Nanashi offered with a shrug, "Why don't you just give her to me?"
"Huh?"
Nanashi crouched beside the dragon girl and casually flicked one of her horns. The more he touched, the more he seemed to enjoy it.
"I'm quite fond of beastfolk girls, and I already have someone at home who went down a dark path once. I've got plenty of experience taking in strays."
"Uhh..."
Frostnova and the others didn't know how to respond.
They didn't want to say it, but his request was... kind of weird.
"No, she's our leader—" the Crownslayer suddenly stirred, panicked, shouting hoarsely.
"Zip it, little Hyena."
Nanashi flicked her forehead with a snap.
Thud.
Crownslayer flopped backward and fell into a peaceful sleep.
Nanashi sighed, rubbing his temple, then turned to Amiya. "Take this girl back and teach her some manners. There's a misunderstanding between her and your dear Queen Mother Kai. Just tell her one thing: Riddler, get out of Terra!"
"Huh?"
Amiya blinked in confusion.
Queen Mother Kai?
Who the heck was that?
"Ahem."
Ace cleared his throat and leaned in with a whisper. "He means Doctor Kal'tsit."
"Doctor Kal'tsit?!" Amiya exclaimed.
"Queen Mother Kai... it has a strange ring to it, but somehow it fits," Dobermann muttered, trying not to smirk.
Even Ceobe gave a thoughtful nod. "Doctor Kal'tsit does tend to speak in riddles. I've never been good with cryptic people."
"Ahaha... maybe it's because she knows too much. That's why her words always sound so confusing," Amiya added, awkwardly defending Kal'tsit.
Then she turned back, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "Mr. Nanashi... are you familiar with Dr. Kal'tsit?"
"Not at all," Nanashi replied flatly.
"…"
Amiya was left speechless.
"Just hand Tallulah over to me," he continued. "I won't mistreat her."
He turned to FrostNova and Patriot. "Your oripathy is severe. FrostNova, you won't last much longer if this keeps up. I can help with that."
He pointed down at Tallulah.
"She's a sinner, her future's basically gone. But maybe, just maybe, she'll find a new path with me."
"Think about it—trade her future for yours."
"???"
Everyone present was stunned.
Did he just say he could cure Oripathy?
In this world, Oripathy was widely known—feared, even.
Terrans exposed to Originium or its derivatives for too long often contracted it. Inhaling its dust, or even a minor scratch from a shard, could be fatal.
Those infected—those whose bodies fused with Originium—were the "infected."
Oripathy enhanced one's ability to wield arts, but it was a double-edged sword.
As the crystals grew inside and outside the body, pain worsened. Power increased, but at a deadly cost.
Eventually, the body gave out.
The infected would die, becoming a new source of contamination.
So far, no cure existed.
Research had continued for years, but progress was slow—and full of despair.
Even within Rhodes Island, the most they could do to suppress oripathy was rely on an oripathy blocker—and even that had limited effectiveness.
To cure oripathy? It sounded like pure fantasy.
Nanashi wasn't the type to waste time with explanations.
By the time the others processed what was happening, he was already standing in front of FrostNova.
With a casual wave of his hand, a sharp pain shot through FrostNova's body.
Then, unexpectedly, two warm hands gently cupped her cheeks.
The pain vanished instantly.
"Your face is a little cold," Nanashi teased.
Only then did FrostNova realize she could feel warmth—real body heat.
Because of her Originium abilities, her body had always been cold.
And just as she began to savor the sensation—it was gone.
"All right, your oripathy has been cured," Nanashi said, withdrawing his hands. "And not just that—I've also restored your body, which was on the verge of collapse from the decay caused by the Originium crystals."
"You're in excellent condition now."
He paused for a moment, then added with a small grin, "And here's the best part—you'll never get oripathy again."
He hadn't just cured FrostNova—he had erased the phenomenon of oripathy from her entirely. If he could eliminate it from an entire area, doing so for an individual was child's play.
FrostNova blinked, raising both hands to her cheeks in disbelief.
"It's... warm," she murmured.
"Big Sister! That's amazing—your oripathy is gone!" someone in the Yeti Squad cheered.
Their joy was genuine. They knew better than anyone how much FrostNova had suffered.
Because of her disease and her Originium powers, she had never been able to feel warmth—not until now.
"Mr. Nanashi, The Wendigo offers you his deepest respect and eternal gratitude," said the Patriot, giving a formal and heartfelt military salute.
FrostNova was like a daughter to him.
"Tch," Nanashi muttered. "Some people's words are like phlegm... but yours are like raw Originium. Seriously uncomfortable."
With a dismissive flick of his hand, another golden light burst forth.
A moment later, Patriot doubled over in sudden pain.
His body was full of Originium crystals, and their abrupt disappearance was destabilizing. For a moment, he felt like he might fall apart entirely.
But even in agony, Patriot stood tall, unmoved.
The pain passed quickly—just as fast as it had come.
He opened his mouth in astonishment, feeling the crystals in his throat gone.
He had been healed.
He didn't understand how—but the oripathy was gone.
"…"
A long silence followed.
Everyone watched him expectantly.
Then Patriot's eyes glinted red. He cleared his throat and said:
"Your treatment doesn't seem to require touching the patient's face."
Perfectly clear. Perfectly coherent.
And immediately, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Nanashi replied in a straight tone, "Even if I can't take credit for curing oripathy, I still worked hard. Can't I at least touch a pretty girl's face as a bonus?"
"Hmm!" FrostNova blushed furiously, feeling her cheeks heat up for the first time in her life.
The Patriot glanced at her, her ears perked up like a startled animal. With a sigh, he finally said, "Thank you."
Nanashi nodded. "Good. Then the deal's sealed. I'm taking Tallulah with me."
