"Graham, it seems you have finally been released from Markitus’s curse."
One day, Marikka visited the Roseka Clinic in Florenz, located within the Kingdom of Elias. Her purpose, of course, was to check on the hospitalized Graham Derby.
She was accompanied by the automaton Hanako and Lordtoss, who had volunteered to act as their guide. Sonya Banaka, the apprentice healer who had become acquainted with Lordtoss during his previous visit with Jin, welcomed the trio.
"Professor..."
"There’s no need to get up. Just stay lying down."
Seeing her former student attempt to push himself up from the bed, Marikka gently restrained him with a hand.
"Your complexion looks much better."
"Yes, the staff here at the clinic take very good care of me."
Graham glanced toward a row of empty bottles—the Persica juice Jin had left behind.
"Oh, that reminds me—I brought a gift. Sonya-san, was it? I'll leave this with you."
It was more Persica juice, which Marikka had been entrusted with by Jin.
"I will take care of it," Sonya said, accepting the gift gratefully. She was well aware of the juice's remarkable effects.
Over the past week, Graham Derby’s health had improved by leaps and bounds. There was no doubt that the Persica juice was the cause.
Healing magic essentially worked by boosting a living body's natural recovery to its absolute limit. Consequently, it usually consumed the patient's own energy to mend their wounds. However, there were limits to this; a patient lacking physical strength would find it difficult to heal.
A skilled healer could inject energy from an external source rather than relying solely on the patient. They would refill energy via the magi-reactors within the patient's cells.
Even so, healing magic could not instantly restore lost muscle mass. That required the patient’s own metabolism to function. The Persica juice Jin provided had a profound effect on a patient's metabolism, encouraging recovery at several times the normal rate.
(Hmm... As I thought, Elsa-san's healing theories seem to have been suppressed somewhere... Or rather, it's almost certainly the work of the Magic Federation.)
The research results left behind by Elsa—Jin’s beloved wife and a healer of peerless skill—should have been distributed to healer training schools across the globe.
(It likely happened during that period after Jin-sama first disappeared, when we of the Northern People lost interest in the affairs of the Lauren Continent...)
Realizing that lamenting the past would not help, Marikka focused on the future.
"Sonya-san, was it?"
"Y-Yes?"
"I would like to give my regards to the director of this clinic. Is she available?"
Given the name, Marikka assumed there must be a director named Roseka. However, the response she received was unexpected.
"U-Um, the director... isn't here."
"What?"
"...She left about six months ago. We've lost contact with her entirely."
"Is that so? Then what about the other healers?"
"...There aren't any. It's just me."
As Marikka questioned her further, she learned that Graham Derby was currently the clinic's only patient.
"Good grief."
It was no wonder the interior had been so dingy when Jin and Lordtoss visited previously. Marikka thought for a moment.
"Sonya-san. Would you consider leaving this place?"
"Huh?"
"I believe it would be better to move Graham to a superior facility rather than keeping him here."
"I see... That is true, but..." Sonya trailed off, looking worried.
Perhaps sensing her anxiety, Graham added a few words of his own. "Sonya. This lady is my former mentor. You can rest easy leaving matters to her."
"...I understand. I leave Derby-sama in your care."
"Oh, you're coming with us too."
Sensing Sonya's crestfallen expression, Marikka realized the girl had misunderstood and thought they were only taking Graham.
"Eh... Me too?"
"That's right. In a clinic like this—not to be rude, but one where the director has vanished—your future would be quite bleak. You want to study healing magic more deeply, don't you?"
"Yes, of course!" Sonya replied, her voice full of enthusiasm.
"Then come with us. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow, so please pack what you need."
Graham offered his sincere thanks to Marikka. "...Professor, thank you."
"Think nothing of it. It's the least I can do for a student."
The following morning, Marikka arrived to pick up Graham and Sonya as promised, using the Hurricane she had borrowed from Jin.
They used the Taube to ferry Graham, Sonya, and their luggage up to the Hurricane before heading south.
"Whoa... W-What an amazing airship..."
Sonya was wide-eyed with shock at the Hurricane. Her reaction made Marikka feel a bit nostalgic, reminding her of her own younger self from centuries ago.
"Professor, where are we heading?"
"To Electra Island."
Graham naturally knew that Electra Island served as the headquarters for Nostalgia.
"That means it has been reclaimed... or rather, you reclaimed it, didn't you?"
"Yes. The arrangement made at Avalon was that you would be placed in the custody of Nostalgia."
"I see."
The clever Graham surmised the general situation from that alone.
"Certainly, there must be many people in Nostalgia who, like me, were brainwashed. It seems I will be easily accepted there."
"Exactly."
"Elena-dono, when I belonged to the Magic Federation, I surely dealt many blows to your organization. Even so, are you saying you will still accept me?"
"Please work for the future to settle your past," Elena replied.
Thus, Graham Derby became a member of Nostalgia.
"Hmm, there is still room for improvement in the format of these documents."
At the Nostalgia headquarters, Graham Derby looked up from checking paperwork. Standing before him was the Golden Princess, Elena.
"Oh? Which part?"
"Right here. When calculating the budget, this specific phrasing is both redundant and makes the calculations unnecessarily complicated."
"I see. It was certainly the right choice to have you come here."
Graham's pointers did not stop at a single document; he became the driving force behind improvements ranging from internal communication methods to the strategic deployment of forces at every level. He provided everything from minute adjustments to an overall overhaul of the organization's efficiency.
"He's quite impressive," Arietta Eoreal remarked.
"He didn't serve as the Chief Administrator of Avalon for nothing," Wattes Schretzer agreed.
The executives recognized his skill and praised him honestly. Though Graham had been brainwashed and exploited by Markitus, a significant portion of Nostalgia's members had suffered similar fates, so no one held his past against him.
And then there was Sonya.
"...How are you settling in, Sonya?" Elena asked.
"Yes, Elena-sama! Every day feels like the scales are falling from my eyes!"
Sonya had also become a member of Nostalgia and was absorbing advanced knowledge daily, with a focus on healing.
"I'm so glad I came here!"
"We're also glad to have you."
Sonya's aptitude was remarkable. She showed great promise not only in healing but in other fields as well. In particular, her high suitability for magi-craft was exactly as Jin had predicted. Elena was delighted to have gained such talented personnel.
The exploits of these two will likely be recounted again when the opportunity arises.