Healing Magic

When I woke up in the tree, I undid the rope I’d used to tie myself in place. My whole body felt wrecked. I was drained from fatigue, sore all over from muscle pain, and my broken shoulder throbbed like hell.

Thanks to the medicinal ointment, the inflammation was somewhat suppressed, but my shoulder had turned a nasty black-purple color. Every time the broken bone brushed a nerve, a sharp bolt of pain shot through me.

It’s a miracle I managed to sleep at all with all this pain. I must have been really exhausted.

Forcing my screaming body to move, I climbed down from the tree and took up the weapons. The heavy weight immediately made me feel like I didn’t want to move anymore.

I didn’t want to take a single step. I just wanted to sleep in a soft, comfy bed. My weak side kept whispering these things to me.

But no, this weight is the weight of gold! If I make it back, I’ll be rich! I forced my mind to be more positive and managed to somehow start walking.

Over and over, the urge to drop my luggage and rest hit me hard. Even so, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I knew if I rested even once, I wouldn’t be able to keep going again.

Besides, I really needed to get my shoulder looked at. Also, I needed to get to the clinic and get my shoulder treated. I looked at my shoulder, still dark purple. The thought of potential long-term damage worried me. I had to get to Ms. Cleiarne’s clinic as soon as possible.

Fighting the urge to collapse, I used my skills in Concealment and Perception to avoid monsters. Cautiously, but quickly, I made my way toward the town.

This time, I had come close to dying more than once. Perhaps because of that, my survival instincts were on overdrive, and that kind of urge was making itself known.

I had always feared diseases, and the face of Village Girl would occasionally pop into my mind, but I had never relied on the services of a prostitute.

However, once I returned to the town, I’d be rich! I’d hit up a fancy brothel and have a blast! In every era, what moves people is the power of sex!

Somehow, I managed to make my way through the forest and arrived at the main road leading into the town. Passersby glanced over at me and whispered to each other.

I did stand out. A beaten-up guy, walking with a large pile of weapons wrapped in leather armor. It was impossible not to stand out.

As usual, I tried to go through the gate, but the guard stopped me.

“What are all those weapons?”

“They’re the weapons of my dead comrades.”

“All of these? You aren’t a merchant trying to evade taxes, are you?”

“If I were a merchant, I’d head straight for the slums’ pawnbroker. Want to follow me?”

When I said this, the guard faltered. He frowned, then gestured with his chin for me to go through.

To be honest, I was a bit irritated, but there was no point in getting into a fight with the guard. I’d have to bribe him with some alcohol and money later to smooth things over.

It was an unnecessary expense, but right now, I was rich! I kept telling myself it was just a small amount of money and suppressed my anger. If I hadn’t mentioned the slums, they might’ve confiscated everything right then and there.

Corrupt cops weren’t that rare in Japan, but in this world, it seemed like they were the only kind of guard you’d find. I’d never seen a decent one.

It was partly because I was an adventurer that the guards treated me so badly.

They told me to show proof of my quest, so I pulled out the wooden tag that proved I had taken a quest. That’s when I realized something. I hadn’t gathered the herbs for the herb collection quest!

I could pay the penalty fee, but somehow, I felt like I’d lost. The deadline for the quest hadn’t passed, so I could still try to gather the herbs if my injuries allowed.

Even now that I was rich, I couldn’t shake the habits of a commoner. Life would be easier if I could live like the other adventurers and say, “I don’t keep money past the night!” But I guess that’s not the case for me.

I thought about this as I made my way to the slums’ pawnbroker. It was a bit scary to head into the slums while injured, but there was no way I could walk through the town with this pile of weapons.

Fortunately, there were several pawnbrokers in the area, and one was near the gate.

I sold the weapons at the pawnbroker and waited nervously for the appraisal. When the appraisal was finished, I was handed a hefty leather pouch.

Usually, I’d just be handed gold, but this seemed like a special service for a big customer.

When I opened the pouch, the gleaming gold and silver coins shone brightly, dazzling my eyes. A treasure chest full of gold and silver coins! Wait, something’s off.

I had the money in hand, and I was on a high. Even though I knew what was happening, I couldn’t suppress my emotions.

I was in the kind of “high” state you’d call being on top of the world.

With that strange energy, I left the pawnbroker. Everyone I passed by looked like a thief to me. I felt a sense of fear and quickly left the slums.

When you get a lot of money, everyone looks like a thief. It’s a common trope, but in Rock Cliff, it wasn’t a joke.

No one was just a thief, instead most of them were outright robbers, and it made things even worse.

It wasn’t just my paranoia; it was actually true. With the money in hand and feeling restless, I made my way to the clinic.

Entering the clinic, I told the receptionist that I was here to get my broken bones treated. She gave me a strained smile and told me to sit in a chair and wait.

I must have looked pretty rough. My clothes were torn and stained with blood. No wonder her face stiffened.

Adventurers are often filthy. They spend nights outside the town, so they don’t care much about their appearance.

As a modern person, I frequently bathe to avoid smelling like a walking meal for monsters.

Although I was Asian, I’d never been stared at like this before. I guess adventurers are used to that kind of gaze. Those guys must have strong mental fortitude.

Once I got treated, I just wanted to clean myself up. Actually, I wanted a bath. Firewood was expensive, so even nobles couldn’t take baths that often.

Even though I was rich now, a bath still felt like a luxury. I wanted to level up and increase my adventurer rank so I could earn enough to take a bath whenever I wanted.

By the way, the villagers are allowed to gather firewood from the forest for their homes, but if they try to take wood to use for a bath, it’s punishable.

If anyone who isn’t a member of the lumberjack guild takes wood, they’ll have their property seized and become slaves.

