Chapter 11: System’s Diagnosis, and Cure
"We are Back!!"
Juliana’s voice rang out as she rushed inside, still hugging her sword as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Her gangster persona had completely given way to an almost childlike excitement, but that excitement died instantly. She and Asher froze in their tracks, staring at the chaotic scene inside the sitting room.
"Let me go!! I want to eat! I say I want to eat!! Get me something to eat!!"
Kelly yelled, struggling wildly with the ropes tied around her on a chair. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and her eyes were wide with a frantic, unhinged hunger that looked completely alien on the face of a former corporate queen.
Asher was flabbergasted, staring at Sara, who sat serenely on the couch, a book in her hands. She was captivating, with her long white hair drawing the light from the lantern on the table. The soft glow cast long shadows across her pale skin. As Asher had said earlier, to save money, they must manage the way they use electricity, which resulted to the lantern.
Sara was entirely focused on her book, her eyes scanning the pages, not even noticing the two who entered the house... Both Asher and Juliana weren’t bothered by her lack of greeting; she was deaf, so unless she saw or sensed them, she won’t even know they were present. She lived in a world of absolute silence.
But Kelly was different. She was screaming and thrashing with the ropes, completely unaware Sara couldn’t hear a single thing coming out from her mouth. It was a tragic, noisy spectacle of madness met with absolute stillness.
Asher was the first to snap out from his shock, and slowly walked forward. He didn’t yell or demand an explanation. Instead, he moved his gaze around the room, assessing the damage, then at the trashcan, seeing pieces of broken cups and plates.
’So Kelly went on a rampage...’ He sighed softly, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. He didn’t feel anger; he only felt a deep, weary pity.
’I don’t blame Sara. This is the only way she could hold Kelly back.’ He walked past Kelly, not planning to loose her just yet. Asher knew anything he said at the moment will only anger his first wife; the only way to calm her down from this primal state is food.
Finally seeing the shadow cast across her page, Sara looked up from her book, and stared at Asher who was already walking towards the kitchen. She blinked, her expression unreadable, and turned to the entrance, seeing Juliana standing still by the door.
Sara blinked again, but now her gaze fixed on the sword on Juliana’s chest. She couldn’t speak or hear, and her core might have shattered, but that didn’t dull her razor-sharp perception. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she analyzed the faint aura leaking from the white scabbard.
That was a Heaven-Tier weapon, and she knew it. But... how?
Sara turned back to Asher, who was already switching on the gas. Where did these two get such a weapon from? They were destitute outcasts. Such a blade belonged in the hands of guild masters, not her E-Rank husband.
Juliana finally walked forward, stopping before Kelly. She stared at her friend for a moment, confused by the pitiful sight of the tied-up woman, then turned to Sara.
Seeing her questionable gaze, Sara sighed helplessly, offering no explanation, picked up her book, and calmly continued reading.
Seeing her dismissive action, Juliana turned back to Kelly: "Calm down, Kelly, I will help you." She said, her tone surprisingly gentle, and walked behind her.
Sensing her action, Kelly stopped struggling. But the moment Juliana freed the ropes, the rabid hunger took over, and she lunged towards Sara with untamed rage, her hands extended like claws.
"Sara!! Watch out!!" Juliana yelled, only to realize a split second later that Sara couldn’t hear her warning.
Sara sighed softly. She might be reading, but her eyes were always vigilant, fixed on the reflections and movements around the two, so she easily noticed Kelly charging at her. Without panicking, she raised one slender finger, and lightly tapped the empty air.
SWOOSH!
A silent wave of energy moved all over the place, freezing Kelly on spot. The pressure was gentle but absolute, an invisible wall that the maddened woman simply could not breach. Juliana blinked, stunned by the casual display of spiritual control from a supposedly crippled woman.
Sara stared at Kelly for a moment, her eyes reflecting a profound, hidden sorrow, and exhaled, letting go of her hold.
BAM!
Kelly fell heavily on the ground, and instantly burst out into tears: "Why are you bullying me? Ahhh!?!"
"...?!"
Now the two wives, including Asher who had been watching from the kitchen, were all stunned, staring at the 23-year-old Kelly, once a ruthless business tycoon, crying like a bullied kid on the ground.
"Cough!!"
Sara suddenly coughed violently into her palm. Her shoulders shook with the suppressed force of it. She opened her hand, staring at the dark, viscous blood on it; then quickly picked up her red handkerchief, cleaning her hand and lips, making sure Juliana and Asher didn’t notice anything. She was used to hiding her pain. But unbeknownst to her, Asher’s gaze had never left her.
He sighed, his heart sinking, and continued with his work: ’Using energy with a damaged core... What was she thinking?’ He thought to himself. Then he blinked in shock as a sudden idea struck him. Without hesitation, he brought out his two wives’ profiles from the system screen.
{Name: Kelly Asher.}
{Race: Human.}
{Height: 167 cm.}
{Rank: Non-Awakened.}
{Talent: SSS-RANK.}
{Affection: 20%.}
{Position: First Wife.}
{Health State: Mental Soul Disorder. Brain Damage. Poisoning.}
{Current emotion: Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Hungry. In Pain.}
{Cure: Soul cleansing potion.}
Asher froze, his eyes wide open. What shocked him wasn’t her terribly low affection, or her erratic current emotions, but the horrific Health State.
’Poisoning... I know this cold Business Queen has enemies, a lot... But to think they even poisoned her, and while she was already sick, such ruthlessness.’ He clenched his fingers on the kitchen knife, his gaze turning incredibly cold.
’At least there is a cure!! But before giving her this cure, I need to increase her affection... I don’t want to cure her, and she later abandons me, not happening.’ He thought to himself, a protective, pragmatic instinct taking over. He would save her, but he needed to ensure his family stayed together first. He couldn’t survive another betrayal. He then tapped Sara’s profile, only to freeze completely in place, the breath knocked out of his lungs.
{Name: Sara Asher.}
{Race: Human.}
{Height: 168 cm.}
{Rank: D-Rank (Formerly SSS-RANK). (Damaged Core.).}
{Talent: SSS-RANK.}
{Affection: 59%.}
{Position: Second Wife.}
{Health State: Esophageal varices. Kidney Damage. Poisoning. Vocal cord damage. Stroke. Meningitis. Core poisoning.}
{Current emotion: Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Hungry. In pain. Suicidal. Anxious. Lost. Worried. Heartbroken. Helpless. Envious.}
{Cure: Soul cleansing potion. Everlasting Mind Pill. Mythic core potion.}
{Note: Soul cleansing potions helps cure all body and soul damages.}
{Note; Everlasting Mind Pill helps cure all mental damages.}
{Note: Mythic core potion helps rebuild damaged core, and restore Wife’s strength to her peak state.}
".....?!!"
The knife almost slipped from Asher’s grasp. The sheer volume of Sara’s suffering—the physical torture of failing organs and poisons, combined with the catastrophic list of her agonizing emotions—was incomprehensible. She wasn’t just sitting quietly reading a book; she was silently enduring a living hell every single second of the day.