Chapter 229: The Saintess has become the forsaken of the gods! (2)
Chapter 229: The Saintess has become the forsaken of the gods! (2)
Hayward was practically proclaiming Louise's death sentence himself.
As the Elven High Priestess, hailed as the next Elven Queen, and the favored one of the Goddess of Life and the God of Nature, she had become abandoned by the gods!
If this news spread, it would undoubtedly cause a great upheaval.
The Elven Kingdom had been without a king for hundreds of years, and Louise was seen as the hope for the revival of the Elven race.
The label of being abandoned by the gods would become a stain on her, which would not be erased even after her death.
Everyone looked at Louise with eyes full of regret.
Most of the elders did not question Hayward's judgment. The president's strength and medical skills were evident to all, and the methods he had previously employed were standard and effective. Based on Louise's reaction, it was reasonable to conclude that she had been abandoned by the gods.
Upon hearing this, Louise's face turned pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Although she had a superior status among the Elves, she was ultimately just a well-protected sixteen-year-old girl. Being labeled as abandoned by the gods meant that her faith would completely collapse at this moment.
She was the most devout follower of the Goddess of Life and the God of Nature, and she believed that she was closest to the God of Nature. Her master had said she was the best natural magic practitioner in a millennium.
And yet, she had been abandoned by the gods.
Helplessness and despair surged through her heart. She suddenly regretted coming to Calva.
Her master and the elders in the clan had shown her great care, and although she could see the pity in their eyes, no one had ever said she was abandoned by the gods.
"Betty, take me home," Louise said weakly.
She wanted to leave this place and return to the Forest of Elves. Even if it meant dying, she wanted to die in the Forest of Elves, rather than this heartbreaking place that had robbed her of faith and dignity.
"Alright, Holy Maiden, let's go home," Betty approached, ready to embrace Louise.
"Wait, let me try again," Adolf raised his hand to stop Betty.
"Sir..." Betty hesitated to speak, respecting this elder of the Elven race. Although he no longer lived in the Forest of Elves, rumors about him and the High Priest had always been the talk of the Forest.
"Louise, you are not abandoned by the gods. You are the hope of the Forest of Elves and the chosen one of the Nature God," Adolf came to Louise, his gaze gentle as he looked at her. "Back then, Benjamin chose you and brought you to me when you were only three years old. You were so pure and lovely, born as a child of nature. We all believe that you will be the queen who can lead the Elven race out of the shadow of the Red Moon."
"Sir Adolf..." Louise looked at Adolf's aged face, time had left many marks on it, and as a powerful figure from the same era as her master, his gentle words seemed to have given her wavering heart a new support.
"Abandoned by the gods is just an excuse we physicians make for our incompetence. The gods do not favor someone without reason, nor do they easily abandon someone," Adolf looked at her, speaking earnestly, "Remember, whether I can save you or not, the Nature God and the Goddess of Life have never given up on you. You will always be their favorite."
Louise nodded slightly, and a faint smile finally appeared on her pale face.
As Adolf spoke, Hayward's face immediately turned sour. This was an insult to his abilities.
Lu Xian, who was standing by, frowned and said in a deep voice, "Elder, your words are a bit inappropriate. Are you questioning the diagnosis made by the president? The term 'abandoned by the gods' is universally recognized by physicians. Your excuse of incompetence has chilled the hearts of many physicians."
"Ignorant child, do you know how many patients have been disheartened by the term 'abandoned by the gods'? How many patients have died in pain?" Adolf rebuked angrily, his white hair moving without wind as if he were about to attack in the next second.
Lu Xian subconsciously took a step back, and his momentum instantly diminished.
As the second elder of the Physician Association, his status was not much lower than Adolf's.
But Adolf was an elder of the Physician Association after all. He had been there since its founding and made great contributions to its development.
It could be said that more than three hundred years ago, if he wanted to be the president, Hayward would have had no say in the matter.
In truth, Lu Xian and Adolf were generations apart. His master used to call Adolf 'senior'.
So when Adolf called him an ignorant child, it made him furious, but he couldn't respond with hateful words and could only step aside and secretly look at Hayward.
"The elder is concerned about the Holy Maiden's condition, which is understandable. Since the elder has a way of treating the Holy Maiden, please proceed quickly," Hayward said generously without further argument.
