“Come in!”

The interior was just as tidy as the exterior. To the left of the central staircase leading to the second floor were the kitchen and dining table, while on the right, there was a fireplace with three cozy-looking armchairs in front of it. I could easily imagine sitting there in the winter, reading a book by the warm glow of the fire.

“You can use the room on the right upstairs. Let me help you with your luggage.”

Before I could even express my admiration, she rolled up her sleeves and tried to lift my bags. Her slender wrists caught my attention.

“Wait a moment. Could I check on you first, Alisa?”

I had thought she looked pale, but her exposed arms immediately revealed the seriousness of her health condition. I gently took the luggage handle from her hands. Alisa seemed taken aback by the sudden offer and hesitated to respond.

“I promised Emily that I would help her sister get better. Let me help you relax.”

I gently led her to the sofa in front of the fireplace. Reluctantly following, she spoke with a complex expression.

“I heard you would help me, but that’s not why the healer is staying here. Even when I was young, my sister and my late parents gave me everything they thought was good, but my health never improved…”

Her expression became increasingly dejected.

“I’m not just here to look after your illness as a condition for staying. If there’s someone in pain, I would naturally treat them, even without any favor in return. So don’t worry about it. Besides, I’m quite skilled, you know.”

I added the last part confidently, but Alisa seemed to take it as a light joke and let out a small laugh.

“Oh, you don’t believe me?”

“Of course not! Then, I’ll be in your care.”

She seemed a bit more at ease and sat quietly on the sofa.

“Close your eyes for a moment. I’ll check your condition.”

“Okay!”

I placed my hand over her closed eyes and infused energy starting from her forehead. The flow of magic that examined her body was transmitted directly. Her condition was as I had expected. Alisa was simply someone with extremely low vitality, not suffering from any specific illness.

The problem was that in such cases, even a mild cold could last at least three months, minor cuts wouldn’t heal for a month, and if her bones broke, they wouldn’t regenerate perfectly. With a body this weak, all daily activities drained her life force, shortening her lifespan. Since it wasn’t a situation where a clear cause could be removed like a typical illness, it would take some time to bring her to a normal state of health.

“Alisa, you’re just unusually weak, not sick. In such cases, the best approach is not magical treatment but gradually strengthening your body through consistent medication. I’ll see if I can find plants around here to make medicine. It might take a while. In the meantime, try to hold on with this.”

As I explained, I sent a flow of magic into her. Alisa’s eyes widened.

“Healer…! Wow… I feel energy rising within me…! I’ve never felt like this in my life!”

“I’ll make sure you can continue feeling like that in the future.”

Shouting her thanks, Alisa suddenly hugged me tightly. I wondered if people here, like that kid Theo earlier, just loved hugging. While pondering this, a curiosity arose.

“By the way, Emily said her sister is shy and doesn’t talk much, but that’s not the case at all.”

Her complexion, now healthier, looked up at me as she released her embrace.

“I was like that when I was younger! But over the past few years, my personality has changed a lot. I started teaching the village children, and since there are so many rambunctious ones, I ended up yelling a lot. I couldn’t stay shy.”

Her voice, now full of energy, sounded cheerful. Smiling contentedly, I helped her as she tried to rise from her seat.

“By the way, healer, please speak comfortably to me, just like you do with my sister!”

“Ah… I’m just more comfortable with formal speech. It’s a habit, I hope you understand.”

It felt a bit odd to speak formally to her while being informal with Emily, but having left the name Lawrence behind, it seemed right. I often got scolded by Leopold for not breaking my habit of speaking formally to household staff, but I was never a noble to begin with.

Fortunately, Alisa nodded without further comment on my request.

“But how have you managed on your own with your condition? It must have been hard even to prepare meals.”

“The village people help me a lot. Especially Matt, whom you met earlier! We’ve known each other since childhood, and he’s a really good friend. If you ever face something difficult to handle alone, just let him know. Matt will gladly come running to help.”

