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Once the steaming medicinal solution had cooled slightly, Talina used it to clean the pale wound. Soon, Tesolus felt the numbness across his forehead begin to fade. The cold, snake-like sensation that had coiled across his face receded considerably. As the warm water flowed down his face and dripped from his chin into the basin below, the flesh around the wound gradually regained its natural reddish hue. A faint trickle of blood seeped through once more, just as fresh as when the blade first struck him.
Tesolus leaned forward to cooperate with Talina's treatment. The girl who had trembled with fear just moments ago seemed to transform into a different person once she began treating his wound.
Her expression became focused and meticulous. Her slender fingers wiped down the wound with a clean white linen cloth. Her jade-green eyes remained fixed on his forehead. Once she had finished cleaning the wound, she gently lifted and supported his head with both hands, her courage remarkably bold in that moment.
As the girl lowered her head to rinse the linen cloth in the basin, Tesolus suddenly noticed how cute her profile was. Her cheeks had just the right softness, not enough to make her face look puffy, but rather like a perfectly steamed bun. He realized the analogy might not be entirely appropriate, but that was honestly what came to mind.
Unlike the typically slender Hols, this girl had developed well-rounded curves. Her figure was full and curvaceous yet without excess flesh. Every part of her seemed to carry a sense of perfect proportion. At the same time, she was tall and graceful, standing like a young tree in full bloom. One could only conclude that she had received proper nutrition during her growth. Tesolus found himself staring, somewhat lost in thought, for a moment.
He snapped back to reality when she took out her small pouch and drew a suture needle from within.
"What kind of thread do you use to close wounds? Is it hemp or cotton?"
Talina realized he was speaking to her. She continued to pull a bundle of white silk thread from her pouch.
"Neither. To suture wounds, you must use fine thread extracted from sheep intestines. Moreover, it has to be scalded in boiling water before use. During this process, you need to apply the Flood Protective Art to shield the intestinal thread; otherwise, it will be ruined. After that, it must remain sealed with magic until the moment of use, only then can the seal be opened."
With her clean, white fingers, she deftly threaded the translucent white filament through the eye of the silver needle. She murmured softly over the needle for a moment until a faint cyan glow appeared at its tip. Only then did she stop, satisfied.
However, when she turned her head, she found Tesolus staring fixedly at her fingers. His expression was rigid with astonishment, as though he were utterly shocked by the magic she had just used.
Tesolus was indeed extremely surprised. For the first time, he realized that magic actually existed in this world. Despite fighting through a battlefield where tens of thousands had been ground down in brutal combat, he had never encountered any trace of magic during that entire ordeal. If such a powerful force existed, logically, it must have been applied to warfare.
After much consideration, he concluded that only two possibilities made sense. Either this power was immature and too weak to be practical, or it was applicable only within an extremely narrow scope, such as healing, and could not be used in other areas. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why it had never appeared in war.
He realized the suturing was about to begin when warm fingers pressed against his temples. He lifted his head and leaned it back slightly against the wall, allowing those slender fingers to continue pressing gently on his forehead.
As the sharp needle pierced his skin, the terrible wound on his brow gradually closed. No longer as terrified as before, the girl focused entirely on closing the wound. She leaned in close, and the distinctive scent of fresh medicinal herbs drifted into his nostrils.
His keen ears could even hear the faint sound of her breathing. Wisps of warm air brushed against his forehead, making the back of his neck itch and leaving him feeling uneasy.
He only furrowed his brows slightly, making no other movement. Yet even that small frown made Talina’s fingers tremble. Thinking she had driven the needle too deep and hurt the man in front of her, she became even more careful. Her speed of suturing slowed considerably.
But no matter how slowly she worked, the wound would eventually close completely. After tying a neat finishing knot, she cut the thread and looked with satisfaction at the injury on his forehead.
Tesolus reached out to touch the wound, but the girl slapped his hand away sharply.
"Don't touch it carelessly. It will make the wound flare up.”
Before she could finish, they both froze. The girl stared at her own hand in shock. A pale, ashen hue gradually spread across her face. She could barely stand, looking as though she might collapse to the ground at any moment.
In that instant, she imagined her fate. Those terrifying cavalrymen would hack her to pieces and cast her corpse into the wild. The beasts of the jungle would gnaw her down to bare bones.
Why had she been so bold, daring to strike him like that? It was as though her mind had short-circuited.
Just as the girl began to tremble so hard that she nearly cried from fear, Tesolus's mouth curved upward and he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha... Heh! Healer, you really are something. You did well. I ought to reward you properly..."
Just as the atmosphere began to ease, Tesolus, who was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath, suddenly reached behind his waist and drew a short knife.
The girl was so terrified that she collapsed onto the ground, scrambling backward on her hands and feet in a panic. The blade, polished to a mirror shine, glinted with a blinding, cold light under the moon, freezing her heart solid.
Just as Talina thought she was about to be killed brutally, Tesolus looked at her helplessly.
"What did you think I was going to do, girl? This knife's hilt is inlaid with gold. It's quite valuable. I don't have any other valuables, so I'll give this to you. You can sell it for money or keep it for self-defense.”
As he spoke, he stood up, pinched the blade between his fingers, and turned the hilt toward her.
"Take it. If you don’t take it, then I’ll break my promise. After all, apart from our armor and weapons, nothing else we carry is worth much. We need those to protect our lives, so we can’t give them to you.”
Seeing that she was still too afraid to take it and was shrinking back, he impatiently shoved the hilt directly into her hand. Then, he wrapped his hand around hers, pulled her up, and hoisted her off the ground.
Her legs had already gone limp from terror, leaving her unable to resist. His terrifying strength yanked her straight up, and she collided unimpeded with his chest, which was covered in hard armor plates. Her fair, tender cheeks were pressed hard enough to leave several red marks.
The girl recoiled as if she had been shocked by electricity. She quickly pulled her body away, clutching the short knife tightly against her chest as though trying to gain a sense of security.
"Take the scabbard as well. Aren’t you afraid of hurting yourself?"
Tesolus handed her an exquisite scabbard inlaid with gold and silver filigree. Even without the precious metals, the fine craftsmanship alone would make it worth a considerable sum. Yet Talina still felt that he had deliberately frightened her otherwise, why hadn't he brought out the scabbard with the knife in the first place?
This thought made her puff out her cheeks slightly in annoyance. She cautiously stole a glance at Tesolus but didn’t dare look for long. Like a timid little squirrel, she quickly lowered her head again.
What a strange man... She could only silently complain to herself.
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