CHAPTER 118: DEVIL CHILD

Once Gara began covering the wound with his own herbal paste, more villagers started crowding the doorway, family and neighbors of the wounded boy.

"Please save him, sir healer!"

The plea echoed several times from outside.

But Gara remained focused on his work. Before long, the wound was fully dressed with a clean bandage.

"Clean the wound and change the paste every day. And bring him to me here at the clinic whenever it’s open," Gara instructed.

He handed them the clinic’s standard herbal paste for daily use. But the one applied today—the one keeping the boy alive—was his own special medicine.

The boy wouldn’t heal as fast as Madha had, but compared to using just the regular paste, his recovery would be much quicker.

"He can be taken home," Gara said.

The middle-age man who had accompanied the patient inside blinked in shock. That was fast. This sir healer moved quickly, yet his work was undeniably thorough.

"Father~" The boy stirred and opened his eyes.

"You brat! I told you not to go hunting alone!" the middle-aged man snapped, though worry weighed heavier in his eyes than anger.

"How do you feel? Does it hurt badly?" His voice softened.

"I don’t feel any pain at all, Father."

"Don’t lie to me!" The man’s voice hardened again. He didn’t want his son pretending to be strong.

But the boy wasn’t lying. "I really don’t feel any pain, Father."

Seeing the father about to scold his son again, Gara cut in, "I’m the reason he doesn’t feel pain. It’s my talent. Once the effect wears off, he will feel it, but it shouldn’t be unbearable as long as he doesn’t move too much."

The middle-age man froze, baffled. He glanced at his son, whose face clearly said I wasn’t lying, then turned back to the sir healer who had saved him. "Thank you, Sir Healer!"

He nearly dropped to his knees before Gara quickly stopped him.

Leaving the examination room, Gara told the waiting villagers that the boy could be brought home. The people rushed in, and from outside Gara could hear their relieved sobs and cries of gratitude.

He didn’t urge them to leave right away. Fortunately, there were no new patients for the moment, and after all, the boy had nearly lost his life today.

Not long after, a cart arrived to carry the patient home. Three other Liners came with it—Narin, Sarah the healer, and Teo the herbalist. Together with Gara, they were the only four assigned to this clinic.

Gara greeted them with a smile. But instead of smiles in return, he was met with cold, sharp looks.

If it had only been Narin, Gara wouldn’t have been surprised. But this time, the scorn came from the other two as well.

And this, after just yesterday when they’d praised him for the water he’d given them.

Gara’s brows furrowed.

Sarah and Teo said nothing. They busied themselves as if Gara wasn’t even there. Only Narin sat beside him, grinning broadly, far too smug.

"Gara, we never thought you’d be hiding such a terrifying creature in your house," Narin said loudly, just enough for the villagers loading the boy onto the cart to hear.

Terrifying creature? Gara instantly knew what Narin meant. The presence Fian had sensed in the forest with Ava... it must have been one of the Liners. And now that rumor had spread.

"What do you mean?" Gara’s eyes sharpened.

"Don’t look at me like that. If you keep acting this way, we’ll start to believe you’re a devil yourself," Narin shot back, feigning fear and raising her voice so everyone could hear.

The word devil made the onlookers stiffen, their gazes turning toward Gara in shock.

"I am not a devil. If you don’t believe me, ask your leader, Mohan. He knows that!" Gara countered without hesitation.

Narin hadn’t expected Gara to confidently bring up Mohan’s name.

"You may not be a devil, but you’re hiding a devil’s child! Everyone knows it already, so stop lying!" Narin snapped quickly, desperate to keep the momentum before Gara turned the tables on her again.

"Devil’s child?" Gara’s brows furrowed.

Seeing his reaction, Narin felt triumphant. She’d hit the mark. If Gara still dared to deny it, she would rally the villagers and storm his house right now.

But the words Gara spoke next left her completely stunned.

"That devil’s child you’re talking about. She’s my daugter. My blood runs in her. Tell me, is there anything wrong with that?"

Not only Narin, but everyone inside the clinic fell into silence.

"Are devils truly our enemy? The ones who threaten our lives are the Mist Monsters. It’s been ages since all races united. Thinking of devils as evil, that’s nothing more than bedtime stories." Gara’s voice rang with firm conviction, stating a truth everyone already knew yet rarely said aloud.

"Why are you attacking a baby—one who can’t even stand on his own—and branding her as some monster? Do you realize how narrow-minded that is?"

Ordinarily, anyone would’ve quailed at even being associated with devils. Their reputation among humans was already stained deep into the marrow of culture.

But Gara stood unflinching, openly claiming it, using morality itself as a blade against them. How could a devil make them feel guilty? Yet now, this wasn’t just about devils, it was about a baby.

"Yes, what’s wrong with devils anyway? If this sir healer’s child carries devil blood, so what? She’ll surely grow into someone just as remarkable as her father!"

All heads turned toward the middle-aged man who spoke. He was the father of the boy Gara had saved earlier. He had seen it with his own eyes. That was the only truth that mattered to him.

With his words, the crowd’s opinion began to shift.

"He’s right. The sir healer and his mother seem like good people."

"They hired us to build their house, managed the yard, and paid us fairly."

"Yes, his mother has helped us in so many ways."

Sarah and Teo, who had stayed silent until now, exchanged uneasy glances when the word ’help’ came up. Just yesterday, Gara had helped them by sharing his water.

After all, a child is a reflection of their parents. Whether human, devil, or half-devil—if raised by someone moral and kind, wouldn’t that child grow to follow the same path?

And just like that, the tide turned.

...