“…and that’s what happened.”
Umin, having returned to the Royal Healing Institute, reported the events at the hot spring town of Flamme to her superior.
Becker, sporting his usual bedhead at the back of his head, responded cheerfully from his seat at his office desk.
“Wow, I had no idea something like that happened.”
“There were also demi-humans of different races getting along, and I even saw a wraith carrying an isshōbin. It was a memorable experience in many ways…”
“In a way, it sounds like it was a good change of pace for you.”
Becker leaned back in his chair, maintaining his expression.
“But, a top-class healer who can instantly heal severe burns…”
“It’s true, Dr. Becker.”
“I’m not doubting you. It’s just that, if such a person exists, it’s my duty to keep an eye on them.”
“I understand… If they were operating without a license, they’d be subject to a crackdown, right?”
“That’s right. Also, if there’s someone with that level of healing ability, the Royal Healing Institute would want to have them under our management. There are only a handful of top-class healers in this country.”
“I was careless, and they left before I could do anything. I’m sorry…”
However, there were a few pieces of information.
As she was leaving, the elf child had called out the man’s name.
It was… Zenos.
She had checked the healer registry, but there was no such name.
“Hmm… It could be a pseudonym, so it’s hard to say. Do you remember what they looked like?”
“I remember they had black hair, but it was only for a short time, so I’m not entirely sure… I think I’d recognize them if I saw them again…”
Umin answered sheepishly, and Becker responded with a gentle expression.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Officially, we should probably look for them, but we have plenty of other work to do.”
“Is that okay?”
“They healed someone’s injuries and left, right? They don’t sound like a bad person, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll cause any harm if we leave them alone. In fact, if we run into them carelessly, we might have to crack down on them. The higher-ups would probably say something, but hahaha.”
“I see…”
He’s laid-back, or maybe just marches to the beat of his own drum; the doctor has his quirks.
Personally, she was curious about the mysterious healer, but she couldn’t argue with her superior.
As she was about to leave the room, Umin suddenly stopped.
“Oh, that’s right. I just remembered something about their appearance. They were wearing a black cloak.”
“A black cloak…?”
A faint wrinkle appeared between Becker’s eyebrows.
“A top-class healer… wearing a black cloak…”
“Is something wrong, Doctor?”
When she asked, Becker slowly turned his gaze to Umin.
“…Yeah, I’ve changed my mind a little. Let’s seriously look for that person after all.”
“Oh, yes. But why the sudden change?”
Then, Becker returned to his usual cheerful face and said,
“I’ve become curious to meet them. As a fellow top-class healer.”
The next day.
Zonde, Zofia’s younger brother, came to the clinic in the ruins.
“Doctor, my stomach has been hurting since morning…”
He was sweating profusely and grimacing.
Zenos placed his hand on Zonde’s forehead.
“You seem to have a fever too. Lily, get Zonde to lie down.”
“Okay!”
With Lily’s help, Zonde lay down on the bed, and Zenos held his hand over him.
“<Diagnostic Scan>”
A white light passed through Zonde’s body.
“It seems there’s some inflammation around your intestines. Did you eat something strange?”
“Come to think of it, the meat I ate yesterday tasted different than usual…”
“That’s probably it. It’s food poisoning.”
Zonde’s expression changed.
“P-Poison? Am I going to die…?”
“It’s not that serious. It’s just food poisoning.”
“Oh, is that what it is…”
“What about nausea and diarrhea?”
“I had a lot this morning.”
“I see, it’s better to get everything out.”
Zenos placed his hand on Zonde’s abdomen.
A faint light spread from his abdomen to his entire body.
“I’ve suppressed the pain for now and boosted your body’s recovery. I’d like to give you an IV drip for dehydration, but there’s no clean water around here, so I can’t put it in your veins. Once you’ve calmed down a bit, try your best to drink some water.”
“O-Okay.”
After a while, Zonde’s expression became much calmer.
He slowly sat up and got out of bed.
“I feel a lot better. I think I can move now. Thanks, Doctor.”
“Is anyone else around here showing the same symptoms?”
“No, I was the only one who ate that meat.”
“Good. Don’t overdo it yet.”
Zonde nodded and left with a somewhat lighter step.
Lily, sitting at the reception desk, turned around.
“I thought Zenos only healed injuries, but you can heal illnesses too?”
“It depends on the type. If it’s an illness that can be cured by cutting it out, that’s fine, but for something that spreads throughout the body, the only thing I can do is boost the body’s recovery. Mild illnesses will heal on their own with that.”
“I see.”
“However, it would be much more effective if I used medicine in conjunction with magic.”
Treating the cause of the illness with medicine while enhancing the body’s own resistance with magic.
A combined approach is the most effective for recovery.
“But, I don’t have a license, so I have no way to get medicine.”
Zenos sighed lightly.
“There was once an epidemic in the Royal Capital. Many people died in the slums, but a miracle drug was developed, and many people were saved. That’s when I realized how amazing medicine is.”
“Hmm…”
He was just thinking about having lunch when the door burst open.
The female demi-human leaders were standing there.
“What’s wrong? Did you come to eat lunch again?”
“It might not be the time to be so relaxed, Doctor.”
Zofia approached him quickly.
“A woman in a white cloak is wandering around the slums.”
“…A white cloak?”
Zenos tilted his head, and Zofia continued with a serious expression.
“That’s the uniform of the Royal Healing Institute, I believe. She’s sniffing around for you.”
A/N: Is she coming…!?
Thank you for reading.
Real life has been hectic lately, so the update frequency may drop for a while, but please bear with me… m(_ _)m