I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

■

"..."

so tired...

I just want to keep sleeping.

Something is pressing down on my body.

My hand is being held... Is it His Highness...?

Your Highness... Yes, Your Highness.

She can't sleep anymore; she needs to wake up.

In the hazy chaos, Kal'tsit's broken thoughts reconnected.

I wanted to open my eyes, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own. Eleven seconds after the thought arose, my eyelids slowly opened.

My vision was blurry for about ten seconds before it gradually became clear.

What's going on? Why is my body reacting so slowly?

"Kal'tsit".

The sound of daylight rang out, and the clasped hands were raised accordingly.

"..."

After a moment of quiet eye contact, my greeting finally arrived.

"Your Highness..."

"I'm here."

"Don't do anything rash for now; this is a side effect of the damage to your soul."

Seeing Kal'tsit's slow, elderly appearance, Bai Zhou understood her current situation.

"Your Highness?"

Kal'tsit was somewhat puzzled.

"It seems that the body is just reacting slowly now, but it is probably because the soul has been damaged, resulting in insufficient strength and the soul cannot be fully synchronized with the body."

It's like playing a game with a 460ms latency, experiencing lag and frame drops.

"It's alright, just rest for a few days and nourish your soul with [Yang] for a while."

Fearing that the cat would be scared, Bai Zhou gently rubbed the lynx's head to comfort her.

"I'll take care of you during this time."

Watching the two cat ears sway and shake as he rubbed them, Bai Zhou's mood brightened considerably.

"We've just resolved a crisis that could have destroyed the world, so let's consider this a holiday."

"Your Highness..."

"Don't refuse, Kal'tsit. Of course, it's no use refusing now."

Having confirmed that the lynx was in relatively good condition, Bai Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and got up to prepare food for her.

"Well, I've been eating your food for so long, so today I'll show you my cooking skills."

Watching Bai Zhou's departing figure, Kal'tsit finally uttered a soft "Mmm" after a moment.

Chop the dried meat, mince the vegetables, boil water, add rice, and let it simmer until a fragrant pot of porridge is ready.

He brought the porridge back, helped Kal'tsit sit up, and fed her little by little during the day.

Is it too hot? How does it taste?

Having not cooked for a long time, Bai Zhou was a little unsure about the dinner he had prepared.

"It's delicious."

The slow-moving Kal'tsit also has a unique charm.

"That's good. Eat more. A healthy body is good for the soul."

After being fed two bowls spoonful by spoonful, Kal'tsit, who had anticipated the time, shook her head to indicate that she was full.

"Ah."

Setting the bowl aside, Bai Zhou propped his chin on his hand and glared at Kal'tsit.

"Your Highness?"

"Do you want to rest, Kal'tsit?"

"...No, it's just...you want...um."

Before Kal'tsit could finish speaking, the boy in front of her stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

Cleverly, she chose to turn her face away and close her eyes to avoid looking.

But daytime cannot ignore it.

"Your Highness..."

The cat was picked up, and although its reaction was still slow, its body had already stiffened slightly out of habit.

"Don't you want to take a shower? You'll probably be in bed for the next three days, so it'll be more comfortable to lie down after you've cleaned yourself up."

After a fierce battle, even the cleanest cat will sweat, and feeling sticky certainly won't be comfortable.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness."

If only I had known earlier, even a true dragon could be taken down by a lynx...

"Your Highness..."

Soaking in warm water, the lynx behaved very well.

"Was the pressure a bit too much? Should we go a little lighter?"

Hearing the call, Bai Zhou, who was rubbing the cat's back, asked with concern.

"...The force was just right."

but……

You seem to enjoy doing all this so much...

"Hmph, I'm quite good at this kind of thing."

I scooped up some water to wash away the remaining stains, then took some shampoo and squeezed it into my palm, rubbed it in, and then gently placed my hand on the cat's head.

"Hmm, Kal'tsit, if you're feeling unwell, you should tell me. Don't just let it go."

"...It's very comfortable, Your Highness."

The boy's skills were in no way inferior to those of many professional servants.

"Speaking of which..."

Take a ladle and scoop a ladleful of warm water from the basin next to you, then slowly rinse away the foam.

Then she gathered the cat's hair up to prevent water droplets from getting into her eyes.

After doing all that, Bai Zhou's gaze was drawn to the few pieces on the cat's right shoulder.

"This... Oripathy... must be very painful."

As his fingertips gently brushed against the tip of a small piece of Originium, feeling its hardness unlike that of his skin, a hint of pity flashed in Bai Zhou's eyes.

"...You get used to it, and once you get used to it, you don't feel it anymore."

Indeed, after she got used to the pain of Oripathy, Kal'tsit always forgot that she was still an Oripathy patient.

"Do you want me to clean it up for you?"

Kal'tsit's ears perked up in surprise at Bai Zhou's words.

"...Your Highness?"

What is Bai Ri saying? Cleaning up Oripathy?

"I just had an idea... I'll wait and see how it goes after I do a few experiments with some Oripathy patients."

During the day, he grabbed Kal'tsit under her armpits and lifted her up like a cat out of a basin of water, placing her back on the bed.

"...Your Highness, could you please elaborate on what you just said?"

As Bai Zhou wiped her body, Kal'tsit pressed him for the meaning of what Bai Zhou had just said.

"See? Ao Neng can devour Originium, right?"

He draped a robe over Kal'tsit to keep her warm, and during the day he explained to her the astonishing idea that had been on his mind.

"You said that people get Oripathy because external Originium activates the activity of Originium particles in the human body, causing them to grow wildly. The human immune system then expels these excess Originium particles, which forms these Originium fragments on the body surface."

"So……"

Kal'tsit already understood.

"...Use the energy to enter the human body and consume those excess Originium particles, clearing them away like immune cells clear away germs."

"Ah."

Bai Zhou continued speaking.

"Moreover, Arcane Energy can multiply by consuming Originium, and only a little Arcane Energy is needed to eliminate Oripathy."

“...What an amazing idea, Your Highness.”

Strange knowledge has increased. (jpg)

This is a path that was never imagined.

Even though Arcane Energy granted Kal'tsit a unique ability she had never seen before, she never actually considered using Arcane Energy to expel Oripathy.

"Although I have this idea, it is still just an idea for now because I haven't found suitable experimental personnel."

“…I am willing to give it a try, Your Highness.”