***
Life at the Academy's Meyer Clinic was generally peaceful.
There were times when the injured poured in like the tide from the Hero Department, but that was usually limited to days with sparring sessions.
Since sparring happened once every fifteen days and there were four grades,
as long as I was busy for 4 days out of 14, the remaining 10 days were relatively relaxed.
It was far better even compared to life in the Limbus Pit.
Back when I ran the clinic alone, I had to put on a one-man show covering everything from surgery to the outpatient clinic,
and after hiring healers for the clinic, the number of patients I saw in a day easily surpassed triple digits.
Even compared to those days when patients flowed in without rest, life at the Academy Infirmary was far too relaxed.
"Lord Saint. Didn't he see 50 people this morning alone?"
"But how is he perfectly fine?"
"The Teachers from the Limbus Pit said the number of patients there was twice as high as here, right?"
"That's why he is the Saint, isn't it?"
As expected of a world setting that modeled itself after the generosity of British Medicine, where treating just over 10 patients in the morning was grounds to put a strike on the agenda.
Among healers who made dying sounds if they saw more than 20 patients, I could be called a Saint just by doing half the work I did in the Limbus Pit.
It wasn't a bad misunderstanding for me at all.
'You can praise me more.'
It was an embarrassing misunderstanding, but I was a snobbish human being, so I didn't block the incoming interest.
In fact, I was the type who loved to take credit when people praised me.
Thus, I was enjoying the peace of the afternoon, using the whispers of the healers as white noise.
"Lord Saint. I think it's nice that there are fewer sick people lately."
Student Gwen, Ayla's pet loner(?), smiled brightly as she sipped the coffee I made her.
At those words, I quietly looked at Gwen and said,
"Student Gwen."
"Yes, Lord Saint?"
"By any chance, how long have you been working in the emergency ward?"
"It's been about two months!"
I spoke to the emergency room newbie who answered energetically.
"There is one taboo in the emergency ward."
"Pardon?!"
The female student's face immediately turned pale upon hearing the word taboo.
In a world where all sorts of unscientific miracles called magic existed, the weight of the word taboo was extraordinary.
Gwen swallowed hard.
"D-Did I perhaps say something wrong?"
"Yes."
I nodded and pointed at the entrance.
"Mentioning the number of patients in the emergency ward is a taboo."
People think saying there are few patients is the taboo.
But strictly speaking, that was wrong.
Because it was the emergency room's jinx that if you say there are a lot of patients, even more will come bursting in.
"Keep that in mind, Student Gwen."
I spoke as I watched the entrance open as soon as my words ended.
"If you mention the number of patients in the emergency ward, a critical patient will come in."
Along with those words, Erika and Freya walked through the entrance.
Just as I was about to worry why they were visiting the emergency ward again when there wasn't even a sparring session, I saw a person on a stretcher behind the two.
The male carried on the stretcher by soldiers in military uniform was groaning while clutching his right abdomen.
"Ugh......"
Before I could even ask for details about the male,
Jenny squeezed her way between the two and spoke to me.
"Reporting a patient. Male, estimated to be in his twenties. Was struck in the right upper quadrant by an axe handle during combat. It is blunt trauma with no penetrating wound from the axe blade."
"Student Jenny. Who is this patient?"
"A black sorcerer who was hiding in the Academy."
"......"
"Will you be able to...... treat him?"
***
Going back in time a little.
The Hero Sisters facing the black sorcerers in the underground columbarium.
Upon discovering the black sorcerers, they immediately entered combat.
"Unnie! There are three Rank 1s, and one Rank 0. Should we retreat?"
"No."
Freya, who quickly grasped the black sorcerers' combat power, spoke while breaking into a cold sweat.
However, Erika shook her head firmly.
"We can win."
It wasn't baseless confidence.
The most important things in a mage's battle were symbols, catalysts, and the environment.
Just like Erika's magic teacher, Captain Shen, who became more incompetent than anyone on rainy days.
Of course, mages who could overcome their environment did rarely exist.
But that wasn't even worth discussing before reaching the 3rd Rank.
At least up to Rank 2, they were not beings capable of ignoring their environment.
"I didn't rush in without thinking, Freya."
In that sense, all conditions could be considered advantageous to the Sisters.
