Zenos, having been kicked out of his party, trudged along a dreary street corner. He instinctively pulled the collar of his coat closer, feeling the evening air filled with a chilling premonition.
“What am I going to do now…?”
Even if he wanted to join another party, he couldn’t apply for member recruitment at the guild because he lacked an official license as a healer.
Besides, he’d just been betrayed by the companions he trusted, so the thought of belonging somewhere felt burdensome. That said, he’d lived as an ad venturer ever since leaving the slums, so he didn’t know any other way of life.
He was about to look for a place to eat and think things over when–
“You idiot! How dare you shoot and kill our merchandise? We were planning on selling her for a good price!”
“I-I’m sorry! She was trying to escape!”
The shouts of men echoed from the back of the street.
Curious, Zenos stepped into the narrow alley.
After walking a short distance, he saw a small figure collapsed on the ground, with two sinister-looking men standing beside them.
The fallen figure was dressed in filthy clothes and already at death’s door. Her profile suggested that it was a little girl and the tips of her ears were slightly pointed. She was probably an elf.
Elves are a rare race from the north that sometimes wander into the royal capital. An arrow was stuck in the girl’s back.
“Tch… She’s beyond help. What are you going to do about our valuable elf?”
“I-I’m… sorry…”
“Hey, what are you doing? Did you just shoot a child with an arrow?”
When Zenos called out, the men glared at him.
“Huh? This is our slave. Outsiders shouldn’t interfere.”
Zenos looked at the pale face of the girl and offered the gold coins he had received from Aston as severance pay.
“Then I’ll buy her. Is this enough?”
“Huh? Are you stupid? She’s already…”
“Hey, shut up. It’s fine. He offered, didn’t he? If she’s going to die anyway, it’s better to get some money out of it.”
The other man interjected, snatched the gold coins from Zenos’ hand, and ran away.
Zenos immediately knelt beside the prostrate girl.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Ah… ugh…”
The girl’s eyes were vacant, and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
“Am… I… going to die…?”
“You’ll be fine. A wound like this is nothing. Don’t worry.”
“That’s… impossible…”
“Actually, I’ve already healed the wound, so you should be able to talk normally.”
“Eh…?”
The girl blinked her large eyes wide open and slowly sat up.
“Eh? It doesn’t hurt. There’s no blood… Why?”
Zenos said to the girl, who was looking at the arrow lying beside her in wonder.
“I’m a healer. I pulled out the arrow and closed the wound with healing magic.”
“I thought I was definitely going to die.”
“Hahaha. You’re exaggerating for a mere graze.”
“A graze…? A-Amazing…”
The girl was surprised and bowed her head to Zenos many times.
“Thank you. Thank you, mister.”
Perhaps from relief, tears welled up in the girl’s large eyes.
It had been a long time since he had been thanked for healing someone.
Aston and the others didn’t believe he could instantly cast healing magic after grueling training. They probably didn’t notice because he always healed any injuries immediately during battle, and now that he thought about it, he had always been separated from them, at a different room and table, and never even given a chance to explain.
He had worked so hard, but now that he thought about it, he had been treated quite badly.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, were those men earlier slave traders?”
“Y-Yes. I was captured three days ago… I saw a chance to escape, but they found me…”
“What’s your name?”
“…Lily.”
The girl answered with her eyes downcast, and then said hesitantly.
“About the money…”
“You mean the gold coins I paid those guys? Don’t worry about it, it was just easy money.”
Severance pay wasn’t something to hold onto. He was glad he could use it to help someone.
“What about you, mister?”
“My name is Zenos.”
“Are you a famous healer?”
“No way. I don’t have an official license, and my healing magic is self-taught.”
Because of his origins, he was not officially registered as a party member and was not allowed to accompany them in official settings. In other words, the healer Zenos had never appeared on any official records.
“Still, it’s a disaster to be caught by slave traders. Where’s your home? I’ll take you there.”
“…I don’t have a home.”
Lily shook her head. So she was a street orphan. She was in the same situation as he was in the past. A rare elf child living on the streets must have had her own circumstances, but he had no intention of prying unnecessarily.
“That’s a problem.”
Zenos said with a wry smile. Come to think of it, he didn’t have a place to return to either.
Suddenly, Lily’s stomach growled loudly.
Zenos smiled at the blushing girl.
“For now, let’s get something to eat. Lily.”