Curtis's house is located in the eastern part of the city, where most beast-kin people gather to form communities. As we walk, we see many individuals with cat, wolf, and even lizard or bird-like characteristics. The houses here are less dense compared to the city center, and life seems more relaxed. Small market stalls dot the sidewalks, selling an array of goods from handmade crafts to traditional beast-kin cuisine. The air carries a mix of intriguing scents – spicy, earthy, and wild.
On the way, Sophia briefs me about how she met Curtis. He used to be an adventurer, diving into dungeons in search of riches until a tragic dungeon attempt went wrong, wiping out his party. The injuries and post-traumatic stress led him to illicit drug use, which subsequently introduced him to the underground world. Unable to venture into dungeons but needing to support his family, Curtis became a black market merchant himself. Sophia met him during her time with Bromrik when they needed drugs and enchantment items for their slavery business, and Curtis was the reliable source for these items.
“The underground market is all about connections, after all.” Sophia explains. “If you know a guy who knows a guy, who also knows a guy, you can work together, as long as there's mutual profit. Most people still try to remain anonymous, though, but Curtis and I have worked together for so long…”
“Until he tried to rip you off,” I chuckle.
Sophia’s eyes narrow, and her lips press into a thin line. “That guy,” she mutters, clenching her fists. “He really got under my skin, trying to pull a fast one on us. The nerve! When I see him, he’s going to wish he hadn’t!”
Her annoyance is palpable, and I can't help but feel a little amused by her fiery spirit. “Oh?” I tease, “Can you really punch anyone?”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me!” She turns to me, “I’m a mage, but I can still throw a punch, you know? Remember Bromrik? I smashed his head in, didn't I?”
I laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I remember. Impressive, actually.”
Then, after about twenty minutes of walking, we arrive at our destination. In front of us now is Curtis's house. According to Sophia, that wolf man has been living there for almost ten years.
The house is a regular two stories townhouse of medieval style, with a red roof and wooden walls. Next to the house is a pretty tall apple tree and in front of it is a small garden with carrots, tomatoes, and herbs. Seems like wolf people are not entirely carnivores after all.
We approach the house and knock on the door.
“Curtis!” Sophia calls out.
But no one answers.
"Curtisss!"
She knocks again, and this time, when the door opens, a young boy comes out to greet us.
“Who– who are you?” The little guy, a wolf boy appearing to be around fifteen years old with white, fuzzy hair and wearing a blue tunic, greets us.
“Oh? Lyon! Is your father home?” Sophia inquires.
“Ermm, I’m sorry, but who are you?” the boy responds hesitantly.
“Hehe, you're a wolfkin, yet you can't recognize me?” Sophia smirks.
“Wait!” Lyon sniffs the air. “This perfume… you're Sophia big sis!”
“Good boy!” Sophia exclaims, patting the kid's head and smiling gently. “By the way, have you gotten taller? At this rate, you’re going to get a girlfriend soo–”
“There's no time, please, help my sister!”
Lyon urgently pulls Sophia's arm, leading her inside.
“Waa, wait!” Sophia stumbles forward. “You mean Lumi? What happened? Is she alright?”
“Please, just come!” he insists with a grave expression.
It seems there's an urgent matter at hand. The boy hardly acknowledges me as Sophia and I hurriedly follow him inside the house.
As we move through the house, I notice it appears more empty than I expected, lacking in furniture. Considering Curtis has been living here for ten years, and the fact that he recently got a fortune from me, something doesn't seem right.
Then, when we stand in front of a room that's supposed to be Lumi’s room, an incredible wave of heat catches my attention. It feels really hot. It feels like stepping into a dry sauna.
"Lyon, what's happening? Are you guys burning something in here?" Sophia asks.
"No, it's Lumi!"
As Lyon opens the door, the situation becomes clear. There's a little girl, about the same age as Hana, lying on the bed, seemingly unconscious. Her face shows immense pain, her breaths shallow and weak. The closer we approach, the hotter the air becomes. Observing her from the bedside, I notice burn marks scattered across her body. Lyon has been attempting to cool her down with water and a towel, but to no avail.
"This is... mana overload?" I murmur, perplexed. "This does happen sometimes, but can it be this severe?”
