The first team meeting lasted for about an hour, and the four members discussed all their current problems.

Although, it was only Arthur, Christopher, and Evelyn who did the talking. Isabella sat there, listening with a half-bored look. It was hard to read through her stoic face, but she did seem to be in a good mood after getting new clothes and eating as much as she could.

“Alright. Are you ready?”

Arthur faced the girl and raised his hand. He had explained what he was going to attempt, but she was still confused. Nevertheless, she agreed.

“Your rapid regeneration will help you, but it might be painful. Very painful.”

“I don’t care. Do it.”

She straightened herself and clenched her fists as the parasite put his hand on her head.

[Wither Touch]

This attempt was simple in executing but it was unknown whether it would produce positive results. Put simply, Arthur was going to try and negate, or remove, the Enslaving Spell using his skill.

It was meant to suck one’s vitality, their life essence, but it also absorbed all kinds of other energies from the targeted source.

The Enslaving Spell was a relatively advanced spell, however, it was nonetheless worth trying to overpower it.

Soon, the ominous energy of decay emanated from Arthur’s hands and seeped into Isabella’s body.

She had prepared herself, but the experience was agonising. She let out a soft groan before biting her lower lips and bearing through the pain.

[Magic-Casting(Passive-Active Lv2)]

[Magick Sense]

Arthur closed his eyes and concentrated as he focused on the Enslaving Spell, which took the form of tiny and dark illusory threads made of Black Mana.

Unfortunately, [Wither Touch] was too potent, and Isabella’s body wasn’t particularly resilient. The Black Mana was forcefully absorbed into Arthur’s body, but so was her vitality.

Evelyn supported Isabella before she could fall while Arthur kept his skill active for another thirty seconds.

“I think it’s done.”

He heavily exhaled and removed his hand. He gave an apologetic look to the young girl, who was breathing heavily, her face sickly pale and her body shaking non-stop.

Evelyn helped her sit down while the two men waited for her to talk.

“I… I don’t know if it worked or not. All I know is that I don’t want to go through that again.”

Within seconds, Isabella’s complexion regained a vibrant color and her shaking stopped. Her body had healed itself and recovered its vitality as if nothing happened.

“I made sure to erase any trace of Black Magic from your body. The spell was likely removed. However, I doubt anyone could survive like you did. You got your ‘immortality’ to thank.”

“Was it that painful? Hey, Arthur… try it on me.”

“No.”

“Just a little bit! Maybe it will awaken something powerful in me. You know… a secret power, an ancient heritage, or the soul of an elderly powerhouse.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and ignored his blabbering friend.

“We’ll take a brief respite then go to Silcard Fedge. He might also be able to help us find some info about our target.”

“Ah! Sir Jeremy! Welcome welcome!”

Silcard Fedge, along with his bespectacled assistant, stood in front of the manor and welcomed Arthur and his group.

The slave trader glanced at the well-dressed Isabella and softly smiled.

All of Silcard’s slaves were either roaming the manor freely or acting as guards.

“Are you okay?”

The female beastman from before approached Isabella and asked, her eyes momentarily looking at Arthur and his company, though she focused on Evelyn more than the rest.

"Yes."

Only when Isabella confirmed did the beastwoman retreat.

..

Chris was dressed in plain and casual clothes and he didn’t look like a fighter, just a common pedestrian. Arthur was dressed elegantly, not unlike an aristocrat. Only Evelyn had her blades visibly sheathed and in plain view, displaying her role as somesort of a protection escort. A hired guardian, so to speak.

“I’m happy that you managed to save your friend, Sir Jeremy. The big distraction you offered us allowed my people to escape too. Technically, they remain Espero’s slaves… Fortunately, he didn’t give them an order not to run away. Judging from his current condition, I doubt he’s got the time to think about any runaway slaves.”

“It’s a shame he survived.”-Arthur

“Indeed it is, but my sources tell me that he’s still recovering. Plus, the Sultan isn’t pleased with what he did.”

Arthur and the rest were led to a Silcard’s cozy office and were all a lemonade, which Isabella drank in an instant.

“Take mine… and don’t drink slowly.” whispered Chris as he chuckled and handed her his own.

Evelyn shot them both a menacing glare, seemingly warning them to behave.

“Now then.” When all four were seated, Silcard stared at Arthur while smiling.

