Chapter 12

A guard on horseback stops in front of the Tiara Adventurer Guild.

The door opens with a bang, and a guard steps inside. Everyone inside turns their attention to see what’s happening.

“What’s the matter?”

The guildmaster calls out from behind the counter, and the guard approaches.

“There was an incident with a ruffian a while ago, and the victim was one of the staff here. We’ve come to report it.”

The staff was in a state of commotion.

“Who was attacked?”

The guard shows his identification.

“Mizuki-san!”

At the manager’s words, the receptionists pale.

“Where?”

“On the north side of the central city, on a winding alley.”

The manager briefly wonders why he was there but quickly recalls.

“Oh… he mentioned going to the bookstore…”

The manager involuntarily closes his eyes.

“So, how is he? He’s alive, right?”

“An arrow penetrated his left shoulder and right leg. His left leg is also injured, and his face shows signs of severe bruising. But he was conscious.”

“An arrow!?”

The manager questions as if hoping there was a mistake.

Everyone is shocked by the fact that he was almost killed.

“What about medical treatment?”

“When I left, it hadn’t started yet, but I informed them, so they should be there by now.”

Without a clear understanding of the situation from just talking, the manager decides to hurry to the scene.

“Galand, report to the Guild Master. Others, continue with your duties. Lana, I’m counting on you.”

Giving instructions, the manager heads to the scene.

Galand heads to report to the Guild Master.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Galand opens the door with determination.

“Guild Master, we received a report a while ago. Mizuki was attacked by a ruffian.”

“What!?”

The ink on the letter the Guild Master was writing seems to blur slightly.

“Attacked!?”

“He mentioned taking a day off today for shopping. Just now, the guards contacted us, and it seems he was shot with an arrow. It’s a serious condition.”

“Shot!?”

The Guild Master is shocked by the fact that it wasn’t just an ordinary assault.

“Yes. It hit his left shoulder and right leg. He was also severely beaten, but he remained conscious.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

“Excuse me.”

Loki ponders.

Could the reason for the attack be the smartphone he possesses… since he uses it at work, it’s visible. Did someone want it badly enough to resort to murder…

Come to think of it, Taran mentioned that it might already be known to other guilds…

But forcibly taking it seems unlikely… first of all, they wouldn’t know what kind of magical tool it is.

Nevertheless, an attack on a guild staff member in broad daylight cannot be overlooked.

He decides to contact both parties to investigate the situation.

The Guild Master prepares to head out.

Loki informs the Vice Guild Master of the attack.

Knock, knock.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me.”

Lily comes to report to the Vice Guild Master.

“Vice Guild Master, we received a report a while ago. It seems a staff member was attacked by a ruffian.”

She raises her face.

“Who was it?”

“Mizuki Mitarai.”

“I see.”

The Vice Guild Master nods slightly in response to the report, and Lily bows before leaving.

She didn’t change her expression, but the thought crossed her mind that he might have been someone Loki was recently concerned about.

Talking to oneself about belongings and performance—things that didn’t concern me.

Well, it’s none of my business.

While thinking that, the fact that a staff member was attacked bothered me a little.

　◆ ◆ ◆

The scene of the attack is still in chaos.

The pain is intense, but my consciousness is clear. It must be the effect of the treatment.

There’s a person collapsed at my feet, their upper body covered with some kind of cloth, hastily concealing them.

From that, I deduced—it’s the person who attacked me.

I must have unleashed a stone projectile towards the face, making it a mess… that’s probably why they’re covering it.

Come to think of it, they screamed when the guards arrived.

I see, their appearance must be quite something. Anyone who laid eyes on it would be in for a shock.

A few guards over there are having a conversation. It doesn’t matter.

She, the priestess who treated me, is crouched down, discussing something with the guards.

Fatigue is evident in her expression.

Just two uses of magic—prayers seem quite draining.

Healing magic must consume mana. If that’s the case, it means you can’t casually use healing magic… 

I pondered various thoughts while observing the scene—

Hey, how long do they plan to leave me here!

Suppressing my irritation, I asked the guards, and they said they were arranging a carriage to take me to the healing clinic.

Compared to Japan, where an ambulance arrives in five minutes, this response feels frustratingly slow.

While waiting, I survey the surroundings of the scene—and indeed, I notice that the town seems to have poor security.

Even in the modern world, there are many places with poor security. I’ve seen videos of motorcycle snatchers threatening with guns and committing robberies.

Even in Japan, we occasionally hear news of random street murders in recent years.

In another world, being attacked by a thug might be an everyday occurrence—though saying that might be an exaggeration.

It’s not a world with surveillance cameras all over the city. It’s not a world where the police arrive in five minutes after a report.

If you’re attacked, it could be the end for you.

Living in Japan, where security is at its highest level, I didn’t understand or experience this until now. I didn’t comprehend it.

I meet eyes with the priestess. 

I casually smile, and she nods in acknowledgment.

Perhaps it means everything is okay now.

“When she pressed her hand against the arrow wound, the wound disappeared before I knew it.”

Anyway, wounds heal with magic.

Knowing that is one thing, but I never thought I’d have to test it on my own body.

Suddenly, I recall the words of the spell.