“Lyon, how long has Lumi been like this?” Sophia inquires, wiping her sweat on her forehead.
"She's had this condition for over a month now, where her body occasionally gets hot, like she's having some intense unknown fever," Lyon replies. "We have no idea what's happening. Dad took her to many healers and doctors, but nobody could help. And five days ago, it suddenly got worse..."
"Oh, so that's why..." Sophia mutters.
Indeed, the situation now makes sense to me. I was wondering why Curtis, despite being such a close ally to Sophia, would betray her. I had suspected there was more to the story, and this seems to be the missing piece. He needed the money for his daughter.
"Anyway, where is Curtis? How can he leave you guys at home alone like this?" Sophia asks.
"No, Dad said that he needed to go get the healing flower at the auction house. But... he also said that it would only take one or two hours..."
“So how long has he been out now?”
“Three hours.”
“Something’s not right, Jack,” Sophia says, turning to me. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Okay, Lyon, do you remember the name of the plant your dad wanted to buy?” I ask the kid.
It's only now that Lyon realizes I’m also in the room.
“Huh? You are…”
“I’m Jack, Sophia’s friend.”
“Oh,” Lyon says, bowing and apologizing. Then he adds, “It’s called Etherbloom.”
The name echoes in my head. It only takes me a second to search for its information with Ruby's help.
“Ah,” I exclaim. “So it is indeed mana overload.”
“Wait!” Sophia interrupts. “Mana overload shouldn’t be this severe! We mages get that all the time!”
“This is no ordinary mana overload, Sophia,” I say. “Normally, the body can generate excess mana, but you can halt the process and recover. This girl, however, she can’t stop.”
“Cannot… stop? How? Are you saying her body generates mana uncontrollably, without end?”
“Yes. It’s basically cancer. Magical energy is generated continuously and relentlessly.”
“Cancer?” Sophia repeats my words, seemingly confused.
I realize she doesn’t understand the term.
“We can discuss that later,” I say urgently. “Right now, we're racing against time. Lumi has just two more hours. If her father doesn't return by then, she will die.”
Curtis's house is located in the eastern part of the city, where most beast-kin people gather to form communities. As we walk, we see many individuals with cat, wolf, and even lizard or bird-like characteristics. The houses here are less dense compared to the city center, and life seems more relaxed. Small market stalls dot the sidewalks, selling an array of goods from handmade crafts to traditional beast-kin cuisine. The air carries a mix of intriguing scents – spicy, earthy, and wild.
On the way, Sophia briefs me about how she met Curtis. He used to be an adventurer, diving into dungeons in search of riches until a tragic dungeon attempt went wrong, wiping out his party. The injuries and post-traumatic stress led him to illicit drug use, which subsequently introduced him to the underground world. Unable to venture into dungeons but needing to support his family, Curtis became a black market merchant himself. Sophia met him during her time with Bromrik when they needed drugs and enchantment items for their slavery business, and Curtis was the reliable source for these items.
“The underground market is all about connections, after all.” Sophia explains. “If you know a guy who knows a guy, who also knows a guy, you can work together, as long as there's mutual profit. Most people still try to remain anonymous, though, but Curtis and I have worked together for so long…”
“Until he tried to rip you off,” I chuckle.
Sophia’s eyes narrow, and her lips press into a thin line. “That guy,” she mutters, clenching her fists. “He really got under my skin, trying to pull a fast one on us. The nerve! When I see him, he’s going to wish he hadn’t!”
Her annoyance is palpable, and I can't help but feel a little amused by her fiery spirit. “Oh?” I tease, “Can you really punch anyone?”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me!” She turns to me, “I’m a mage, but I can still throw a punch, you know? Remember Bromrik? I smashed his head in, didn't I?”
I laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I remember. Impressive, actually.”
Then, after about twenty minutes of walking, we arrive at our destination. In front of us now is Curtis's house. According to Sophia, that wolf man has been living there for almost ten years.
The house is a regular two stories townhouse of medieval style, with a red roof and wooden walls. Next to the house is a pretty tall apple tree and in front of it is a small garden with carrots, tomatoes, and herbs. Seems like wolf people are not entirely carnivores after all.
