With Lumina's addition, the commotion and noise in the Twilight Courtyard subsided a little.
However, Lumina did not use any special abilities. She simply copied Hyacine's manner, pretending to conduct an examination, and then gave the "answer": "Nothing's wrong, you're perfectly healthy."
Since she was copying Hyacine, she also made sure to learn her speed thoroughly.
One couldn't just learn halfway. Learning halfway would be like giving up halfway through.
Lumina understood this logic very well.
Thus, with Lumina's addition, although the chaos in the Twilight Courtyard had decreased, it was still within the range of disorder.
After all... far too many people were coming from The Grove.
Perhaps it was a stroke of luck in this misfortune that they all had the feeling of having survived a disaster. With this feeling, although they all wanted it to be their turn for an examination quickly, they didn't have the energy to shout loudly and urge those in front to hurry. Nor did they complain or cause trouble because they hadn't been called after waiting for a long time.
Otherwise, the physicians of the Twilight Courtyard, besides the most basic act of examining patients, would also have to control and placate them...
If that were truly the case, the Twilight Courtyard would likely be turned upside down.
"Go back and have a good, long sleep. You'll be fine—it's nothing serious."
"If you're still worried, you can take a few packets of cold medicine."
Standing about a meter from Hyacine, Lumina examined the patient before him and issued her medical advice.
"Thank you, thank you!" Upon receiving Lumina's instructions, the patient felt an inexplicably immense weight lift from his chest, accompanied by a strange sense of absurdity.
It was as if... a Chrysos Heir Chief were being personally examined by a member of the Senate...
Simply put, he felt unworthy of being treated by this celestial beauty.
But this absurdity quickly vanished, replaced by an endless wave of joy and a sense of... honor? Pride?
What is this feeling? the patient wondered, utterly bewildered.
It was a pride far greater than anything he would have felt receiving treatment from Miss Hyacine herself...
Without overthinking it, the patient realized he couldn't linger any longer and quickly turned to leave.
"Little Herta, you're just standing here doing nothing. Why don't you go back to your room and get some sleep?" Taking advantage of the gap before the next patient stepped forward for examination, Lumina gestured to Herta, who was standing beside her with arms crossed, quietly waiting for the treatment to end.
"Hmph, I'm not going."
The meaning Lumina wanted to convey was very obvious: tell her to leave so she could be alone with Hyacine.
Although this seemed like it might count as being alone, yet also like it didn't.
If you said it wasn't being alone, well, there was only Hyacine, a beautiful girl, here.
For someone like Lumina, who had eyes only for beautiful girls, didn't this count as being alone?
But if you said this was being alone, there were so many people present.
Regardless, whether it counted as being alone or not, Herta would never leave.
Not only would she have to watch Lumina cuddle with a beautiful girl, but she also had to help Lumina find the traces of beautiful girls.
And after finding a beautiful girl's traces, she was expected to leave on her own...
What kind of situation was this?
"Alright, alright~" Lumina had already anticipated this outcome.
If Herta had actually agreed, Lumina would have been the one who was surprised.
And after the surprise, she would naturally have chased after her.
Want to leave? You definitely wouldn't be able to escape.
Why be with only one when I can be with two?
Seeing that Herta showed no sign of leaving, Lumina put on a show of treating the "patient" in front of her.
Then, she concluded the examination with the medical advice, "Get some good sleep and take some cold medicine."
"Lumie, if you're tired, you can definitely take a break for a while."
Just as Lumina finished examining this patient, Hyacine on the other side happened to finish as well.
Taking advantage of this moment, Hyacine spoke softly to Lumina.
Lumina was able to help, and Hyacine felt very grateful and touched.
But even though she was helping, if Lumina wore herself out because of it, Hyacine would feel terribly guilty.
"Don't worry, Hyie, my medical arts might not be great, but when it comes to endurance, I'm second to only one person... no, I'm second, and no one dares to claim they are first, oh."
Lumina's tone carried a hint of pride as she gestured to Hyacine.
At this moment, Herta might ask, you said no one dares to claim they are first, so what about the Aeon of Abundance?
