Tears of the Deceased and the Blind Saint
Now that I had sought out Deidros to have the Tears of the Deceased implanted in my body, the key question was where exactly to put it. But Deidros's answer was already decided.
"So... it has to be near my heart?"
"It would be easier if it were kept as an accessory. It is simpler to recognize the wearer that way. But if you choose to embed it directly into your body, you must 'engrave' the fact that you are the gem's master. In the case of the Tears of the Deceased, near the heart seems most appropriate. After all, the heart is the very source of life."
"..."
Listening to Deidros's polite explanation, I leaned back against the sofa and tilted my head back.
Of course, it's a fantasy world...
Even in games, I had never experienced embedding a gem into my own body. There had never been any reason to do so. However, unlike a Demon Blade, the Tears of the Deceased could not have its leaking energy concealed through a sealing process.
For a while, I silently chewed on the remaining husk of the Dius's horn. Seeing this, Deidros questioned me.
"By the way, what is that you are chewing so diligently?"
"A Dius's horn husk. I received it as a reward for defeating a Lich."
At the mention of a Dius's horn husk, Deidros's face painted over with shock. It was just a husk, not even the actual horn, so I didn't think it was some precious elixir. Why was he reacting like this?
"Is... is your tongue alright?"
"My tongue?"
"From what I have heard, the horn of a Dius is notoriously foul-tasting..."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, lately, I hadn't been able to taste much of anything, no matter what I ate. Had my tongue gone numb because I kept eating such bizarre things? If my Exceptional Senses trait also applied to my sense of taste... it certainly made sense.
[ My disciple, art thou well...? This Lady believes that the sense of taste is a rather vital matter in one's life... ]
"I'm fine, Master. If I'm going to keep eating things like this in the future anyway, it might actually be better if I can't taste them."
[ Still, fine dining is of great import... ]
As Sierra and I conversed, Deidros shook his head.
"No matter how many times I see it, it is a wondrous sight."
Leaving it at that, he drained the glass sitting on the table. Since he was a dragon, the concept of getting drunk didn't really apply to him. For him to feel even slightly tipsy, he would have to gulp down a liquid that would be highly toxic to a human.
Eventually, Deidros stood up and suggested we get it over with quickly. Guided by him, I stripped off my shirt and lay down on a long table. Several potions of unknown purpose were lined up near my head. As the cold surface of the table met my warm skin, the reality of what I was about to do finally sank in.
Deidros then handed me a potion.
"What is this? A potion? Is it some kind of anesthetic?"
"...Did you not say you came here expecting pain? It is an elixir. It would be quite awkward if you died in the middle of this, so drink it beforehand."
Deidros's blunt reply left me speechless.
An elixir...
It was a supreme-grade potion, rare even in the game. It possessed a level of restorative power on par with the holy magic Heal, completely incomparable to ordinary recovery potions. At this point, was he just showing off that he was a Gold Dragon?
I immediately downed the elixir. What would be the point of trying to get an extra life if I died before even obtaining it?
"...I shall begin. It would be wise to try your best not to move."
As he spoke, dragon scales began to sprout from his raised index finger, transforming into a sharp dragon claw... or perhaps a talon. Whichever it was, it looked incredibly sharp. In short, it looked like it would hurt immensely.
His claw moved toward my chest, near my heart. Then, he sliced downward. Naturally, blood gushed out from the smooth incision in my flesh.
"If you feel like you are about to die, speak up beforehand. I will pour more elixir over you. In that sense, passing out would be rather troublesome."
"Ugh... how... thoughtful of you..."
Having one's chest sliced open while fully conscious was not only agonizing but also a deeply bizarre sensation. Soon after, Deidros placed the gem inside my chest. He then began to softly chant something akin to a spell. I couldn't understand the language. Thoughts of ancient runes or Dragon Tongue flashed through my mind.
[ Oh... The gem is slowly taking root in thy heart. What a wondrous sight. ]
Sierra, who was watching the 'surgery' firsthand, gasped in admiration.
Before long, Deidros's chanting ceased. He withdrew his hand, which was now drenched in blood. He closed the incision in my chest and poured the remaining elixir over it.
