"... And your nerve threads are reintegrating beautifully," Elysia announced with a warm, professional smile. "Mana flow has been stabilized, and the tendons reknit without issue. You’re both healing faster than I expected."
Nyx huffed from her place on the reclining crystal cot, arms crossed behind her head, ssy pink hair sticking in every direction. "Praise from Miss Superstar Healer herself? I’m flattered."
Elysia raised an eyebrow. "Don’t let it get to your head, miss. You flatlined for forty-seven seconds."
"And now I can jog without puking. That’s what my gar girl bestie would call gigachad grindset... Or whatever the actual term is."
Aria chuckled, hearing Nyx’s random mutterings. She was seated beside her with her regenerated arm wrapped in light compression mana wraps. "What she ans to say is: thank you, Lady Elysia. Truly. You saved our boyfriend before, and now you did the sa for us."
Elysia’s response was a beaming smile. "The governnt is keeping safe at all tis and is throwing generational wealth at every single day, and all I have to do in return is heal the injured, which is sothing I’d do for free as I consider it my calling in life, so you don’t have to feel indebted one bit."
"..."
Neither of the ladies knew how to respond properly, not expecting such a statent from the angel-like entity. She suddenly seed... A lot more human than before. Perhaps that was exactly what she wanted to achieve.
The S-tier healer continued by giving a nod of respect. "Returning to the topic at hand... You guys did well. Exemplary, even. You survived an encounter that should’ve killed you ten tis over without suffering permanent damage."
Elysia then smiled gingerly as she added, "Well, you should’ve died a billion tis over if we consider you to be F-rank awakened as your reading data suggests..."
"..." The only response she received to that was two overly innocent expressions from both Nyx and Aria, looking a lot as if they were saints who could do no wrong.
"Haaah... I don’t envy the Chairman," Elysia sighed while shaking her head. "He has to deal with anomalies like you now too, as if his plate wasn’t already full with the Russian assassination attempt on the president, Crimson Dominion being as problematic as always, and Vespera, well... Existing. Among many other things, of course."
But then her voice softened as she added, "But thankfully I’m just a little healer girl who knows nothing but how to cast spells, so..." she shrugged her shoulders. Her manner of speech made it clear she’d already been offered higher positions but refused, citing this exact reason.
—
A little distance away, Kaiden sat on a padded bench that had beco his unofficial throne over the past few days. Luna rested against his right side, and she leaned into his shoulder. Resting her tanned head on his thigh was Bastet, who purred constantly thanks to being in a greatly satisfied state of mind.
All three watched the scene in the infirmary with quiet, exhausted relief.
"They’re really coming back..." Luna whispered, "8 days since that nightmare... and they’re finally moving well again."
Kaiden nodded. "It’s surreal, isn’t it?"
Luna tilted her head as she watched the pink-haired woman do the exercises mandated by Elysia. "Still. Isn’t it kind of wild that Nyx bounced back quicker than Aria, even though she got wrecked way harder?"
"It does make sense when you think about it. Aria had her arm torn clean off. Reattachnt’s ti-sensitive, and even with Elysia’s skill, there’s only so much you can rush that process if you don’t want the chances of long-term side effects. Nerve alignnt, muscle mory... It’s delicate work."
Luna had a little pout appear in her voice. "I know that. You talk as if I weren’t listening to Elysia’s many progress analyses she delivered over the past few days. It’s just..."
Her gaze softened as it drifted toward Nyx.
"... She’s such a ridiculous creature. Sotis I make the mistake of assuming I’ve already learned all that is to know about her, but then she does sothing like this..."
Luna then sighed with exhaustion. "It sounds weird, but, honestly, that woman’s got way too much will to live. The first thing she says after waking up from a coma that nearly took her to the grave is, ’That was badass.’ What kind of a lunatic does that?"
Kaiden’s arm curled around Luna’s shoulders. He didn’t say anything, happy to listen to the grumbling of his lover while watching his other two Valkyries make steady progress.
"She’s probably a thrill junkie," Luna continued, her voice growing even quieter. "But..."
"Say it," Bastet spoke up suddenly, voicing her thoughts for the first ti in hours.
"... No. Nothing."
"Master, isn’t this what humans call ’tsundere behavior?’"
Luna narrowed her eyes dangerously tight at the feline lounging in her man’s lap. With a scoff, she reached out and flicked one of Bastet’s black ears. "How do you know that word, horny kitty?"
"Didn’t you see? Master gave his phone a week ago. I’ve been doing research on it ever since," Bastet replied proudly, raising her chin.
"Did he now?" Luna drawled, slowly turning toward Kaiden. Giving free rein of the internet to soone who’d barely begun integrating into human society sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
Kaiden shrugged dismissively. "I didn’t feel like using it, and Bastet was clueless about human stuff, so I figured... might as well let her learn sothing during downti."
Luna gave him a long look.
"... Though," Kaiden added dryly, "what she calls research is just watching TikToks and scrolling brainrot s."
"I am conducting proper research," Bastet decreed indignantly while also moving her tail up to poke his cheek as she was too lazy and comfy to do it with her hands.
Kaiden gave her a look full of judgnt. "And watching five hours of salmon migration helps your case how, exactly?"
Bastet puffed her cheeks. "You never know what the next dungeon might have. What if it’s a river bio? What if there’s no food, and everyone’s starving? But then, bam! Queen Bastet to the rescue! I’ll track the salmon using my knowledge of their migration routes!"
He opened his mouth, fully intending to dismantle the abysmal logic in that sentence, as who knew how salmon would migrate in a dungeon, but then stopped.
Because Bastet had flipped onto her back, amber eyes wide and glimring as she looked up at him.
"... They make a one-way trip, you know?" she whispered. "The salmon. They swim hundreds of miles just to lay eggs, knowing they won’t make it back. But they go anyway... Isn’t that just... so beautiful?"
Kaiden stared down at her teary, doe-eyed expression for a long beat... and sighed.
"You’ve got a lot more compassion for animals than people."
"That’s only natural," Bastet replied without hesitation, flipping back onto her stomach. "Humans are nasty beings."
"Can’t say I disagree," Kaiden nodded, patting her plump butt.
Bastet didn’t go into horny mode now, however, as she was too busy slapping Luna’s hand away as the Storm Valkyrie tried to flick her ear over and over again.
"Stop this harassnt right this instant, and while you’re at it, finish your sentence as well. Tsun-tsun."
A vein throbbed on Luna’s temple. Her fingers grabbed both of Bastet’s ears and pulled.
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