Dear, it’s time for your medicine! 168

Chapter 168: To the Hotel, Then Get a Room (Part 1)

When Norma was three years old, she couldn’t even speak. Normal noble girls at that age were already learning etiquette, but not Norma. She would just poke at the dirt on the ground, all day long.

This naturally concerned her parents. Her mother took her everywhere, seeking a cure. Doctors, priests, even alchemists examined her. The final diagnosis: Norma was born with an incomplete soul.

It was incurable. She would always be simple-minded.

Because of this, Norma was often mocked by other children, but she never retaliated, seemingly oblivious to their taunts, just smiling blankly.

Then, when she was six, Norma suddenly started speaking, walking normally…

Gaia also emerged from Norma’s consciousness at that time.

Although she had recovered, the other children continued to bully her out of habit. And Norma’s occasional self-talk with the other consciousness within her made her seem even stranger in their eyes. They mocked her, ostracized her…

Norma was used to it. She had Gaia, so she wasn’t lonely.

Her magical talent also began to manifest… until she injured her mother.

Her timid personality was shaped by these experiences.

After hurting her mother, Norma developed a deep fear and aversion to magic. She only learned magic to control her power, to prevent herself from hurting others again.

Norma never seriously cultivated her magic, but her power grew steadily, even her mentor, Anthony, was amazed.

Norma didn’t want to kill anyone, no matter who they were, whether they were bad people or wanted to hurt her… Although she knew that Gaia had just taken control of her body to protect her, the sight of the twisted corpses, still bleeding, terrified her.

Compared to Loseweisse, Norma was perhaps more like a true Saintess.

As Norma wallowed in self-blame, and Gaia tried to comfort her, neither noticed a shadow silently drifting in through the window.

Like a ghost, without a sound, without a breath, the figure appeared behind Norma.

A sharp dagger, coated with deadly poison, gleamed in his hand.

A twisted smile on his face, he thrust the blade towards the back of Norma’s neck.

Norma didn’t notice the assassin behind her… and the assassin didn’t notice that he, too, was being watched.

From a rooftop a hundred meters away, Qin Chu stood, his clothes rustling in the night wind.

He held a longbow formed from Battle Qi, a sword of Holy Light nocked and ready.

He drew the bowstring taut, then released it with a shout:

“Pseudo-Spiral Sword!”

Well, the name didn’t really fit the attack, but Qin Chu just liked the sound of it.

It felt cool.

Hum…

The sharp sword of light shot out, tearing through the night sky, leaving a silver-white streak like a miniature galaxy.

Just as the assassin’s dagger was about to pierce Norma’s skin, she seemed to sense something and her face paled. She tried to dodge, but it was too late. She felt a sharp sting on the back of her neck.

The other consciousness, not in control of the body, hadn’t sensed the attack.

Just when Norma thought she was about to die, she heard a hiss. The Spiral Sword pierced through the assassin’s body, leaving a gaping hole in his chest.

His body, like a broken sandbag, was sent flying by the impact, crashing against the wall, then impaled by the earth spikes on the floor.

Norma stared at the assassin’s body, her face pale, her body trembling.

“Hey, Miss Norma, are you alright?”

A familiar voice came from the window.

Norma turned her head in surprise and saw the Hero standing outside, his hands on the windowsill, a gentle smile on his face.

Seeing Qin Chu’s face, Norma’s racing heart finally calmed down.

That face brought her an unprecedented sense of security, a feeling she had never experienced even with Karsus.

She bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her composure, but tears welled up in her eyes.

The Hero had saved her.

Qin Chu glanced around the room, his brow furrowed. “Miss Norma,” he said, “is this what you call ‘not that bad’?”

“I shouldn’t have let you leave like that…” he said with a hint of self-reproach, then climbed into the room.

Norma felt embarrassed. Her living conditions were truly pathetic.

All her elegance and dignity were gone at this moment. She was worried that the Hero might mock her.

But he didn’t. Qin Chu didn’t seem to mind the dirt, the mess, or the bloodstains. He walked over to the assassin’s body, noting that this guy was different from the other commoners. “Norma,” he asked, “do you have any idea who this assassin is?”

Norma sniffed slightly. “Maybe it was my uncle…”

She didn’t even seem surprised, as if this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Although her uncle had seized all of their family’s wealth, the title was still hers… As long as she, the direct heir, was alive, her uncle could never become a Count.

Qin Chu removed the mask from the assassin’s face. When he saw it, his stomach churned with disgust.

It looked as if a red-hot metal mask had been pressed against the assassin’s face, burning and destroying the skin, then ripped away, taking the charred flesh with it.

The face was a grotesque landscape of scarred and melted skin.

Two ferocious scars crossed over the bridge of his nose, forming an “X”.

Assassins were known to be ruthless, but this was terrifying. Even an assassin couldn’t endure this kind of torture, except for perhaps a fanatic.

Most importantly, the wound on the assassin’s chest, where the Holy Light Spiral Sword had pierced through, was still emitting a faint holy power, seemingly corroding his body, accompanied by sizzling sounds and wisps of white smoke.

Holy Light only had this effect on dark and sinister powers.

This assassin was probably not as simple as Norma had said.

Looking closely, he could even see bumps on the assassin’s arms. Removing the wrist guard, he saw red bone spurs protruding from the scarred flesh… His body was showing signs of something inhuman.

