Hope and Decision

When Claire was young, it wasn't so noticeable, as she was naive and her spiritual power was weak, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But as she grew older, her spiritual power naturally increased, while that gap continued to drain her spiritual energy. It was like a bucket with a piece of wood missing; the water level could only be maintained at the level of the shortest plank.

If Claire didn't grow any further, it might not have endangered her life. But her body and everything else were growing, while her spiritual power couldn't keep up. It was like eating; when she was five years old, half a bowl of rice was enough, but at fifteen or twenty-five, still eating only half a bowl, she would eventually starve if it continued like that.

Baroque knew that any random mage could detect the defect in Claire's Spiritual Sea, but they wouldn't be able to fix it. After all, mages were just mages, not soul healers. But orc shamans were different. At this moment, Baroque suddenly felt a deep sense of superiority.

He didn't understand the principles behind the shaman's Soul Sea and Soul Force, but that didn't stop him from using it. Couldn't make a spear, but always knew how to shoot it, right?

Humans always called orcs barbaric, base, and stupid, but from shamanic arts, Baroque vaguely realized that orcs were definitely not as bad as imagined. There must be some reason for their current weakness. It was ridiculous... he still had a bunch of his own problems to solve, but there was always a feeling... he would eventually touch upon that reason!

Thinking too much, first things first. Baroque couldn't immediately repair Claire's Spiritual Sea defect; it would take time. Besides Claire's Spiritual Sea being too fragile to withstand major fluctuations, Baroque's own Soul Force would also suffer considerable damage. After all, this was like giving Claire a blood transfusion with his own blood. Even though he would eventually generate fresh blood, he would be weakened for a while.

Carefully using Soul Force to melt away the dim portion of the defect in Claire's Spiritual Sea, the process was like performing delicate surgery, consuming the tiny black shadows bit by bit, then nurturing the repaired defect with his Soul Force, allowing Claire's spiritual power to automatically repair the damage.

Time passed slowly, and the king and queen, who were waiting outside, became increasingly impatient, while there was no movement inside the room.

"What's going on? It's been over two hours, why is there still no sign of anything happening inside? We should go in and check." The queen said anxiously, unable to sit still.

Celine, on the other hand, tried to reassure the queen, equally anxious but pretending to be calm. King Korek, on the other hand, remained calm, standing with his arms crossed outside the door, gently saying, "Not so fast, Susan. You should have read the diary of our royal ancestor. When that orc shaman first treated him, it even took a whole day and night. If it wasn't for the orc's robust physique, he might have exhausted himself to death. Baroque is still young, having become a shaman not long ago. He may even need more time."

It seemed that seeing the queen's restlessness instead of comfort, the king smiled, trying to reassure her, "Don't worry. At least there's no sound coming from inside, which is a good thing, indicating that Baroque is saving our baby. She'll be fine, trust me. Dear, you should go rest for a while. Maybe when you come back again, our baby will have already woken up."

How could the queen leave with peace of mind? She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly the door of the room pushed open from the inside, and Baroque walked out, pale, almost devoid of color, swaying as if a gust of wind could blow him over. The king and queen and Celine immediately surrounded him with eagerness and anticipation!

"I'm pleased to inform you all that Princess Claire's condition has stabilized, and I am able to heal her, but it will take some time...!" Baroque's words couldn't go on. The queen, overwhelmed with joy, hugged him, and if it weren't for Celine quickly pulling her sister away, the respected queen might have even kissed Baroque on the face. Even so, King Korek's face darkened. Fortunately, there were no outsiders in the palace. If this matter were to be spread, the various mockery and rumors would definitely be a headache.

"Thank you, Shaman Baroque... Thank you..." The queen was incoherent, only able to say thank you. Baroque bowed slightly, turning to the king, "Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave. I will come again in a few days to treat the princess."

Baroque's pale complexion was not feigned. The king understood some of the healing process, knowing it required a great expenditure of an orc shaman's Soul Force, and even excessive consumption could result in irreparable damage. In the matter of saving his own daughter, Baroque had not held back, and the king felt he should also show some sincerity.

"Yuruban..." The king called his personal attendant, instructing, "Issue a writ of freedom to Baroque, certifying his status as a free person. In the city of Paddington, I grant him the right to possess certain privileges."

"Which privileges?" Yuruban asked. He already knew the purpose of the orc coming to the palace. Even if Baroque could heal the king's most beloved daughter, receiving numerous rewards wouldn't be surprising. If Baroque weren't an orc, the king might even grant him a noble title.