They are your boss, after all. Aren't you afraid that by saying this about them... well, afraid that they'll lose their temper with you?
Then Lumina would reply.
Is He a human?
He's not a human, so what's wrong with me saying that?
Lumina thought to herself, silently awaiting Herta's question.
After a short while, Herta's voice rang out just as Lumina had expected.
But... it wasn't the sentence Lumina had been anticipating.
"I'll help too."
"Is He a human... huh? What did you say?"
Hearing Herta speak, Lumina immediately replied.
But halfway through, after hearing Herta's words clearly, Lumina's answer stopped abruptly, and she froze for a moment.
She turned to look at Herta, asking back in confusion.
She suspected she had misheard.
Herta was going to help? She wasn't going to help treat patients, was she?
Well... it seemed there was no problem with that.
After all, she knew these people were "resurrected" by her. Just putting on a show of examining them and giving a few casual pieces of medical advice would be fine.
Thinking like that, it indeed seemed feasible.
"I said, I'll help too. It's just some simple examinations, I can do that," Herta said in a calm tone.
Herta was somewhat annoyed by the interaction between Hyacine and Lumina.
If it's an examination, then just do the examination. What's with all this flirting?
From Herta's observation, it would take a very, very long time to complete all the examinations. And looking at this chaotic scene, something might even happen halfway through.
In other words, if Herta didn't find something for herself to do, she'd have to stand here like a fool waiting for a long time.
Herta wasn't that stupid. Rather than standing idly, she'd rather join Hyacine and Lumina in this examination of the "patients," then quickly put an end to this scene and leave this place with Lumina...
As for whether she knew any medical arts?
That was simple.
She could just bluff her way through it. If she encountered any internal injuries in a patient, Herta's abilities would allow her to see them.
She just wouldn't be able to resolve them on the spot like Lumina.
"Isn't Hertie a researcher? Do researchers also know medical arts?"
The conversation between Lumina and Herta naturally reached Hyacine's ears.
Upon hearing Herta's wish to join them just like Lumina had, Hyacine's mind filled with confusion.
The term "researcher"—Hyacine had briefly asked Lady Aglaea about it. It was similar to a scholar, she recalled. Only their focus was on technological fields.
They'd go back and develop things—like the Stone Tablets.
But what did that have to do with Medical Arts?
Hyacine was utterly perplexed.
"I..."
"Don't worry, Hyie! Don't be fooled by Herta's role as a researcher. In truth, her Medical Arts are even more impressive than mine!"
Hearing Hyacine's question, Herta was just about to mutter a casual excuse to brush it off.
But before she could speak, Lumina had already answered for her, stealing the words right from her lips.
Herta: ?
Seeing Little Lumina lie with such utterly unfazed confidence, Herta's lip twitched.
If my Medical Arts were really better than hers, I would have long since pinned that Little Lumina brat to the ground.
Defeating her in her own area of expertise... that's the best way to attract someone's attention.
"Eh, is that so?" Hyacine nodded, believing Lumina's words without a shred of doubt or even a single question.
After all, she wasn't familiar with Lumina and Herta, nor did she know the specifics of their relationship.
Although Hyacine called both Lumina and Herta "darling," they had only met a few times, and overall, they could hardly be considered close.
If Lumina said Herta could do it, then she could.
Hyacine wasn't the kind of person who would fixate on a single point and keep pressing for answers.
After giving Herta a small nod with a face full of smiles, she threw herself into examining the patients.
"Hey, go ahead, Herta. Just open a new medical and examination lane right next to mine." Without saying much else, Lumina raised her pale chin and pointed beside her, gesturing for Herta to go there.
"Oh."
After Herta uttered an "oh," she waved at the long line in front of her, signaling for them to come over to her side.
She could perform the examinations herself.
But her indifferent expression, devoid of any emotion, made the people waiting in line hesitate.
This person... she isn't some quack doctor, is she?
Can she really diagnose anything?
Although so far, no issues had arisen with anyone who underwent the examination.
But bringing someone back from the dead was simply too inconceivable, utterly fantastic.
Even if others had no problems, even if everyone who was examined so far had no issues, that was still just "others," not them.
