Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Those leeches were clearly fully engorged.

After their bodies burst, a large amount of blood and strange mucus splattered out, the foul, metallic, fishy stench enough to make one gag.

Bota hurried to open all the windows. Just then, a shocked and angry voice came from outside the door, "Hey! What are you doing?!"

The next second, a small, pale blur rushed in.

Lyle still had cotton stuffed in her ears; she hadn't heard the sound, but she felt the movement of air.

She nimbly sidestepped, and the person who had lunged to push her immediately lost balance, stumbled, and fell into the filthy mess on the floor.

"Oh my God! Lily!"

Bogey hurriedly helped the person up. Lyle, who had taken the opportunity to remove the cotton from her ears, finally saw clearly that it was actually a young, delicate-looking girl.

She couldn't be older than sixteen, with silver-gray eyes like glass beads and chestnut-colored long curls tied up high, revealing a long, pale neck. A cloud of small freckles dotted the sides of her nose, showing the lively bloom of youth.

But at this moment, that pretty, petite nose was twitching rapidly due to the anger surging within its owner.

"Who are you?!" Lily scrambled up from the floor, demanding sharply of Lyle. "What right do you have to destroy the healing worms Teacher prepared for Lord Arthur?!"

Lyle's handkerchief remained pressed against her nose. Her jet-black eyes fixed on Lily's plump, fair face, reading her expression, but she said nothing.

She merely lowered her head and coughed several times in succession, using the motion to remove the cotton balls from her ears.

"It's true that leeches only suck blood, but Teacher Afra said they are very useful things!" Lily clutched her dirty skirt hem in distress. "Teacher said the swelling in Lord Arthur's leg is due to an imbalance of bodily fluids caused by the injury. Only by letting the healing worms suck out the excess fluid can the swelling completely subside. Otherwise, once the fluids accumulate, it will lead to symptoms like rotting in the wound, and then Lord Arthur's leg cannot be saved! Who are you?! Who allowed you to come here?!"

Ah, there it is, the classic humoral theory.

Finally able to hear clearly, Lyle paused. She knew full well that concepts like "stagnant blood" or "infection" didn't exist in this era. It seemed all illnesses could be attributed to the famous humoral theory, making the resulting "leech therapy" seem perfectly logical.

Unfortunately, even if eight hundred more leeches were placed, Captain Arthur would only die more quickly; there was no other outcome.

But before Lyle could say anything, Bota pulled Lily aside. "Don't be like that, Lily. This is Mrs. Lyle Thomas, the doctor we went to great lengths to invite back."

"Doctor?" Lily was stunned, looking at the two brothers as if they'd lost their minds. "Have you gone mad? Is there a better doctor in Central City than Teacher Afra and Lord Lance?"

Before Bota could say anything, his impulsive younger brother spoke up. "But Afra couldn't cure the Captain's leg at all! Lord Lance doesn't even bother with it!"

At these words, the girl erupted like a volcano.

"But Teacher saved Lord Arthur's leg! She didn't let him get amputated like the others, to become a cripple!"

Just then, a calm voice suddenly interjected.

"He's not far from being a cripple either."

The room immediately fell silent. Lily turned her head towards the voice and, seeing that the speaker was the so-called doctor, her face instantly turned ashen. "Madam, my teacher taught me from childhood that when facing unfamiliar situations, one should not voice laughable opinions rashly. I think, though this may be presumptuous, the same applies to you."

The little girl lifted her chin high. "Using healing worms to drain the excess fluids, achieving the body's required fluid balance, is how the swollen areas will reduce. If you truly are a doctor, you shouldn't fail to understand such a simple, fundamental principle. How could you say something like 'not far from being a cripple'?"

Oh, a proud little lamb.

Lyle's pitch-black eyes rested on Lily's soft, flawless cheeks, her smile deepening.

"Because it's useless," she said softly. "Whether it's leeches or draining so-called excess fluids, none of it is useful for Mr. Arthur's current condition. Don't rush to refute me yet. I just want to ask, how long have you been placing leeches on Mr. Arthur's leg?"

Lily closed her mouth, then hesitantly opened it. "T-ten Holy Days. Following Teacher's orders, we change the wound cleansing water every two days and place healing worms for two Holy Hours each day."

