Chapter 151: An Old Enemy (1/2)

After an awkward silence, Mike finally moved over to the group and proceeded to treat their wounds. A part of him worried that he might be standing out too much, but he figured that a group of low-ranking adventurers was unlikely to have much influence or contact with other parts of the Guild. Besides, with the coming war, he figured that people would have more to worry about than a strangely talented mage taking part in a goblin extermination request.

The dark haired spear woman was his first patient, since as she was on her last legs. With a yank, he pulled the rusty dagger from her side, eliciting a gurgling gasp as her lung began to collapse in earnest. A quick application of Healing Magic treated her injuries, and a little Air Magic helped re-establish the appropriate level of pressure in her chest cavity.

[I'm getting pretty good with this life-support magic. Maybe, I should try to turn it into a magic item at some point in the future.]

Momentarily distracted by thoughts of revolutionizing Ea's medical industry, he didn't notice the look of absolute awe the healed woman gave him as he finished.

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The movement of air into her lungs was clearly artificial, the product of unusually precise elemental magic. Ophelia had known her injuries were fatal, especially when considering the sucking chest wound. She'd heard stories about adventurers who survived severe injuries to the torso, and even with the help of healing magic ended up suffocating anyway. The only hope was to find an expert healer who knew the secrets of how the body worked.

Yet, this man fixed the issue with ease.

According to the common sense of Ea, this kind of healing belonged in the realm of Tier 4 healers. Although she didn't know it, the people in this world who were capable of fixing her injuries so quickly and completely could be counted on one hand. That this mysterious mage did so easily, without any sign of strain, was far more impressive than the previous display of Earth Magic.

She could help but wonder why such a mage was killing goblins in the first place. Nevertheless, this was a chance she couldn't pass up.

She rounded on him while he was in the midst of treating a particularly nasty cut on Ethan's leg, ”Sir Mage! Please help us. We had to retreat from a terrible enemy and leave our mentor behind. I don't know if he's still alive…” Ophelia had to choke back a sob at the thought of Morgan being dead, ”But please help us find him. I'm begging you!”

”Um, maybe we should evacuate the cave first. I feel like we would just get in the way…” Lonnie commented absentmindedly while his own superficial injuries disappeared under the white glow of the mage's healing magic.

Shooting the cowardly archer a scathing glance, Ophelia concentrated on hooded man. ”Every second counts. I know it's too much to ask for, especially after saving all of our lives, but please, help us.”

The mage looked at her, and Ophelia felt her mouth go dry as a pair of golden orbs fixed upon her. There was a weight to that gaze that left her feeling weak in the knees. However, this mysterious aura seemed to disperse once he smiled.

”Well, I was planning on moving deeper into the cave anyway. There are still goblins to hunt down, after all. You all are welcome to follow along, of course, and if you can point me the direction of the enemies, it would speed the process up.”

Holding back tears of gratitude, Ophelia bowed low, ”Thank you, Sir Mage! I will make sure to repay you, even at the cost of my life.”

The mage waved it off, as if such vows were commonplace to him, before walking in the direction of their retreat. ”Judging from the trail of corpses, you came from this direction, right?” He asked while pointing.

She stood quickly and moved to follow after him, ”Ah! Yes, that is correct.”

The others moved to follow as well. Ethan looked fairly calm, all things considered, but Lonnie was clearly terrified. There was one last person in the chamber, but Ophelia didn't want to think about her. The sting of betrayal was still too severe.

The mage seemed to have a different opinion, however. ”Hey Ruby, you coming? I wouldn't recommend hanging out in this cave by yourself.”

Ethan and Lonnie turned malicious gazes on red-headed beastman still standing uncertainly by the entrance to the chamber. Ruby visibly flinched at the sudden attention. A pained, guilt ridden expression crossed her face as she slowly moved to take a place at the very rear of the group. It was clear that she regretted her earlier actions deeply.

[Good.] Ophelia found herself thinking with a degree of venom that was surprising to her. She knew the personality of her childhood friend. In many ways, she behaved exactly as she always had, yet this time it had been different.

Ruby had always been timid and shy. Ever since they were kids, it had been Ophelia who had protected her from the bullies that teased her about her scales and lack of parents. Even when it had been discovered that she had the talent for Water Magic, and the village had pooled their limited resources to get her a tutor, it had been Ophelia that had helped her through her difficult lessons.

It was also Ophelia's idea to become adventurers. Together with Ethan and Lonnie, two boys from a nearby village, they formed a party and began completing requests. Before long, they were Rank 2 and had run out of missions that they could easily finish without traveling, something they lacked the resources to do.

Morgan changed all that. He'd been a martial arts instructor for the local militia for as long as they could remember. Indeed, all four of them had learned the basics of fighting from the weathered soldier. More than that, he was a soft spoken and kindhearted man who always had a helpful word of advice or a shoulder to cry on when needed. All the children in the area adored him.