Free Web NovelChapter 16: The Most Painful Blessing (1)
Maeve stared at Ikarus with a complicated look in her eyes. Honestly, she wasn’t even annoyed anymore. She was just having a hard time believing this man could still think about marriage and mating in the middle of a crisis. freёwebnoѵel.com
As if he noticed the strange way she was looking at him, Ikarus quickly explained, "This place is sacred too, and it’s protected by the Voryn Stones. That’s why the beasts can’t enter here."
Maeve turned her attention toward the small stones scattered near the cave entrance. They looked like ordinary black stones, but every now and then, a faint glow would flicker from them.
"That explanation is enough," Maeve said with a tired sigh. Then she looked back at him again. "Alright, now that we’re somewhere safe, is there anything I can do for you? I don’t really know how to heal people, but... I can still treat wounds."
Her eyes wandered around the cave as she searched for something useful. "I just need some... tools..." She let out another sigh. "Right. Of course you don’t have medical tools here."
"I’m fine," Ikarus said calmly. "Just help me get into that small pond."
Only then did Maeve notice the small pond not far from the altar. It looked more like a bathing pool made for two people, but the water inside had almost completely dried up, making it look like nothing more than a shallow dip in the ground.
"Do you want to clean your wounds?" Maeve asked while helping him walk over there, even though she was pretty sure he could actually walk perfectly fine by himself.
Ikarus hummed softly. "The water can also help soothe the wounds."
He sat down on a small stone beside the pond before using a wooden bucket to scoop up some water. "It’s a shame the water has almost completely dried up."
Maeve sat down beside him and stared at the nearly empty pond. "Is this place used for bathing?"
A faint smile appeared on Ikarus’ face. "Yes. Usually, before a couple holds their wedding ceremony, they bathe together here. Then they bathe together again after mating."
Maeve immediately closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. She really shouldn’t have asked.
And honestly, why did everything inside this cave look suspicious?!
Other than the altar and the wooden sticks on top of it, almost every other object looked strange. There was even a stone that somehow looked exactly like a love chair.
Not far from it, there was a thick rope hanging from the ceiling for absolutely no reason at all. Beside the rope sat a wide flat stone covered with faded scratch marks that Maeve did not want to think too deeply about.
Near the altar, several jars filled with sweet-smelling oil were neatly lined up on the ground. Maeve stared at them for a moment before narrowing her eyes.
Was this place some kind of sex dungeon or something?!
"Ck." Ikarus suddenly clicked his tongue and hissed softly, making Maeve immediately turn her gaze toward him.
"What’s wrong?" she asked quickly, and only then did she notice the blood on his stomach was still flowing.
"I just realized the wound is deeper than I thought," Ikarus said calmly. "But it’s fine. It’ll heal eventually."
Maeve frowned as she looked at the injury. "Still... it might get worse if we go back to the settlement without covering it first."
If there were trees nearby, they could at least use leaves as a temporary bandage. Unfortunately, this place was completely dry and empty, so there wasn’t even a single plant around them.
’If only I had something that could heal him...’
[Host, don’t forget. You have a black market!] Pinky suddenly said as it flew lower beside Ikarus’ injured stomach.
[You might be able to find anything you need there if you buy it with your coins!] freewebnøvel.coɱ
Maeve immediately answered in her mind, ’Then show it to me.’
[Opening the black market...]
[Searching for wound treatment tools...]
[Ding! Ding!]
[Pinky found a cheap tool that can close wounds very quickly!]
[Healing Stapler (200 coins): This product can be used to staple any wound, and it will fully heal within 60 seconds.]
[Note: This product can only be used for one wound, and it will feel extremely painful.]
Maeve hesitated the moment she read the last note.
"Ikarus," she called softly. "If I know a way to heal your wound, would you want to try it?"
Ikarus answered without hesitation. "Who am I to reject a Goddess’ blessing?"
Maeve let out a tired sigh. Once again, he was treating her like some holy being when she was anything but that.
"But what if the process hurts a lot?" she asked carefully.
"I can handle it," Ikarus replied confidently.
Maeve looked at him for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright."
She then spoke to Pinky in her mind again. ’I want to buy it.’
[Purchasing 1x Healing Stapler: 200 Coins.]
[Remaining Coins: 650 Coins.]
A black, normal-looking stapler suddenly appeared in her palm, making her frown. ’This looks way too ordinary.’
[That’s why it’s called the black market. The items sold here are considered taboo in their world.]
[The seller of this stapler is a doctor from another world who was banned after using "strange healing methods" on his patients.]
[To avoid suspicion from the authorities, he had to make something that looked normal.]
Maeve stared at the stapler in silence. ’Why does that sound even more suspicious?’
[But his products are very effective!] Pinky quickly added, sounding oddly defensive.
Maeve honestly didn’t know whether she should trust a magical black-market stapler, but at this point, she didn’t have many choices.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly moved closer to Ikarus.
"Um... before I use this, I should warn you first," she said awkwardly while raising the stapler. "It might look a little strange."
Ikarus lowered his gaze toward the object in her hand. Even he looked slightly confused for once. "What exactly is that?"
"A healing tool," Maeve answered immediately.
"It looks like a weapon," he said.
"That’s because it kind of is."
The possibility of dying because of office supplies was rare, but never zero.
"Do I need to do anything?" Ikarus suddenly asked.
Maeve hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "Maybe scream."
"I don’t scream."
"Well, today might become your first time."
