Chapter 43: Ch 43. Treating Jhon 1

Selena looked at him hopefully, then sighed. "That’s exactly how it should be. As king, you should be wiser and stop acting so annoying. I’m not some fool you can toy with," Selena said, half-grumbling.

"I understand. I won’t do it again." Stevan was completely serious.

"All right, I have to go."

"Don’t you want to stay the night at my place?" Stevan asked, as if reluctant to be left behind.

"No, I have to go to the Phoenix Palace tonight. If I don’t, he’ll die," Selena replied, reminding Stevan of the situation.

"Ah, the fire in his heart will flare up again tonight, won’t it? You’re right; you’d better leave right away. If there’s anything I want to talk about, I’ll come find you," Stevan said, making Selena smile slightly as she looked at him.

"The five of you are quite loyal to one another. I thought you’d be at each other’s throats, considering that wild animals usually don’t get along easily," Selena remarked. "Especially since you all share the same wife now."

Stevan gave a small smile as he walked with her out of the room. "We’re pretty good at sharing. Besides, fighting over her would only lead to our mutual destruction. All five of us are sick; this curse of extinction isn’t an easy illness to cure. So, our only goal is to get better—we can keep our jealousy in check," he said, making Selena smile playfully.

It actually seems illogical, but you could say it comes down to each person’s own sense of what’s right. In the human world, who has five husbands? Yet there’s no such term as "Extinction Healer" there.

Especially since the Healer of Extinction is a woman—that’s truly unheard of, and this is the first time Selena has learned of it. That’s why she’s now trying to understand and isn’t entirely opposed to it, because after all, this world and the human world are, of course, very, very different.

"If you want to talk to me about something, let’s do it tomorrow at the breakfast table. I’ve already told all the kings the same thing—tonight, after taking care of John, I’ll go back to researching medicinal ingredients and preparing a cure for you all and for the effects of the drug Briella created," Selena said, causing Stevan to blink in surprise.

Drugs? What are those? But Stevan didn’t ask any further—perhaps it was some kind of poison whose name he was hearing for the first time.

"Was it the girl you captured this morning who was spreading it?"

Selena nodded. "Yes, I can predict that quite a few Eldorian residents have already consumed it. There are many things to take care of in this world; I can’t rush things. So I hope you can help out later too—we’ll discuss this in more detail tomorrow," Selena said, causing Stevan to nod in understanding.

"I’ll help as best I can."

Selena gave a small smile, then walked away. This made Stevan, who was watching her, smile as well, gazing meaningfully at Selena’s back as she walked away.

"From the way she looked at me, it seems like she’s starting to let go of her hatred. I hope she can forgive me soon."

***

Night fell, and it was quite bright thanks to the light of the full moon that was beginning to spread. Selena gazed up at the sky, seeing the stars quite clearly since there was no light pollution here. Everything was still natural, which is why the sky looked so bright tonight.

"This is the first time I’ve seen the sky in Eldoria; for the past two nights I’ve been in my room and couldn’t see it this clearly," Selena murmured, enjoying the breeze.

But she knew she couldn’t stay out too long, because the light from the Ember Root felt quite hot and illuminated the entire room.

Selena was in Jhon Nix’s private room; she’d deliberately chosen this place over her own room because she wasn’t ready to go into their bedroom yet. It was better to be in this room since her current focus was on addressing the illness, not personal matters.

"Your Majesty, I’ve brought water and lit the fire. Should the water in this clay pot be brought up to the stove?" Sovel asked Selena.

"Later. Have the other supplies been prepared?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. There’s a glass bowl, a filter cloth, several sizes of newly shaped knives, and a stirrer. Is there anything else you need?" Sovel asked, prompting Selena to step closer.

Jhon himself could only watch Selena because he’d been told to sit right next to the Ember Root all along. The Ember Root’s glow was growing brighter because of his presence, while the plant itself was also getting bigger.

"That’s enough. If I need anything else, I’ll let you know."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sovel walked over to the hearth, making sure the fire stayed lit.

Selena picked up a fairly large knife, checked its sharpness, and smiled. She looked at Jhon, who immediately swallowed hard, but the man maintained his composure even though Selena knew full well that he was nervous and anxious.

"Will it hurt?" Jhon asked as Selena walked toward Ember Root, still holding the knife in her hand.

"You’ve been in pain every night for years—haven’t you gotten used to it enough to stop being afraid, King Phoenix?" Selena asked casually, making Jhon wince.

"I’m not afraid; I just hate the pain, but I can’t escape it."

Selena smiled mockingly, but Jhon didn’t respond because he knew it was ridiculous. It was just that last night, when he was about to fall asleep, he hadn’t felt any pain at all. Jhon had become addicted to it, so he wanted the pain to go away completely so he could do more productive things.

Before he fell ill, Jhon used to work and take care of his clan until late at night. But ever since he fell ill—and his chest has felt hot every night—Jhon has stopped working in the afternoon, and that has left him with a pile of problems he hasn’t been able to fully resolve.

"What are you worried about? You’re a king; you should be able to sit back and relax if you’re sick and ask your many subordinates to do the work you can’t do," said Selena as she made a small scratch on the Ember Root stem to check its readiness.

"I can’t keep doing that, Selena. You know yourself—there are traitors everywhere. I can’t let on that I’m sick, or the Phoenix elders will immediately elect a new king. That’s why I’ve kept this illness a secret—I haven’t even told Sovel," John replied, causing Selena to look at him as he took a weary breath.

"Then why not just step down from the throne and go into exile? You should care more about yourself, because if you’re sick, the Phoenix clan can already appoint a new leader. That means even if you devote your life and death to them, you still won’t be appreciated," Selena said flatly, but Jhon took another breath.

"If it were that easy, I would’ve done it. But I’m the only legitimate descendant of the Phoenix clan’s chief. I can’t just abandon the throne and break my oath to my ancestors. That’s why I can’t just leave whenever I want," Jhon replied, looking at Selena, who had fallen silent. "I can only leave the throne without being labeled a loser if I die—and unfortunately, this disease has never actually killed me."

"No wonder you’re so arrogant and conceited—pure-blooded Phoenixes are usually really annoying," Selena commented bluntly.

Jhon swallowed hard, feeling a growing discomfort in his chest.

"Yeah, the time is almost here. Just wait for the results of tonight’s treatment. If it works, you’ll get some extra time—you’ll live without feeling any pain. If it fails, you’ll soon be reunited with your ancestors in the afterlife."