Chapter 52: Good Girl
At dawn, the Sun pushed the darkness off the streets. Steeferce City woke. People left for work.
Han woke in his Maid Restaurant’s office. He’d slept on a couch. He hadn’t slept on anything this uncomfortable in years.
Hanna’s smile brightened his mood and eased the stiffness in his back.
"Good morning, Master. I’ve already sent the others to the blacksmiths and other shops so we can open the Maid Restaurant as soon as possible," Hanna said.
"Good work," Han said, rolling off the couch.
He walked to the window and looked outside. No trace of the night’s battle remained. The thoroughfare already thrummed. Shops opened. A few people cast curious, worried looks toward his restaurant, afraid last night’s attacker might return.
One thought stayed with him: someone had targeted him.
"Be careful when you gather information. Someone’s playing their hand against us and will surely come to the restaurant to sniff around. I don’t mind others knowing I’m from the Underworld and that I run the clinic. Xena’s real identity must stay hidden, as with our origins," Han said.
"Understood," Hanna said with a bow.
"The recent battle showed me I’m lacking in close combat. Which maid is best at it?" Han asked.
"As much as I would love to offer myself, Anita is our best at melee combat. She also teaches martial arts, and she’s part of the Inside Group," Hanna explained, still, her tone said she’d rather be the one to train him.
Han chuckled. "I see. I’ll make a slot in my schedule for daily melee practice. Inform her."
"Naturally," Hanna said, turning away.
Han spent more time in the office, finished his morning routine, and ate breakfast. He boarded his carriage and headed back to the Underworld. His maids stood at attention. One held the reins. Bellatrix sat beside him, her curves already in his palm.
His gaze searched for clues about the night before. He also wanted to see if any street cleaners had left anything behind, but that was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Before he knew it, they reached the slums. He braced for the slope into the Underworld.
Cold bit through the slums and cleared the last of his sleep.
The Underworld felt familiar. People in dark festival masks went about their business. The carriage pulled up beside the clinic. The maids hauled in furniture to finish the interior and open soon.
"I need a proper way to handle clients and their injuries. I also need to conceal your holiness and make it part of the clinic. We’ll work on it now," Han told Bellatrix.
She nodded. "I’m excited. It will broaden my horizons."
If he uses me to heal, does that honor the Sun or tempt it?
"Well, that’s a mindset I can genuinely respect," Han said.
After wishing his maids a good day’s work, Han took Bellatrix to the clinic’s basement. It had no furniture. It felt like an expanded prison cell. The maids soon brought in chairs and tables so he could work on essences and spells.
"Why did you become a healer and the Sun Champion?" Han asked as he opened the wooden box holding Bellatrix’s Sun Essence.
Golden light washed over his face. But this Sun Essence felt different, a change Bellatrix sensed at once. It wasn’t warm. If she could open her eyes, she would have seen its golden string weaving in and out of black flames like clouds streaked with blue.
Han had corrupted this essence with his own.
"Healing Spells cost not only mana but also vitality. I was born with a lot of it and always saw healers as underappreciated heroes. That’s why I became a healer. It was written in my fate," Bellatrix said. "Becoming the Sun Champion means the Sun God noticed me, and I accepted his mission and teachings. What about you? Why are you running the clinic yourself?"
Back on Earth, his interest in medicine sparked early. He’d asked his mother who she saw him becoming. He learned that doctors were respected, valuable, and essential for everyone, and that he would always be able to keep those he loved healthy and happy.
He saw how intricate the human body was, how many miracles it held, and he wanted to explore them. Saving lives was honorable. Even one life saved would make him a hero, respected for life.
Maybe saving lives was always a secondary goal for me, and I wanted more answers about the human body and fame. In the end, everything is self-driven. Even family doctors don’t work for free.
Han smiled. "Cauldrons and Dragons are my foundation. Cauldrons exploit human lives and bodies to the extreme, so by studying the bodies of humans and other races, I’ll create my own Cauldron, one that surpasses my family’s. The first step is to tame the Scarlet Cauldron, that primitive old cauldron!"
Bellatrix dipped her head. Does it matter what drives him if he saves people?
She asked, "Your plan is to use the Scarlet Cauldron to heal people?"
"Yeah." Han nodded. "Bloodlines and blood. There’s so much to them, and I want absolute control over them."
He raised his left arm and turned his right hand into a claw. He tore through his forearm, opening a wide laceration. Blood trickled down his arm and splashed on the floor. He used the Scarlet Cauldron on himself, pairing it with the Analysis Spell as he searched deep into his tissues.
Bellatrix’s mouth formed an O. He’s using the Scarlet Cauldron on himself, not me or the slaves?! That’s not how Tenaxis should operate!
If he dares, I can dare, too.
A strange feeling took hold of her. She caught Han’s claw, dragged it across her slender arm, and cut it wide open.
"You need high-quality bodies to learn about the Scarlet Cauldron. That must be why you used it on yourself... so use it on me as well."
"You are... a good girl," Han said, smiling.
He means it now that he knows so much about me.