The Curse of Pestilence, black magic's signature magic, had mostly been neutralized in this era.
Not only were there hardly any types that worked because of vaccines,
but even if they barely succeeded, most were countered because of Penicillin.
Eri had also entered after taking Penicillin in advance with this in mind.
Her countermeasures against the necromancy lineage and mind magic were also perfect.
"Why else do you think I brought Senior Jenny along?"
Old Testament style divine magic was exceedingly strong against black magic, excluding the plague lineage.
Spells that used denying and wicked things as symbols tended to be helpless against Old Testament style divine magic.
In particular, Old Testament Divine Priests, who made divinity a way of life, were no different from natural enemies to black sorcerers.
"Even if Senior Jenny is just breathing, suppressing black sorcerers will be pleasantly smooth beyond comparison, right?"
Saying so, Eri looked at Jenny with an expectant face.
At her junior's sparkling eyes, Jenny awkwardly scratched her cheek and said,
"Uh...... I think I know what you expect of me, Junior, but I've been living a life far from integrity lately......"
"Excuse me? Senior?"
"Ah, don't worry. I can just force out my divine power."
Lacking symbols didn't mean one couldn't use divine magic.
It just meant the consumption rate would be much higher.
In other words, it meant that as long as you had overwhelming divine power, it would somehow work out.
"Instead, since a protracted battle is difficult like you're thinking, please finish it quickly."
"If that's all, it's fine, Senior."
Eri adjusted her grip on her hand axe and glared at the black sorcerers.
"Because five minutes is enough to bang this out."
"Bang? Bang what suddenly?"
"Unnie. Please watch your word choice......"
Before Freya could say anything else.
Erika immediately charged toward the black sorcerers.
This was to induce a chaotic melee in a confined space, which was Eri's specialty.
"Block her, mutt!"
"Tsk."
The Wolf Beastkin with a bear's arm immediately stepped forward at Belgian's command.
As he released the Chimera Tattoo engraved on his left arm, the flesh of his arms and legs squirmed.
'Red hair and red eyes. Right. So this is the Red Demon hunting down my brethren.'
The Wolf Beastkin Baltazan recalled the information about Erika.
A hero known for exclusively hunting down the Chimera Faction among the black sorcerers trapped in the Academy.
Baltazan had also firmly ingrained her combat style into his mind.
Her main weapons were a hand axe and a dagger.
He heard she was the type who utilized nimble movements and explosive speed rather than fighting head-on like a knight or swordsman.
'Fighting a hero wasn't in the plans, but......'
The Wolf Beastkin Baltazan was a Chimera Sorcerer.
And the strategy of Chimera Sorcerers was simple.
Rock-paper-scissors.
If the opponent played scissors, one would transform into a chimera corresponding to a rock.
'I should go with skin that an axe blade won't easily cut.'
As a Rank 1, Baltazan could choose from three types of chimeras.
It was quite a lot for a Rank 1, and it was at least enough to establish a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Shortly after, right before Eri's axe dug into his flesh, he altered his body into clay-like skin.
It was the skin of a Mud Slime that lived in the swamp.
Against sharp cold weapons, he could expect a near-invincible effect......
Bang—
"Huh?"
Baltazan's thoughts couldn't continue.
Because at the same time a gunshot rang out from his waist, he felt a warm sensation in his side.
It wasn't a normal round of ammunition either.
That terrible ammunition that had crippled Belgian, who was a Rank 2.
That ammunition was tearing through Baltazan's internal organs.
"Uh...... Why something like this......, on me......?"
Eri didn't answer and bypassed Baltazan, burrowing into the center of the black sorcerers.
First, a kick infused with fighting aura to the face of the Dark-circled Black Sorcerer, who was flustered after his Plague Curse misfired.
"Keugh......!"
A strike from the axe to the shoulder of the Female Black Sorcerer who tried to interfere with Erika's blood.
"Kyahhh!!!"
Finally, towards the black sorcerer who was striking a pose at the very back......
"Hiiik! Don't shoot! I will surrender! I'll surrender!"
"......?"
"Just not that bullet! Please, anything but that bullet!"
There was a single black sorcerer practically having a flare-up and foaming at the mouth.
It was none other than Belgian.
At that reaction, Erika tilted her head and aimed the gun muzzle at Belgian.
