◇
Castles and houses caught in the World Tree’s collapse had crumbled, leaving the city in ruins.
I had managed to wrap the entire city in a magic barrier at the very last second to cushion the impact, but the damage was still extensive. I immediately joined the relief efforts with Sylpha and the others, pulling elves from the debris one after another.
If I really wanted to, I could have erased the rubble in an instant, but I couldn't do anything too conspicuous while Sylpha was watching. I deployed the tree system magic "Arboreal Castle Canopy" across the nation to ensure the injured wouldn't be crushed further before beginning the rescue work, which made the process take some time. Good grief, trying to work without standing out was quite an ordeal.
"To deploy so many spells with such high precision in a single instant... his methods are as absurd as ever."
"It’s taking some time, but keeping everyone alive despite this level of destruction is nothing short of a miracle."
While Grimo and Jiriel muttered to themselves, I used levitation to shift massive chunks of rubble, stacking them neatly to the side. While I held the weight, Sylpha and the elves capable of moving rescued those pinned beneath.
We used Shiro’s nose to locate those buried, and with Ren taking charge of treating the wounded, we had already managed to save nearly a hundred people.
"As expected of Master Lloyd. To effortlessly clear such mountains of rubble as if playing with children's blocks... His power has grown even more since I last saw it."
"And he’s holding back quite a bit, too... Usually, he’s tossing around debris way bigger than that like it’s nothing."
"Woof! Woof!"
I felt eyes on me from Sylpha and the others as I worked. Was I overdoing it? I thought I was being quite restrained. Maybe I should lower the output a little more... about this much? Hmm, I couldn't really tell.
While I was trial-and-erroring my output, Grimo, whom I had sent to look for Fiona, returned.
"I’ve scoured the area, but I can’t find Fiona anywhere. Tsk, where did that girl disappear to...!"
Grimo spat the words out, looking genuinely worried. Since she hadn't even appeared on my magic detection, she probably wouldn't be found that easily.
"Now that I think about it, you mentioned Fiona was a puppet created by the World Tree. Could she have vanished because we defeated him?"
"No, that wouldn't happen. Fiona has already become a completely independent individual. Even if the World Tree fell, nothing should happen to her now."
It was the same principle as my golems or magic tools; they wouldn't just disappear if I were to die. Therefore, she had to be somewhere. If I had to guess, perhaps she left us of her own volition? But as for the reason why... well, if her memories had returned, that was a possibility.
As I was pondering this, Jiriel came flying back, looking pale.
"Master Lloyd! P-Please, look at this!"
Jiriel held a single sheet of paper. It was a letter, and Fiona’s name was written clearly upon it.
"It was stuck to a tree trunk rolling around over there!"
"What does it say? 'Master Lloyd, my apologies. I have recalled a matter of great importance. I must take my leave for a time. I ask for your understanding.'...I see."
"This handwriting is definitely Fiona's. Did her memories really come back just now?...Even so, it's way too sudden! Dammit!"
Grimo and Jiriel ground their teeth in frustration, but—
"...Well, if she’s okay with it, then it's fine by me."
I tucked the letter into my pocket. I didn't know the circumstances, but I had originally only intended for Fiona to guide us here. She didn't work for me, and now that we had achieved our goal, I had no right to tell her what to do.
"Hah, well, if Master Lloyd says so, we won't object, but..."
"You're so detached about it. It just doesn't sit right with me..."
"Well, I'm sure she'll just pop up again eventually," I answered nonchalantly.
Fiona likely had something she needed to do. Once that was finished, I was certain she would come back. That was why she had left the letter. All I could do was believe in her and wait.
"Besides, we have to deal with the situation at hand."
"Oh, right!"
While we spoke, the rescue continued. Before long, the evacuation center was filled with rows of injured people. Because I had erected a barrier, there were few with life-threatening injuries, but the sight was still grim. If left alone, the death toll would start to rise.
"Lloyd! My herbs can only do so much. Can't you use healing magic?"
"I'm already on it."
