The frantic coughing continued, a harsh, ragged sound tearing through the luxurious silence of the mansion's foyer.
Quarz, the owner of the mansion, immediately bolted toward the source of the sound, his desperate worry palpable.
Jaune and Camilia followed, finding themselves in a lavish bedroom where a girl lay propped up in a large bed.
Jaune looked at the girl. She appeared to be around his own age, perhaps seventeen.
Her face was heartbreakingly pale, and her dark hair lacked luster.
A wave of familiarity washed over him.
'She looked like Weiss Schnee…'
He could still remember the Ice Queen from his brief, awkward time at Beacon—the heiress who had coldly scolded him for not knowing who Pyrrha was.
A middle-aged doctor, looking utterly defeated, stood by the bedside.
"Please! You have to save my daughter!"
Quarz begged the doctor, his voice cracking with exhaustion and fear.
However, the doctor could only shake his head, his professional demeanor crumbling into despair.
"I am truly sorry, Mr. Quarz. But this is all we can do... Her condition is terminal."
The doctor explained that despite every experimental treatment, the cancer was incurable.
All he had been able to do was extend her life just a little, and it seemed that this might indeed be her last day.
"No, my Pearl. My little Pearl…"
Quarz grabbed his daughter's frail hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes.
He slumped into the chair beside her bed, the picture of hopeless grief.
"Dad, please don't be sad…"
Pearl whispered, her voice barely audible, forcing a painful, loving smile for her father.
She knew this was the end of her suffering.
Camilia sighed heavily, resting a hand on her son's shoulder.
She was old and had passed through many things, but she understood that losing a child might cause him to lose all hope in this world.
It was time. Jaune stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
"Emmm—please forgive my rudeness,"
Jaune began, holding the small, golden vial discreetly in his hand,
"But I have something that might be able to help Ms. Pearl."
The doctor immediately rounded on Jaune, his anger overriding his professionalism.
"This is not the time for you to take advantage, young man! Begone, or I will call the police! We are dealing with life and death here, not a quack treatment!"
Quarz didn't mind the doctor's aggressiveness; he focused only on Jaune's words.
There was genuinely nothing they could do.
Even if what the young man said wasn't true, it wouldn't change anything.
And because Quarz was exceptionally good at judging character—a necessity in his line of business—he could tell that Jaune was a genuinely good person.
"What is it? If you can help my daughter, I am willing to give you everything!"
Quarz pleaded, rising to his feet, a flicker of desperate hope ignited in his eyes.
Jaune felt a spike of nervousness.
Although he was absolutely sure the Remedy could cure her, the immense weight of the family's expectation was heavy on his conscience.
He gave him the remedy.
"Drink this, Pearl,"
Quarz urged, taking the vial from Jaune and holding it to his daughter's lips.
"We don't have any more choices."
Pearl understood her father's grief.
She gathered all of her remaining strength and drank the thick, metallic-tasting liquid.
Then, a miracle happened.
Her terrifying pale complexion instantly gained a healthy, rosy color.
She gasped, not in pain, but in stunned relief, and instinctively sat straight up from her pillows.
She touched her chest, where the chronic, agonizing pain of her illness had resided, and found that she felt absolutely nothing.
The pain was gone.
"H—How can this be possible?"
The doctor stammered, his eyes wide.
He rushed forward, immediately attaching his diagnostic equipment to her.
His face went from shock to profound scientific disbelief.
"H—Her cancer… They are completely gone! And her overall health is much better than even a normal person!"
The doctor stared at the empty vial in Quarz's hand.
"A—Are you the one who created it?"
Jaune shook his head.
"No, I am not the one who created it. But I have a way to get it, and I have more."
"And the price? It must be priceles—"
Quarz began, already preparing to offer his entire company.
"5,000 Lien,"
Jaune stated calmly.
Quarz blinked.
"So cheap!"
To someone from the Schnee family, 5,000 Lien was equivalent to the weekly tip of a house servant.
However, as Jaune knew, 5,000 Lien was exactly the price of the Remedy.
While not expensive to the wealthiest family in Vale, to normal people, 5,000 Lien was a massive, life-altering sum—enough for a used car or six months of rent in the lower city.
The price was perfect: accessible enough for the rich but high enough to maintain the item's perceived value.
Jaune had just completed his first transaction in Remnant.