spirit, one of the twin assassins from the [Reaper's Scythe] team, someone who had interacted with Violet before. Just as Mr. Ferryman said, she was now in a very strange and unnatural state.
Not only were the girl's eyes closed with no reaction to the outside world, but her body also looked more faded and unreal than everyone else's, as if she were a spirit about to vanish into thin air. Just one look was enough to tell something was very wrong.
It was obvious that this wasn’t a normal result of the Trial of the Underworld Gate.
Both the Human and Underworld paths focused mainly on testing the heart and mind. They were meant to challenge one’s spirit and willpower, not physical strength. To put it simply, they were just upgraded versions of the earlier selection trials.
Even if someone failed and became overwhelmed by inner demons, they would usually only fall into confusion for a short time or suffer some mental strain. After leaving the [Six-Line Array Palace], their minds would slowly heal on their own.
In terms of danger, these two paths were actually the least risky. Well, at least before a certain priestess added her own twists to the Heaven Gate trial. But now...
“Praise the goddess… What’s going on here? Her life force still seems strong, and she doesn’t have any serious injuries. So why does it feel like she’s about to fade away and die? Either way, I should try using...”
Sybil, a priest who had always treated healing as her duty since childhood, looked at the gray-haired girl lying on the ground with confusion and concern. She was about to step forward to check on her when Violet suddenly raised a hand to stop her. Ayla frowned slightly, but Violet only shook her head meaningfully and walked forward alone.
Mr. Ferryman and Miss Dark Lotus watched with complicated and somewhat hopeful eyes. They didn’t stop Violet. After all, she was known as one of the greatest healers in the world. Violet knelt down next to Miss Dark Spirit, brushed aside her fading bangs, and nodded slightly.
“Just as I thought.”
There was a small, faint glowing dot in the center of Miss Dark Spirit’s forehead, barely visible to the naked eye. It looked like something incredibly sharp had pierced through her skin and into her brain. But whatever had stabbed her wasn’t a real object. It felt more like a beam or energy attack. What they were seeing was simply the mark it left behind.
“How interesting. So, the attacker first changed her body into a kind of half-spirit state using their energy, then stole her soul... Judging by this, more than half her soul has already been taken.”
“S-Stole her soul?!”
Ayla and Miss Dark Lotus both turned pale in shock after hearing that terrifying explanation. Miss Dark Lotus, the injured girl’s older sister, began to tremble. Tears welled up in her eyes as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Violet without any hesitation.
“Lady Violet! I know... you are one of the best holy spellcasters in the world. Even if the Redemption Saintess herself were here, she might not be any better at healing than you. Please, save my sister! I’ll pay any price! Even if I can’t afford it, the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild has countless rare treasures that will surely satisfy you. I’ve saved up contribution points too—”
“U-Um... Yes, Miss Violet,” Mr. Ferryman quickly added. “Our team, [Reaper's Scythe], has ties with the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild. With our combined contribution points, we could trade for almost any rare item in the world. Whatever it takes to save Miss Dark Spirit, name your price.”
Violet quietly glanced at Miss Dark Lotus, who was kneeling and begging, then looked at Mr. Ferryman, who was trying to support her plea. Her face showed no emotion as she shook her head.
“You’ve seen her condition. Her body is so faded because more than two-thirds of her soul has already been stolen. A soul isn’t like blood, you can’t grow it back by stimulating the body. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Even if you heal the body with magic, her memory, emotions, and many parts of her mind would be permanently damaged. There’s no normal way to bring her back.”
…Of course, that last part was a lie.