Chapter 24
Elior POV
I was completely dumbfounded by the doctors kneeling in front of me.
'What is happening?'
I had only healed someone.
Why were they treating me like some kind of religious figure?
"Please, get up."
I waved my hand awkwardly.
"Why are you kneeling?"
One of the doctors slowly raised his head.
He looked to be the oldest among them and was clearly the leader.
"Saint-sama…"
I sighed.
"Please don't start that again."
He ignored me.
"My name is Nike. I am the head doctor of this hospital."
He placed a hand against his chest.
"I was the one who personally diagnosed Mrs. Cornelia."
His expression became solemn.
"I tried everything I could. Every treatment available to us. We consulted other doctors and exhausted every possibility."
He looked toward the room where Cornelia was still embracing Cana.
"But there was nothing we could do."
His voice became heavy.
"Her condition had deteriorated to the point where her death was practically certain."
Then he looked back at me.
His eyes were filled with genuine admiration.
"But you…"
He swallowed.
"You did the impossible."
"You saved her."
I didn't know what to say to that.
"Sigh…"
I rubbed the back of my head.
"I see."
Behind us, I suddenly heard crying.
I turned around.
Cornelia and Cana were still hugging each other.
But these weren't tears of sadness.
They were tears of happiness.
Cana's face was buried against her mother's chest while Cornelia gently stroked her hair.
I smiled.
At least one family had been given another chance.
We decided to leave them alone for a while.
The doctors followed me outside the room.
"Saint—"
"Call me Elior."
Nike stopped.
"That's my name."
I pointed toward my guild mark.
"And I'm a mage of the Fairy Tail guild."
Nike looked at the mark for several seconds.
Then he shook his head.
"It is a name befitting your great self."
I stared at him.
"But I wouldn't dare call you by your name."
I sighed internally.
'Here we go again.'
"Please allow me to call you Lord Elior."
"Sigh…"
I gave up.
There was no point arguing with someone this determined.
"Fine."
I gestured for him to continue.
"So, what were you going to say?"
"Yes, Lord Elior."
Nike's expression suddenly became serious.
"You see, something troubling has been happening in this town."
I listened carefully.
"A few days ago, a dark mage passed through the town."
My expression became serious.
"After that day, several people began falling ill."
He continued.
"Their symptoms are extremely similar to Mrs. Cornelia's condition."
My eyes narrowed.
"I see."
I had already sensed something strange when I healed Cornelia.
There had been traces of dark energy inside her body.
It wasn't a normal illness.
It had felt more like something had been deliberately placed inside her.
"A curse…"
I muttered.
Nike nodded.
"We suspected as much."
He clenched his fists.
"But we couldn't prove anything."
I thought about it for a few seconds.
"If a dark mage really passed through the town and people started developing the same symptoms afterward…"
I looked toward Nike.
"There could be a dark guild involved."
His face became pale.
"A dark guild?"
"Possibly."
I didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"But the timing is suspicious."
I folded my arms.
"They may be experimenting with some kind of curse."
Nike's expression became increasingly frightened.
"If that's true…"
He looked around nervously.
"What will happen to us?"
"Don't worry."
I tried to reassure him.
"I'll report this to Gramps."
Nike looked confused.
"Gramps?"
"My guild master."
I smiled slightly.
"He can relay the information to the Magic Council."
I continued.
"Once they know that a dark guild may be involved, they'll investigate."
The Rune Knights existed specifically to deal with threats like this.
If an actual dark guild was targeting an entire town, the Council wouldn't simply ignore it.
Nike's shoulders relaxed.
"Then…"
He took a deep breath.
"We might be safe?"
"You'll have help."
I nodded.
"But we shouldn't wait around either."
Nike looked at me.
"What do you mean?"
"Take me to the other patients."
His eyes widened.
"I'll treat them."
"Yes, Lord Elior!"
We immediately began moving through the hospital.
And Nike hadn't exaggerated.
There were a lot of patients.
Some were lying in beds.
Others were too weak to even sit upright.
Their conditions varied slightly, but the underlying problem was almost identical.
Dark energy had contaminated their bodies.
I began healing them one after another.
My Light Magic pushed the dark energy out while repairing the damage it had caused.
The first few patients were nervous.
Some were too weak to speak.
But after the healing was complete, their expressions changed.
"My pain…"
"It's gone."
"I can breathe properly again."
"Thank you…"
Some cried.
Others held my hands.
The elderly patients gave me blessings.
One old woman even grabbed my hand and prayed for me to live a long and prosperous life.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was probably going to spend most of my life getting into dangerous situations.
The process took several hours.
There really were a ridiculous number of patients.
Once I had treated everyone affected by the curse, I decided to help with the rest of the hospital as well.
If I was already here, there was no reason not to.
Minor injuries.
Illnesses.
Various chronic problems.
I healed whatever I could.
By the time I finished, my body was exhausted, but my heart felt surprisingly light.
I had saved a lot of people today.
That was enough.
Eventually, I found myself standing outside Cornelia's room.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Her voice came from inside.
I opened the door.
The first thing I noticed was Cana.
She was asleep.
She was lying across her mother's lap, completely exhausted.
I smiled softly.
'She must have been under an incredible amount of stress.'
She had spent who knew how long believing that her mother was going to die.
Now that the threat was gone, all that tension had finally disappeared.
'Such a heavy burden for such a small girl.'
Cornelia noticed me.
"Oh, Lord Elior."
She smiled.
"Please come in."
She glanced down at Cana.
"Please forgive me for not getting up."
"It's fine."
I waved my hand.
"And please drop the 'Lord.'"
She looked slightly surprised.
"I call Cana my sister."
I smiled.
"That makes you something like my aunt, right?"
She laughed softly.
"Then I'll call you El."
"Good."
I nodded.
"But only if you let me call you Aunt Cornelia."
She smiled warmly.
"Deal."
I walked over to them.
Cana was sleeping peacefully.
I gently placed my hand against her forehead.
A tiny amount of Light Magic flowed through her.
Cornelia watched curiously.
"What are you doing, El?"
"Just something to help her sleep better."
My magic gently eased the remaining stress and exhaustion in Cana's body.
She shifted slightly but didn't wake.
Cornelia watched her daughter for several seconds.
Then she looked at me.
Her expression became serious.
"El…"
I looked at her.
"Thank you."
She bowed her head as much as she could without disturbing Cana.
"Not only for healing me."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But also for taking care of Cana."
She gently stroked her daughter's hair.
"Thank you for everything."
I smiled softly.
"You don't need to thank me."
I shook my head.
"It was something I wanted to do."
I looked down at Cana.
"After all…"
I smiled.
"What kind of brother would I be if I let my sister cry while I was around?"
Cornelia's eyes became slightly watery.
She smiled.
"You're a good boy, El."
I scratched my cheek.
"That's what big brothers are supposed to do."
For a moment, the room was completely peaceful.
Cana continued sleeping on her mother's lap.
Cornelia continued gently stroking her hair.
And I stood beside them with a smile.
But somewhere in the back of my mind, one thought remained.
'A dark mage.'
'And possibly a dark guild.'
Something was happening in Cranks Town.
And I had a feeling I hadn't seen the end of it yet.