Jerome gave a faint smile. "Of course, I went. I may be rough around the edges, but loyalty alwayses first. Unfortunately, by the time I reached Chetvine, it was already toote. I never got to see him. The only thing I could do was protect his family and help hold off the enemies who were hunting them."

    He sighed deeply. "In the end, I couldn''t do much. I heard that the whole incident turned into a bloodbath. Many people died, and all of Chetvine was shaken. Even his only son didn''t survive it.

    "I searched the battlefield on the outskirts like a madman, over and over. If I''d managed to bring his child back that day, he would''ve been about Eric''s age now."

    As he spoke, pain flickered in Jerome''s eyes.

    He gave a self-deprecatingugh and shook his head slightly. "Forgive me, Dr. Lloyd. I''ve said too much. It''s been a long time since I talked to anyone about that part of the past. I''m not even sure why, but something about seeing you reminded me of my friend, and the words just spilled out."

    Andrew smiled. "No harm done. Just think of it as a friendly chat."

    Jerome fell silent after that, and Andrew turned his full attention back to drawing out the poison. Still, his mind was anything but calm.

    Ten years ago, he and Reginald had fled from Chetvine together.

    Reginald had turned back at thest moment to cover Andrew''s escape,

    To this day, Andrew did not know how he had escaped, and Reginald had never spoken of it. Just like that, both of them had been drifting in exile for ten years.

    Throughout that time, they had never once reestablished contact, not directly, at least.

    Andrew knew Reginald was still alive, maybe even living freely somewhere. However, both of them had instinctively chosen to stay distant, without ever saying it aloud.

    The reason was simple: fear.

    Yes, even Andrew felt fear.

    The seal inside his body had kept him from returning to Chetvine for vengeance. It had prevented him from revealing his true identity as the Dragon Prince of the Lloyds.

    Moreover, even unlocking the second seal was just the beginning. It was simply not enough. He needed to break the final seal and be stronger than he had ever been. Only then could he bring down the monstrous force hiding behind everything.

    "Mr. Thornton, you knew there were dangers there, yet you still went. Your friend was lucky to have someone like you."

    Andrew pulled thest needle from Jerome''s shoulder and said it from the heart. He truly meant it.

    At that moment, Andrew finally began seeing Jerome as one of his own. Nheless, he chose not to reveal his true identity. With Jerome''s character, he would likely try to defend Andrew openly if he learned the truth.

    And that would only bring catastrophic consequences.

    "Is it done?" Jerome sat up and exhaled gently. After channeling his energy, he broke into a smile.

    "Amazing. Dr Noyd, your skills really are otherworldly. I can feel the

    Frostblossom''s cold poison weakening. The toxin''s vitality has been suppressed. This gives me some breathing room and time to seek out a permanent cure.

    Andrew finally voiced the question that had been sitting in his chest. "Back during

    the outer disciple trials, I saw you make a brief appearance. You looked fine on

    the surface, but I sensed something off even then."

    He continued, "And after today''s treatment, I can tell that this poison''s been in your body for more than just a few days. It''s been some time now. Why haven''t you sought a full cure sooner?"

    Jerome shook his head and

    ???

    hesitated. Then, he gave a strained smile. "Dr Lloyd, I can''t say too much. A''ll tell you is that things around me have gottenplicated.

    I don''t even have the freedom to step away and seek treatment. If you hadn''t happened toe to Goldridge, I probably would''ve had no choice but to endure this until the bitter end."