The squirrel demon brought the glowing acorn closer to the young merchant's mouth, holding it between its tiny front paws. Yoshiko's hands were still covered by the same blue light as if she shared the magical power of that strange item created from nothing.

Enatsu's mouth did not open, and, still sleeping, Yoichi's best friend refused to swallow the acorn. Showing its innate determination, the little squirrel grabbed his nose with its free paw and squeezed it tightly, preventing him from breathing.

​​

After a handful of seconds, Enatsu unconsciously opened his mouth, and the acorn was thrown inside as if it were a large pill of some mysterious medicine.

"Let's go... come on!" Yoshiko muttered, maintaining the same position with both arms stretched forward. After the little squirrel demon's efforts, the young merchant was forced to swallow the acorn.

The blue light of the magical object continued to shine even as it glided through the wounded tamer's throat, making its path inside his body visible from the outside. Soon after, as if by magic, the veins in his arms and neck began to glow with the same light.

One piece at a time, Enatsu's entire lymphatic system carried the power of the now-dissolved acorn. Everyone's attention focused on the wound in his upper abdomen.

The bright veins near the hole caused by the Blackblood began to heal the damaged tissues, and the bruises caused by the lacerating wounds gradually disappeared, replaced by normal coloured skin.

"Wow! No way!" Yoichi commented, having never seen anyone heal an injured man with such magic.

The entire process of near-instantaneous healing lasted about thirty seconds, at the end of which, Enatsu's wound had definitely decreased in size. The minor cuts caused by the Blackblood's shrapnel had healed, but not the deeper hole in the central spot, just below the pectoral muscles.

Content with the result, Yoshiko lowered her arms, and her hands stopped glowing. In the same instant, Enatsu's veins also became invisible again, and the moans emitted by the young merchant let everyone present know that he was feeling incredible relief.

"How did she do that? Did that acorn really cure Enatsu?" Yoichi inquired in a low voice, turning to Shioko. Yoshiko's Oracle is a Terisu, a healer demon. It managed to shape the power shared with its tamer by having Enatsu ingest it," she explained. "Although the deepest area of the wound is still open, I think he feels much better now."

Yoichi took a step forward, approaching the table. The young tamer couldn't sit still anymore, despite the weariness of the trip. "Hey, brother! Enatsu, are you feeling better?" he asked, heedless of the judgmental looks from the other tamers.

"Let Enatsu rest a little longer, Yoichi. I'm sure he'll be perfectly able to talk in the morning," Yoshiko interrupted, sighing as if she had just completed a surgical procedure.

"Thank you, Yoshiko. I thank you very much on behalf of my friend," the young tamer replied, bowing his head in respect.

"It was no big deal. Rather, can you tell me what caused that wound? Was it a demon?" she requested, asking for more information.

Yoichi looked up from the table, trying to look past the thick blue hair of the girl in front of him. Behind Yoshiko, all the tamers from the Nightblades guild had come down to check out what had happened, despite it being late at night.

Among them, the only friendly face was that of Rinji, the good giant. However, other unfamiliar faces were also popping up in the darkness of that small square room.

The big-family vibe and solidarity of each guild member heartened the weary hearts of the young tamer, who, instead of answering Yoshiko's question, turned his gaze to the only master who had not been taken from him by the Emperor.

"Ryutaro-Sama told me to speak with you, Takamori-Sensei," he spoke. His eyes summed up a small part of the mental and physical exhaustion he was feeling.

"What did he say?"

"Ryutaro, the gatekeeper, did I hear right?

"Nah, it's literally impossible..."

The indistinct voices of someone chattering in the back floated through the air, reaching Shioko's ears. The archer turned to his companions sharply, looking at them as a ferocious beast and instantly shushing them.

When Takamori heard Yoichi say the gatekeeper's name, his eyes closed for an instant. With a slight bow of his head and his hands crossed behind his back, the guild leader nodded, confirming his pupil's request.

"Yoshiko, Shioko," Takamori called. "I am entrusting you with Enatsu's care. I need a few minutes alone with Yoichi," he added, turning toward the descending staircase and walking away from the table without adding anything else.

"Aye aye, Sensei!" the blue-haired girl promptly exclaimed, standing at attention. Shioko crossed her gaze with Yoichi, conveying pleasant complicity and suggesting him to follow Takamori.

Still not used to the idea of finally being in a place away from ferocious wild demons, Yoichi took a few more seconds to walk away together with his master.

After him, he descended the staircase that led to the ground floor. "Come with me, Yoichi," the guild leader repeated, keeping on walking towards the door.

Takamori opened the front door of the tower and stopped immediately after stepping out. When he saw the carriage with the two horses tied to the pole, he recognized that conveyance, immediately linking it to Ryutaro.

"Where is Ryutaro now?" the funny little moustached man asked, looking at Yoichi and asking for a full explanation. From his still glossy eyes, Takamori had already guessed that something had gone wrong.

Yoichi took courage and told his master everything that had happened, starting with what they had found before entering the Blackvault Mines. He told him about Ogai and the immense power of the Blackblood, telling him explicitly that it was derived from the blood of the Immortal Emperor of Kamakiri.

The area surrounding the dungeon had been enveloped in that thick, black blood capable of destroying the plantations that for centuries had kept mankind safe from the wild demons that lurked among the shadows.

Although Yoichi's account was quite in-depth, the young tamer omitted the detail of his draconic power. Ryutaro had explicitly told him that he could tell Takamori the whole truth, but at that moment, the Nightblades guild leader seemed too distraught to keep such a secret.