Chapter 2

"Another rough day, huh?"

In the sky district of the royal capital, Dr. Safuran, who runs a clinic, sighed as she looked down at the two girls who had become regulars lately. The two young adventurers, who had graduated from the Adventurer Training School less than half a year ago, were only fifteen years old and both possessed the rare profession of magic users. They were Mariete and Katrenoa.

"As your doctor, I must advise you. Exploring the labyrinth—"

Safuran found herself giving advice that should have been obvious to everyone.

"It's not something you do every day, you know?"

Inside the labyrinth, one is constantly exposed to tension, and the presence of mana can affect one's health. After completing a labyrinth exploration, it is common knowledge among adventurers to take a couple of days off to recover physically and mentally. Before that, though—

Seeing the golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty with a smile on her face and the delicate girl with a mysterious aura, both of whom were soaked in the infinite labyrinth and covered in wounds, Safuran wondered if this was not the right way to spend their irreplaceable youth. As a mother of a daughter of the same age, who was also quite a troublemaker, she couldn't help but feel it was not just someone else's problem.

While preparing for the treatment, Katrenoa reported excitedly.

"Dr. Safuran, we made a great discovery today!"

"Oh, what is it?"

"I had a bad habit of getting nervous when I had to deliver the final blow to humanoid monsters. But I realized that if I stabbed them while laughing, I wouldn't feel any pain in my heart. Instead, I was enveloped in a wonderful sense of exhilaration."

"..."

Safuran seriously suspected that the girl had caught some kind of disease from the monsters.

"Hey, Marin, why don't you try it?"

"Sure. I only see humanoids as evil dolls. The rest are stuffed animals."

"That's a method, too, I suppose."

A fifteen-year-old girl who laughs while defeating monsters and a fifteen-year-old girl who does it with a blank expression. If this continues, it might lead to something irreparable. Safuran was troubled by this dilemma as she applied the antiseptic to Katrenoa's cheek.

"—It stings!"

Mariete, who was sitting next to her, turned pale. The girl was fine with getting hurt, but she was sensitive to the smell and pain of the antiseptic. Safuran, who had been her doctor since childhood, knew this well.

"Alright, Marin, brace yourself."

"Doctor, I prefer 'Healing.'"

"My magic is expensive, you know?"

"Don't worry. My brother prioritizes efficiency."

Mariete looked at Rau, who was standing in the corner of the room, as if seeking salvation. This Sherpa with pigtails always stopped by Safuran's clinic on his way back from drinking and had the most expensive "Purification" magic cast on him. The reason was that he considered the time spent being drunk a waste. The rather eccentric young man, however, shrugged lightly.

"Small scrapes and cuts are better left to heal naturally. Using magic unnecessarily can leave scars."

"Oh, you know a lot about it."

"I studied a bit of pharmacology as a side job."

After the treatment, as the doctor of the two promising adventurers, Safuran gave Rau her opinion. They were clearly overworking themselves. The human body cannot be reduced to mere numbers, and pushing too hard during the growth period can lead to poor results.

"Take it easy on them."

Rau seemed to consider it for a moment before smiling at the two girls.

"Why don't we take it easy today?"

Katrenoa's eyes sparkled.

"Marin, you did it! No night training. We can wear our pajamas and sleep on the bed to our heart's content!"

Mariete sighed in relief.

"Three days in a row was tough. I want to take a bath."

"Boiling water is a snap with my magic. So—"

"I know. The iced milk tea after the bath is my magic—"

"Wait a minute."

Safuran smiled.

"Rau, what do you mean by night training?"

"Well, you see—"

"Karin, tell her."

When exploring the labyrinth for a long period, one naturally has to sleep on the ground. To get used to this, the two girls were sleeping in the basement of their mansion, wearing their labyrinth exploration gear.

"That's not all. Occasionally, Rau comes to wake us up, banging a frying pan."

"Well, that's—"

Rau scratched his head.

"It's to prepare for the possibility of being attacked by monsters. Sometimes you have to switch your mindset and fight immediately."

"Pervert."

Safuran cut him off with a single word.

"Is this okay for both of you?"

If they were being forced, she would have to consider helping "Dawn's Sheath."

But when she thought about it,

"This is a very reasonable training method. Besides, other adventurers do the same, don't they?"

The sheltered young lady asked in a puzzled manner. The reaction of her brother-obsessed sister was even worse. She seemed proud and praised him.

"Even my precious sister, he throws into the 'Hole of the Dog-Headed Men' without mercy. That's what makes my brother so great."

