Chapter 128: The Snake-Sleep Wonder Drug

“Do you remember the wine brewed from snake-sleep fruit, Jeff?” Millia suddenly asked me, holding the two exquisite and precious medicine bottles in her hands.

“Yes, its taste was very special.” I did not know what she was getting at.

Millia did not seem to care much about my answer. I guessed that she was mostly using these questions that had nothing to do with Roll to help herself calm down, so that she could make the right decision.

“Oh, special in what way? I think you must know. Perhaps you are the only one who would understand.”

“It…” I did not want to talk about such things at a moment like this, but Millia looked very tense. Perhaps it would be better for me to do as she said.

“Its taste was sharp, and its aftertaste lingered long. It was one of the best wines I have ever drunk. But… I cannot quite say. I always felt that I was fooled by it. Perhaps its real taste was not like that at all; it merely deceived my tongue. This feeling… it was very strange, very… hard to understand…” I tried my best to recall how I had felt when I drank deeply that night, answering somewhat incoherently. After that night, when I came to my senses from the wine’s wonderful flavor, I always felt that something was off. The wine’s fragrance was so rich that it seemed unreal, as if it were directly stimulating my tongue and throat while bypassing the delicate sense of taste I took pride in.

Millia finally smiled, with a hint of surprise and admiration in it. “You are right, Jeff. That is how it should be. Actually, this wine does not have many special qualities at all. The reason it is so different is that snake-sleep fruit contains some ingredients we do not know about, and these ingredients can produce a strong numbing effect. When you drink this wine, in fact, you are no longer able to tell its true taste. That is also why this wine gets people drunk more easily than other wines.”

“…Ever since Evlinna told me about the properties of this snake-sleep fruit, I have been studying it. I guessed that this fruit contained some kind of power ful numbing ingredient that could take effect quickly. Then, during the fermentation in the wine-making process, this numbing effect was not increased but was instead reduced.”

“This is the anesthetic I extracted. It can make Roll temporarily lose consciousness and feel nothing at all until the surgery is over. But…”

“But what?” Rodrick asked urgently.

“…This anesthetic is extremely powerful. If the dose is too large, it will cause Roll’s nerves and respiratory system to completely stop functioning, which can also lead to death. I have never tested this medicine before, and I do not know what the right dose is. If an accident really happens, then it will be…”

At this point, Millia looked at us with conflicted eyes and said slowly, word by word:

“Then it will be us who killed Roll with our own hands.”

My ears suddenly began to ring, and I could not hear anything anymore. I did not understand what a numbing ingredient was, nor did I know what nerves and the respiratory system were, and I understood even less why a medicine meant to keep a person from feeling pain could instead kill him. I only heard one sentence clearly: we killed Roll with our own hands. Those words were so heavy that I could hardly think at all.

If Roll died, if he died just like that, we would grieve, we would be sad, we would be angry, and we would pour all our hatred upon the Elves of Moonstream Forest who had harmed him. Then we would sink forever into memories and longing for our friend, weeping for his departing figure, just as we had done for Carlson and Riley.

But if we killed him with our own hands, then it would be completely different.

If it were like that, I did not know how enormous the pain we would face would be, but one thing was certain: it would surely be a weight that we could not bear. That overwhelming sense of guilt would drive us mad. It definitely would!

But if we did not try, if we gave up this only chance, Roll would surely die. I did not know whether we still had enough courage to watch him die before our own eyes. I suddenly felt that if he really died just like that, we would go mad all the same, because when we had the chance to save him, we had lost the courage to bear the responsibility of friendship.

We fell silent in our conflict, and in that silence, Roll was dying little by little.

“Do it, Millia. We must save him.” Finally, Fred spoke. He turned to us and said, “Do not say anything, my friends. Please accept my order and let me make this decision alone. This is my own decision. If… then let me bear the consequences alone.”

In the end, it was Fred again. He was always the one who made the final decision and bore the final responsibility.

After hearing his words, I suddenly felt a sense of relief, glad that I did not have to make such a difficult choice myself. But I immediately sank into deep self-blame, despising myself, condemning myself.

As I walked out of the room, I secretly glanced at Fred, who was standing by the bed in a daze. He had carried all the heavy emotions we had put down onto his own shoulders and was enduring the painful torment of waiting for the result. What he bore was a weight I could not even imagine. I wanted very much to help him, but there was nothing I could do.

Outside the room, Red Flame had somehow managed to calm Evlinna’s emotions. The foreign girl was telling him, in a halting voice, the course of what had happened. The brave Elf Knight remained silent at this moment, quietly listening to her tearful account:

“…We did not enter the forest. We only set up our tents outside it. Mr. Wilance noticed some red rocks exposed on the surface and looked very excited. As he struck them with a hammer and chisel, he shouted loudly, ‘Found it! Found it!’ We gathered around excitedly to look.”

