"アドラーさん！！ " (Adoray-san!!)
"Why are you here?"
"Because I can be!" I hopped onto the guest chair in Adoray's office, squirreling down there while slowly applying cleaning magic onto myself and the blanket, putting clothes on underneath.
"That's not an answer. Why aren't you at the festival in your hometown or something?" The grumpy foxkin looked up from the paperwork he was doing, through his glasses and at my humble-ish smile. His yellow eyes were as unamused as ever, which made me think he hadn't had a good day.
"Because I came here."
"That's basically the same answer."
"No it's not," I looked out his windows, where I could see it was becoming late afternoon. This town was midway between Larjulias and Koraco, where it was night and day, so it was halfway in between right now. The festival should be starting soon. "Why aren't you out preparing for the festival?"
"I don't go to such things," was all he said as he went on to another paper. He stood up and moved directly into his potion mixing desk, tapping a few things here and there.
"So I was right? Internally you're just a grumpy old man?"
"...whoever said that?"
"Well, because you don't act your age in any way."
"My age is not of concern. You, however, are a perfect hypocrite. At three years old you acted like eleven. At two you were somewhere up there, at one basically sixty years old. Why is it that as time goes on, you become less serious?"
"Why is it that, as time goes on, you never change?"
"Because I don't need to change," Adoray sighed at my logic.
"Adoray, are you in?" A new voice was at the door.
"Sadly, yes," he replied. It opened, and from it revealed someone I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Oh!" The human lady in the wheelchair exclaimed, a small smile coming to her face. "I haven't seen you in a very long time. How are you, little girl?"
"Good, thank you for asking. And you?" I replied with common courtesy while trying to not remember the first time I saw her. I had just risen from the grave, and people were fearful of me. She was one of the few who stood up for me. Er...not literally stood up. Sorry, it's a slip of the tongue.
"Great!" Her smile got a bit wider. She saw that I was wearing something not from these parts and curiously exclaimed, forgetting why she was here, "What fine embroidery! Where did that fine piece come from?"
"Larjulias..." I tentatively answered. I was caught up in examining her looks, seeing how she looked no different from the one time I'd seen her. Hair pulled back in a braid, face and eyes clear, wooden wheels with not even a speck of dust on them. Someone was well-taken care of.
"Really?! You've been there?" Her face, aged forty or so years, was like a child's. She rolled a bit forward and asked, "Can I touch it?"
"Sure," I reached a tip of the large, bundled blanket towards her. She took it from me and was surprised by how soft it was, being entranced and feeling the beads and seams even more. I had to admit, the Fae had some nice things.
"Mrs. Lisa," Adoray was trying hard to not frown. Why was it that only in my presence he let such flippant emotions show, yet to others he was courteous?
"Yes?" She snapped out of it and looked up. "I'm sorry, I got distracted just now. May I have the potions I requested earlier? I have the money now." Mrs. Lisa started rifling through satchel I now saw was on her lap, but Adoray stopped her with his next words.
"It's unnecessary, Mrs. Lisa."
"What? Why? You do have the potions, correct?" She seemed a little uneasy at his words.
"I do have them, but they are unnecessary." He turned back to me with that fake, small courtesy smile. "Since it seems you will be here for a while-"
"How'd you know?" I smiled innocently.
"-I will have you do it, free of charge, as payment to me."
"Me do what?"
"Heal someone."
That was all it took to hook me. "Deal. Where to?" I stood up and dropped the cover, folding it up while placing it on the bed.
"...my house."
She was skeptical, huh?
"Don't worry, Mrs. Lisa," Adoray assured her before I could. "She can use healing magic."
"Priestess?"
"No, your average little girl," I answered while walking out.
"That's the worst lie I've ever heard."
We all knew who said that. Only I heard it, however, because he had mumbled it. Mrs. Lisa's human ears didn't pick it up.
We left the hospital building, walking down the street through last minute preparations for the festival.
Eventually, on an edge of town I'd never really been to before, we reached a cottage. It looked like the type you would find in a brochure to Switzerland, with the colorful flowers hanging from pots in windows and garden out front.
Paradise.
I wanted to take a picture, it felt like I was sightseeing.
"Please, come in," Mrs. Lisa held open the gate while she rolled herself up the front steps. Opening the front door, she called out to her son who I also hadn't seen for some time. "Beowulf! Get out here!"
The young boy I'd seen a few years ago was now a young man. I'd not really looked at him, but now I could tell he was a mother's boy with how closely he inherited Mrs. Lisa's looks...even though he was a wolfkin because of his father's side of the family.
"Hello," he greeted while coming from the back.
We nodded our heads in greeting as well, then got right to business.
"Where's my patient?" I asked, manipulating mana to become gloves on my hands. Having not seen this before, Beowulf stared. His ears twitched for no reason, tail swishing as he led us somewhere else.
Ah.
I just remembered that Beowulf had a very rude father.
