Reith quickly bowed his head, hitting it hard on the mattress. "I'm really sorry, Ma'am. It's just that I couldn't control the feeling and I... I..."

"You what?" Verity scrunched her brows, glaring at him, though deep down she couldn't care less if he cultivated here.

If anything, it was better that he was able to heal in such a time.

"I'm sorry!" Reith's shoulders sagged. He couldn't think of any other way to apologize to this iron lady.

The annoying part was that such a pure and dense concentration of Hana would definitely cost a lot, and he had already sent the remaining balance on the golden card to his family at the church.

He didn't have enough left.

"I'd be willing to work here at least to pay my debt. I know I shouldn't have trespassed and taken what belonged to you without permission, especially after you saved my life."

Verity hummed, looking him over. "Hold it, boy. I'm not letting you work here, or you might suck this place dry." She folded her arms across her chest.

"I didn't save your life either. I merely assisted in the healing of injuries. It was like someone had already done the major part of my job for me." Verity thought aloud, then glanced at Reith one last time.

Hearing her words, Reith internally thanked Ruach.

"You were the kid who helped Jeran, right?" Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Reith was taken aback, then swallowed. "Yes, I am."

"Alright. The cost of what you took is on the house. Consider this a thank you from me to you, for making my work with Jeran easier," she said, walking toward her desk behind a large curtain. "Especially when you used such a simple technique to work on such a bad wound." She muttered more to herself than to him.

After a moment, she turned her face to Reith

"Boy do you want to become a healer?" Verity asked with a calm gaze.

Reith thought about it for a while, then he shook his head.

Becoming a healer would limit him and the techniques he wanted to work with.

"I see. I wanted to give you certain healing techniques." Verity placed a finger on her chin and then she shrugged.

"I guess you could have them anyways." She smirked, tossing two scrolls to him.

Reith caught the scrolls, "Thank you very much, Ma'am. I promise not to disappoint you." He was elated as he stood from the bed.

Initially he didn't how to feel at first but Ruach just told him any techniques would work with his cultivation path irrespective of its style.

So he was glad to get something out of all this.

"Yeah, yeah." Verity waved her hand in dismissal. Now that the boy was no longer her responsibility, she could focus on her research.

The techniques she had given the boy were hard ones to learn but she didn't know why she trusted him enough to go through with it.

Was it because of the way she heard him stand against those villians?

Adjusting her monocles, Verity sighed and picked up a plant from a small glass tray with tweezers.

She would ponder on those thoughts later but right now, she had work to do.

"I wonder where you came from, little devil." Her other hand rose, fingers moving in a symbolic pattern as a glowing rune formed over the plant.

With this, she could see deeper into the Hana flow within it.

The task was tedious, but she was willing to see it through. Maybe it would finally lead to a clue about the disappearing deaths and the sudden appearance of carnivorous plants in that forest.

Meanwhile, Reith walked out of the healing centre.

He was surprised by how many healers greeted him, some even moved to tears that he was alive.

They spoke about how unrecognisable he had been. It wasn't surprising—he had spent six days in that place.

"Six days..." Reith sighed. "That's a lot of classes." A gloomy cloud hung over his head.

He was especially worried about his teacher, Master Lu.

But his heart was heavier with something else.

Reith sat on a bench, a conversation from one of the nurses replaying in his mind.

"They died. A man named Felix was found upstairs, and Stella was also killed. They've both been buried for four days now."

The words had pierced through him like an arrow, and somehow he felt he was to blame.

"It's not your fault," Ruach whispered in his ear.

Reith let out a humourless chuckle. "If I was strong enough, I would have been able to summon your strength."

"That wasn't your fault, Reith. Growth never comes in a single day," Ruach replied gently.

"I know, but..." Reith clenched his fists. "If I don't take the blame, who is going to be responsible for what happened?" His voice was tight with frustration.

"That's not your job right now," Ruach said with a faint smile. "Your job is to get stronger so none of this can happen again."

After a while, Reith nodded. "Yes, and my goal still remains the same. I will find Reisa, no matter how hard it is."

---

Far across in the BetherNand Continent, among its regions, there was one that stood out for its production of metals and valuable ores.

It looked peaceful on the surface, with bustling market squares and smiling citizens, but underneath was a graveyard of corruption.

In a large mansion, a man sat at the far end of a long table, swirling wine in his glass.

"So if I get this correctly, you couldn't capture a kid who wasn't even a mage." His tone was sharp as he brought the glass to his lips.

It seemed as though he was talking to no one, until a shadow moved and a figure stepped out.

"Answer me, Grant. You couldn't get me a child? And why do I give you resources?" The man facepalmed.

Grant stepped forward and dropped to one knee.

"He was heavily protected, Lord Venrad, and we miscalculated," Grant said with a deep tone.

Silence hung in the air before the wine glass shattered in Venrad's hand.

He rose sharply, glaring down at Grant. "The only thing I hear are excuses. The instructions were simple, get the boy out without making any commotion."

"What happened to your minions?" Venrad demanded.

Grant lowered his head further. "They are dead, and they deserved it. Fidd and Haze went against my command and brought destruction." It was a lie, but Venrad's glare didn't soften.

Grant had given those two evil things to work without rein, but he wasn't going to say that in front of an angry boss.

Venrad was about to speak when a violent cough shook him, blood splattering onto the floor.

Grant's head snapped up. "Lord Venrad—"

"Shut up!" Venrad barked. "I needed to absorb that child's talent, and you have failed me. Out of my sight!"

Grant trembled. "But Master—"

"I said get out!" Venrad's voice was cold and final.

Understanding the danger, Grant gave a short bow and stepped out.

He clenched his fists. This was all because of that Region Head. If that man had stayed where he belonged, they would have gotten what they wanted, and his master would have praised him.

Grant's knuckles whitened. "I'll kill you, Leon Lohengrin."

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