"Allow him free access to any arena in the city, and the right to protect any gladiator he wishes. No one is to hinder him," the king ordered.

"Your Majesty, thank you. Your kindness shines as brightly as your crown," this was the most heartfelt thank you Baroque had spoken since arriving in the city of Paddington. As the king's personal attendant, Yuruban always carried paper and pen with him. He pulled out a light yellow parchment from his pocket, took out a quill pen, and quickly wrote the writ. It wasn't a permanent decree, so it didn't need to be sealed with wax. Yuruban only took the king's ring, stamped the parchment, and handed the temporary royal writ to Baroque.

Bowing to take his leave, Baroque hurriedly left the palace. By this time, laughter had already come from the room; Claire had awakened, and King Korek walked in, seeing his daughter for the first time. From her clear and bright eyes, he knew that his daughter had truly begun to recover!

Queen Susan, although seemingly fragile, was actually a very talented senior mage. She had just examined her daughter's Spiritual Sea, and the dim black light on the gap had been completely removed. At this point, there was a halo of white light covering the gap, maintaining Claire's spiritual power from further depletion. Inside the little princess's Spiritual Sea, there were also tiny strands of power slowly repairing the gap. What surprised her was that even if Baroque never came to treat Claire again, the little princess could still heal herself with her Spiritual Sea, eventually regaining her health. It was just that this process would be very long!

The queen thought a lot. The power of the orc shaman could indeed cure the hereditary illness of the Paddington royal family, but it wouldn't be so easy, otherwise it wouldn't be called a "hereditary illness." The royal ancestor who was cured even kept the orc shaman by his side for his entire life to ensure that the illness didn't recur... But seeing her daughter's restored health, the queen realized that the abilities of this orc youth Baroque were truly astonishing... even terrifying!

The hostility between humans and orcs, the enmity between the two races couldn't be explained in just a day or two. When the orcs were dominant, they would suppress human development by all means. Similarly... when humans rose, they would also eradicate all factors that could enable orcs to rise again. This was the great struggle between the two races, and there was a moment when Queen Susan wanted to voice her suspicions, but as a kind person, she couldn't do such an ungrateful thing. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately closed her mouth. ... Baroque didn't know that he had just made a dangerous move between life and death.

"Claire doesn't show any signs of illness, and as long as that orc youth comes to treat her a few more times, she'll be completely healthy." Since she chose to keep the orc secret, Susan didn't mind covering up a few more details. Fortunately, the joy on her face wasn't feigned, and the king didn't notice anything unusual.

"Mom, Dad, Aunt, you're all here!" The little princess, just awake, saw her favorite people, very happy... of course, there was also her most favorite pet, "Hoppy," the green arrow squirrel! The little girl suddenly frowned, tilting her head and saying, "I just had a dream, a fuzzy person was talking to me in my dream. Although he had a thin layer of fur on him, it was silver and very handsome. And he was so handsome, even more handsome than Dad. We had so much fun playing together, Mom, have you seen that person? I want to talk to him again in my dreams."

"Dear, you weren't dreaming. Your illness was cured by him. You can eat as many sweets as you want from now on." The queen held her obedient daughter, smiling and saying, "In a few days, that handsome 'man' will come again, and then you can see him in person."

The queen and her daughter were enjoying themselves, the king heaving a sigh of relief, as if he had relieved himself of a heavy burden. Then he turned to Celine, who had remained silent and had not left. The matter between Delta and Celine had to be settled! Whether it was for the queen's sake or Delta's recent wavering stance, the king had to make a decision. ——Since Delta dared to collude secretly with the people of the Adrian Empire, and even contact that exile, then don't blame the king for taking action.

The Delta family was one of the most loyal families to the royal family. The royal family always lavished them with generous rewards, but after the old Duke Delta passed away, the current duke seemed to have some different ideas. No longer content with the status quo, he wanted to elevate his title further. His family wasn't like those old aristocratic families with histories spanning hundreds or even thousands of years. Rising just a hundred years ago, if they wanted to ascend in rank in an orderly fashion, who knew how long it would take. But the Duke of Delta didn't want to wait, so there was only one choice: take a "shortcut"!

Of course, although shortcuts might bring hefty rewards, they often made people overlook the bloody reality behind them... Once they failed, it meant the complete destruction of the entire family!

"Celine, I heard you brought two mages with you?"