Rachiel could feel something moving in the forest.

It might’ve been nothing but she couldn’t be ignorant of the forest in front of her. Sure, the Hero came here a long time ago and annihilated almost every monster there but it still made her feel queasy. Nothing was safe in this world after all.

She had been a citizen for the town of Mageiros for over two years now. The town was established as an adventurer’s town as it was right beside the forest. So, it was a clear attraction for mercenaries or adventurers that wanted to use the forest as a practice ground.

Her family chose to move away from their original town to Mageiros due to its pay. A high risk, high rewards type of plan. The town was filled with adventurers who carried sacks of gold in their pockets.

So, the family thought that it was a good idea to migrate here.

Rachiel loved the people here. Since it was close to the forest filled with danger, they relied on each other to make sure the town stayed safe.

The pay was what she would expect. Working in a tavern where she met different faces of adventurers every day, Rachiel developed an inviting personality.

She was named as the town’s sweetheart not long after moving here.

“Karsen, wake up,” she said, turning away from the window that faced the forest. “It’s morning already.”

Her 12-year-old little brother was still groggy as he tried to sit on his bed. He couldn’t get out even if he tried. Rachiel sat at the edge of the bed and fed him the medicine he had to take daily.

“Here,” she said, holding a spoon with a purple liquid on it.

Her brother tried to move his head away but one stern look from her made his sigh. He consumed the medicine before cringing at the taste.

“Ugh! The taste gets worse every time I eat that!”

“Well, this is a new medicine given to me by the Crimsonblade House,” she answered, getting up from Karsen’s bed. “They said it had a better effect than the last one.”

Crimsonblade House was a healing association that dealt with specifically healing magic. They were known throughout the kingdom and were strong enough to have at least one branch in each town. With the backing of Erazor Crimson’s family on their back, they sometimes could even have a say in political matters.

They provided healing services, medicines, and even surgeries if needed. Sure, the pay was too high for a commoner like Rachiel but at the very least, she could help her brother.

Karsen suffered from a mysterious illness last year during winter. He suddenly collapsed and went into a coma for a week before gaining consciousness. The Crimsonblade House tried to use an appraisal to find out what his illness was but there were no answers at the time.

So, they opted for another method. They had to slow down the sickness by having him consuming the medicine and a monthly check-up at the town’s healing house.

It’d been almost a year but there was still no cure. Rachiel was growing desperate to pay for his treatment. Both of their parents died from an ambush when they were on their way to the town.

So, it was only Rachiel and Karsen left. With another winter getting closer, she would soon face the fact that she couldn’t cover for Karsen’s treatment anymore.

“Rache,” Karsen called out just as she was about to close the door.

“Yeah?”

“Am I…getting better?” Karsen had this hopelessness in his expression. Rachiel had to hold her breath for a second, fearing that a tear would fall out of her face.

“Of course!” she said with a bright smile. “You’ll be up and walking just fine if you eat the new medicine. Now, go to sleep.”

She kissed his forehead before walking away from the bed. Karsen was constantly fatigued and the medicine helped him to fall asleep in under a minute.

She heaved a sigh as she leaned against the door. A look of guilt was set on her face as she hugged herself.

Even though there was still no cure for her brother’s illness, the healing house did find out what it was. During their migration to the town, their parents were killed by an ambush from a group of werewolves. Sadly, Karsen was also a victim during the attack. He was bitten on the thigh by one of them. It was also unfortunate timing as the two full moons were out at the time.

Rachiel knew what would happen to her brother. The purple liquid that was slowing down his illness was just wolfsbane. It made sure that he wouldn’t suddenly turn into a werewolf at any given moment. The monthly checkup was also to make sure he was still stable.

Unfortunately, it was getting worse after each checkup. The chances of his brother becoming a werewolf was higher by the day. Add to the fact that the full moons were happening on 14 nights from today.

Rachiel moved away from the door and wiped her face dry. She’d been desperate to find a solution for months now. The only help she could get was from the adventurers frequenting the tavern. They had the most knowledge than the townspeople after all. With traveling, came information.

They were her only hope. With a heavy heart, she readied herself yet for another day of working at the tavern.