“Is there anything you want from us, Sir Jeremy? While we mutually helped each other, it was mostly you and your friends that did the dangerous part. We only directed you to the right place.”

“I require no monetary payment, Mister Fedge. In fact, I would gladly pay you handsomely if you were to reach out to your contacts and help me find someone.”

Silcard Fedge kept his amicable smile and scrutinized Arthur for a bit. Although he tried to investigate Jeremy Golrad, which was the fake identity Arthur was using, he had found nothing of use.

From Silcard’s point of view, Arthur was just a traveling aristocrat, possibly from a fallen noble family. Moreover, it was unnecessary to conduct a thorough investigation and possibly provoke a potential friend.

“I’m all ears. Please continue.”

“The Devil Doctor. I’m looking for him. It would be great if you know where he is staying. Alternatively, any useful information regarding him would be most appreciated.”

Hearing the same name again, Silcard was a bit surprised. Coincidental or not, he found it odd that both ‘Jeremy’ and the apothecary were looking for the same person.

“We have a guest staying with us here. He is also looking for your quarry, Sir Jeremy. Likewise, he asked me to look for the Devil Doctor.”

“Oh?”

The slave trader gestured for Robert, who bowed and left the office to fetch Charles.

While they were waiting, the curious Christopher couldn’t help but ask,

“You’re treating those slaves quite well. Wouldn’t it be better to just give them their freedom?”

Silcard, unbothered by the question, shook his head, “I’m not forcing them to stay with me. However, most of them do not have a home to return to. Some are experienced and strong enough to venture out on their own, but despite my suggestions, they preferred to stay here and help me.”

“Hmm… I imagined slave traders to be more cruel.”-Chris

“My occupation is frowned upon by many, but I don’t really care. If I wasn’t a slave trader, I wouldn’t have the power and finance to help those in need, instead, they’d have been taken by fellow slave traders and their fate would have been much worse.”

“Very noble of your part.” Remarked Christopher, though there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Silcard let out a wry smile, but he refrained from rebuking or explaining any further.

Soon after, Robert returned along with the young apothecary. Charles Harper stared at the four guests, looking a bit surprised to see Isabella, whom he recognized.

“Charles, meet Sir Jeremy and his friends.”

“A-ah… hello.”

Charles let out a light and clumsy bow before approaching the desk.

“They came to me seeking the Devil Doctor as well. Perhaps you could share whatever knowledge you both have, thus increasing your chances of finding him. As for me, I’ll need just a little bit more time to gather information.”

Once he learned of the reason for being brought to Silcard’s office, Charles became a bit anxious.

Knowing that other people were also looking for a notorious individual like the Devil Doctor didn’t make him feel happy or at ease. Furthermore, he was doing a very bad job at hiding his emotions.

“I’m Jeremy Golrad, pleased to meet you.”-Arthur

‘He’s the apothecary who inspected the slaves that night. Not a bad person, I think.’

“I’m Chris. This brooding maid is Evelyn, and this cute girl is Bella!”

Christopher introduced the rest and himself, his voice cheerful as he stood up and grabbed Charles’ hand, furiously shaking it.

His easy-going nature made the apothecary feel awkward yet slightly relaxed.

“I’m Charles Harper. A traveling apothecary.”

…

Arthur and Charles decided to go outside and discuss things privately rather than in Silcard Fedge’s office.

Thus, they ended up in a small public terrace close to the city’s main plaza.

The blazing sun and the high temperature made everyone but Arthur sweat.

“You can wear lighter stuff, you know. Looking at you makes me sweat even more.”

“A maid has to dress properly. I’m not going to wear revealing stuff. It’s inappropriate.”

Evelyn was the only one wearing her regal black dress, which definitely didn’t fit such a weather.

“Are you insecure about your body? Do you have scars you want to hide? Scars are cool though.”

“Please refrain from spouting any more remarks. I will suffer your company, but not your commentary.”

“Tch!”

Chris clicked his tongue and looked at Bella, who was drinking yet another lemonade as she basked in the sun. The girl was living the dream, a satisfied smile on her face.

“E-ehm…”

Charles sat across from Arthur and Bella, awkwardly fidgeting around. He didn’t know how to start the conversation, and the loud bickering of Chris and Evelyn made him feel out of place and uncomfortable, especially since he didn’t know the latter and wasn’t used to her deadpan expression and cold stare.