Safuran felt that it might already be too late for these children.

After the treatment, Safuran made a decision.

"I have a favor to ask. It's about the 'Dawn's Sheath' exploration team."

"Is it a request?"

"Normally, I should go through the Adventurer's Guild, but—"

"What do you mean?"

It was a request from a fellow doctor. The doctor had a son named Nord, who was seventeen years old.

"He's serious and a very good boy."

Nord had the potential to be a doctor.

"Of course, anyone can become a doctor with knowledge and skills. But the existence of magic is significant."

Healing wounds with "Healing" and "Fresh Wind," removing all types of poison with "Detox," boosting immunity with "Resistance," dispelling diseases with "Holy Flame," and curing all status changes with "Purification"—there are several types of recovery magic, all of which are magical gifts bestowed by the Earth Mother Goddess. Whether one can obtain them is entirely a matter of luck.

"His parents had high hopes for him. They spent their fortune to collect magic cores for him."

"He didn't get the magic gift?"

"Quite the opposite."

Surprisingly, Nord also had the talent to be an adventurer.

"However, the magic he obtained was of the earth element."

"Oh."

The earth element, which balances offensive and defensive magic, does not include any recovery magic according to the magic dictionary. Nord turned his frustration into fate.

"This must be the guidance of the Earth Mother Goddess. He decided to become an adventurer and aim to conquer the labyrinth."

His parents were shocked.

"Please, don't do anything dangerous. We want you to become a beloved doctor with solid knowledge and skills, even without recovery magic. We tried to persuade him many times, but he wouldn't listen."

So, they came to Safuran for advice, asking her to introduce a reliable adventurer party.

"Many of my patients are adventurers. I used to be the dedicated doctor for 'Twilight's Sword,' and many high-level adventurers came to me for exclusive contracts after hearing about it."

"What do you think?"

Safuran smiled elegantly.

"They're close to your age and are valuable magic users, aren't they?"

Mariete and Katrenoa immediately reacted to the proposal.

"It's not a bad deal."

"It's more than that. A party with one mage and two magic users is a luxury that can't be found anywhere in the royal capital."

"In other words—"

Rau, on the other hand, was unimpressed.

"You want to entrust him to a reliable party to make him give up being an adventurer."

"I'm not asking for free."

The request was to provide free treatment for the "Dawn's Sheath" adventurers for the next year.

"That's quite generous for someone else's family problem."

"It's not just someone else's problem."

Safuran added another condition.

"Also, I want you to take my daughter in."

Safuran's daughter, Toa, was fifteen years old and dreamed of becoming a painter.

"I don't think she needs to become an adventurer."

"The problem is the subject matter."

Safuran sighed, as if giving up.

"The girl loves to draw monsters."

It started with a monster encyclopedia she begged for as a child. Since then, Toa has been obsessed with monsters, neglecting her studies and staying in her room.

"I was foolish. I thought it might give her some inspiration, so I issued a request to the Adventurer's Guild to collect magic cores."

It seems she obtained a gift useful for labyrinth exploration.

"Recently, she went out, and I was happy. But she registered as an adventurer at the Adventurer's Guild and went into the infinite labyrinth alone that same day."

Safuran, who was furious, scolded her daughter, and they had a falling out.

"Now, she won't even let me into her room."

It was a complete dead end. Toa, possessed by monsters, would likely meet her end in the labyrinth. That's why she couldn't leave her alone.

"Both Nord's parents and I don't want our children to face danger. We want them to give up being adventurers. But if that's not possible—"

Safuran thought, at least, they should join a trustworthy party. That's what a parent's heart desires.

Rau, who remained unperturbed, said:

"Have I told you about our goal?"

"Yes."

Only a select few knew about Yuka. However, as the dedicated doctor of "Dawn's Sheath," Safuran had been informed by Rau and Shiz. She was asked to help, even if it meant taking some risks.

"To be honest, I don't have the spare time right now."

Rau, who didn't look like he had any spare time, said:

"I pour all my time and money into what's necessary. Otherwise—"

Safuran thought that this young man was well aware of the difficulty of rescuing Yuka.

"I'll have to give up."

The words made Mariete and Katrenoa flinch.

"I, I am absolutely necessary."

"I, I have overcome my guilt today. I can handle brutal killings."

Safuran thought they were well-trained, or rather, well-disciplined, despite their difficult teenage years. Regret washed over her, but she thought it was better than the inevitable destruction that would come in the future.

"Do as you please, but I want you to guarantee their safety."

For anything else, she would treat them. The doctor's name was changed from Zelisia to Safuran.