"Why are you two looking so serious?"

  "Laura thinks you are sick. You should let her check up on you," Lisabelle folds her arms.

  Viena reflexively held her stomach. She remembered of what Randia had told her long time ago. At first, she thought that maybe Laura can help her with it, but then she is also worried that maybe her father would leave her since he might lose a reason to stay, especially since the two haven't got any chance to spend time together tely.

  "I'm fine."

  ". . . No, you are not."

  Lisabelle tapped on the edge her eyes, giving Viena a hint that she has seen 'it', the thing that Viena is hiding. The little girl noticed and turned her head towards Laura. The medevist dy took out a small empty tube of gss and shrugs her shoulder.

  "It's clearer to see this time. Arnazol."

  "Tell us everything, Vivi. We want to help you."

  Being pressed by both Lisabelle and Laura, Viena had no choice but to do as she is told. Yet, she refuses to be completely honest. Instead of telling the truth, she told them about her being inflicted by a magic that makes her Meta run amok inside her body during one of her journeys and how Randia is trying his best to find a cure for her.

  "Neither of me or Papa has any idea that I had a talent for Yarna, and that makes it even worse," Viena looking down.

  "A magic to disrupt the meta inside one's body . . . Maybe it was due to my ck of experience, but I don't think I ever encountered one. Still, what a nefarious magic that is."

  "So, can you do something about it, Laura?"

  Laura turns silent deep in thought. She exhales and looks disappointed, and Lisabelle gets her answer.

  "Bck burn is a very tough subject, even among us medevists. I'm not sure whether I should tell you about this but . . . There is a treatment called 'Canal Catharsis' developed by the master of Third Minaret in Sindris."

  "I see. Thank goodness it's just a money issue."

  The dy medevist shook her head with a concerning look. She keeps rubbing her hips, showing the world of her worries unconsciously.

  "It's not just an issue of money. I heard the master is a maniac that often resorts to bizarre method in his treatment. Most would probably call it a human experiment rather than a treatment. At least three out of ten of his patients ended up dying, but those that survives, they completely regain their health and vigor as if nothing ever happened."

  Lisabelle and Viena couldn't say anything to respond. There's only 70% chance of survival or maybe less. Eighty years ago, people would never hesitate to take that chance, back when the knowledge of healing is hardly accounted and administered. However, thanks to the rise of the Qamar Alshifa, the first centralized institution for medical and arcane treatment, the world is seeing a better light in healing and medicine, and 70% survival is a concerning number.

  "What happens if she doesn't get treated?" Lisabelle put her arms around Viena's shoulders.

  "Actually, there will be no immediate consequences regarding Bck Burn. But there will be higher risks for certain things . . . ."

  "Such as?"

  "Painful menstrual cycle, increased risk of miscarriage and infertility, increased general health risk when exposed to meta-dense area, high risk of developing further arcane mady when using magic, and if somehow it gets worse - paraplegia."

  Lisabelle turned her face to Viena, only to find her looking sad and scared. She is also lost for words for a moment, until she decided to pull Viena's cheek and make her compin.

  "Ouch! Why did you do that?!"

  "To get rid of that stupid mushy face of yours. Chin up, kid! We, Arbona always smiles before challenge!"

  "Huuh . . .? But I'm-"

  "Ssh! Shut up!" Lisabelle pinched Viena's lips shut.

  "Whether to take up the treatment is up to you. My job is to make sure you are able to do it. Since I'm sure it's going to take a lot of money, it would take some time. Use that time to either figure out an alternative or muster up your courage, understand?"

  Viena nodded quietly, and the three of them return to the Healing House since the little girl insisted that she wanted to have a lunch with her father. Viena, being so excited and adorable when she talked about the food she prepared for the day, made Laura can't go against her wish. Despite her remaining distrust of Randia, Laura keeps her composure and make no advance during their lunch break.

  "Gimme your pte, Papa. I'll wash it for you!"

  "You just want to py the pulley on the well, don't you?" Randia sighed.

  "I'll go with her," Lisabelle took the other dirty dishes with her.

  .

  .

  .

