“Then, I enhanced my leg strength with magic and sprinted all the way here,” he concluded.

“Th-Thank you. Gaion may be simple, but he can be quite perceptive at times,” Liz murmured, bowing her head deeply. “I’m so sorry! I’ve done so many awful things to you and those around you...”

“Honestly, Liz. You call that big guy ‘simple,’ but you’re a big idiot, yourself.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Zenos heaved an exasperated sigh. “Why go to all that trouble with infiltrating and enthralling and whatnot? You could’ve just asked for help.”

“What?” Liz’s misty eyes widened in surprise.

“Gina’s sick, isn’t she?”

“Y-Yes.”

“And that was why you wanted help from some top executive in the guild who can heal any illness, right? That’s why you did what Dalitz asked.”

“Y-Yes, but—”

“Look. I’m something of a healer myself, remember? I mean, not that I have a license, but you know.”

“Oh...”

The Black Guild was a place where people plotted and were plotted against, used others and were used themselves. Deeply entrenched into that world, Liz had failed to consider the simplest option: just asking for help. It could’ve been that easy.

Liz clutched her chest, as though suddenly remembering something. “B-But, I don’t have any money left...”

Dalitz had spent all of the money she’d saved up to request treatment for her sister from the top executive on his body enhancements.

Zenos crossed his arms thoughtfully. “Well, it’s true I charge for my work on principle, yeah. But for now, why not just let me have a look at her?”

***

After that, Zenos followed Liz to a place known as the depths of the slums, where the air hung stagnant and reeked of decay. They entered a home one strong breeze away from collapsing, its interior even more modest than that of the clinic in the ruined city.

“Hi, Gina,” the healer said. “It’s been a while.”

“Is that... Zenos...?” the girl, whose face resembled that of a younger Liz, said in surprise. Her voice was weak, and although she’d grown taller, her body was thin as a twig.

Zenos quickly cast Diagnosis, and lines of white light scanned through Gina’s whole body. “There’s a large tumor in her thoracic cavity,” he explained. “It’s been pressing against her heart and lungs for years, compromising their function.”

“Huh? You’ve already figured it out?” Liz asked.

“But it doesn’t seem malignant, so all it needs is surgical removal.”

“B-But, they said it’s far too widespread across the organs to be removed through normal means...”

“Just gotta remove it while healing the organs.”

“You say that like it’s simple.”

“Well, the procedure is delicate, and I’d be worried doing it here, what with the less-than-ideal sanitary conditions. Let’s take her to my clinic.”

Zenos hoisted Gina onto his back and carried her back to the clinic with Liz in tow.

“Welcome back, Ze—” Lily stopped midsentence. “Huh? Liz?”

“U-Um, I’m so sorry,” Liz said with a contrite expression. “I’ve done so many awful things to you all—”

“Thank goodness!” Lily exclaimed, relieved. “You were gone so suddenly. I was worried.”

“Huh? But I—”

Before Liz could continue, Lily turned her gaze to Zenos. “Who’s that girl on your back, Zenos?”

“She’s a patient,” Zenos explained. “Lily, prep for treatment.”

“Okay!” Lily nodded and went about getting everything ready, her movements quick and efficient.

Zenos laid Gina down on a bed with fresh sheets and rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s get started. Gina, you good?”

Though they’d discussed the procedure on the way here, the girl didn’t respond, instead turning her anxious gaze to her sister.

Liz glanced at Zenos and then, with a reassuring tone, said to her little sister, “It’ll be okay, Gina. I trust Zenos.”

With a serene expression, Zenos gave Gina’s shoulder a light pat. “Well, anyone would be scared of suddenly having to go through surgery like this. We can do it another day, if you’re not ready.”

“No, it’s okay,” Gina said. “I trust you too, Zenos. You were super nice to me back at the orphanage.”

“Good girl. Now you’ll just nap for a little bit, and it’ll be over before you know it,” he told Gina with a smile as he gave her the sleeping medicine Becker had previously supplied him with. The girl fell asleep in moments. “Scalpel.”

A magical blade manifested in Zenos’s right hand, and he pressed the tip of it against the center of her chest. Carefully, he made a vertical incision, revealing a lump underneath—the tumor.

“Gina,” Liz said, lacing her fingers together in prayer.

Zenos meticulously shaved off the tumor while using healing magic on the healthy tissue and stopping the bleeding with protective magic. He quickly switched back and forth between those and the Scalpel spell, making steady progress. Next to him, Lily was efficiently preparing things like gauze and cleaning water as he worked.

“Wow...” Liz murmured in admiration, her hands still clasped.

Soft white lights twinkled and danced around the clinic, their glow gentle and warm. Despite the tense situation, Gina, enveloped in the faint lights, looked almost blessed. Time passed quickly, and finally, the procedure was complete.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zenos said, “It’s done, Liz.”

“Gina!” Liz exclaimed, hurrying over.

There wasn’t a single mark on the girl’s chest. She was still asleep, but her usually pained expression already seemed lighter.

“I think she’s good now, but just to be safe, let’s keep her here for today,” Zenos said.