"You have a fever, it will pass once you take the medicine Lady Leana has given you."
Levi said as he looked at the child laying on the bed in front of him. The child was wrapped in several blankets, and had a runny nose. He kept sniffing.
"Thank you for helping me around, Levi. But... what is a fever?"
Leana spoke up as she observed Levi deduce the child's condition in just a few moments. But the words he used to describe the child's condition were not familiar at all.
"A fever is a temporary rise in body temperature. When your immune system responds to disease, your body can set its temperature higher. It generally goes away in a few days."
It was not a complex thing to know, however Leana was still surprised. She had not taken him seriously when he said that he was knowledgeable about the art of healing.
Which... he fully wasn't. It seemed he only knew about the theories and the causes. He could not prepare herbs or medicine.
Well, back in their world they don't prepare medicine in ancient ways anymore. Naturally, she did not know that.
"Fever huh? We do not have a term for this kind of condition, it is simply classified as non-dangerous."
Both of them left the house that they had been called to, Levi making way for her to exit first.
He could tell that she was wary of him. Levi had went around and asked people about Fae's in a round-a-bout way. Most of them found the whole race sinister. So he could not blame her.
Levi had also offered to work alongside her to keep an eye on her. Checking if she would spill his secret to anyone.
"I will not be able to pay you much, the healing house does not make a lot of coins." Leana said as they walked down the snow cleared cobblestone road.
"That is alright. The leader spared us some money."
"Is that so? I am happy to hear that. Thank you for staying here to help us, we were lucky to have three sparks joining us."
"Sparks?"
"Oh... I forgot that you come from a secluded village. The terms you use must not be the same with ours." She offered a small smile. "A spark is a title given to people who have reached ladder one or two."
"You treat sparks as if they are a big deal."
"Well, they are, aren't they? Unfortunately, a small village like us does not have many ascenders. Even our leader is only a ladder three, a kindler."
Levi frowned at her response. How were they going to fight a horde of beasts if they only had a handful of ascenders? And an ascender? That was most likely what they called them.
"Are you an ascender?" Levi asked out of curiosity.
"You are a curious young man, aren't you?" Leana gave him a light chuckle. Levi was certainly not young... he was mentally twenty six years old. "Well, I am a ladder two, final stage, if you must know."
His head snapped towards her almost immediately, not bothering to show off his surprise. Leana was almost a third ladder! The same rank as the leader.
"Before you think I am capable of fighting, no. I am not able to participate in prolonged fights."
Hearing this, his surprise died down almost immediately. "What can you do then?"
"My abilities allow me to analyze bodily conditions and instinctively know how to cure these conditions."
'So there is not healing magic in this world like in some novels I had read? Or perhaps it is rare?'
"I see. Good enough for your career."
As they passed near a house, Levi looked at his reflection on the window for a split second. He now had a slash scar on the left side of his face. Starting from the top of his eyebrow, ending near the side of jaw. The ear was not damaged fortunately.
Additionally he had bought himself new clothes!
His coat draped over his body, its color was dark, and it was made from thick leather like material. It had fur on its collar, protecting his neck from the cold.
Under the coat, he had bought himself something that looked like a traditional robe back from his world.
The robe was black and unadorned, made from a sturdy fabric that held its shape well. Its crossed collar and wide sleeves followed the traditional cut, simple yet dignified. The wide sleeves and trousers would not hinder his mobility.
"Levi!!"
Hearing his name, he immediately looked around to find the source. But there was no one familiar around them and even Leana seemed confused.
However, once he looked up at a house's rooftop, he saw Mattie waving at him with a bright smile on her face. She had a shovel in her hand, which suggested that she was getting off snow from the rooftops.
"I swear, you take the most random jobs..." He muttered.
With her personality, she had gotten popular in no time. She was constantly on the work, taking the most random jobs to help anyone in need. The villager treated the newcomer with warmth and familiarity. It was as if a goddess had descended upon them, granting them the happiness and hope they desperately searched for.
The trio's arrival had put the village in high spirits. Levi did not like this one bit, after all they had not seen the extent of the horde that usually attacked them. Since the village was still standing, it must have been not that strong, but that was considering the fact that the king usually did not descend upon the village.
"You are thinking of something bad aren't you?"
Levi had fell in thought so deeply that he did not even sense her jumping down the rooftop.
"Was it that obvious?" Levi crossed his arms. "When did you get so perspective?"
"Oh, I just guessed. You never think of anything good anyways..."
