LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 69: Ab's Father
Ab led Charlotte towards the inner room, crossing the forge and continuing further until they reached a small cabin.
The small window was sealed shut with wooden boards, making it completely dark and devoid of any airflow.
There were only two stone beds in the room, one large and one small.
In the dim light, they could see a dwarf lying on the large bed, or rather... tied to the bed.
Thick iron chains, as thick as a baby's arm, bound his body and limbs.
With an emaciated appearance similar to other magic potion addicts Charlotte had seen during this period, his brown hair was matted and clumped together. The position where his limbs were shackled showed deep indentations from the constant friction, and his wounds had festered, presenting a horrifying sight.
He struggled to raise his head and looked at Charlotte standing at the door.
His eyes, the same brown as Ab's, flickered with a glimmer of hope. But soon, as if resigned to his fate, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and hoarsely shouted, "Who asked you to bring a doctor? I have no money! Where would we get the money!"
Ab trembled in fear, bowing his head as if he were a child who had done something wrong.
"Klee, I'm the one who asked Charlotte to come," Guy said, patting Ab's head and speaking up.
"Leave! I don't need a doctor! No one can cure addiction. No one..." Klee's voice was hoarse, filled with despair. Tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably, and his hands clenched into fists. The iron chains tightened, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Charlotte could tell that he was experiencing another episode of drug addiction, with intense pain destroying his will and ravaging his body.
"After enduring for a month, are you afraid of seeing a doctor now?" Charlotte untied his gray robe and took out a package he carried with him, walking towards the bedside.
Despite being locked to the bed for a month, Klee didn't have a strong odor emanating from his body. It was evident that Ab, this child, had been diligent in keeping him clean.
Klee's condition was slightly better than Ivan's. He had gone without consuming magic potions for a month, although the withdrawal symptoms had tortured him into an almost unrecognizable state. However, his body had not suffered further damage from the magic potions, at least not to the point of total exhaustion.
Nevertheless, his weakness was visible to the naked eye. He, who should have been as sturdy as Guy, now appeared emaciated like a goblin.
Charlotte felt a tinge of sadness. Even if the addiction were eventually overcome, with his current state, it was unlikely that he would be able to wield a hammer again.
"Can you cure me?" Klee tilted his head and looked at Charlotte by the bedside, his eyes filled with distrust. "I have no money left. The magic potions have already depleted my savings."
Everyone knew that there was no cure for magic potion addiction, yet this doctor insisted on coming here to treat him. It seemed suspicious.
"Do you think a doctor would risk coming here to deceive someone as visibly impoverished as you?" Charlotte looked at Klee and sneered, "I'm here not because of you, who became addicted to magic potions, ruined your body, and depleted your wealth, but because of the request from the obedient and sensible Ab."
Klee gradually loosened his clenched fist, his wary expression crumbling, and turned his face away in shame.
"I won't ask how you got involved with magic potions in the first place, but if you want to live, you'll have to listen to me from now on." Charlotte sat down by the bedside and took out a light brown potion from his package.
"Can you cure me?" Klee looked at Charlotte, this time his eyes filled with hope.
"To be honest, there haven't been any surviving cases of magic potion addiction so far." Charlotte shook the potion bottle in his hand and smiled. "However, besides trusting me, you don't have any other choice, do you?"
The candlelight flickered, and the swaying potion bottle cast waves of ripples on the wall.
Klee stared at Charlotte's eyes for a long time, then nodded heavily. "I believe you."
Yes, he had no other choice.
It had been a month, and no one knew how he had managed to survive during this time.
He had thought that he could overcome the magic potion addiction through sheer willpower, but the reality proved otherwise. Willpower had nothing to do with it; the addiction to magic potions was simply impossible to overcome.
Every day, every moment, he endured immense pain.
It felt as though countless ants were gnawing at his flesh, and there was a raging fire scorching his bones.
He couldn't sleep, couldn't eat.
Two days ago, he entrusted Ab to his only friend. Though the child had become thinner, he was diligent and eager to learn, and would likely become a competent blacksmith in the future.
Having let go of his only concern, he had already prepared to end his own life.
But he didn't expect Ab to come back with a doctor, even though he still had doubts.
As long as there was hope, who could refuse the hope of continuing to live?
"Guy, take Ab outside first," Charlotte said.
"Alright." Guy placed the oil lamp in the child's hands by the bedside and led Ab out of the room.
"What about the key to the iron chains?" Charlotte asked.
"Are you sure you want to unlock the iron chains? I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself when the cravings become intense," Klee looked at Charlotte and asked.
"I'm going to give you a medicine that might cause strong reactions. Do you want Ab to be busy again?" Charlotte replied.
"The key is on the windowsill."
Charlotte turned his head and saw it immediately. The key was not far away, but it was clearly out of Klee's reach. He was indeed a ruthless person.
Unlocking the iron chains and shackles that bound Klee's body and limbs, Charlotte handed him the bottle containing a physical potion mixed with a potion to counteract the disgust towards magic potions.
"What is this?" Klee asked.
"It's a physical potion, but I added something else to it. It may not be effective, but you can give it a try." Charlotte explained and placed a chamber pot by the bed as a precaution.
Klee uncorked the bottle and tilted his head back, swallowing two mouthfuls of the potion.
The bedroom fell silent, and both of them waited quietly for the effects of the potion to take place.
Suddenly, Klee's body trembled slightly. A warm stream flowed down his throat into his stomach, then dispersed throughout his limbs and body, providing some relief to his long-suffering body.
However, this pleasant feeling didn't last long. A strong sense of nausea surged up, and almost reflexively, he leaned over the chamber pot by the bed and began vomiting.
The vomiting was intense, as if the contents of his stomach, already empty from lack of food, were being forcefully expelled.
"What kind of medicine did you give me to drink..." Klee collapsed back onto the bed, almost exhausted, and looked at Charlotte in confusion. "Isn't it medicine? Why does it feel like poison? I've only just taken it, and the vomiting was so severe."
"Besides vomiting, do you feel anything else?" Charlotte asked.
Compared to the half-bottle he had given to Ivan in the morning, the dosage was halved this time, and it was mixed with a physical potion. The effects remained to be observed.
"Anything else?" Klee paused for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly. He sat up from the bed, his expression filled with disbelief as he looked at Charlotte. "It's gone! The bone-eating pain, the torment of ants gnawing, they're all gone..."