The next time Sylvia woke up, she found herself lying on a simple wooden bed.

Beside her, Christophe sat quietly as he was asleep. Fatigue was clearly etched on his face.

(He's letting me use his bed, after all. I really did something bad, didn't I...)

Outside the window, the rain had stopped, and soft light was streaming in. She no longer knew how much time had passed since she fell asleep.

Looking down at her body, she saw that her gear had been removed and instead, she was dressed in a soft, slightly oversized nightgown. He probably prepared it for her.

"...Um."

When Sylvia called out to him, Christophe jolted his shoulders and woke up in a flustered manner.

"Ah, are you awake now?"

Christophe turned towards her with a slightly dazed expression, yet one that seemed relieved upon seeing Sylvia's face. In that gentle atmosphere, Sylvia felt her earlier tension ease a bit.

"Where... is this place?"

"Ah, this is my clinic. It's in a village called Greenbear, just on the outskirts. I thought you wouldn't be able to rest in your equipment, so the village women helped you change... I didn't do anything special. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

Christophe continues in a gentle tone.

"...Yeah, I'm fine."

"That's good to hear. I work as a healer in this village, but I hardly ever see someone as seriously injured as you. Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better."

At his gentle words, Sylvia turns her attention to her own body.

The pain that had been so unbearable had completely vanished, and the wounds on her abdomen, as well as the arm that was supposed to be broken, had fully healed. Her body, which had been so difficult to move even a single finger, felt incredibly light and free to move, as if it were a lie.

"Thank you... Thanks to you, it seems I was able to survive without any aftereffects..."

"I think you fully recovered because your life force was strong and you were lucky. You don't feel any pain, do you?"

"U-um."

Sylvia was surprised by his words.

Strong vitality? Maybe luck was on her side, but... that alone could not be said with certainty.

At that moment, the immediate and complete healing of the wound was undeniably the result of Christophe's own power.

That's precisely why Sylvia poses that question.

"...Christophe-san. I hesitated a bit about whether it was okay to ask you something so sudden, but... is it alright?"

"What is it?"

"Have you been working as a healer here all this time?"

"I used to be an adventurer a while back, but mostly I just stay in this village and occasionally visit the nearby villages."

"..."

Sylvia was astonished by the fact. The realization that a person with such power had been buried in this remote land.

"...With skills like yours, you should be able to make a name for yourself in the royal capital or somewhere like that... Why are you still in this village?"

Sylvia couldn't hold back her question. There was a possibility that there was a special reason. A cherished hometown, or perhaps some other reason.

Christophe glanced around a bit awkwardly. Then, as if to cover something up or perhaps to genuinely laugh off past mistakes, he deliberately put on a cheerful voice.

"Me? ...My skills as a healer aren't anything special."

"Huh? Not really... something like that..."

"A healing spell that doesn't activate unless I touch someone is a defective product, right?"

He said that with a calm demeanor, and laughed.

Sylvia could only stand there in a daze.

(If he doesn't touch someone... Indeed, those conditions are strict, but... if it's a healing magic of that level... I think it should be appreciated. Or maybe, he couldn't use such advanced healing magic in the past? Or perhaps, the people around him didn't notice his abilities?)

Sylvia calmly reflects on her thoughts. She remembers the time she became an adventurer and how she grew from it.

(I don't know how much of an adventurer Christophe-san was, but if he was at a low rank, he probably didn't get seriously injured very often... If he mostly received treatment for scrapes and minor injuries, would his touch-based healing still seem like a disadvantage?)

Indeed, as Christophe said, ordinary healing magic is usually cast from a distance. For minor injuries like scrapes or light fractures, ordinary healing magic is sufficient.

However, those healing spells are nearly impossible to completely heal such severe injuries like the ones Sylvia sustained in an instant, without any aftereffects.

When sustaining a serious injury, it is standard to use potions for internal healing and apply recovery magic over several days. Even so, complete healing is difficult.

"Anyway, I'm glad I practiced healing magic. It's the best thing to have saved a promising child like you."

Christophe said so with genuine relief as he was unaware of Sylvia's true feelings.

Sylvia was surprised by that pure, gentle expression, and she felt her heart warm.

In his eyes, there was no ambition for honor, no desire for self-importance, nothing at all. There was only pure devotion to saving the patient before him.

Therefore, Sylvia naturally spoke up.

Despite having such great power, he is not properly recognized for it, belittles himself, and carries a somewhat sad resignation. She wants to do something about him.

Chapter 4