The journey back to the royal capital was unexpectedly smooth. The city of Airi was in chaos; the envoy and local officials, along with a troop of cavalry, had gone missing for several days. Some said a large group of bandits was nearby, while others claimed there was a cannibalistic cult. As a result, wealthy families and caravans were recruiting bodyguards everywhere, and Asa returned with a caravan heading to the royal capital.
Standing once again in front of that large house, Asa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; there had been several times when he thought he would never return. When he pushed open the two wooden doors and heard the familiar creaking sound, a feeling of coming home washed over him. He unconsciously called out, "I'm back!"
"Just coming back is no big deal," Sandru said as he walked out from a small room inside. He looked the same as ever, still wearing that long dirty robe with indiscernible color. His beard and hair mingled with the threads of his robe, almost burying his face, and he blended in so well with the corpses and organs around him.
Though Sandru said that, Asa could still see a hint of amusement in his eyes. If there was any sense of home here, this old man had the mixed flavor of family, friends, and elders. "You can't just skip work like that and leave me to do all the labor; you owe me compensation."
Asa asked, "How do you use the World Tree leaf to heal injuries?"
Sandru looked him up and down with a skeptical eye, casually saying, "Did you get it? Did you buy it from a street vendor?"
Asa proudly took out the World Tree leaf from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Sandru.
Sandru was stunned.
Most of his face was obscured by his beard and hair, so it was impossible to tell what expression he wore. Only his sharp black-and-white eyes stared at the World Tree leaf, seeming to be infected by its green radiance, revealing an expression of bizarre but unmistakable disbelief.
Sandru reached out, picking up the World Tree leaf with a delicate motion, as if afraid of causing offense. His originally pale hand seemed to be infused with some vitality under the green hue of the leaf.
Sandru stared at the leaf, and his pale, withered fingers gently caressed its surface, tenderly, as if a lovesick youth were touching the skin of his beloved. "How did you get this?" His voice trembled slightly.
"Just like that," Asa replied nonchalantly, feeling quite proud of himself.
Sandru continued to gaze at the leaf, then suddenly turned his head to ask, "Are you going to use this to save someone?"
Asa nodded.
"Who are you saving?"
"The person I want to save." Asa didn't explain the whole backstory and answered with a vague statement.
"A woman?" Sandru keenly detected. Asa nodded again.
Sandru sighed and shook his head. "You're really going to use this to save a woman? Why not just chop yourself into pieces and feed the pigs?" He frowned and stared at Asa. "Do you know what this is?"
"It's the World Tree leaf. Didn't you tell me about it? I think I also heard it's some kind of divine object."
Sandru turned back to the leaf and slowly said, "Do you know how powerful this thing is and what it can do? When I was young, I searched for it madly. It took me ten years to find a lead, and then another ten years trying to obtain it, but I never succeeded." He sighed deeply and shook his head. "I never expected that now, when I've completely stopped thinking about it, it would just come to me."
Hey, I got it! Asa wanted to remind him but felt hesitant to interrupt him in such a reverie.
"If I had gotten it more than twenty years ago…" Sandru completely immersed himself in the nostalgia of his youthful glory, his eyes bursting with a vitality that belied his age, overflowing with ambition and determination. "I would…" He furrowed his brow heroically, as if he really had returned to his youth.
But gradually, the brilliance in his eyes dimmed into confusion and helplessness. Finally, with a sigh, he mumbled, "I would have used it to save a woman too."
He tossed the leaf back to Asa, shaking his head with disinterest. "Take it to save your woman."
Asa picked up the leaf, shrugged, and said softly, "She's not my woman."
"If she's not your woman, why go save her? Is your head filled with crap?" For some reason, Sandru seemed to be getting a bit agitated from his earlier reminiscence.
Asa hurriedly stuffed the leaf back into his pocket, finding Sandru quite strange. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If one leaf is enough, I'll just cut off a small piece, and the rest is for you…"
"This thing becomes useless if you chop it up. Just let her eat it whole," Sandru reverted to the fatigue and indifference appropriate for an old man and turned back to a corpse. Asa found his behavior odd and wanted to ask something, but didn't know what to say. He turned to leave, heading straight for the duke's residence.
"Wait," Sandru suddenly called after him. "Don't rush. Give me back that book. Why did you take it with you? That's an important item. I've been worrying about that book lately and thought, what if you don't come back or lose it?"
Asa stopped, turned around, and awkwardly said, "I lent it to someone else."
"You lent it to someone?" Sandru looked even more shocked than when he first saw the World Tree leaf. Just a moment ago, he had been stunned; now he seemed to jump up as if someone had stabbed him in the backside, striding over to grab Asa by the collar. Asa realized then how surprisingly quick the old man was.
Sandru's eyes were wide with anger, almost popping out of their sockets, and he gritted his teeth, asking, "Do you know what that book is? Who did you lend it to?"
"It's the duke's daughter… She's traveling outside and said she wanted to take a look on the way… Your book was left behind on the bookshelf, so I thought it wasn't important," Asa said, bewildered at Sandru's sudden agitation.