We approach the house and knock on the door.
“Curtis!” Sophia calls out.
But no one answers.
"Curtisss!"
She knocks again, and this time, when the door opens, a young boy comes out to greet us.
“Who– who are you?” The little guy, a wolf boy appearing to be around fifteen years old with white, fuzzy hair and wearing a blue tunic, greets us.
“Oh? Lyon! Is your father home?” Sophia inquires.
“Ermm, I’m sorry, but who are you?” the boy responds hesitantly.
“Hehe, you're a wolfkin, yet you can't recognize me?” Sophia smirks.
“Wait!” Lyon sniffs the air. “This perfume… you're Sophia big sis!”
“Good boy!” Sophia exclaims, patting the kid's head and smiling gently. “By the way, have you gotten taller? At this rate, you’re going to get a girlfriend soo–”
“There's no time, please, help my sister!”
Lyon urgently pulls Sophia's arm, leading her inside.
“Waa, wait!” Sophia stumbles forward. “You mean Lumi? What happened? Is she alright?”
“Please, just come!” he insists with a grave expression.
It seems there's an urgent matter at hand. The boy hardly acknowledges me as Sophia and I hurriedly follow him inside the house.
As we move through the house, I notice it appears more empty than I expected, lacking in furniture. Considering Curtis has been living here for ten years, and the fact that he recently got a fortune from me, something doesn't seem right.
Then, when we stand in front of a room that's supposed to be Lumi’s room, an incredible wave of heat catches my attention. It feels really hot. It feels like stepping into a dry sauna.
"Lyon, what's happening? Are you guys burning something in here?" Sophia asks.
"No, it's Lumi!"
As Lyon opens the door, the situation becomes clear. There's a little girl, about the same age as Hana, lying on the bed, seemingly unconscious. Her face shows immense pain, her breaths shallow and weak. The closer we approach, the hotter the air becomes. Observing her from the bedside, I notice burn marks scattered across her body. Lyon has been attempting to cool her down with water and a towel, but to no avail.
"This is... mana overload?" I murmur, perplexed. "This does happen sometimes, but can it be this severe?”
“Lyon, how long has Lumi been like this?” Sophia inquires, wiping her sweat on her forehead.
"She's had this condition for over a month now, where her body occasionally gets hot, like she's having some intense unknown fever," Lyon replies. "We have no idea what's happening. Dad took her to many healers and doctors, but nobody could help. And five days ago, it suddenly got worse..."
"Oh, so that's why..." Sophia mutters.
Indeed, the situation now makes sense to me. I was wondering why Curtis, despite being such a close ally to Sophia, would betray her. I had suspected there was more to the story, and this seems to be the missing piece. He needed the money for his daughter.
"Anyway, where is Curtis? How can he leave you guys at home alone like this?" Sophia asks.
"No, Dad said that he needed to go get the healing flower at the auction house. But... he also said that it would only take one or two hours..."
“So how long has he been out now?”
“Three hours.”
“Something’s not right, Jack,” Sophia says, turning to me. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Okay, Lyon, do you remember the name of the plant your dad wanted to buy?” I ask the kid.
It's only now that Lyon realizes I’m also in the room.
“Huh? You are…”
“I’m Jack, Sophia’s friend.”
“Oh,” Lyon says, bowing and apologizing. Then he adds, “It’s called Etherbloom.”
The name echoes in my head. It only takes me a second to search for its information with Ruby's help.
“Ah,” I exclaim. “So it is indeed mana overload.”
“Wait!” Sophia interrupts. “Mana overload shouldn’t be this severe! We mages get that all the time!”
“This is no ordinary mana overload, Sophia,” I say. “Normally, the body can generate excess mana, but you can halt the process and recover. This girl, however, she can’t stop.”
“Cannot… stop? How? Are you saying her body generates mana uncontrollably, without end?”
“Yes. It’s basically cancer. Magical energy is generated continuously and relentlessly.”
“Cancer?” Sophia repeats my words, seemingly confused.
I realize she doesn’t understand the term.
“We can discuss that later,” I say urgently. “Right now, we're racing against time. Lumi has just two more hours. If her father doesn't return by then, she will die.”
