Chapter 15

Chapter 15

No, that won't do. That would be the end of everything.

Lyle suppressed the surging appetite with powerful reason, withdrawing her hand and deftly striking Ruby once more.

The poor child, without even regaining consciousness, was knocked out again.

This time, Lyle wasted no time, quickly dousing the wound with Wound-Cleansing Water.

The viscous liquid acted like a miraculous seal; as it fully enveloped the raw, exposed flesh, the pervasive scent of blood in the air was instantly gone.

Lyle halted. What in the world was this made of?

This stuff worked even better than alcohol—when the Cleansing Water was applied, the patient felt no pain at all.

What incredible ingredients could it be made from?

Pondering this, Lyle retrieved her personal handkerchief.

Harvey was a wealthy doctor, and his wife used only the finest things. Like this handkerchief in her hand, made of soft satin, embroidered with expensive silk thread.

Beautiful silk in the Middle Ages was practically worth its weight in gold, but there was no help for it; only silk thread could be used for suturing without risking infection.

The coarse fibers of cheap linen thread were likely to leave residue, causing severe infection even with the cleansing water.

Of course, the vampire had a superior option: the basement's new 'tenant,' the unlucky yet esteemed Pastor Anthony.

Lyle had observed that the clergy in this world lived quite comfortably. The sacred utterances embroidered on Anthony's robe were entirely made of silk thread.

That much silk would be enough for five or six Rubies.

However, the vampire certainly wouldn't strip the clothes of that basement 'tenant.'

Faced with even a one percent chance of exposing herself, she'd rather let Ruby risk infection again.

Lyle never forgot: this was not her world. Her sole, ultimate goal was to survive and return.

Everything and everyone else had to take a back seat to that.

But Lyle wouldn't simply let Ruby get infected again either.

She meticulously soaked and cleaned the silk thread taken from the handkerchief using the high-concentration alcohol found in the storeroom.

The needle used for suturing was passed through the flame several times.

During the suturing, Lyle did not remove the Cleansing Water from the wound, using only a small iron clamp (a delicate pair of sugar tongs) that had been boiled in hot water, holding the silver needle to avoid her own skin contacting the wound.

Finally, she even mischievously tied a bow.

But the bow didn't last long before the vampire undid it, retying it into a plain knot.

The thought "must not be mistaken for a witch" was etched into Lyle's bones.

Just then, the sound of carriage wheels came from outside.

"Mrs. Thomas!" Meimei's anxious voice rang out before the carriage had even fully stopped.

Lyle paused, her nails having already elongated to a frightening length. She walked over, pushed open the window to let air flood into the room, quickly carrying away the heavy, sweet scent of blood.

Admittedly, this method, though simple, was remarkably effective.

The vampire's mind immediately cooled, the physical anomalies began to subside, and the red glow in her eyes vanished like a receding tide, replaced in the blink of an eye by dull darkness.

Lyle dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief before walking over to pull open the door.

"Madam," she smiled gently at Meimei, who was rushing in eagerly, "rest assured, your child is no longer in mortal danger."

These words did much to soothe Meimei's nearly shattered heart. After all, no mother could maintain basic composure upon seeing her daughter tied to a plank bed, with even her eyes and mouth covered.

"Are... are you certain?" Meimei sobbed, rushing forward to examine Ruby with trembling hands. When she discovered her child's injured arm was neatly sutured with strange yet exceptionally tidy thread, her trembling voice, like a taut wire suddenly cut, finally steadied.

"What is this? Oh heavens, you've sewn up Ruby's wound as if mending clothes? Mrs. Thomas, how could there be anyone as wise as you in this world!!"

"Yes," Lyle stood just outside the doorway, letting the cross-breeze constantly wash over her, "I used a dose of Wound-Cleansing Water three fingers deep to cleanse her wrist, which was tainted by darkness. It's a very expensive potion, distributed directly by the small priory. The advantage is that no devil can plague Ruby any longer."

"In two or three days, your child will be running and jumping, completely recovered."

Ruby's infection wasn't severe. At her young age, with proper care and avoiding foolish actions that could contaminate the wound, the body's own immune system would help her pull through.

If anything in this world resembled divine power, it was the human body itself.

It was the only force Lyle knew of that was both powerful and eternally loyal to its possessor.

Upon hearing the words "Wound Cleansing Water" and "small priory," Meimei's heart relaxed completely.

She tightly grasped the uninjured hand of her still-unconscious child, her tears falling as her forehead touched the ground.

Facing Lyle's direction, this mother kowtowed a dozen times, uttering the most sincere words of gratitude she could muster.