"Hiiik!"
Belgian's face turned pale as he fled from the gun muzzle.
Erika got the impression that his appearance was like a cockroach fleeing from a person.
Meanwhile, Belgian's eyes widened when he saw Erika's face.
"You...... don't tell me......?"
"Do you know me?"
"Of course I do! I'll apologize! For everything, including what happened that day!"
With the gun muzzle aimed at him by Erika, Belgian lay flat on the floor and pleaded.
"It was my fault! So please!"
If it had been any other hero cadets, he would have at least thought about resisting.
But not against Erika.
That day, the day that brought his downfall when he was called a genius black sorcerer.
It was exactly the same as that day.
That silver bullet embedded in his leg, the one that made him a cripple.
Holding that silver bullet, appearing before his eyes having grown far more than that day, Erika was a living nightmare itself for Belgian.
'There's no way I can escape!'
Plague Curse?
Because of the vaccine, it would misfire and waste magical power just like that day.
Summoning ghouls was useless.
Looking at that hand axe, it was obvious she would easily eliminate the undead Belgian controlled.
Above all, the energy felt from Erika.
At that energy, identical to what he felt from the Blood Mage Elder, Belgian's instincts were whispering to surrender.
"I'll also apologize for all the verbal abuse I directed at you in the past, wench!"
"Wench?"
Click.
At the sound of the revolver cylinder turning, Belgian bowed his head even lower and shouted.
"I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you command! So please, have mercy!!"
Belgian pleaded with the vigor of someone trying to dig into the ground.
Freya, who was watching this scene, tilted her head and whispered to Eri.
"Is it someone you know?"
"No, I don't."
"Then why is he acting like this?"
"Who knows? Let's just say it's a good thing since we don't have to fight."
Regrettably, the name Belgian did not exist in Erika's memory.
To be precise, she felt she could recall it if she tried, but it was just too bothersome to do so.
It might have been the effect of using a whole lot of fighting aura when she charged in just now.
She was in the middle of accepting Belgian's surrender like that.
"Excuse me...... Junior Erika."
Jenny spoke up carefully.
"By any chance, are you planning to kill the black sorcerers?"
"No. To be precise, I don't really care...... but why do you ask?"
At Erika's counter-question, Jenny pointed at the Wolf Beastkin collapsed on the floor and said,
"......Could we perhaps move that person to the infirmary?"
"Pardon? Why? He's a black sorcerer, though?"
"But......"
Jenny continued speaking with her head bowed low.
"But...... even if he's a criminal, as long as I can save him, I want to save him."
"......"
"I know it must be hard for you to understand me being like this. But it's not simple pity......"
"I think I know what you mean."
"Yes?"
Erika stared at Jenny for a while.
It was surely no coincidence that, for a brief moment, she saw the crow mask overlapping with her figure.
The Limbus Pit was overflowing with irredeemable trash.
Even so, Director Schun did not reject the patients who came to him.
Erika still could not understand the logic behind that,
but the fact that his deeds had saved countless people remained unchanged.
That's why Erika let out a deep sigh and said,
"If that is the priest's conviction, it can't be helped."
Tap, tap.
She muttered while tapping the collapsed Wolf Beastkin.
"I also don't have a hobby of finishing off opponents who have already been neutralized."
Saying so, Erika immediately spoke to Freya.
"Could you go get some people nearby, Freya? Let's move the patient quickly."
*
"......And that's how it happened."
Hearing Jenny's explanation, I nodded.
To summarize, it was a request to treat the black sorcerer that Erika had put a hole through the side of, for the sake of earning allowance and credits.
"By any chance...... is it not allowed?"
Jenny looked up at me with an anxious gaze.
Suppressing a chuckle that threatened to leak out, I answered without hesitation.
"If they've come through the infirmary's entrance, from that moment on, they are a patient. Have you ever seen me pick and choose my patients, Student Jenny?"
Jenny's complexion noticeably brightened.
I immediately sent the gunshot patient to the operating room and said,
"Rather, that is a good mindset, Student Jenny. Please make sure not to forget that mindset in the future."
"Thank...... you, Lord Saint."
Turning my back on Jenny, who awkwardly accepted the praise,
I headed towards the operating room with Ayla.