Lyle's smile deepened. "Then, has Mr. Arthur's swelling shown significant improvement? Or has it gotten worse?"

At these words, even Arthur's expression changed.

He knew his own body best.

Sure enough, Lily's expression stiffened, but she still insisted, "That's... that's because wound recovery takes time! Once enough time has passed—"

"Then Lord Arthur isn't far from amputation either," Lyle spread her hands, the black sable fur cloak slipping smoothly down her pale forearm. "You can tell from his skin, which has turned dark purple—it's a sign the muscle tissue is about to die. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Once tissue necrosis occurs, meaning the color turns completely black, then even if His Holiness the Pope himself were to come, it would be beyond saving. Especially with this kind of avulsion injury."

"Ava... what?" Hearing the unfamiliar term, Arthur couldn't help but lean forward slightly. "Madam, what did you just say?"

Lyle glanced at him. "Avulsion injury, meaning torn and separated. These two lovely subordinates of yours told me you injured your leg falling from a three-story height. But that's not really the case, is it?"

She walked over, her pale fingers reaching toward the bedside.

Arthur finally reacted. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Accompanied by frantic attempts to retreat and pull the hem of his clothes to cover his leg, he looked utterly humiliated, as if his clothes were about to be stripped off completely.

But Lyle paid no mind. She brushed aside the thin blanket, quickly reached out, and gripped the right leg, whose shape was all wrong.

It was clearly visible that a section of the bone in the middle of the leg was deeply sunken, with the surrounding skin and muscles swollen to varying degrees.

While these were obvious signs of a fracture, they weren't the most important.

The most important thing was a very obvious small area of skin loss in the sunken region. A simple examination revealed that the muscle fascia and subcutaneous tissue had clearly torn and separated.

A few remaining strands of flesh barely held on to the skin that was about to fall off completely, dangling precariously.

Although the separation wasn't severe and the wound area wasn't large, and it was covered and cleaned with wound cleansing water—yes, while some theories were laughable, Afra had done one crucial thing—before placing the leeches, she first covered the most severely avulsed area with wound cleansing water, preventing more serious infection—

Otherwise, Arthur definitely wouldn't have survived this long in good enough shape to struggle to hide his maimed leg.

However, it was clear this injury absolutely couldn't have resulted from simply falling from a height. It was a crushing injury caused by some powerful, irreversible external force.

In her previous life, Lyle had received many patients in the emergency room who had been run over by vehicle wheels; almost every one of them had similar wounds.

Only, the Captain's injury wasn't too severe; the soft tissues, nerves, and blood vessels were all intact. Comparatively, it was similar to being lightly run over by a cart wheel.

Having made her judgment, Lyle spoke truthfully. "So, Captain, this leg of yours must have suffered something more complex than a fall from height, right? Something rolled past, scraping your leg."

At these words, the person who had just been rigid suddenly looked up. The Crusader brothers' eyes even lit up with excitement.

"Yes, you're absolutely right!" Bogey rushed over joyfully. "You're truly amazing, Madam! Our Captain did suffer a crushing injury. At the time, a dying noble from the Vampire Clan tried to stomp down and crush our Captain's leg, but the Captain dodged faster than lightning! The vampire's foot just scraped past the Captain's leg; even the floor tiles shattered at the time! Lily!"

The young Crusader's eyes were unusually bright. "Can you believe it? We didn't tell Mrs. Thomas about this before! She figured it out all by herself! See how incredible Mrs. Thomas is!"

"Apologies, Mrs. Thomas," Bota also said, very embarrassed. "Please forgive us for not explaining clearly before. Because Afra... because many doctors have said the Captain's leg is beyond help. So in our worry, we forgot to tell you the specific details of the injury. But your judgment is completely correct; the facts are exactly as you deduced. So, what do you think... is there still hope for our Captain's leg? You must have a way, right?"

Lily also opened her mouth slightly in surprise. When she first saw Lord Arthur, she had thought he had fallen into a tree and then rolled down from it.

