Chapter 147: Side Story 3 

Alexa didn’t only learn medicine from Karrolf; she also studied healing magic under Brillia. Brillia had taught her never to rely on magic for every little thing. Alexa had remembered those words well.

Magic had its limits. On top of that, light mages capable of using healing spells, like Brillia or Alexa herself, were extremely rare. Brillia had given Alexa some crucial advice. 

[“Set your own standards, Alexa. Standards for whom you will save with healing magic. I’m not saying to weigh one life against another. I mean, judge the severity of the injuries. Do you know what the most fundamental principle of being a doctor is?”]

The basics of a doctor…

Ever since coming to this place, Alexa felt she’d been thinking more deeply about what it meant to be a doctor.

[“Is it… treating all lives equally?”]

[“No. It means knowing how to take care of yourself first. If you collapse from overexertion, the number of patients you can save drops drastically. If you overuse your magic, your body will suffer. That’s why you need to set limits and use your power sparingly.”]

Now, Alexa felt like she finally understood what Brillia had meant.

She had never dealt with this many patients before. Everyone was crying out in pain, shouting for her to help them. And there were only so many doctors standing between them.

“My mentor was right.”

“Huh?”

Terrun, who had followed Alexa and ended up being roped into helping out for the day, tilted his head in confusion.

“She said that in order to take care of so many people, I have to take care of myself first.”

“Of course Alexa’s important. The most important! More than anyone else here!”

It was clear Terrun had no idea what she actually meant. Alexa let out a small chuckle and patted his head. Terrun bent his knees a little to make it easier for her to reach.

At times like this, Terrun always felt like a big little brother.

He was definitely older than Ysildus and even bigger in build, nearly twice Alexa’s size, but he still somehow felt like the younger one. When Terrun shouted ‘I like you!’ at Alexa, it reminded her exactly of how baby wolves would yelp it when clinging to someone they adored.

But Ysildus was…

Even though he was younger than Terrun, he was different. The way he said ‘I like you’…

The thought made Alexa swallow hard. It felt like… like the kind of thing someone might whisper against your ear in the middle of a deep, dark kiss.

“…Ah.”

What am I even thinking? In a place as holy and sacred as this!

Alexa slapped her cheeks lightly.

‘I’ve been possessed by a lust demon!’

She puffed out her cheeks, then exhaled. When Ysildus said he was heading to the battlefield, her heart had nearly dropped. Her mind had been racing with every kind of terrible thought. And now that he was returning victorious, it was racing again, but in a completely different direction.

“Why’s your face so red, Alexa? Do you have a fever?”

“N-no!”

Alexa shook her head quickly and walked briskly between patient beds. Terrun followed at a more relaxed pace, trailing behind her hurried steps. Just as she was about to go wash her face, someone stopped her.

“Excuse me!”

Alexa turned her head. 

The patient who’d called out to her was clutching his leg with a pale face, groaning in pain. His injured limb remained covered in wolf fur, suggesting he couldn’t return to human form. One look told her it wasn’t an ordinary wound.

Every thought of Ysildus vanished from her mind. Alexa rushed over.

“What happened to you?”

“I-I don’t remember anything.”

Trauma.

It was clear the shock of the injury had blocked his memories. Alexa examined the wound. The gash was so deep the leg looked like it might fall off. Judging by his condition, the man didn’t even seem able to feel the pain properly. His pupils were unfocused, and he was shaking as he sat there, pale as a sheet.

‘Does he fall within my standard?’

Alexa considered seriously. Was it right to use healing magic to save this man? Or should she leave it to fate… Her lips pressed into a tight line.

But even as she hesitated, her hands were already moving. With no uncertainty at all. Her lips began chanting a healing spell.

“…I won’t be able to fix everything.”

She wasn’t even sure the man could hear her.

“I can’t revive nerves that are already dead. You may end up limping for the rest of your life. The pain in your leg… it might never fully go away.”

Magic could only help so much within the physical realm. Still, Alexa went on.

“But I’ll do everything I can.”

“…Thank you.”

His words carried the warmth to soothe a heart frozen in pain. Tears spilled from the patient’s eyes. He had been told the leg might need to be amputated. For a wolf, whose regenerative ability was naturally strong, this was an injury that even nature couldn’t heal.

When he realized his leg might never return, something he’d assumed was a given, the fear and despair had been overwhelming, impossible to put into words. And yet, in the warmth that eased both body and soul, he slowly closed his eyes.

He could feel the pain in his leg gradually dulling.

His heightened senses could detect the faint, delicate energy reconnecting live nerves and muscles. If Alexa’s magic was miraculous, then her heart was… a wonder beyond comprehension. Was this what it meant to be human? Perhaps it was something his wolf blood had never allowed him to understand.

His lips trembled.

“Th-thank you…”

Tears poured down like a waterfall. Alexa wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and stepped back. Even to the naked eye, his condition had improved. The portion of the leg still in wolf form was beginning to turn back into its human shape.

‘I did it!’

Alexa swallowed hard.

Her magic had worked. This was her first time using healing magic in a real situation. Her training hadn’t been in vain. Just as she’d hoped, she’d become someone truly needed in this place.

A proud smile tugged at her lips.

Her body was heavy with fatigue, but the sense of fulfillment more than made up for it. Everyone watching her had similar smiles on their faces. Like parents watching a toddler take its first steps.

[“Is that the famous Alexa Eneroff?”]

[“They say the Grand Duke and Duchess dote on her. I can see why.”]

[“I’ve never seen magic so warm.”]

[“Which means her heart must be just as warm.”]

Alexa couldn’t hear the whispers being exchanged among the wolves. Terrun, looking displeased, laid a hand on her shoulder and whined.

“Don’t overdo it, Alexa. You’re the most…”

“I know. I’m the most important. That’s why I’m stopping for today.”

Alexa gave Terrun’s hand a pat. Only then did a smile finally appear on his lips.

Jeremiah witnessed the whole exchange clearly. He saw Alexa Eneroff.

‘…Found her.’

Jeremiah’s eyes gleamed.

He had found the way to bring Alexa, along with Terrun and Ysildus, back to the capital. A way to keep himself from being lonely again.

A crooked smile tugged at his lips.

If Alexa moved, everyone else would follow. Which meant… all he had to do was move her heart. Get her to leave the Thersion Territory and return to the capital of her own will.

‘I can do it.’

Jeremiah licked his dry lips.

* * *

The familiar scent of grass and the breeze brushed the tip of his nose. Thersion was drawing near. Ysildus had taken the lead and pushed ahead of the group, acting as their guide.

“It’s been so long since I walked this path, I’m getting confused,” Dephensores muttered sheepishly.

Ysildus let out a cold laugh.

“To forget the path to your own partner? Is that even possible? I could never forget. I’ll trace it over and over, even in my dreams.”

He was a conceited heir to say the least.

With a massive thud, Dephensores rammed his hulking body into Ysildus. But Ysildus dodged with practiced ease, swiftly leaping forward. He didn’t have time to waste on nonsense. Alexa was waiting.

He wanted to bury his face in her arms, hear the sound of her voice. Inhale her scent, lock themselves away in their own world.

A strange, unfamiliar desire flickered in Ysildus’s blue eyes before sinking again. The night of the wolves was drawing near. As he looked up at the enormous full moon, Ysildus let out a long, echoing howl.