Haida narrowed her eyes, inexplicably feeling she had said something very similar not long ago...
"Alright."
She didn't bargain but agreed quite briskly. After all, the only person likely to get her out of here right now was probably Fran.
"Good. From now on, Sister Haida's medical services will be free of charge. You are, after all, a nurse at Fog Street Clinic. As for your payment..."
Fran raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment as if finding it difficult to decide. It took her some time to fully make up her mind.
"I'll select one of my collectibles to give you."
"A collectible?" Haida clearly didn't quite understand what Fran's collectibles represented.
"Haven't decided on the specifics yet. But please keep your expectations up; I consider myself somewhat adept at picking gifts..."
The troubled expression Fran had while pondering the payment vanished in a flash, replaced once more by her smile.
"Today's patient should be quite interesting... 'critically advanced stage' subjects are a rare sight. As for common knowledge about the Lands Between, I'll give you a simple rundown on the way."
Haida nodded, then asked, "But how long will we stay here? The Red Cup's attack has probably just begun... but it seems we'll miss it now."
In her understanding, a house call of such difficulty and distance wouldn't be strange if it lasted ten days or half a month... By the time she got back to Norlington, the attack would be long over.
"The house call will last longer than you imagine, but the good news is... you won't miss this attack. No matter how long we linger here, only ten minutes will have passed on Vivian's side."
Fran patiently explained the rules and settings of the house call.
"You can understand it as a difference in the flow of time, or consider it a pre-set rule. It doesn't matter, because time itself is an illusion."
"If it's only ten minutes... then indeed, nothing will be delayed."
Haida nodded slightly. Though she didn't understand the meaning of Fran's last sentence, the first half was perfectly clear.
"Now, let's begin this house call..."
…..
"The people I've encountered so far are all insane. Though they still have the capacity for language, communication is impossible..."
Haida sat by a crackling campfire, surrounded by the corpses of several Godrick soldiers.
They bore only one or two extremely deep knife wounds, all in fatal, unarmored spots at the throat. Deep red blood dripped sluggishly down the patterns of the Erdtree and beast on their armor, thick and viscous.
"And the civilization seems to be on the brink of collapse, as if it experienced some kind of apocalyptic event?"
She finished cleaning her wooden-handled clasp knife and looked up toward the distant, towering yet decaying city walls and bridge towers.
These magnificent wonders from a past era were simply too colossal in scale; merely gazing at them from afar made one sigh at one's own insignificance.
"In fact, the gods here have not yet retreated into obscurity. If we go to certain special places... we can encounter 'demi-gods' walking upon the earth."
Fran was leisurely roasting a few marshmallows over the campfire, humming an unknown, lighthearted tune as if enjoying a spring outing.
When the marshmallows in her hand sizzled and turned slightly brown, she handed one to Haida.
"Is that so..."
Haida took the marshmallow skewered on a twig and somewhat distractedly put a piece into her mouth, feeling the hot, sweet, fluffy sensation gradually melt on her tongue.
Though she understood and accepted the current situation, it still felt somewhat unreal. That was to be expected, it being the first time...
Fran plucked a piece from her roasted marshmallow and popped it into her mouth, fingertip and all.
"Our purpose here is not to save the world or do anything else grand. This is merely a house call... All we need to do is find the patient, cure her illness, and leave."
"This world is critically ill, but the ones who can heal it are not outsiders like you and me. Matters like confronting gods should be left to the ones fated to do so."
Fran's speech was a bit muffled. She blew on her slightly reddened fingertip, apparently having roasted it a bit too hot.
"Mhm."
Haida had a very clear understanding of her own role. She knew how insignificant human power was compared to those vast colossi hanging in the sky... Naturally, she wouldn't attempt to do anything beyond her capabilities.
"But since it's a 'house call'... shouldn't we find the patient first now?"
She was genuinely curious where this relaxed, leisurely outing atmosphere came from. And why Fran could roast marshmallows so nonchalantly amidst several corpses...
"She's squatting over there by that ruined church."
Fran pointed toward a woman hunched in a corner of the distant church, hugging her knees.
She wore a white leather hood, her robes neat and bearing a certain scholarly style, resembling a medieval academic. She also held a staff inlaid with blue-green glintstone.
This was an "Astrologer."
Haida squinted. She really hadn't noticed someone hiding there.