But for some reason, she didn't chime in with Bogey. Instead, she fell into thought: If Teacher Afra saw such a wound without prior knowledge, could she also accurately determine the cause?

"If you've seen enough people run over by carriages, you could make the same judgment I did. It's experience my late husband and I summarized together; it's not about skill."

Hearing this, Arthur suddenly paused. "L-late husband?"

"Yes," Lyle's smile was somewhat strained. "My husband, Harvey Thomas, was also an experienced doctor. It's just a pity he suddenly left me a few days ago and returned to the embrace of Heaven."

The captain was taken aback, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over the woman's black gown and bloodless face, a wave of indescribable guilt washing over him.

...Holy Father, what had he done? He was actually doubting a lady who had just lost her husband!

And... and he had shown such obvious hostility...

Lyle seemed completely unaware of the change in Arthur's expression. After returning the thin blanket to him, she explained gently, "What this kind of injury requires is addressing the fracture—yes, I mean the bending of the bone—and the gruesomely torn flesh, to prevent tissue necrosis or muscle atrophy, among other issues. None of this has anything to do with leeches. Your wound without leeches is like a fish without a carriage—utterly unrelated from the start."

Lily's face instantly turned pale.

But the other three displayed a completely different attitude.

Especially Arthur, who gripped a corner of the blanket tightly, his voice trembling, "Are you saying... you can treat my injury?"

A single accurate assessment was enough to make the eyes that had initially been filled with heavy hostility gradually reveal a hidden sense of anticipation. Even the hand gripping the blanket tightly slowly relaxed.

That look was all too familiar to Lyle. In her five years of work, she had seen that exact same look countless times, as well as the despair that was its opposite.

So, this captain was now anticipating her treatment, and looking forward to his own recovery.

So, was she confident she could cure him?

The vampire's gaze fell once more on the disfigured injured leg.

Of course she was.

The most dangerous part, the avulsion injury itself, wasn't actually severe—the wound was less than the width of a palm.

If a large area of flesh had been completely torn, damaging the leg's muscles and nerves, then even if an angel descended in this era, restoring the leg to its original state would be impossible. Amputation would be inevitable.

However, Lyle had observed earlier—when Bogey suddenly yanked off the captain's blanket—that the toes of the injured leg had been twitching involuntarily up and down, and the ankle still retained basic mobility.

This proved that the leg muscles and nerves were still intact. The avulsion separation hadn't caused deeper trauma. Otherwise, amputation would have been inevitable.

But now, it wasn't a major problem. The wound just looked frightening. Cleansing Water could completely prevent infection.

So, what remained was the reduction and immobilization of the fracture.

When she examined it earlier, Lyle had roughly measured it. Although the shape of the captain's right leg had changed, and there was bone displacement, the degree of displacement wasn't significant. The length of the tibia hadn't changed, indicating no severe bone fracture or serious displacement that would require internal fixation with plates or pins.

It only required manual reduction and splint immobilization.

Coincidentally, both methods were second nature to Lyle.

The only problem was that he was a genuine Crusader, someone who could stab himself with a knife just by uttering a holy name.

He was far too dangerous.

But—

She glanced again at the silver chainmail hanging on the wall. This was the Crusaders' convalescent home. She could sense many Crusaders lingering outside the door or by the windows.

Their brothers, their friends, all served in the city's patrols, investigation teams, and arrest squads. Years of training had made them not only more robust than ordinary people but also more valiant.

And every single one of them was clergy.

The bodies and trust of the clergy were as wonderful as Anthony's, even more so—younger, fresher, more succulent.

"Gulp."

The sun slowly climbed higher, its increasingly ardent rays baking a sense of dryness and heat.

The vampire stood in the center of the room's shadows, swallowing uncontrollably.

It was simply impossible to resist. It was like a starving wolf standing amidst a flock of plump sheep.

Even though the hunter's gun could appear at any moment from an unseen place, what starving wolf could hold back?

Lyle heard her stomach ravenously swallowing its desire. Yet, when she looked up again, her face wore only a faint, composed smile.

"Of course it can be treated. And I believe that within the entire Central City, Mr. Arthur's leg can only be treated by me."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

A few seconds later, a shriek that seemed to split the sky suddenly erupted.