They didn't dare gamble, gamble that they were just like "everyone else," gamble that they weren't the sole exception.
"Rest assured, the lady beside me is called Herta."
"Her Medical Arts are peerless in the world, the kind of peerless that can even bring you back to life after you've died."
Seeing everyone's hesitation and looking at Herta, whose expressionless face and slightly raised eyebrow clearly showed her annoyance, Lumina suppressed a smile and spoke softly to the crowd.
Lumina's gentle and soothing voice reached everyone's ears, smoothing away all the doubt and worry in their hearts.
"I'm sorry, Madam Herta, I shouldn't have doubted you just now."
As Lumina's voice faded, a large group of people came before Herta, apologized, and waited for her examination to begin.
"Hmm, it's fine."
Although Herta felt displeased by these people's doubts, she didn't say anything.
Becoming an experimental subject for Madam Herta was something countless people in the Cosmos dreamed of.
As a result, to be doubted here, Herta was certainly displeased.
But then, on second thought.
What she was doing now wasn't some scientific experiment, but a medical examination...
Being doubted was normal, I suppose.
Without thinking further, Herta glanced up and down at the patient in front of her, waved her hand, and announced the result: "You're fine, just go back and get some sleep."
"Next."
Herta wasn't like Lumina. She wouldn't insist on so many steps for something that could be resolved and understood with just a glance.
Herta mainly wanted to get this part over with quickly, so she naturally wouldn't waste any time.
After glancing at the patient's condition and finding no issues, she directly announced the result.
At the same time, she gestured for him to leave and for the next person to come up.
"Uh..."
Faced with Herta's such rapid examination and such decisive result, the "patients" exchanged glances, each seeing the "doubt" in the others' eyes.
"It's really fine, I have no need to lie to you."
"If my medical arts are second, no one dares claim first."
"If any problems arise later, just come find me, and I'll help you solve them."
Herta's words caused the "doubt" in their eyes to fade considerably.
"No problem, next."
"Next."
"Next."
Thus, Herta began a scene of examining one "patient" at a glance.
For every "patient" who came before Herta, she glanced up and down at them before directly giving the answer.
From start to finish, it never took more than a second.
Thanks to Herta's speed, the environment of the Twilight Courtyard gradually stabilized, no longer as chaotic as before.
-
"Hey, Little Herta, doesn't your head ache?"
With Lumina and Herta's help, especially Herta's, the process of examining all the "patients," which would have normally taken a very long time, was completed before the Parting-Hour First-Mark.
(Parting-Hour: The time of day when Amphoreans end their work; Mark: A further subdivision of an hour; Parting-Hour First-Mark can be thought of as 6:00 PM.)
(Amphoreus has five time periods in total: Gate-Hour, Clarity-Hour, Practice-Hour, Parting-Hour, and Curtain-Hour. They correspond to waking up, the sun rising, the sun setting, stopping the day's work, and studying/nighttime activities, and sleeping, respectively.)
After finishing everything, the two sat down in the cafeteria within the Twilight Courtyard.
Meanwhile, Hyacine went to get food for them.
"It does," Herta said in a flat tone.
If she hadn't needed to put on a little act, Herta would never have gone through with the motions of glancing up and down like that.
If someone happened to come by and hear Herta say "down," it would be rather awkward.
However, for Herta, this wasn't really an issue.
If an Emanator's physical constitution were so weak, she might as well find a crooked tree to hang herself from.
But since Lumina was the one who asked, Herta was naturally going to follow along with whatever she said.
Maybe she could even get some "benefits" out of it.
After all, based on what Herta knew about Lumina, she wouldn't dare do anything too excessive...
Hmm...
Even if she did, it wouldn't be a loss...
Recalling what happened in the little forest, Herta felt a surge of anticipation in her heart.
"Then let me give you a 'treatment' later."
As an Emanator herself, how could Lumina not know how powerful they were?
Therefore, Lumina could tell that Herta wanted "benefits."
Since that was the case,
If she wanted them, Lumina would give them.
Of course, these benefits...
...were definitely not what Herta had in mind...