Chapter 506.1: Is There Really Nothing More to Her Gaze (1)
Chapter 506.1: Is There Really Nothing More to Her Gaze (1)
Chapter 506.1: Is There Really Nothing More to Her Gaze (1)
Roel had been through many life-and-death battles across different centuries, but not once had he ever experienced the sensation of death.
He had plenty of close shaves over the years, but he had always been able to turn things around through a combination of wit, strategy, strength, and luck… though the resulting side effects from his abilities were always a headache to deal with.
This was the first time he had reached his very limits. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that he had already died once. Had it not been for the Rings of Symbiosis sustaining the final sliver of his life force, he would have died together with Flooding Death.
Naturally, the severity of his condition made it much harder for him to regain consciousness too.
When he did finally awaken from his coma, he couldn’t even feel his body at all. He was able to perceive sounds around him, but they were dampened as if he was hearing them underwater. He was so feeble that he had to muster his strength just to open his eyes.
Some time later, the sounds slowly sharpened in clarity.
“O’ Sia! The bones here are all mashed up…”
“Focus on stabilizing his condition first!”
“Roel…”
He first noticed the shouting from the Sorofyas’ medical team as they barked orders to one another. Next, he became cognizant to the constant chanting of spells going on in the background. Last but not least, he heard a hoarse but feeble cry right next to him.
It was from Charlotte.
She kept mumbling his name as if to summon his consciousness, and he could somewhat understand why she was doing so.
Excessive blood loss was dangerous even to high transcendents. Even if the patient survived the ordeal, there was a chance that the trauma could put them into a persistent vegetative state. That was also why Charlotte was trying her best to awaken him.
To placate her anxiety, Roel tried his best to answer her. His response was barely audible, but it sent her in a fluster. He tried to open his eyes next, only to be startled the next instant.
He didn’t see anything despite having opened his eyes. Everything remained pitch-black to him. Charlotte quickly noticed something amiss with his gaze too.
“Darling, what are you looking… Wait. Could it be that your eyes…!”
“…”
Roel was unable to answer the question.
The silent confirmation that something was wrong with his eyes left Charlotte feeling so awful that tears started streaming down her cheeks.
Blindness was one of the possible side effects of excessive blood loss. It would be nigh impossible to treat such a condition if it had happened for an ordinary human, but there was still hope for transcendents due to their stronger constitution. In fact, many frontline soldiers had suffered from similar conditions after surviving a close fight.
It was with such knowledge in mind that Roel was able to remain calm about his blindness.
However, Charlotte was unable to control her emotions at all. She felt as if someone was dicing her heart into pieces. The deep feelings they harbored for each other made it more painful for them to see the other suffer than for it to happen upon themselves.
“Darling, I’m sorry. I…”
Charlotte apologized amidst sobs, but Roel shook his head in disapproval. She was initially taken aback by his response, but she soon understood what he was trying to convey.
For the two of them who were willing to lay down even their lives for each other, apologizing only seemed to undermine the vow they had made to each other. In the first place, what they had done for each other weren’t things that could be compensated with just a simple word of gratitude or apology.
Thus, Charlotte wiped off her tears and solemnly told herself to stay strong for Roel. She noticed his eyes wandering around the place, seemingly searching for her, so she grabbed his hand and placed it on her cheek.
“Darling, you don’t have to be afraid. You’re only having difficulties seeing right now due to your severe blood loss. It’s only a matter of time before you recover your vision! You can trust that I’ll always be right beside you. I won’t leave you no matter what happens. That’s why… That’s why…”
Halfway through her words, Charlotte succumbed to her feelings once more and began sobbing. Grace stepped forward and gently reminded her.
“Young miss, I understand how you’re feeling, but the treatment is ready…”
“… I understand.”
Charlotte quickly glanced at the spellcasters in the room and saw that they had already completed their preparations. She turned back to Roel and softly kissed his forehead.
“Darling, your treatment is about to begin. I’ll be watching by the side. You’ll be fine,” she said with a raspy voice before reluctantly leaving his side.
Brilliant light filled the room right after.
Under the invocation of the spellcasters, countless gems began channeling light rays toward the black-haired man lying on the bed, filling him with warm energy. It slowly washed off the frost lingering inside him while repairing his tattered body.
Under this comfortable sensation, Roel’s consciousness began to drift off once more.
…
How competent were the Sorofyas’ medical team?
It was often described to be at the top of the industry, filled with the most talented people on the Sia Continent. Roel personally didn’t really have a high opinion of their competency considering how they hadn’t been able to do much for Charlotte’s affliction over the past two months.
However, it wouldn’t be fair to judge the Sorofyas’ medical team solely on how they dealt with Flooding Death’s curse. In the first place, there was probably no transcendent on the Sia Continent who would have been able to resolve its curse. No doctor could have appeared competent when dealing with a practically untreatable affliction.
While the Sorofyas’ medical team were unable to save Charlotte, they proved that their own worth in how they dealt with the severely injured Roel. Had any other medical professionals been present in the room, they would have been awed by their sharp judgment and precision.
Roel woke up to the warm sunlight shining in from the window. The darkness veiling his eyes had cleared, allowing him to see once more. His senses, which had previously dulled due to his severe blood loss, also regained a fair bit of their sensitivity.
With a quick inspection of his body, he found that all of the external injuries he had incurred in his battle with Flooding Death had healed up. His depleted mana had recovered by a fair bit too.
He also found forty or so magic tools placed in various positions around his bed, forming a therapeutic biosphere. Everything on this bed was set to the optimum level, be it the temperature, humidity, mana concentration, noise level, or light concentration.
There were also a whole load of detectors constantly assessing his current physical condition, and the biosphere would automatically adjust itself to suit his needs.
This was the Sia Continent’s version of a high-class intensive care unit… and it was actually more advanced than what Roel had seen in the modern age.
Possibly due to the detectors picking up on the signs of his awakening, just moments after he regained consciousness, a group of maids and doctors entered the room to check on him. The maids looked at him with concerned eyes whereas the doctors revealed relieved smiles before asking how he was feeling.
The Sorofyas’ medical team had a good impression of Roel.
On one hand, they had seen how he was willing to put his life on the line to save Charlotte, and his self-sacrificial spirit touched their hearts. On the other hand, they were deeply grateful to him for having saved their patient.
The one thing that doctors were most frightened of was having patients dying under their care, especially blue bloods.
While their inability to deal with Flooding Death’s curse was understandable, humans weren’t particularly known for their ability to remain rational when dealing with the death of their loved ones. It was too optimistic to expect Bruce to understand their difficulties if Charlotte had really died under their care. Not to mention, that would have also sullied the good reputation they had painstakingly built up over the years.
As a matter of fact, there had been many voices of skepticism questioning their skills over the past two month due to Charlotte’s constantly deteriorating conditions. Many claimed that they weren’t deserving of the high treatment they were receiving. This had caused great frustration within the medical team, but it was hard for them to refute those voices.
That was why the medical team worked exceptionally hard when it came to saving Roel, hoping to prove their worth through this.
We might have failed to save the young miss, but we did save the young miss’ lover. That should at least be good enough to make up for our earlier failure, right?
The outcome showed that the medical team’s hard work had paid off. Through utilizing all sorts of medical procedures without any regard for the costs, Roel was well on track to making a full recovery.