Ghislain let out a sigh and took hold of Rozalin's hand, steadying his breath.
'Compared to her past life, she has far less resilience and willpower, and this time, the treatment period is short, which will make the impact much harsher. Can she even endure it…?'
People, like swords, must be tempered through trials to grow stronger.
Even he, once a reckless troublemaker, had only gained inner strength through such hardships.
Right now, Rozalin was just a timid, frail noble young lady—nothing more.
'I'll have to proceed as carefully as possible.'
Ghislain began to slowly channel his mana into her body.
"As I inject my mana, you'll feel a foreign energy within you. It will hurt, but you'll need to endure it if you want to be cured."
"What?"
"We're starting."
Ghislain's sudden serious tone made Rozalin swallow nervously.
'Is this… dangerous?'
Her voice trembling, Rozalin asked,
"What do you mean by endure? What kind of pain?"
Without answering, Ghislain focused solely on moving his mana.
No matter how potent a medicine may be, only a fraction of its power is actually absorbed by the body. What remains is minimal.
'I have to capture the energy before it disperses.'
His mana spread rapidly throughout Rozalin's body, tracking the energy of the medicine.
'Now, let's break through.'
Ghislain's mana, mixed with heat, began to forcibly cut through the cold energy that had hardened throughout her body.
Crack!
Rozalin felt a shattering sensation within her.
Immediately, unbearable pain surged through her.
"Aaaaagh!"
Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, she screamed involuntarily.
It felt like an invisible weight was stabbing her body from within with countless spears.
No, stabbing didn't even begin to describe it. It felt as if sharp, jagged spears were tearing through her insides, ripping apart her organs.
The vile taste of the medicine she'd just ingested vanished from her mind instantly.
She had never experienced such pain in her life. If she had known it would hurt this much, she would have run away.
Desperate to escape, Rozalin twisted her wrist out of Ghislain's grip and tried to break free.
"Aah! Stop, please, just stop!"
The butler and attendants, standing by to assist, were stunned at the sight.
Why was she in such agony during treatment?
Was this man really a quack?
"Young master! Are you sure this is alright?"
Belinda, gripping Rozalin's thrashing body tightly, closed her eyes.
Sweating, Ghislain replied as he controlled the mana.
"Struggling will make it hurt more. You need to trust me and endure."
"No! Please! Please, just stop! Aaaaagh!"
There was no trust between them to begin with. Telling her to trust him and bear it wouldn't make it any easier.
Watching her writhe in agony, Ghislain's expression hardened.
'This isn't going to be easy.'
Though he knew the solution, that didn't make the treatment any less challenging.
'I'm using the most effective and rapid method, but the pain remains the same.'
He couldn't be sure if she'd last until the end.
Rozalin's tightly clenched lips bled, but the pain elsewhere was so intense she didn't even notice.
"Ugh…"
Her body shook violently. Ghislain, assessing her internal condition, immediately withdrew his hand.
If he pushed any further, her condition could become life-threatening.
Reluctantly, he stopped after opening far fewer pathways than initially planned.
He had allotted two weeks, anticipating situations like this, but even that timeframe now seemed tight.
"This will be all for today. You did well."
Although he hadn't made as much progress as hoped, it was only the first day.
If he increased the pace, he could still finish within the two weeks.
The question was whether she could hold out until the end.
"We'll continue the treatment this evening."
Rozalin couldn't even respond, panting heavily.
As Belinda and Wendy carefully released her, she collapsed onto the bed.
Seeing the treatment was over, the butler rushed forward.
"Quick, attend to the young lady."
The attendants hurried over to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Once things were settled, Ghislain took a handful of cream and began slathering it generously onto Rozalin's face.
He used so much that at this rate, they would go through a jar a day.
The butler watched in surprise and cautiously asked,
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
"She needs this much."
Barely able to speak, Rozalin muttered in a weak voice,
"I've tried…that already…it's useless…you quack…"
"This will work because we're addressing the underlying imbalance. This cream will cool your skin, aiding in your recovery throughout the treatment."
Though it wasn't a lie, he didn't need to use it so much.
'Can't pass up a chance to boost sales.'
Ghislain smiled inwardly.
If they used that much cream daily, they'd need quite a lot.
Once Rozalin's treatment was finished, he intended to collect the fee in full.
With a wealthy family like hers, a few jars of cream wouldn't raise any complaints.
As Ghislain secretly relished his plans, Rozalin gritted her teeth.
It wasn't the application of the cream that bothered her. She could tolerate that, even for a year.
She even resolved to drink the revolting medicine if necessary.
But this pain—she truly couldn't endure it.
"You're…doing this again?"
"Yes."
"For two weeks straight…?"
"Yes."
"Get out… Please… just stop…"
She was too weak to move, her tears welling up as she muttered helplessly.
How could anyone endure this pain for two weeks?
All she wished was for someone to come and kill the bastard standing before her.
Ignoring her plea, Ghislain placed the mask back over her face and said,
"See you this evening. Make sure the young lady's room is well-guarded."
The mercenaries took turns guarding her room to ensure she wouldn't leave.
Although the butler felt uneasy about this continued treatment, he didn't dare intervene for the time being.
Thanks to the butler's support, Ghislain and his party received the utmost care.
Meals were of the finest quality, the clothes provided were the best of the best, and any request they made was immediately fulfilled.
Yet, despite this royal treatment, the group felt like they were walking on thin ice.
"Aaaaagh!"
The reason was Rozalin's pain.
As more mana pathways were cleared, her screams only grew louder.
"Stop! Please, just stop! Aaaaagh!"
"Hang on a bit longer!"
No matter what Ghislain said, his words didn't reach her.
She couldn't understand why she was enduring such agony.
This couldn't possibly be a cure.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you for this! Stop it!"
"If we don't correct this now, you really will die."
"I don't care! Just stop!"
She protested and threatened, but Ghislain didn't so much as blink.
So, she turned her anger on others.
"Stop bringing me that vile medicine! Or I'll kill you myself after these two weeks."
The attendants bringing her the medicine turned pale at her threats.
The Marquis had ordered them to cooperate with Ghislain, so they couldn't refuse his request.
Quitting would mean defying the Marquis's orders and facing death.
But continuing meant facing death from the young lady herself.
"Please spare us!"
The attendants fell to their knees, begging.
The butler, who had been watching, intervened.
"Perhaps it's best to stop temporarily. Given how much pain the young lady is in, maybe we should consult the marquis again…"
Ghislain placed a hand on the butler's shoulder, cutting him off.
"Stop temporarily? Consult again? You still don't understand the situation?"
His voice was cold.
"Do you think we can stop this now?"
"Well…"
"Enough nonsense. I'm staking my life and my family's name on this."
Ghislain had no intention of wasting time trying to convince people who were paralyzed with indecision.
But he also couldn't allow everyone's hesitation to slow things down.
He addressed the attendants firmly.
"Bring all the medicine and tools into this room. I'll prepare everything myself from now on."
"You'll… prepare it yourself?"
The butler looked at him uncomfortably.
It would be a disgrace for the marquis house if word got out that a noble was doing menial work.
But given the young lady's intense resistance, there was little choice.
"Ugh…"
Rozalin glared at Ghislain with deadly intent.
Her commands had no effect on him.
Even a prince wouldn't dare treat her like this.
"I told you to stop! Don't you understand? I'm telling you to stop!"
"We're starting the treatment now."
"I don't need it! It's my face! I don't need it! Get out! Where did you find this quack?!"
But Ghislain wasn't the type to back down in such a situation.
He simply grabbed her wrist.
"Let go! Let go of me! I'll kill you! Bring my father here! Right now!"
She thrashed around again, but restrained by Belinda and Wendy, it was futile.
Ghislain forced the medicine down her throat, just as before, and began the treatment.
"Aaaaagh!"
Even her will to resist crumbled under the pain that tore through her body.
In a moment of despair, she let go of everything.
"Hrrk, gagh!"
Suddenly, blood trickled from her mouth, and her eyes rolled back under her eyelids.
"Young lady!"
The butler, who had been watching anxiously, cried out in horror.
"Uuuugh!"
Rozalin let out a groaning scream, feeling a terrifying sense of impending death.
'I can't… I can't take any more…'
At that moment, Ghislain's expression twisted in frustration.
'Damn it, if I keep going, she'll die.'
Ghislain gritted his teeth and gradually reduced the flow of his mana.
It wasn't a mistake on his part. The force of breaking through her mana pathways had been too much for her to handle, and they had torn under the strain.
After so much time spent in isolation, her weakened body couldn't withstand the added shock.
'Part of it is because she's given up.'
Rozalin had resisted treatment before, which still showed some will to avoid what she didn't want. But with the ongoing pain, even that faint will had started to wane, leaving her unable to withstand the strain.
It was clear her body and mind had reached their limit.
From here on, he would have to proceed much more cautiously and slowly to ensure she didn't succumb.
'This is dangerous. At this rate, we won't finish in time.'
Had he misjudged the timeline?
No, there was enough time.
Was her condition worse than recorded?
Her state was indeed worse than he'd anticipated, but not beyond recovery.
There was only one answer.
It was Rozalin's willpower that was lacking.
Without the intention to endure treatment, she was giving up sooner than her body could tolerate.
Belinda, who had been holding onto Rozalin, urgently shouted,
"Young master! You have to stop!"
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]