After all, she'd just been besieged by several near-insane soldiers, and that girl's presence was a bit too faint... If Dr. Fran hadn't specifically pointed her out, she would have thought the shadowy shape in the corner was a mushroom.
"Alright, time to start the consultation. Let's first confirm the condition simply..."
Fran said, standing up from the campfire and walking towards the church. She soon arrived beside the Tarnished named "Yvonne."
"Hello, dear Patient Four, good day. Can you hear me?"
Fran bent down, greeting her kindly and gently.
The system's description of the illness was "Personality Dissolution." Taken literally, this should be some kind of mental illness capable of causing self-consciousness to dissolve.
Most likely some kind of extreme stress response, similar in principle to the psychological condition of "Cotard's Delusion."
"Ah, hello."
Yvonne seemed startled by the sudden voice, then looked up at Fran somewhat timidly. But she did return the greeting... and her tone and facial expression were no different from a normal person's.
"That white coat of yours feels familiar. Seeing you is like going back to where I lived before coming to the Lands Between."
"Huh? You can speak?"
Fran leaned back slightly, examining Yvonne who seemed no different from anyone else, her amber eyes carrying a hint of disbelief. In her expectation, a critically advanced-stage patient shouldn't possess the capacity for speech.
Haida, standing to the side, was utterly confused... Didn't you go up and say hello first? Why are you surprised when the other person responds?
"Eh, but, is it strange that I can speak? I just... don't really dare to leave here."
Yvonne slowly stood up, then swayed slightly, seeming to have low blood pressure from squatting for so long.
"Complexion doesn't look healthy... You probably haven't eaten properly for a while. Replenish some sugar first."
Fran still maintained her puzzlement, but she also noticed Yvonne seemed to have symptoms corresponding to low blood sugar and malnutrition.
She supported Yvonne, took out a now slightly cooled roasted marshmallow, and popped it into the other's mouth.
"So sweet, so hot... Thank you." Yvonne chewed gently and swallowed, not seeming particularly wary of being fed by a stranger.
"Strange, can't sense any mental abnormalities. She doesn't seem like someone with a mental illness..."
Fran took out her brass pocket watch, glanced at the time as if it were nothing, then a subtle mental probe quietly struck Yvonne... She wasn't trying to impose any suggestion but was conducting a detailed mental examination.
The conclusion was: her personality was intact with no defects in consciousness. Psychologically speaking... this person was healthy.
"Come sit inside the Church of Elleh. Though inside and outside aren't much different... but having floor tiles is cleaner."
Seeing Fran still deep in thought, Yvonne, somewhat puzzled, took the initiative to invite her.
"Alright." Fran agreed.
Since direct mental probing yielded no results, she could only try to understand the patient's condition through the most fundamental methods... namely observation, listening, inquiry, and "talk therapy."
---
Inside the Church of Elleh.
A few clean cushions with signs of washing were placed by the stone campfire. The nearly completely shattered roof also showed some repair marks; though still broken and drafty, it could barely keep out wind and rain.
There were traces of life; it seemed Yvonne had lived here for some time.
After simple self-introductions, Yvonne gained a basic understanding of Fran and Haida's identities. She also became a bit more lively than her initial timid state.
"Dr. Fran, could you tell me more stories about Norlington? My hometown was a lot like yours..."
"Of course."
Fran took a bag of glucose from her small medical kit and handed it to Yvonne, signaling her to drink it, then began recounting some interesting anecdotes about Norlington.
This girl named Yvonne was essentially a modern person. Fran subtly mentioned concepts like "players" and Norlington's technological development a few times, and the other understood perfectly. In common terms, she was a "transmigrator."
But her soul had already been reshaped by the Lands Between; in another sense... she was a native.
Of course, Fran knew this from the start, as the case file had hinted at it.
The biggest difficulty she encountered now was... Yvonne was too normal!
The Swaying Heart-Clock detected no issues, and from conversation, the other showed no psychological symptoms worthy of being called "critically advanced stage." Her emotions were vivid—how could she seem on the verge of personality dissipation?
After finishing her stories about Norlington, Fran couldn't help but muse with a sigh.
"Such a troublesome patient, and a difficult and complicated case at that... Perhaps this house call might bring me a pleasant surprise."
