They had fallen ill.
Felix carried a wooden bucket filled with hot water into the master bedroom. Even though it was broad daylight, the curtains were drawn completely shut, yet the air felt neither stuffy nor stale, as the fresh air ventilation system was running at full power. Yaxiu helped Sonia sit up, gently stripping off her clothing. While Felix wiped her down, he quickly took off the duvet cover, bedsheet, and pillowcases, replacing them with a fluffy, freshly washed and dried bedding set to ensure she would be comfortable in bed.
Sonia kept her eyes closed, her face flushed crimson. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and sweat beaded profusely across her skin, yet her body shivered incessantly. Once Felix had dried her off and helped her into fresh pajamas, Yaxiu supported the back of her head and eased her down. Sonia suddenly opened her eyes and asked softly, "How do I... look?"
"Very frail, just like a Lalafell." Yaxiu pulled the quilt over her and chuckled. "I've waited for this chance for a long time. I still remember the first time we met in the Void Realm—you tried to hack me with a wooden sword... An eye for an eye, a grudge for a grudge. Now it's reckoning time. I'm going to recount all your past deeds and punish you!"
"Petty man. Why do you still remember such small things..." Sonia pulled the quilt over her mouth, her eyes curving with a faint, sickly smile. "Piss off."
Yaxiu dimmed the lights a little, then went with Felix to the second and third bedrooms to sponge down Diya and Vichy in turn. The Witch was in a worse state, remaining in a deep stupor the entire time. Vichy, on the other hand, seemed in great pain, her breathing heavy and her brow tightly furrowed—though this actually indicated she was in the best condition, at least able to maintain enough consciousness to fight the abnormal state of her soul body.
However, Vichy was also the most fussy, squirming and struggling non-stop. She cried out that she didn't need a sponge bath, argued that she didn't need to change clothes, and refused to accept their care. Yaxiu knew she felt too embarrassed to be looked after because of an illness. Perhaps the pain had drained too much of her mental capacity; she subconsciously wanted to uphold her dignity as the Spectre Prophet, oblivious to how childish she was acting—just like a kitten that had just entered its rebellious phase.
Yaxiu had prepared for this beforehand. "Vichy, do you remember your name?"
"I do."
"Any distinct, abnormal pain?"
"No."
"How do you feel right now?"
"Very cold, very tired, light-headed, weak in the limbs, and my whole body feels as heavy as lead..."
Although her mind was still groggy, Vichy quieted down at once and did her best to clearly describe her condition, forgetting that this exact exchange had already taken place several times the previous night. Yaxiu seized the chance to hold her from behind while Felix wiped the sweat from her body. Once clean, Vichy's brow visibly smoothed out. The willpower she had been forcing herself to maintain gave way, and she fell unconscious in Yaxiu's arms.
Felix watched this viper of a woman curl up obediently in Yaxiu's embrace, casting aside all malice and vigilance, even letting out miserable whimpers like an ordinary mortal, completely baring her powerlessness and vulnerability. Such a display might be normal for the Sword Princess or the Witch, but for Vichy, it was exceptionally rare—Vichy had been the first to awaken last night, immediately bristling with hostility and nearly mistaking Weise, who was tending to her, for an enemy.
Perhaps due to compatible temperaments, Felix had always felt she got along quite well with Vichy; one could even say Felix was Vichy's only female friend in this party. Yet when she tried to help Vichy back to her room, Vichy had pushed her away without hesitation... Befuddled by sickness, the Spectre Prophet regarded the entire world as her enemy.
In the end, it was only after Yaxiu had finished holding the Sword Princess and the Witch and came back to take Vichy's hand, patiently soothing the Spectre Prophet for over ten minutes, that the still-resisting viper retracted her fangs and let him lead her obediently back to her room to rest.
To think this trash can wasn't entirely useless... He hadn't rested once since last night, constantly monitoring their condition and trying to treat or alleviate their illness with various wonders and miracles... Whenever someone called out, he rushed over immediately. Naturally, he helped if there was a problem, but even if there wasn't, he would stay by their side observing for ten or fifteen minutes... Furthermore, he seemed capable of intuiting their unspoken needs; sometimes the Sword Princess or the others would merely let out an indistinct groan, and Yaxiu would understand what they wanted.
Nursing was both dull and exhausting. Felix had dozed off in a daze halfway through the night, only to wake up a few hours later on the sofa with a blanket draped over her. Yaxiu had stood guard the whole night without the slightest trace of impatience, checking on the three women every ten minutes between watching films. Felix didn't know whether he was anxious inside, but she felt that when the Sword Princess and the others opened their eyes and saw Yaxiu looking just as dependable as ever, it must bring them immense peace of mind.
Actually, Yaxiu was pretty great—if only he were this good to just one person, it would be even better.
