Talios-Chapter 38: Lewd Man in White Robe

No matter what he said, the lad showed not the slightest intention of stopping his unruly rampage. If this madness continued, he might very well collapse from a heart attack. After everything poured into that medicine? No—absolutely not. Someone, anyone, hold this lad.

He looked helplessly to Liah, who was caught between being stunned and slightly amused at the performance unfolding before her. His eyes begged her to somehow hold the lad. But seeing as she stood still, simply staring at him, he knew he was the only one who could salvage the situation at this point.

It was understandable that others might not know, but he knew explicitly what he had gone through for that Blue Fire Herb. Where in all of Izz could one find such a herb and then allow it to go to waste? The medicine had been absorbed into the lad’s body and was clearly working, but how did that suddenly permit all these illegal movements he was making? Especially with his eyes—they were the most affected, so why was he bent on straining them with all this unnecessary glaring?

Any physician would react this way or worse— rush for chains to bind the lad. Even his master would tear out his own beard if he learned that a Blue Fire Herb had been wasted. Let alone him. No—someone stop this lad!

Elmah couldn’t care less about the lewd man’s frantic mind mutterings or facial pleas. His concern remained fixed on one question alone—why had he been drugged and wrapped up?

Elmah had never doubted that the lewd man wasn’t alone in the room, but until now he hadn’t cared to observe the rest. The one at the tip of his ’blade’ had been the chief culprit. Now, realizing the man was clearly unwell in the head, he finally allowed his gaze to sweep the room.

His gaze settled on Liah first, confusion tightening his brow. Why was she here? As he continued surveying the room, the truth dawned on him—he was surrounded by His Highness’s maids. They scarcely ever left the Prince’s side. Which meant His Highness had to be somewhere nearby.

His eyes moved with purpose, his head following as he searched for His Highness—perhaps he knew what was going on. After confirming without doubt that His Highness the Prince was not in the room, he frowned—not that his face hadn’t been set in a frown already, but now it was for a different reason.

"Stop, okay?" The physician’s voice pulled him back—yes, back to this lewd disturbance. What did he want now?

"Stop moving your head. This is so painful," Physician Otoma pleaded, his eyes visibly on the verge of tears.

Okay, at this point this man needed to be bound, Elmah thought. What was his obsession with him not moving—was he naturally this way, judging by how he knew to bind people in suffocating fabrics? If that was the case, then why was this man allowed into the palace? From the looks of things, this was his chamber, which meant they were definitely in the palace—so why was this lunatic allowed inside?

Worse still, the man advanced. Though armed and clearly the threat, Elmah found himself retreating. The physician climbed onto the cushion, arms outstretched like one reaching for a stray duckling. In that instant, Elmah’s height advantage disappeared entirely.

The height of the cushion made it possible for him to grab the man’s neck. Now that their heights were reversed, going for his lower body would have been the better option—and not a difficult one. Yet Elmah found himself retreating until he reached the edge of the cushion. One more step and he would fall off. Why did this man look so terrifying? Someone hold him, or I’ll really gut him—he should be the one retreating.

From the moment the lad’s hands held his neck, Physician Otoma scarcely noticed. His mind was occupied wholly by a single obsession—the Blue Fire Herb must not be wasted.

If anyone thought he was overreacting, they should try visiting the Apothecary. Even with the Royal Treasury’s backing, it still barely possessed any Blue Fire Herbs. Any that could be found were priced high enough to cut an average physician’s full neck.

He hadn’t minded using it on the lad because he had come on the Queen’s orders. Otherwise, why would he dare spend such a rare herb? He wouldn’t even have considered using it on his own mother-in-law.

The herb was potent, certainly—but it wasn’t omniscient. If this lad caused his precious herb to go to waste, someone would truly drown for it.

Why waste all his efforts? He had even gone as far as paralyzing the lad to ensure maximum results. Why did the world move however it pleased, without considering the feelings of others? If he had known, he would have left the lad paralyzed until he was satisfied with the entire treatment. Why hadn’t anyone told him how sabotaging this lad was?

Seeing how Physician Otoma continued walking toward Elmah—hands curled like claws and eyes steady, determined not to miss his mark—completely ignoring the blade in Elmah’s hands, while Elmah reached the end of his retreat and was truly about to gut the man, even if only by a probe.

Liah knew she could no longer remain uninvolved. The good physician was fixated on Elmah damaging his body, while Elmah—still stunned by waking bound and helpless—was only now grasping that his immobilization had been deliberate. If she stayed passive, they would soon need another physician altogether.

"Ahem!" Her cough cut through the tension, drawing the attention of the two highly emotionally invested individuals.

She offered a polite smile. "I think you should calm down, Physician Otoma."

His brows shot up with sharp aggression. "Calm down? I should calm down?" He gestured emphatically. "He’s the one who needs calming—he won’t stop moving."

"Young Master Elmah probably has no idea what’s going on, so it’s only normal for him to find all this... a little concerning."

Physician Otoma paused, considering her words. He turned to Elmah, who remained barely concerned, his glare unbroken.

"He—" He nearly erupted again, but restrained himself. Stepping down from the cushion, he forced a strained smile. "If the Young Lord wouldn’t mind," he said carefully, "could you lie back down and remain still?"

It was like stone talking, or rather stone addressing stone. Nothing changed—neither Elmah’s expression nor the iron grip on his weapon. If anything, his hold seemed to tighten.

As far as Elmah was concerned, the man was unhinged. He would have left already if he weren’t barely standing; even stepping off the cushion seemed impossible. Still, he refused to make a spectacle of himself. And he certainly wasn’t about to listen to a round-headed lewd man in white robes, looking like a saint expelled from a temple.

"What he means," Liah said calmly, "is that your body hasn’t healed properly yet. If you keep straining it, you’ll suffer a relapse." Seeing that the physician wasn’t reaching Elmah, she intervened once more. His silence wasn’t strange to her—only His Highness could usually coax even a sentence from him.

Hearing Liah, Elmah still didn’t budge. What she said brought him no clarity, nor did it explain anything.

Realizing it wasn’t enough, Liah continued, hoping further explanation might ease his doubts.

"This is Physician Otoma," she said with a graceful gesture. "The Queen herself requested his service to treat you." Hearing that it was the Queen who had summoned him, Elmah lowered his weapon—for the first time since waking. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Seeing his response, Liah continued softly. "You collapsed last night—your eyes were bleeding. The Queen summoned Physician Otoma to treat you. The bleeding stopped, but your muscles were torn throughout your body, so he wrapped you in medicinal bindings to ensure proper recovery. I’m sure he apologizes if it startled you."

"Hm?" Was he truly sorry? Physician Otoma shot Liah a brief glance.

Elmah doubted the man possessed any real remorse, but he had no choice but to sit. Things were still unclear, yet beginning to align—and his legs were barely cooperating.

With that, he sat on the cushion. His movements were controlled, and the atmosphere around him subtly shifted.

The moment the lad finally sat, Physician Otoma darted toward him with startling speed.

"Ehh?" Even Liah was caught off guard.

Elmah wasn’t sure what the man thought he was doing, but this time he was truly going to lose an eye. He was a physician—surely he had spare eyes somewhere. That had to be why he was charging in. Perhaps he sought closure, or assistance in removing those disturbing eyes of his. Why else would he rush him so eagerly if not seeking his help? And why would Elmah refuse?

Though she hadn’t expected Physician Otoma to charge in like that, Liah instinctively reached out for him. She had barely managed to get the Young Master settled—why was he trying to ruin it? What was he attempting to do?