In lieu of a response, it was silence that Ilya had given to the Countess. She stood up and returned to her bed as naturally as breathing.
The Countess was left with her mouth agape, still on the floor wondering what just happened. On the other hand, the three witnesses had varying reactions. While Marquis Benedict had a petulant expression on his face, almost as if he was snarling at the Countess, Duchess Simargl was at a loss for words.
The Duchess' wanted to say something, but her mouth just kept opening and closing repeatedly. Her eyes darted from Ilya's nonchalance to the Countess' astoundment. She found herself on her feet, and was about to take a step forward. However, Count Schatten had something different in mind.
"Duchess Simargl, let's not get ahead of Lady Gertrude. If we keep pushing her to talk, she might end up keeping her reticence."
Beneath Count Schatten's composure was a void of questions. But he strove to stop himself from raising them. He crossed his legs as he leaned back on his seat, observing Ilya's countenance all the while.
Just then, he noticed a strip of blood on the lady's face. The Count puckered his eyebrows and rose to his feet. He approached and grabbed her chin so he could get a good look of her cheek.
"Is this… Is this the same wound that the Countess had?" He asked as he narrowed his eyes on the said wound.
Instead of responding, Ilya held the Count's wrist and gently lowered it. Count Schatten didn't resist, but he stayed beside Ilya. He daringly met her gaze and quietly insisted on getting an answer.
Contrary to the Count's expectations, it was Marquis Benedict who quelled his curiosity.
"Count Schatten, may it be the past or the present, there are only two sorcerers who can 'Heal' living things, so to speak. One is a genuine healer. The other was a martyr. The one in front of us is t-"
"I'm the healer, Marquis Benedict." Ilya intervened, giving the Marquis a stare, "Have you forgotten that my body is too weak to handle Manna?"
Right after she said that, another wound strip appeared below the existing one, then another on her jaw. Yet the most worrying of all was the long cut that appeared a hair's breadth away from one of her eyes.
Ilya immediately closed her left eye as she felt the sharp sting of the wound.
"Duchess Simargl, please tell the maids to call Lady Leahmir Dantalion this instant. Inform her that Lady Gertrude is wounded."
The Duchess nodded without a word and took her exit. Rather than leaving the task to the maids, she went and fetched Viscountess Dantalion by herself. The moment that the Duchess was gone, Ilya spoke.
"My Rahichna allows me to heal anyone. The only dogma is that I should be knowledgeable about medicine. I have to give the Manna particles a task of their own, like stitching back skin tissues and blood vessels. As for diseases, I should be aware of the symptoms and reduce them one by one by letting the Manna particles imitate a certain drug."
With her thumb, Ilya wiped the droplets of blood that were crawling down her cheeks. She drew a deep breath as she leaned back on the headboard.
Her gaze landed on the window, making her squint her eyes from the brightness of the early morning sun.
"The Martyr, on the other hand, can heal any grave wounds, any life-threatening diseases, as long as they're willing to suffer. They can absorb the injuries or the sickness of the person they're healing. They will be tormented by the pain for as long as a year, but they won't die from it."
Though there was no evident change in her voice, the Marquis could sense the depth of urgency that the Lady had. Count Schatten took notice of it too, but they both decided to keep their mouths shut for the time being.
Ilya joined her hands together, taking her gaze off of the window thereafter. She gripped her hands tighter and tighter, until her knuckles were beginning to turn white.
"I recognized how significant their Rachichna was. That's why I tried to find them. However, it was too late. I was hoping to get them on our side, so I departed the Dukedom as soon as I could in this timeline. Unfortunately, the martyr died several years before I was even born."
Marquis Benedict sighed audibly, intruding on Ilya's speech. The lady looked at him sans a change in her expression. The Marquis readily understood that she was allowing him to chime in.
"Lady Ger- I mean, Ilya, the Empire can prosper without a healer. Don't think for a second that you have to take on that role once more. Your circumstances are different in this timeline. The Emperor can't use that artefact as a bargaining chip anymore."
The Count, who was back on his seat, slowly nodded at the Marquis' words.
"You did manage to be an exemplary healer before, but that's not an option for you now. At least not until you've fully recovered. We will help you as best as w-"
"Isn't it against the law to hide your healing abilities?"
Marquis Benedict and Count Schatten snapped their heads towards the woman sitting on the floor. Their eyes were not forgiving at what they just heard, yet the Countess didn't budge an inch. She raised her head and with a mocking grin, glared at Ilya.
"I don't know all this talk about timelines, but didn't the Emperor make that decree himself? An ability to heal using magic, and a Rahichna to boot, it's rare among sorcerers."
"So, are you planning on tattling to the Emperor, Countess Hamlin?" The Marquiss queried, his voice even more deep-toned than before.
"Well, what can you offer in exchange for my silence?"
Count Schatten placed his elbow on the armrest and laid his jaw on his hand. He scoffed at the Countess who was trying to be daring and said, "In exchange for your silence, you say? How about I silence you eternally right here and now?"