"...It seems to be finished, one way or another."
Deidros spoke after emptying the entire bottle of elixir. One might think it was a simple task, but I knew it was only possible because it was Deidros performing it.
Still lying down, I barely managed to move my arm to feel my chest, checking if the wound had healed.
It's already closed.
New flesh seemed to have sprouted in that short span. I sat up on the table and offered Deidros a smile.
Sierra approached and hugged me tightly. Her voluptuous breasts pressed right against my face. As she stroked my hair, her voice echoed in my mind.
[ It must have been terribly painful... Thou hast endured well. Now, not even death itself shall tear us apart. ]
"Though it's only a one-time thing, haha..."
Sierra seemed secretly delighted upon hearing the effects of the Tears of the Deceased. It meant our contract could continue for much longer, after all. Just then, Deidros, his eyes half-closed, handed me another elixir.
"...I know not what conversation you are having, but blood is pouring from your mouth."
[ Verily, it is true. It hath even stained This Lady. ]
Sierra added her voice right after Deidros. Hearing his words, I wiped my mouth, only to find a large amount of blood smeared on my hand. Sierra's breasts, which had been pressing against my face, were also stained with blood. Was physical contact possible because it was my own blood? I couldn't be sure. Judging by the fact that Deidros didn't mention it, the blood on Sierra seemed invisible to him.
While pondering what to do with the blood, Sierra wiped the stain off her chest with her fingers and licked it. Seeing this, I asked her.
"...Master?"
[ T-This Lady is merely cleaning it up... ]
Sierra stuttered, turning her head away from me. In a way, wasn't this the first time she had put anything in her mouth since becoming a spirit? Even though it couldn't possibly taste good, Sierra licked away every last drop of the smeared blood.
Watching her, I put my shirt back on and tidied my clothes. Stepping down from the table, I immediately opened my status window to check if it had been properly applied.
Fortunately, I was able to confirm that 'Tears of the Deceased [Engraved]' was listed under my equipped items. I finally had an extra life.
Now I can afford to push myself a little.
I had no intention of wasting this extra life foolishly. However, I gained the confidence that I could now walk a tightrope on the edge of danger. Of course, since the Tears of the Deceased contained the souls of at least several hundred dead, there might be some side effects, but since I hadn't experienced them yet, there was no way to know.
Observing me, Deidros spoke up.
"Flawless. The energy seems perfectly concealed... Unless someone places their hand directly on your chest, it will be difficult to sense anything."
"Thank you. But as for the payment for this... what would you like?"
I asked, glancing at the three completely empty elixir bottles.
"Payment... payment, you say..."
Deidros trailed off, feigning deep thought. Since he hadn't crafted a masterpiece like a Demon Blade this time, he didn't seem to want money.
Is he going to make me work for it?
In games, NPCs would often assign tedious errand quests in situations like this.
But then, Deidros cut the conversation short.
"...We have a guest."
He seemed to have sensed someone stepping into his barrier.
Knock, knock.
Right after Deidros spoke, someone knocked on the mansion door. Deidros casually wiped the blood off his hands with a cloth and approached the door.
Creak.
"Chief... our child..."
The door opened to reveal a villager. She was carrying a child on her back. Watching from a distance, I could see a wound on the child's ankle.
"This... looks like the work of a venomous creature. If it's something nearby... Whew... We must call a priest immediately."
As he spoke, Deidros's tone and voice instantly shifted back to those of the young village chief, Thomas.
"Yes, thank you... thank you so much... But I fear he might not survive the night... The child is in so much pain..."
Eavesdropping on their conversation from afar, I assessed the situation. Deidros undoubtedly had numerous ways to cure the child. However, judging by his mention of calling a priest, he seemed reluctant to solve every village problem using his draconic wealth or power. Perhaps he felt it wasn't natural.
But if it was just detoxification, it could easily be handled with acupuncture. I always kept my acupuncture kit in my backpack.
I slowly approached Deidros. Sensing my presence, Deidros told the villager, "One moment, please," and partially closed the door. Then, he turned to look at me.
