Inside the last tent, there were only five men. One was about my age, two were middle-aged with shaggy beards, and the other two appeared to be somewhere in between.

Jayden scoffed in annoyance as soon as he saw them.

“Ha. What kind of treatment do they need? They could probably recover on their own.”

Indeed, the pirates were less injured compared to the villagers. I felt my carefully suppressed anger rising again.

“Hey, miss. Forget about us, but that guy over there is really on the brink of death.”

One of the middle-aged men, noticing my blood-stained apron and recognizing me as a healer, chimed in with a swagger.

“What? You insolent bastard! How dare you run your mouth like that!”

Already in a foul mood, Jayden kicked the rude man hard. Tied hand and foot to a stake driven deep into the ground, the man could only groan in pain, unable to resist.

I had no intention of stopping him, so I quickly and coldly assessed their condition.

“I’ll just reset the broken and torn parts, and you’ll have to let the rest heal on its own. Everything will be fine with time. But you over there, you might actually die.”

As the rude pirate had mentioned, the young man lying furthest inside was pale and suffering from a stab wound.

I approached him immediately and examined the wound closely. The injury started at the pit of his stomach and extended diagonally across his torso, nearly splitting it in half. The only first aid he had received was a simple bandage, and it seemed he might genuinely die without immediate care.

“It’s going to hurt.”

I knelt beside him and quickly began unwrapping the bandage. As soon as I touched him, he let out a tremendous groan, writhing in pain.

“Ugh…”

“Bear with it.”

Thankfully, given the situation, his arms and legs were bound, so I didn’t need to use strong anesthesia that would drain his energy. However, the wound was so deep that it couldn’t be treated in one go.

After several rounds of applying magic, I finally managed to seal the wound and catch my breath.

“It’ll take some time for the skin to fully heal. If you move, it’ll reopen quickly, so lie still as if you’re dead.”

The man, who had kept his eyes tightly shut throughout the treatment, slowly opened them. His clear hazel eyes met mine.

“…I owe my survival to you. I sincerely appreciate it.”

Now that the pain had subsided, he calmly expressed his gratitude.

“Be quiet. Talking will slow your recovery.”

“I want to express my gratitude to the person who saved my life. My name is Derrick.”

Just as I was about to stand, I shook my head. If he ignored my warning not to speak, it wasn’t my concern if his wound reopened.

I turned to treat another pirate next to him, but then I heard something even more surprising from behind me than a self-introduction.

“Well, you might laugh, but… I fell in love at first sight.”

What had I just heard?

I turned back to him with a deeply furrowed brow. He was grinning brightly, despite being bound and half-n*ked, covered only by tattered clothes, looking like a complete mess.

It seemed he had no grasp of his current situation. Finding it unworthy of a response, I glared at him with disdain, while snickers erupted around me. Annoyance spread quickly. Pirates, uneducated as they were, all seemed to share this kind of rudeness.

“Jayden.”

Jayden, immediately understanding my intent, warned the pirates in a threatening tone.

“Anyone who makes a sound other than breathing will have their throat slit. I’m not just saying it, so take it seriously.”

Apparently, they weren’t entirely clueless, as the tent soon fell silent. Feeling uncomfortable, I hurriedly finished treating the remaining patients and left quickly.

“You’ve worked hard dealing with those vermin.”

Jayden grumbled as he tried to comfort me. His words made me smile slightly, realizing that in this world, he was truly my only ally.

“Thanks. Let’s go and get some rest.”

“Yes. I’ll escort you to your room.”

“Alright.”

In the past, he must have been deeply saddened by my death. Maybe not Leopold, but at least Jayden. With someone as caring as him, I was about to leave soon.

But since it wasn’t a permanent goodbye like before, if we were alive, we might see each other again someday.

I tucked away my growing sense of regret deep within my heart and quietly began to plan my departure from the village.

***

After writing in my journal until morning and collapsing into sleep, I woke up to find the sun already high in the sky.

I quickly satisfied my hunger with some fruit that had been prepared on the table and stepped outside to check on the patients’ progress.

