Chapter 36

I woke up on a bed in the infirmary. The last time I was in a similar situation, I was surprised to find Muuel sleeping next to me, but today I’m completely surrounded by stern glares. No matter where I look—right, left, front, back—stern glares, stern glares, stern glares, and more stern glares.

"Seriously, Kent, no matter how many times I tell you, you still push yourself too hard."

"Well, I didn’t expect Kunitake to go so far overboard."

"Really, really, even the old and new team didn’t go that far."

"But, but, I think Kent is trying his best..."

After being scolded by Muuel, Kobayashi, and Sakai in that order, when Manon tried to defend me a little, the three of them turned their stern gazes on her.

"Ah, t-that... Kent is pushing himself too much..."

Hmm, hmm, your sincerity is getting through, so it’s okay, Manon.

"By the way... the reason Kent is recovering so quickly isn’t because of the protective magic, but because he’s using self-healing magic, right?"

"Ugh... Yes, that’s right, I’m sorry for lying."

I don’t know if Manon found out or if Kobayashi and the others told her, but it seems Muuel knows I can use light attribute magic.

"Kent, in magic training, you sometimes push yourself to the limit, but if you keep collapsing so frequently, you might end up damaging your body."

"Is that so? But I’ve collapsed a few times before, and it’s not that bad..."

"Kent... Have you collapsed before, other than at the training ground? That’s pushing it too far, you know, it’s not good, really!"

"Ugh... I’m sorry..."

Ah, while apologizing, the joy of being praised is showing on my face, and a rain of stern glares is coming down. And now, Manon is turning into a demon, with horns almost growing on her head...

"Hmm... Kent needs a little punishment..."

"Punishment...?"

I tried to ask while being careful not to let my lips relax.

Might I be getting a daily morning punishment for a week?

"Yes..."

"Huh? What is this...?"

"It’s a medicine to help recover your magic power."

What Muuel handed me was something like a pill made from boiled herbs, about 3 centimeters in diameter. It looks like a giant version of the snail mark, and if I swallow it whole, it might get stuck in my throat and cause me to suffocate. As soon as it was handed to me, a smell like Chinese medicine wafted over, and while it seems good for the body, it has a rather ominous atmosphere.

"How do I take this...?"

"Put it in your mouth, chew it well, savor it, and then swallow..."

"Ugh..."

I took the pill that was thrust at me, but Muuel’s eyes, which are usually strict, seem to be smiling. And Manon’s expression, which looks very displeased, is really bothering me...

"Come on, take it quickly!"

"Ugh... I understand..."

It’s probably going to be really bitter, but since I don’t want to worry Muuel, I can’t refuse. I took a deep breath and threw the pill into my mouth, then bit down resolutely.

"Ugh... Cough... Cough..."

"Don’t spit it out, chew it, savor it, and reflect on your actions!"

As soon as I bit down on the pill, a bitter and astringent taste exploded in my mouth.

"Ugh... W-water... Water..."

"Just a moment..."

Manon ran to get water, and the other three were holding their stomachs and laughing loudly.

"Hahaha, how about it, Kent, did you reflect a little?"

"Kya-haha, Kunitake looks like an old man."

"Hahaha, it hurts, my stomach hurts..."

That’s terrible, my mouth is in a terrible state, yet everyone is laughing too much.

"Kent, here’s the water!"

"Thank you... Ugh... It’s still bitter... Ah, what...?"

Even after drinking the water, the bitterness in my mouth didn’t fade much. That’s a problem, but more importantly, my head suddenly feels dizzy, and I’m overwhelmed by a strong drowsiness.

"Ah... What’s happening... I’m suddenly feeling sleepy..."

I just woke up, but I couldn’t resist the drowsiness and fell back onto the bed.

"Oh no! I accidentally gave him a sleeping potion..."

I think Muuel said something terrible, but I couldn’t confirm it before falling asleep.

"Kent... Hey, Kent, wake up..."

"Mm, mm... What, where is this..."

"Stay focused, this is the guild’s infirmary, understand?"

"Ah... Eh? Mr. Donovan? Good morning."

I don’t know how much time has passed since then, but the one who woke me up was Mr. Donovan. Personally, I wanted Muuel or Manon to stay with me and have a morning experience, but Mr. Donovan is quite imposing in the morning.

"Yes, it’s still before dawn... How about it, can you wake up?"

"Well... Yes, I’m fine... Actually, I feel quite refreshed."

"Good, that’s fine then."

"Um... Did something happen?"

"Yes, it’s a bit urgent, but it’s about the special request."

"Special request... What do I need to do?"

"Yes... Before that, can you take a quick bath and change your clothes?"

"Ah... Yes, that’s fine."

"You can use the guild’s shower room."

Yesterday, after the stand-off with Gilik, I collapsed in a sweat, so I’m quite sweaty and covered in dust. I took out a change of clothes from my shadow storage and washed up in the guild’s shower room, feeling refreshed.

"Alright, follow me."

