EPISODE 6

<Veterinarian Druid Episode 6>

Starting the day with a breath of fresh air and hopeful expectations… or so I thought.

Right in front of me, there are red and blue creatures sitting by the window, chattering away.

[Hey, you! Did I not ask that I wanted cherries yesterday?]

Chirp!

The guy who has his head buried in a plate turned to look at me sharply and said.

Oh well, no point in arguing. I’ll just lose if I wrestle with him.

Since I was planning to go out anyway, I answered obediently.

-Alright. I‘ll go to the market and buy some for you.

[Yeah, you should have said so earlier. Go to the Solbrain Market, they have delicious fruit there.]

[I prefer oranges. Hehe.]

Bella spoke cautiously and bashfully smiled. How nice it would be if that guy were as cute as this one.

-Sure.

* * *

Solbrain Market was overflowing with fruits from the entrance.

“So this is why Tinger was talking about fruits.”

Even I, who was unfamiliar with fruit, could tell that they looked incredibly fresh and delicious.

Passing by such a fruit stand, I walked into the market.

If Tinger saw me like this, he would go wild asking where I’m going without buying cherries. But I have a different purpose right now.

“Where is Deli Restaurant…Ah, there it is.”

Deli Restaurant looked shabby but quite spacious. It was packed with customers to the point where finding an empty seat seemed difficult.

“In a bustling place like this, anyone can come and go comfortably.”

After wandering around for a while, I finally found an empty table in a corner and sat down.

A while later, a waiter approached and handed me a menu.

“Are you ready to order?”

“I came to meet the owner.”

The waiter’s expression froze for a moment.

“...Do you have anything else to say?”

“I am a lion soaring in the sky.”

To think that the password to meet the informant would be something like this. I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

“Please follow me.”

The waiter led me outside the restaurant. After wandering through various alleys, we finally entered a shabby-looking establishment.

It’s where that guy is.

“Welcome, Master Ulysses.”

The person who recognized me was Legasi, the leader of the Wind Information Guild, known to have all the information circulating around the Empire.

I found out about him from the diary I found in the drawer which has quite a lot of useful information.

I spoke to him who was looking at me with an interested gaze.

“I want to know about the Ulysses family and those involved in their power struggles.”

"You want me to identify those with grudges."

"It’s not just that."

"You want to distinguish friend from foe."

"That's right."

"In that case, the task might get a bit bigger."

He was asking for a considerable amount of compensation. I placed a pouch on the table.

Regasida grabbed the pouch in satisfaction.

“I will contact you soon.”

“I will give you much more if you bring satisfactory results as soon as possible.”

“Well, I guess I have to squeeze every last bit of information then.”

Indeed, money seems to be the only thing that moves people.

With nothing else to do, I left.

“Sigh, now let’s go to the bookstore. Oh, before that.”

Before I forgot, I went to the fruit shop and bought what they wanted before heading to the bookstore.

As I walked towards the bookstore, I unfolded the piece of paper.

It was a list that Healer Dan had given me, saying it was a must-read before going to the Healing Tower.

"It was a good idea to leave Seigan behind, but it's inconvenient to carry all these books."

Seigan was probably stomping his feet by now. Since I snuck out without him noticing.

But I couldn't take him with me to meet the informant.

Fortunately, there was also a book delivery service here.

After requesting the book delivery, it was time to leave the bookstore.

[Hinggg, ing]

"Hmm? What was that?"

I looked around, but there was nothing particularly noticeable.

"That's strange. It sounded like a dog in distress."

Did I mishear? I wondered as I continued walking.

[Apoo....]

Wait, that sound…

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

"There's an alley over there. Let's go check it out."

I spotted a lump of white inside the alley.

It might be a professional habit, but I always want to make sure when I see something like this.

“Just as I suspected.”

There, a small white Maltese dog was lying weakly on the ground.

"Oh no."

Luckily, it was still breathing.

But its gums were pale, and its heartbeat was weak. If I left it like this, it might die.

I picked up the little pup and went back into the bookstore.

“Oh my, what did you forget, young master?”

“It’s not something I forgot? Do you know this dog?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen this one before. Just a moment.”

The bookstore owner went outside and brought back nearby shop owners, who seemed just as clueless as the bookstore owner.

“I guess we have no choice. For now, I’ll take it with me, owner.”

“Alright.”

“If the owner of this dog shows up, tell them I have it.”

“...You’re taking it with you?”

"Well, I have to. Leaving it here would be risky. Unless you want to take care of it?”

"Oh, it's not like that."

Leaving the daze bookstore owner behind, I called a carriage on the street and headed back to the mansion.