I’m pretty sure it ended with—”Heal.” A familiar word from games.

It seems the translation indeed uses words I’m familiar with.

I realize I forgot to ask an important question.

“Um… it still hurts a lot. Is this how it’s supposed to be? It’s my first time receiving a prayer, so…”

“I can’t take away the pain entirely. But I believe it will be much lighter by tomorrow.”

I’ve learned a very important fact.

Even with healing, the pain doesn’t go away… I need to be careful about this.

Being healed but still unable to move due to pain. That’s the reality right now.

It means I can’t just keep receiving heals like in a game and continue fighting.

I’m glad I found out about this beforehand.

Then, as if the adrenaline wore off, the pain in the areas where the arrows were lodged started to throb like being hammered with a mallet.

It was already quite painful, but it seems the real deal is yet to come.

I grit my teeth and endure it, and she mentions that she can pray once more. So, I ask her to heal my likely fractured left leg as well.

And then, the carriage arrives.

Carried and lifted onto it by a few guards, I am transported to the healing clinic.

Arriving at the healing clinic about ten minutes later.

The clinic is like a hospital operated by the church.

The operating funds come from donations and subsidies from the territory.

For injuries from incidents like the assault in the city this time, it seems there’s no treatment fee.

However, it’s customary to make a donation later as a token of gratitude.

Upon reaching the healing clinic, I saw a familiar face—the Chief.

“Chief!”

Relief washes over me, and tears well up.

“Are you okay?”

He seemed momentarily speechless—probably because my appearance was quite severe.

“Yes, I’ve received healing for the serious injuries. They’re going to transport me to the healing clinic now.”

Seeing me respond normally reassures him.

Under the watchful eye of the chief, I receive healing from several priests and make a full recovery.

—It’s true, not a single wound remains.

My face was probably very swollen, but there’s no sign of swelling even when touched.

However, I feel a bit feverish.

Since the pain doesn’t go away, my left shoulder and right leg still ache like a blacksmith happily pounding them with a hammer.

Then, I’m handed some kind of powdered medicine. It seems to be a painkiller.

I receive some water and drink it—

And what do you know… the effects kick in within minutes, and the pain subsides as if the blacksmith has left.

The pain has dropped to a manageable level. I’m amazed at how powerful the painkiller I took is.

Today, I’ll be staying at the clinic. If I seem able to move tomorrow, I’ll be discharged.

The chief, who was talking to the guards near the entrance of the treatment room, comes over. It seems he heard the details of the situation.

With a worried expression, he sits down beside me.

“What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself, but suddenly I was dragged into an alley and beaten up.”

“Probably for this.”

He pats his waist pouch.

“Lucky I survived being shot with arrows.”

The chief also shows a relieved expression.

After a while, two guards arrived.

One had a leader-like aura, and the other seemed like a deputy.

The deputy’s attire was not that of a guard but more like that of a mage—probably so.

“I’m Captain Carton of the Franta Defense Force, First Platoon. Are you okay?”

He’s indeed someone important. When the chief stands, they’re about the same height, so he’s around 180 centimeters.

He’s a blond, handsome guy, but strangely, I feel a certain pressure. Must be that captain’s aura.

“Thanks to you. But my body is in intense pain, so even twisting is tough.”

“Stay as you are.” 

He stops me with his hand.

He proceeds to explain the situation.

There were four assailants. Three of them are dead, and one is barely alive, it seems.

The group that attacked earlier seemed to have been electrocuted. Upon hearing that two out of the three had died, I lowered my gaze.

While maintaining a solemn expression, inside, I couldn’t help but applaud – “Serves them right!”

Instead, I almost clicked my tongue at failing to finish off one person and tightly sealed my lips.

The survivor, whom a priest was trying to heal, apparently had difficulty breathing despite having no visible wounds. 

That’s why they seemed to have come to me to inquire about the situation. So, I decided to play dumb.

“I was desperate when I was attacked, so honestly, I don’t remember much. I didn’t even know how many people were attacking.”

“I see.”

The captain has been staring at me the whole time, seeming to suspect that I’m hiding something.

Well, in reality, I am hiding something… I guess that’s why the pressure is so intense.

A few days later, there will be an inquiry, so they want me to come to the Defense Force headquarters.

The timing will be after the questioning of the offender is finished, so they will inform you of the date and time by letter.

I nodded lightly, as I had anticipated, and replied, “Understood.”

The chief mentioned that they have confirmed my condition and left, saying they would come to pick me up tomorrow.

My entire body aches, playing to the rhythm of a samba, making it impossible to sleep.

I reach for my smartphone and earphones from the waist pouch beside me.

Inserting the earphones, I browse through the stored music list, searching for a calming classical piece.

I select “Moonlight Sonata” and slip into bed to listen.

The first movement, the second movement… a very peaceful piece. Maybe I can sleep with this, I think, starting to doze off. Just as I’m about to drift away, the third movement begins, startling me awake with its intense rhythm.

“Ah, that surprised me! I made a mistake in my song choice— I meant ‘Moonlight,’ not ‘Moonlight Sonata.'”

Looking around, it seems like no one particularly noticed.

Afterward, I put on a random anime song medley and drifted off to sleep.

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