"Holy Father... oh... my poor, fortunate child... thank goodness we met you... thank goodness we met you... I truly don't know... how to thank you for everything you've done... You are like an angel walking among men... I don't... I didn't know... I thought..."

She thought she had made a foolish decision she would regret for the rest of her life. Meimei felt immensely grateful in her heart. Thank goodness she hadn't believed Dramit's cursed words, hadn't heeded the mocking neighbors who only loved a spectacle. She had firmly chosen this excellent doctor standing before her!

Well... perhaps not *that* firm...

But thankfully, she had stuck to her own thoughts, and to Ruby's thoughts.

Her level of relief was matched only by her gratitude.

Lyle quietly watched the mother express her emotions. Only after Meimei had calmed down did she cover her nose with a handkerchief and say softly, "There's no need to thank me. This is simply what a doctor should do. However, for Ruby to recover completely, we must thoroughly release the blood tainted by darkness. Only when the remnants of darkness are completely gone will Ruby be fully restored to health."

Meimei nodded without hesitation.

Bloodletting was standard practice; something every doctor did.

So she harbored no doubts, even helpfully sobbing while loosening the bindings on Ruby's right leg to make it easier for Lyle to make the incision.

The vampire tossed the tool into a basin of hot water, her pale fingers dancing onto the child's calf.

The illness had caused Ruby's fat to diminish rapidly, yet even so, the young girl's muscles remained soft and elastic, like a rich, dense mound of red bean shaved ice.

Lyle positioned the wooden basin appropriately, then made a light cut with a clean knife. A not-too-long incision opened on Ruby's leg.

Blood gushed forth. The column labeled [Food Reserve] on the blue-purple interface rapidly increased.

Lyle's eyes gleamed. By letting a little blood each day, plus the plump pastor in the basement, she would soon accumulate enough to forge the key to the Progenitor's relic.

What great treasure would the glorious Progenitor leave for their sole descendant? A house filled with a two-story building's worth of gold coins? The legendary God-Slaying Dagger of Divine Blood? Or the Progenitor's Scepter, said to command all power?

Whichever it was, it got the blood pumping.

The candle flame flickered, the vampire’s lowered gaze like a farmer surveying her countless sheep, brimming with cheerful greed and desire.

But suddenly, her movements halted.

Because her keen senses caught, amid the sweet scent of blood, another extremely faint yet very familiar odor.

A mix of paper pulp, ink droplets, and the smell of a monastery—it was the scent of a Holy Dove.

It was right on the branch outside the workshop window. If Lyle hadn’t opened the window and stood in the draft, she wouldn’t have smelled anything but blood.

When did this Holy Dove arrive? How much did it see? Who was behind the surveillance? Had Anthony’s death been discovered?

No, impossible.

While calmly explaining post-operative precautions to Meimei without changing her expression, Lyle thought coolly to herself.

Anthony died quickly and quietly. In such a short time, those enjoying the banquet probably hadn’t even noticed.

Even when she slipped up earlier, the moment she licked the blood, she was completely turned away from the window.

Besides, unless Vig dug up his brother’s grave, she’d left no clues.

More importantly, if they truly suspected something was off, there would be a squad of Crusaders outside the window now, not just a tiny Holy Dove.

Realizing this, Lyle’s heart quickly calmed.

In just a few days since crossing over, her mindset had unknowingly undergone a great change. She had become calmer, more composed, and more cautious than before, her thoughts spinning faster than during the college entrance exams.

Lyle narrowed her eyes and casually grabbed the knife on the table.

“Should we bleed the other leg too?” Meimei immediately stood up, hurried over to untie the bindings on Ruby’s leg, and sincerely suggested, “Madam, isn’t bleeding the legs too slow? How about we try cutting the abdomen? The blood there is thick and there’s lots of it!”

-

Vig was enveloped in a deep gloom, his pale blue pupils as if veiled in black gauze.

Before him lay a white ivory plate filled with holy water, a Holy Dove inscribed with writing quietly resting inside. As the sacred script dispersed, the holy water began to continuously display the scenes witnessed by another Holy Dove.

The whole surgery performed by Lyle Gangro, along with that astonishing bandaging technique.

It was a highly skilled craft, difficult to achieve without systematic study and training. This showed she was telling the truth—his brother had indeed taught her everything.

Their love was unbreakable, which was why Lyle had immediately told him upon learning that his brother’s death was suspicious.

Watching the ever-changing scenes in his palm, the Paladin Commander seemed to see the shadow of his brother’s past.

A faint smile touched his lips.

She was his only remaining family, the person his brother cared about most in this world. Before leaving, he must find the one who killed his brother.

And give it to her as a parting gift.

She would surely like it.