Cassandra turned to them, her voice urgent. "Quick! We need medical kits immediately. The Sylphflare's tail spikes are poisonous. We need to treat his wounds right away!"
The guards' eyes widened as they grasped the severity of the situation. One of them, a burly man with a graying beard, quickly took charge.
"Elliot!" he barked at a younger guard. "Run to the office and grab the emergency kits. Move it!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Elliot sprinted off, his boots pounding against the garden path as he raced towards the administrative building.
[Poison detected in the body of host]
[Detoxification in process]
[....]
'So I have detoxification skill too? This must all be part of the enhanced healing... Interesting...' Zafron thought as he saw the hologram that appeared before him.
Cassandra oblivious to that, turned to the guards once more and asked curiously, "How far is the office from here?"
"It's just a few minutes away," the first guard replied.
Cassandra glanced at Zafron's wounds, assessing the situation. 'We don't have a few minutes—the poison is spreading too quickly.'
The older guard interrupted her thoughts. "Is there anything else we can do while we wait, my lady?"
Cassandra nodded. "Yes, if you have any Silvermist Ferns in the garden, bring them here. Their sap can help extract the poison."
As the remaining guards dispersed to follow her instructions, Cassandra knelt beside Zafron, her face etched with concern.
"Hold on, Zafron," she said softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Help is coming. Just sit back and don't flex a muscle or the poison will spread faster."
Zafron managed a weak nod and smile. 'I can't feel any pain, but she looks really concerned. She really cares about me.'
As the guard returned with a plant in hand, Cassandra's brow furrowed. She examined it closely before shaking her head.
"This is the mountain variety. We need the lowland type," she explained, her voice tinged with urgency. "It's more potent against the Sylphflare's poison."
One of the guards spoke up, "The lowland variety is at the far end of the garden, my lady. It'll take some time to retrieve it."
'This is bad....'
Cassandra quickly scanned their surroundings. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she spotted another plant just a few steps away.
"Wait," she said, pointing to the nearby flora. "That's a Moonshade Bloom. If we combine it with this mountain Silvermist Fern, it should work even more effectively."
She quickly moved to gather the Moonshade Bloom, her movements precise and purposeful. As she returned to Zafron's side, she examined his arm closely. A faint dark vein was visible, creeping up from his hand, but its progress was remarkably slow.
"This is surprising," Cassandra mused, a hint of relief in her voice. "The poison isn't spreading as quickly as it should. That's very good news – it gives us more time."
With that, she applied the plant mixture she had crushed to Zafron's wounds, a sizzling sound filled the air. She continued despite seeing the black substance begin to ooze from the cuts.
'How did I get so lucky? Here she is, tending to me with such care and skill. The way her hands move, so gentle yet confident. And the concern in her eyes... it's more than just a employer's worry. I can feel how much she cares, how much she wants me to be okay.
It's in every touch, every glance.' Zafron thought as he watched her tend his wounds.
Cassandra glanced up at Zafron's face, expecting to see signs of discomfort or pain. The process was known to be excruciating, even for the toughest people. But to her surprise, Zafron's expression remained calm, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
Cassandra was shocked as she continued her work.
'This doesn't make any sense. He should be writhing in agony right now. The pain is said to be unbearable, yet he's sitting there as if I'm applying a cool salve on a minor scrape.'
She met Zafron's eyes again, searching for any hint of distress. Instead, she found only warmth and what appeared to be amusement in his gaze.
'He's not just enduring it; he seems completely unaffected. He is such a brave man.'
Just then, the guard who had left to fetch the medical kit came running back, slightly out of breath. He dropped the kit beside them, and Cassandra immediately opened it.
"Just in time," she said, pulling out some drugs and clean bandages. She began cleaning the black substance oozing from Zafron's wounds.
Once she had finished, Cassandra looked at Zafron with concern. "How are you feeling now?"
Zafron took a deep breath. "Much better, thank you. The pain is subsiding."
One of the older guards stepped forward, admiration clear in his voice. "That was incredible work, young man. Taking down a Sylphflare is no small feat."
Another guard nodded in agreement. "They're a real menace when disturbed. Last season, one killed Garrett, one of our most experienced guards."
"Aye," the first guard added solemnly. "We've been trying to figure out how to deal with them safely for months. And you just... well, you did what none of us could."
Zafron looked a bit embarrassed by the praise. "I... I just reacted. I couldn't let it harm anyone."
Cassandra smiled at him, pride evident in her eyes. "Well, your quick thinking saved lives today, Zafron. You should be proud."
The younger guard who had brought the medical kit chimed in, "If you ever want to switch careers, I'm sure the garden security team would be glad to have you!"
This elicited a chuckle from the group, breaking the remaining tension.
As Cassandra finished cleaning Zafron's wounds, she helped him to his feet. "How about we get you somewhere more comfortable? You've certainly earned a rest."
Zafron nodded gratefully, leaning slightly on Cassandra for support while Lucien stood by the side and watched. As they began to move away, the guards again expressed their thanks and admiration.
"Thank you again, truly," the older guard said. "The garden owes you a debt of gratitude."
As they walked away, Cassandra spoke softly to Zafron, "You know, when I brought you here, I didn't expect you to become the garden's hero. You're full of surprises, aren't you?"
Zafron managed a small smile. "Just doing my job, my lady. Though I have to admit, this wasn't quite what I had in mind for a peaceful garden stroll."
As Zafron, Cassandra, and Lucien made their way out of the garden, whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd of onlookers.
"Did you see that? He fought off that creature single-handedly!"
"Such bravery... I've never seen anything like it."
Zafron tried to ignore the attention, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. 'The healing process of this system is incredible. It even suppressed the effects of the poison. It's amazing.'
Lucien cleared his throat awkwardly. "I suppose I should... thank you," he said, the words seemingly difficult for him to voice. "For saving my life back there."
Zafron nodded curtly, noticing Lucien's lack of apology for disturbing the creature's nest in the first place.
Lucien stared at Zafron again. 'Even though you saved my life, I still don't like you. For some reason, she seems even more concerned about you. I wonder what is really going on here.'
As they reached the cart, Cassandra immediately began examining his wounds once again while Lucien sat silently in the corner, avoiding eye contact.
"These cuts are deep," Cassandra muttered, her brow furrowed with concern. "But don't worry, I have something at home that will help them heal faster."
She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It works the same way as my cooling mechanism."
A smile tugged at Zafron's lips. "Is that so?" he murmured back. "Well, now I can't wait to get home."
Cassandra's eyes twinkled as she replied, "Just hold on a little longer. We'll have you patched up in no time."
Lucien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly feeling out of place in the conversation between Zafron and Cassandra.
"Right then," Lucien said abruptly. "Shall we get moving? I'm sure we all want to put this... incident behind us."
Zafron and Cassandra shared a look before Cassandra called out to the driver, "We're ready to go!"