"A woman! I knew it would be a woman! Go get it back for me, go, go, go." Sandru, furious, shoved Asa out the door and poked him on the head. "I'm telling you, even if you're young and brash, use this head of yours to think things through. Stop being obsessed with women all day."
Asa didn't understand what he was saying and took off running towards the duke's residence. "I'll go ask her where she is…"
The servants at the duke's residence were of high quality. Even seeing Asa's unremarkable attire, they didn't make things difficult for him and quickly informed the duke.
When the duke came out and saw him, he immediately smiled warmly, as if he had encountered an old friend he hadn't seen in years. Although Cloudius beside him didn't change his expression, his face had turned somewhat cold.
Asa said he had brought the medicine to heal Elaine, but the duke didn't show much reaction. During this time, he had already searched for every doctor and priest he could find, but his daughter's condition had not improved at all and had continued to deteriorate over time. He had already lost all hope.
At Asa's insistence, the duke still led him to Elaine's bedside.
If the duke hadn't brought him there personally, Asa truly wouldn't have believed that the person lying on the bed was Elaine.
She had become so thin that she was unrecognizable, her skin color almost indistinguishable from that of a corpse. Her once full and rosy cheeks had completely caved in, her eyes tightly closed, and her skeletal features stood out starkly under her skin.
"She's been like this since last week, almost in a constant state of unconsciousness. The doctors and priests say she could stop breathing at any moment," the duke spoke heavily, his mood indeed very grave. This was his daughter; he had watched her grow from an infant in swaddling clothes to a graceful young lady, and now he was watching her slowly die on the bed.
Moreover, she was also an important card in his hand, a way to forge connections with a powerful family, directly affecting his grand plans.
Would she be able to swallow the World Tree leaf in such a state? Asa felt uneasy.
It should be fine; after all, this is a divine object. Although he didn't quite understand what a "divine object" was, he had no choice but to place all his hope in this vague concept. He took out the World Tree leaf from his pocket, carefully pried open Elaine's mouth, and stuffed the leaf inside. The duke frowned and watched.
Fortunately, the leaf did indeed display some miraculous changes befitting its name. The World Tree leaf slowly melted in Elaine's mouth, not turning into liquid but seemingly merging directly into her body, shrinking bit by bit until it gradually disappeared. Elaine's mouth slowly closed, and after a moment, she suddenly exhaled deeply and moaned.
At last, Asa let out a sigh of relief and stood up. He had seen the color return to Elaine's face.
The duke's mouth hung open in disbelief as he watched his daughter's complexion gradually regain its color, and her previously weak breaths began to steady. He looked at Asa, reached out to grasp his hand, and opened his mouth to express his gratitude, but the sudden surprise overwhelmed his usual calm demeanor, leaving him at a loss for words.
Asa looked at the duke before him. Now, he was just an excited father, and this pure joy was evident, without any hint of ulterior motives or other complexities. Asa himself was also very happy, now even more so, with a beaming smile on his face.
Claudius stood stiffly at the door, coldly observing the situation inside like a bystander. His expression remained unchanged, still handsome and imposing, but his complexion had turned slightly pale. This contrasted sharply with the healthy flush on his fiancée's face and the duke's excited countenance.
He had never seen the duke lose control like this.
The duke's depth, wisdom, cunning, and inscrutability had always earned Claudius's admiration and fear. In his mind, the duke was first and foremost an idol, a figure guiding him on how to attain success and power, and only secondarily a person with whom he had practical relations.
Now, however, this idol in Claudius's eyes appeared weakened by the visible emotion on his face. He believed that any warmth, including happiness, was undoubtedly a symbol of weakness; even when expressed, it was merely a means to perform in the right context. Yet now the duke was obviously moved by a lower-class man daring to enter the duke's residence in such filthy and tattered clothes, making Claudius feel as if his idol had been desecrated.
Moreover, he felt a sense of failure. No matter how hard he worked or what he did, the duke had never shown him much appreciation. But now, in front of this lowly man, the duke's face clearly expressed gratitude. This undoubtedly signified that in the duke's eyes, he was inferior to this commoner. This stark and absolute failure plunged Claudius into great anger.
Suddenly, a servant rushed in to report to the duke, "Two church priests outside are asking if Mr. Asa is here."
The duke turned to Asa, who was taken aback. "Looking for me?" He couldn't recall having any connection to the church.
At the entrance of the duke's mansion, two priests stood outside, their garments indicating their high status, on par with members of the royal family. Beside them was a luxurious white carriage pulled by four immaculate white horses.
"Does the bishop have something urgent for me?" Asa asked, looking at the carriage. He recalled that it seemed to belong to Bishop Ronis.
"Bishop Ronis has an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please, get in the carriage," one of the priests said as he opened the door for Asa.
Feeling uneasy about the spotless interior of the carriage and the priest standing beside the door, Asa was somewhat at a loss. Hesitantly, he climbed into the carriage.
The priest closed the door, jumped onto the carriage, and pulled the reins. The four white horses neighed loudly and began galloping, kicking up dust as they sped away. Throughout the journey, the two priests did not cast a glance at anyone else, including the duke.
The duke watched the carriage disappear into the distance, a small crease forming between his slender brows as he waved his hand and said, "Prepare the horses."