"What did you say?!"

The one who spoke was, of course, Bogey, who had no concept of "keeping calm."

The young man rushed over like a monkey, wanting to grab Lyle but restrained by politeness from actually laying hands on her. So he hopped around in place, "Is it true? Can the captain really recover completely? His leg won't be crippled or useless? He can still be a normal person?"

Lyle glanced at the captain, who was still in a daze, and said unhurriedly, "As long as Mr. Arthur can fully follow my instructions and actively cooperate with my treatment. First, starting by abandoning that annoying shyness. Sir, as my patient, please just think of yourself as a pile of meat."

Yes, the flowing sunlight gently slid over the pitch-black brim of her hat, the cast shadow concealing all emotion in the vampire's eyes.

The captain, who had been trembling slightly with excitement, instantly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. His face turned a mix of green and white, making the two brothers unable to hold back their laughter.

"That's right," Bogey sidled up to Arthur, winking and making faces, "Why is it that even though the captain is a Crusader, he acts like a stuffy Old Priest? Is that why the captain, at his age, still doesn't have a wife?"

Before he could finish, the sound of a heavy fist hitting flesh echoed in the room, followed by Bogey's heart-wrenching scream.

"I was wrong! Captain!!"

The two brothers, roughhousing, ran out.

Only Lily didn't join in the celebration. The young girl stood in the corner, somewhat stubbornly blocking the jubilant pair, "But you can't leave. Lord Arthur is Dr. Afra's patient."

Arthur gave the girl a tolerant smile, a trace of bitterness spreading in his eyes, as if he saw something deeper and heavier through her sparkling gaze.

"Mrs. Thomas," the captain turned to Lyle, "I'm terribly sorry. Could I trouble you to keep an eye on those two brothers for a moment? I'm worried their excitement might attract some unnecessary trouble."

Lyle looked at him, then at Lily, who was pursing her lips tightly, "Of course, if that is your wish."

With that, she left. But she didn't go far, instead turning to stand in the shadows cast by the corner of the wall. Soon, the voices from inside the room clearly reached her ears.

"It's alright, Lily," Arthur softened his voice, guiding the stubborn child before him like a teacher, "Please believe me, Dr. Afra won't mind this. After all, she hasn't been to the convalescent home for a long time, has she? In fact, she never really... cared about this place as much as you think."

The girl was shocked, like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on. She shook her head vehemently, "No, that's not true. Teacher Afra specifically assigned me here because the convalescent home is very important to her! She said this is where the Crusader wounded stay, and she feels honored to be responsible for it as a way to express her gratitude to you all."

"Lord Arthur, so you shouldn't leave. That woman's face is so pale, she looks like the kind of greedy person easily tempted by the devil. You shouldn't trust her! If... if you really leave, I'll go tell the teacher!"

On the other side of the wall, the "greedy person easily tempted by the devil" lowered her eyes. A perceptive child, and quite accurate too.

However, Arthur let out a long sigh, "Lily, as cruel as it is, the fact is that even if you tell Afra, she won't care. Even though I'm a knight, to someone of Panglie's esteemed status, I'm just a knight. The others, my colleagues, most of them are just commoners. Including you, Lily."

His pitying gaze stabbed into the girl's eyes like a knife, "Lily, nobles don't care about commoners. This place is just a facade to attract more commoners to throw themselves into the fire for them. If you don't believe me, think about it—how long has it been since you were first thrown... sent here? Eight years? Or ten? Have you seen Afra more than five times? Have you ever been allowed into the workroom of Afra's clinic? Have you ever received even a single instance of hands-on guidance from Afra?"

Lily's originally puffed-up little face suddenly went blank.

Lyle heard the captain's voice fall silent for a long time, as if the truth was too harsh for a child to hear. But the pain in his leg was equally unbearable for Arthur, and he had no desire to waste any more time on a child getting in his way.

"Lily, do you remember your father? He was a respectable merchant. Before he died of illness, he handed over all the family's assets to Afra," Arthur said, watching the girl grow increasingly pale as he leveraged himself up from the edge of the bed. "Your father only wanted you to learn a skill that could support yourself. He didn't need you to become a famous doctor, but at least in the future, you wouldn't have to flatter anyone just to survive. But look at you now—what have you learned in all these years since your father died?"

