TWLW 17

chapter 17

I had a dream.

A memory from long ago, back when I lived in the Witch’s Kingdom.

It was one of those days when I ran off to the mountains after academy lessons, like I was escaping. But in the dream, I wasn’t crying—I was running up the hill with a bright smile on my face.

This is a first…

Seeing myself running with such a smile I couldn’t even remember having, a wave of bittersweet emotion welled up inside me.

I had no idea who I was so eager to meet, running breathlessly like that, but because I’d never seen that look of anticipation before, I couldn’t look away.

The dream blinked out in a flash of white, and when I opened my eyes, a high ceiling stretched above me.

On the ceiling was painted the emblem of House Iphin—a wolf and a white full moon.

Right… I agreed to work at House Iphin.

And after treating Luis, I fell ill and collapsed.

Expecting my clothes to be soaked through with sweat, I stretched and looked down at myself—

Only to find, strangely, that I was dressed in pajamas.

Pink pajamas, frilled, soft, and fresh.

“Hm?”

Startled, I glanced around.

Who changed my clothes?

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“Y-Yes?”

The door opened, and a young woman came in carrying a basin of water.

About my age, she smiled brightly at me and began to chatter.

“Oh my, you’re awake! What a relief! You’ve been groaning in pain for days—we were all so worried! The only healers in the whole estate are the teacher and old Haol, the owl beastkin, so he’s been rushing back and forth, busy as can be!”

Speaking in a familiar, friendly tone, she pulled out a bedside table, set it before me, and placed the basin on top.

I just stared, dumbfounded, unable to say a word.

No, to be honest, I was too shocked to even think of what to say.

I’d never seen a beastkin treat a witch kindly before—aside from Rudels and his family.

Does she… not know I’m a witch? Impossible. I’ve heard beastkin can tell species apart by scent instantly, thanks to their sharper senses.

As I stared at her blankly, she caught herself and introduced herself.

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Oren Fessis, a squirrel beastkin. I’ll be assisting you as your apprentice healer, teacher!”

Apprentice? Did she just say apprentice?

Eyes wide, I asked,

“What? An apprentice?”

She giggled at my slip and nodded.

“Yes! I was assigned as the first assistant to Irriel-sensei, the new magical healer!”

“No, it’s just… this is the first I’ve heard about having an assistant.”

“Huh? That can’t be. Lord Rudels himself assigned me to you as your assistant.”

I stared at her in bewilderment, and she looked back at me just as surprised.

Rudels hadn’t said a word about this, so of course I was thrown off.

Wait a second. Was that in the contract?

I recalled sitting across from Rudels, carefully reviewing the contract terms. There had been a clause about support for my research into medicines…

Could this “support” be what they meant?

I puffed out my cheeks, stumped by the thought.

Well, whatever! Having an assistant would definitely make research easier. Time to live a little more shamelessly. Yes, shamelessly!

Forcing a sheepish smile, I reached out my hand.

“Ah… so Lord Rudels sent you to me because I’d need an assistant. Nice to meet you, Oren. I’m Irriel Lothis, the exclusive magical healer for House Iphin. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah! And I look forward to working with you too, teacher!”

Oren grasped my hand, her eyes shining.

She grinned so wide it almost touched her ears. I had no idea what made her so happy, but clearly this was a big deal for her.

Still, I couldn’t dislike her overly friendly manner.

Taking my hand with both of hers, Oren formally bowed, then gestured politely toward the basin.

“Oh! You just woke up, right? Please wash up!”

“Ah, thank you.”

“No need to thank me! Serving my teacher is part of my job as an assistant!”

Hmm… an assistant’s role is to support, but this felt more like maid work.

I wanted to point that out, but the greasy sheen on my face reminded me how badly I needed it, so I held my tongue and washed up.

The warm water refreshed me instantly.

When I finished, Oren eagerly handed me a towel. Feeling better, I accepted it, and she asked,

“So, where are you headed?”

“Oh, I wanted to check if any new materials came into the infirmary, then report to Lord Rudels.”

“Ah! Would you like me to help you change clothes?”

“No, that’s fine! I haven’t bathed in days, so I’d better do that first.”

“Oh, then should I wait outside?”

“It might take me a while—are you sure that’s okay?”

She smiled cheerfully.

“Of course! In the meantime, I’ll organize the materials you’ll need in the infirmary!”

Materials?

I wondered briefly but decided it must be related to the family’s affairs. Nodding, I let her go.

Bowing politely, Oren left the room.

Once she was gone, I sighed deeply. Rest time was over—real work was beginning.

And there’s something I’ll have to speak with Lord Rudels about…

That power inside his body.

For a beastkin to hold that much magic was extremely rare.

I’d never even heard of a beastkin with mana equal to natural energy itself.

In fact, it could very well be House Iphin’s greatest hidden weakness.

If I’m not careful, they might kill me just to silence me.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

On top of that, my body was weak from days of illness. My stomach was empty, and every movement felt sluggish.

I shuffled into the adjoining washroom and turned on the water.

As expected of a wealthy house, warm water gushed freely from the shower.

Fixing the showerhead in place, I scrubbed my greasy hair and sticky body thoroughly, making sure not to miss a spot.

Thinking of Oren busily sorting papers outside, I rinsed quickly, then dried myself off with magic and returned to the room in just underclothes.

Without much thought, I pointed at the wardrobe and summoned clothes with a spell.

[Profĕro]

Out floated a white top with green ties and teal trousers.

As I dressed, I felt a flicker of excitement at working properly again.

When I stepped into the infirmary next door, Oren was bustling around with stacks of papers in her arms.

“Oh! You’re here already!”

“Yes, it worked out that way.”

Beaming, she began explaining the documents she had organized.

“These here contain information on House Iphin’s direct bloodline and their retainers. And over here—this file is the budget report for the infirmary.”

“Thank you, Oren. You’ve done a great job sorting all this.”

Sincerely grateful, I smiled. She blushed, scratching her cheek with a finger.

“Hehe, it’s nothing. Oh! By the way, you gave checkups to the direct family members, right? Old Haol asked me to tell you to submit your reports. Honestly, he’s so impatient sometimes.”

“Really? Thank you, Oren—I completely forgot.”

I laughed. To be honest, I hadn’t expected to be this household’s first healer.

I’d assumed there was already one here, and braced myself for “turf war” behavior.

And with me being a witch who could also wield magic, I could only imagine how infuriating it must be for the incumbent. I half worried they’d faint the moment they heard.

“No, really! Haol can be so prickly—I just don’t want you to get hurt by it.”

Oren pouted as she complained about the old owl beastkin.

Amused, I asked her with genuine curiosity,

“Oren, how long have you been working here?”

At that, she tapped her chin thoughtfully with a finger.