  Once again, it's only Randia and Laura in the room. Although he sensed that Laura has been eyeing on him for a while, Randia is pretending like he didn't saw her and starts writing his report for the day instead. Yet, Laura escated and pull a chair on him. She puts a small gss phial filled with white powder right on the page which Randia is writing upon.

  "I found something interesting about you, and about what happened to the kid."

  "Really?" said Randia looking nonchant as he put aside the phial.

  "You are a back alley medevist, and your Qamarin badge is very likely a stolen piece. Although I have to admit that you are certainly skilled, despite using strange method sometimes, your identity is very questionable."

  "Then you should have just addressed the questions."

  "Stop writing and LOOK AT ME!"

  Laura suddenly turns furious as she pummeled the medical record. Randia is a little surprised since he expected her to be less temperament than that. Thus, he puts away his quill and casually put his hands on the table, waiting for Laura to continue.

  "I advise you to answer very carefully from now."

  "I will answer everything, if you promise me that you won't tell anything to Viena."

  The dy holds her breath and let it out slowly to calm down. She is giving Randia the death stare as she folds her arms and crosses her legs. She demands complete dominance over the conversation.

  "Who are you?"

  "I will not answer that."

  "Why?"

  "Because I will be killed."

  "What did you before you came to Rosmayne?"

  "I kill people."

  "For gold?"

  "No."

  "For fame?"

  "No."

  "Then for what?"

  "For nothing."

  Randia's deep blue eyes is not moving, not even the slightest. They are stern, straight, and clearly don't belong to those with a maze of hearts. They don't have the slightest hint of lying, instead, they show carefully wrapped sorrow and silent grief.

  "Why?"

  "Because they told me to."

  "Who?"

  "My previous . . . owners."

  "So, you were a sve."

  "Yes, I was," Randia answered after a long pause.

  Laura stands up. She is taking out a few things from inside Randia's bag. Luckily, ever since the accident with Viena many months ago, every dangerous thing inside it has been hidden within secret pouches that are sealed with magic.

  "Who taught you about medicine?"

  "I am a disciple to many."

  "Name two of them."

  "Xiao Ying, Sri Anand Bhargava."

  "An eastern man and . . . ?"

  "An eastern woman. And a Maryan man."

  Randia's answer expin his sometime strange method to treat his patients. It was at this moment that she found his map. It was written in foreign nguage that is completely alien to Laura. Thus, her suspicion is slowly lifted by a certain degree. It's highly likely that Randia is indeed a traveler that has visited quite a number of faraway nds.

  "The girl. Viena. Is she really your daughter?"

  ". . . She is an orphan when I found her."

  "Are you performing unethical arcane experiments on her?"

  "No."

  "Are you pnning to perform unethical arcane experiments on her?"

  Upon listening to Laura's question, Randia frowned a little, questioning his own hearing. 'Did you really just ask that?' he implied with his expression. Yet, Laura raised her eyebrows instead, insisting him to answer her question regardless.

  "No."

  "What do you know about her disease?"

  "It's a bck burn. Her magic backfired on her."

  "Why don't you treat her?"

  "Because it's not my field of expertise, and I refuse to experiment on her and risking her health even further."

  "Why don't you ask someone to treat her?"

  "Indeed, a medevist has the power to save lives, but that also means they can toy with it. I've seen the worst of people, Laura Crentine. There's nothing they love more than a critical patient begging for their life. They will never let go of an opportunity to throw a circus of false effort and expression for a sack of gold."

  It's either Randia is great at talking his way out of trouble or he is simply being genuine. Laura would love to think about all of it being the former, but when she thought about what Randia has been doing all the time she was keeping her eye on him, she grows disheartened by every second. She is starting to think that she might be giving a hard time to an honest struggling single father.

  ". . . What is she to you?"

  ". . . She is a kid. And she needs to be taken care of," Randia looked down to his thumbs.

  "Isn't that a given? All children must be cared for."

  "If the world thinks the way you do, we don't need the heaven."

  Laura is abruptly struck by Randia's words. It was coming out of nowhere and she didn't expect it one bit. Her cheeks slowly turn as red as apple. It's decided for her. There is no way those kinds of words could come out of a dirty heart. Randia is not what she thought he was, and she is gd for it.

  "I-I see. Ahem. I think that's all there's to it. You have convinced me, so I will trust you. A-At least for now."