"Afra accepted a carriage full of Holy Gold Coins. What has she given you in return?"

Inside the room, Lily looked as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Her face drained of color, and her entire body stiffened like a statue.

After that, Arthur merely sighed, patted the girl on the shoulder, and painfully shuffled along the wall as he left the room.

Having gained Arthur's trust, Lyle didn't have to work too hard to persuade him to leave this place and go to her clinic for treatment.

"Every doctor has their own habits. Although the convalescent home is well-equipped and even has some Holy Potions in stock, I still can't perform the procedure here."

Most importantly, there was the blood.

How could a vampire take blood when surrounded by Crusaders everywhere in the Holy Convalescent Home?

"We understand," Bota said, flashing her a big smile. "We'll help get the captain there. Don't let the convalescent home's appearance fool you—we can still arrange for a carriage."

"No need!" Arthur suddenly reached out to stop them, tugging on the other end of the thin blanket as if in a tug-of-war. "You don't need to be involved in what comes next. Isn't there still a clearance mission today? Which area is assigned? Hurry back!"

"Come on, Captain," Bogey said, clinging to the blanket and refusing to let go. "Didn't I tell you? We swapped shifts with Team 2, and today is a special case—half of the clearance missions were urgently called off. Don't worry about it! The most important thing is for you to heal your leg quickly and return to Team 1. I can't stand seeing your room empty any longer!"

As he spoke, the young soldier's eyes began to redden again.

Arthur pressed his lips together tightly for a long moment before finally giving in with a sigh.

Only then did the brothers cheerfully rush out to make preparations, their joyful laughter filling the air.

Arthur couldn't help but smile faintly. At that moment, he heard a casual voice beside him.

"Clearance mission?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, showing great respect to the doctor who held the key to his recovery.

He tried his best not to look at his injured leg and nodded seriously. "You must be aware of the most important matter in the city recently—the Vampire Clearance Plan. We, the city-guarding Crusaders, are responsible for the clearance and inspections. Each team is assigned a different area every day and must conduct thorough records and searches. Today was supposed to be Team 1's shift, but these two kids traded shifts for my sake... Even so, they'll have to cover for Team 2 for two extra days."

Arthur's features were not soft; his sharp jawline and strong nose gave him a rugged, hardened appearance. Even though he was injured and had been bedridden for ten days, the defined lines of his shoulders still hinted at his formidable strength as a knight.

Yet, at this moment, his expression softened with a fatherly tenderness born of concern.

No wonder the brothers were willing to wait outside the door all night just to find a doctor for him.

It seemed the bonds among the Crusaders ran exceptionally deep.

Lyle meaningfully averted her eyes. "I see. Such an enviable bond."

Just as the brothers had said, they quickly arranged for a carriage. Bogey made a fuss as he helped move Arthur's personal belongings.

Many Crusaders were drawn by the commotion. Most of them scoffed at Lyle's promise of a cure, though no one dared to say it aloud in front of Arthur and the brothers.

After all, no matter how simple-minded Bogey might seem, they were still members of Crusader Team 1.

In the Crusaders, where rankings were straightforwardly based on strength, Team 1 always represented the best fighters.

If you didn't want to get beaten up, you had to keep your mouth shut.

Soon, the carriage departed from the convalescent home.

Under the azure sky, a petite figure stood silently. Her large, lamb-like eyes were filled with tears, which fell one by one onto the overgrown ground.

As the carriage kicked up dust, Lily wiped the back of her hand forcefully and turned to run quickly in the opposite direction.

Lyle shot a gloomy look in that direction before slowly withdrawing her gaze, like a snake retreating into its hole.

Yes, just like that. Let the reckless child go and probe the attitudes of those in higher positions. Soon, she would learn how to spell the word "despair."

Nobility had never possessed any mercy.

It wouldn't be long before the poor child would find herself with nowhere to go.

And when that time came—the vampire's pale fingers brushed over the corner of her lips, her sharp fangs lightly grazing the soft flesh of her fingertip—the child would seek out the only possible source of light.