"I'll kill you!" The fury of Dorian and his two brothers was so fierce it seemed like it could tear the roof off. Their eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, like three wild beasts gone mad, roaring as they charged toward Draven without any regard for the consequences.

  Their sister was still in Draven's hands, and they no longer cared about anything else—only raw, instinctive rage and impulse remained.

  "Stop! She's still alive," Draven growled sharply.

  Alec was the first to react. He rushed to his sister's side, cautiously putting his fingers near her nose to check for breath. She was still breathing!

  Alec lifted his head, forcing a tone of restrained relief. Then, as if realizing something, he quickly added, "It's okay… she's still alive."

  He withdrew his hand from the deer's neck and said, "Enough standing around—lift her up."

  Then he looked at Rurik and ordered, "Go find Liliana and Angelica. Bring them to the new house."

  Draven turned and strode toward the newly purchased stone house. Meanwhile, Dorian and his brothers fumbled as they carefully lifted their sister onto an old door panel and followed closely.

  Rurik headed off in another direction to find Angelica and Liliana.

  After a few steps, Draven looked back at the youngest deer boy and said in a deep voice, "Bring the beast-oil lamp, too. Don't make us fumble around in the dark."

  The new stone house was still very crude: the walls were made of rough stone, the floor uneven and unpolished, and aside from a beast hide casually spread in the corner, it was almost empty.

  Though demi-humans had decent night vision, some light was still necessary. Otherwise, doing detailed work would be too difficult.

  Soon, the group arrived at the stone house. Alec ran ahead, carefully setting down the beast-oil lamp and lighting it. The dim, yellow flame barely illuminated the room. The three brothers gathered around their sister, anxious and tense, unsure of what to do.

  "Everyone, step aside." Draven barked sharply, shooing the three away. He squatted down and, under the flickering light, took a close look at the female deer's condition for the first time.

  He had sensed something was wrong earlier, but now seeing it clearly, he furrowed his brow.

  Her legs were severely deformed, swollen to a shape barely resembling normal limbs. Some patches of skin were already blackened—clearly necrotic.

  The swelling wasn't ordinary bruising; it looked like her wounds were filled with pus, threatening to burst at any moment.

  Draven carefully pressed the swollen areas with his fingertips. They felt soft and loose, like pressing on a water-filled sack. His heart sank—her condition was worse than he had feared.

  In this world, demi-humans didn't have doctors. When injured, they relied on herbs, experience, and prayers for luck. If they healed, it was a blessing; if not, no one was responsible.

  However, today they were lucky—because Draven was here.

  And Draven had brought Liliana. Although the young druid was not very reliable medically, she was half-wood elf, and wood elves possessed a natural talent for healing.

  Though Draven had never personally seen Liliana use her healing powers, he decided to try. If she could help, this girl might still be saved.

  If not, he would have to take the deer girl back to Black Flag Territory, where Sylvia was—maybe she could do something.

  He withdrew his hand and checked the deer girl's forehead. The moment he touched it, his brow tightened further.

  "She has a high fever. Didn't any of you notice?"

  Draven shot the three brothers a glare, his voice heavy with anger.

  The three were stunned, then hurriedly checked. Indeed, her forehead was burning hot, like a red-hot iron block.

  None of them could say a word, heads bowed in silence. How long had their sister been running a fever? They hadn't noticed at all.

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  Draven waved his hand, deciding not to dwell on their negligence. "Go get some water and clean hides, as quickly as possible."

  He knew blaming them now was pointless—the priority was saving her. The three brothers scrambled out, while Dorian lingered at the door, pulling the youngest, Alec, aside quietly:

  "You stay here. Don't leave her alone."

  Alec nodded and returned to the stone house. He found Draven still crouched by his sister's side, staring down at her. His gaze wasn't just examining the injuries—it seemed as if he was studying something else.

  "She's actually quite pretty," Draven muttered softly, almost to himself.

  He had been too busy earlier, but now finally had the chance to look closely at her face. Despite her severe injuries and weakness, her features remained gentle and beautiful, with the unique mixture of meekness and wildness typical of deer folk shining through in her eyes and brows.

  Her skin was a light wheat color, looking both delicate and firm. If it weren't for her legs, she should have been a lively young woman. Her body lines were well-proportioned, with faintly visible muscle contours that revealed a natural, healthy beauty.

  But those legs were in terrible shape. Swollen and twisted, severely deformed in shape, with patches of skin turned black and purple, as if they were necrotic. Without those injuries, just judging by appearance, she would have been one of the finest among the deerfolk.

  The deerfolk were always known for their slender and well-shaped legs, and she should have been the kind to catch your eye at a glance.

  Draven frowned, diverting his gaze from the shocking wounds to her face.

  She was still unconscious, but her brows were tightly furrowed, clearly still enduring pain. Her expression wasn't that of peaceful sleep, but rather a struggle caught in agony and instinctive defense.

  Her face was small and delicate. Two forked antlers sprouted from the top of her head, curved and somewhat cute, paired with her short light brown hair, giving a clean and lively impression.

  If she weren't injured, she would definitely be the type to run around chattering all day. Draven thought to himself, and his gaze involuntarily softened.

  He slowly reached out, wanting to touch those antlers. His movements were gentle, partly out of curiosity and partly an unconscious gesture of comfort.

  "What are you doing?" a voice suddenly broke the silence. It was the deerboy, Alec.

  Draven paused, frowning tightly, and withdrew his hand reluctantly.

  "I was just checking," he said quietly, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

  The stone house fell silent again, the atmosphere slightly tense. Draven cleared his throat and tried to ease the mood by casually bringing up a topic.

  "What's your name? Tell me about your situation."

  Alec blinked nervously and replied, "My name's Alec. She's my sister, Martha."

  Through Alec's account, Draven finally learned their story.

  Much like what Rurik had said earlier, the four siblings had fled from a nearby village. The village was pillaged, their parents long gone, and Martha had been wandering with her three younger brothers, doing many hard jobs to keep them from starving.

  "So your name is Martha," Draven repeated softly, a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. A sister leading three brothers to survive.

  But even from that alone, he could tell these deerfolk weren't setting some trap intentionally. No one would fake such serious injuries just to trick a stranger.

  The brothers' desperate charge was understandable—irrational but perfectly reasonable. Draven walked to the door and stood for a moment, his mind beginning to calculate.

  Just then, footsteps came from outside.

  Rurik hurried in with Liliana and Angelica. Liliana was running, clutching a small pouch tightly that jingled with some contents inside.

  She gasped as she stopped in front of Draven, her face full of displeasure. "What do you want again? I'm making money right now!"

  Draven pulled her inside. "Don't be angry. Let's check on the girl first."

  Rurik and Angelica followed in.

  Inside, the flickering light of the beast oil lamp cast eerie shadows, making Martha's legs look even more horrifying.

  Angelica gasped quietly at the sight, quickly covering her mouth, her eyes full of shock and pity.

  Liliana froze, her expression instantly stiffening. But under Draven's encouraging gaze, she took a deep breath, slowly stepped over to Martha, and gently touched the terrible injured leg.

  Draven nearly held his breath watching her reaction. "How is it? Can you treat her?"

  Alec stood nearby, his hands clenched into fists nervously, eyes fixed on Liliana without blinking.

  Liliana frowned, uncertainty written all over her face. She hesitated and said softly, "I don't know. I've never treated an injury like this."

  That sentence was like a bucket of cold water dumped on Draven's head, instantly deflating him. He should have expected it—this girl had been closely guarded by that old druid since childhood and had hardly ever seen serious injuries or sickness.

  Besides, her body was strange—she couldn't be hurt by blows or falls, like a living rock. She'd never needed healing, so naturally had no practice with it.

  But Draven didn't give up. He took Liliana aside and softened his tone. "You have half-wood elf blood, right? That power—can it repair bones?"

  Liliana tilted her head and thought for a moment, lightly scratching one of her little antlers. "For wounds, definitely yes, but she doesn't have an external injury."

  "What about bones?" Draven pressed. "If the bones are broken, can you heal that?"

  "That I can do!" Liliana suddenly perked up. "I once healed a little bird's broken wing. It flew higher than ever after that!"

  The little bird was probably another animal she'd taken in. But that was enough to prove her power wasn't just for show.

  Draven's eyes brightened, and he finally felt reassured.

  At that moment, Dorian and Samuel returned, out of breath and sweating, carrying clean animal skins and water.

  "Listen up," Draven called them aside, his tone shifting from casual to extremely serious.

  "I'm asking you this—kill Bronan, or save your sister?"

  The three brothers were stunned, their expressions complicated.

  "Choose before you answer. Whatever you pick, from now on, you and your siblings are under the Black Flag Territory's jurisdiction."

  The three brothers exchanged glances, without hesitation.

  "Save our sister!"

  "If you can save her, our lives are yours!"