“At that moment, an arrow shot out from Moonstream Forest and landed right in front of us. A female Elf walked out from the forest. She looked very beautiful, but also very terrifying. When she spoke, her voice was ice-cold, as if she had no feelings at all. She demanded to know what we were doing there and why we were coveting the Elves’ sacred territory.”

Hearing this, Red Flame’s brows furrowed slightly, and a flash of light appeared in his eye.

“Mr. Wilance told her that we had come to look for iron ore and had no intention of spying on the forest. But she said that everything here belonged to the Elves of Moonstream Forest and ordered us to leave at once. Her attitude was very arrogant, as if we were all her prisoners.”

“Roll was not very happy, but he did not show any hostility. He explained that we had not entered the actual Moonstream Forest and had no interest in the Elves at all. We were only staying here temporarily, and after we learned the things we wanted to know, we would leave at once.”

“That female Elf interrupted him before he could finish. She said he was a bloodthirsty one, an unclean human whose heart had been soaked in blood. For them to even approach Moonstream Forest was already a great sin. That she allowed us to keep our lives was already the limit of the Elves’ mercy. She did not seem to believe a single word Roll said and was convinced that we had sinister intentions toward them.”

“Roll was very angry. He said he would not accept any unreasonable order, and that he was carrying out a mission entrusted to him by his King and his friends, which was more important than the so-called ‘dignity of the Elves.’ He also told that Elf that she only thought of herself as noble; in his eyes, Elves were not a race superior to humans. What he said at that moment was wonderful. I had never heard Roll speak so well.”

“Roll’s words enraged the Elf. At the female Elf’s command, they launched an attack. Many arrows were shot out from the forest, and many people were injured, but no one had died at that time. Roll charged forward furiously and fought with the female Elf. He stabbed her in the shoulder, but he had already held back. We could all see that.”

“That unreasonable female Elf fled back into the forest, and then many Elf warriors carrying swords rushed out. They said that we had planned to harm them, and that was why we had stabbed the female Elf. But they were the ones who attacked first, were they not? It was clearly them.”

“More arrows were shot out, and people began to die. Roll ordered a retreat, and he led some soldiers to cover us from behind. Many Elves also died. Roll killed many Elves. He suffered many wounds and was covered in blood…”

“I was very worried and stood not far away waiting for him. He told me to leave quickly. But… but I could not do that. I had to watch him get out of danger. He… he was very angry. Suddenly, he rushed toward me and pushed me to the ground. When he stood up again, I saw an arrowhead sticking out of his right arm.”

“He shouted at me. I was very scared, so I… I started to run. The soldiers who had already protected Mr. Wilance away from the battlefield rushed back. When they dragged Roll back to a safe place, he had already become… become… become like this. I did not know what to do. We used every medicine we had on him, but nothing worked. At that time, we only wanted to hurry back here as fast as possible. Only by returning here could he be saved.”

“Many more soldiers died on the way back here. Roll woke up once. When he saw that I was all right, he was very happy. He said he had completed his mission and had not let down Fred’s trust. More importantly… more importantly…” At this point, Evlinna blushed and lowered her head, speaking in a very small voice:

“More importantly, he protected me…”

“The Elves really did all this?” Red Flame asked. His tone was very calm, so calm that it seemed unnatural. It reminded me of that oppressive, maddening calm before the storm on the Comet Sea back then.

Evlinna did not notice anything wrong. She nodded.

“That… that female Elf really did such a vile thing?” Red Flame’s tone still had not changed much, but his voice was clearly louder.

Evlinna nodded once again.

“Good… good… very good. So this is how the Elves’ dignity is protected. So the Elves are such a noble race. Hahaha…” Suddenly, Red Flame stood up and burst into wild, hysterical laughter. His voice trembled with complicated emotions, and his single eye blazed with anger. Then, all at once, he stood up, snatched off his helmet, revealing the pointed ears unique to his Elf race. He lowered his head and shouted loudly at Evlinna: “Tell me what you said is not true! They would not do this! You are lying! Tell me!”

The muscles on his face tightened into a knot, and he looked absolutely terrifying. Startled by this unexpected outburst, Evlinna shuddered. She looked at Red Flame’s ears, and the expression on her face gradually changed from fear and grief and anger into contempt and disdain.

“Roll is in there. He is in there.” Pointing at the wooden house, she answered loudly with tears on her face, showing not the slightest fear of the sturdy Elf warrior before her who wore twin blades at his waist. “Why do you not ask him? Ask your friend! Ask about the wounds on his body! Perhaps, perhaps you are so noble that you have never considered these lowly humans your friends. Your soldiers are right there. Why do you not ask them what happened? They experienced everything. Some of them died right there. Why do you not go and ask their corpses?”

Evlinna’s words were like a bellows that sucked all the strength out of Red Flame’s body. He sank to the ground in defeat and covered his eyes with his right hand, as if doing so would keep him from seeing the truths he did not wish to see. Tears streamed out from between his fingers like a spring of sorrow.