Sure enough, Seigan came running like a madman.

“Master, where did you go? I’ve been looking for you everywhere…huh? What’s that?”

"It was lying in front of the bookstore."

"And you brought it with you?"

“Would you leave a sickly creature on the street for a day or two?”

"Well, no, but..."

Is this guy worried about me or the dog?

I should let him catch me one of these days and let him give me a good scolding.

I brought the injured dog into my room and laid it on a cushion. I carefully examined it to see if it had any injuries or wounds.

There were no clear signs of trauma.

-Where does it hurt?

[......]

The exhausted dog showed no reaction.

First, let’s restore its energy.

I moistened its lips with water nearby.

"It would be good if you could swallow."

If that's the case, I can feed it something.

Luckily, it seemed to have an appetite. So...

I added some honey water, little by little, being careful not to let it go down the wrong pipe.

Gulp.

It drank the honey water this time too.

There was a glimmer of hope.

"It seems like it might have low blood sugar."

It was frustrating not having any medical equipment. How do the doctors diagnose here?

Then, suddenly, golden letters appeared in the air.

[You extended a helping to a dying animal.]

[You have fulfilled Druid’s Virtue of Compassion]

[Hidden Quest Completed: Mana Awakening]

[Reward: Mana Accumulation]

[You have awakened your mana. By accumulating mana, you can treat patients. As your mana level increases, you can learn more advanced mana healing techniques.]

MANA LEVEL: 1

Mana Accumulation:  1/∞

* * *

Fortunately, the white dog opened its eyes the next day.

It still seemed weak, but it didn't look as if it would die soon like last night.

It got up, blinked for a while, and then went to the plate to lick the food.

"Thank goodness."

With that level of appetite, it will survive.

While I was watching the white dog eat, a message appeared in the air.

[You treated Silverpaw and gained 1 experience.]

Endurance: 9/50

Hmm, they call dogs Silverpaw here. But all I did was give it honey water and food. Can that be considered treatment?

Since it gave experience, it seems like it might be.

Well, I did treat its low blood sugar, so that could count as a treatment too.

‘Why don’t I ask what happened?’

-What's your name?

[Bark!]

The white dog jumped in surprise and quickly scurried away into a corner.

[What should I do…]

The dog looked at me with startled eyes and mumbled.

Ah, that's why it ran away when I walked. That means it understood what I said.

-Where is your home?

The dog hesitated for a moment, then opened its mouth.

[Druni, hello. I am Ilaila.]

The white dog, Ilaila, greeted me with a deep bow.

The word Druni, it couldn’t possibly mean druid, right?

It’s really different from the ones I know. So adorable.

While looking at Ilaila with a pleased expression, a knocking sound came from the window.

They have arrived.

[Seeing as you kept your promise from yesterday, I guess you don’t have dementia.]

As expected, those words came out of Tinger’s mouth.

[Wow, it’s an orange. I really wanted to eat one.]

Bella speaks so nicely just as she looks. How nice would it be if Tinger could speak like Bella?

Bella is so cute. I smiled and turned my gaze to the window.

Tinger, who was nibbling on a cherry, met my eyes.

[Don’t stare…huh? Why are you here, Ilaila?]

[Druni is nice!]

Illailla looked at me and wagged its tail.

[Did he bring you here?]

Tinger asked Illiala.

[Yes!]

By the way, they seem to know each other?

[You left the house again?]

[Heh... because the butterfly is pretty...]

[Ilaila, you've been chasing butterflies again?]

Bella said with concern. Then Tinger, who was next to her, added with a click of his tongue.

[Anyway, no matter how focused you are with butterflies, you still need to eat, right? Your owner must be really worried.]

[I'll be back.]

After Bella said something incomprehensible, she flew away swiftly.

Since then, the conversation between Tinger and Ilaila continued.

Tinger was undoubtedly a troublemaker.

He was pushing Ilaila around just like what he did to me.

After a while of exchanging words, Ilaila turned her head towards me.

[Thank you, Druni!]

-Well, I didn't really do much.

That's when it happened.

Flashing golden letters appeared in the air.

[Silverpaw is grateful to you]

…[The condition has not been met]

[There are currently no skills available to unlock]

Condition? Is this a game? At this rate, they might even introduce random draws.

Hoo, I’m not even surprised by this anymore.

[Tsk, you’re lucky aren’t you?]

Tinger grumbled.

-That’s right, Tinger. I had a question I wanted to ask, is mana what those wizards…

Instead of answering, Tinger flapped his wings nervously and pecked at his plate.

What an impolite fellow.

Since it's come to this, I have no choice but to look up in the books.