"I think I can handle this."
I whispered in his ear, pulling out an acupuncture needle from my bag to show him.
"...You know acupuncture as well?"
"Simple detoxification is well within my capabilities. Or would it be better if I didn't interfere?"
"Hmm... The poison seems to have already spread through his body, so waiting for a priest might be too late... Very well."
With that, our brief, private conversation concluded. Deidros reopened the door and spoke to the waiting villager.
"This is an old friend of mine, and he is skilled in acupuncture. Would you be willing to trust me and leave the child in his hands?"
The villager looked hesitant upon seeing the bandages over my eyes, but because of the immense trust Deidros had built up as the village chief, she eventually agreed.
The detoxification was relatively simple. It only took a bit of time because the poison had spread extensively, but it wasn't a difficult task.
"There, that should do it."
I said, retrieving the needles from the boy's body and turning my head toward his mother, who had been watching anxiously.
Not long after, the unconscious boy opened his eyes. He called out to his mother, and she rushed over to him, tears streaming down her face. Giving them some space, I stepped aside and approached Deidros, who was watching with his arms crossed.
Deidros spoke.
"To think you know acupuncture... Once upon a time, there was a very famous blind acupuncturist. He was from the East as well, and it seems you share many similarities with him."
Was he referring to the creator of acupuncture whom Priscilla had mentioned when I first tried to learn it from her? His words carried the weight of the vast centuries he had lived.
"You asked what I wanted for payment... How about taking a walk around the village? There are more than a few sickly folks in this small place."
"...I don't mind. But acupuncture has its limits, so I cannot cure every illness. Will that still be enough?"
"It is more than enough."
With Deidros's approval, we spent the late hours of the night walking through the village, treating the residents' various minor and major illnesses and injuries. Deidros had memorized exactly who was hurt and what ailments they suffered from. Thanks to that, it was easy to filter out what I could and couldn't treat.
When I ran out of needles while making the rounds, Deidros quickly dashed back to his mansion and returned with a fresh bundle of needles he had apparently crafted on the spot.
Despite the late hour, villagers began to gather one by one, until I eventually had to perform acupuncture in front of a crowd of almost the entire village. My final patient was a young girl suffering from a mild headache. She was terrified of having needles poked into her body and threw a tantrum, so I had to gently coax her.
"See? It doesn't hurt at all, does it?"
"Whoa..."
The girl's eyes went wide as she stared at the needle in her arm. Soon, she claimed her head no longer ached and began jumping up and down in excitement, completely forgetting the needle was still there.
"They say he's the chief's friend..."
"He's like a saint..."
"A blind saint..."
"A saint has visited our little village. Hoho..."
The whispers of the watching villagers drifted over.
...Most of the villagers seemed to share that sentiment.
After finishing everything, I sat down to talk with Deidros.
"Why does everyone keep calling me a saint...?"
I was genuinely curious. It wasn't just in this village; it was the same back at the academy.
Deidros took a sip of his drink and chuckled.
"Hahaha! Come to think of it, since you cannot read books, you wouldn't know about that fairy tale."
"A fairy tale?"
"There is one. I suppose they felt your actions and manner of speaking resembled the saint from that story."
"Ah..."
A fairy tale. I hadn't encountered any lore about fairy tales while playing the game, so nothing came to mind.
[ This Lady also hath little interest in books, so I know not of which fairy tale he speaks. ]
Sierra was no different. It probably wasn't anything of great importance anyway.
Shifting the topic, I conversed with Deidros a bit longer. Our conversation mostly consisted of Deidros's stories from the distant past. Perhaps because we had started off on the right foot, he seemed to have taken quite a liking to me.
"...I should head back now."
The hour had grown incredibly late. It was only when morning came that we finally said our goodbyes, and I departed from Deidros's mansion.
On my way to catch the carriage, some villagers I ran into asked, "Where are you heading now?"
To their question, I replied...
"I shall drift wherever my feet take me."
Leaving them with those words, I boarded the carriage.
Of course, my destination was Innocence Academy.