Healing Erlo

Azra felt a little weird since he was slightly grateful toward the bull that almost succeeded in killing him. The bull and the villager's reaction to Erlo's return both led Azra to realize that the villagers cared deeply for their animals and that there were more of the animals from the village that survived the Rage Powder.

Azra would have to find a suitable moment to bring it up, as well as a way to make the idea actually feasible. Just telling the villagers that he could fix their animals wouldn't miraculously restore them to their state before the Rage Powder. The most significant problem was that the beasts were inside the forest alongside other beasts affected by the Rage Powder.

Azra continued thinking about how to control the situation so that the villagers would look at him favorably.

However, Azra couldn't just stand around doing nothing while all the villagers were doing what they could to help Lo and Erlo. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do. Burns was getting water, Lo was keeping Erlo calm, and the other villagers were preparing brushes, soap, and food for Erlo. There was no need or way for Azra to help with any of those tasks, and if he tried, he would only end up being a hindrance.

Azra realized that he didn't actually need to do anything. He only needed to look like he was contributing.

Azra went over to Lo and crouched opposite him, with Erlo in between them. Azra wondered if he should say something or explain his actions. But he decided that leaving it up to the spectators' imagination would produce a better effect. And staying quiet while putting on a more serious expression would give off a serene atmosphere.

Golden light began spreading from Azra's hands as he held them over Erlo's sleeping body.

He wasn't actually doing anything with his magic except creating a fancy light show. But even Lo, who had seen Azra heal someone several times, couldn't see that.

It was something that Azra realized thanks to his attempt at purifying the Rage Powder. The only difference between him healing someone and pouring his mana into them was what he had in mind while doing it. And the difference manifested itself in the result, not in the process. Someone would have to be very sensitive to mana to tell that Azra's magic wasn't accomplishing anything.

In a village where the strongest person was at the fourth level, there was no one capable of seeing through Azra's trick.

But even if someone had been capable of seeing through Azra's bluff, they might not have attempted it.

The holy atmosphere radiating off of Azra was enough to convince the ones who saw it that he wasn't faking it. And when the slightly restless Erlo calmed down and began snoring, it was only confirmation that Azra's magic helped Erlo feel good.

The villagers who came back with what they had gone to fetch and the villagers attracted by the commotion gathered in a circle around Azra, Erlo, and Lo, who had Erlo's head in his lap. The villagers occasionally pushed each other and shuffled around so that they could see better, but they stayed silent so they wouldn't disrupt the beautiful scene of Azra healing Erlo.

Eventually, Azra had to stop his magic. If he kept pouring mana like that, he would run out of it even if it didn't drain as much as healing someone did. It would also seem suspicious if he kept healing someone that was already healthy for so long. If someone asked, he could chalk it up as internal injuries, but even those wouldn't take that long to heal.

Azra let the golden light die out and stood up. He intentionally revealed some signs of fatigue on his face to make it more believable that he had healed Erlo at the cost of his own health and comfort.

"I'm feeling slightly tired, but would it be alright if I borrowed a bucket of water to clean myself before resting?"

Lo didn't hesitate for a second before answering Azra's question.

"Of course! Haddie, you brought soap, right? Can you give some to Azra? And heat the bucket of water while you're at it?"

Haddie, the middle-aged woman with a pail of soap bars in her arms, was still slightly stunned by Azra's beauty and performance, but she reacted in response to Lo's words.

"Ah… Right! Yes, I can do that. Here you go."

Haddie handed over an unused bar of soap to Azra before bending down and grabbing one of the buckets that Burns had filled with water. Azra didn't know what she did, but the water soon began steaming. Azra received the bucket with a radiant smile of gratitude, eliciting a slight blush from Haddie.

She almost expected a smack on her arm from her husband next to her since it was so visible. However, when no smack came, she turned to look at her husband, only to see he was also blushing. Haddie pretended like she was innocent as she smacked her husband on the back of his head.

"What do you think you're blushing about, fool."

Azra ignored the couple that began bickering and headed for Lo's family's house. However, he was stopped on the way by a bearded man, who handed him a brush. Azra looked slightly surprised at that before accepting the brush with another smile.

Azra didn't know why the villagers had brought so many brushes and bars of soap, but he didn't mind since it made it easier for him to clean himself of the stench clinging to him, as well as the dirt and blood he had accumulated during the tussle with the bull.

However, he didn't know what to do about his clothes. If he washed them, he would have to strut around naked until they dried. And if he didn't wash them, there wouldn't have been any meaning in washing his body.

Azra was about to turn around and ask someone for help, but an old woman at the edge of the group of villagers came over to him before he could do that.

She responded to Azra's inquisitive gaze with a scoff.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out you'll be naked as the day you were born without the clothes on you, kid. Follow me. My son left behind some clothes when he got drafted. They should fit you, and if they don't, his wife's might. Hah!"

Azra realized that the old crony had made a joke about his androgynous appearance, but he didn't let it get to him for obvious reasons. Instead, he smiled.

"Indeed, they might even suit me better."

"Heh."

The old woman didn't live far from the village square, and after telling Azra a little about her son and daughter-in-law, they arrived at a simple house. It was far from being as luxurious as the large houses that Azra had seen around Lo's house, but it wasn't something a poor person would have. It was just enough for a single old lady living alone after her kids left home.