Chapter 57: You Deserve to Be Treated Well
Steam rose gently in the bathroom, creating soft halos under the lights.
Skadi sat naked on a low stool, her slender fingers unconsciously gripping the stool’s edge.
Her white hair fell to her waist, droplets still clinging to the tips. Sheen stood behind her, a wooden comb moving gently through her hair.
“Does it still hurt?”
Sheen asked softly, his fingers carefully avoiding the areas that had been crystallized.
Skadi shook her head, white hair swaying gently with the movement.
She looked down at the glowing rune on her chest, now pulsing steadily like a real heart.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore…”
Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing this moment’s tranquility.
Sheen’s movements became even more gentle.
He remembered the scene when he first unwrapped Skadi’s bandages—those hideous purple crystals had covered most of her back like some malicious curse. Now her skin was smooth as jade, with only the rune on her chest reminding them of what had happened.
“Your hair… has gotten softer.”
Skadi suddenly spoke, fingering a strand of hair.
This white hair had once been dry as straw, mixed with tiny crystals. Now under Sheen’s care, it had regained a silk-like texture.
“Yes, much better than before.”
Sheen smiled, warm water streaming from the wooden ladle in his hand, washing over Skadi’s long hair.
Skadi closed her eyes, letting the warm water slide down her cheeks.
She recalled that moment in the library’s shadow space—when Sheen’s lips touched hers, that warm mental power had swept over every inch of her skin like spring breeze. The crystals that had tormented her for years began peeling away at that moment, dissolving into tiny purple light particles in the air.
It was an unprecedented feeling, like drowning in a warm ocean.
Countless tiny light points surrounded her, each containing a memory fragment from a Skadi.
She saw the first Skadi secretly wiping tears in the shadows, the seventy-eighth Skadi sharing bread with stray cats, the one-hundred-twentieth Skadi releasing a little girl before execution… These memories flowed like streams, finally converging into a warm ocean that gently lifted her up.
For the first time, she felt what it was like to be cherished.
“What are you thinking about?”
Sheen’s voice brought her back to reality.
“My sisters…”
Skadi opened her eyes, water droplets rolling from her eyelashes, her voice very soft.
“They… must have longed to feel such warmth too.”
Sheen’s hand paused, then continued combing her hair.
“They’re in your heart now, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
Skadi placed her hand on the rune at her chest, its light seeming a little brighter.

Time returns to a few hours ago.
“It really works…”
In the library’s shadow space, Sheen released Skadi’s lips, watching the crystals peel away from her face.
Even though he’d prepared beforehand, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat surprised. This body’s mental pacification ability was truly remarkable, able to purify even crystals on the verge of witch transformation.
“We need to leave quickly. Such strong magical fluctuations will soon attract attention.”
Heralis stood nearby, complex emotions flickering in her violet eyes.
Her voice was slightly urgent—the magic she’d used in desperation had directly penetrated the entire shadow space. The library’s administrators must have noticed.
“Skadi, can you take us away from here?”
Sheen remembered the magical barriers after the library closed and asked Skadi.
“Yes.”
Skadi nodded woodenly, grasping both their wrists. Shadows coiled around them like living things. Anywhere with shadows was the Erosion Saint’s domain—she could ignore magical arrays and traverse freely.
Soon, the three stood in the living room of Cynthia’s residence.
Skadi felt somewhat dazed. This skill meant for assassination was being used for something else for the first time.
“I’ll prepare the bathroom. Purification while clothed is a bit troublesome.”
Sheen headed upstairs.
“Wait—”
Heralis suddenly grabbed his arm, her voice sounding strange.
“I… I just remembered I have something to handle.”
“Heralis, you also used strong magic just now, don’t you also need to…”
Sheen looked at her questioningly.
“No, no need. See you tomorrow.”
Heralis interrupted him, quickly drawing a teleportation circle.
Rather than mental power, what she needed to stabilize more was her emotions.
Before disappearing, she took one last look at Skadi, her expression too complex to read.
In the bathroom, Sheen gently removed the last bandages from Skadi’s body and drew a sharp breath. Those purple crystals were far worse than what he’d seen on her face, covering almost her entire back like a hideous web.
“Very… ugly, isn’t it?”
Skadi’s voice came from in front, utterly calm.
Sheen shook his head, though he knew she couldn’t see.
“No. It’ll be better soon.”
He removed his own clothes, wrapping only a bath towel around himself, then gently embraced Skadi.
Warm water flowed over both their bodies.
Sheen could feel Skadi’s body progress from initial stiffness to gradual relaxation, finally leaning completely against him. The crystals peeled away bit by bit, dissolving into purple smoke upon contact with water.
He didn’t know how much time passed before Sheen finally opened his eyes. Skadi in his arms was pure white as jade, without a trace of crystallization.

Time returns to the present.
“Mm.”
After finishing combing Skadi’s hair, Sheen stood up but felt dizzy and unsteady.
“Sheen!”
Skadi cried out, quickly turning to support him.
This was the first time Sheen had heard such emotional tone from her.
“It’s nothing… just a bit tired.”
Sheen managed a weak smile, but saw Skadi’s eyes had reddened.
Transparent tears—no longer those black crystal tears—slid down her cheeks, dripping onto his chest.
“Why… would you go so far for me?”
Skadi’s voice trembled.
Sheen raised his hand to wipe away her tears.
“Because… you deserve to be treated well.”
Sheen lay on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
Skadi sat quietly beside the bed. Moonlight filtered through the curtain gaps, casting delicate shadows on her silver eyelashes.
She reached out, fingertips gently tracing Sheen’s features.
This simple action made warmth surge in her chest.
What was this feeling?
Gratitude?
The memories of 233 Skadis flashed through her mind, but none contained similar emotions.
None of them had ever experienced such tenderness, yet now she—the 234th Skadi—had received such a gift.
“I will… protect you.”
She whispered her promise, her voice almost inaudible in the quiet room. This was the first time she’d made a wish for herself.
Under the moonlight, the rune on her chest flickered with gentle light, as if responding to her vow. Those once-painful memories had now transformed into protective power.
Skadi knew that from tonight on, she was no longer a weapon, but a truly living “person.”