Me and Aanu had already left to search for a medic.
But if I really thought about it properly…
This was technically my first time roaming around the capital myself after coming down from the castle. Which meant I had absolutely no idea where a medic could even be found.
Still—
No matter what happened, we had to find one for Malta somehow.
As we continued moving through the market streets, both of us kept checking nearby shops while asking around from time to time. But after several failed attempts, it slowly became obvious that finding a medic here wouldn't be easy.
Finally, I stopped a passing man and decided to ask directly.
"Excuse me," I called out. "Do you know where I can find a medic around here?"
The man looked toward me before shaking his head.
"Not in this part of the capital."
He pointed somewhere further ahead while continuing,
"If you want official medics, you'll have to go toward the Noble Realm."
My expression stiffened slightly.
Noble Realm.
Right…
The section of the capital where nobles and wealthy families lived.
"But," the man continued, "a few days ago, two people arrived in the capital calling themselves medics. They aren't from this city though."
He scratched the side of his head before adding,
"If you want, you can try going to them instead. Getting permission to enter the Noble Realm can take a long time."
That honestly made sense.
A poor patient like Malta probably wouldn't survive while we waited for noble permissions and procedures.
"Where can I find them?" I asked.
The man pointed toward another section of the market.
"Take a right from this street. There's a narrow alley further inside. Their shop should be somewhere there."
Then his expression became slightly strange.
"But… be careful."
"Hm?"
"I heard they look a little dangerous."
...
I stared at him for a moment.
Dangerous?
What exactly was that supposed to mean?
For a second, several weird thoughts crossed my mind.
Don't tell me they're some kind of underground organ traders or something.
Well… probably not.
Since arriving in Terra Chronica, I still hadn't seen anything like human-monster hybrids or fantasy horror creatures wandering around.
Still…
Now I was curious.
"Well," I muttered, "guess we'll find out once we get there."
Holding Aanu's hand, I started walking toward the address the man had given us.
*****
It didn't take us long to reach the address the man had given us.
The moment I saw the building standing at the end of the alley, a strange feeling crept into my mind.
This place looked... unsettling.
Honestly, Aanu's reaction was completely justified. The alley itself was unusually quiet. There were no merchants, no pedestrians, and none of the noise that normally filled the capital's streets. Compared to the bustling market we had just come from, this place felt abandoned.
Beside me, Aanu tightened her grip around my hand.
She was scared.
Seeing her like that, I gently patted her head and forced a reassuring smile onto my face.
"Nothing will happen. I'm here, remember?"
She nodded, but the way she kept glancing around made it obvious she wasn't convinced.
Together we approached the building. I intended to knock first, but the moment my hand touched the door, it slowly swung open on its own.
For some reason, that only made the place feel even creepier.
The inside was completely dark.
Not dim.
Dark.
The kind of darkness where you couldn't even properly make out the furniture around you.
Aanu instinctively moved closer to me while I looked around the room.
"Hello?" I called out.
No response came.
I tried again.
"Hello! Is anyone here? Is this the medic's place?"
My voice echoed through the building before disappearing into the silence.
Then I heard it.
A faint sound coming from deeper inside the house.
At first, I couldn't tell what it was. But a few moments later, a small light appeared somewhere beyond the darkness.
The light slowly grew brighter as it moved toward us.
For some reason, I suddenly felt nervous.
Not because I expected danger.
Because the entire situation felt strange.
The silent alley.
The dark building.
The mysterious light moving toward us.
Even Aanu had started hiding partially behind me.
"Brother... I'm scared..."
Honestly?
I wasn't feeling particularly brave myself.
As the light finally approached, the darkness slowly retreated and revealed its source.
A young woman stepped out from one of the inner rooms carrying a lantern in her hand.
For a moment, I simply stared.
The lantern's glow illuminated her face, revealing sharp features and unusually striking eyes. They reminded me of a cat's eyes somehow. Combined with the dark cloak covering most of her body and the complete lack of expression on her face, she looked less like a medic and more like someone who belonged inside the creepy building.
The woman stopped a few steps away from us and waited.
The silence became awkward enough that I eventually broke it.
"Hi... I'm actually looking for a medic. Are you the medic?"
The woman looked at me for a few seconds before giving a small nod.
At least we were in the right place.
Relieved, I quickly explained the situation.
"This little girl's name is Aanu. Her mother is very sick and needs treatment as soon as possible. We were told there was a medic here, so I was hoping you could come and examine her."
The woman's gaze shifted toward Aanu.
Aanu immediately stepped forward.
"Can you help my mom?" she asked, her voice carrying a mixture of hope and desperation. "Please..."
For the first time, the woman spoke.
"Alright. I'll come."
The answer came so quickly that I nearly sighed in relief.
But before I could thank her, she added another condition.
"In return, I want something."
That was expected.
No professional worked for free.
Without thinking much about it, I nodded.
"Of course. Whatever your fee is, it'll be paid."
The woman shook her head.
"I don't want money."
That answer caught me off guard.
