Once outside the treatment room, several town guards approached with notebooks in hand, their expressions serious but respectful.
"Excuse us." One guard began, his uniform crisp despite the early hour. "Could you answer some questions about where you found Ven?"
Reinhard met the guard's eyes with a smile. "We found him near the woods. The wounds might have been from a Phantasm Beast or wild animals."
The crowd that had gathered outside the clinic erupted in various reactions. Some residents shook their heads with obvious concern, while others clenched their fists in anger at the thought of beasts injuring one of their own.
A few stood silently, their faces grim as they processed the news, and others trembled in slight horror.
"Which area near the woods specifically?" Another guard pressed, pen poised over his notebook.
"We checked all around," Reinhard replied. "Started from the west and moved in a circle around the perimeter."
A third guard tilted his head. "Why did you search outside the town rather than within it?"
"Anasha told me you and everyone in town had already checked mostly everywhere before the mayor put a stop to it."
One person in the crowd nodded with a sigh. "Ah, so it was little Anasha who asked you to help."
"Were there any signs of Phantasm Beasts in the area where you found him?" The first guard continued.
Reinhard shook his head. "None in the immediate area. But I think Ven may have been attacked deeper in the forest and managed to escape before passing out closer to town."
The crowd's expressions grew more troubled at this explanation. Several people grimaced while the guards frowned, some sighing heavily and others shifting uncomfortably in their positions.
"It seems we'll need to wait for Ven to wake up to learn the full situation." One guard concluded with a bit of hesitation while frowning.
"Can you let us talk to him first?" Reinhard requested. "He should be more open since we were the last people he saw and might feel more comfortable with strangers."
Someone in the crowd nodded. "And he might feel less embarrassed talking to outsiders than to us who know him well."
Another person pouted. "Does he think we'll tease him about this?"
"Won't we?" A voice came from the back.
This exchange caused several guards' lips to twitch with suppressed amusement while others sighed at the townspeople's honesty.
"Sure." The lead guard decided. "We'll speak with him after you do, when he's ready. We hope you can share what he tells you with us."
Reinhard nodded. "Of course."
Once the questioning concluded, crowd members approached to thank them personally for finding Ven. One woman asked if they had informed Leafa yet, while another mentioned she would probably be rushing to the clinic soon.
The guards began gently but firmly dispersing the crowd while one asked if Reinhard's group wished to remain at the clinic.
"We'll stay," Reinhard said. "We need to ask Ven about what attacked him so we can deal with it properly."
The guards nodded approvingly, with one offering additional thanks before they departed with the last of the crowd.
Once they were alone, Joseph voiced the question that had been bothering him. "Why did we sneak out and lie about where we found Ven? Are you suspicious of the guards?"
Reinhard shook his head. "We don't know what hurt Ven yet. Telling the truth might lead others to explore that area and get hurt themselves."
Joseph's expression cleared with understanding. "That's a good point. Especially those angry townspeople, I saw some who looked ready to rush out immediately and hunt down whatever monsters hurt him."
"And that's what worries me. It's why I wanted us to sneak through the burnt district, so none of them decided to explore." Reinhard said with a sigh.
"Ahh, they would have realized Ven got hurt down below and rushed down." Joseph says, leading Reinhard to slightly frown.
Marie laughed softly. "I can't blame them. It just shows how much they care for one another."
Both Reinhard and Joseph smiled at her observation and nodded in agreement.
The clinic's front door burst open as Leafa rushed in, tears streaming down her face. "Where is Ven?" She cried out desperately while looking all around.
Marie quickly moved to intercept her, placing gentle hands on the distraught mother's shoulders. "He's being treated by the doctor right now. Miss Leafa, the only thing we can do is wait."
Leafa's legs seemed to give out at these words, but Marie caught her before she could fall. Then, through the doorway came Anasha with a pale face filled with worry and gripping her dress. While a tall man with black hair, blue eyes, and looks that strongly resembled Ven walked behind her, it was Raphael.
Anasha's head quickly moves from left to right frantically. "Is Ven okay? I saw the crowd's looks, and they weren't willing to say anything! Don't tell me-"
Reinhard moved to her side and gently stroked her hair. "It's not what you're thinking right now, don't worry. Ven just lost some blood, and the doctors are helping him recover right now."
