Chương 218: Chapter : 218

"Because this is a really good book," Ken said simply. He held it up so the colorful cover was visible. It showed a majestic, glowing deer standing in a moonlit forest. The title was written in fancy, swirly golden letters.

"The Legend of the Glayin Deer," Ken read aloud.

"Ken, I swear on every god in this empire," Naomi started, her voice rising dangerously.

"Hey guys," Ken mumbled lazily, pointing a finger at a page with a detailed drawing of a magical deer with a long, glowing, crystalline horn.

"This storybook says that the horn of a mythical deer called Glayin can instantly cure Blue Decay. We should just go find one of those." The room went dead silent. Naomi's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. She stood up slowly, her hands balling into fists at her sides. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"Are you serious right now?" Naomi hissed, stepping toward him.

"Are you actually sitting there, reading a stupid children's fairy tale, during a literal life-or-death medical emergency, and suggesting that we go find a make-believe deer from a bedtime story?"

"It is not a bedtime story," Ken said, flipping to another page.

"It is more of an adventure tale. There is a whole chapter about the deer healing a sick princess. Very gripping stuff."

"Ken Eliot, I am going to throw you out of this window," Naomi said, her voice low and dangerous. She was standing right in front of him now, her shadow falling over his lazy, unbothered face.

"Third floor is a bit high for a throw," Ken observed calmly.

"Maybe try the first floor window. Better chance of survival." Naomi grabbed him by the collar of his wrinkled shirt and hauled him halfway out of his chair.

"You absolute idiot! This is not a joke! Luna is dying, and you are sitting here reading fairy tales about magic deer! Have you no shame at all?"

"Naomi, wait," Princess Iris said quietly from the window. Her voice was calm but firm.

"Let him finish." Naomi looked at Iris in disbelief.

"Princess, you cannot possibly be entertaining this nonsense. It is a children's book. A fictional story about a fictional animal. It is not real."

"I know," Iris said softly.

"But we have exhausted every real option. Let him speak." Naomi released Ken's collar with a disgusted snort and stepped back, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Her green eyes were blazing with frustration and worry. Ken straightened his shirt lazily, completely unfazed by the fact that he had just been nearly thrown out of a window. He held up the book and pointed at the illustration again. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"So this Glayin deer lives in a deep magical forest, right?" Ken said, summarizing the page.

"And its horn is made of pure crystallized mana. When you grind it into powder and feed it to someone who has mana poisoning, the pure mana absorbs all the toxic stuff and flushes it out. Instant cure."

"That is the plot of a fairy tale," Sayma said, her voice tired and skeptical. She pushed her glasses up.

"Fairy tales are not medical textbooks, Ken. You cannot base a treatment plan on a children's story."

"I am just saying what the book says," Ken shrugged. He tucked the small novel back into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"Thought it was worth mentioning, that is all." Naomi opened her mouth to yell at him again, but before she could get a single word out, a weak, croaking voice came from the bed.

"He is right." Everyone froze. Every head in the room turned toward Luna. Luna's eyes were open. Just barely. They were glassy and unfocused from the fever, but they were open. She was looking at Ken with an expression that was somewhere between surprise and weak, tired gratitude.

"Luna!" Naomi gasped, rushing back to her side.

"You are awake. Do not try to talk. Save your strength."

"No... listen," Luna whispered. Her voice was barely audible, like wind through dry leaves. She coughed softly, and the blue veins on her neck pulsed brighter for a moment.

"He is right. The Glayin deer is real." The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"What?" Sayma breathed, leaning forward.

"Luna, how do you know that?" Luna swallowed hard, wincing in pain.

"My mother told me... the same story... when I was a little girl," she rasped. Each word seemed to cost her enormous effort.

"I had Blue Decay when I was born. A dormant case. My mother knew." Naomi's hand tightened around Luna's. Her face had gone very pale.

"You had it before? This is not the first time?"

"My mother searched for the Glayin deer," Luna continued, her voice fading to a thread.

"She traveled deep into the Silverleaf Jungle. She looked for months. But she could not find it. The deer was too fast. Too elusive."

"Then how did you survive?" Zinia asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"She used a high-level suppression spell," Luna whispered.

"A seal that froze the poison inside my body. Kept it dormant. Kept me alive." A single tear rolled down her flushed cheek.

"But she told me it would not last forever. She said when I turned eighteen, my mana would mature. The growing mana would break the seal." Sayma's hand flew to her mouth.

"You turned eighteen last month," she said, her voice shaking with the horrible realization. Luna nodded weakly.

"The seal is broken. The poison woke up. My mother's spell could only hold it for so long." She closed her eyes, fresh tears leaking from the corners.

"The fairy tale is real. The Glayin deer is real. Finding it is the only way." The weight of Luna's words settled over the room like a lead blanket. Every single person stood frozen, processing the impossible truth. The cure was not in any medical textbook. The cure was in a fairy tale. The cure was a mythical deer in the heart of an uncharted jungle. Naomi turned slowly and looked at Ken. He was still sitting in his chair, his feet propped up on the books, his expression as lazy and unbothered as ever.

But his dark eyes met hers for just a moment, and in that brief second, something passed between them.

"I am going to find that deer," Naomi said, her voice quiet but absolutely firm. There was no anger in it anymore. Only determination.

"I do not care if it is in a fairy tale. I do not care if it is in a children's book. If it can save Luna, I will find it."

"We will find it," Princess Iris said, stepping forward. Her violet eyes were burning with resolve.

"All of us. Together. We have one week. That is enough time." Ken yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head.

"I guess I am coming too, then," he mumbled, scratching his messy hair.

"Someone has to carry the snacks. And the books. Mostly the snacks, though."