"Among the books I bought yesterday, there was one called 'The First Steps of Mana.'"

I went to the adjacent room that serves as a study and brought back the book but Seigan was coming towards me with a thoughtful expression.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"We have a guest."

"A guest? Is it the healer, Dan?"

"No, it's someone I never met before. She said she’s Ilaila’s owner?"

"She?"

When I turned my head, Illaila bowed deeply and murmured.

[Krk,krknirada…….] (NOTE: INAUDIBLE. AND I GUESS JUST THE SOUND OF A DOG'S WHIMPER)

From what she’s doing, it seems like she really is Ilaila’s owner.

Judging by her actions, she seems to be the owner.

"Bring her in."

"Yes."

After a while, Seigan brought the guest, a girl with green hair and red eyes who seemed to be in her late teens. Well, at this point, nothing surprises me anymore. My eyes are blue too, after all.

And surprisingly, the combination suited her well. She even looked pretty.

"I'm sorry for coming so early in the morning. I'm Sharen Schmidt."

"No need to apologize. Welcome."

The girl named Sharen said with an embarrassed expression.

“I heard that you’re taking care of Ilaila.”

“Oh, the owner of the Magic Bookstore told you.”

“Oh my, you went there?"

I guess the bookstore owner told her.

“She was lying unconscious in the alley next to the Magic Bookstore yesterday.”

“Thank you. It could have been a big problem if she hadn’t been found.”

"I fed her a little bit of honey water earlier, but she still doesn’t have much energy. I’m worried. Does she have any chronic illness?”

Activating my occupational disease, I asked Sharon as if I was dealing with a guardian.

In response, Sharen smiled and shook her head.

"No, she doesn’t Hey, Ilaila.”

[Yes.]

"Come here and eat this."

[I-I can't!]

Sharen probably didn't understand, but Illaila, with her tail hanging down, muttered that she made a mistake and walked towards her owner.

Sharen took something out of her bag and placed it on her palm.

It looked exactly like a pill.

So she does have some illness. She didn't seem to have any heart disease though.

Illaila reluctantly walked towards Sharen, expressing her unwillingness with her whole body.

And then swallowed the red pill-like thing on Sharen's palm.

"Come here."

Swoosh, Illaila jumped onto Sharen's shoulder in an instant.

Huh? Wasn't she staggering just a moment ago?

"She's very curious, so when she gets fixated on something, she acts like this. She keeps wandering around until she runs out of mana."

Mana came up again. I perked up my ears and focused.

“Hey, Ilaila. Because of you, there’s no balance left in my bank account. You’re such a picky eater. Sigh.”

This time, Sharen turned her head towards me and said.

“Young master, never raised a Silverpaw like her. It costs too much to maintain them. Oh, but it doesn’t matter to you. The Ulysses family has the Mana Crystal mine after all.”

“Mana Crystal?”

“Yes. As you know, young master. Red Mana Crystal is a hundred times more expensive than blue one.”

I didn't know.

about

I just found out the existence of Mana Crystal, so how could I know its price?

A sigh escaped me.

“Hoo…”

“Well, she’s cute though. But never fall for her. The money in your bank account will disappear in an instant.”

While saying that, Sharen affectionately stroked Ilaila.

"Oh my, it's still morning and I've taken up so much of your time, young master."

"It's alright."

“Thank you. I came in a hurry…so let me express my gratitude another time. For now, please accept this.”

Sharen handed me a small envelope.

"Thank you, but I haven't done anything to deserve this."

I waved my hand.

"It's nothing special. If you have something you want to see, write it on this paper and tear it apart. It will show you.”

"It will show?"

“Yes, if you’re curious about what’s beyond that wall, or if you want to peak in our Silverpaw’s internals. Anything is fine.”

So it's possible to see through things. This is amazing. I guess I won't need medical equipment.

After Sharen left, I picked up a book.

What I need right now is to understand this world.

<Gods, Demigods, Monster Encyclopedia>

<First Steps of Mana>

“Alright, let’s start with something easy.”

I first opened the familiar Animal Encyclopedia.

Goblins, Kobolds, Trolls, Gargoyles, Griffins, and so on were described.

Since I already knew them well, I nodded and moved on.

“Hehe, Silverpaw is a companion-type monster. That’s why Ilaila is so cute.”

So far, so good. But then…

“What? Spica isn’t a dog?”

Spica is a half-god and half-monster called a Cohorde, a hybrid between gods and monsters.

That's why everyone was scared even though she looked so cute.

While I was surprised to learn the truth about Spica, someone came rushing in.

It was the Count’s knight. But judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like good news.

“Huff, huff, young master. The Count wishes to see you.”