Mine was dying. Her injuries were severe, and Jin immediately began casting healing magic.
"Cure."
There wasn't a second to lose. It was a stroke of luck that the knife stuck in her abdomen hadn't been pulled out yet. Had it been removed in the river, the water pressure alone would have likely caused her to bleed to death.
"Cure."
Jin performed emergency first aid by repeatedly layering the healing magic. After confirming she was still breathing, he turned to the gathered onlookers.
"Is there a doctor—or a healer—nearby?"
"There's one just a bit further into town," one of them replied.
"I’m sorry, but could someone help me carry her there?" Jin asked.
The crowd immediately began to disperse, voices rising in a chorus of excuses.
"Oh, I forgot, I have an errand to run." "I really need to get home." "That's a bit much for me to handle."
In moments, they were gone. Only the middle-aged woman who had pointed out the healer remained.
"What a cold-hearted lot..." Jin grumbled.
"It can’t be helped," the woman said. "This city is mostly made of transients and drifters anyway. More importantly, we should pull this knife out."
No sooner had she spoken than she yanked the blade free in one swift motion.
"Wait—!"
Even unconscious, Mine’s body gave a violent jerk from the pain.
"What are you doing?!"
"Behandeln."
The woman immediately chanted a Shouro Empire-style healing spell, expertly suppressing the bleeding.
"If you leave it in too long, the tissue starts to bind to it," she explained. "Then you really can't get it out."
Jin was impressed by her clinical efficiency. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm the healer, Sally Mileshann."
Fortune had smiled on them; a healer had been right there in the crowd.
"But we have a problem," Sally continued. "It'll be difficult for just the two of us to carry her without aggravating her injuries."
"Leave that to me. Reiko, go over there for a moment and call Elm and Ash from the Secret Mobile Unit."
"Yes."
Since it would be too suspicious to deactivate their Stealth in plain sight, Reiko gave a brief reply while remaining invisible. She slipped behind a cluster of trees on the riverbank and summoned the SP units.
"Sister, you called for us?"
Initially, the Secret Mobile Unit had addressed Jin as "Father" and Reiko as "Elder Sister," but given their roles, Jin had instructed them to use "Chief" and "Sister" instead. He could be quite particular about such things.
"Good work," Reiko said. "Please follow Father's instructions for the time being."
"Understood, Sister."
Reiko returned with Elm and Ash in tow.
"Good. Elm, Ash, lift this woman gently and carry her. Just follow us."
"Yes, Chief."
Sally Mileshann watched the two golems obey Jin with wide eyes. "My, you’re quite the craftsman. To have two such fine golems... but this is a lifesaver. Go ahead, lift her carefully."
Elm and Ash slid their hands under Mine from both sides, lifting her with mechanical precision. They maintained a steady, level posture to avoid disturbing her abdominal wound during transport.
"That's it. Follow me."
Guided by Sally, they crossed the embankment and headed into the city. While Elm and Ash were high-spec, the city was so full of golems that people hardly gave them a second glance.
"Turn right at that corner... there, that's the place."
Scarcely three minutes from the river sat a small clinic. The door bore the words "Mileshann Clinic" in modest script.
"Set her down gently right there. Good, that’s it."
The moment Mine was settled on the examination bed, Sally began her diagnosis.
"Right wrist and right arm are fractured. As for the abdominal wound... You, step out for a minute."
Sally paused as she reached to undress Mine, giving Jin a pointed look.
"Ah, right. Sorry."
Jin retreated to a side room that appeared to be a preparation area, with Reiko following close behind.
"Reiko, contact Laozi. See if he's managed to track Elsa's location."
"Yes, Father."
Reiko stood in silence for a few moments, communicating with Hourai Island via her internal manacam. After about two minutes, she spoke.
"I have the report. There are two signatures that match. One is in Ikasanat. The other is approximately twenty kilometers upstream on the Torres River."
Jin nodded, his mind working quickly. "The one in Ikasanat is likely the dagger she left behind. In that case, the other signature must be Elsa."
Just as he reached that conclusion, Sally’s voice called out from the treatment room. Jin hurried back inside.
"What's wrong?"
Sally was standing by the bed with a grim expression.
"It's bad. I've removed the knife, closed the external wound, and drained the water from her lungs. I've even set the fractures. But..."
Jin looked down at Mine. She was deathly pale. He suspected the knife had pierced her internal organs. During his time working in a factory, he had learned enough first aid to know that the liver and spleen were dense with blood vessels, making internal hemorrhaging difficult to stop. Without surgical options in this world, such injuries were usually fatal.
"At this rate... she won't make it," Sally said, her voice heavy with the frustration of a healer unable to save a patient. "If only I had some recovery medicine..."
"Recovery medicine?"
"Yes. An oral draught, but it's incredibly expensive. Alchemists are a rare breed, so it can't be helped. But if we could get her to drink some, there might be a chance."
Jin had a prototype recovery medicine in his pocket. It was strictly an experimental batch he had never tested on a human, which was why he had kept it tucked away.
"What are her chances if we do nothing?" Jin asked.
Sally considered it for a moment. "Less than one in ten. To be honest, if she doesn't regain consciousness soon, it's over."
Jin made his decision and pulled the vial from his pocket. "I have something here that should be recovery medicine, but I can't vouch for its potency."
"Let me see that."
Sally took the vial and began examining it. Finally, she cast a spell.
"Analyze."
Since the magic only revealed information the user already understood, it was useless for Jin, but for a professional like Sally, the result was instantaneous.
"Y-You! Where on earth did you get this?!" she demanded, stepping toward Jin with a look of pure shock.
"Is it effective?" Jin countered. "If it is, use it now and we can talk later!"
Sally flushed slightly and gave a sharp nod. "Y-Yes. You're right. Immediately."
She poured about a third of the contents into a feeding cup and held it to Mine’s lips.
"Come on, drink..."
Though nearly half the dose spilled, they managed to get the rest down. The effect was nothing short of miraculous.
Color flooded back into Mine’s pale cheeks almost instantly, and her ragged, shallow breathing steadied into a normal rhythm. Sally, who still had her fingers on Mine’s wrist, let out a long, shaky sigh of relief.
"The crisis has passed. She's going to live."