Chapter 5

Ella's hand paused over the crushed herbs. She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second and mentally slammed her finger onto the golden Purchase button.

[Transaction complete. Deducting all Animosity Points, ] Lex Cantor stated flatly.

A faint, almost invisible shimmer of light flashed inside the wide, bell-shaped sleeve of her vintage dress. A cold, heavy object materialized against her forearm.

It was a sterile, modern syringe, filled with a glowing, neon-blue liquid.

Ella opened her eyes. She scooped up a handful of the bitter, dirt-filled herb paste. She turned around, deliberately positioning her body to completely block Daulton and Kevan's line of sight.

She knelt beside Cordaro. She pretended to smear the messy green paste over the horrific wound on his chest.

Under the cover of her own body and the thick paste, she slid the syringe down her sleeve into her palm. She found the thick jugular vein pulsing weakly at the side of Cordaro's neck.

Without a moment's hesitation, she drove the needle in.

The cold steel pierced his skin. Cordaro, deep in his coma, let out a muffled groan of agony. His massive body jerked upward, fighting the intrusion.

Hearing the groan, Daulton lost his mind. He lunged forward, his claws extending from his fingertips.

Kevan caught him around the waist, tackling him to the floor and holding him back with all his remaining strength.

Ella's thumb pushed the plunger down flawlessly. The blue serum vanished into Cordaro's bloodstream. She pulled the needle out and instantly slapped a thick glob of muddy herb paste directly over the puncture mark, erasing all physical evidence of the injection.

The entire process took less than three seconds. It was the muscle memory of a trauma vet.

She slipped the empty syringe back up her sleeve and stood up.

The effects of the System's serum were instantaneous and terrifyingly powerful.

Cordaro's skin, which had been burning up with fever, began to cool visibly. The rapid, wet rattling in his lungs smoothed out into deep, steady breaths.

Most shocking of all, the edges of the deep, festering whip marks on his chest stopped oozing yellow pus. The raw meat began to knit together, forming thick, healthy scabs right before their eyes.

Daulton stopped fighting Kevan. He went entirely limp, staring at his brother's chest. He rubbed his eyes with his fists, convinced he was hallucinating.

Kevan's jaw dropped. He knew exactly what Blood-Stop weed did. It stopped bleeding. It did not regrow flesh and cure sepsis in ten seconds. This was impossible.

Ella looked down at their stunned faces.

She knew she couldn't take credit for this. If she suddenly possessed god-like healing powers, they would know she wasn't the real Ella Ortiz. She would be exposed as a transmigrator, and in this superstitious world, she'd be burned at the stake.

She needed a scapegoat.

Ella let out a loud, dramatic scoff. She crossed her arms, twisting her face into a mask of bitter jealousy.

"Don't look so surprised," she spat. "I mixed a vial of my dear stepsister's Holy Water into the herbs. Kendra's little parlor tricks are the only reason this worthless piece of meat isn't rotting in the dirt."

Kendra Klein. The Oracle. The beloved Saintess of the valley.

At the mention of Kendra's name, Kevan's eyes darkened. A complex, unreadable emotion flashed across his face.

But Daulton swallowed the lie completely. In this world, only the Saintess possessed the power of miraculous healing. It made perfect sense.

The tiny, fragile seed of gratitude that had started to sprout in Daulton's heart instantly withered and died. He didn't owe Ella anything. The Saintess had saved his brother.

Ella watched Daulton's expression harden. She felt a sharp twinge of annoyance at giving that two-faced Saintess the credit, but it kept her safe.

She kicked the heavy trailing ends of the iron chains pooled on the floor. The loud clatter made both men jump.

"Since your brother isn't going to die and ruin my carpet," Ella snapped at Daulton, "get out of here. Go clean the stables. Every single stall. If I see a speck of dirt, I'll whip you myself."

Daulton clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together. He looked at Cordaro's steadily rising chest. For the first time since she woke up, Daulton didn't argue. He gave a stiff, jerky nod and bolted from the cell.

Ella turned to Kevan. Her eyes dropped to his hands. The cuts were still bleeding sluggishly.

She needed more points.

"You," she commanded coldly. "Follow me to my study. You got your filthy blood on my dress. I'm going to punish you properly."

Kevan's body gave a violent tremor. He knew what happened in her study. But he lowered his head, hiding his eyes.

"Yes, Master."

Ella turned and walked out of the dungeon. As she hit the stairs, the System chimed again, letting her know new items were available in the shop.