The system wouldn't force Lancer to do anything he didn't want to. It acted more like a "middleman" laying options out in front of him. Whether he took them or not was up to him, though he wondered if the system had some kind of algorithm, as he rarely felt like refusing the missions it gave.
Like this mission, for instance.
Strictly speaking, he didn't know much about the backgrounds of these magical girls, but that didn't stop him from wanting to help. Letting a group of girls sacrifice themselves to save the world... it was hard to find words for how he felt about that.
However, this mission wasn't simple. The two tasks looked different on the surface, but they were inevitably linked.
Why did Madoka Kaname—or "Madoka"—become the "Law of Cycles"?
Simple: because they couldn't defeat "Walpurgisnacht" on their own. If Lancer could defeat Walpurgisnacht, then she wouldn't have to make that wish. And to be safe, it would be best to keep the other three alive as well.
Mami Tomoe was the first to fall due to carelessness. Sayaka Miki turned into a Witch. Finally, Kyoko Sakura sacrificed herself to "redeem" Sayaka. If these three could survive until the end, they might provide significant leverage to tip the scales of fate. Of course, the key factor was still Lancer.
As someone "not of this world," Lancer very existence represented uncertainty. He was the most important chess piece for changing this tragedy, which was exactly why the "Law of Cycles" had requested their help.
And to deal with the "Witches," one naturally couldn't avoid the culprit behind it all————the Incubators.
However, after some observation, Lancer realized the "Incubators" didn't seem to have much combat power themselves. Their purpose seemed to be solely to manipulate girls into becoming "Magical Girls" and then "Witches."
Even if they lacked combat power, Lancer couldn't just attack them at will. Setting aside the fact that these weak-looking creatures were so numerous they were impossible to wipe out, the bigger issue was that doing so would only make Mami wary and hostile toward him. On one side, you have the "benefactor" who saved you and turned you into a magical girl; on the other, a stranger who killed your benefactor and claims he's here to save you. Who would an average person believe? The answer was obvious.
'I need to find an opportunity to contact them. I just don't know how far the timeline has progressed. When will Madoka and the others get dragged into this?'
Since he planned to make an entrance, he naturally wanted to pick a good stage. Until then, no matter how restless he felt, he had to restrain himself.
——————
Mitakihara Municipal Hospital · Orthopedics Department
This was a small, new department recently opened at the hospital. Because it specialized in sprains and bone injuries, the daily patient count rarely exceeded ten. Plus, since it relied entirely on the doctor's "ancestral medical skills," it required no new equipment. With few new patients, the department had almost zero presence despite being brand new.
In fact, the hospital director had only agreed to open this department because of the skills Lancer demonstrated and Lancer explicit statement that he didn't need anything new—just a room. Furthermore, he had made it clear he would be leaving Japan in six months.
A talented doctor who didn't ask for high pay, didn't require much funding, and wouldn't get involved in future hospital power struggles...
He was the perfect worker!
The director had checked Lancer qualifications and immediately hired him. Since the paperwork was in order, if anything went wrong, the director could just shift the blame.
Lancer didn't care about the blame game; his goal was just to use this job as a stepping stone.
After having dinner with Olga Marie and Zero, he returned to the hospital. After all, his tasks for today weren't finished yet.
Inside a small office, the pungent scent of tree sap was enough to make one wince, but the boy lying on the bed was full of anticipation.
As a violin prodigy famous throughout the city, Kyosuke Kamijo's life had been a series of extreme highs and lows. His family had spent a fortune to treat him abroad, but they still couldn't fully fix his arm. His primary doctor told him clearly that regaining normal function wasn't hard, but playing the violin again was nearly impossible. After much hesitation, he chose a method no one expected.
He didn't treat his arm immediately. Since the current technology couldn't fix it, he reasoned that if he chose existing treatments now, it might compromise the effectiveness of any advanced treatments that might appear in the future. It's like welding a broken steel plate only to cut it open and try to restore it later; the difficulty increases exponentially. So, he chose conservative treatment, maintaining the injury as is, waiting for some "new technology" that might appear someday.
But as time passed, he slowly realized how insane his gamble was. He had waited for half a year, enduring pain most people couldn't bear, yet he still had nothing.
Then, he heard some unexpected news: a new doctor had arrived at the hospital. He was said to come from a famous family of traditional military doctors, specializing in sprains and bone injuries.
Without a doubt, Kyosuke Kamijo's arm fell under that category. Even more incredible was that many people had already visited him, and the post-treatment satisfaction rate was 100%.
There was even a certain anonymous delinquent who claimed that after getting his arm broken and being knocked unconscious in a fight a few days ago, he was treated by this "military doctor" and could suddenly flip butterfly knives again.
This caught the attention of Kyosuke family. While flipping knives might seem low-brow to most, there was no denying it required high manual dexterity.
Even if the chance was slim, it didn't mean it was impossible. They scheduled a meeting with the doctor to discuss treatment possibilities.
That doctor was, of course, Lancer. After looking at Kyosuke injury, Lancer stated he had no problem with it.
In truth, the easiest way would be to set the bones and then have the boy chug a few bottles of Mega Potion or just a packet of "Secret Medicine," and it would be done. But those items weren't cheap. Lancer wasn't about to do that for a stranger. Instead, he simply experimented on the boy using the knowledge he'd learned from Cu Chulainn and Li Shuwen. As long as the kid stayed alive, Lancer knew he had the Secret Medicine as a safety net, so he was quite bold with his methods.
If Kyosuke and his family knew what Lancer was thinking, would they still have entrusted him with the treatment? Probably not. But since the patient was already in his hands, there were no other options. Besides, Lancer "experiments" used real techniques. After the first "experimental treatment," Kyosuke found that his arm did indeed show signs of improvement.
Later, after some tests with medical equipment, the results confirmed there were signs of recovery. Instantly, both he and his family were overjoyed. Naturally, this news also reached the ears of a certain someone.