After a closer examination, Qin Chu stood up, feigning nonchalance.

“Are you often attacked by assassins like this?”

Norma nodded slightly. “It happened before, but not often. It seems to have become more frequent recently.”

Assassins?

Was this really just Norma’s uncle trying to kill her for the title?

Qin Chu didn’t think Norma’s uncle could find such a strange assassin.

But besides her uncle, no one else seemed to have a reason to assassinate Norma. Could it be… because of her identity as a Witch?

Was this assassin specifically targeting Witches?

Normal Witches were too difficult to deal with, so Norma, who was currently weakened, was the perfect target?

“I see. Your family situation is quite complicated…” Glancing at the bloodstains on the floor, Qin Chu spread his hands, “It’s impossible to rest here anymore. Let’s leave first…”

Norma nodded. She tried to get out of bed, but her legs were numb from staying in the same position for too long. She fell.

Eek!

Seeing the dirty floor approaching her face, she instinctively closed her eyes.

But the expected pain and humiliation didn’t come. A pair of strong arms caught her.

It was the Hero!

This was the second time he had saved her in such a short time.

The Hero’s chest was so warm. In his embrace, Norma felt a sense of peace, as if all her strength had drained away. She just wanted to curl up in his arms and sleep.

She had already sensed a special aura about him before, drawing her in.

Now, held in his arms, the feeling intensified.

She stared at Qin Chu with wide, watery eyes.

Deep within her consciousness, Gaia’s reaction became stronger and stronger.

Norma felt her chest burning, her heart pounding, her breathing quickening, a strong desire welling up within her… But what she desired, even she didn’t know.

Perhaps it was a desire for closeness, for intimacy?

The thought that suddenly appeared in her mind made Norma blush deeply. The next second, she began to struggle.

But the usually gentlemanly Hero was unusually forceful at this moment.

He held her tightly, not giving her any room to struggle. Then, his other hand reached under her knees, easily lifting her light body into a princess carry.

“Hero, what are you… Please, put me down. I can walk by myself,” Norma said, deeply embarrassed, her voice pleading.

In Norma’s eyes, a princess carry was a gesture reserved for weddings.

And the Hero’s embrace was too comfortable. If he continued to hold her like this, she was afraid she might fall for him, which was something she didn’t want to see happen.

In Norma’s view, it would be a betrayal.

She didn’t want to betray Karsus, even if he had fallen.

Qin Chu shook his head firmly, “Behave, your legs are weak.”

“It wouldn’t be gentlemanly of me not to offer a lady comfort and support at a time like this.”

Norma shrank her neck slightly, intimidated, and fell silent.

Qin Chu found a high-sounding excuse to reject Norma’s request to walk on her own. As he carried her out of the room, a wicked thought crossed his mind. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Karsus, who loved Norma so deeply, was killed by her own hand?

Prying eyes peeked through the cracks in the doors along the corridor, watching as Qin Chu carried Norma away. No one dared to speak.

In this world, speaking less and avoiding getting involved in matters that didn’t concern them was the key to survival.

“Hero, thank you for saving me… twice…” As they descended the stairs, Norma finally remembered that she hadn’t thanked the Hero, which made her feel a little rude.

“Saving a lady is a gentleman’s duty,” Qin Chu said, looking down at her with a smile.

The creaking, swaying stairs frightened Norma, and she instinctively grabbed his arm.

The innkeeper downstairs just glanced up, then continued as if nothing had happened. Qin Chu walked straight to the counter and placed a 1000 Mana bill on it.

“I made a bit of a mess upstairs. Go clean it up.”

Seeing the money on the counter, the innkeeper beamed.

He had heard the screams and smelled the blood, but it wasn’t his business. People died every day in this world.

No one cared about the death of a few commoners.

The night breeze blew, and Norma’s mind cleared a little. She felt a bit cold and instinctively huddled closer in Qin Chu’s arms. “Where are we going?” she asked.

Qin Chu wasn’t heading towards his residence.

“To a hotel! Then we’ll get a room…”

“Huh?”

…

Meanwhile, Karsus hung in the water prison like a dead pig, motionless.

He had been tortured to the point of exhaustion.

He wanted to curse, but he couldn’t make a sound.

His tongue was gone…

His eyes were dull and lifeless, filled with despair.

Only when he occasionally thought of Norma would his body twitch subconsciously… Norma, where are you now? Did you really betray me?

She was probably at Qin Chu’s residence, enjoying a warm bath and a luxurious life, right?

Or perhaps enjoying a delicious meal?

Or maybe she was wearing seductive clothes, wriggling in Qin Chu’s arms? Or kissing his face with her soft lips?

Letting that bastard Qin Chu ravage her delicate body?

He could no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Even Norma had betrayed him!

The images that appeared in his mind seemed to be playing out right before his eyes.

This ignited the most desperate rage within the almost broken Karsus. He opened his mouth and let out a hoarse wail.

He hated… He was furious… He was in despair…

He wanted to kill Qin Chu… He even wanted to kill Norma, who had betrayed him and thrown herself at Qin Chu!

Kill…

Suddenly, a strange voice appeared in Karsus’s ear, as if someone was calling out to him.

It was that mysterious whisper again.

The voice that had led him down the path of darkness and bloodshed, the voice that had made him slaughter his entire family…