Zack was sitting in a well-decorated room while enjoying a hot drink.

“How is the tea?” asked the person on the other side of the table.

“It's the best tea I've ever had in this world,” Zack replied with a smile.

Unlike most people his age, Zack never really liked coffee. On the contrary, one of Zack's favorite things in his world was having a good cup of tea while he read one of his books in a quiet environment.

If he were in his world, the tea he is drinking would have been unceremoniously flushed down the toilet. He is very selective about the tea.

“I'm glad,” said the person in front of him. An old man with white hair and a good mustache, dressed in clothes of better quality than those of the other people he had seen.

“I am very sorry for how the residents have treated you. It's not every day that new people appear here, much less a doctor” said the old man while taking a sip of tea. Unlike Zack, he seemed to enjoy it.

Zack put the cup of tea on the table and looked at the man in front of him.

“To what do I owe the honor of this meeting, mayor?” After taking a look at the woman's son, Mary, who appeared in front of his room at the inn, Zack prepared an ointment for him with some herbs he had collected. The ointment was nothing special, just mixing some herbs with similar properties that help reduce fever. It is very far from being able to be called medicine.

After leaving the house, Zack was cornered by the neighbors, who did not stop talking to him and shaking him from side to side.

Fortunately, a messenger from the town mayor sent him a message requesting a formal meeting.

The mayor continued sipping his tea, ignoring his question. Zack wasn't in any hurry either.

This is not the first with people like this old man. Judging by the rumors he has heard at the inn, the mayor is an ambitious man.

Contrary to what one might think, he was not born in this town.

Apparently, the mayor came from a wealthy merchant family that went bankrupt. Since he arrived here, more than fifty years ago, he has been trying to regain the glory of his family. Unfortunately, neither he nor his descendants possess his parent´s talent. So, despite having become the highest authority in this town, his dreams could not come true.

That doesn't mean Zack is going to underestimate him. Any man who has failed a thousand times will have learned a thousand different things.

If the mayor were as incompetent as the rumors make him seem, he wouldn't be a mayor in the first place. Even so, it is evident that after so many failures, and taking into account his advanced age, the mayor has become... anxious.

As Zack expected, the mayor began to speak after a few minutes of silence.

“The reason I invited you here is because I wanted to thank you for the actions you have taken towards the residents. It is obvious that they also feel grateful” said the old man, remembering what his messenger had told him.

Zack tried to smile at the comment. It was true that some people were enthusiastic, but not everyone looked favorably at him. In the crowd, several people seemed to be there out of obligation and did not want to be there.

“Don't be so surprised. After all, you are our benefactor” said the old man when he saw Zack's expression.

“Thank you for saying that, but the truth is that I haven't done anything special”

It wasn't a lie. Zack didn't feel like he had done anything special. Even without his help, the children would have recovered with proper care. Furthermore, he received money for it. Zack couldn't ask for more.

"Do not be modest. What you have done was incredible. Not everyone could have helped those children” said the mayor, praising Zack. It was obvious that the mayor was trying to direct the dialogue somewhere.

Other people might have a hard time appreciating this, but for Zack, who had closely observed the world of high society, it was easy to see something like this. In fact, merely looking at the mayor's actions so far, along with the knowledge he must have about him, Zack can see where this conversation is going.

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The mayor had not given up on his dreams but was running out of time. It was clear that after hearing what Zack had done in the town, he had seen an opportunity to further his goals. Not that Zack cared. If he could benefit him, he didn't mind playing along.

After a while of praising his actions, the mayor began to adopt a serious tone.

Seeing this, Zack knew that the main reason why he had been called was going to be revealed.

“Tell me, mister Matthew. What do you think of the people of this town?”

(And I don't know. I've literally been in this place for less than two hours) Zack thought, criticizing the mayor in his heart.

Since he arrived in the city, until they dragged him here, not much time has passed. If it weren't for hearing the mayor's offer, Zack would have gone to the inn to sleep. The events of the last few days have left him completely exhausted.

"It is a very nice place. Everyone is very friendly, and it's very calm. Completely different from other places I've been to”

Even so, Zack couldn't say that, so he answered completely differently, with a bit of humor in his eyes.

Hearing that the town he had been developing for almost half a century was a quiet place, the mayor's eyebrows couldn't help but raise slightly, only to settle into his position immediately afterward. If he hadn't been paying attention, Zack wouldn't have noticed it.

The mayor got up from his chair and walked towards the window. When he got there, he looked down and began to observe the landscape from his second-floor office.

In front of the town hall, there was a small square with flowers everywhere. Children were playing together in the square, while some adults watched the children, and talked to each other.

“For me, this town is very important. The people, living their lives the best they can, are the most important thing to me” said the old man as he looked at the window with compassionate eyes.

Zack didn't believe a word. He has met too many politicians to believe any of them care about citizens. Still, the mayor's attitude was credible. He definitely had to have an acting skill.

“That is why I would like to make you a proposal” The old man looked away from the window and looked at him deeply.

“Would you like to become the town doctor?”

"What?" Zack asked, really surprised.

Seeing Zack's expression, he began to explain the situation.

"You will see. The reason people were acting like that is because we don't have a doctor in the town” the mayor said, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"How is that possible?" Zack asked, confused.

No matter how small this town is, it is impossible that no doctors are living here.

The existence of a doctor is crucial for small towns. Even if no one originally lived there, the mayor should have been able to convince someone to live in the village.

To Zack's confusion, the old man responded:

“The local doctor passed away a few months ago, and we have not found a replacement until now. We have tried to bring someone from nearby cities, but this place is very poorly connected and too small, so no one has accepted until now” The mayor seemed to want to hide under a hole when he said this.

A city without a doctor for emergencies is an embarrassing situation for the mayor.

Zack was speechless. He was perfectly aware of what it meant to not have a doctor in town.

Unlike in Zack's world, a doctor´s status is not as great as one might think. That is due to one reason only: the church.

Just like in his world, the church plays a fundamental role in society at all levels. However, there is a huge difference between the two here. The miracles they perform are a daily occurrence.

In the class system, there is a class called an acolyte. People who acquire this class have a talent for the religious world. The first thing an acolyte must do is to choose the deity they want to worship and join their group of believers, performing tasks to spread their faith. Thanks to this, the acolyte can level up and accumulate divine power, with which he can perform miracles taught by the clergy.

That is the reason religion in this world has an enormous influence on Flame this world. Even more than Zack's.

In the kingdom of Parmece, there is only one religion that serves Blaze, the god of fire, and all others have been declared unofficial religions.

Whenever someone is discovered with the acolyte class, he is quickly sent to the church of the everlasting flame, where they are converted into believers. In return, the church fully supports the kingdom's actions in its fight against demons, calling it a 'sacred crusade'.

Despite having read multiple books on the subject, he does not know if the deities of each church are real, but their miracles are.

In every city in the kingdom, there is at least one church where believers pray, and miracles are performed in exchange for 'small donations'.

Due to the existence of the Church, the status of doctors is significantly lower than in his world. Any wound can be healed instantly by a common priest. Even so, the church does not bother to reach small populations that are difficult to access. That is why the presence of doctors in these places is essential.

Upon hearing that the town has no doctor, Zack came up with the idea of becoming one. After all, it is the perfect disguise, but after a while he discarded it.

No matter how much he tries to pretend, he is not a doctor. If a real emergency were to occur and he didn't know how to act, not only would it affect his conscience, but it is very likely that the entire city would not let him scoot free.

The mayor had been at his side, waiting for his decision. Seeing him shake his head, he knew Zack was going to reject his proposal, so he approached him and whispered a few words in his ear.

…

10 minutes later.

Zack was leaving the town hall with a lost look on his face, accompanied by one of the mayor's assistants, to show him his new home.

Following the attractive secretary, who was leading, Zack only had one question.

(Why did I accept?)