Doctor's Dinner (3)

“Do you not know how Mrs. May raised you? In difficult circumstances, she only fed and clothed you well, sacrificing everything for herself. Besides, your father died early, and she’s been raising you, a complete stranger!”

“I know that! But….”

The young man bowed his head deeply.

“Uncle, I’m so confused! To think that my mother wasn’t my real mother…”

“How can you say she’s not your mother? She’s raised you for over 20 years! You idiot!”

Mr. Knoll began to get angry. The young man flinched in fear.

“That’s…”

He couldn’t say anything more. Instead, he picked up the uba belly I had served.

“This- this is delicious. I skipped breakfast and lunch because of this injury.”

“If you’re injured, you should go home quickly. Forget counseling, eat that and go back to Mrs. May right now!”

“But the atmosphere at home is a mess! It’s so uncomfortable.”

“You rascal, I still vividly remember Mrs. May getting frostbite searching for a doctor because you were sick!”

“……”

It seemed that this young man’s mother was quite a warm person, if what Mr. Knoll said was true. Even I felt frustrated with the young man.

“Honey!”

Just then, Mrs. Rayne rushed into the restaurant looking for her husband, her forehead covered in sweat.

“Honey, something terrible has happened! You’re with Nellin, right?”

“Yes, he’s here.”

“Hello, ma’am.”

Nellin stood up and bowed when he saw Mrs. Rayne. But she seemed too urgent to care about greetings, not even noticing Elena’s presence.

“You, you! This is not the time. Mrs. May got seriously injured at the mine!”

“What?”

“Mrs. May didn’t know you got off early because you were hurt! There was a landslide at the mine, and it seems she got caught in it.”

“What! Why?”

“She must have gone to bring you a lunchbox for your night shift…”

“Aunt… no, mom…?”

The young man looked bewildered and at a loss for what to do.

“Come down quickly! You too!”

“Okay!”

Mr. Knoll gave me a nod. I nodded back, indicating it wasn’t the time to eat and that I would settle the bill later.

The three of them hurriedly ran down the hill. The restaurant fell silent. I looked at the elf. She was staring blankly at the three who had just left.

“You mentioned running a clinic? As an elf, you should also be able to use healing magic.”

“Yes? Yes, that’s right.”

“Earlier you said you didn’t understand humans and that they only disappointed you…”

Elena nodded quietly. The sauce that had been in her hair was now wiped off.

“Think about it differently. That young man’s mother raised a child she didn’t give birth to for decades alone. His father died early, so they’re complete strangers, but she got frostbite searching for medicine for him. What do you think about such a human heart? Not even her own child, yet…”

“That’s…”

Elena blinked her large eyes. Blink. Blink. The blinking continued for quite a while.

“Maybe you were disappointed because you were only looking at the surface. So why not come down with me? No matter how much you dislike humans, you haven’t forgotten your belief in saving lives, right?”

Healing magic. It’s a completely different system from offensive or defensive magic. Even Rurin can’t use it properly.

Using healing magic requires divine power or being an elf who loves nature and peace. The number of beings who can use it is limited.

“You’re right, El. I’m sorry, I must have lost my mind for a moment. Let’s go down first. Saving a life comes first. I’ll help if I can.”

I followed Mr. Knoll with Elena, who nodded in agreement. They ran towards the mine on the north side of the city, Greek Mountain. The city was below the hill, and beyond the city to the north was Greek Mountain, quite a distance away.

In front of it, many injured people were being moved from the mine. There were many corpses and many patients.

Mr. Knoll was also there. The person who seemed to be the young man’s mother was on a stretcher. As we approached, Mrs. Rayne acknowledged us.

“El? You followed us all the way here?”

“Yes, Elena was having a meal, so I brought her along.”

“Oh! Ms. Elena?”

“Mrs. Rayne!”

The two bowed to each other. But the joy was short-lived as Mrs. Rayne immediately shook her head.

“It’s so sad. Mrs. May… She must have been worried that her son didn’t take his lunchbox and might be starving during his night shift, so she went to the mine with a lunchbox, but there was a landslide… And there’s a letter…”

Mrs. Rayne burst into tears. She was holding a letter in her hand.

Having already read the letter, the young man knelt by the motionless woman, calling out for his mother.

The letter’s contents were simple.

[Nellin. No matter what, you shouldn’t skip meals. You seem not to want to talk to me for a while, so I’ll leave your lunchbox and this letter with your colleague. Still, someday, won’t you call me Mom again? Someday. Mom doesn’t have any strength these days. Do you know that? Mom is your Mom. Even if you don’t acknowledge it, I’ll still be your Mom…]

“They say those brought on stretchers were hit by large rocks on their heads, so they might not survive… She’s suffered her whole life, how could this happen…!”

Mrs. Rayne continued to sob, and the young man kept calling for his mother. Now, of all times.

