"Miss Consul, please wait a moment."
Elashia showed her a mysterious smile.
"May I examine your body?"
Although Elashia looked very composed, she was actually panicking inside.
Who would agree to such a request from a stranger they'd only met twice!
But this was both a system requirement and beneficial for ensuring Chris's safety, so this question really had to be asked.
Now she could only hope that the [Holy Maiden's Body] she had previously complained about would work its magic...
Holy Maiden's Body, work your magic!
On the other side, Chris looked at the smiling Elashia.
From a general rational perspective—no one would agree to such a request from someone they'd only met twice.
But Chris looked at the pink-haired girl showing her a flawless smile, and whether it was an inexplicable sense of familiarity she felt toward this pink-haired girl or because she was lightheaded from extreme fatigue, she answered:
"Alright."
Anyway, all her affairs were already completed, and she had nothing else to do after going back except sleep.
She hadn't been feeling well physically lately either, so if this girl really knew some medical arts, that would be perfect.
Whether injured in battle or falling ill, she generally wouldn't go to the city-state hospital for treatment, choosing instead to tough it out herself.
The reason was simple—when citizens saw their consul suffering from illness and pain, the consul in their hearts would no longer be the protective deity who could bring them safety.
Seeing Chris agree to her request, the tension in Elashia's heart disappeared.
She had to admit, [Holy Maiden's Body] was indeed amazing sometimes.
Chris turned and walked toward her house.
"Then please follow me."
Elashia happily walked behind Chris.
This way, the task of treating Chris could be completed!
The two hadn't walked long before arriving at a deserted suburb within the city-state.
Looking around, Elashia exclaimed:
"My goodness, Consul lives in a place like this."
This place was really quite out of place within this prosperous Yage City.
Chris looked at the area around her home and at the pink-haired girl who made her feel incredibly warm, and thinking that she might face trial tomorrow, she also let down her previous attitude as consul of keeping people at arm's length.
"Yes, I specifically chose this residence."
Elashia was somewhat puzzled.
"You specifically chose it?"
Chris replied:
"Yes, this is closest to the north. If magical beasts invade, this will be the first area to suffer disaster, so no one wants to live here."
Chris looked around with some emotion.
"So I specifically chose this place as my residence to maintain a certain distance from the citizens."
Elashia nodded.
She understood the meaning behind this all too well.
The reason Chris, who cared about the city-state, hoped to maintain a certain distance from the people was because she needed some mystique.
This mystique could make citizens more confident in her and feel more secure.
It was the same principle as Cecilia in the Elasia military requiring that soldiers' and officers' dormitories, toilets, cafeterias and such facilities be separated.
Only by maintaining sufficient distance could people trust her more.
After just a few words, they arrived at Chris's home.
Elashia looked at Chris's residence.
How to put it... it felt somewhat similar to Sophia's small house—the house wasn't large, could only accommodate one person living there, and didn't look particularly special from the outside.
In short, one word—simple.
Opening the door, Chris said to her:
"Please come in."
After Elashia entered, she looked around the room.
An empty table, a bookshelf full of books, a double bed, and an extremely small kitchen.
These were all the facilities in this room.
Looking at such a room, Elashia couldn't help but shake her head.
Didn't she have any personal life at all?
Elashia shook her head.
But now wasn't the time to think about such things.
"Please lie on the bed. I'll complete the examination quickly."
Elashia said seriously to the white-haired big sister in front of her.
Chris didn't doubt Elashia's words at all. With her years of experience reading people, she couldn't see even a trace of malice in the pink-haired girl's eyes.
"Alright."
Chris took off the black consul robe she was wearing, leaving only the white gauze garment underneath. After hanging her clothes on the chair beside the bed, she sat on the bed.
Letting her white hair fall loose and removing her boots, she lay directly on the bed.
Elashia nodded:
"Good, I'm a mage. The upcoming examination may have some rather dramatic light effects and such, so please don't be surprised."
The effect of [Dead Wood Comes to Life] could only be fully manifested outdoors, but treating Chris's hidden injuries and illnesses caused by long-term excessive fatigue indoors shouldn't be a problem for these less serious ailments.
But Chris didn't respond.
Elashia was somewhat puzzled.
"Consul?"
Only Chris's light and steady breathing sounds responded to her.
"She fell asleep..."
Looking at the consul who had fallen asleep immediately upon touching the bed due to excessive fatigue, Elashia felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
After tricking her to Elasia, she absolutely couldn't let her live so exhaustingly anymore.
The sleeping Chris's snow-colored brows were slightly furrowed, as if worrying about something.
Looking at the sleeping beauty before her, Elashia sat on the edge of the bed and grasped Chris's hand.
"[Dead Wood Comes to Life] activate!"
A flash of emerald light passed through the room, then returned to calm.
"Damn..."
Elashia once again felt the same sensation as when treating Little Sophia.
Her strength was almost completely drained in an instant.
In Elashia's original estimation, treating Chris, who didn't have any major injuries, shouldn't have been this taxing.
It seemed she had really chosen correctly in selecting task three.
The [Dead Wood Comes to Life] skill wouldn't drain too much of the caster's stamina if the person being treated didn't have serious injuries or illnesses.
The fact that Elashia's stamina was almost completely drained after completing the technique meant that the hidden ailments accumulated in Chris's body had reached a very serious level.
Elashia could almost certainly say—if she hadn't chosen task three today, Chris would definitely have died in the torture of prison.
But fortunately—Elashia had chosen task three.
This way, she didn't need to worry about Chris having an accident before being poached away.
Relieved, Elashia also immediately collapsed softly onto Chris's double bed.
Originally, she had planned to return to the inn after completing the treatment, but now she probably didn't even have the strength to walk.
Struggling to move a few times, Elashia found she really couldn't even stand up.
Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, Elashia sighed in her heart.
She could only sleep here first.
Elashia could no longer resist the overwhelming drowsiness.
Consider it Chris's payment for medical treatment...
The deeply sleeping Elashia didn't see—the tightly furrowed brows of the white-haired big sister beside her finally relaxed.