Chapter 22: Clueless Seele and Angry Natasha
"You still haven't answered me. Why are you naked in public?"
Lucian gazed at the distant stone wall, his tone carrying a hint of reproach as he asked Seele.
Behind him came the sound of someone hurriedly putting on clothes.
"I-I don't know what happened, okay?" Seele replied in a tense voice. "My clothes just vanished on their own! I'm not an exhibitionist!"
Needless to say, this answer confirmed it.
Lucian finally realized that Seele had indeed been affected by Disarm.
As for the reason, he guessed it was related to Seele's photo.
'Could it be that if I use Disarm on a picture of someone, the effect will also hit the actual person in the picture?'
If that was true, he could make enemies lose face from light-years away.
More importantly, if he used Disarm on an Aeon, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen.
"Alright, you can turn around now."
Seele spoke softly, patting Lucian on the shoulder.
Once Lucian turned, he saw a shy girl.
At this moment, Seele's face was bright red as she wore fresh clothes, which strangely made her radiate a unique beauty.
"Umu, this is the Seele I know."
Lucian nodded, joking with a smile.
"Let's hurry up and go." Seele, her face still red, grabbed his sleeve. "Seriously, this place is too creepy."
She truly was scared.
What if her clothes exploded again?
What if Lucian's clothes did as well?
Wouldn't they end up completely exposed to each other?
Seele was, in the end, still an innocent girl.
Even though her temper was a bit fierce, Seele still had the sense of shame typical of a teenage girl.
"By the way, what just happened, don't you dare tell anyone else..." Seele continued, biting her lower lip. "Remember, this is our secret, so you must take it to your grave, or else I'll—"
"I'll what?"
Lucian interrupted Seele, raising his eyebrows.
"I'll... I'll get mad!"
Seele exclaimed, gritting her teeth in frustration.
Seeing her frustrated expression, Lucian found it pretty funny, like he was teasing a kitten.
Still, it was better not to tell her the truth, or this little kitten might explode.
"You're an amazing guy, so do you know why this happened?" Seele suddenly asked. "Does everyone who goes through there end up losing their clothes?"
Lucian paused for a moment before answering her.
"It was probably caused by energy leakage and rising temperatures. Well, there was some quantum entanglement in certain areas, so maybe that's why your clothes exploded."
He made up a random explanation on the spot.
In any case, he knew that Seele was clueless about science, so it was not hard to fool her.
"I see... Mm, so that's how it is..." Seele nodded repeatedly. "Well, that's some deep stuff. I don't get it, but if you say so, that's gotta be true."
She then grabbed Lucian's sleeve again and pulled him along.
"I can't explain it well, so come with me and tell Nat about it."
Lucian did not resist Seele dragging him away.
He actually enjoyed seeing her so full of energy, but while Seele was easy to fool, Natasha was not.
===
Meanwhile, inside Natasha's clinic, a girl lay on the sickbed, barely alive.
Not only was part of her skull sunken in, but there was also a hole in her head, still bleeding.
Natasha was doing everything she could to stop the bleeding, but no matter what she did, the blood would not stop gushing out.
"Why... Why won't it stop..."
At this moment, she was drenched in sweat, not daring to pause for even a second.
She had studied medicine in the Overworld since she was a child, and in order to save more people, she had come alone to the Underworld and become the only doctor here.
She truly wanted to save everyone, but now, she could do nothing about such a grave injury.
As for what had happened to the barely alive girl, she had been struck by falling ore, and judging from the wound, there might even be fragments lodged in her skull.
It was already a miracle that she could be brought here alive.
"I can't do anything..."
A sense of powerlessness filled Natasha from head to toe.
As a doctor, watching a patient die in front of her and being utterly helpless was pure despair.
"You've done enough."
A gentle voice suddenly sounded behind her.
Before Natasha could turn around, a larger hand reached out and rested on the back of her hand.
In the next moment, a faint green glow appeared.
It felt as if boundless vitality was being channeled into her palm.
Soon, a miracle happened.
Right before her eyes, the girl's wound stopped bleeding at first, then her sunken skull began to recover, and the terrifying hole in her head closed up.
Seeing such a miraculous scene, Natasha was dumbfounded.
Only then did she see whose hand it was.
Who else but Lucian?
She never expected that, at her most desperate moment, Lucian would appear once again and give her hope.
What shocked her even more was that someone like him, whose status could be said to be noble, was actually willing to save the life of a complete stranger himself.
A few minutes later, the girl had fully recovered, and her breathing had become steady and strong.
Now, all her wounds had vanished, thanks to the power of Abundance that could heal and save lives with ease. As long as there was still a breath left, Lucian could bring someone back from the brink of death.
Natasha checked the girl carefully and, upon confirming that the girl was completely healthy, finally felt at ease.
She let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and then gave Lucian her usual elusive smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Lucian."
It went without saying that this thank-you came straight from her heart.
"Why thank me?" Lucian smiled and gently shook his head. "Being able to save a child makes me happy too."
Hearing this, Natasha truly saw him as the good guy Seele said he was—a hero who should not be doubted.
Thinking back to what she had said to Seele before, Natasha felt like a terrible person for suspecting Lucian's motives.
How bad could someone willing to save others really be?
Now, she felt Seele had a clearer view of things than she did.
"In any case, if you need anything, Mr. Lucian, just let me know. I'll do my best to help."
As she spoke, Natasha poured Lucian a glass of water.
Lucian had to admit, this doctor was indeed beautiful, especially her bosom—they were truly dazzling!
Even with thick clothes, they could not be hidden.
Any man meeting her for the first time would be drawn straight to her bosom.
Moreover, her figure was just right—curves where there should be curves, and slim where she should be slim.
If she took off her clothes, she would absolutely be even more stunning.
'Damn this stray thought. Blame my vigorous and youthful body.'
Remembering his purpose, Lucian quickly shook his head and pushed aside these stray thoughts.
"I'm here to see Svarog and to check on you while I'm at it." Lucian said with a serious expression. "I don't have any special requests—oh, but there's one thing..."
He patted Natasha on the shoulder and took out a drawing.
"Hook asked me to come marry you, and also told me to keep you in line."
"..."
Natasha could not believe her ears.
Looking at the drawing in Lucian's hand, she could tell at a glance it was definitely Hook's signature abstract drawing style.
'Oh, that mischievous kid... trying to set me up behind my back?'
Natasha thought, a vein bulging on her forehead, but she quickly calmed herself.
"Fufu, sorry you had to experience this, Mr. Lucian. Kids say the silliest things."
She was clearly annoyed, but out of respect for Lucian, she did not explode and kept smiling.
"Please wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
Natasha's smile was cold and fake as she walked to the corner, grabbed Hook's mining claw, and headed toward the clinic's exit.
"By the way, it was Sampo who taught Hook to do that."
Lucian quickly added as soon as Natasha stepped out of the clinic.
===
At the same time, in a shabby tavern, a man with dark blue hair suddenly felt his hand tremble as he held a glass of booze.
"Huh? Why do I feel like something bad's about to happen?"