Chapter 30

When I woke up, I was in an abandoned house.

"You're awake!!"

Hairo shouted dramatically and leaned in close. I wish he wouldn’t do that when I’ve just woken up.

That’s right, I fainted while treating Riko. I tried to recall the hazy memory.

"I thought you were dead."

"I just fainted. Overused my magic."

How long has it been since I collapsed from magic exhaustion? I think it’s been the first time since I started living in the pioneer village.

I sat up, rubbed my slightly blurry eyes, and looked around. The outside looked the same as before I collapsed.

"How long have I been out?"

I asked Hairo. He counted on his fingers and glanced at Riko.

"About fifteen minutes, right?"

"Yeah, about that long."

Riko was standing and walking normally. She looked better, which made me feel a bit relieved.

"Let's continue the treatment."

"Huh?"

My magic had recovered somewhat. I wasn’t fully restored, but I could probably use the blood purification spell one more time.

I shrugged, then stretched my back and loosened my body. As expected, there was nothing wrong with my body.

"Huh? Isn’t it already over? You seem to be feeling better, right?"

"Most of it is done. I’ve cleaned the blood, so the symptoms should be gone. I guess you could say you’re ‘cured’... but..."

"Does that mean you’re not completely cured?"

"Will the fever come back?"

Hairo interjected. He also seemed to be back to his usual self. It’s like the crow that cried is now laughing.

"That’s right. The cause of the original illness might still be there. If it remains, the fever could continue for years. Once we confirm it’s gone, we can say you’re completely cured."

At those words, Riko swallowed hard.

"Well, this time it’s easy. It’ll be quick, so can you sit there?"

All that’s left is to eliminate the dormant bodies in the liver.

I placed my hand on my own stomach and sensed the substances inside. It was easier because I had done it with the blood.

There might still be malaria parasites in my stomach, but I’ll trust Tereet for now.

Then, I placed my hand on Riko’s stomach.

"Hmm... "

She squirmed slightly, probably because it tickled, but soon got used to it and stopped moving.

I checked Riko’s liver cells and looked for anything different from mine.

As I searched, I remembered the time I used magic to detect worms in the soil. The scale was different, but the method was the same.

Calm down, and search carefully.

I crushed several microorganisms that looked like malaria parasites.

There were fewer than a thousand, so it wasn’t necessary to create a new spell. Telekinesis was enough.

The task took about thirty seconds.

"Okay, that’s it."

I removed my hand and smiled.

Riko finally seemed relieved and smiled weakly.

"Does this mean you’re safe now?"

"Yes, I think this has cured the malaria... the three-day fever."

The microorganisms were as I expected, and the symptoms were gone. It seems my hypothesis about malaria was correct.

"Ah, but..."

"What is it?"

Is there still something wrong? I braced myself.

"I don’t have any money to pay you... "

Riko looked apologetic and spoke while looking down.

"Oh, that’s it."

I had braced for nothing.

"It’s fine. I had my own reasons this time, so working for free is okay."

I waved my hand, but Riko still seemed unconvinced and hesitated to speak.

"No, I will definitely repay you."

Hairo said firmly with a serious face.

"You saved us. I may be stupid, but I’m not so stupid that I’d forget someone who helped me."

"Forget it. Children grow up by relying on others."

Children shouldn’t have such responsibilities. It’s normal for them to depend on their parents and surroundings and cause trouble.

But Riko looked exasperated and said,

"You’re a child too, aren’t you?"

"Well, that’s true."

It’s a sad fact.

I left Hairo’s place. I’ll go home today.

I can continue the conversation with Gustav and report today’s events tomorrow.

I haven’t used magic in a long time, and I’m extremely tired. My body doesn’t seem tired, but I feel sleepy and exhausted.

I returned to my place and lay down on the rubble.

I think I’ll sleep well tonight.

"Didn’t I tell you not to fight...!"

Gustav was unusually stern.

I visited the stone shop to continue yesterday’s conversation and was indeed scolded.

"I’m sorry. But I might have been killed if I didn’t..."

Gustav sighed and scratched his temple with a troubled look.

"Well, I know the circumstances. You fought with explorers, too."

He’s well-informed.

"The request to Reshid was to ‘carry out vigilante justice on the slum residents.’"

"Really? It’s that obvious?"

"I investigated. I needed to confirm who the instigator was."

The only person who comes to mind as the instigator is one person.

"Probably it’s—"

"Yes, you know. The blacksmith, Haman."

"As expected."

Moreover, since I haven’t walked around the city much, the only person who could have targeted me is Haman.

He’s a persistent and troublesome opponent.

"Indeed, it might have been better than you being killed, but it was still wrong to harm them."

"Is that so?"

"Especially this time, the circumstances are different."

Different? What’s different?

"This time, you beat up Reshid and two blacksmiths, right?"

That’s right. I nodded.

"Reshid is the better one. In fact, there’s no problem at all."

"No problem? Why?"

You can beat up that blonde handsome guy and get away with it? Was he from the slums too?

"He’s an explorer. Getting injured on the job is no problem. Besides, he lost to a kid like you. He can’t afford to make a big fuss."

"To protect his honor, he’ll keep quiet?"

"Exactly."

Gustav nodded quietly.

"So, the current story is that ‘two blacksmiths were suddenly attacked by a slum resident.’"

"Reshid’s existence is erased."

"He must have handled it himself."

What a lot of work, Gustav said with a distant look.

"But, isn’t this the same as last time, with the blacksmiths being attacked?"

"Not this time."

"What’s different?"

"This time, Haman isn’t involved."

"Without a bigwig, the incident seems smaller."

I understand that the response changes depending on whether a prominent person is involved, but how does it get bigger without one?

"If Haman were involved, some suspicion would have fallen on him. Last time, many people thought he started the trouble."

"Like, ‘Wait, didn’t Haman start it and get beaten up in return?’"

"Exactly. Like the slum residents, he has a bad reputation."

"So, the correct rumor this time is..."

"That ‘innocent and good blacksmiths were severely injured by notorious slum thugs.’"

Indeed, this is frustrating.

Hairo was the one who caused the situation by stealing and provoking a beating.

But, in a situation where his bones were broken and his body was bruised, and he was almost killed, just retaliating led to this rumor.

From the nature of the request, they probably hired a strong explorer and walked around the slums to encounter slum residents.

They came prepared to harm us, and this is what happened when we retaliated.

What kind of ‘innocent blacksmiths’ are they?

What kind of ‘severe injuries’? Hairo’s injuries were much worse.

"By the way, there’s some bad news about this."

Gustav took out a piece of paper and started talking as he unfolded it.

"What is it?"

"Apparently, it’s a problem for public safety if good blacksmiths keep getting injured."

"Right."

"Guards are going to search the slums."

"Really?"

Gustav continued, looking straight at me.

He opened an ink bottle and dipped a quill pen into it. The quill pen spun around the mouth of the bottle as it was inserted.

"To put it simply, the guards are coming to catch you."

"Seriously?"

Guards armed with weapons will gather at my place to look for me. This situation reminds me of the time in Denah.

Back then, I thought I might die.

"So, I have a suggestion..."

Gustav paused. Was he hesitating or being dramatic? I couldn’t tell, as I’m not good at reading people’s intentions.

"How about you just let yourself be caught?"

But I think Gustav was probably enjoying this situation. That’s what I felt.