Leana let out a quiet chuckle next to them, making Levi narrow his eyes.
"Little shi.." He cleared his tone before speaking up once again, not giving Mattie a chance to speak about his foul language. "Where is Saranda?"
"She is in training."
It seemed that Saranda was working hard while Mattie and Levi were slacking off. The leader of this village also could manipulate water, so he had decided to train Saranda for the time being.
***
Back at the healing house.
Levi helped the red haired girl around, cleaning the empty clinic. Her name turned out to be Red, which both suited her hair and her personality. Levi had never met someone so full of attitude.
"Are you thinking ill about me???"
Levi shivered for a second.
'What the hell..?'
"I wouldn't spend my energy thinking about you, don't flatter yourself." He played it off with his usual sarcasm.
Which... she seethed in anger, he wouldn't be surprised if he saw steam coming out of her head.
"Why are you here at this hour anyways? It is almost midnight." Levi put the broom away and opened the door. "Come, I will walk you home."
"Eh? Who asked you to walk me home?"
She waited for his answer, but none came. Having been successfully rage baited, she stomped out of the clinic with Levi falling into step beside her.
It was lightly snowing tonight, but it was a pleasant one rather than a freezing blizzard.
They did not talk during the walk down to her house. The house was situated in the corners of the village, in a rather unsafe place. The house itself also seemed run down, light flickering outside from its windows.
He did not realize that his steps had slowed down, only coming to his senses when he saw Red walking in front of him. Somehow, he felt nauseous.
Red knocked on the door, and it was followed by hurried steps towards the door.
"You are finally home!" The door swung open, revealing a withered man with an ugly face. His tone was aggressive. "You wench! Do you realize what hour it is?"
The normally aggressive girl, seemed quiet in front of the man that was probably her father.
Once the man sensed Levi's presence behind her, he squinted his eyes. Then a smile appeared on his face, recognizing him as one of the three kids that had been staying in their village.
"You are one of the sparks that has come to help us, right? I must admit, I never expected you to be this young." He suddenly grabbed Red's hair and yanked her towards the house, throwing her to the floor of the house, the poor child curled up in the ground, shielding herself as if expecting more to come. "I am sorry that this wench burdened-"
A murderous presence washed over him, making him cover in fear and lose his voice. In the next second, a fish landed right into his face, sending him crashing into the run down walls of his house.
The old fart's face had caved in slightly, blood oozing out of his nose. He was knocked unconscious, Levi would have preferred it if he was dead, but he did not want to kill someone in front of a child.
Looking at his bloodied knuckle, a thought entered his mind.
When did he become so indifferent to killing?
He sighed and pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Right now, dwelling on these problems would not do him any good.
Looking at Red, he saw the surprise in her eyes as she looked at him.
"What... what did you just do..?"
Levi tilted his head in response.
"He is not dead, is he?"
"No, you fool! Meddling with other people's family affairs is a sin!"
He stared at Red for a few seconds, then his frown suddenly morphed into a smile. Levi proceeded to genuinely let out a laugh for the first time in a few weeks.
"As if I care, get up, we are leaving." He held out a hand at the astonished looking girl, she hesitated for a few second before taking his hand and lifting herself up. They left the house and made their way back towards the clinic.
***
Leana was inside the clinic, walking towards the door that had a warning label on it. It was to keep outsiders from entering.
She entered the room with unhurried steps, and locked the door behind her.
The room was dim, lit only by a single lantern set high on the wall. Its flame flickered in a strange rhythm, throwing long shadows across the wooden floorboards.
Weapons lined the room.
They rested neatly on wooden racks: short blades polished to a shine, folded metal fans with sharpened edges, throwing knives wrapped in dark cloth. All of them were arranged with meticulous care, cleaned recently but clearly used often.
Several chests sat along the far wall, their lids cracked open just enough to reveal bundles of dried herbs, crushed powders, and small glass vials containing liquids of muted colors. None of these looked like common medical supplies.
There were no windows, however it felt like wind was always blowing into it, and the temperature was chilly.
There was a desk was situated in the middle of the room. The most eye catching things were on top of it.
Two demon masks. One of them was not eye catching, it was a plain demonic mask with no stains on it.
However the other, the other demon mask was shattered. It looked as if something had thrusted into it. There were dried blood stains all over it.
Leana caressed both of the masks with gentle movements, treating them as if they were something precious.
"Your sacrifices will not be forgotten."