From the moment I arrived, I had been maintaining healing magic over a one-kilometer radius. As I’ve noted before, healing magic enhances a person's natural recovery, but crudely applying strong healing to those with severe wounds can lead to poor recovery or lasting aftereffects. Situations like this required careful, appropriate treatment.
"If only there was someone here with actual medical knowledge... Oh."
Come to think of it, there was someone nearby. An acquaintance of mine with medical expertise.
◇
I found Rion nearby, explained the situation, and brought him over. Rion was confused at first, but he immediately believed my story and followed me.
"Hmm... this is terrible."
When we reached the evacuation center, Rion bit his lip at the gruesome sight of the many injured people lying about. However, he immediately regained his composure and spoke to Ren, who was in the middle of treating someone.
"You're Ren, right? Leave this to me and go gather as much senju grass as you can find. Judging by the flora around here, there should be a patch nearby."
"! Understood. You're using it for anesthetic! I'll bring back any other herbs that look useful too."
"I'm counting on you. Sylpha, you and that foreign girl there, dress the wounds of the injured. Ask if there's anything you don't understand. I will handle the rest."
"Understood. I have learned how to handle the injured in the Order of Knights, so I can manage to some extent."
"Hmph, it was a wise decision to call out to someone as attentive as me. Truly Lloyd's brother, isn't he?"
"I'll leave it to you then—Now."
Having given instructions to everyone in the blink of an eye, Rion turned back to me.
"Lloyd, come with me. Your healing magic will be useful. We’re going to make the rounds for the critical cases."
"Understood."
We headed toward the area where the most severely wounded were gathered. We sat down beside a man whose wounds were particularly deep.
"Are you alright?"
There was no reply. He was breathing, but unconscious. He looked to be in a very dangerous state, but Rion spoke calmly.
"...Don't worry. I'll make you feel better soon."
"Ha! You can say whatever you want!" a man lying nearby scoffed.
Others began to raise their voices as if to follow suit.
"That's right! Don't bring us a kid, bring a proper doctor!"
"It doesn't matter how hard you try; it's no good if you can't actually cure them!"
"Besides, 'making us feel better' sounds ominous. You're not planning to kill us, are you?!"
They were quite rowdy for people who were supposed to be severely injured. It might be because the injured around here were recovering thanks to my wide-range healing magic. But if I deactivated it, some of them would definitely die.
"Seriously, they're about to be saved, and yet they've got such nasty attitudes. I'd have punched them already," Grimo muttered.
"I hope the older brother doesn't lose his motivation after being told all those things... Hm?"
—♪
As a melody began to flow, the men's anger started to fade. To a tune that put the heart at ease, the sound of footsteps on the earth drew closer.
"Quiet down. If you make that much noise, you won't heal even if you're meant to."
The one who appeared while playing the violin was the Holy King.
"Oh, you were here."
"I was! You're so mean!"
I kept thinking I had forgotten something, and I see, it was this guy. I finally remembered and felt refreshed.
"Man, I was playing around in the World Tree when it suddenly started collapsing. I was so surprised. I managed to escape somehow, but I seriously thought I was going to die. And then when I got to the surface, I found this disaster. As a man of peace, I thought I’d at least do what I could. This is the 'Song of Recovery,' which eases pain. Listening to this will give you strength!"
Apparently, he had been helping the injured with a magical song as well. Come to think of it, I felt like I had been hearing a faint sound for a while now.
"Even though he's technically doing something good, I can't shake this feeling of distrust," Jiriel said.
"It's only natural to draw resentment if you're playing music leisurely in such a dire situation," Grimo added.
Just as they said, I could see quite a few people glaring at the Holy King. Most people probably didn't know about magical songs. It was understandable that they'd get angry at someone playing music while people were collapsing everywhere, calling it insensitive... in a way, he was a pitiable fellow.
Meanwhile, Rion had solemnly begun preparing for surgery.
"H-Hey... are you seriously going to do it...?"