Felix glanced at the bedridden Vichy, her heart stirring with a sudden thought: Although she didn't know why they had fallen ill, since this was a trial, they likely wouldn't recover any time soon. They were no longer the mainstays of the party; instead, Yaxiu had to expend vast amounts of mental energy caring for them...
This was the most vulnerable juncture for the team, and Yaxiu's most difficult, darkest hour. An adventure already fraught with peril had been made worse by three people falling ill. The only lover left who could support him was the Silver Lantern, and the only ones who could help him were Miss Lena and herself...
That meant... if... maybe...
"Felix."
Felix snapped out of her daze and looked up. "Huh?"
"Go wash the duvet covers and pajamas," Yaxiu said as he took the wooden bucket from her hands. "I'll change the water and apply cold compresses to their foreheads."
"Oh, okay."
"And thank you," Yaxiu smiled. "It's fortunate that you and Daedalose are here to help, Felix. Otherwise, I would've been running around like a headless chicken. After all, usually I'm the patient in need of care..."
Felix said, "It's what I should do. I'm a member of this team too."
"But they aren't just my teammates—they're my precious treasures." Yaxiu shrugged. "You probably hate hearing me say that, but I'm thanking you as their lover.
"I'll have to keep troubling you going forward, so I hope you don't grow tired of it too quickly. Honestly, they're quite cute like this... Let's both be a little more patient with them." Yaxiu winked at her, then carried the bucket away to prepare the cold compresses.
Felix went into the bathroom, stuffed all the bedding into the washing machine, dropped in a laundry pod, selected a preset cycle, and sat down to watch the linens spin and foam inside the drum. She stared blankly for a long while before suddenly hanging her head in dejection. She felt just like the dirty covers inside the washing machine—the despicable, shameless thoughts in her mind were being thoroughly washed and rinsed clean by an overwhelming wave of guilt.
*
Yaxiu replaced the water with a fresh bucket of ice-water mixture, fashioned ice packs to rest on their foreheads, and switched them out every fifteen minutes. Sitting beside the Sword Princess's bed, he looked at the red-haired girl lying there more quiet and well-behaved than ever, and reached out to brush away the strands of hair caught in her mouth.
It looked a lot like a fever, and physically felt like one too, but everyone knew it could never be a simple fever. Leave aside demigod sorcerers; even ordinary sorcerers rarely fell ill. The consensus in academia was that when a sorcerer communicated with the Void Realm, the Void Realm would automatically cleanse their body. While the effect wasn't overwhelming, it was more than enough to eradicate all bacteria and viruses in nature.
Beyond Sanctuary, a sorcerer's physical constitution far surpassed that of mortals, rendering them immune to all illnesses. As for a demigod sorcerer's soul body, while internal organs still existed, they were merely a form of manifestation—like the jewels on a crown, decorative ornaments meant to display status. For instance, even if Yaxiu lost his heart or had his head blown off, he wouldn't die; at most, it would take a long time to recover.
The core of a demigod's soul body was the soul. As long as the soul remained intact, the soul body would remain unharmed; one could understand the soul body as a reflection of the soul. No matter how battered and broken the soul body became, it could be restored based on the integrity of the soul. Therefore, the Sword Princess and the others were definitely not sick—they were cursed.
But... Yaxiu looked at the delirious Sonia. It was as though the person lying before him was not a sword demigod, but merely an ordinary mortal girl.
Did the trial's curse afflict them with illness, or had it turned them into mortals? If this was the Six-Wing Trial, how was Yaxiu supposed to help them?
While Yaxiu was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a tug at his clothes. Looking down, he saw Sonia's hand slip out from beneath the quilt, her slender fingers hooking onto his sleeve.
Yaxiu removed the ice pack from her forehead, wiped away the water droplets with a towel, and lifted the back of her head to feed her some water. "Do you want to eat something?" he asked.
Sonia shook her head.
She reached out both arms and looked up at him, her face filled with sleepy, endearing sweetness. "Hug me."
Yaxiu smiled softly. Taking off his coat, he slipped under the quilt and gathered the Sword Princess into his arms. The Sword Princess wriggled around until she found the most comfortable position, nestling against his chest like a little bear. With the warm, soft beauty in his embrace, Yaxiu had no improper thoughts whatsoever; instead, his mind drifted back to the days when they ventured through the Knowledge Sea.
The stubborn girl who had brimmed with vibrant energy ever since they first met; the companion who had fought side by side with him ever since the Knowledge Sea... You are the flame that banished my confusion, the vibrant color that illuminated the world, and my mortal ideal amidst the burning river of stars.
"I've waited so long for this day." Yaxiu affectionately nuzzled Sonia's cheek. "It's finally my turn to take care of you."
Chapter 1196