Todd was so startled by Alfonso's strange behavior that he fell back down.

The knight propped himself up with his hands, blood gushing from his back, soaking the ground beneath him. He walked step by step toward the priest, his greatsword held level, always aimed at the latter's chest. "I'm sorry, Father, I don't know how you became the 'Successor of Sutherland'... but I know that now, by helping you find relief, your suffering will be lessened..."

Alfonso's words left Todd bewildered.

What is 'liberation'? What does 'less suffering' mean?

A pebble struck the knight, and the next second, Karin, wielding a dagger, slashed a deep, bone-revealing wound into his wrist like a maddened mother cat.

In pain, Alfonso could no longer hold his longsword and it fell to the ground.

Leslie roared and limped to the front of the captain, glaring at the girl who had successfully ambushed him, the flames in his hand rising again.

The situation suddenly became tense. The four people who had been fighting side by side just moments before had instantly become two groups locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Todd stopped Karin from her outburst with a hand gesture, then decided to break the ice: "I don't understand, what reason do you have to say that I am 'the successor of Sutherland'?"

Tearing off a strip of cloth from his shirt to wrap the knight's cut wrist, Leslie stared helplessly at the gaping wound on his back, roaring at Todd with fury, "Still trying to deny it?! Ordinary mutants only possess one ability, and a very small number might have two related abilities. Only those monsters that have come into contact with the 'Sutherland Relics' possess three or more unrelated abilities! You just used 'X-ray Vision,' 'Speed,' and 'Weakness,' three mutant skills that have no connection whatsoever!"

So that's how it is!

The conclusion that Sutherland archaea can indeed allow the body to accept a variety of supernatural abilities sounds plausible.

Todd now understood why the two people had such strange expressions and stood by while he and Karin faced the monster.

But now he had even more questions.

Seeing the knight's breathing grow weaker and weaker, and recalling the moment when the knight had turned his weapon against him, Todd sighed slightly and decided to put aside his questions for now and try to save the knight's life.

He took out alcohol, needle and thread, and medicine powder from his pocket and was about to walk toward Alfonso when he saw Leslie raise his slingshot and aim it at him.

"Monsters of Sutherland! Stay away from us!"

Even the most patient person can't stand someone who keeps calling out "monster, monster" all the time.

“If you want to watch him die, I can turn around and leave right now.” As he said this, he showed Leslie the items in his hand one by one.

Karin quietly tugged at Todd's sleeve: "None of the people in the church are good! Don't try to save him; he just tried to kill you!"

The latter shook his head at the girl, indicating that he could not stand by and watch her die.

The Flame Boy bit his lip and glanced at Alfonso's back, where the wound was still bleeding. This made him hesitate and waver on Todd's suggestion.

Just then, the knight opened his eyes and said softly, "Let him come over."

Leslie did as he was told, putting down the slingshot and making way.

Todd crouched down beside Alfonso and began examining the wound on his back. A huge gash had been torn in his armor, and beneath the metal plating, a hard, iron-gray parasite covered the knight's entire back. From above, it looked as if another layer of gray 'hard armor' was layered beneath the main armor.

Next, after a thorough examination, Todd realized that the parasites he had seen on his back were just the tip of the iceberg. The knight actually had two similar parasites, so large that they covered almost every corner of Alfonso's body. One parasite's main body was on his back, and the other's on his chest. These two similar-looking parasites were entwined together by their tentacles and segments, forming a complete thoracic armor.

As Todd slowly removed Alfonso's armor, he made another discovery. It turned out that the parasite on his back had extended into the knight's head and upper limbs, with parasitic limbs covering his entire skull, back of the neck, arms, and palms; the parasite on his chest had extended into his legs and feet, with parasitic limbs covering his groin, thighs, calves, and soles.

These arthropods are composed of segments of bone with a hardness similar to steel; tapping them with your fingers can even produce a metallic echo, demonstrating their remarkable sturdiness.

These arthropods not only provide the knight with protection comparable to armor, but are also lightweight and retractable, indirectly increasing the host's strength, agility, and jumping ability.

Looking at the "parasite armor" in front of him, Todd suddenly remembered the "mechanical exoskeleton" he had seen in science fiction novels in his previous life. The two were indeed very similar, except that one was mechanical and the other was insect-like.

"How long are you going to keep looking? Hurry up and save the boss!" Leslie's anxious shout brought Todd back to his senses.

They were so engrossed in watching parasites and satisfying their curiosity that they forgot about the important matter of saving lives.

The giant axe's attack severed the parasite's limbs on Alfonso's back, injuring his ribs. Fortunately, thanks to the parasite's armor, the knight's bones were only slightly displaced, resulting in some gruesome superficial wounds.

After disinfecting the knight's back wound with alcohol, Todd heated the copper needles he carried with him in Leslie's hands for a while, then stitched the wound up one by one and covered it with medicinal powder to help it heal faster.

Compared to human wounds, the severed limbs of parasites are much more troublesome.

In the end, they decided to use the bone-setting method to fix the limb tear, then sprinkled on the medicine powder, and finally wrapped it with a cloth strip. That was all they could do.

After completing all the above treatment procedures, Todd was covered in sweat. He was a researcher, not a doctor, and his understanding of surgical procedures such as suturing wounds and setting bones was only superficial. In short, his skills were inexperienced and the effectiveness was questionable.

However, what made him somewhat proud was that at least Leslie and Karin were stunned by his move.

Todd packed up the medicine bottles and materials, looked at Alfonso whose complexion was gradually regaining some color, and said irritably, "Including what happened in the square, you already owe me two favors. Tell me about your attempt to kill me; I need an explanation."

The knight, who had removed his armor but still wore an iron mask, gestured for Leslie to help him sit up. Looking into Todd's eyes, he uttered a single sentence that made the latter's veins throb: "The 'Relics of Sutherland' was never a gift from the sages; it is the curse of the devil..."