“Don’t mind them.”

Arthur smiled at the young man and motioned for him to relax before speaking again,

“We are looking for the Devil Doctor. However, we don’t know any information that could be useful in finding him. Maybe you do?”

Charles was a bit disappointed, but he didn’t shy away from speaking and revealing what he knew. He had put some pieces together and guessed that Isabella was saved from Espero by these people, but he didn’t even suspect for a second that the ‘thing’ that had killed the knight was actually Arthur.

That made him feel less mistrustful of this group. After all, only good people would go that far to save their friend, or so he thought.

“I also don’t know that much about the Devil Doctor… just that he is an exceptional surgeon and has an unparalleled knowledge about all sorts of herbs and medicine.”

“So you don’t personally know him. And do you mind telling us why you’re looking for him?”

“I…I-I think he can help me find something.”

Arthur frowned at the purposefully vague response, but he didn’t pry.

“He’s part of the Circle of Damnation. One of its members, in fact. He’s dangerous and would probably kill you if you go to him uninvited.”

“I beg your pardon? The Circle of… what?”

‘He’s even unaware of that cult?’

“How did you come to know about him in the first place?”-Arthur

“All aspiring apothecaries know about him. He’s like…” Charles blushed a bit, “An idol.”

“An idol? Isn’t he notorious?”-Chris

“He’s known as a ‘bad’ guy because he researches matters that are considered taboo in for apothecaries and similar professions. L-like resurrection and questionable experimentation on human corpses. Nowadays, apothecaries stick to the standard stuff and refuse to research the unknown in hopes of finding true cures to many of the deadly diseases and plagues. I think that’s wrong and should change!”

Charles got riled up, clenching his fists and raising them. He suddenly seemed very opinionated, wanting to prove a point.

“I see…”

Arthur pondered in silence while Charles calmed down, looking a bit embarrassed as he lowered his head.

“We’re both looking for the Devil Doctor, but our objective is different from yours. Ahem, we may butt heads against him.”-Chris

“Huh? Why? D-do you want to kill him?”

“Not kill him, per se. However, we might need to pressure him a bit to get the answers we want. Also, from what we know, the Devil Doctor isn’t that much of a good guy.”

“...”

Charles looked at Chris then at Arthur, his mouth open but no words coming out. Eventually, he resolved himself and asked,

“Can I come with you?” He paused for a bit, seemingly forming the correct words before spitting them out, “I’m not much of a fighter, but I can tend to wounds and cure some ailments. I have some poisons at my disposal too, but they aren’t deadly.”

“No.” Responded Evelyn, rejecting his offer instantly.

“Now now! Hold on a second. Charles, I told you that we might fight, and possibly kill the Devil Doctor. Are you sure you want to come with us?”

“I will have better chances of finding him if I come with you. He is said to have a famed encyclopaedia about all the known herbs in Astria. I… believe that could help me too. Please let me join you.”

“I don’t see why not.” Spoke Arthur after a long silence.

“He seems like a fine kid to me. Having a healer in our midst is a good thing. You bunch are freaks but poor me would die from a single stab.”

“Watch your words.” Warned Evelyn, glaring at him. She didn’t want him to say anything out of place to a stranger.

“He smells funny, but I don’t mind too.” Isabella agreed as well as she eyed Charles.

“You’re outvoted, my dear Evelyn. Sorry.”

Arthur grinned at the expressionless maid before nodding to the apothecary.

“Welcome to our little group, Charles Harper. May our journey together be a pleasant one.”

“Thank you! I will not let you down!”

The youth got excited as he stood up and bowed. He was older than Isabella, possibly in his mid-twenties, but he behaved more innocently than her.

Arthur perceived him as an idealistic youth, one with a pure soul that was ignorant of the unfairness and cruelty of this world.

Arthur had no specific reason to mistrust or suspect Charles. Christopher didn’t comment on his ‘Level’, so he must not be that strong. Furthermore, an apothecary was indeed a good companion to have, whether it was for medical help or knowledge about rare herbs that they might miss on their travels.

Of course, it remained unknown whether Charles would turn against them when they reach the Devil Doctor or side with them. He didn’t deign to elaborate on his objective, but from what he had said, he was seeking something the Devil Doctor could help find.

Plainly speaking, Charles was looking for answers, just like Arthur. Answers that only the Devil Doctor could have.