After wandering around the town for a while, Lanafit finally arrived at her destination.
A white, two-story building.
Other than the color of the painted walls, this building was no different from the surrounding shops and businesses.
However, compared to those bustling stores, it was clearly much quieter.
After all, you can’t expect a clinic to have booming business, right?
That would only happen if there was a large-scale flu outbreak or something—something no one wanted to see.
Dragan Clinic.
That was the name on the shop sign.
Even after Dragan passed away, his student continued to use the clinic under his name.
Since the doctor had no children, his will had instructed that the clinic be left to his student.
On top of that, the previous lord had been an old friend of Dragan, so his student could also count on some support while working here.
Originally, this student could have renamed the clinic, using her own name instead.
But it seemed she chose not to, in memory of her mentor.
Lanafit pushed the door open and entered.
The scent of herbs inside the house was rather pungent—she figured some kind of strong-smelling medicine had just been brewed.
A young woman was using a mortar and pestle on the table to grind herbs.
Judging by her attire, she should be the owner of this clinic.
There was no bell on the door—perhaps to avoid disturbing any resting patients—so none had been installed.
Still, the sound of the door opening startled the doctor, and she looked up at the entering Lanafit.
“Hello, respected Mage. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Lanafit’s wide witch’s hat hid her face, so the doctor didn’t see what she looked like.
But as soon as Lanafit lifted her head, the female doctor revealed a look of surprise and admiration.
“Hello, are you Dr. Sandrina?”
Lanafit asked, having previously learned from Fried that Dragan’s student was named Sandrina.
Upon hearing Lanafit’s question, Sandrina nodded.
“That’s right, I am. May I ask, Miss Mage, what brings you here?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lanafit, I’m a traveling adventurer. I came to this town on someone’s recommendation, hoping to seek Dragan’s help with a difficult illness.”
After receiving Sandrina’s confirmation, Lanafit revealed her identity and the purpose of her visit.
After listening to Lanafit’s explanation, Sandrina’s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but she still smiled at Lanafit.
“I can tell you’ve gone through a lot to find my teacher, but I can only offer you my apologies—my teacher passed away half a year ago.”
“I’ve already heard this sad news from the local lord, Baron Fried Bell. Please don’t feel sorry. The reason I’m here now is to ask you to diagnose me.”
Lanafit was very polite to this doctor who might be able to cure her soul-loss syndrome.
She’d heard from Fried that this Sandrina was a very competent and kind-hearted doctor, often volunteering at the orphanage.
Just these qualities alone were enough to earn respect.
Lanafit thought Sandrina would ask about her illness right away, but instead, she was concerned about something else.
“The Baron has returned?”
“Ah? Oh, not yet. I ran into her on the road. She should be back tomorrow.”
Lanafit was momentarily stunned, then answered Sandrina’s question.
Unexpectedly, Sandrina’s expression turned a bit annoyed.
“Tomorrow? The Baroness has already sent him several letters, and he’s still dawdling? Even with such a big problem in town, he’s still dragging his feet.”
“Bang—!” In her anger, the doctor slammed her fist on the table, causing the heavy mortar and pestle to bounce up slightly from the impact.
Lanafit had no idea what she was angry about, and couldn’t interrupt, so she could only stand by in silence.
Fortunately, the doctor soon noticed Lanafit’s awkwardness.
“Sorry, please forgive my rudeness, Miss Lanafit.”
“Ah, it’s fine, really.”
Lanafit was curious but didn’t dare ask—she still needed the doctor’s help, after all.
If she annoyed the other party, she’d be in trouble.
But even though Lanafit didn’t ask, Sandrina began to speak on her own.
“I suppose you’ve noticed, there are quite a few refugees in this town. They’ve been arriving one after another ever since the lord left the territory.”
“I saw them on the street, but it’s not just this town. I’ve traveled from the eastern part of the Empire to here, and in every town that doesn’t forbid refugees, there’s a flood of people fleeing.”
“…It’s gotten that serious already?”
Lanafit’s answer left Sandrina silent for a long time before she responded.
“The Baroness takes some grain from the estate’s warehouse every day to help the refugees, but with more and more of them arriving, not only is there a looming food shortage, but the city guards are also starting to get overwhelmed.”
Sandrina didn’t continue, but the implication was clear.
If this kept up, the once peaceful and harmonious Padugale would surely fall into chaos due to the influx of refugees.
From this, it was clear that Sandrina was not only a compassionate doctor, but also had a close relationship with the lord’s family.
But, all these complaints left Lanafit at a loss for words.
Or rather, Lanafit had trouble dealing with such straightforward people—she tended to be shy around strangers.
Perhaps realizing she’d said too much, Sandrina gave an embarrassed smile and said to Lanafit,
“Sorry, I went off topic and forgot you came to consult about an illness.”
“It’s alright, Doctor. The fact that you care about the refugees and the peace of the territory is proof you’re a good doctor.”
“No need to flatter me. At most, I just do what little I can. Of course, once the lord returns, I’ll probably be drafted as free labor again.”
Sandrina smiled helplessly, then looked to Lanafit and asked,
“Tell me about your illness. Since you made a special trip here while traveling, I assume you’ve heard that only my teacher could treat it? I’m not as skilled as him, but I’ve inherited most of his medical knowledge. When it comes to patients, I’ll give it my all.”
Finally, it was time.
Lanafit sighed inwardly.
The doctor had just been fretting over the territory’s troubles, so Lanafit hadn’t found a good time to speak.
Now that they were back on topic, she felt relieved.
Facing Sandrina, she pursed her lips, gathered her emotions, and spoke earnestly.
“Soul-loss syndrome. Doctor, how much do you know about it?”
After speaking, Lanafit looked expectantly at Sandrina.
But what she saw next was a pair of eyes full of excitement and curiosity, as if she were some rare specimen.
She couldn’t help but feel that the other party wanted to dissect and study her, and for a moment, Lanafit almost regretted stepping into this clinic.