I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 83
“The speed of wound recovery is currently very slow. It’s not just slow; the recovery isn’t happening at all.”
The doctor’s expression darkened considerably as he spoke. The implications of this were all too clear.
“What do you mean…?”
Seeing that the wounds weren’t healing at all, it was obvious that something was wrong. However, it was thought that the recovery was just slow.
But it wasn’t just slow—there was no recovery happening at all.
Lia was confused, not knowing how to process this information.
“For a typical people with ability, despite the severity of the wounds, they should heal within three days.”
With the doctor’s further explanation, Lia’s face also darkened. It was already distressing enough that Cassian got injured while trying to protect her, but now there seemed to be another problem.
Lia, who had been unable to speak due to guilt and worry about Cassian, finally asked the doctor a question, trying to keep a calm expression.
“What is the cause?”
“It seems likely that it’s due to the poison he was previously exposed to. That poison appears to be affecting his body’s ability to recover.”
The poison that Cassian was exposed to wasn’t ordinary. If it were, it wouldn’t have affected him, someone with ability, so much.
However, the poison was affecting everything about Cassian.
Not just his ability to use and control his powers, but even the functioning of those powers.
At first, it was thought that since the poison wasn’t immediately life-threatening, it wasn’t urgent. But now, it couldn’t be taken lightly.
“Last time, we managed to prevent the poison from spreading, but we couldn’t completely detoxify it. And judging by his current state, it seems the poison is spreading again.”
The doctor said this with a troubled expression.
Yes, that was the biggest issue. They still hadn’t identified what kind of poison Cassian had been exposed to.
Because of this, they hadn’t been able to find an antidote either.
And now, the poison, which had been dormant, was spreading again.
If the poison were to spread throughout his body, even the doctor couldn’t confidently predict what would happen.
It was a poison the doctor had never encountered before, making everything uncertain.
Despite the doctor’s words, Cassian remained calm. It was as if he had already guessed this would happen.
Cassian had somewhat expected this from the moment he used his powers.
Given that he had used his powers to the brink of losing control, it was almost inevitable that the poison, which had barely been contained, would start spreading again.
Although he hadn’t expected it to manifest in this way.
But if asked whether he regretted his actions, Cassian could easily shake his head.
He had been prepared for the consequences, having made that decision to protect Lia.
Even if the outcome was unexpected, nothing would change. Currently, there was nothing more important to Cassian than Lia.
Lia was silent for a moment.
The doctor’s words had shocked her so much that she needed time to process them.
“…So what should we do?”
Lia wanted to know.
If there was a way for Cassian to recover. And whether such a way existed at all.
She desperately hoped the doctor had an answer.
“…For now, the most urgent thing is to prevent the poison from spreading. We’ll try to find a medicine that can stop it, but I can’t say for certain what will happen….”
The doctor couldn’t guarantee anything—not whether they could find such a medicine, nor whether it would be effective.
Lia’s expression became one of dismay upon hearing the doctor’s words.
Not only could they possibly fail to find an antidote, but they might not even be able to stop the poison from spreading.
‘I should have told him no.’
She regretted not insisting on going alone, not letting Cassian come along.
She had pretended to be brave, but her fear had won, leading her to accept Cassian’s offer to accompany her. In the end, it brought the worst outcome for him.
“…Lia, my angel baby. I’ll be fine.”
Cassian, noticing how much darker Lia’s expression had become compared to the doctor’s, comforted her with a warm tone.
“…How can you say you’ll be fine…?”
If they couldn’t stop the poison from spreading and couldn’t detoxify it, they couldn’t even begin to imagine what state Cassian would be in.
And there was also the problem of the wound on his arm.
It wasn’t just that the recovery was slow—it wasn’t happening at all.
Which meant… that the wound might never heal.
He might have to live with that painful wound for the rest of his life.
“This kind of wound will heal if you just put some spit on it.”
“I’m telling you, it won’t heal!”
If this wound could really heal with just a bit of spit, why hasn’t it healed yet.
What has the doctor been saying until now!
Despite this, Lia was frustrated with Cassian’s attitude, treating his wounds as if they weren’t a big deal.
She knew it wasn’t fair to be angry at him, but… she couldn’t easily control her emotions.
Her feelings were conflicted, torn between guilt and worry for him.
“I know what my angel baby is worried about. But I am quite capable, you know.”
After all, he’s a Grand Duke.
Cassian silently mouthed the last words, so only Lia could see them.
“So, I will use everything at my disposal to figure it out. Not just how to heal the wounds, but also how to detoxify the poison.”
In truth, before today’s incident, Cassian had been somewhat complacent about his condition.
It had been difficult to use his powers initially, but now, he was in a state where he could use them to some extent.
Even though using his powers wasn’t easy or free-flowing, it wasn’t impossible. He thought that with a little more time, everything would be fine.
As time passed, it seemed like his condition was improving.
But in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.
The poison lingering in his body revealed itself with even the slightest provocation, trying to consume him from within.
The reason nothing seemed wrong until now was simply because Cassian hadn’t needed to use his powers. It wasn’t that he was healing.
So now, he needed to take a more proactive approach to solving this problem.
He had been investigating on his own because he couldn’t casually share his condition with others. But now, it seemed he would have to tell Shion everything.
He would have to reveal that it wasn’t just an injury hindering his powers, but the poison affecting him.
If he told Shion the truth, Shion would surely use all the resources of the Grand Duchy to identify the poison and find the antidote.
This would be far more effective than trying to figure it out on his own.
“But the fact that you haven’t found anything yet means it’s been useless, right?”
Lia knew this as well.
Cassian was a Grand Duke, and she understood that he was far more capable and skilled than she thought.
So, if the Ducal House hadn’t been able to find out, perhaps the Grand Duchy could.
But if that were the case, shouldn’t they have figured it out by now?
She couldn’t shake off her worry.
“…It’s more complicated than that.”
He had been trying to figure it out on his own without involving the Grand Duchy.
Cassian didn’t bother explaining these circumstances to Lia.
If he did, he knew her sharp scolding would follow.
“What exactly is so complicated?”
What could be more important than the poison affecting Cassian, that it has kept them from figuring it out until now?
Lia asked, her voice tinged with small resentment.
“There is… something.”
Cassian felt a pang of conscience at Lia’s words and looked away.
Normally, Lia would have caught on right away, but her mind was elsewhere, so she missed it this time.
Nothing was more important than Cassian’s condition.
“…So can you find out? Can you find the antidote?”
“…I must find it.”
He didn’t want Lia to feel guilty about him anymore.
He didn’t want her to wear a worried expression because of him.
“Promise me, please.”
“Yes, I promise. I’ll find the antidote, no matter what.”
Even without this promise, Cassian knew he had to find the antidote.
Only then could he protect Lia and make those who had done this to him pay.
Also… he had to fulfill a vow and a promise buried somewhere deep in his memories, now just a faint remnant.
He was chasing someone, and he had to take revenge on them.
It didn’t matter what the revenge was for or who it was for.
What mattered was… it had to be done.
So, from now on, Cassian planned to investigate more actively.
The time spent with Lia was so enjoyable that he had been getting a bit lax, but he couldn’t afford to delay any longer.
Rather than holding onto the problem any longer, it would be better to solve it as soon as possible and then peacefully stay by Lia’s side.
To do that, the first thing he needed to do was find the antidote.
After that, he would have to piece together his shattered memories and accomplish the tasks he had set out to do.
Of course… there was also one more thing he needed to do, or rather, find out.
That was something related to Lia.