After all this time, calling her ‘aunt’ and now losing her as a mother, how will he live out the rest of his life?

Elena, who read the letter with me, nodded as if she had made a big decision. Despite not liking the young man, the woman lying there seemed pitiful to her, as I had said.

“Could you move aside? I’ll take a look.”

“Yes, that’s right! Nellin, Ms. Elena is a skilled healer. Move aside, just in case!”

The sobbing Mrs. Rayne supported Nellin’s shoulder as she agreed. Elena quietly looked at the woman. No matter how much mana one has, there’s no way I can handle a human life.

“I’ll use Great Healing. I don’t know if my mana will suffice, but I’ll try.”

Elena shouted as she held the woman. She had hesitated in the restaurant, but at this moment, she had returned to being an elf dedicated to saving lives.

A bright light shone from Elena’s hands.

Soon, sweat beaded on Elena’s forehead. As the sweat dripped down, the woman’s consciousness returned, thankfully.

It was a miracle. Great Healing is the highest level of healing magic an elf can use, so its very existence is a miracle.

“Mom! Mom!”

The young man rushed over. The woman lying down barely regained consciousness and reached out to her son.

“Nellin, are you… are you calling me Mom again?”

The woman left those words with a smile and dropped the hand she had extended to her son.

“Mom? Mom!”

Even I was startled. I thought she had died right then and there.

“It’s okay. She’s just lost consciousness. She’s passed the critical point.”

Fortunately, Elena reassured the young man that she was fine. Having exhausted most of her mana, she staggered as she stood up. I quickly supported her. Mrs. Rayne, with a joyful face, held the woman and wept with the young man. Mr. Knoll patted Mrs. Rayne’s back from the side.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Elena also nodded. She didn’t look that fine, but instinctively, she glanced at the other injured people around.

“If I could just use Heal, there are many humans I could help stop the bleeding for… but I’ve used up all my mana…”

She furrowed her eyebrows with a regretful expression.

“But I think I was wrong about something. As you said, El, maybe I was just looking at the surface. I’d like to stay here a bit longer. Maybe I’ll see another side of humans. Although I’m still not sure.”

Elena said this and tried to move unsteadily. But it was clear that caring for other patients was beyond her.

There’s no other way.

“Wait a moment, Elena.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t use healing magic, but I think I can replenish your depleted mana. Would you like to try?”

“What?”

Elena looked bewildered as I placed my hand on her forehead.

And then I channeled a portion of my mana into her. This is a skill called Mana Transfer.

“This, this is….”

“It’s okay. This is a secret art I learned from the elven Beden. It won’t harm an elf.”

Elena, as an elf, would know that my words were true. After a moment, I removed my hand from her forehead and said,

“You might not be able to use Great Healing, but you should be able to use simple healing magic now. Please help the people. And in the process, find what you’re looking for.”

Elena looked at me with a curious expression.

“El, you’re amazing! I-I’ll get back to you. Someday, please tell me about Beden. If it doesn’t bother the Great Being… It’s a bit scary, though…”

Elena mumbled like that and ran towards the patients. With her mana restored, she no longer staggered.

“I’ll help you, so try to move your hand.”

Her face, while examining the patients, was smiling.

My work here is done. More soldiers were coming in, and more doctors would be reinforced.

I turned around and started walking up the hill to return.

Then someone kicked in the chest. The sudden attack caused me to fall on my butt.

“You! You! You! Do you know how shocked I was when I dug myself out and found no one? You’ve never disappeared like this before!”

The intruder grabbed my collar and jumped on me.

Needless to say, it’s our house dragon.

The dragon, covered in dirt from digging, must have used teleportation when she found no one in the restaurant.

It’s a pitiful sight. That beautiful face covered in dirt.

Sigh.

“Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you.”

“That’s too much, you!”

“You got scared and came rushing to find me because no one was there?”

I asked with a grin, and the dragon let go of my collar and stood up abruptly.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would I do such a thing?”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Let’s go back, I’ll wash you up. It was a bit much not to say anything.”

“Re-really? What’s the occasion! Admitting to it? Then include a hug as well. A hug too!”

“I’ll think about it. But did you have to kick me?”

“I don’t know! I never did that!”

Rurin stepped away, denying it. My clothes were now covered in dirt, too. But I felt somewhat better.

“I never thought about saving lives in the past. I was only tired of fighting, you could say? Helping to save lives when I used to only fight and destroy, it gives me mixed feelings.”

Hearing my words, Rurin tilted her head as if to ask what I meant.

“Hmm. I don’t know what you mean, but didn’t you save me before? Who said you only destroyed things? Bring them to me. I’ll tear them to pieces and feed them to my breath.”

“Come to think of it, I did save you.”

“Hehe, you seem foolish today.”

“Indeed.”

I nodded.

And then I took the dragon’s hand, who seemed surprised by my nodding, and started walking towards the restaurant.