Chapter 121: Something Happened
Talulah nearly spat out the potion she had yet to swallow. But then, she quickly realized—Steven might not actually be ripping her off.
Because the moment the potion went down her throat, she felt a warm current flow straight to her injured shoulder. The pain from her wound rapidly faded.
Not only that, but the burn-like wound itself began healing at an alarming rate—so fast that she could see it closing up with her own eyes.
Within just a few breaths' time, the once horrific wound on her shoulder vanished completely—not even a scar remained.
"…What the hell did you just make me drink?"
Talulah stared at the now-empty bottle in her hand. If she had known how insane the effects were, she wouldn't have downed it all in one go.
She had never heard of a potion like this.
There was no doubt in her mind—if someone on the brink of death drank this potion, they would instantly recover. It was practically a miracle drug, capable of bringing people back from the dead.
And yet… Steven had just casually pulled one out to treat her non-life-threatening wound?
"It's medicine. What else could it be? Unless… would you believe me if I said it was an aphrodisiac?"
Steven rolled his eyes.
Honestly, if he didn't consider her a friend, there was no way in hell he'd offer this kind of potion for just 500,000 LMD.
If it were Kal'tsit, she wouldn't even blink at a 5-million price tag—she'd probably sell everything she owned to buy as many as possible.
"So, are you paying cash or card?"
Steven extended his hand, looking dead serious. No jokes, no discounts.
If she was bold enough to take his medicine, then she better be ready to pay up.
Her wound didn't even require an entire bottle, so now that she drank the whole thing, he couldn't exactly reuse the leftovers. Too bad for her.
"…Given our relationship, how about I put it on a tab for now?"
Seeing the way Steven was looking at her, Talulah smirked.
After adjusting her clothes to cover her exposed shoulder, she lightly elbowed him, as if to say: Come on, we're friends, aren't we?
She was too familiar with this fake-serious act of his. It meant the potion wasn't actually that important to him.
Besides… even if she wanted to pay, she didn't have 500,000 LMD on hand right now.
"Tsk. Nope, we are not on the same side," Steven scoffed. "You can put it on a tab, sure—but just know, I keep records of everything. You'd better watch out, or I might just make you pay with your body instead."
He gave her a side-eye, knowing full well that she was trying to avoid paying up.
Talulah could be stubborn as hell sometimes, but at other times, she had this almost girlish side to her.
As long as her ideals weren't involved, she wasn't all that different from Alina—maybe even livelier.
"…Wait a minute. Did you plan this all along?"
Talulah narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
She knew Steven too well—he wasn't a bad guy, just someone whose brain occasionally short-circuited.
"Heh. Keep talking like that, and I might actually demand the money," Steven grinned. "Or maybe I'll just drag you back to my place—I could really use some [Dragon's Breath] right now."
His eyes flickered toward her lips, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.
"…"
Talulah froze.
Then, she made a decisive call—
"Alright, enough jokes. Consider this a favor I owe you. Anyway, what the hell were you doing at the mines? Alina said you went off to dig ore—do I even have to say it? That is not a job for normal people."
She quickly changed the subject.
Because if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Steven was 100% shameless enough to actually follow through on his threats.
Alina's recovery was far beyond Talulah's expectations. The medicine she had brought back was now completely unnecessary—even more surprising, Alina looked even healthier than before.
Considering the miraculous potion Steven had just given her, it was almost certain that he was the reason for Alina's sudden improvement.
Talulah had no idea how he managed to create such an unbelievable remedy, but judging by the effects of that potion alone, even the most prestigious pharmaceutical companies in Ursus couldn't compare.
Yet, he still claimed to be just a regular barefoot doctor?
If that were true, then every other doctor on this land might as well kill themselves out of shame.
"I already told you, I just went to mine some ore. And now I'm back."
Steven waved his hand dismissively.
Why should he need anyone's approval for what he wanted to do?
The only reason he even bothered explaining himself was that he knew Talulah was genuinely concerned about him. Otherwise, he would've snapped back at her without hesitation.
"…No, it's just—you don't look like someone who just came back from a mine. If you told me you were some old man out for a casual evening stroll, I'd believe it."
Talulah eyed him up and down, noting his clean appearance and empty hands.
There wasn't a single sign that he had been doing any kind of hard labor, let alone something as exhausting as mining.
"Sigh~~ The way I mine isn't what you're thinking of."
Steven didn't bother explaining further.
Instead, he glanced around the small house with a slight frown.
"Where's Alina? She just recovered—shouldn't she be resting here with you?"
He had passed through the village earlier and hadn't seen her anywhere.
It was already getting dark—where could she have gone?
"She said she was going to check if you were back yet," Talulah replied. "After all, you're the only person in the entire village who can be called a doctor."
The moment she said that, she noticed Steven's expression suddenly darken.
"What's wrong?"
She immediately tensed up.
"You said you cleared out the wild beasts in the area—there shouldn't be any danger, right?"
A bad feeling surged through her chest.
Without hesitation, she threw off the blanket and began reaching for her clothes.
"I'm not sure… but she shouldn't be that unlucky."
Steven's tone was uncertain, which only made her more anxious.
"In any case, I'll go find her—it'll be faster."
He blocked her path, preventing her from rushing out recklessly.
"At the same time, you keep watch over the village. There's definitely something strange lurking around nearby. Stay on guard—especially for any villagers or animals acting off."
With that, he turned toward the door, ready to move.
The Collapsal from before was still lurking nearby.
There was no guarantee that it wouldn't set its sights on this village.
Now that Talulah was here, she could at least look after these clueless villagers.
As for finding Alina, that was clearly a job better suited for him—after all, he had a minimap.
Talulah furrowed her brows, locking eyes with Steven for a brief moment before nodding solemnly.
When it came to matters like this, she trusted him completely.
He had never let her down before.
And no matter how reluctant she was to admit it, the truth was Steven surpassed her in every aspect—speed, strength, reflexes— everything.
If anyone was going to find Alina quickly and safely, it was him.
As for the strange entity Steven mentioned, Talulah was curious, but for now, she had no choice but to wait for his return.
Alina's safety took top priority.
The moment she nodded in agreement, Steven vanished like a bolt of lightning.
Even with her trained reflexes, Talulah could barely track his movements—in an instant, he was gone.
Her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly grabbed her longsword and started making her way toward the village.
Whether or not that strange entity had already approached, she would never allow something like that to harm the people she cared about.
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