Facing Aether’s question, Nahida did not answer immediately.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the open door of the small hut not far away.
Through the crack in the door, a small bed could be vaguely seen, with a green-haired Damselette lying on it.
Then he withdrew his gaze, looked at Aether and Paimon, and his lips curved into a shallow arc.
“Compared to my trouble…” he said softly, raising his hand and pointing towards the hut,
“it seems you have another trouble.”
Paimon was stunned for a moment, looked in the direction he pointed, and then clapped his hands sharply—
“That’s right!”
He turned around, his little face filled with worry, and flew closer to Tighnari:
“Collei’s matter is more important now!
Tighnari, you said earlier that Collei is sick.
What kind of illness does he have?
Is it serious?”
Paimon’s little face was filled with worry, and his large eyes were brimming with unease.
Tighnari did not answer immediately.
His gaze lingered on Nahida for a moment—this little boy, although he had come to find him first, had now taken the initiative to yield the topic to Collei.
And that look he had just now…
Tighnari couldn’t describe what that feeling was.
It wasn’t a look a child should have—too calm, too penetrating, as if he could Detect something.
But he didn’t have time to think too much.
He turned his head and looked at the sleeping Collei through the doorway, his ears drooping slightly, the expression on his face extremely complex.
There was heartache, helplessness, and a deep sense of powerlessness.
For him, explaining Collei’s condition could wait.
The most important thing now was to deal with the little boy who had appeared suddenly, and that…
beside him.
He looked at Amid.
That small green creature was hovering in mid-air, its blue eyes blinking, its antennae swaying, looking harmless.
The “mysterious creature” on the wanted poster.
Tighnari’s brows furrowed slightly.
But just then, a voice interrupted his train of thought—
“That is Eleazar.”
Nahida spoke.
His voice was very calm, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.
“Eleazar?” Paimon tilted his head, looking puzzled.
Nahida nodded, hands folded in front of him, standing straight, like an elementary school student answering a question.
But what he said didn’t sound like a child at all—
“This is a disease unique to Sumeru.” He explained earnestly, his voice soft yet clear,
“Because the patient develops gray-black scale-like tissues on their body, it is called ‘Eleazar’.”
Amid was hovering beside Nahida, and upon hearing this, a big question mark popped up in his mind.
‘???’
‘Mom, it sounds like you’re using Tighnari’s lines?’
He remembered that in the game, it was supposed to be Tighnari explaining Eleazar to the Traveler.
‘Fine, it’s the same no matter who explains it.’
Amid thought to himself, not paying much attention.
Tighnari heard Nahida’s words, a flash of surprise in his eyes; he hadn’t expected him to know about Eleazar.
However, this disease was not rare in Sumeru, so it wasn’t strange that he had heard of it.
He took over the conversation, his tone sinking:
“That is indeed the case.”
He looked at Paimon and Aether, continuing to explain:
“At the beginning of this disease, the areas covered by the scales are just a bit numb, and the sensation will slowly become dull.”
His voice was gentle, but the content made one’s heart sink.
“But as the condition progresses, there will be a loss of strength, and fingers and toes will occasionally lose sensation.
Eventually…”
His gaze fell on the half-closed wooden door, his voice becoming softer:
“The patient will become unable to control their own body and completely lose the ability to move.”
Paimon listened, his small body shrinking back.
“That, that’s too scary…” He subconsciously leaned towards Aether, his voice becoming smaller,
“Collei…
does he have this disease?”
Aether’s brows also furrowed.
He rubbed his chin, recalling the scene when he had just met Collei.
“Come to think of it…” he said slowly,
“Were those clumsy mistakes Collei made earlier actually because of this Eleazar?” New chapters come out on g.com first.
Tighnari nodded.
“Yes,” he said, his voice laced with heartache,
“That’s why I always have to keep an eye on him when he picks things up, trying not to let him touch things that could easily hurt him.”
Paimon listened, his eyes full of heartache.
“Collei…
he must be having a very hard time.”
And just as they were talking—
A small green figure flew away from Nahida’s side silently.
Amid flapped his small transparent wings, Frillish-ly drifted through the door of the hut, and flew in.
It was very quiet inside.
Only Collei’s gentle breathing could be heard.
Amid hovered by the bedside, looking down at the Damselette lying on the bed.
Green hair was scattered on the pillow, his face turned inward, only half of his profile visible.
That face was very pale, as pale as paper.
His brows were slightly furrowed, carrying a hint of pain even in his sleep.
The quilt had slipped down a bit, revealing a section of his arm.
On his arm, gray scale-like tissues were spreading from his wrist upwards, as if something was devouring his skin bit by bit.
Amid hovered in mid-air, looking at those scales, complex emotions welling up in his little heart.
‘Eleazar…’
He stared at the scale-like patterns on Collei’s arm, his mind racing.
‘Eleazar is caused by Forbidden Knowledge polluting the Irminsul…’
‘Since it is knowledge, it is a form of mental pollution.’
His eyes brightened slightly.
‘Then using Psychic, should I be able to force it out?’
But the next second, he dismissed this thought himself.
‘No, no, no.’
He shook his head frantically, his little antennae swaying.
‘I’m still a cub!
My power is too weak!’
‘What if this thing is infectious and pollutes me through the Psychic?’
He wasn’t the type of hot-headed person to rush forward.
Rebirth after transmigrating wasn’t easy; he had to value his life.
And—