Upon hearing this, the other elders also refrained from further comments and wisely withdrew from the formation.
"Please take care," Betty also withdrew from the formation.
Adolf looked at Louise with a serious expression. He waved his hand to dispel the healing array, allowing her to fall back onto the bed, and then held his magic wand, starting to chant softly.
The magic was not particularly spectacular, nor did it have the extraordinary phenomena displayed by Hayward before.
A faint green light gradually entered Louise's Abmen, like a thin ribbon, gently and softly.
Nevertheless, Louise's expression gradually became painful, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead.
Adolf immediately stopped and switched to another type of magic.
He controlled the amount of magic, minimizing the impact on the affected area while attempting to find magic that could affect the condition.
In just a short ten minutes, Adolf changed to twelve different types of magic, almost exhausting all his lifelong knowledge, but still couldn't produce any effective results on her condition.
Looking at Louise, who curled up her body and bit her lips until they bled, Adolf's face revealed an expression of helplessness. He took out a green pill from his spatial ring and stuffed it into her mouth.
The pill dissolved in her mouth, alleviating Louise's pain and gradually relaxing her curled-up body. With Betty's support, she slowly sat up.
"I'm sorry, Louise. My limited abilities were not able to cure your illness," Adolf apologized, and he seemed to age a few years in an instant, appearing much wearier.
"Thank you, Master Adolf," Louise bowed slightly to him.
"Louise, the Physicians Association will keep this matter confidential. Nobody will know about it," Hayward also spoke up, promising Louise.
Lu Xian, seeing Hayward's firm declaration, had the mockery directed at Adolf on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed his words back.
Hayward had a longer-term vision. Although they couldn't save Louise today, they had done their best, and the Elven Forest owed him a favor.
However, if news of Louise being diagnosed as forsaken by the gods were to spread, it would bring shame to the Elven race, and the Physicians Association would inevitably come into conflict with the Elves. The losses would outweigh the gains.
"Thank you," Louise nodded slightly, understanding the meaning behind Hayward's words. With Betty's help, she stood up and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Just then, Jacques, who had not spoken all this while, suddenly took a couple of steps forward and looked at Adolf and Louise. He said, "Perhaps there is someone else who can try."
The room fell into silence as everyone looked towards Jacques. As the youngest and weakest of the ten Elders, he was usually aloof and didn't fit in with the others because he was Adolf's disciple.
"Jacques, do you believe that there is someone better than the President and your master in this world?" Lucian sneered coldly, unable to provoke Adolf and Jacques anymore.
"Yeah, even the President couldn't do it, so who else could treat Louise?" Chester also chimed in, echoing Lucian's ridicule.
A few Elders followed suit, joining in the mockery and sneering at Jacques, simultaneously trampling on Charlotte.
Betty's face grew cold as she listened to their words. The Saintess had already endured enough pain and humiliation tonight, and her voice turned cold as she said, "Step aside, I am taking the Saintess back to the Elven Forest."
Jacques ignored Betty and looked at Adolf, saying, "Master, last time when the little weasel came to complain, wasn't it because Charlotte saved a so-called forsaken by the gods? And on that day, I privately asked the weasel about that dancer named Ruth, who also had similar symptoms of Abminal pain, and ineffective treatment, and was diagnosed as a forsaken by the gods. It bears a resemblance to the Saintess' condition today."
Adolf's eyes brightened at his words.
"That's enough!" Suddenly, Hayward spoke up in a deep voice, "Jacques, if you continue to spout nonsense here, be careful of being expelled from the Council of Elders!"
"I..." Jacques' expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare to defy Hayward in public.
"Charlotte Clayton, that name sounds familiar... Master mentioned him..." Louise's eyes, hanging low, suddenly flickered as she looked at Adolf.
"Come, let me take you to the Abyss," Adolf walked towards the door without looking back.
"Betty, come along," Louise whispered.
Betty quickly carried her and hurriedly followed in Adolf's footsteps.
"Elder Hayward, remember your identity!" Hayward's deep voice rang out from behind.
"I am a physician."
Adolf walked forward without even turning his head.
Jacques hesitated for a moment, then quickly caught up.