The Greedy Frog
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DC: The Enchanter Chapter 69
🕑 Added 2023-09-27 15:04:31 +0000 UTCChapter 69: The Catalyst
Sitting near the lab window, I sipped the coffee in relief.
It had been a stressful few hours, and if I had to sum up all the events leading to this moment, it had been a hectic few months.
But the chaos had subsided as the threat of one of the biggest psychopaths was gone, the most famous Gotham villainess was now recovering, heroes had mostly given up on patrolling Serenora, and peace had been constant for a few days now.
"Jasper."
Well, I had managed to make Ivy happy. Perhaps that could be considered good enough payment.
"I don't know what to say or even how to thank you."
This made me smile.
Ivy was a good person, she always had been. And after finding a way that could help her to be a part of society without worrying about her appearance, she seemed to be more cheerful.
"How is she doing?" I asked, knowing Ivy was running a few tests on Harley.
"Since her mental state has improved significantly, it has become much easier to address the physical damage that has been done to her body."
That's good to hear. But I was well aware that there were not just a few things wrong with her physical state; there were countless.
"How is the Joker toxin filtration going?"
This was what interested me the most, as the toxins were what made her... well, Harley.
"That's something we need to discuss."
Her words made me stare at her.
This can't be good, can it?
"Aha..." I raised an eyebrow as she took a seat next to me.
"The toxins have bonded with her DNA."
Shit...
"Which means it's almost impossible to remove them entirely."
As she said this, I felt a bit disheartened.
After all, even after going through such things, Harley couldn't be fully cured, huh?
And while I could possibly 'disenchant' the toxins from her DNA, considering they were kind of add-ons imposed on her, and in a way, could be considered a form of enchantment, which meant disenchantment should be possible.
The problem was, if I were to abruptly remove a part of the DNA, the entire structure might collapse, which was dangerous.
"According to me, it's not something to worry about," surprisingly Ivy smiled. "Most of it won't harm her; instead, it will allow her to remain unafraid in dangerous situations."
Well, Harley rarely did get scared, so that's a good thing.
"As for the only thing that will be visible since we are unable to remove the toxins completely, it's the white bleached skin that she has," she said. "In theory, I might be able to help her regain her skin color, but she said she doesn't want to fully go back to being Harleen again."
Huh?
"She blames herself for a lot of things and wants to keep the color as a reminder of what she did."
Oh...
That's surprisingly a respectable choice.
So, while her rationality has returned and her physical damage has been healed, she still retains her Harley Quinn identity.
Honestly, it's not a bad outcome.
"What is she doing now?" I asked, which made her smile brightly.
"She finally had some actual food. I couldn't give her solid food just yet since she has been on nutrient injections for the longest time, but I managed to give her some soft porridge," Ivy said. "And after days, she has been able to sleep peacefully."
"So… what have you thought about her?" I asked. "We both know that while she will be living with you for the time being, she won't want to impose on you. She will want to work and earn her share."
Considering what I saw in her memories of being Harleen Quinzel, she wasn't someone who leeched off others.
She would rather suffer than let others pay for her.
"What do you say about helping her get her license back?"
That's an interesting suggestion.
And I can't deny that I've only heard good things about her work as a psychiatrist.
"For the time being… let's keep that as an option. But if she finds a better one, we can help her with it."
She nodded at the suggestion. "That sounds good."
With that, we talked for a bit, and I didn't even realize that the sun had already gone down, and it was dark everywhere.
"So, what will you do now?"
At her question, I gave her a massive grin.
"Serenora is booming with business leaders, so now I want to move onto another field," I said. "While I won't be a part of it directly, I will be making some moves."
After all, it was a promise I made.
But as we continued, I got a certain call.
"Huh, who is it at this hour?"
But little did I know that the call was about to be a catalyst to kickstart a certain event.
Events that were on par, if not greater, than the one involving the Joker.
…
…
"Grade A explosive arrows will be enough to deal with the pesky villains, but they won't even scratch the one in charge of that place."
Hearing the voice echo inside the room, Oliver frowned.
"Then what do you want me to do? Give up on the things I have learned for years?"
Oliver was a master archer, and giving up his weapon mastery was not something he was willing to do.
"Are you an idiot?" The one who said this was also responsible for many of the ongoing events.
But the world was going to learn that much later.
"I gave you a fraction of 'my' magic for you to use. Not to keep it like a souvenir." He sounded annoyed that Oliver was unwilling to use the 'gift' presented to him.
"I will use it but only against that man…" The venom in Oliver's voice permeated the room, "Using it on some street thugs and clowns is not worth it. For the thugs, my arrows are enough."
When Diana gave this mission to Oliver, she didn't expect him to use it as a chance to get to Jasper. But for Oliver, it was the only chance he was going to get to face the man who humiliated him.
Even if it meant going against Batman.
Even if it meant going against the entire Justice League.
"I will show him what humiliation looks like."
He strapped his quiver to his back and filled his pockets with micro-explosives.
"Today… It won't just be the human traffickers who will face punishment," he swore, "It will be Jasper Hughes who will meet his demise."
Consumed by his fury and revenge, Oliver couldn't see the evil grin plastered across Klarion's face.
After all, unknown to him…
Klarion was already aware of the result.