She spoke with enthusiasm, seemingly amazed by the newfound energy coursing through her body, and suddenly dashed towards the entrance, lifting my luggage with ease. Before I could stop her, she clattered up the stairs and called out loudly.

“Healer! Come on up!”

I couldn’t help but smile, feeling both sympathy for the difficult times she’d endured and charmed by her demeanor.

As soon as I climbed the stairs to the second floor, I noticed doors on either side, and Alisa was waving from the open door on the right.

I stepped into a room bathed in sunlight. It contained only a bed, a wardrobe, a small desk, and a chair, but it was spotless, without a speck of dust. It was evident how much care and attention she devoted to maintaining it every day.

“I heard you might need a laboratory, so you can use the annex!”

“Isn’t the annex used for something else?”

“My sister used to paint there occasionally, and when the whole family lived together, we stored winter supplies there. But now my sister’s gone, and I can’t stock up much food on my own!”

It was hard to readily accept such a generous offer. Being warmly welcomed and given a cozy space was already more than enough, let alone being offered a laboratory. It was a kindness I hadn’t anticipated.

“Please, don’t feel burdened. Use it as much as you like! Even if you do feel burdened, think of it as a reward for healing my illness, okay?”

I hadn’t even managed to fully restore her health, yet she was already acting as if she were completely well, seeking my agreement. Hesitant, I resolved to make her medicine first and finally spoke.

“…Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

“Great! I’ll introduce you to the village tomorrow. Rest up and come down for dinner later. Let’s eat together!”

“Alright.”

Alisa left, humming a tune about making a meat stew, and closed the door behind her.

After the chaos with Leopold at dawn, it felt as if several days had already passed.

***

Leopold received Lanette’s report in the middle of the night. Although Hazel had angrily told him not to follow and he knew her destination, Leopold couldn’t bear to let Hazel go alone again.

After confirming she had returned to her room, he sent Lanette and four knights as an escort. Two were sent ahead of Hazel to identify any threats, while the remaining two were instructed to follow and guard her from behind.

The Lawrence Knights were as formidable as the royal knights in terms of individual combat skills. He had chosen those particularly skilled in tracking, so nothing was likely to happen, but he couldn’t shake off the anxiety and unease while waiting.

Explaining Hazel’s urgent departure to the king on her behalf, preparing the knights to leave as soon as Lanette returned, and turning away the unnecessary visits from the principality’s nobles—all these tasks felt endlessly burdensome. Having lost Hazel again, he wondered what on earth he was doing here all alone.

He should have knelt before Hazel as she cried and refused to rise until she forgave him. Even if she pushed him away, he should have embraced her as she screamed in anguish. He should have confessed that he loved her so much that he feared being hated.

However, seeing Hazel in distress had left his mind blank, unable to make any decisions. What a fool he was…

The only thing he didn’t regret was firmly stating that he wasn’t the caster. Hazel had realized something was wrong with him as a consequence of returning, and she never wanted to share her noble power, akin to life force, with someone like him.

Leopold instinctively knew he couldn’t be easily healed, and he disliked the idea of her being bound to him out of a sense of duty.

Even though he had his reasons, he was deeply regretful for squandering the second chance she had given him. The image of her face, constantly shedding tears mixed with anger, kept suffocating him. It felt like he was drowning in a giant jar filled with her tears.

Now, he would never be able to escape it for the rest of his life.

“…So, we confirmed that the lady arrived at her destination safely. …My lord?”

The cautious voice calling him brought Leopold back to his senses for a moment.

“…Could you repeat that?”

“Yes, my lord. The lady arrived at her destination safely. We eliminated a total of twelve bandits who were preparing an ambush on a quiet road connecting the villages. From what we heard from the villagers along the way, they tend to raid the villages during the harvest season, just like in our Lawrence territory. In any case, I think we should conduct a thorough inspection around the Whitia Mountains.”

“Alright, well done. I’ll give further instructions soon, so rest until then.”

With a respectful bow, Lanette left the room.

The realization that there was at least one thing he could do for Hazel became his sole comfort.