Then what exactly did she want?
A moment later she answered.
"Buy me food."
For a second, I genuinely wondered if I had heard her correctly.
Food?
That was it?
Not money. Not gold. Not some rare item.
Just food.
The strangest part was that she looked completely serious.
I studied her expression for a few moments, hoping to find some sign that she was joking.
There wasn't any.
Eventually, I gave up trying to understand it.
"Sure," I replied. "If that's all you want, then we can do that."
Something in her expression softened slightly.
"Thank you."
She adjusted the lantern in her hand before asking where Malta's house was.
"It's not far from here," I said. "Come with us. I'll take you there."
Then I looked toward Aanu.
"See? Your mother is going to get treatment now."
The worry that had been clinging to her face for the entire journey disappeared almost instantly.
"Thank you, brother."
The smile she gave me at that moment felt brighter than the lantern illuminating the room.
*****
By the time we returned, Aanu had already broken into a run.
The moment her house came into view, she let go of my hand and rushed ahead.
"Mom! We're back! We're back!"
Seeing her excitement brought a small smile to my face. For the entire journey, she had been worried about her mother. Now that we had finally found someone who could help, some of that burden had clearly disappeared.
I followed behind her and entered the house with the medic.
"Malta, we've brought a medic."
No response came.
The room felt strangely quiet.
Malta still lay on the bed with her eyes closed, but compared to before, her condition looked worse. Her breathing had become heavier, and each breath sounded labored, as if even something as simple as drawing air into her lungs required effort.
For the first time, I felt genuinely uneasy.
I turned toward the medic.
"Please... examine her."
The medic walked toward the bed without saying a word.
Meanwhile, I called Aanu over and kept her beside me. If treatment was about to begin, I didn't want her accidentally interrupting anything.
For the next few minutes, the room remained silent.
The medic carefully examined Malta while I watched from a distance. Her expression never changed, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Eventually, she stood up.
"I understand her condition now."
Her voice remained calm.
"I'll begin treatment. Stay where you are. Do not come closer."
I simply nodded.
But a question had been bothering me ever since we arrived.
Where were her tools?
Where was the medicine?
So far, I hadn't seen a single instrument, herb, or bottle anywhere.
Then how exactly was she planning to treat Malta?
A moment later, I got my answer.
The medic suddenly began speaking words I couldn't understand. The language sounded unfamiliar, almost rhythmic. The longer I listened, the more it resembled some kind of magical incantation.
Wait...
Magic?
Before I could think further, a faint glow appeared around Malta's body.
The light gradually became brighter until it completely surrounded her.
I stared in silence.
This was my first time witnessing healing magic with my own eyes.
The glow continued for several minutes while the medic maintained the incantation. The room remained silent except for her voice and the soft hum of the magic itself.
Even Aanu had stopped speaking.
She simply watched her mother with hopeful eyes.
******
Eventually, the light began fading.
The incantation stopped.
And the room returned to normal.
The medic slowly stepped back.
"It's done."
Both Aanu and I immediately looked toward her.
"She is no longer in danger. By tomorrow, she should regain consciousness."
Relief immediately washed over me.
But the medic wasn't finished.
"If you had brought me here any later, she likely would not have survived more than two days."
My expression froze.
Two days?
I knew Malta's condition was serious, but I hadn't realized it was that severe.
Before I could ask anything else, Aanu had already rushed toward the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother.
The only thing she had heard was that her mother would survive.
And honestly...
That was probably enough for her.
Meanwhile, I turned back toward the medic.
"What exactly happened to her?"
The medic glanced toward Malta before answering.
"She was suffering from a rare illness known as Zyphus."
"The disease develops slowly, making it difficult to notice during the early stages. However, as it progresses, it affects the chest, heart, and even the brain. Without treatment, the patient's condition gradually worsens until breathing itself becomes difficult."
My gaze instinctively shifted toward Malta.
So that was why she had been struggling to breathe earlier.
"And is this disease common?" I asked.
The medic shook her head.
"No. It is rare. Most people will never encounter it."
Then she continued,
"I destroyed the Zyphus within her using healing magic. However, recovery will still take time."
Her eyes briefly moved around the room before settling on Malta once again.
"And she needs proper food."
I frowned.
"Food?"
"When I examined her, I found that her stomach was practically empty. The illness weakened her, but lack of food made her condition even worse."
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
The disease was one problem.
Poverty was another.
"I understand."
The medic gave a small nod.
"Then my work here is finished."
She turned toward the door before suddenly adding,
"As agreed, you still owe me food."
The abrupt change in topic almost caught me off guard.
After everything that had just happened, that was apparently still her biggest concern.
"Right."
A small laugh escaped me.
"Come on. A promise is a promise."
Before leaving, I looked toward Aanu.
She was sitting beside Malta while holding her mother's hand tightly.
"Aanu, I'm taking the medic back. Stay here with your mother, alright?"
Aanu immediately nodded.
"Yes, brother."
And for the first time since I met her, there wasn't a trace of fear in her voice.
Only relief.