The Visitors (4)

"I-I'm…finished…!" Lily uttered amidst her gasps.

"There, there, you're fine." Andre's wife reassured Lily as she helped her maintain her balance.

"Anyways…the woman is now alright, yes? Also, what did you even do to her back?" She questioned.

"Oh…w-well…h-her spine w-w-was…bro-broken into t-three se-segments…I-it's a miracle tha-that she's still a-alive…

"B-but now that I-I have fi-fixed the i-issue…s-s-she won't d-die e-easily…A-although th-there is a pro-probability of her b-being pa-paralyzed from t-the waist down…"

"I see…Well, I supposed we'll see what the future holds when she wakes up."

…

'Hmm…What's with the noises…'

Slowly, Elena opened her eyes and saw two people chattering amongst themselves besides her. Although their facial features were unrecognisable due to Elena's blurry eyesight—judging by their body physique—they were most likely women.

"H…Hey…" Elena muttered—catching the attention of both of the women.

"Y-you…you c-can…speak…?!" the brown-haired girl asked—baffled by Elena's capability of speaking coherently even in her current state.

The other woman—who appears to possess hazel hair—also had a bewildered expression etched on her face, as well as having her jaw wide open—although not even a single word escaping her throat.

Elena was perplexed by the reactions she received. She couldn't understand why these two women were shocked beyond all means just from her being able to talk.

As Elena attempted to get out of the bed, she suddenly lost her footing and nearly fell face first onto the wooden floor. Fortunately, the two strangers had caught her and intercepted the momentum of her descent before that variable could occur.

"Are you alright?" the hazel-haired woman inquired.

"Y-yeah…just a bit…dizzy…" Elena replied as she began to control her breathing in order to regain her lost strength.

"Y-you pro-probably s-shouldn't mo-move too m-much…" the brown-haired girl adviced.

Taking the foreigner's opinion to heart—Elena sat down on the bed and steadily build up her composure as well as stretching a bit to get rid of the soreness she felt when waking up.

After a few minutes of well needed rest, Elena began to ask both of the women simple questions.

"Where am I?" Elena's first question.

"In my husband and I bedroom." the hazel-haired woman replied.

"Oh…so you're his wife, not relative. Anyways, what are your names?"

"I-it's…L-Lily…" the brown-haired woman replied.

"My name is…something you don't need to know. Just…refer to me as Andre's wife." the hazel-haired woman replied.

"...Alright then."

Although Elena felt something amiss about Andre's wife—especially the fact that she insisted on concealing her name—Elena didn't dare to seek, and unveil the mysterious lying about her.

After all, everyone has skeletons in their closets—those that everyone wishes to stash far away from the coming into the light. Just like how Andre's wife has her own secrets, it was the same for Elena.

Even if Elena is the renowned swordmaster, she is still human in the end, and is bound to have her own shares of confidential information that could cause mayhem were they to be discovered by another.

Sensing the awkwardness of the atmosphere after asking that question, Elena hurriedly changed the topic.

"Um…Lily. You were the one to heal me, correct?"

"A-ah. Y-y-yes…"

"Thank you for saving this worthless life of mine. Truly. So, if you have any requests, I'll try to complete them as soon as possible, for I am eternally grateful for you." Elena said as she bowed to Lily.

"I-it's not th-that big of a-a de-deal…" Lily responded shyly.

"B-but…I-I do have a-a qu-question for y-you…"

"Ask away."

"W-well…u-uhm…who…or w-what did y-you do to…b-be left in su-such st-state…?"

"...I fought."

"F-fought? A-against who-whom?"

"I'm…uncertain about the type of foe I faced, but it is evident that the adversary I battled against was strong. Too strong, in fact.

"Its figure is massive, but its speed simply defies logic. Brute strength that is able to make me unleash everything I learnt, it's everyone's worst nightmare.

"In any case, I somehow succeeded in escaping its grasp. Although I had to sacrifice my left arm to do so.

"If I were to exchange blows with it again, I doubt I'd be able to escape from my imminent death next time."

"I-is that…a-all? Y-you s-seem to b-be…lea-leaving o-out a fe-few important de-details…"

"I suppose I am. Saviour, while I'm indebted to you, there are certain secrets you aren't allowed to know. Forgive me but…it's something personal."

"O-oh…then…i-it's al-alright…"

"On that note." Andre's wife interrupted. "How about we all eat now? The both of you must be hungry."

Both Elena and Lily nodded simultaneously. With that, the three women headed to the dining room.

Still, Elena couldn't help but to act cautious around Andre's wife. It's a gut feeling, but Elena wouldn't want to suffer the same tragedy again. It's better to be safe than sorry.

…

"This is…heavenly!" Elena remarked.

Currently, Elena and Lily are enjoying the meal Andre's wife had cooked. They are amazed and bewitched by the flavorsome taste of the exquisite dish plated in front of them.

The richness, and savory complimented each other well. Both of the women could barely suppress themselves from devouring the food as quickly as possible.

"Slow down. I understand you're hungry, but even so, the food isn't going anywhere." Andre spoke.

"Pardon my unsightly behavior. This dish is far superior than most that I have tasted. For that reason, I am unable to contain my excitement and hunger from overtaking my mind." Elena replied.

Andre stared at Elena with his jaw slightly dropped—bemused by Elena's speaking pattern.

"The way you speak…it oddly resembles an aristocrat. Although none of the villagers, including me, has ever come across a noble, we have read books on how to speak to a high-born if we were to encounter one. Are you perhaps…?"

"Realistically speaking, I'm not. It's just…I was employed by one."

Andre's eyes glimmer with curiosity.

"Wow…amazing. But, why did you say 'was'?"

"The person that hired me…has most likely kicked the bucket. And, if they were to see my current condition, it wouldn't be long before I'm unemployed once more." Elena said with a bitter smile across her face.

The atmosphere grew uncomfortable. Andre tried to change the topic, but no idea came to his mind. Noticing the unpleasant atmosphere once more, Elena quickly came up with a new matter to chat about.

"Since you had rescued me, I presumed Tain had been healed?"

"Tain? Are you talking about that white-haired boy?"

"Certainly."

"Ah…well, no, not yet. We focused on treating you first since your wounds looked much more fatal compared to the boy. He is still unconscious and…to be honest, I'm not sure if he will wake up at all."

Elena felt disheartened at Andre's response. But even so, she believed that Tain would wake up no matter what. She had already promised to dedicate her life to guide him.

Even if it means making a deal with the devil, she would do so for Tain's sake.

'Tain…please be alright…'

...