In the past, Melissa’s grandfather would frequently visit Bayern.

“I’ll be away for a long time, so handle the simple household matters during that time.”

“Yes, grandfather.”

Melissa remembers bowing each time, feeling the weight of responsibility her grandfather had entrusted to her.

At the southernmost part of the Sys Empire.

Bayern, bordering the Kingdom of Altania, was a region where military conflicts never ceased.

Just 5 years ago, there was an incident where the village was completely burned down due to conflicts between Altanians posing as bandits and the imperial army…

‘Back then, a large forest fire broke out due to the dry climate.’

The incident made national newspapers due to the extensive damage to both the imperial army and the Bayern region. It was unusual for a southern rural village to gain such fame in the capital.

“Oof.”

Melissa descended the train station stairs, struggling with her heavy luggage.

“…”

Whoosh.

A dry, dusty wind stung her face – warm for winter but rather arid. Unlike other stations where coachmen typically lined up in front, this place was sparsely populated except for a few trees.

The train station appeared to be an old stable converted into a wooden building, so decrepit that it seemed a strong kick to its rotting pillars would bring it down. In contrast, the military railway in the distance had five lines laid down with tall, bunker-like military buildings stacked up.

It was clearly a place with minimal civilian traffic.

But turning back was impossible now that the once-daily train had departed, and after being in Tavania where even breathing froze your nostrils, the warm south felt like stepping into a greenhouse – not entirely unpleasant.

She had shed some tears on the descending train, overwhelmed by various emotions, but she was composed now.

Melissa opened her reddened eyes with determination and set her lips in a firm line.

‘I’ll heal the brand here, recover my health, and return to Tavania with the child.’

Even if Rael grumbles and becomes angry when she returns, she won’t throw her out. If anything happens while raising the child, there’s always the option of contacting Arthur.

Bayern was merely a temporary stop along the way.

‘I can do this.’

Among the former noble ladies, she might now be the one who had traveled the longest distance alone, compared to when she used to remain confined in her room like a living corpse.

Melissa approached the village entrance with its barbed wire fence, feeling somewhat proud.

Unlike other regions practically conquered by the revolutionary army, Bayern had imperial soldiers in uniform standing guard with rifles.

Entry to the village required passing through strict barbed wire security, but following the forest grandmother’s instructions, when she mentioned bringing medicinal ingredients for ‘Miss Lucy,’ they inspected her bag and let her through immediately.

“You’re pregnant. We wish you a safe delivery.”

Rather than checking her identity, the imperial soldier even welcomed her with a smile. It seemed strange. Melissa pulled her hat down low and proceeded inside the barbed wire fence.

Just then, a military transport vehicle was heading into the village, so Melissa endured two hours in the rattling vehicle, awkwardly squeezed between armed soldiers like an out-of-place duckling.

Her legs trembled when she dismounted with the soldiers’ help. The unpaved stone road had made the ride so bumpy that she felt dizzy and nauseated.

“Go inside and unpack your things.”

One soldier familiar with the village layout showed her the way. He even carried her heavy luggage, for which she kept expressing her gratitude while looking up at the sign.

‘Lucy’s Clinic.’

After such a difficult journey, she hoped it would prove worthwhile.

Melissa climbed the stairs with her luggage. Before she could open the old wooden door, she paused momentarily upon hearing people’s murmuring from inside.

“Ah…”

While she stood briefly before the door, someone rushed over and flung it open from the inside.

It was Emerson.

“Ma… Madam?”

The woman, with blood covering both hands, had one lens of her glasses broken and askew.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go get something!”

She seemed to be in a hurry, stammering at the sight of Melissa before rushing off to the building across the street.

It was definitely Emerson, wasn’t it?

Melissa was taken aback, not expecting such a hasty retreat upon being seen.

But when she ventured further inside with her bag, she immediately understood Emerson’s reaction.

“Emerson! Emerson, where are you!”

Inside the clinic, over thirty soldiers were either groaning in pain or lying motionless. Before someone whose leg had been blown off by a landmine and was bleeding profusely, a woman with short hair like Whilton and notably strong features shouted powerfully.

“Emersooooon!!!”

“Emerson went to get something from the building across the street.”

Melissa addressed the woman while suppressing her pounding heart. The middle-aged woman in a white coat surveyed Melissa’s appearance while twitching her thick eyebrows.