"It is useless for a child like me to say anything. Those without authority must first produce results, or they will never gain anyone's trust....That said, he is unconscious. At this rate, he won't last half a day. We have no choice but to do it. You may decide whether to undergo surgery yourself after seeing my skills."
With that, Rion gave the man an injection. The man, who had been breathing heavily until just now, immediately went quiet, his entire body going limp.
"H-Hey... he stopped moving!?"
"Don't make a fuss. It's just an anesthetic. If they thrash during surgery, my hand will slip. —Now, Lloyd, don't just stand there. Move exactly as I say!"
"Yes!"
At Rion's words, we also braced ourselves. He had talked big, so we couldn't afford to fail. In the tense atmosphere, the surgery began.
I handed over surgical tools as instructed, and the work progressed. Hmm, his handiwork was magnificent. Since I had no medical knowledge, I didn't really understand what he was doing, but I could tell it was no ordinary skill. The onlookers were also holding their breath at Rion's talent.
...However, I was worried that the patient's physical strength was dropping considerably. I should assist with healing magic here.
"Whoa... he’s focusing healing light on every single incision with such precision. Controlling that is supposed to be incredibly difficult."
"He's doing that while working, and while already maintaining quite a few spells... He is a terrifying person."
"Hmm, to use healing magic, which normally has low effectiveness, so efficiently... Master Lloyd really is an amazing child. I guess it makes sense that he could handle that Gizagiza fellow."
For me, having learned mana control like threading a needle through the construction of magic bodies, this much was nothing. If anything, the surgical tools were more troublesome. There were so many confusing names. Since I wasn't interested, they were even harder to remember.
Regardless, after about thirty minutes, Rion's hands finally stopped.
"—It's finished."
Rion let out a heavy sigh. The injured man's wounds were beautifully closed, and a faint flush had returned to his previously sallow face. It seemed he had succeeded. Seeing that, the injured began to buzz with excitement.
"I can't believe it. He actually did it..."
"Those wounds looked impossible to save. His handiwork was like that of a god."
"Hey... could it be that this boy is the Savior from back then?"
In the silence, one of the onlookers let out a soft comment.
"Now that you mention it, he really does look like him!"
"Does that mean he saved us just like he did back then?"
"Oh... the Savior of old has returned...!"
Such voices rose one after another, and before I knew it, they were all bowing their heads. Apparently, they thought Rion and I from before were the same person. Well, our hairstyles, hair color, and heights were somewhat similar, and above all, we were brothers. It wasn't strange that we looked like the same person to them.
"Whoaa! Savior! Please save me next!"
"What are you saying?! You were heckling him like crazy just now! Please, treat me!"
"Please make me feel better too—!"
Seeing the elves clamoring for Rion's help, Grimo and Jiriel let out sighs.
"Hmph, these guys really did a complete 180. Even though they were saying all that crap earlier."
"To be placed in such a situation and still silence them with sheer skill... as expected of Master Lloyd's older brother."
Well, I felt proud. Besides, I was grateful that Rion could take the credit for my past actions.
"Good work, Rion-niisan. You're amazing as always."
"Hmph... don't be stupid. It was only a success because of you. Normally, it's a difficult surgery with a success rate of less than thirty percent. It only went well because Lloyd was providing support with magic. By focusing healing magic only on the areas I incised, you drastically reduced the physical strain; otherwise, the patient's strength would have run out first. Healing magic is sometimes used in medical settings, but I have never met anyone with this much precision and power... Between that and the incredible speed of your 'flight,' could it be that Lloyd is a far more incredible mage than everyone thinks?"
The latter half was too quiet to hear well... but regardless, if Rion improved his standing with the elves, there would likely be more things I could investigate. Elfrieden had collapsed along with the World Tree, but the wisdom of the elves should still remain. Yes, yes.
"Now if only we could find Fiona... Oh right. Holy King, do you know anything?"
"You mean the Oppai-chan who was with you? Unfortunately, I don't."
The Holy King shook his head.
...Well, I hadn't expected much anyway. Seriously, that girl, I wonder where she went.