“You’re up? You should rest more.”

Jayden, who seemed to be on guard duty, stood in front of the lodging.

“And you? Did you get any rest?”

“Don’t underestimate a knight’s stamina.”

Beyond his cheerful smile, I could hear a lively commotion. Everyone was still in the midst of recovery, and I suddenly felt a wave of dread. Even though I knew no one had been seriously harmed, the act of healing itself was something I hadn’t done in a long time, leaving me anxious.

“Why is it so noisy? Did something happen?”

“Nothing’s wrong; they’re just excited because they’re getting better.”

Jayden grinned and opened the entrance.

“The healer is here!”

“Healer!”

Before I could fully step inside, voices filled with gratitude erupted from all around.

“Thank you!”

“You saved us!”

Those who could walk rushed toward me, bowing repeatedly, while those lying down waved their arms or shouted as loudly as they could.

Their heartfelt gratitude overwhelmed me. It was more than just a sense of pride; I felt incredibly alive, even more so than when I first sensed the flow of magic after my return.

But there was no time to get lost in emotions. Seeing the patients staggering around brought me back to my senses.

“Everyone, even if you look okay, you shouldn’t be moving yet. You need to lie still and recover for at least two days. And make sure you eat well.”

The perceptive knights helped calm the people down for me. However, they couldn’t stop their chatter.

“Just being pain-free makes me feel completely healed!”

“Right, and I thought… I’d never use my arm again…”

As someone began to speak with a choked voice, others around them started to sniffle as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Shedding tears will only diminish your strength, so stop it. Hurry now.”

I advised them, flustered, but the gestures of wiping away tears seemed to have little effect. All I could do was thoroughly check the patients once more. Fortunately, the treatments had gone well overall, allowing me to feel a bit relieved.

Still, treating battle wounds like these was relatively straightforward. Using the anatomy I had studied at the academy, I could sew up wounds with magic like thread and needle or create artificial organs to fill in gaps.

The more challenging task was treating illnesses without visible injuries, like a cold, which could be addressed by injecting magic to enhance the body’s abilities and boost immunity.

The most difficult cases were those with unknown causes, like my mother’s leg. Since there were no visible wounds or signs of infection, boosting immunity had its limits, making it very hard to cure.

Once I left Fojetta, it might be a good opportunity to seek out sick people and conduct further research. Aside from my mother’s leg, this was something I had always dreamed of as a student.

This resolution, though not new, felt refreshing. I aimed to confirm the value of my existence through my abilities, to move forward based solely on my decisions, not those of others. One must not be blinded by emotions that would eventually fade.

After checking the last patient, Jayden, who had been diligently following me, asked quietly, “Are you going to check on the pirates too?”

After a brief hesitation, I declined. I didn’t want to return to that unpleasant place.

“No. Just go and check on them yourself. I’ve already completed the important treatments, so there shouldn’t be any major issues. My mentor would scold me if she knew, but she’s not here, is she?”

“Understood. I’ll keep your secret. You must be tired, so take a rest. I’ll come get you when dinner is ready.”

Jayden flashed a mischievous, bright smile and stepped aside. It was his way of respecting my need for solitary reflection. I wished I could see that smile forever.

Trying to soothe my lingering feelings, I slowly turned my gaze to the sea. The sun was sinking below the horizon, painting the sky a vibrant red.

Perhaps because it was in the west, the sunset was particularly beautiful. I had seen the sea before, but it had been during a gloomy time, so the memories were hazy. I must have gone out alone to escape the suffocation. There was no need to recall unpleasant emotions.

I tried to clear my mind as I walked to the beach. Carefully stepping on the stones, I descended to the wide shore and strolled slowly. The crunch of the sand was lovely, and the sea breeze brushing against my cheeks felt warm.

And, always dearly loved, the fresh scent of the forest…

But there was no forest nearby.

He couldn’t possibly be here.

Just as I was about to turn my head to locate the source of the scent, someone suddenly hugged me from behind. At the same time, a damp cloth covered my nose and mouth. My vision darkened instantly, and Leopold’s scent vanished completely.