And if Mrs. Lisa wasn't injured, if Beowulf wasn't injured, then that meant he was injured.
Wilhelm. A guy who cursed at me and almost cut off his wife's breathing, trying to get her to shut up that one time.
My mood internally turned sour.
I walked into the small room and saw the man on the bed that was breathing hard, sweating with an unknown injury. No external wounds, no bleeding or anything, he looked just like he was constantly about to faint.
"We didn't know what was wrong with him, after taking him to another doctor. They said that nothing was wrong as well, so we just thought to rely on potions," Beowulf explained uneasily.
"Well let me tell you something," I walked up while using [X-Ray]. "Potions may seem awesome and cool or something, but they are not an invincible cure-all. If you had used potions, you would've just been prolonging the inevitable."
"Inevi...table?"
"I mean that you are just pushing back something that's already going to happen," I explained to Mrs. Lisa, who didn't know the word.
"Wait, 'going to happen?'" Adoray was a little offset by my words. "He's dying?"
I was nonchalant as I shrugged my shoulders and said, "If you want to put it so bluntly, then yes. He'll be dead sometime soon if he doesn't get some serious help."
"What?" Beowulf was breathless as he looked at his father, who's eyes were fluttering like he was trying to look away from the sun. More like the light of the afterworld.
"What can we do?" Ms. Lisa's mood plummeted and she seemed kind of grave. "Who can we go to?"
I frowned when Adoray's ears poked into the conversation, curious as to what I was going to say. They were so fluffy, but I knew he would never let me touch them...tch.
"I never said I couldn't do it," my frown deepened as they asked for some other physician. "Besides, the problem is pretty simple. I could take care of it in minutes, no, seconds."
"And what do you think the problem is?" Adoray asked me calmly.
"That's an easy question, it's the appendix."
"Appen-what?" His features slightly contorted as I said a foreign word.
"Oh, sorry. Here it would be called the...hm? I don't know. Wrong language?" I was wasting time trying to stall my treatment, not wanting to operate on one who'd previously called me something I'd rather not remember.
Wilhelm writhed on the bed. It looked like he was being electrified, which I found quite amusing.
Seeing Mrs. Lisa's worried face, I sighed and decided to get to it.
"Get out," I waved them away with my hand. When no one moved, I turned to them and saw some shocked faces. Adoray gave me a look that showed he wasn't moving no matter what, while the other two weren't comprehending. "What are you waiting for?"
Beowulf looked to Adoray while his mother looked to his father, then they both left.
"I take it you won't leave me alone matter what, so you can have the job of holding him down."
"You can just do that with magic. It would be easier on him, and us. Why not an anesthetic?"
"Because I don't think he needs it," my voice almost growled. "He's stouthearted man, tough beastman, isn't he? He can take it."
"..."
"Okay, fine," I huffed and cast the magic at the man. He stopped moving, as still as a log. Or a dead man. "Happy?"
"Not really, but I'm sure Mrs. Lisa will be."
"Guh! The cheap card," I rubbed my arms from guilt, then walked forward.
"So what is this 'appendix?'" Adoray questioned while leaning on the foot of the bed. "Where is it? How is it causing problems?"
"So many questions, jeez. Do you know basic human-or in this case beastkin-anatomy?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll probably know what I'm talking about if I point to it, right?"
"Probably."
"Okay, then let's get started."
I formed an energy blade in the shape of a scalpel, then lifted up the man's shirt.
"What're you-"
"Shush," I warned, pointing the knife at him. "You don't want me to use this on you."
Using the most careful hand ever, I sliced neatly into where I had sanitized the skin. I had never done something like this before, because this was the first time I ever went to cut someone open and take something out. I moved stuff around and broke them to refit them, but I never took anything out.
Pretty soon I had it open, and I beckoned Adoray forward with my head. I was holding the skin open so you could see inside, and found that there was indeed the thing I'd been after.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Yes, it's an alog. Why is it so..."
"Enflamed? There are many reasons as to why it could be like this, all of which I have no time to name. Just know that if it bursts...he dies. It's really lucky I was here, you know? Potions can't take care of something like this."
"Huh," Adoray sounded amused.
"Now take this from me. I have something else to do."
He held the part I'd cut open without much fanfare, and I used both my hands to pick up the swollen appendix and match my knife to it. I imagined an air palate next to me as I cut away at the connection between the appendix and intestine, then the other side, and took it out carefully. I had used magic hands to hold the two ends I had cut in between, then dropped the cut out part on the air palate. My gloves were a little messy, and Adoray's bare hands were holding things normal people would have nightmares about, but otherwise we were clean.
"What next?"
"Sewing. Thank the Stars I know how to do this," I sighed while making a mana thread. Passing it through one end of the intestine, I attached the two parts and eventually made a full circle. I made the skin seal itself, made my gloves disappear while putting disinfectant on Adoray's hands, and threw the appendix into storage. I'd properly dispose of it later. "Done."
