The instant Izroth released his Soul Pressure, the cherry blossoms in the atmosphere began to blink in and out of existence.
Sychia's gaze remained locked on Izroth as if trying to peer into him. A few seconds later, she closed her eyes and released a small sigh as her cherry blossoms dispersed.
Sychia lowered her blade and returned it to its sheath.
"The eyes reveal all there is to know about a person. Your eyes—they do not have the same vile gaze as those who are after my life. Izroth, was it? Forgive my impudence, but I was only looking after my own life. If you wish to file a grievance, I would not hold it against you. That being said, I hope it can wait until we leave this Secret Realm." Sychia said calmly as she turned to walk away.
But, after taking not even two steps forward, the Thousand Blossom Maiden fell to one knee and coughed violently as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Sychia looked down at the blood in the palm of her hand as her complexion seemed to have worsened.
"Did you plan on fighting your assailants in that miserable state?" Izroth asked.
"It is of of your conce-" Sychia could not finish even getting through her sentence before violently coughing once more.
Izroth observed Sychia and knew that in her current state, it would be a monumental task to make it out of the Secret Realm in one piece, let alone survive another encounter with those who were after her life. Though he did not expect her to be so prideful. If anyone else were in the same situation as her, they would have probably asked for some assistance.
Still, Zouren's statement to "not stick his nose where it doesn't belong" lurked in the back of Izroth's mind. In addition, Izroth also had some fame with the Order of a Thousand Blossoms after eliminating the Right Hand of Siren, Enigma. Therefore, Izroth was curious as to why some of the others in this Secret Realm wanted to claim Sychia's life.
Although Izroth did not decide yet whether or not he would help her, at the very least, he wanted to hear the reasons. Plus, there was another thing Izroth was curious about.
'It's strange. Was I the only one transported to a different location after entering the gate to the Secret Realm?'
Judging by Sychia's state and words, it was clear that she had undergone an intense battle and narrowly managed to escape with her life. However, it had only been a little more than an hour since they entered the Secret Realm.
While Izroth was uncertain of the Secret Realm's size, if it was true that everyone was transported to different locations, then Sychia should not have run into the others so quickly. That is unless her luck was just that terrible.
There was also a chance that those who were after her possessed some type of tracking artifact. However, if that were the case, Sychia would not have stopped at this village as it would give them time to catch up to her.
'I don't know what's going on, but taking into account her previous actions outside the entrance to the Secret Realm, it seems she already knew that her life was being targeted beforehand. Are all of them in on it? If so, it would explain her aggressive greeting. But, when they're this stubborn…'
"?!" Suddenly, Sychia felt incredibly light as she was abruptly hoisted off the ground.
"Y-you—what is the meaning of this?! Unhand me at once!" Sychia exclaimed as she attempted to struggle free; however, with her current condition, it was difficult to break free without risking further injury to herself.
As for why the Thousand Blossom Maiden was so taken aback, Izroth had just picked her up with one arm and tossed her over his shoulder. This was the first time someone dared to carry her, let alone in such an unsophisticated and barbaric manner! She was a maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms—how could he carry her around like a sack of rice on his shoulder?!
But, even though she was troubled and flustered by Izroth's actions, Sychia was surprised. Despite her elegant stature and weakened state, she was by no means physically weak. The fact that Izroth was able to effortlessly restrain her movements with one arm meant that his physical strength was nothing to scoff at.
Of course, this had to do with Izroth's Might stat, which granted him a great boost to his physical capabilities.
After struggling for a few seconds as Izroth walked, Sychia realized that doing anything more would only be a waste of energy. And so, she finally calmed down and released a helpless sigh.
"Did you finally calm down?" Izroth asked calmly.
"…"
"You knew that your life was being targeted, right? Yet, you still decided to come to this Secret Realm surrounded by enemies. You are either incredibly courageous or foolish—though I suppose there is a thin line between the two." Izroth stated.
"…You are one to talk. At first, I thought it was all just an act to get me to let my guard down. But, now—it is clear that Zouren is after your life. Although I am curious as to how you got him to willingly hand over a Realm Fragment." Sychia responded.
"I will have you know, my life is not that easy to claim," Izroth said, echoing Sychia's earlier statement.
"You… Nevermind. Where do you plan on taking me?"
"From what I understand, it is not uncommon for peddlers to stop by this village to rest after traveling from the other side of the mountain. If that's the case, there is bound to be an inn or place of rest where we can discuss things properly. I may even be able to help you heal the poison flowing through your veins."
"?!" Sychia's eyes widened in shock by Izroth's words.
Of course, the Thousand Blossom Maiden was well aware that she had been poisoned. It was the reason why she could not properly stabilize her mana and naturally recover.
Given her status as the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia possessed items that were capable of cleansing many forms of poisons. Unfortunately, her enemies were aware of this and came well prepared.
The type of poison they used did not reveal any outer symptoms. Rather, the harm came strictly in the form of internal damage. This made it not only difficult to detect before it could do actual harm, but also hard to treat due to the lack of external symptoms.
"To know that I have been poisoned… Could it be that you are familiar with poisons?" Sychia asked.
"I suppose you could say that—since some of the greatest medicines are technically poisons," Izroth answered nonchalantly.
"Medicines? Are you a great healer..?!" Sychia exclaimed.
In RML, great healer did not refer to the healer class or any class in particular. Rather, it was used for those who had exceptional knowledge when it comes to herbs and developing medicines. It was commonly used amongst scholars, alchemists, and apothecaries, which were the main driving forces behind restorative substance development in RML.
"As long as you help me cleanse this poison, on my honor as the Thousand Blossom Maiden, I will find a way to return the favor. On this, I give you my word." Sychia said in a resolute manner.
〈System Alert: A new quest has been received! Would you like to accept?〉
Quest Name: Enemies In All Directions
Quest Difficulty: SS
Recommended Level: N/A
Recommended Party Size: N/A
Objective: There are those who wish to see the «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia» perish from this world. Assist «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia» in removing the poison in her body to help ensure her survival. This quest is automatically considered failed if «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia» dies within the time limit.
Time Limit: 23 hours
0/1 Find a way to detoxify the poison affecting the «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia».
0/1 Help «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia» arrive safely outside the «Secret Realm: Era of Titans».
Reward:
-Honorary Saint of the «Order of a Thousand Blossoms».
-Max favor with «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia».
-Gain max fame with the «Order of a Thousand Blossoms».
-Lose 10,000 fame with the «Circle of Six Gods».
-Lose 500 fame with the «Fifth Great Clan».
-Lose favor with the «Princess of the Fifth Great Clan, Luxia».
-Lose favor with the «Azure Lightning Agromin».
-Lose favor with the «Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren».
Failure:
-Lose 2 levels.
-The chances of «Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia»'s death in the «Secret Realm: Era of Titans» increased exponentially.
-Lose 5,000 fame with the «Order of a Thousand Blossoms».
-Gain 5,000 fame with the «Circle of Six Gods».
-Gain 2,500 fame with the «Fifth Great Clan».
-Max favor with the «Princess of the Fifth Great Clan, Luxia».
-Gain favor with the «Azure Lightning Agromin».
-Gain favor with the «Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren».
'Oh… Interesting. Originally, I planned on helping her to return the "favor" of Zouren sending that assassin to claim my life.. But, I have to admit, this approach works just as well.'
