The Nurse's office was empty, aside from me. Of course it was. Any wounds could be healed even by the worst of Mages. Still, it was a room with eight stretchers, some tables, and stocked with hundreds of alchemical ingredients in glass cabinets against one wall. The two who brought me here left after my insistence. Did they think I could not take care of myself?
I pulled out the piece of paper Harry gave me, going down the list of names and stopped at two. Benjamin Goldie, from a family of gold miners and merchants. I didn't remember him very well. Just that we'd made fun of other nobles at balls.
Leonidas Mulder. Nothing remarkable about him or his family. His family owned a small town on the fringe of the country.
They must've died long before the end of the world. I looked at the cabinets, walking over to them. There was everything I could've asked for in there. From Salamander's Tail, to a Goblin's Ear. You wouldn't need all of this to heal a student, but-
The door slid open, a warm voice coming from behind me. "Hello, my sweet, dear office! I've missed you so, so much!" In the reflection on the glass of the cabinets, a man stood there, his clean shaven face making him look in his twenties. I turned around to see him properly. He wore a white robe with pockets sewn onto the outside, his arms too short for the sleeves. His goggles were attached to his forehead. A big smile was on his face, widening as he saw me. "Ah, dear student! Are you here for my medical expertise?" he said, leaning in way too far and almost drooling.
I scrunched my face up. No wonder this place was empty. "No," I said, turning back to the cabinet. There must be something I could do, right? What were those recipes again?
Despite my rejection, he moved over to a table, picking up a syringe. "Don't be like that, dear student! I promise it won't hurt. It'll just be a little physical experiment, okay?" He glided towards the cabinet, standing right behind me, breathing heavily. I saw his hand raising towards me.
I flinched, my mind spinning as his hand came even closer. His expression didn't change, but he pulled his hand back slowly, and said, "I see. Would you like some tea?"
"What?" I responded, spinning back to face him. His movements were more controlled, as he picked out some leaves from a nearby cupboard.
"Tea. I make a mean relaxing tea. Would you like some?" His voice, too, was measured, as though every syllable stressed was meant to relax. He glanced at me. I grit my teeth. Was that pity in his eyes?
"No," I said, still standing.
"I see." Still, he took out two cups, boiling some water with his magic, dropping a few leaves of whatever that was into each cup. After pouring the water in, he let it sit for a minute. The smell of the tea was causing knots in my back to loosen. I didn't realise how tense I was. He moved both cups over to a table, setting one down on one side, while he sat down with the other in an empty spot. "I haven't seen you here before Atlas. Please, don't be afraid."
'"Don't be afraid," said the giant ball of light, the glimpses of its true form breaking my mind.'
I grit my teeth, tensing my body. He was not It. I should not be feeling like this towards someone I never knew.
"You've heard of me?" I asked, staying still. He nodded.
"Yes, I have. You're quite the hot topic among teachers today," he said. "Casting a Fireball on your first attempt is very unique. Especially the purity of Mana you used, from what I heard."
Hehe, sorry for my brilliance, Harry. Even if it was only because of my decades of experience from the future, it felt nice to be recognised.
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Maybe just a sip," I said. How could someone this nice make something bad? I sat down across from him, picking up the warm cup of tea, and took a small sip.
"Get some rest, kid," he said, his voice gentle and soothing. "You looked like you needed it."
"What?" My vision swam for a moment before I passed out.