Chapter 68: Making Up Again, the Patient

April 22nd, Sunday.

The weather was clear, the sky spotless and flawless blue.

“I haven’t treated you very well these past few days, and made you uncomfortable. I apologize.”

Bried bowed formally to Siloque, her orange ponytail drooping, the exposed white nape of her neck trembling slightly.

“I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all! Hurry and lift your head, I forgive you, it’s okay.”

In a pavilion at Lake Heart Park, many elderly people were already out exercising in the morning, occasionally glancing over, making Siloque feel as if he’d done something wrong.

“You…really forgave me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive or not forgive, I was never angry with you!”

“Then that means you didn’t forgive me.”

“Forgiven, forgiven, I beg you, please lift your head.”

Siloque urged repeatedly, finally making Bried raise her head.

After two weeks, meeting Bried’s determined gaze again, he felt she had become even more captivating.

His heart beat faster. Was this what they called beauty from distance?

To lighten the mood, Siloque randomly picked a topic.

“About your bowing posture, I have to say, you seem quite skilled at it?”

“I practiced for two hours yesterday. Give me some more time, and I can do even better.”

“Don’t waste time practicing useless things like that…”

But this also showed how sincere her apology was.

Siloque really couldn’t handle Bried.

Or rather, he couldn’t understand her.

Why did she suddenly want to reconcile?

He was already used to that sense of distance…

“Then, can you tell me why you wanted to keep your distance from me before?”

Bried blushed and turned her face slightly.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“………”

Eh? What’s going on?

The sudden shyness and cuteness left Siloque dumbfounded.

Was there some secret behind this?

He thought hard about whether he had done anything to Bried.

The beginning of all this seemed to be that night she visited his house?

In other words… did Hil do something?

But Siloque didn’t want to believe it.

That was his beloved and precious little sister; he didn’t want to doubt Hil.

Forget it.

Let’s just turn the page on this matter.

As long as the mentor-student relationship between me and Bried exists, nothing special will happen between us.

“But there’s one thing I can say.”

Bried placed her hand over her slightly rising and falling chest.

“I made a good friend. Thanks to her, I finally resolved to become friends with you, Siloque.”

Bried seemed to have let it go, but she still asked Siloque with a tone of confusion.

“We’re friends, right?”

Uh, how should I put it?

Siloque was impressed that Bried could say such things with a straight face.

Even knowing she meant well, it still made him feel embarrassed.

Is this what they call ‘sincerity is the greatest weapon’?

Siloque responded quickly.

“Of course.”

Bried nodded.

“Then could you make me some breakfast?”

“With pleasure.”

He didn’t know who this good friend was, but whoever she was, she had really repaired the relationship between him and Bried.

Well, isn’t that great?

***

Meeting the Big Eater 1

“Mm?”

This phrase popped into Siloque’s mind for no reason.

It was from a message Brieden had sent in the dungeon.

Wait a minute…

At the same time, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Could this so-called good friend be Beiren?

“The person you’re talking about, is her name Gewina?”

Bried’s eyes widened slightly.

“Amazing, how did you know?”

“Because the white lab coat is my XP, and I remember the names of female teachers in the infirmary.”

In the game, Bried never interacted with Beiren.

Because Bried loved to exercise and was healthy, she hardly had a chance to be seriously injured, and with Kersey, the [Priest], around, she rarely needed to visit the infirmary or run into Beiren.

It should be fine, right?

Anyway, it wasn’t the first time such a small butterfly effect had occurred.

Let’s hope it’s nothing.

“Siloque, are you okay? Your dark circles are heavy. I have some mint lemon tea with me.”

“Ah? Uh… it’s fine. I’ll just go home and take a nap later.”

Siloque felt his eyelids heavy, as if they’d close any moment, so he simply took out a fatigue-relieving magic potion from his wristband and drank it.

Last night, Siloque had held onto his status as the older brother, cleared Bio 40 at 6:30 a.m., with Hil hugging him in her sleep (how did that even happen?), her drool running down his neck.

He placed her on the bed, intending to take a shower, but as soon as he stepped out of the room, he ran into his dad, Claude, again.

This time, Claude insisted on punching Siloque, and Siloque bolted out the door.

Basically, he hadn’t slept at all.

“I see? Don’t push yourself.”

