Decision

Remedy had a blank expression on her face ...

"Never mind it"

She continued with an indifferent tone

"As for solutions, there are a few:

1- You can send a letter to ask The Inferno Mansion's Elite Light Mage for help.

2- You can send letters to Light Mages from other Duchies or the Capital to come here to help.

Note that you don't need just Light Mages, but you need ones who know how to channel Life Force, at least two of them"

To Blaze, none of these solutions sounded practical ...

"That doesn't sound applicable; I have no relations with the Mansion, and even if we ignore how crazily expensive the second solution is, it's basically impossible."

Blaze continued, trying his best to keep his composure

"Good Light Mages usually have strong connections with their Dukes, and they rarely, if ever, leave their Duchies. And even if, miraculously, two Light Mages accept to come, they'd take months if not years to agree on a time suitable for both of them to come here ..."

Remedy couldn't help but nod

"I thought as much"

She continued with a shrug

"Well, you can also take her to the Capital, Crimson Castle. There are many Light Mages and Elite Light Mages there. And you will only have to pay only for your own expenses, in addition to the service of course"

Sadly, that wasn't a practical solution either

'Living in the Capital is very expensive ...'

'Also, the journey until there isn't only long and difficult, but also dangerous ...'

'Having three children would only make it a lot harder'

Blaze pondered over it for a couple of seconds

'Well ... it's difficult ... but not impossible'

'Plus, it's not like I have many options right now'

So he asked Remedy

"How much would it cost?"

Remedy murmured

"I can only give you an estimation ..."

"Please do"

She started running a couple of calculations in her head, and Blaze awaited her answer.

Every passing second felt like an eternity to him ...

After about two minutes, Remedy spoke

"Based on the amount of her Life Force, and considering the fact that most Light Mages have contracts that prevent them from consuming anything above a certain threshold of their Life Force at any given time, she'll need ... about 4 Life Force sessions from two different Light Mages"

She continued neutrally

"That should cost around 40-50 Gold Coins. Travel and living expenses not included"

To Blaze, that was simply too much

"... I can't afford that, as an Elite Knight I get paid 6-8 gold coins per year"

Blaze's tone was different, it was strained and had a tinge of melancholy in it, so Viorica held his hand and said

"Shouldn't it be fine on its own if I rest?"

Remedy shook her head

"Not really ... "

The room went silent for a couple of seconds, each one of the four was thinking about something ...

As for Remedy ...

Honestly speaking, she didn't emotionally care if Viorica lived or died, however

'If she died, then it'd be bad for my future ...'

Right now, there was only one Elite Light Mage in the entire Duchy

'And he should die soon'

So the competition between Light Mages was FIERCE, to say the least.

Every one of them wanted the Duke to nurture him as the next Elite Light Mage of the Duchy.

To convince the Duke to do that, there were a couple of requirements; the Light Mage had to be an expert in healing with Life Force, and ...

'My record needs to have as few deaths as possible'

Originally, Remedy accepted Blaze as her patient because of his name

'Blaze Inferno'

He had the same last name as the Duke, Ignatius Inferno

However, it later turned out that Blaze was from a branch family and he had no connection to the Mansion at all

'So now I'm stuck with him on my record ... and if I go to the Duke with a record that had the death of the wife of one of his descendants ... would he really accept me?'

' ... Even if he is from a branch family, I can't take that risk'

That's why, Viroica's life was in Remedy's best interest

'I want to be the next Elite!'

After thinking about it for a couple of seconds, Remedy got an idea

'RIGHT! Who said that I need Viorica to be cured?'

'All I need to do is to keep her alive until I become an Elite!'

'I can give her the bare minimum of Life Force, just enough to keep her alive for as long as possible'

Remedy inwardly grinned

'Perfect'

Quickly, she spoke in a soft voice

"I have an idea, I'm not sure if it will be a permanent solution but we should try it"

Blaze quickly asked

"What is it?"

"I will come once or twice a week and give Viroica a Mini Life Force session. Each session will cost 3 silvers, and if you pay monthly, it will cost 1 Gold and 5 Silvers"

Viorica looked at Blaze and asked with a smile

"What do you think Blaze, is that okay?"

Blaze nodded

"Yeah, we'll do that. You rest here and let me take Remedy outside"

Then he led Remedy out of the room.

After they walked out of the door, Remedy looked at him and said

"Very well, I'll be starting as soon as possible"

"Remedy" Called Blaze in a cold voice

"Yes?"

"What's the worst-case scenario?"

Remedy replied honestly

"Death, obviously"

" ... How much time do we have left?"

"A year. My treatment should increase it to two, or maybe three if we are lucky"

Blaze sighed

" ... Just wait a moment here"

He went inside and came back after a minute

"1 Gold and 5 Silver coins, this month's payment"

Remedy nodded, took the coins, and quickly left.

For a while, Blaze stood in front of the main door thinking about everything Remedy said

'A year won't be enough ...'

' ... However, if I got 3 years, used all my connections, and sold this house ... I should be able to afford something ... '

He sighed and looked at Amethyst and Merlin chasing each other

'I hope I get enough time ..'

Inside the room, Leus was still with his mother ...

He heard everything, and he wasn't happy at all

'So her life force is low ... and that is ... because of me?'

His eyes gleamed for a second

'I have to do something!'

'Mom should be having some time, I just have to push my training to the extreme'

'It's such a beautiful family, I don't want my siblings to lose their mother'

'Also, I owe her, she's suffering because of me'

In the beginning, Leus wasn't resolved

'But now, I know I have to! ... It's no longer a choice'

'I have to be powerful to protect my family!'

Then he realized something

'Sal ... without Sal then I wouldn't even have the option to try'

'Thank you, Sal ... I owe you as well'

That night, Leus made a decision

'Don't worry Viorica, Blaze, Amethyst, and Merlin'

'I promise to keep this family together!'

'I promise to train relentlessly!'

'I promise to spend every ounce of Mana I have until I faint!'

'I will master silent casting of all the chants I know, then I'll learn Vivify and find a way to help Mom!'

'I will do it ...'