The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1210

He asked her again, "Are you alright? Do you have any injuries?"

Neera shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

When she fell from the cliff, Darcel protected her well. Besides a few scratches and abrasions, she wasn't seriously hurt.

However, Darcel himself was not doing well as he had focused on protecting her.

When Neera saw his usual expression just now, she felt relieved that he was okay.

But now, upon closer inspection, she noticed that his entire body was covered in scrapes and bloodstains. His clothes were mostly dyed red with blood, a sight that was truly shocking.

"Are you okay? How did you get hurt so badly..."

Guilt filled Neera's heart as she thought about how he only became like this after he protected her. Her eyes reddened at the mere thought of it.

Seeing her tears, Darcel immediately propped himself up.

"Don't worry, these are just superficial wounds. They may look terrifying, but they're not serious."

He deliberately downplayed his injuries, hoping to reassure her.

"But I find it hard to believe," Neera said skeptically. "You fell from such a height, landed directly on the ground, and got all bruised and battered. You've bled so much, so how could it possibly be just superficial injuries? Don't try to fool me. Give me your hand. Let me take your pulse and see."

As she spoke, she reached out to touch his wrist.

Yet, Darcel skillfully dodged, gently refusing, "Really, there's no need. I'm not lying to you. They're just minor injuries. If you don't believe me, take a look."

As he spoke, he lifted his aching arm, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Soon, all his scars were laid bare before Neera's eyes...

Neera's gaze suddenly froze, her eyes wandering over the blotchy scars. Her expression was complex, as if she was lost in thought.

Most of those scars were old wounds accumulated over the years. Some were cuts created by the thorns when he rolled off the cliff, and there were also traces of bumps and bruises in various shades of blue and purple, crisscrossing each other, which was startling to look at.

Darcel was observing her expressions, capturing the surprise in her eyes and the fleeting sense of loss.

"You can relax now. There are no serious injuries. Don't worry."

He spoke with an air of nonchalance, pretending not to notice her emotional state.

Neera took a deep breath before saying, "Yeah."

Darcel buttoned up his shirt, casually asking her, "What's wrong? Is something amiss?"

Neera did not know what to say.

The moment she saw those old scars, she couldn't quite articulate her feelings.

There was surprise, there was the unexpected, there was the expected, and there was disappointment...

All doubts and suspicions were laid to rest at this moment.

He was not him.

That man didn't have these scars.

As expected, she was overthinking it.

That's right. This is Phison, after all. How could he possibly come here?

"It's nothing." All her doubts were swept away by the night wind. She shook her head and spoke softly.

With a profound look in his eyes, Darcel asked again, "So, are you scared?"

Neera looked up at him, her gaze different from before. It was familiar, yet it felt appropriately distant. Her expression was now calm.

In this world, probably only that man could make her show a flustered, helpless, worried, and scared expression. As for other people and other things, she could face them rationally.

"There's nothing to be scared of. Don't put on your clothes yet. We need to treat your wounds or they might get infected. I brought some medicine with me. I'll clean and bandage them for you. It might hurt a bit, so bear with me."

Luckily, she didn't lose the bag she was carrying with her. It came in handy at that moment.

Darcel nodded silently, obediently taking off his shirt.

Looking at those startling scars, Neera pursed her lips, her hands moving as she softly asked a question, trying to divert his attention.

"Darcel, how did you get these wounds? Do you often get hurt?"

Due to the potency of the medicine, his wounds throbbed with intense pain. Darcel's body was tense with discomfort. His voice was suppressed as if he was speaking through a mouthful of sand.

"Yeah, I've been practicing martial arts since I was a kid, so getting hurt is pretty common. It's no big deal."

Neera applied the medicine and bandaged him up.

"Do you fight often?"

"Yes."

"What just happened? Why was there such a sudden disturbance? It was like a landslide."

"It wasn't a landslide. Someone took advantage of the chaos and blew up the hollow of the mountain."

"Blew up the mountain?" Neera was shocked, pausing momentarily in her actions. "That's insane... If something goes wrong, wouldn't everyone die together?"

While they were talking, she had already bandaged his wounds.

Darcel sat up, dressed himself, and slowly let out a breath.

A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. He paused for a moment before explaining to her.

"The other party wanted exactly this outcome. We were careless. They must have had a backup plan ready to deploy when things didn't go their way. Unable to complete their task, they chose to die together. Moreover, once they blew up the hollow of the mountain, everyone panicked and ran in all directions. This gave them the perfect opportunity to escape in the chaos."