After changing, I was led by Mr. Donovan, who was holding a light magic device, down the main street of the town. It was still before sunrise, and there were no people on the street, with stars twinkling in the sky. Our destination was a large mansion at the border of the second district, the lord’s manor. When I came here for my gardener’s apprentice job, I had to show my guild card, but today, with Mr. Donovan, I was let in without any checks.

"Um... What do I need to do?"

"Yes, you’ll hear it from Mr. Claus inside."

"Ah..."

It seems the client for the special request is Lord Claus, but I have no idea what it’s about. When I heard about the special request, I thought it might be a job to transport goods to a distant place using my shadow storage and shadow travel abilities, but it doesn’t seem to be that.

When I came here for the gardener’s job, I didn’t enter the manor, but as expected, the interior of the lord’s manor is luxurious. I’m not an expert in architecture, but it feels like it was built with good materials and a lot of effort. I followed the butler down a corridor carpeted with long-pile carpet and was led to the parlor. There, we were met by a completely exhausted-looking Claus.

"Ah... Kent, thank you for coming at such an hour."

"Mr. Claus, what happened?"

"Please, sit down..."

I sat on the sofa as Claus suggested, but the tense atmosphere made me feel uneasy. Additionally, the manor was filled with a smell like Chinese medicine. After wetting my throat with the tea served by the butler, Claus began to speak.

"Kent, you told me that you were saved from being eaten by goblins, right?"

"Yes, I think I unconsciously used light attribute self-healing magic."

"Have you ever healed someone else, like the massage at the Leible farm?"

"How do you know about that..."

Claus pointed at Mr. Donovan with his eyes. I see, it was the uncompromising Mr. Donovan who investigated.

"Yes, besides the massage at the farm, I’ve used healing magic on my comrades and children at the Lastock garrison."

"I see... Can you heal someone whose internal organs are rotting?"

"That... I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know, but if I can save them, I’ll do my best. I couldn’t save my comrades..."

"I see..."

Claus closed his eyes and thought for a moment before nodding and bowing to me.

"Please, Kent, save my daughter... Beatrice."

"Mr. Claus, please stand up, and what do you mean by save?"

"It’s necrosis, Beatrice is suffering from necrosis, and the healer in Volzard can’t do anything..."

Necrosis, from what I know about Manon’s father, it seems like a case of appendicitis that has progressed to peritonitis. According to Claus, Beatrice’s condition worsened around last week’s Dark Day. At first, it was just a mild stomachache, but this week, her condition has deteriorated. Medication and treatment by healers have continued, but instead of improving, her condition has only worsened.

"The old healer said she might not last until tomorrow..."

Claus punched his thigh in frustration and seemed to be struggling to hold back his emotions.

"Please, Kent! If there’s even a slight chance, I want to take it!"

"I understand, I can’t guarantee I can heal her, but I’ll try."

"Thank you... Please..."

Claus led me to Beatrice’s bedroom on the second floor, but a woman was blocking the corridor. She stood straight as if she had an iron rod in her back, with the same red hair as Beatrice, and rabbit ears on her head.

"Kent, this is my wife, Marianna."

"I’m Marianna Volzard, the commander of the Volzard Defense Force."

"Ah... I’m Kent, nice to meet you, Mr. Claus has always been very kind to me..."

"Let’s skip the formalities. Can you really use healing magic?"

"Yes, but... I don’t have much experience with healing."

"Then, heal this wound and prove your skills!"

Marianna rolled up her left sleeve and slashed her own arm with a knife she pulled from her waist. Blood immediately gushed out.

"Wh-What are you doing!"

I rushed to Marianna and wrapped my palms around the wound, activating the healing magic. In a faint light, the wound closed as if rewinding a video.

"How... How did you do that without chanting?"

"What were you thinking! If I couldn’t use healing magic, what would you have done?"

"I’m sorry..."

Marianna bowed slightly, wiped the blood from her arm, and stared at the arm, which had no trace of the wound.

"Marianna... Are you satisfied?"

"Yes..."

Marianna nodded and bowed deeply to me.

"I’m very sorry, please save my daughter, I beg you, I beg you."

I was surprised by her sudden action, but upon closer inspection, Marianna also looked exhausted. The act of slashing her arm might have been a result of her heightened emotions. Led by Marianna, I stepped into Beatrice’s room, but the smell inside made me freeze. It was a smell that could be called the stench of death, mixed with the smell of Chinese medicine and the odor of decaying proteins, making me feel like I might get sick just from breathing it in.

"Excuse me, can I open the windows to ventilate the room?"

"...Yes, right away..."

Marianna hesitated for a moment but then opened the windows to ventilate the room. Beatrice, lying on a large canopy bed, had a paper-white face and shallow breathing that seemed about to stop at any moment. Despite her condition, she was covered with several thick blankets, which seemed to be compressing her breathing.

"I need to remove the blankets for the treatment, is that okay?"

"Yes... I’ll leave it all to you."

Only Marianna followed me into the room, while Claus waited outside. As I removed each blanket, the smell of decay grew stronger. When I removed the last blanket,