Work Prophet
Chapter 302 - 60: Malignant Disease

Chapter 302: Chapter 60: Malignant Disease

Golden Eyes took Clara away from Green Field and instead of taking the main road, they traveled through rarely trodden paths.

Together, they trekked through the wilderness on a single horse for two days, until the water they carried was nearly depleted. With no rivers or streams nearby, they finally approached the main road and asked a merchant caravan for some water.

Golden Eyes had already reached for his coin pouch and took out a silver coin, but the caravan leader refused it.

The leader said he was a follower of Pisya, and the goddess taught mortals to help and love one another.

Especially when traveling, mutual care was particularly essential.

Upon hearing this, Golden Eyes silently put his coin pouch away and continued on their journey.

The little maid noticed that when he had spoken to the round caravan leader, a hint of mockery had flashed across his eyes, which puzzled her.

Once they reached a secluded area, Clara tentatively said, "I remember you mentioned before that you are an unbeliever. Then why are you working for the Silver Moon Church?"

"This is none of your business," Golden Eyes replied indifferently.

"Indeed, it isn’t my business, but since we are idle, chatting won’t hurt," the little maid guessed then, "Is it for money?"

"No."

"Power?"

"No, not that either."

"Hmm, could it be... for beauty?"

Golden Eyes turned and gave Clara a profound look, causing the little maid to shiver, her skin crawling involuntarily, and she instinctively clutched her blanket tighter.

Fortunately, Golden Eyes soon shifted his gaze away and continued to focus on the road ahead.

Clara also breathed a sigh of relief.

The two went on without speaking further. Golden Eyes finally found the silence he had long desired, although this tranquility was fleeting, as the little maid soon spoke up again, "By the way, are you married?"

Golden Eyes sighed, "Give up..."

"Give up what?"

"Give up trying to analyze me and think of a way to escape from my grasp."

"I’m not trying to analyze you, nor am I thinking of running away," the little maid blinked.

"Is that so?" Golden Eyes scoffed, "Along the way, you have been complaining about needing water every now and then, quickly using up the water I brought. You knew there were no nearby water sources, which forced me to approach the main road, make contact with others, and leave clues for those coming to find you."

After saying this, Golden Eyes looked at Clara, eager to see her panicked reaction after having her intentions exposed.

However, he saw only confusion and astonishment on the young girl’s face.

"Do you always think so poorly of people?" Clara curiously asked, "I simply like to drink water. Before meeting you, I had never left Green Field; how could I possibly know whether there were water sources nearby?"

"......."

Golden Eyes could tell that the little maid was not lying; Clara’s eyes were the purest he had ever seen, without a trace of impurity.

In fact, after spending these two days together, he had also noticed that his kidnapping target was somewhat peculiar—a carefree demeanor as if completely unaware of distress, and seemingly not at all troubled by the fact she was kidnapped.

Ordinarily, people he captured would be terrified, crying and weeping daily, barely daring to breathe.

However, Clara had been eating well and sleeping well during the trip and, even when they were outdoors, she could fall asleep very easily. She even had a beautiful dream last night. Golden Eyes had been woken up by her giggling in the middle of the night, and he had drawn his sword halfway out.

Initially, Golden Eyes suspected Clara was pretending, but now he was almost certain that this was just how the little maid was wired—perhaps a kind of unique talent.

Golden Eyes led the horse, first heading southeast for a while, then suddenly turning around to head northeast, sticking to the secluded paths as usual.

And the little maid was still full of enthusiasm, looking around everywhere and asking all kinds of questions.

However, by dusk, Clara noticed that Golden Eyes’ complexion had turned very poor, with sweat seeping out on his forehead, and his hand that held the reins was trembling slightly.

"Are you sick?" the little maid asked with concern.

"No." Golden Eyes struggled to suppress the frustration in his chest, walked about half a mile further, and found a sheltered spot to tie up the horse.

On the other hand, Clara also picked up some dry branches in the vicinity and piled them up together.

Golden Eyes took out a flint and a fire scythe.

As the campfire rose, the surroundings became much warmer, but Golden Eyes’ condition did not improve; in fact, it seemed even worse.

It wasn’t just the hands; even his feet began to shake as well.

He quickly opened his bundle, and from inside, he took out a small copper bowl, only about the size of half a palm, and placed a chunk of a dark brown substance into it.

Golden Eyes placed the small copper bowl over the fire. As soon as the white smoke began to rise, he eagerly moved his nose closer, greedily inhaling it. He looked as if he wanted to suck in all the surrounding air. After that, not only did the trembling of his hands and feet stop, but he also stopped breaking out in cold sweat, and his face even showed a trace of intoxication.

It was as if he was enjoying some rare delicacy of the mortal world.

Clara widened her eyes, watching this bizarre scene.

Just then, Golden Eyes also looked up at her, their gazes met, and his golden eyes flickered with dangerous and strange light.

The uncomfortable feeling that had previously troubled the little maid came back again; fortunately, Golden Eyes took several deep breaths and eventually suppressed the urge rising within him.

He spoke faintly to the little maid, "Sleep now, we need to continue our journey tomorrow, and in two days, we will arrive."

For the first time, Clara did not ask further questions and obediently lay down with her blanket.

By the next morning, Golden Eyes had completely returned to normal, and the two continued their journey.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"The thing in the copper bowl last night, is that the reason you serve the Silver Moon Church, do you have some kind of serious illness that requires that substance to save your life?" Clara speculated.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Golden Eyes’ mouth curled up again, showing a mocking expression, "Save my life, no, the serious illness I have is caused by that very substance."

Clara was somewhat surprised, "But the way you looked then, it seemed quite...quite..."

"Quite enjoyable." Golden Eyes finished the little maid’s sentence for her, "That’s how it is with that substance. It brings pleasure and also brings pain. The more you indulge in the pleasure it brings, the stronger the pain becomes when you leave it...irresistible, and in the end, you still have to surrender to it.

"Crawling at its feet, like a dog that comes and goes on command, craving for the master’s bones."

"Are you talking about...love? Because that’s how the minstrels describe love, and it sounds pretty terrifying," the little maid said.

"Trust me, what I am talking about is much scarier than love."

"Well...okay, but if this is a disease, you should try to seek help from Merlin. His medical skills are very strong, maybe he could cure you."