Just then, a sarcastic voice rang out.
"Well, well. Isn't that Leader Tallulah? Haven't seen her in a while—why does she look so miserable now?"
Emerging from the ruins with her trademark smug grin was Scout—the foul-mouthed Merica cockroach—and behind him, several Rhode Island members.
"Scout!" Ace called out in shock, eyes wide.
For a second, he'd feared the worst.
Scout, calm as ever, raised a hand in greeting, sniper rifle slung across his back.
He looked around in confusion. "Okay, what the hell happened here? Why does this look like a sudden peace talk?"
Then his eyes widened in alarm. He pointed ahead and shouted, "Wait, what the hell—he's gone! And Tallulah's gone too!"
Everyone turned to look.
Nanashi had disappeared. And so had Tallulah.
"Ahahaha," Lemuel laughed sheepishly. "Nanashi said he had three mouths at home waiting to be fed. Guess he was in a hurry."
Later…
Actually, Nanashi had been wrong.
He thought he had three people waiting.
Turns out, there were four—including Kanao.
Well, no matter. He'd just feed them all.
Once the cooking, cleanup, and care were done…
Nanashi finally asked about what had happened with Kanao.
Kanae explained.
Shortly after Nanashi left, she heard a commotion outside the door.
Curious, she went to investigate—only to find Kanao awkwardly mimicking everything Kanae had done earlier.
After a bit of questioning, it became clear: Kanao wanted to grow closer to Nanashi.
So that's how things turned out the way they did.
Nanashi didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
He had worked nonstop from morning to night for these girls.
After some affection and care, he made the decision to leave again.
But before going—
He transformed Kanao into an angel and taught her both Haki and Rokushiki.
And on top of that…
He left five Senzu Beans with Shinobu, just in case anything went wrong.
Back at Rhodes Island…
In her office, Kal'tsit reread the mission report from Amiya and the team.
The entire operation to rescue the Doctor had been pulled off amid a violent uprising led by the infected.
The city had shut down.
Natural disasters struck.
And yet, the Doctor was rescued—without a single casualty.
Even more shocking—
Amiya had managed to recruit three of Reunion's captains… and capture a fourth, the Crownslayer.
FrostNova. Patriot. Scout.
Especially Patriot—the last pure-blooded Wendigo.
Someone even Kal'tsit respected.
And at the center of it all… was a man named Nanashi.
The two pairs of wings—one black, one gold—belonged to neither a Sarkaz nor a Liberi.
What surprised Kal'tsit most was what Amiya had personally heard from this mysterious figure:
He was human—just like the Doctor.
But what shocked her even more was what he had done.
He had effortlessly dispelled a natural disaster.
And with nothing but an ordinary dagger, he had slain the immortal black serpent residing within Tallulah, leader of Reunion.
As an immortal herself, Kal'tsit was well aware of the existence of other immortals.
But this? This was different.
According to Amiya's account:
"Mr. Nanashi carries enough evil to engulf the world, yet also holds a hope powerful enough to shake it. He's a very good person."
Kal'tsit ignored the subjective praise. What mattered more was the tangible power Amiya had witnessed.
Nanashi had appeared out of nowhere, and just as suddenly, he vanished—taking Tallulah with him.
What was his purpose?
She shifted through several reports until two caught her attention—medical reports on FrostNova and Patriot.
That's when her unease deepened.
The two reports shared identical results in the most crucial categories:
[Somatic Cell and Originium Fusion Rate]: 0%
Amiya had said Nanashi cured both of their oripathy.
She was right.
There wasn't a single Originium crystal left in either of their bodies.
The fusion rate between their somatic cells and Originium was a perfect zero.
From terminally infected to perfectly healthy humans.
But the next data point was even more astonishing:
[Originium Blood Crystal Density]: 0.000 u/L
Zero.
Even after enhancing the measurement precision to a single decimal and using the most sensitive detection methods available—there wasn't the slightest trace of Originium left.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Not in a land where Originium particles float invisibly in the air at all times.
Just by breathing, people absorb Originium.
Even the deep-sea hunters like Skadi—who are naturally resistant—can't achieve a reading of zero.
So Kal'tsit ordered additional tests.
Eventually, they made a discovery:
FrostNova and the Patriot were breathing.
But the Originium particles entering their bodies simply vanished.
No... not vanished.
More like—
Kal'tsit murmured under her breath, "The Originium is being killed inside them…"
Student Council Room
Three days had passed since the incident with Parallel Dimension.
Kaguya stood before Nanashi, reporting the day's events as usual.
And though her tone remained calm and composed, Nanashi couldn't help but sense a new kind of tenderness from her.
"President," Kaguya said, "aside from the earlier reports, there's one more thing—several new transfer students have arrived."
"Transfer students? Now?" Nanashi raised a brow.
Winter break was just around the corner—barely two or three weeks away. Why transfer now, instead of waiting for the new semester?
"Mmhm." Kaguya nodded softly. Seeing that Nanashi's teacup was nearly empty, she gently refilled it without a word.
"Waaah! Everyone's here!"
The door creaked open and Chika peeked in cautiously before stepping inside, holding a deck of cards in her hands.
"I found a new game! Let's all play together!"
Clink.
Nanashi's teacup trembled in his hand.
Kaguya's smile froze slightly.
Yukino's fingers drifted mid-keystroke.
All three of them stared at Chika.
A silent question passed between them: Are you serious right now?
"Ah…"
Chika's memory finally caught up with her—she recalled the last time they played a game together. The mortifying defeat. The... trauma.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead—even though it didn't exist.
"Th-this one should be fine... right?"
They played, cautiously.
To everyone's surprise...
The game Chika brought this time really was fine.
If it hadn't been, Chika might've developed full-blown PTSD from games.