"That's all it took?" He recalled the thing laying in the air that I cut out. "And it's so small, too."
"Yep. Well, all that's left is to shove this guy full of vitamins, make sure he gets rest and doesn't break my magically dissipating stitches, and leave."
I opened the door and left the room with a small, satisfied smile on my face. It always feels good to have done something right after a bunch of wrongs.
"You're done?" Mrs. Lisa looked very worried as my movements were slow, almost uncaring. She could probably very easily guess that I didn't like her husband very much, and it was a wonder how she loved him. He'd probably wronged her many times, but she cared for him. How?
Kitri had never wronged me, up until today. We'd probably both get over it with time, but...deep down, it would never be the same. To me, at least.
"Yes, the problem was very small even though the results would've been very disastrous."
"Thank you, thank you very much-" Beowulf was ducking his head to Adoray, until Adoray pointed to me. They blinked, then turned to me.
"How can we ever re-"
What's with that typical line?
"Nope!" I intervened. "I don't need payment. Just...enjoy the festival. Also, don't ever forget to look after each other. It may seem like nothing's wrong, but it's best to get help even for the slightest injury. Anything can kill you, after all, especially negligence. Good day."
I bowed and walked to the entrance, Adoray behind me as he tried to make my words seem not so dark. Hey, it's the truth dude. The truth hurts.
Back through the garden, out of the fence, down the street, and back to the hospital I went. I didn't stop even once to talk with anyone who may have known me, not distracting them since they were very busy putting the finishing touches on all of the events for the festival.
Oh, that's right. The festival is going to start here soon, in just a few hours...
I wonder if Mother and Father kept their promise with me. Now that I think about it, they never said they wouldn't make a move on Kitri. Should I have stayed and made sure they wouldn't make enemies of the royal family?
Nah, I'm sure Fang or Lucia would stop them before they did something stupid. Right?
Paivla would probably be pretty mad at me for almost dying before I fulfilled my contract, but other than that I don't think many people would react. It was just a foolish mistake after all.
Adoray caught up to me sometime later, finding me in his office staring out the window at the evening sun with the Fae blanket wrapped around my shoulders. The dress I'd been wearing at the festival, all torn up and wet from melted ice chips, was bundled up in my storage. It'd been something I came up with on the spur of the moment, not wanting Flo to attack me again and say my taste was terrible. The pretty thing, now destroyed, was clutched in my hands as I stared down at it mournfully. I was planning to wear it, thinking they would be proud of me for upping my fashion sense.
Looks like that would never happen.
"What's that you're holding?" Adoray leaned over my shoulder before I could hide it, having been able to sneak in without me noticing and snatch a glance. "A ruined dress?"
"..."
"Ah, not something I should pry into," his eyebrows rose mildly and he shrugged haplessly, heading for his desk. He collapsed on the chair, staring at me intently behind his glasses. I hadn't noticed, mainly because I don't have a mirror to look through, but my eyes were red from crying earlier. I only felt it when I rubbed my face with the palm of my hand, that my cheeks were tear-stained.
Ah. Could it be that, the reason Adoray is letting me stay here with such a small price, is because he guessed something was wrong at home?
So he does have a heart.
"No...it's fine. It's nothing much, this is just the dress I was planning to wear with a friend to the festival back in Larjulias. Something happened...so I came here."
"To escape?"
"If you want to put it that way, then yes."
"This is a fall back place for you?"
"More like a safe haven. I enjoy being here," I wiped at my eyes, sniffling as I pushed away that memory and the dress back towards my storage.
I heard the sounds of the festival starting outside, people starting to cheer as the sun finally went down and drums started beating somewhere. Vendors were visited by children and families, people were starting to dance and sing around each other and some contained bonfire they had started in the town square, and lovers were holding onto each other while smiling at the rising moon.
"You aren't going to go out to the festival?" Adoray questioned me, seeing that I was getting comfy in the chair and just staring out at all of the people as they passed by. Some were coming in to visit patients that needed rest in the long term, the nurses taking shifts as they watched over their wards or went out to celebrate.
"What's the point?"
"You looked so happy to be here before, like you wanted to enjoy this festival. What changed?"
"I just...don't want to be alone. If I go out, everyone will be with each other." I watched a family walk past the window, not seeing me at all. A father, a mother, and five children. The oldest was a catkin boy, the three middle ones were triplets of a boy and two girls, and the littlest was a tiny girl being held in the mother's arms. "And I will be all alone again."
Silence.
Rustling was heard off to my left, but I didn't bother looking. My eyes were glued on the tasty looking takoyaki looking snacks over there that the vendor was selling, making me even sadder as I thought about my other, long forgotten home.
"I can't have you moping about in my office the whole time, or I won't be able to get any work done," Adoray sounded peeved about that as he picked me up off the chair and made me stand on the floor. I could tell that he didn't really feel that way, which made me confused all the more. Was he kicking me out? "Get changed really fast, I'll be waiting outside. We're going to the festival."