She had dealt with genuine mentally ill patients before. One left an extremely deep impression... a woman in her thirties who, though past the age of independence, clung inseparably to her father, unwilling to leave his side for a moment. She even hid behind him like a little girl.
Ridiculous? No, please refrain from hasty judgment.
For her, her father was the "anchor" that kept her spirit stable in this world. Once she strayed from her father, she would fall from this world... plummeting straight into cold, despairing darkness. As if sinking into a lightless abyss, so lonely it was almost suffocating.
To avoid drowning... the only thing she could do was hold tightly to her father's outstretched hand.
Therefore, Yvonne before her was too normal. She in no way merited the term "critically advanced stage."
Haida listened quietly to their conversation, as still as a statue. She knew Dr. Fran's treatment had already begun and naturally wouldn't interrupt. For now, staying quiet as a listener was enough.
"Yvonne, do you miss your hometown?" Fran began shifting the angle of her questions.
"Mhm, I miss my family and the world I used to live in. Sometimes I also want to become stronger, follow the Tarnished's mission and the light of Grace to step by step ascend the throne. But I simply don't dare take the first step, can only keep living here in the Church of Elleh..."
Yvonne scratched her cheek somewhat sheepishly. Fran then leaned closer, stating her true purpose.
"What if I said I could assist you? Though I don't know how far you'll be able to go either... it would certainly be better than this, at least you won't starve to death in a church."
"You're willing to help me? But... why? We've only just met..."
Yvonne immediately seemed overwhelmed by the favor, lowering her head and occasionally stealing glances at Fran, as if afraid she had ulterior motives, yet also a bit worried she might change her mind.
"Don't worry, there's nothing on you that I desire. Otherwise, wouldn't direct action be much faster? Helping you is just because I'm a morally upstanding, warm-hearted citizen... I can't bear to see a new Tarnished suffer."
Fran raised an eyebrow. Her tone carried a kind of intimate, conversational quality, as if reuniting with an old friend. Or like a gentle elder chatting with a young person.
"Or would you rather continue squatting in this church like a mushroom, until you rot?"
"...Then I'll be in your care, Dr. Fran."
Soon, Yvonne made up her mind.
...
"But... I'm an Astrologer. Do mages really need to learn this?"
Yvonne was currently following Sister Haida's instruction, swinging two wooden-handled clasp knives. Her movements were clumsy and stiff, completely those of a beginner.
But as a descendant of warriors, the Tarnished, she quickly began to grow familiar with the movements.
"Dear Miss Yvonne... learn sorcery, learn martial arts too. Only then can one be considered well-rounded."
Fran watched the sweat-drenched Yvonne, an inexplicable smile curling at the corner of her lips. For such an unhealthy body, appropriate exercise was a must. Of course, one shouldn't overdo it; everything must proceed step by step.
"Don't get distracted, your movements are losing accuracy. You can slow the pace appropriately." Haida, on the side, continuously corrected Yvonne's posture.
What she was teaching Yvonne were the basic armed combat techniques of the Secrets-Hunters. Though not complex, they were practical enough. Every strike aimed to kill the opponent as efficiently as possible.
Haida felt something was a bit odd. Fran had hired her as a "Head Nurse," yet the first thing she ended up doing was teaching someone how to fight with weapons...
She looked at Yvonne, who was gradually becoming proficient, then turned to glance at Fran behind her.
"Dr. Fran, since Miss Yvonne is a spellcaster, in what form do the 'secret arts' of the Lands Between exist?"
"Glintstone sorcery. This is power derived from the stars... beautiful, dangerous, and forbidden. Yet countless people are irresistibly drawn to it. Can't be helped; yearning for the stars is human instinct."
As she spoke, Fran nimbly stepped in front of Yvonne, signaling her to stop.
"Yvonne, you've reached today's exercise quota, time to rest. But before that... show Sister Haida the form of 'sorcery.'"
"Mhm." Yvonne returned the two clasp knives to Haida, then took out her staff.
Focusing slightly, she cast "Glintstone Pebble" at the open ground outside the door. The azure-blue sigil composed of cuckoos, books, and steps flickered, and a glowing pebble of starlight emerged from it.
This pebble trailed a long tail, flying forward over twenty meters before gradually dissipating into scattered points of light.
"This is sorcery born from the stars... It's beautiful."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL