Chapter 20

It was past noon when Reta finally finished treating all the injured.

"...I'm tired, my magic is almost depleted."

"No, rather, it's surprising that you were able to continue treating them without your magic running out."

The guild receptionist, with a voice mixed with surprise and exasperation, spoke to Reta, who was sitting in a chair, exhausted.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Dixon. I sincerely appreciate that no one died."

"No, I'm glad I could help everyone. By the way, where is Mina?"

"If you're looking for Mina, she's over there. She helped out halfway through, which was a great relief."

The receptionist smiled and moved her gaze to a girl approaching with a bucket and a towel. She must have been taking care of the injured. Reta remembered that many of the injured were covered in blood.

(...What a kind girl.)

Mina's clothes were also stained with blood. The girl had helped without minding the mess, and Reta felt gratitude and respect for her.

"Reta? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"There's blood on you. I brought some water, so can you clean up?"

"Thanks, that would be a big help."

Reta took the towel from Mina, dipped it in the bucket of water, and wrung it out tightly. She vigorously wiped her blood-soaked arms, which had become stained from treating the injured. It was difficult to remove the partially dried blood, but she eventually managed to clean up.

(I'm so tired from using too much magic, and I'm hungry too.)

Reta thought that Mina, who had worked hard, and the receptionist, who had been with her the whole time, felt the same way, so she didn't say anything. As Reta washed her face with the towel, the receptionist looked at her with a serious expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that we really were saved this time."

"We help each other when we're in trouble. But, I do feel that things got out of hand. I thought it was just supposed to be a test to see how much recovery magic you could use."

Reta smiled wryly, but the receptionist's expression was dark.

"Sorry, that was a bit snarky."

"No, no, I don't think anything about Mr. Dixon! It's just that I didn't expect things to turn out this way."

"Really?"

"Yes. Actually, at first, the guild only gathered those with minor injuries. They didn't have much money, so getting treated was a matter of luck. However, last night, after Mr. Dixon and the others left the guild, people who had been injured in a battle with a group of monsters were brought in."

"...So that's how it ended up like this."

The receptionist nodded.

"At first, we relied on the healers in town..."

"Did they refuse to treat them?"

"...That's terrible."

Mina, who had been listening, also made a bitter face. But the receptionist shook her head.

"They did treat them, but only those who could pay the treatment fees, which included night charges. Most people couldn't afford the high fees and were at a loss."

"And today?"

"Yes. I felt bad about involving Mr. Dixon, but the guild had no choice but to ask for help."

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing deeply. It turned out that the doctors had provided emergency treatment, but it wasn't as effective as recovery magic. They could only stop the bleeding and stabilize broken limbs. The guild, at a loss about what to do with the injured who couldn't afford treatment, had placed their hopes on Reta.

They had prepared some treatment fees, though it was a small amount. If it wasn't enough, they had also negotiated to improve Reta's treatment at the guild.

(I don't feel used or angry, but I do have some thoughts.)

"I have one thing to say."

"Yes?"

"If this happens again, call me immediately. Don't worry about the time, just think about the injured. Got it?"

"---, that means..."

"In the future, I'll be staying in this town. You could say we're all in this together. So don't hesitate to ask for help."

"Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Dixon!"

The receptionist, relieved, shed tears of gratitude and bowed repeatedly. Reta calmed her down and had her sit in a chair.

"...I'm sorry. Actually, one of the severely injured was my brother, an adventurer."

"Is that so?"

"I didn't want to bring personal feelings into it, but I'm grateful he was saved. He had been suffering since last night, and I couldn't bear to see it anymore."

Reta finally understood why the receptionist was crying. There were many severely injured, but fortunately, no one had died before Reta could treat them. However, thinking about how many had suffered, he felt regret. Among them was a family member. The receptionist's feelings were beyond imagination.

(I'm glad I could help.)

Reta was simply relieved that his recovery magic had been effective for everyone.