“Oh heavens…” Red Flame whispered in despair. “How could they do this? How could they do this again? I should have thought of it. I should have guessed it long ago…”

Hearing his words, I vaguely sensed something: why had he said “again”?

Suddenly, he stood up abruptly and shouted loudly in the difficult, profound language of the Elves. Although I understood a little of the Elvish language, I could not understand a single word he said. His voice traveled through the jungle like the wind, carrying a grief and regret so thick that it could hardly be dissolved.

He ran toward the stable, faster and faster. I guessed what he wanted to do and ran after him. In the stable, he found his mount—that extraordinary mule of remarkable spirit that had followed him for many years—and untied its reins. As he was leading his mount out of the stable, I blocked his way.

“Get out of my way. This is an Elf matter,” he said to me with a fierce glare in his eye and hatred in his voice.

“Never. This is a friend’s matter,” I answered firmly, holding my head high.

“I cannot just watch Roll end up like that and do nothing!” he shouted angrily.

“At least…” I lowered my voice, pressed down on the hand that held the reins, and said to him gently and softly, “…you should first find out how Roll is doing now…”

Red Flame was stunned. He stood there without saying a word. I took the reins from his hand, tied his mount back to the trough, and returned to his side. He seemed not to notice any of this. Even when I walked back in front of him, he still stood there expressionless, staring blankly ahead.

“Jeff…” He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and burst into loud sobs. This was the first time I had ever seen the brave Ranger so weak. His tears fell on my shoulders and wet my clothes. A brave man’s tears are always the hardest to soothe. I could do nothing but stand there quietly and let him weep weakly.

“…This is my fault. When I first heard about this, I did not stop it. Only I know just how proud the Elves really are. I should have stopped him. If anything happens to Roll, I will never forgive myself…”

“This is not your fault, Red Flame. It has nothing to do with you at all,” I comforted him. “Look, those soldiers are right there. Their friends died, and they were hurt. But look at their eyes—there is not a trace of blame toward you in them. Those Elves are those Elves, and you are you. We all know that very clearly. You have nothing to do with them.”

“No, Jeff, it does. You do not understand. You… do not understand…”

I could not bear to watch the always cheerful and forthright Elf warrior blame himself without end like this, so before he could finish speaking, I dragged him back to the front of the wooden house. By this time, the place was already crowded with people. Even Eckdin and Rotis, several Chieftains of the Lumburi Tribe who had received the news, had come as well.

Red Flame glanced at Evlinna, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over anyway. It was clear that he wanted to apologize to her for what had happened earlier. But before he could speak, Evlinna spoke to him first:

“I am sorry, Mr. Red Flame. I just heard from Poirot about your story. You are a remarkable warrior and a great friend. I should not have spoken to you like that. I… I was too agitated just now. Please… please forgive me…”

Red Flame froze there, not knowing how to respond. After a long while, he finally returned the greeting to Evlinna with the etiquette of the Elves and said softly, “I am sorry.” Then he crouched down beside the wooden house and did not say another word. Kelsey, who had just arrived, walked over, wrapped her arm around his right arm, and quietly stayed by his side.

Some of the doctors finished treating and bandaging the soldiers and went into the wooden house to help Millia with the dangerous surgery as much as they could. The wooden door was opened again and again. Basin after basin of warm water stained bright red with blood was carried out by Fred himself, and then he carried basin after basin of clean warm water back inside. We wanted to help him, but he refused in silence. We wanted to ask how Roll was doing, but looking at Fred’s grave face, no one had the courage to speak. Everything went on in a deathly silence.

The waiting made me anxious and uneasy. Every time Fred opened the wooden door, my heart pounded wildly, afraid that this time the one coming out would not be Fred, but Roll’s corpse. And every time the wooden door closed, I felt a wave of despair. The unpleasant sound of wood scraping against wood was especially harsh to the ears, like an ominous omen.

Evlinna clutched the sacred necklace in her palm, knelt on the ground, and silently prayed to her gods. Her devotion was heartbreaking. The native Chieftains, along with the native soldiers training in the camp, also followed behind their High Priest, knelt down, and prayed in silence, begging for safety for our friend, for the peerless brave warrior.

Dakla, who was usually the least able to stay calm, held his breath and stood guard at the door quietly like a stone statue. Beside him was Rodrick, who was just as quiet. Poirot nervously gripped Eliot’s hand and looked up at the empty sky above the wooden house. Perhaps the guide of the path of the dead could see the departing souls there.

Time passed in silence, and night came. In the entire camp, only one building had light, shining brilliantly. All the oil lamps and candles we could find were gathered in this not-so-large wooden house, illuminating it as brightly as daylight and drowning out the countless stars in the sky.

That was the flame of Roll’s life, and also the radiance of our hope. May it never be extinguished.

May it be so…