CHAPTER 541: HEALING

Coco slowly began to regain consciousness, her senses gradually coming into focus.

The first thing she noticed was a steady movement, accompanied by the subtle sensation of being carried.

Sure, her vision was still blurred, the world around her a hazy blur, but the gentle sway and rhythmic motion indicated that she was being carried by someone or something.

Coco stirred slightly, a low groan slipping past her lips as a wave of pain washed over her.

"My body.." She murmured, but couldn’t finish her sentence because the ache was present throughout her entire body.

Confused and disorientated, she tried to focus her hazy gaze on something, searching for any clues about her surroundings or the one carrying her, but it was difficult.

Thankfully, the person carrying Coco stopped abruptly.

"Are you awake?"

The person’s voice reached her ears with a mix of relief and worry— their words were spoken in a gentle tone, but Coco wasn’t sure if she’s truly safe.

"Oh, thank goodness.." The person said, their voice a comforting thread in the fog in Coco’s mind. "I thought I’d have to turn myself in to the police because you had been unconscious for almost an hour now.."

Coco’s foggy mind tried to make sense of the words, the mention of police made her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Police? Do police exist in this world?

Coco thought, her frown deepening at the mention of the police.

"The police..?" Coco asked and managed to whisper, her voice shaking and hoarse. "Wait.. Where are we.. And who are you?"

As Coco spoke, her words were punctuated with a soft groan, making it clear for herself and the person carrying her that the pain in her body isn’t something to be brushed aside.

The ache all over her body was reminding her of the chase she endured before ending up in this situation and honestly? If she saw that humanized flying pig again, she would end his life for real, but not before she gives him a good beating—

"Leo, get your ass over here and help me treat this person!" The person carrying Coco suddenly yelled and stopped Coco’s train of thoughts. "She’s awake so I can now ask her for permission!"

Then, the person carrying Coco knelt down, calling out to a companion named Leo, seeking their assistance in treating her.

"Tsk, do I have to?" Someone grumbled which was followed by a click of a tongue from somewhere nearby, the person presumably named Leo acknowledging the request and approaching them to assist.

Coco tensed slightly at the sound, her heart rate picking up as she realized that she was being tended to by unfamiliar strangers.

Coco was gently placed down on the ground, with her back leaning against a solid chest— the support provided some degree of comfort, the pain in her body somewhat easing thanks to the change of position.

Nonetheless, the realization that she was now dependent on strangers for help filled her with dread.

She hated leaning to other people for help, much more if it’s from a stranger!

Coco’s vision slowly focused on the figure kneeling before her, her eyebrows furrowing in recognition as the woman’s features came into sharper focus.

"You.. You’re the woman who—" Coco spoke up, shocked and confused, but her words were cut off by a weak cough, her body protesting the effort required for speech.

The woman’s expression turned into a frown as she placed a hand on Coco’s abdomen, the touch gentle, but firm and made Coco relax.

"Your body seems to be holding up well despite the impact of Leo’s feathers." She murmured, her eyes scanning Coco’s body. "It’s as if you have an extraordinary body, just like me."

The woman’s words were vague, like she could sense some sort of connection or similarity between the two of them, but Coco simply kept quiet because a part of her felt strangely comforted by the woman’s touch.

"Do forgive me for talking too much.. But may I heal your wounds?" The woman asked, her voice now softer, hoping to gain Coco’s consent.

Coco’s gaze remained fixed on the woman, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

The request struck her as both odd and somewhat baffling because why the need to ask for permission to heal someone?

Coco opened her mouth to answer, trying to form a coherent response, but the pain in her body and the haze in her mind made it difficult, a startling jolt of pain shooting all over from the wounds she had on her body.

Coco let out a soft groan, acknowledging the woman’s request with a reluctant nod.

Despite the uncertainty of her situation, she found herself agreeing to the healing because if the woman is a bad person, she probably wouldn’t ask for her consent, no?

The mere fact that the woman waited until she was conscious to heal her spoke volumes.

The woman’s expression softened, a wave of relief crossing her features as Coco agreed to the healing.

"Thank you for trusting me, child." The woman said with a small smile. "Now, stay still. This will sting."

The warning about the sting made Coco anxious, but strangely, the woman’s words also conveyed a sense of confidence to her own ability.

"I hate to ask this, but what are you going to use to heal me—" Coco asked, but the woman raised her hand and a strange substance oozed from her palm before dropping near the wounded area on Coco’s abdomen.

The sight caught Coco by surprise, causing her to gasp in shock.

The slimy, sticky, gooey, and dark substance seemed to have a life of its own as it slithered across her abdomen, heading straight for the wound.

The gooey thing sprung down from the woman’s hand and completely missed its mark so it started crawling across Coco’s clothes rather than her wound.

Coco couldn’t help, but feel a wave of nausea surging through her as the sensation of something moving across her clothing made her want to retch.