Chapter 35: Tenderness

I glanced at Alicia, not sure if I should go over.

Alicia looked pretty anxious. "Oh! It hurts so much, come help me out!"

Right, I was adopted by Lorenzo and was his apprentice, so Alicia was like my sister and senior. Helping her out was just what a brother would do!

So, I walked over. "Alicia, which leg?"

As I asked, I reached out to touch her bent leg.

Alicia didn't answer, just watched as my hand touched her smooth left calf.

"Do you think it's this leg?" She was speechless.

"Yeah, it's pretty smooth."

Alicia slapped me on the nose, then leaned in and asked, "Do you think you can get a nosebleed just by looking at me?"

"I took a hit!" I nearly cried out, "Fiona just made my nose bleed!"

Alicia laughed so hard she was rolling on the yoga mat, while I stood there with a bitter face, but still enjoyed watching her roll around.

Lorenzo heard the noise and came downstairs. Seeing Alicia laughing uncontrollably, he pretended to be angry. "You naughty girl, get up and go eat!"

Alicia got up, threw me a playful glance, and went off to change and eat with a smile.

Lorenzo made me a cup of tea, and we sat on the sofa chatting. I told him about what happened at Ronald's house yesterday.

After listening, he frowned. "This is really tricky. To be honest, I've never seen a real Cancer Twin-Eared Cup before, and I only have a drawing left by my master. I don't know much else."

"As for the host issue, it has nothing to do with the levels of Beneware and Malifact. But if Maria's hosting that Cup, it's pretty much a death sentence."

I sighed, not knowing what to say.

Lorenzo took a sip of tea. "Dennis, do you want to save her?"

I nodded. "If I didn't know, it would be one thing, but now that I do, I can't just ignore it."

Lorenzo nodded approvingly. "Many astrologers are blinded by profit and lose their way. If you can maintain this mindset, you have a bright future."

"Yeah, I just think of my own family and don't want any more happy families to be destroyed. Lorenzo, do you have a way to save her?"

"With a host, you either expel it or suppress it," Lorenzo said seriously. "But with a Malifact like Cancer Twin-Eared Cup, suppression is impossible. If you try, it might backfire and make it torment the host even more quickly and crazily."

"So we can only expel it?" I asked.

Lorenzo nodded. "To kick out the Malifact, my master told me a simple method: find the corresponding Cancer Beneware. It's the best solution!"

I instantly perked up. "What is the Cancer Beneware? We just need to find it, no matter the cost!"

Lorenzo smiled wryly and shook his head. "I have no clue what it is. If you hadn't shown me the Cancer Twin-Eared Cup, I would have thought the twenty-four constellation treasures were just a legend and didn't exist."

"Besides, even if someone has it, it's not something money can buy."

I sighed. "What should we do then?"

Lorenzo sighed too. "This time when we go to Majestic City, let's see if we can find an opportunity to think of a solution. You'd better bring the Cancer Twin-Eared Cup with you, it's best to keep it close."

"Going to Majestic City?" Alicia popped up with a piece of bread in her mouth, standing behind me and munching away. "Count me in! It's been ages since I've had a chance to unwind!"

"What for? Go watch the cafe!" Lorenzo shouted.

"Why? I'm going! Dad, ever since Dennis came, you've been biased, favoring boys over girls!"

Lorenzo's face darkened. "Nonsense, if you want to go, then go!"

"That's more like it! When are we leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Dennis, come early when we leave and help me carry my bag!"

"Sure, Alicia."

The next evening, I met up with Ronald and gave him two StarAmulets I had drawn, telling him that if Maria had another episode like that day or worse, the StarAmulets might help.

Of course, if it got worse, I told him to tie Maria up so she couldn't move at all, wait until she returned to normal, and then call me immediately.

No matter what, I couldn't stop worrying about Ronald's family.

I returned to the cafe at nine o'clock. With an early departure scheduled for the next day, I shut down the shop, took a quick shower, and settled into bed.

Just as I was drifting off, a sudden eerie knock echoed through the back door!