Chapter 12: The untruth
The rest of the evening had been, time-consuming, to say the least.
None of the injuries had been major and Iris had easily worked through the patients without attracting too much attention.
She had also seen Rose in action for the first time and it had been a glorious sight to behold.
The other really was a skilled healer, just limited by her circumstances of not having a lot of magic. What she lacked in magic, she made up in technique.
Between Iris and Rose, most of the patients were taken care of in under an hour.
"And that is all. Please let it settle for a few more hours" Iris cautioned the last patient, her tone icy cold and her eyes glaring. The other could only nod in agreement at her words.
"Ooh, you're done already? You really are fast. So, what do you want to do next? I'm free to do anything" Rose headed over to the pair, her eyes looking at Iris curiously.
"I will be retiring to my room now. Preferably alone" Iris inched away from Rose's approaching hands. She did not want the hyper female's touch anywhere near her.
"Aww, don't be like that. I can think of a few fun things to do in your room" the tone in the other healer's voice dropped to a more sensual one which made Iris cringe.
Her expression must be betraying her discomfort because Rachael was the one who took mercy on her and decided to put a stop to Rose.
"That's enough Rose. We have other work to do so let's get going now" the redhead pouted at her partner's words but did not contradict them.
"Fine. Have a fun night alone Iris and try to get along with your escort. I guarantee you that our master does not bite" Iris could spot the old lady from the corner of her eyes.
Master Rise had been in the healer's ward the entire time they had been working on the patients and Iris had not even noticed at first. By the time she had become aware of the other, she was far too deep in healing to be able to do anything.
"You girls can retire for today. I will take over from here" the elder lady did not even look at the other two when she addressed them. Her whole attention was on Iris which made her tense up.
"Are you sure it is safe-", "Sure. Have fun" Rose did not give Rachael any opportunity to finish her sentence before she was dragging the other out.
If Iris had a desire not to spend time with Rose, it was nothing compared to the feeling she got in front of the elder.
Somehow, she felt like Rise could see right through her and know all her secrets.
"You really do make me curious. Those excellent healing skills are no joke. It's almost a wonder how you managed to stay under the radar for so long with those skills" master Rise started, her eyes curious.
But her tone did not seem to be questioning. She seemed confident in her words, speaking them in a 'matter-of-fact' tone.
"My skills are not something that great. They also tend to make me tired so I don't use them much" Iris needed an excuse to get out of this situation and this was the first one that came to mind.
"I see. That makes sense then. If that inn owner had not told us about you then your skills might have gone under the rug this time as well. But I am curious as well, why not join the commission? There are many benefits of doing that and no downside" the elder asked.
They were in the guest tower now and no one was around. The elder looked like a fragile old lady, fragile enough to overpower easily.
Iris calculated her odds of successfully running away.
'Warning. Surveillance magic in the air detected'
But of course, it would not be that easy. Her system was still in magic detection mode and it came with a warning.
The commission people were not foolish enough to leave someone unknown like Iris unguarded with their guild master.
"What girl? It's not a bad offer. You won't even have to start at the bottom since I'm the one who will be sponsoring you" The elder lady was still not done with her convincing.
To any normal person in this world, this deal would have sounded like a dream. Someone high up in the ladder as a backer and paying the way for them.
This elder was also the one who sponsored the MC in the commission at first till he found a better backer in the form of the royal princess and it was not a bad deal on paper.
But everything had its good and bad side.
"And why would you do something like this for an unknown variable? I would like to decline your offer since I do not want to get between the council's politics" the elder lady had no change in expression.
Commission was a stiffening place where everyone had their own masks tailored to their needs. Master Rise was no exception.
"I see. If you know that much then you might also know that there is no future outside the commission and the council. You sure you are prepared for such a heavy burden?" this was bad.
Iris was attracting the elder's attention and in the worse way possible.
She needed to distract the other so that the attention could shift from her to someone else. She needed a new plan and she had one.
One which was dangerous and it might or might not work but there was no other way to know but to try it out.
"I am not a good fit for what you want to achieve. Pushing me into attention won't be beneficial for you but you will get your perfect pawn in a week or two. This village would fall and the one who fixes it would be your perfect pawn" There was a big risk in revealing this.
But it was also perfect to distract the other's attention.
It was all because Iris knew what kind of person Master Rise was. She was selfish and would do anything to get away from the commission.
Even use anything and everything in her way.
"Oh. Are you a seer as well? How do you know what I want?" the elder lady was hooked. Now to deliver the finishing blow.
"I am no seer but I knew one. They told me things, things I cannot share fully due to the magic rules. But your savior would be here in a week. You should start preparing" the other seemed stumped at her words.
Iris had worded her words in a way only someone who had really met a seer would do.
The magic rules binding seers and future were really weird. Once you were told something, you could not reveal it to the concerned party directly. All you could do was talk in a riddle or tell an unconcerned party.
The elder had realized this as well so Iris knew she would be left alone. There was no need to egg Iris any longer.
Especially not if she was involved with a seer and could not reveal anything.
"I see. That is indeed difficult. You should still think about joining up the commission" the elder lady proposed and Iris only smiled her hollow smile.
One more day to go before Iris could disappear forever from the old lady and the council's eyes. She could not wait for that time to come.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone