When the two of them got back to Lucas's house, they found his mother occupied with a patient in the front room. Eugene quietly moved further back into the house while Lucas joined her.

"It looks like you simply came into contact with a highly irritable substance," Mary was telling the young woman as Lucas came up behind her, "the rash is what resulted from that exposure. It's not something to worry overly much over, but do you have any idea what this substance was?"

"Not at all, Miss [Healer]," the young woman told her. "I mean, I have recently tried out a new soap recipe. There are a few new ingredients. Do you think it could have been that?"

Lucas got a look at the woman, seeing that her outstretched hands were swollen and inflamed. Not terribly much, so it was clear she had sought treatment soon after she started experiencing issues, but still probably not as soon as she should have. The rash extended far up her wrists, nearly to her elbows, and it looked horribly uncomfortable.

He already what her Class was, based on her stated occupation, but he chose to [Identify] her anyway.

[Laborer]

One step at a time.

"I think that is very likely," his mom patiently told the woman. "So when you go home after this, you need to either safely get rid of those ingredients, or find protective gloves so you are no longer exposed to them. I don't think this really needs saying, but get rid of them if the soap is meant for a use that will lead to even more exposure. You don't want to give other people this same rash."

The [Soap Maker] looked reluctant at Mary's orders, which only caused his mother's stare to intensify all the more. When Lucas's mom meaningfully withdrew her own hands from near the woman's, implying she would only issue treatment if her words were followed to the letter, she finally agreed. "Ok. Of course, ok. I wouldn't want that at all."

Mary didn't speak up immediately, and let her stare linger for a moment before she eased up on the intimidation technique. "All right, then all that's left is to heal you up. I sincerely hope you won't need to come in for a second treatment."

"Can I take care of that?" Lucas spoke up for the first time since arriving, not about to let a chance to exercise his abilities pass him by.

His mom looked over to him and smiled. "Sure, it will do you more good than me. Maybe you'll get a level out of it."

"Uh," the [Soap Maker] interrupted, "no offense, but should a kid really be handling an issue like this?" She looked between the two of them doubtfully.

Lucas could have been insulted at her wariness, but he got that reaction often enough from his mom's patients, and honestly it was kind of fair. Certainly, he wouldn't want someone that didn't know what they were doing managing his health, but he very much did know what he was doing. His mom's lessons made sure of that.

Usually, after receiving his treatment, the patients were quick to acknowledge that as well.

"I will check to make sure everything has been handled well afterward," Mary tried to reassure her, but it looked as if this one wasn't having it.

"No," the young woman firmly shook her head. "I'm sorry, but someone so young shouldn't have a hand in proper healing. He can't have started learning the Class more than a month ago, Miss [Healer]."

Well, perhaps that was how most [Healer]s were in villages like this one, in which case the woman wasn't unjustified in her words. For Lucas though, his education started a long time ago. She just didn't know that.

"My son may not have had his Class long," his mom told the difficult patient, "but he started learning from me years before he unlocked. Also, Miss, your rash really isn't something that would be difficult to treat--an untrained [Healer] with the proper affinity could probably clear just by throwing mana at the issue."

If they thought that might change her mind, they were soon proven wrong as the woman once more firmly shook her head.

"Maybe, but he isn't even a full [Healer], is he? Didn't he kill that exile's monster?"

"Look," Mary's stare returned with a vengeance, "you can either accept the treatment, or you can go track down one of the other [Healer]s among the guards. Which is it?"

That threat was apparently all the convincing the [Soap Maker] needed. She quickly recanted her words, not about to further anger the village's best [Healer] over an issue this small. "Ok," she extended her arms to Lucas, "just be careful."

He stepped forward and got a better look at her rash. It definitely didn't look pretty, but from what he knew, it wasn't all that bad. All he had to do was eliminate any traces of the irritant, then treat and reverse the symptoms. Probably wouldn't even take twenty mana, which was good, because his MP still had yet to fill from the day's training.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He held his own hands up and just apart from the woman's so he wouldn't contact her rash, and activated [Arclight Renewal]. A chunk of mana flowed from his channels and out his palms, giving off a calm, pulsing glow at first, before switching to one just slightly more intense. Though it was not enough to cause the woman to lose even one HP, his Skill took on a purging aspect to burn out any hidden irritant, then switch back to the original calm glow. All three of them watched as the swelling went down and the rash started fading.

Half a minute after Lucas started, the woman was back to perfect health. Just to assuage the patient's concern, his mom extend her hand and pulsed her own healing for a moment.

"There, all better," Mary brightly proclaimed. "Now, don't forget what I told you about those ingredients. If you really want to try out new things, try talking to one of the [Hunters]s that dabble in herbalism. They will know what to look for and what to avoid."

With that, she escorted the woman to the door and bid her farewell. Once Lucas's mom shut the door behind her, she turned around and released a large sigh along with her tension. Then she looked up at Lucas and smiled.

"Can't be easy every time, but oh well. How was your day?" She came over and wrapped him in a hug.

Lucas returned the hug while he tried to come up with a reply. "Um, well I might have gotten into trouble..." then he quickly added, "but I swear I was never actually in danger!"

"Lucas." He looked up to see her giving him the very same glare the [Soap Maker] had gotten.

"Yes?"

"Explain."

"Yes, ma'am." He launched into a summarized recounting of his day, adding in an explanation for his tree hollow and how he'd been there before. Eugene joined them as he was talking, probably having heard the patient leave, and quietly listened to his words as well. Lucas told them both how the guard patrol found him and brought him back, despite the fact he was watching out and being careful, and then filled his mom in on the meeting he had with Commander Iltani. When he was done talking, she definitely wasn't pleased, but she wasn't exactly livid either.

"So...am I not in trouble?" Lucas hesitantly asked when his mom didn't immediately speak up.

"Trouble?" She laughed. "Oh, you're definitely grounded over this. You may not think it is such a big deal, Lu, but what you were doing was dangerous and irresponsible. Going outside the village before you even unlocked..." she shook her head, "you should know better than that."

Lucas's gaze fell to his feet. "I'm sorry."

He really had thought he would be safe the entire time, but it was true that he didn't know enough about this world. His actions were nothing but stupid, no matter how they worked out. Before he could get too into his self-recrimination, though, he was wrapped into another of his mom's hugs.

"That said," she spoke, "everything did turn out fine. I won't scold you too harshly when no harm has been done. But, Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still grounded till I know you have learned your lesson."

He nodded. "Ok."

They stayed like that for a minute, both drawing comfort from each other, before they moved to take a seat, joining Eugene on the room's couch. Lucas was guided between the two of them even though they had to squeeze to all fit on the small couch. It looked like his mom was a bit more worried at his news than she let on. He didn't complain and just did what he could to comfort her.

"So, what's this about a mentorship program with the guard?" Mary changed the subject. "Is that not what you two have already been doing?"

"It is," Eugene confirms. "Mostly, anyway. Basically, the program would be larger with more mentors and mentees, and Lucas would eventually be taken on patrols so he could safely get experience and level. Only after his level and Skills were raised through regular training, though."

She contemplated Eugene's proposition. "That sounds alright," she quickly looked to Lucas, "but only after your healing Skills and everything else are prepared. Maybe maxed out, too, if we can manage it."

Some of Lucas's enthusiasm leaked into his voice. "So I can go on patrols?"

His mom hesitated. "Eventually. Probably not for some time, still. But yes, you can go on patrols with Eugene's close supervision. Understand?"

"Yes! Thank you!" He hugged her as hard as he could.

"Woah!" She broke away for a moment. "Someone's stats have clearly gone up. Care to share your status with us? It'll help plan out your leveling while you're grounded, too."

"Ah, sorry," he loosened up and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I used my free stats." He opened up his full status and started reading it out to the two of them--both his stats, and his levels.

Eugene whistled once Lucas finished sharing the final line. "That's quite some progress just since your Class selection. You're leveling extremely quickly."

"I agree," Lucas's mom said. "Those Skill slots really need to be filled, however. We'll need to discuss that before anything else."

Eugene nodded his agreement, and Lucas didn't offer any objection. He'd been working to fill those slots for a while now, after all. Some advice would be appreciated.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" Mary asked Eugene. "It's getting to be around that time."

"If you don't mind," Eugene smiled.

"Of course," she stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Come on, Lu. You can help me throw something together."

"Oh! That reminds me," Eugene stood, "I picked up some cider from the market earlier, but I left it at my house. Do you mind if I step out real quick and go grab it?"

"You don't have to," Mary told him.

"I know," Eugene smiled, "but I should contribute to dinner at least some of the time, otherwise I'll feel guilty."

"Well, ok then. Go ahead, and we will get started on the food," she said. "If we hurry, it may be done not long after you get back."

"Awesome, I'll be right back then."

Eugene stepped out and shut the door behind him, leaving the mother and son pair on their own. Lucas's mom lingered there for a time, just looking at the door, before Lucas broke the silence.

"How long is he going to keep living with his parents and sister?"

His mom startled, as if she forgot he was there, and her cheeks grew a bit red. "What do you mean? Where else would he live?"

"Here," Lucas bluntly stated, "obviously."

"Hush, you," her blush deepened a little more. She turned to the door leading to the kitchen and waved for him to follow. "Come on, let's get started. What would you like to eat?"

Lucas might have pursued the topic a bit more, but it wasn't fully his business. He'd let the two adults move forward at their own place, even if it only made sense for Eugene to live with them at this point, since he probably spent more time in this house than his own already. He thought over his mother's question. "How about chicken sandwiches?"