Translator: Nox

55 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)

Chapter 55

Madam Serva exited the operating room, and preparations for the surgery began. Faced with instruments to hold his eyes open, sharp needles to pierce his eyeballs, and strong men to restrain his limbs, Ezekiel remained unfazed. His attitude was that if he couldn't see it, there was nothing to fear. Having experienced all sorts of threats while blind, the man was more courageous than anyone.

It was Rose, who had to watch the surgery preparations intently, who was in hell. Merely guessing the uses of the unfamiliar surgical instruments and imagining how much they would torment Ezekiel caused the courage she had painstakingly mustered to erode by the second.

"The ropes need to be tied tighter. Even the slightest movement of his head could cause the needle to pierce the wrong spot. And could you please draw the curtains further to block any light unnecessary for the surgery? Next, the surgical instruments here. The magnifying glass, here."

Besides Dr. Briman, who was assisting, a subordinate handling minor tasks bustled about according to Polina's instructions.

"Now, we will fix the eyes."

Ah…

It was starting.

Rose sat in the chair beside the bed and tightly gripped Ezekiel's hand.

Sweat dripped down Polina's forehead. The surgery was incredibly delicate and required immense concentration, making it instantly understandable why Polina had been reluctant to perform it without the aid of opium.

Fortunately, Ezekiel maintained his composure even while fully conscious. The instrument designed to pull and hold his eyelids open was clearly painful and uncomfortable, but he showed no outward signs of distress.

Polina, performing the surgery, was also astonished by the man's patience. As she incised the surface of his eyeball with the tip of a sharp, thin knife and pierced it with a pointed needle, Ezekiel never once complained of pain or struggled, not even letting out a groan. She wondered if she had unnecessarily called in five strong men, so great was the soldier's endurance.

Thanks to this, the surgery proceeded smoothly. Polina efficiently and precisely removed the leukoma through the incision with her skilled hands. Even Rose, who knew nothing about this field, felt that Polina's technique was extraordinary.

The one eye that had undergone surgery was soon covered with a thickly folded bandage. He would have to live with both eyes bandaged tightly until his eyeball, ravaged by blades and needles, healed on its own.

Rose thought of Ezekiel's dark blue eyes. She was glad she had taken the time to look at them beforehand, but also felt a pang of regret, wishing she had looked more.

After all, she would probably never… look directly into those beautiful eyes again.

The eyes that regained their sight would no longer gaze at her with such tenderness and softness.

Then.

At that time…

"Wh-wh-what!"

A sudden shout struck her ears.

Rose snapped her head up.

The storage rack, where the spare surgical knives, needles, and lamp were placed, was tilting precariously towards the bed where Ezekiel lay. The assistant holding the lamp to illuminate the surgical site cried out in surprise, but was too far away to intervene.

Though she didn't know the reason, Rose quickly grasped the situation. In a surgery where even the slightest movement of the patient was unacceptable, the rack falling onto the bed could lead to an irreversible accident. Rose immediately let go of Ezekiel's hand and shielded the falling rack with her own body.

The dangerous instruments on the storage rack struck Rose directly and then fell to the floor. With a crash, sharp noises echoed as the lamp shattered and rolled away.

The surgery was briefly halted by the loud commotion. Fortunately, nothing had fallen onto the operating table itself.

"Hey, you…."

Seeing the crestfallen faces of the employees, Rose could roughly guess what had happened. One of the employees, having too little to do because Ezekiel endured pain so well, must have grown restless and moved slightly. In doing so, he carelessly bumped the storage rack set up beside the bed.

"What's going on, Rose? Where are you?"

"I'm right here."

Rose quickly returned to her spot and placed her hand on Ezekiel's.

"It's nothing. The storage rack was about to fall, so I just held it for a moment."

"Did you get hit hard?"

"It was just loud. Everything spilled onto the floor."

His voice was as calm as ever.

Only those who had witnessed the event directly turned pale. Fear flickered across the faces of the employees, who knew well how much Ezekiel cherished Rose.

"Are you…."

"Doctor, the surgery is almost finished, isn't it?"

Rose smoothly cut off the employee who was about to ask if she was alright. Polina quickly chimed in, "It's almost finished."

It was a signal. Everyone fell silent.

It was customary for all surgical instruments to be sharpened to an extremely fine and thin edge. This allowed for incisions to be made precisely where needed without applying much force.

The knife, which would have bounced off the skin's elasticity with a normal blade, had been sharpened to an extreme degree and plunged deeply into Rose's thigh. Furthermore, with the added weight of the storage rack that had fallen on her, it was driven in deep.

A burning sensation, like fire, spread through her thigh, but the surgery could not be stopped. Rose exchanged glances with Polina.

Polina understood the unspoken message in Rose's eyes. She continued the surgery.

The man was exceptionally tough, but the woman was no less so. Even though the man was already known to be extraordinary, she hadn't expected the young, pure-looking woman to defy expectations.

Polina shook her head.

"Let's see it quickly. No matter how important the surgery, how can you endure without pulling out the knife? Doesn't it hurt?"

Moreover, Rose double-checked if the surgery had gone well before even helping with the aftercare.

"Surprisingly, it was manageable."

The injured spot was unfortunately on her upper thigh. Since she couldn't examine the wound before the men left, Polina detained Rose under the pretense of explaining post-operative care instructions.

"There was no need to endure it. Dr. Briman was here, so he could have provided immediate emergency treatment on the spot."

It was Rose who refused. Rose smiled reassuringly at Dr. Briman and Polina, who urged her to receive emergency treatment with urgent gestures. Since the person involved was clearly trying to hide it, they decided to go along with her intention for the moment. However, as a doctor, Polina couldn't feel at ease seeing her face pale with pain as she stoically endured.

"The Major is sensitive to smells. Although eye surgery hardly involves any bleeding, if he started smelling blood from somewhere, he would surely find it suspicious."

"So you waited until now?"

When the knife blocking the wound was pulled out, blood gushed out. Fortunately, it was a part of the leg that was not life-threatening, but the entire blade had been embedded in her limb. If the knife had been even slightly longer, it would have penetrated. Polina clicked her tongue as she confirmed the depth of the stab wound.

"It was a miracle. You didn't injure any bone. It's fortunate it lodged in your leg; if it had been your abdomen, it would have been a severe injury. And this scar… it won't disappear."

While Polina examined the wound, Rose deliberately turned her head askew, gazing out the window. She wasn't brave enough to stare at her own wound. However, she smiled faintly at Polina's concern about the scar.

"What's so funny? A scar on such clean skin."

"Just because. I'm happy that at least something indelible will remain."

Her words were difficult to comprehend. Coming from a girl so much younger, they sounded almost sad, even profound.

Pausing her efforts to staunch the bleeding, Polina looked at Rose for a moment. The afternoon's white light fell directly onto Rose's face.

It was on this day that Polina finally saw the face of the woman who had always been overshadowed by Ezekiel's presence.

Despite her youthful features, Polina understood why Rose's age had always felt ambiguous. Her speech and demeanor were mature, but her gaze, which was not simple, evoked a poignant feeling in the observer.

There were too many stories etched onto such a young face.

Her eyes, in particular, were truly peculiar.

As if sensing Polina's gaze, Rose lowered her eyes. Yet, the afterimage remained vivid. Rose's eyes were a deep, complex, and subtly mysterious, incredibly beautiful hazel, with layers of light and shadow.