Anasha trembled, tears gathering in her blue eyes. "Are you sure? You're not making it up to make me feel better?"
Reinhard smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Everything will be fine. Why don't you come sit with me while we wait for Ven to be treated and wake up?"
Anasha bit her lip before nodding slowly, allowing him to guide her to one of the cushioned seats.
Rapheal sighed deeply and turned to address the three Inquisitors. "The crowd outside said you found him. Thank you so much… Words can't express our gratitude."
Joseph smiled warmly. "It's fine. We promised Anasha we would find him, and we're just happy we succeeded."
"You Inquisitors really are amazing," Rapheal said with a grin while rubbing the back of Leafa, who quickly turned and dove into his arm.
Reinhard helped Anasha settle into her seat before responding. "The amazing one is Ven. He seemed to have been hurt but pushed through the pain to make his way back home to you three."
At these words, Rapheal, Leafa, and Anasha's eyes widened. They began trembling slightly before nodding slowly, clearly moved by the thought of Ven's determination to return to them.
Two long hours passed in waiting.
Leafa paced the small waiting area while Rapheal held Anasha, who dozed off against her father's shoulder. Marie and Joseph sat quietly, while Reinhard kept watch by the window and was lost in a daze at how familiar this situation felt.
But any images that tried to surface, he threw away, not wishing to go down memory lane.
Finally, the doctor emerged wearing a smile that immediately brightened the entire room. "You can come in now. Ven's condition is stable, and he just needs rest to recover fully."
Relief flooded the faces of Leafa, Rapheal, Anasha, and Marie, while Joseph and Reinhard smiled with satisfaction. All of them headed into the treatment room where Ven lay sleeping peacefully. The boy looked pale but peaceful on the hospital bed, with white bandages wrapped around his waist. His family moved to stand around the bed with Leafa gently caressing Ven's face and Rapheal rubbing his hair.
While Reinhard paused to speak quietly with the doctor. "We were in such a rush we couldn't examine him properly," Reinhard said. "Where exactly was the wound?"
The doctor pointed to the bandaged area. "Around his waist, holes were pierced through his side. Based on the wound pattern, it was likely Werefangs that thrust their hands through his side."
Reinhard frowned slightly but nodded as one part, he could imagine Ven running while being chased by Werefangs. And the other part, he was wondering why it just injured him?
After the doctor left them alone, Ven stirred and released a soft groan before slowly opening his eyes.
Anasha was the first to notice before she immediately threw herself onto her brother and cried out. "Ven! You big dummy! Do you know how worried I was?"
Leafa quickly moved to lift Anasha off him. "Be careful, Ana. He's still injured."
Anasha pouted indignantly. "It's his fault for making me worry!"
Ven chuckled weakly. "Sorry, Ana. I made you worry a lot, didn't I?"
Rapheal smiled and gently stroked his son's hair. "You made everyone worry. The entire town turned upside down looking for you."
Ven's cheeks flushed with embarrassment while the others chuckled at his reaction. Anasha snorted as she crossed her arms while glaring lightly at Ven.
"How are you feeling?" Leafa asked in concern, leading Ven to furrow his brows.
"I had the strangest dreams while I was unconscious," Ven said quietly. "I kept seeing Ana calling for me, but I couldn't reach her."
Anasha frowned at this but perked up when Ven smiled at her and mouthed silent words that only she knew.
Marie stepped closer to the bed. "Speaking of Anasha, you should know she was incredibly worried about you. She had nightmares about beasts attacking you and not being able to help."
Joseph nodded. "It was actually her concern that pushed us to search for you in the first place. Without her, we might not have started looking when we did."
Anasha buried her face against her father's shoulder, embarrassed by the attention but clearly touched by their words.
Ven reached out weakly and touched his sister's hand. "I'm sorry I scared you, Ana. I never meant to put you through that… And thank you for worrying about me, it's because of you that I was saved."
"I don't care about that… Just promise you won't disappear again." Anasha mumbled without lifting her head.
"I promise." Ven said softly, squeezing her fingers gently.
Reinhard watched the family reunion with a warm smile, though his mind drifted back to what the doctor had told him about Ven's wounds.