As they were talking, patients accompanied by their families had already arrived at the clinic.
Wendy treated them one by one.
Everyone kept expressing gratitude and inquiring about the treatment fees.
Wendy said there were no additional charges since it was all included in the mission's reward.
The subsequent treatments took a bit more time, giving Lucy the chance to ask all her questions.
Rhode reminded her not to just grab the old doctor for answers but also to ask those who experienced it firsthand.
Those just cured by Wendy naturally spoke without reservation.
They also hoped to quickly solve the bee attacks so they could return to normal life.
When the village chief returned and saw them discussing the mission, he quickly said, "Actually, I led the way for those two previous mages, and I've seen the bees attack people firsthand."
Lucy hurriedly asked, "By the way, I didn't ask, what kind of mages were those two?"
The village chief thought for a moment and said, "One fought with flames, and the other summoned a giant bear by shouting 'Ursa... Ursa something...'"
"A giant bear?" Lucy thought for a moment, then asked, "Is it Ursa Mezhe?"
"Yes, yes, that's it! A bear as big as a house, swatted away two bees with one paw!"
Wendy asked curiously, "Miss Lucy, do you know that magic?"
"Yes, that person should be a Star Spirit Mage, using the Ursa Major Constellation's spirit, Ursa Mezhe. I've heard it's a strong spirit in both power and defense."
As a Star Spirit Mage, Lucy was quite familiar with the names of the 88 constellations.
Although she might not know the specific abilities and appearances, she had heard of some exceptional spirits.
If it's just basic information, she could even recite it fluently.
This was something she was better at than Rhode.
As someone who had studied Celestial Spirit Magic, Rhode could remember the constellation names and basic characteristics, but he was clearly not as familiar as Lucy.
Rhode asked, "So what happened next in the battle?"
The village chief said somewhat shamefully, "We were suddenly surrounded by more than twenty large bees. They worried about me getting hurt, so they protected me as we rushed out, killing more than a dozen on the way back to the village.
"Later, they went out again, but when they returned, a woman with very long legs carried them back."
Rhode looked at the village chief curiously, wondering why he focused on her legs.
Lucy pursued further, "A woman? Was she their companion?"
The old doctor said, "No, that strange woman disappeared soon after bringing them back. She said she was a Star Spirit and asked us to contact the Guild."
"Ah, I remember her," said someone who had just been detoxified, "That woman was so strange, white hair, black tight clothes, her legs were at least two-thirds of her body, and it seemed like she had knives for feet... or maybe steel spikes."
This description, a Steel Shadow? Rhode immediately thought of a hero in a game. But since it's a Star Spirit, it did seem to have a similar trait.
Lucy of course thought of it as well, guessing, "Maybe it's the Compass Constellation's spirit, Sehiness."
Wendy had a different focus, "Are those two mages severely injured?"
The old doctor replied, "Miss Phil, the one using fire, had lighter injuries. Mr. Dor, the one using stars... Star Spirits, was severely injured, not just poisoned but also with fractures and such."
Carla gave Lucy a sideways glance and said softly, "Being a Star Spirit Mage is really dangerous."
"Yikes—" Lucy was suddenly startled and forced a smile, "Thi-this has nothing to do with being a Star Spirit Mage, right? It must be Mr. Dor protecting Miss Phil..."
She tried to comfort herself but suddenly looked worriedly at Carla, "You didn't see something, did you?"
"Saw nothing..." Just as she finished saying this, Carla suddenly paused, a few images flashing through her mind.
However, she wasn't as panicked as before and calmly said, "Now I really saw something."
"What is it? What is it?"
"I saw you being chased by bees," Carla pointed at Rhode, continuing, "but he's laughing on the side."
Lucy looked at Rhode in anger and accusation, "Mr. Rhode! Save me, why don't you!"
Rhode helplessly said, "It's just a prophecy; it hasn't actually happened."
"But Carla's visions of the future are very accurate!"
Rhode casually said, "Then when that future comes, I'll persuade my future self."
Lucy pleaded pathetically, "Go persuade him now!"
"How am I supposed to do that…" Rhode complained, "Is your intelligence contagious from Natsu?"
Wendy intervened with a kind word, "Miss Lucy, Brother Rhode won't let anything happen to you."
Rhode nodded in agreement; indeed, he wouldn't let anything happen to Lucy—at most, just let her make a fool of herself.
After all the villagers were treated, the group left the village, heading for the town.
Wendy wanted to check on the two mages, and Rhode estimated that the people from the Four-headed Hound would arrive soon, so he needed to make contact.
As soon as they left the village, Lucy clung to Rhode's sleeve, looking around nervously.
Fearing the sleeve might tear, Rhode didn't pull away forcefully, only advising:
"Relax a bit. My two River Crabs circled the village three times and ran along both banks of the small river, and they only ever saw ordinary bees, none over a centimeter, let alone fist-sized or a foot long ones."
Lucy remained tense, "Maybe they're hiding somewhere?"
"This is also a sign of trust in you," Carla said, "If it were usual, she would have summoned the Horologium Constellation."
"Ah, right!" Lucy released Rhode's sleeve, and in less than a second, she pulled out a Silver Key, "Open, Gate of the Horologium, Hologram!"
An antique-style clock with hands and feet suddenly appeared, while Lucy had already curled up inside the pendulum case.
Lucy's mouth moved, but no sound came out; instead, the large clock spoke, sounding like a smooth-talking businessman:
"'This makes me feel much safer.' Beep, that's what she said."
Carla facepalmed, "She really summoned it."
"'Would Wendy and Carla like to come in, too? We can squeeze in a bit.' Beep, that's what she asked."
If the voice didn't mismatch, Rhode would have thought this speaking style was Sister Misaka's.
"No need, thank you, Miss Lucy." Wendy felt Lucy was overreacting a bit.
Still, considering Carla's prophecies were very accurate, maybe this reaction was understandable… or not.
"Is this the Horologium Constellation?" Rhode tapped on the clock's casing, finding it surprisingly sturdy, "Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Rhode, it's a pleasure to meet you."
This time, there was no strange suffix; it seemed like something he wanted to say himself.
Rhode looked at the clock's face, puzzled, "From what Carla just implied, Lucy often goes inside to block the pendulum... does that mean your time is still accurate?"