"Here, sir," said a childish voice just as they stopped in front of one of the buildings.

"Here?" Zack frowned as he took a look. In contrast to the square they were in before, the street left much to be desired. The streets were dirty, and people's clothing was several notches below the inhabitants of the village he had seen earlier. On the way, Zack had also seen some suspicious-looking individuals moving furtively. It wasn't a good place.

The location they were in was on the edge between the residential area and the slums. It was hard to say that security could be guaranteed. When they entered the building, the first thing Zack noticed was that it was old and large. Probably one of the largest houses on the street, but its condition made people not want to live there. Unlike the residential buildings, made of brick and stone, this one was made of wood, and it was evident that a considerable amount of time had passed since its construction.

"I'm back. I've brought someone who can heal Sister Sally," the child ran in, and his voice echoed throughout the house.

(Sister Sally?) Zack thought that the person who was sick was the boy's biological sister, but now it seemed not entirely true.

With every step he took, the floor creaked beneath his feet, indicating how old this place was. Seconds after the child finished speaking, something unexpected happened.

"Is that true?"

"Big brother"

"Is Sister Sally going to be okay?"

Children emerged from the corners, like mushrooms after a stormy day. Little kids came out of hiding, and they all started talking at once, making it impossible to understand anything.

(Two, three, five) Zack silently counted the number of small children starting to appear. In the end, he counted a total of seven small children, excluding the one who had led him here.

"Sir, are you a doctor?"

"Please, cure Sister Sally."

Once they heard who Zack was, all the children began to approach him. In no time, he was surrounded by children asking him to heal their sister.

"Sir, this way."

The child who had brought him approached him hurriedly and guided him to one of the rooms, pushing the other children away from him, as if afraid he might change his mind at any moment.

"Matthew," said Zack, following the child calmly through the corridors, and observing the rest of the house. Judging by the fine layer of dust in this place, it had been a few days since anyone had cleaned here.

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"Eh?" The guiding child stopped in surprise at hearing Zack's voice.

"My name is Matthew," Zack clarified when he saw that the child didn't understand what he meant. Now that he thought about it, maybe he had been too hasty in agreeing to help the boy. He didn't even know his name. It's even possible that what awaits him is an ambush rather than a patient.

His tiny guide's attitude, and the other children they had encountered, suggested otherwise, but unnecessary risks should not be taken.

In fact, as they approached the slums, Zack used a small detection spell to see if they were being followed.

Mages have the ability to detect those of their own kind. It's very similar to how in his old world, retired soldiers could see if someone else had received similar training. The difference is that it's instinctive, while mages consciously notice it based on the fluctuations of mana around that person. They can hide it, but almost no one does. Being a mage is a respectable thing; no one would intentionally hide it.

(Almost no one) Zack thought.

During his time in the village, he hadn't seen a single person who could use magic. Not that he wanted to complain; he's very grateful for that, but it made him realize that mages are more valuable than he thought.

"I'm Manny," said the child without turning around. They soon entered one of the rooms. There, lying in bed, was a twenty-year-old girl, sweating and trying to breathe normally.

"Sister Sally," said Manny, who approached the girl with a look of concern on his face.

The moment they entered, the girl turned to see them, surprised. "Manny, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be working."

"I've brought someone to cure you. Matthew is a doctor. He can heal you," he replied with certainty.

The girl looked at Zack for a moment before getting up from the bed with some difficulty and approaching both of them.

Slap.

Sister Sally slapped the boy with all her strength. Then, she grabbed his shoulders and began to scold him.

"Why did you do such a thing? You know perfectly well that we don't have money to pay the doctor. What do you think will happen if he cures me and finds out later? In the worst case, he could call the guards to arrest us."

"Do you want to get arrested? Do you want never to see Timmy, Jenny- Cough, cough

"Sister Sally!"

Manny, who had been paralyzed when the girl slapped him, reacted when she let go and started coughing violently.

"Manny, bring a glass of water," a deep voice sounded behind him. When he turned, Zack was approaching Sister Sally, who was still coughing. Once he was in front of her, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed despite her protests.

"Don't take Sister Sally away!" he shouted, somewhat confused. Seeing this,

The boy was in shock. It's normal; he was doing something he thought was good, and instead of being praised, he was reproached very strongly. Instantly afterward, the person doing it starts feeling sore. It's normal not to know how to react.

"Don't worry; nothing bad will happen. I'm just going to see how she's doing," Zack said calmly to reassure the boy.

Zack's words seemed to have made him recover a bit, and after looking at the woman in the doctor's arms, he nodded vigorously and ran out of the room.

(Why does this happen to me? It's the second time today) Once he was alone in the room, Zack sighed mentally. For a moment, he wondered if someone had cursed him, but he quickly dismissed that thought from his head. Now he had more important things to do.

He gently placed the girl on the bed and began to examine her. Although his medical skills leave much to be desired, the books he had read in his old world about basic biology, and the more than two dozen books on medicine from this world, were not just for show. At least, he considers himself sufficiently trained to make a simple initial diagnosis. Moreover, he has an advantage that doctors in his world don't have: he can cheat.

He closed his eyes and let his magical power envelop the unconscious figure lying on the bed.