Before that, though, the enraged lumberjacks will probably chop them up with axes…

In this world, every profession has its guild, and they’re fiercely protecting their interests, colluding to maintain their monopolies.

I can’t use modern knowledge to bring about an industrial revolution or develop convenient gadgets to become a millionaire.

The ruling class in this world doesn’t want change.

The humans have claimed fertile land with stable climates all to themselves. They’re already well-off. All that’s left is to hold on to their power.

Let’s say I introduce a convenient new gadget, and the guild’s craftsmen end up losing their jobs because of it. By the next day, my body will probably be turned into meat and sold in the slums.

Nobles fight for power, but the influential figures in the guilds don’t like conflict or change. They want to keep sipping on their sweet deal, little by little, forever.

The guilds have a firm grip on their rights and privileges. Even if you do present something new, you’d end up having your ideas stolen, and then you’d be killed to ensure your silence.

I think a lot of people who read light novels have researched how to make saltpeter, the mix for gunpowder, pump structures, how to make soap, useful foods, fermented foods, efficient methods of extracting salt from the sea, and even the structure of guns, all in preparation for being sent to another world.

Well, preparing to be sent to another world is a joke, but every time I see that kind of thing in reincarnation stories, I end up searching it up on the internet.

It’s a feeling, but I think I’m well-versed in that kind of knowledge.

I too know the typical knowledge that’s called a “light novel trope.” However, even if I made something, I’d soon be killed after getting tangled up in guild politics.

If I invented something revolutionary, the Woodworking Guild or the Blacksmiths’ Guild would just steal my knowledge, and I’d end up in the slums, turned into meat stew.

I can picture it: I’m the ultimate “I’m super strong” protagonist, or I save a noble’s carriage from being attacked on the way to the first town and make powerful connections. And the noble is actually a good person.

In any case, unless it’s a scenario like that, modern knowledge is absolutely useless here. If you try to make your life easier using it, the moment someone notices and gossip starts, it’s over.

The only thing that might work is cooking, but frying food requires expensive oil, mayonnaise is hard to make because eggs are precious, and I can’t think of a way to safely handle raw eggs.

Mayonnaise is acidic, and it’s said that salmonella and other bacteria don’t grow in it, but that’s only because it’s produced in an environment where bacteria are minimal or non-existent.

If it’s already contaminated from the start, even if bacteria don’t grow, it’s still dangerous.

I could increase the vinegar to make it more acidic, but if it tastes bad, it won’t be worth it.

For someone like me, a muscle-headed fool, trying to make money with modern knowledge is way too high of a hurdle. I’ll have to level up, rank up as an adventurer, and make money the old-fashioned way.

I’ll invest the gold I earned today and get stronger.

While solidifying that resolve, I was sitting in a chair at the clinic, psyching myself up. Apparently, I was acting so suspicious that the guards nearly got called.

As soon as I entered the examination room, Ms. Cleiarne scolded me.

Looking dirty, constantly changing my expressions, clenching my fists and making faces like I was making decisions… My behavior was so strange that other customers were frightened. She told me to stop.

If Ms. Cleiarne hadn’t said she knew me and that it was fine, I might’ve been handed over to the guards by now.

She warned me that if I did it again, I’d be banned from entering. I apologized while almost in tears. The effect of the high I got from acquiring a large amount of money was still lingering.

It’s the scariest thing when you’re unaware of how you’re acting.

My body was a wreck, and waiting around was painful. I got caught up in some escapist thinking and just let my mind wander for a bit, but to be treated like a suspicious person… life as an adventurer really is bottom-tier.

I put the blame on my profession in my mind as I ignored my own suspicious behavior.

While I was lost in thought, Ms. Cleiarne treated my head injury and small cuts.

Healing the broken bones would take time. She said I should use medicinal herbs to reduce the inflammation and align the bones, but I should get treatment at the church to heal properly.

They required a hefty donation, but they’d use healing magic to treat me. It was the usual church healing magic.

Fortunately, I’d become a little bit of a rich man. I could probably afford the treatment, but I didn’t want to get involved with the church. I must have shown my displeasure on my face, because Ms. Cleiarne explained:

“The churches in small kingdoms and frontier regions are better, so don’t worry.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The priests sent to small kingdoms and frontier areas are usually either people who lost power in internal church struggles or those who are too obsessed with living a life of poverty, making them unpopular with others.

Those who lost in power struggles are only capable of petty crimes. Those who live too strictly by the rules are devout but often considered fanatics, though they are generally good people.

In places where the church has strong influence, even nobles hesitate to get involved. Those places are said to be completely corrupt.

Compared to that, the church in the small kingdoms is much better.

If you pay them and don’t talk back, you’ll be fine. That’s why the church in the small kingdoms is considered a safe place.

I thought, No, I definitely can’t trust that. The darkness of the church is too deep. It’s not just black, that thick and sticky blackness is just like tar.

I decided that I wouldn’t go against the church and asked Ms. Cleiarne to align my bones. She said it was impossible for now because of the swelling.

She told me that there was a more expensive but stronger medicine that would reduce the swelling, and then I could get the bones aligned tomorrow. After that, I could get healing magic at the church to make sure the bones healed correctly.

She also said I would need to get healing magic twice, so I asked why.

According to the church, healing magic uses a lot of mana to treat broken bones. If they heal it all at once, they won’t be able to treat others, so it’s done in two stages.

Ms. Cleiarne said she just wanted the money for the two treatments, but she laughed as she said it.

When I asked, “What if the bones heal incorrectly?” She grinned and said, “I’m really good at breaking bones cleanly.”

I hope the bones heal properly.