"Sorry, but I can't do anything about this," Grace said with a shrug as she let go of Xain's broken arm.
"But you helped with my shoulder. What's different about this?" Zee asked, massaging her formerly dislocated shoulder.
"Well, that was just dislocated. I gave you a boost, which helped you rotate it back into place," Grace explained before pointing at Xain's broken arm. "That, on the other hand—pun not intended—is completely broken. You need surgery to fix it, or find someone who can heal it."
Xain winced. "Welp, looks like my thieving days are behind me with an injury like this. I won't ever be able to steal again," he said dramatically, wiping away an exaggerated tear.
"You make it sound like a bad thing," Grace chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Zee giggled, but both quickly quieted down, the atmosphere growing somber. Xain took a step back, his concern evident. "Hey, guys, what's with the sudden mood shift?" he asked.
Zee spoke up first. "I said so much about wanting to protect you, and now look. You got your arm broken because I couldn't even protect myself," she said quietly, looking down at the ground, her voice filled with guilt.
"The same goes for me. If I was faster and on guard, you would have been fine," Grace added, rubbing the back of her head, her tone tinged with regret.
Xain looked between them, their guilt weighing heavily in the air. He sighed, then raised his unbroken hand and lightly tapped both girls on the head. "Ow!" they whimpered simultaneously, rubbing the spots where Xain had tapped them.
"Why did you do that?" they both exclaimed in unison.
"Because the two of you are acting like idiots," Xain said firmly, crossing his arms despite the pain. "Listen, blaming yourselves for something someone else does is a sure way to make yourselves constantly miserable. While I appreciate you two looking out for me, I'm my own person who makes my own decisions. My broken arm is my own fault, not either of yours. Besides, I would feel worse if you put aside your own safety over mine. Your well-being is worth more than my broken arm, which isn't even that bad. I mean, I get to tell stories about losing an arm defending someone against a demon. How cool is that?" he quipped with a chuckle.
"Anyway, don't blame yourselves for this. You'll make me feel worse if you do, and just seeing both of you being fine is worth more than my broken arm or even a million coins," he finished with a warm, cheery smile, his eyes sparkling with sincerity.
Both Zee and Grace were left speechless by Xain's words. A faint blush crept onto their cheeks as they both turned away from him. *Too much, too much!* Zee thought, trying to calm her racing heart. *What was that? I couldn't even watch his thoughts to prepare myself!* Grace thought, struggling to slow her rapid heartbeat.
*Why did they suddenly turn away like that!?* Xain wondered, thinking his speech hadn't had its intended effect.
*You sure have a way of wrapping women around your fingers,* a voice said in his head, causing his eyes to widen.
*Erkie!? You're back!?* he exclaimed in surprise.
*Dear gods! Shut up! Why do you always have to yell?* Ercale retorted, his irritation palpable. Xain thought Ercale was being a hypocrite but kept it to himself.
*When did you get back in me? And what was up with that body of yours?* Xain asked.
*Poor choice of words, but when you were getting looked at by
*Oh yeah, I should probably fix that,* Ercale added. Xain didn't know what he was talking about and wanted to ask more questions, but before he could, suddenly he felt a comforting sensation wash over his body.
"Xain?" Zee called out as she and Grace noticed his body glowing with a soft blue light.
*What's going on? I can't view his thoughts at all anymore,* Grace wondered as they watched the blue glow slowly fade away. Xain felt refreshed—well, in a way, he was still tried, very tired, but he no longer felt any of the lingering pain from before. He lifted his right arm and flexed his fist. "It's fine," he muttered.
*Of course it is. Who do you think I am? Some third-rate healer? Please, this is child's play,* Ercale said, his tone filled with annoyance. Xain felt like he had really bruised Ercale's ego when he taunted him earlier.
"Was that Cain?" Zee asked as Grace stared at her.
*Why can't I view her fully either? Is it something to do with this Cain guy?* Grace wondered. Xain rubbed the back of his head and quickly nodded. "Yup, that was Cain alright. My big brother always comes through!"
Grace narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
Zee stepped in to explain. "Xain shares his body with his brother Cain, who's apparently a sorcerer. They're like magical twins, I think."
Grace looked at Xain suspiciously. "Then where was he during all this?" she asked, peering into Xain's eyes.
"W-well, you know, he has to recharge his mana and stuff. He's been helping us quite a bit these past few days, so he got tired and really needed to rest. Even doing this took a lot out of him," Xain lied as best he could.
Grace seemed to accept the explanation with a nod. "Oh, I guess that makes sense," she said.
Xain breathed a sigh of relief in his head. *Phew, thank the goddess that worked,* he thought, grateful his lie had been convincing enough.
Suddenly, the sound of an engine's roar and the hiss of releasing steam cut through the air. All eyes turned towards the source of the noise, watching as a steamstrider drove past the estate gates before coming to a halt. Steam billowed from the vehicle's vents as the doors opened, and out stepped the angel and Larkin.