“You were sent by the forest grandmother, weren’t you?”

How did she know?

When Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise, Lucy shouted.

“What are you standing there for? Sort out the herbs in the bag right now, mix them with the ointment, and bring them here!”

Startled by the voice that roared like a tiger, Melissa grasped the urgency of the situation and followed a nurse to a clean room to take out the herbs.

“Oh? These are the forest grandmother’s herbs!”

Just then, Emerson, who had returned, retrieved the herbs from among broken glass pieces and washed them in water.

“After shaking off excess water and drying them thoroughly, grind them with this tool and mix with the ointment here. Oh, hands, hands, hands. Wash your hands first!”

While Melissa nodded in understanding at Emerson’s words, Lucy’s shouts echoed again from afar. Appearing anxious in her desperate search for Emerson, she quickly wiped her glasses and said “P-please take care of this!” before leaving her spot.

“Um…”

They seemed severely understaffed, and the nurses looked busy too, and being pregnant here made her one of the healthier ones.

Melissa ground herbs and mixed them with ointment for the first time in her life. She had only observed the forest grandmother do it over her shoulder a few times and followed that example, but when Lucy loudly praised her saying “You’re quite meticulous, aren’t you? I really like that!” her face flushed bright red.

Lucy never withheld praise when Melissa accomplished something. But she would also shout mercilessly when mistakes occurred.

“This needs to be ground finer! You should have mixed it with the third ointment! Do it again!”

It had been a while since someone spoke to Melissa so directly, and she actually felt walls breaking down in just one day, giving her a sense of belonging.

“The forest grandmother sent proper help this time!”

From what she gathered, it seemed the grandmother had sent people here multiple times. Melissa was about to mention she came for treatment but missed the opportunity while making ointments until exhaustion overtook her.

“Good work today.”

“Good work…”

When evening came, the clinic staff exchanged greetings and retired to their rooms to rest. Even Emerson looked too exhausted to talk, her eyes sunken from the day’s toll.

Though they had exchanged names with the clinic staff, they hadn’t asked for surnames, so here Melissa was simply ‘Melissa.’

The next day passed just as busily. And the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that…

Being so occupied left no time to think about other matters. If Melissa didn’t move quickly enough, injured soldiers would scream from lack of ointment.

When they ran out of ingredients, she had to visit the building across the street to select and bring artificially cultivated herbs, and when Lucy announced surgery, everything needed to be prepared within 5 minutes. Even the smallest mistake could prove fatal for patients, so both precise work and swift movements were essential.

And that wasn’t all. Small tasks had to be learned and performed independently.

Though senior staff like Emerson and other nurses were present, everyone was so busy that conversations rarely lasted more than a minute.

She had to memorize instructions after hearing them once, ask minimal questions to confirm her understanding, and adapt while consulting the handover manual.

“You really have talent. You memorized all this at once?”

Lucy was very fond of Melissa, calling her a gifted person.

“Since you can speak all the neighboring countries’ languages, we won’t be afraid no matter who comes! Most people here are from Altania and Sys, but sometimes people come from Tavania too. As you know, my teacher’s teacher’s teacher was from Tavania, but I’ve never even set foot on Tavanian soil.”

Lucy had a very loud and rapid way of speaking. It was remarkable how her quick speech maintained such precise pronunciation that it resonated clearly.

Each time, Melissa could only shyly nod, missing the opportunity to respond. Whenever she opened her mouth to answer, Lucy would be called away for patient matters.

Lucy’s attitude didn’t trouble her though.

Here, only ability mattered.

She appreciated this place where helping each other was paramount, regardless of nationality, race, or gender.

And occasionally, when confronted with matters of life and death, she realized her own worries were insignificant. After all, everything would vanish with death, so why carry pain in her heart and make herself ill?

After a few days, life returned to Melissa’s red eyes. The unusual color that had seeped into her eyes now sparkled softly like a sun-warmed tray.

“Melissa, what name have you chosen for the baby?”

After one round of accidents had subsided, the clinic became somewhat quieter. When a fellow nurse working with her in the herb room asked this question, Melissa’s shoulders flinched.

“I haven’t thought about it yet.”

“Really? What did the baby’s father say?”

The woman with dark skin from Altania blinked her large eyes with curiosity as she asked.

“Is the baby’s father a soldier from this region? Or an Altanian?”