“I have two weeks left until my duel with Cliff. I maintain a regular diet and routine every day to keep myself in the best condition for the challenge.”

“I wholeheartedly agree. I’ll learn from you too.”

Siloque genuinely thought so.

A healthy body is the foundation of revolution.

Even if his fatigue these past few days was self-inflicted and completely deserved.

Also, Siloque hoped it was just his imagination.

Today, although Bried was still cold and stoic, she seemed to be talking more…?

Almost as if she wanted to chat with him.

“Siloque, if you’re ready, let’s start training.”

“Oh… no problem, let’s go.”

Siloque shifted his mindset, determined to use his Lv13 physique to surprise Bried.

He was no longer the rookie who would nearly collapse after a 3km run.

Hehe, he couldn’t wait to see Bried’s envious and admiring expression.

***

Saint Luke Medical Center, Room 307.

The nameplate read the patient’s name — Cliff Latol.

“xi…ro…kax”

Even before the head nurse and nurse entered the room, they could hear the broken muttering from inside.

The [Priest] class was easy to learn, but few truly mastered it.

Ultimately, it depended on the balance between the user’s magic power, skills, and talent; only with a good combination of these three could sufficient healing effects be achieved.

Therefore, while most doctors could use [Priest] healing skills, lacking in one of the three made them adequate for treating cuts and fractures, but powerless against cancer or brain tumors.

High-level [Priest]s were already rare, and those capable of resurrection-level miracles were usually recruited by the Valosa Group or Benor Corporation, making it extremely rare to find them working in hospitals.

Moreover, both items and skills had certain usage restrictions.

Even the S01—Fully Restorative Scroll, a magic-empowered artifact, was worth over a billion and not something ordinary people could afford.

Its effect could resurrect the dead, but with many conditions.

The deceased had to be Lv20 or below, the scroll used within five minutes of death, and there was a chance of level drop, appetite loss, or mental instability as side effects after revival.

Therefore, a stable and efficient medical system remained the public’s first choice.

“It’s a bit scary, isn’t it? That person has been repeating that word every day since being admitted at the beginning of the month.”

The elderly head nurse adjusted her glasses.

“Eh?… Every day? 24 hours nonstop?”

“Yes. He doesn’t seem to have many friends. Only a drunken father visited, and there was also a girl in an Academy of Explorers uniform. That deep purple hair left a strong impression—I even thought she was his girlfriend. But she only visited as a classmate. It was just once, and she never came again.”

“So he’s pretty pitiful.”

“People say he’s filled with resentment… But as a newcomer, you mustn’t say that to patients.”

“Understood, Sister Glo.”

A while later, the new nurse entered Room 307.

She checked the instruments according to protocol, changed the patient’s bandages, drip, applied medication, checked the urine bag, and so on.

Finally, she closed the blinds to the room, moved near the door, listened closely, and made sure no one was in the hallway.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Cliff?”

She joked to the patient whose face was wrapped in bandages.

“…….xi,ro…”

“Mm, mm, your emotions are heavy and profound, exactly what Lord Izabilis values. I’m sure you’ll soon realize that this world needs cleansing. I know, Lord Izabilis told me you’re our companion. Ah, no, about to become our companion, ah, no, maybe our companion?……”

The nurse rambled on, raising her right hand.

A nest-shaped object formed of black branches—a Refined Tree Nest—silently appeared in her palm.

This Refined Tree Nest was small enough to be completely held in one hand.

“The Lord’s grace will reshape your body. Now, it’s up to you whether you can pass the test. If you succeed, you can be reborn. If you fail, you’ll go to the Golden Land. Gahahaha, you can’t lose either way.”

She used two fingers to pull out a small black twig from the nest, her expression turning solemn.

“All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. When sin is repaid, one can enter the Golden Land.”

As the low, prayer-like murmur filled the air, the nurse was about to place the twig into Cliff’s mouth.

“Isn’t it taking a bit too long, newcomer?”

The head nurse entered the room.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry, the patient’s saliva dripped, so I wiped it.”

“Use soft tissues to wipe next time.”

“Understood! Head Nurse.”

“Shhh—lower your voice, don’t disturb the patient.”

The nurse nodded, and out of the head nurse’s sight, closed the patient’s mouth over the twig.