Fortunately, just before that, a transparent flame barrier unfolded, shielding Leonora from that fatal strike.
Therefore, she only suffered internal injuries from the shock and spat out a mouthful of blood.
It must be said, Leonora truly didn’t react to that sneak attack.
But as a noble mage, she had no need to engage in a fair, close-quarters fight with her opponent.
Leonora reached back, conjuring a golden spear out of thin air.
Seizing the moment the sludge monster’s attack left it open, she thrust the spear through its entire mouth, along with its tongue, and out through the base of its tailbone.
Like a chicken roasting over charcoal, an intense, foul burnt smell soon filled the hall.
With a twist of Leonora’s wrist, the “roasting” was complete.
The sludge monster’s corpse exploded into pieces.
Having easily dealt with the nuisance, Leonora turned, raised her staff, and pointed.
Instantly, countless fire ravens, their wings ablaze, suicidally dove towards every animated medical device.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The countless magical attacks made the entire hospital building tremble.
The emergency lights flickered out for an instant, then the blinding white light from the explosions was like the midnight sun, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.
When it was all over, and the emergency lights restored their dim, soft glow, people saw that every floor tile was scorched, littered with twisted, melted, and unrecognizable metal wreckage.
The air was silent for a moment, then erupted into fierce cheers.
The survivors were overjoyed to be alive again.
And the most excited among them was Shiya.
“You scared me to death, my lady.”
With a voice trembling with grievance, she threw herself into Leonora’s arms.
Leonora, somewhat flustered, held Shiya.
A faint blush quickly rose on her cheeks.
But what followed immediately was intense fear and vigilance.
That girl was always so reserved; she would never be this intimate with her.
And indeed, Leonora’s rising alarm proved correct.
Shiya’s cherry-pink lips suddenly turned a mottled earth-white, then stretched into a bizarre, ear-to-ear grin.
“Die.”
She let out a piercing shriek, pulling out a dagger formed from black sludge, and stabbed it fiercely towards Leonora’s heart.
In that moment when the emergency lights went out, this monster had disguised itself as Shiya.
There was only enough time for Leonora to realize this; she couldn’t muster any further resistance.
The emergency lights chose that exact moment to go out again.
At the critical juncture, a force slammed into Leonora, shoving her aside.
In the pitch-black space, Leonora could only hear the sound of the dagger slicing through flesh and a familiar, pained grunt.
Without a moment’s pause, Leonora raised her palm, conjuring a bright flame that instantly illuminated the entire hall brilliantly.
Shiya’s figure appeared before her again, only now she looked utterly disheveled, with a hideous gash torn open on her shoulder by the sludge monster that had impersonated her.
Seeing the sludge monster twist its dagger, about to thrust it towards Shiya’s slender neck again,
Leonora, her eyes nearly crimson with fury, took a heavy step forward.
The flame in her palm transformed into twelve fireballs the size of washbasins, blasting the monster into smithereens.
As the searing heat finally dissipated and the surroundings fell silent, everyone was momentarily awestruck by this young yet powerful flame mage.
Only in an unnoticed corner did Leonora subtly flick her sleeve, concealing the gemstone bracelet on her wrist.
Among the three flame crystals she had brought from home today, two had already completely shattered, turning into wisps of crystalline dust that vanished into the air.
Shiya, injured twice in succession, swayed unsteadily.
Leonora quickly pulled her into an embrace, her eyes holding a rare, profound tenderness.
“Are you an idiot? I have plenty of ways to save myself. What gives you the right to meddle and take a blade for me?”
But the young lady’s mouth remained unforgiving.
To this, Shiya could only respond with a bitter smile.
If the monster had impersonated someone else, she might have hesitated.
But she simply couldn’t bear the thought of Leonora getting hurt because it was her.
At least this way, she could consider it repaying Leonora’s earlier life-saving favor.
“Lady Leonora, you’re truly amazing! Such a terrifying monster was turned to ash in an instant.”
Just then, Toby approached, his face full of admiration.
The survivors behind him quickly followed suit.
For a moment, the sounds of praise and flattery filled the air, making the entire outpatient payment hall noisy.
The Leonora of ordinary days might have felt disdainful and perhaps a little smug.
But the Leonora of now found these people merely grating.
“Shut up, unless you want to become flying ash too,” she snapped sharply.
Then, in a tone of gentleness she herself didn’t notice, she said to Shiya, “Let me bandage your wound.”
The survivors watched Leonora, who kept holding Shiya without letting go, and exchanged puzzled glances.
Leonora paid no mind to their thoughts.
She moved as if to tear the cleanest piece of cloth from her own dress to use as a bandage.
Shiya shook her head, breaking free from Leonora’s embrace.
She looked somewhat apprehensively at the other girl’s white dress adorned with dark gold embroidery.
It was fabric so expensive she couldn’t have imagined wearing it in either of her lives, let alone damaging it with her own hands now.
“My lady, you don’t need to take such care of me. You saved me earlier, and this time I’ve repaid that debt.”
Most importantly, lying in Leonora’s arms just now, with her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat, had made Shiya extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing this ungrateful girl, Leonora’s expression cooled.
She nodded impassively.
“Fine, have it your way. Also, with my current mana reserves, I cannot break through this door sealed by sludge.”
This latter part was also addressed to the survivors.
Seeing everyone’s faces fall, Leonora paused, then continued:
“However, I know of another exit in the hospital. If we can reach it before that monster does, we might still have a sliver of hope.”
Hearing this, the survivors quickly responded, “My lady, you saved our lives. We are willing to follow you to the death, unlike some who constantly oppose you.”
Their words carried a clear jab at Shiya, but she didn’t catch the meaning.
Instead, she stepped forward and firmly grasped Leonora’s hand.
“No, you can’t let them follow anymore. The sludge creature’s primary target in both attacks was you. You’re the only combatant here. There’s no guarantee it won’t be hiding among them, waiting for a third chance to ambush you.”
Leonora listened quietly.
This time, she neither immediately agreed nor rejected the idea.
Instead, she posed a question to Shiya:
“And what about you, Shiya? You are also one of the people I saved.”
Leonora’s implication was clear.
The sludge creature could also disguise itself as Shiya, the person closest to her.
And hadn’t it just done exactly that, nearly succeeding?
Shiya was stunned.
This ordinary girl who had just arrived in another world, faced monsters countless times, and suffered two injuries without breaking down…
For the first time, facing Leonora’s eyes, which were more serious than ever before, she felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen solid.
Leonora seemed to read the fear in her heart, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.
“Shiya, put yourself in their shoes. Would you willingly give up your only lifeline because the monster might be disguised?”
Shiya fell silent.
But then she gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll stay here too. I won’t be a burden to you.”
The smile vanished from Leonora’s face.
Her gaze turned somber.
She tossed out a final sentence, “Wait here. I’ll bring the security forces back,” before turning and leaving.
Shiya watched Leonora’s decisive, resolute departing back.
Her heart ached with each throb, a deeply uncomfortable feeling.
She attributed it all to her own weakness, her inability to take control of her own destiny.
With no better option now, Shiya could only face the disgusted, icy glares of the survivors alone.
She slowly crouched down against a secluded wall,hugging her still-bleeding shoulder, curling into herself, lowering her head in silent solitude.
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