Mav sat on a wooden chair near the counter inside Ana's shop. The soft morning light filtered through the small window, casting long shadows across the room. Outside, the village was slowly coming to life. The distant clatter of a cart rolling over cobblestones could be heard through the window, along with the occasional murmur of villagers chatting as they passed by.

Despite the cool remnants of the night still lingering in the air, Mav felt stuffy. He wore the brown coat Organos had lent him, its hood pulled low over his head, and a blue cloth wrapped around his face, leaving only his blue eyes visible.

"You sure you don't want to take that off for now? You look like you're roasting in there," Ana commented, lazily slouched over the table in front of him.

"And risk getting recognized if someone comes in?" Mav replied, his voice slightly muffled by the cloth.

"Why are you even so paranoid about someone finding out about your skill?" Ana asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

Mav shifted in his seat, leaning his elbows on his knees. "What if someone finds out and decides to use me? Or worse, kidnaps me and threatens my family or the people close to me?"

Ana let out a sharp breath, followed by a full, hearty laugh. "You've been reading too many adventure tales, Mav. Stuff like that doesn’t happen in real life."

"Careful, you just set up a flag," Mav thought to himself, frowning under the cloth.

"And another thing—call me Azure when I'm in this disguise, remember? What if you slip up?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright, Azure." Ana emphasized the name mockingly, before chuckling again. "And your naming sense—" she broke off as another fit of laughter overtook her.

"I know, alright! Just give it a rest." Mav replied, feeling his face grow hot under the hood.

After his encounter with Kastanos, Mav realized he needed to level up his healing ability, Dark Blue Miracle. In critical situations, it consumed too much mana to be reliable. So, the first idea that came to mind was hanging around Ana's shop, Potions & Healing, to offer his services. His plan was simple: whenever someone came in needing healing, he would convince Ana to let him use his skill instead.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take much convincing. Ana had eagerly agreed, saying it would lighten her workload and give her more time to focus on crafting potions. At first, Mav suggested that all the earnings should go to Ana, since his only goal was to level up his skill, but she refused. After a bit of back-and-forth, they settled on a fifty-fifty split.

Ana finally caught her breath, her laughter dying down, but her smile faded as she regarded him seriously. "You know, I never asked you before—because you always seemed in a rush—but you were lying about being a noble's son, weren’t you?"

Mav winced and bowed his head slightly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have lied about that."

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"When did you figure it out?" he asked, glancing up.

Ana crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "The first time you came into my shop, actually."

"What? That soon? How?"

She smirked. "Well, what really gave it away was when you mentioned that you lived in Oraios Village. You let your guard down there, Mav. But even before that, I had my suspicions. If you were truly a noble's son, you would’ve threatened to shut down my shop the second I refused your request."

"Wait—seriously? I thought those stereotypes only existed in stories!" Mav exclaimed.

Ana shook her head, smiling knowingly. "Nope, wealth and status get to people’s heads all the time. It’s as real as it gets."

"I see..." Mav replied, glancing at the floor.

"Just promise me you won’t turn into one of those types when you make it big, alright Mav?" she said, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Mav snorted. "There’s no way I’ll ever be as rich as a noble. And it's Azure, remember?"

Ana chuckled. "We’ll see," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Mav asked, raising an eyebrow, but before Ana could respond, the door to the shop burst open with a loud clatter. The bell hanging above it swung violently, its ringing filling the room.

"Is the healer here?!" a voice called urgently.

Mav and Ana turned to see a young man standing in the doorway, his dark hair matted with sweat, his green cloak dusty. He was supporting an unconscious girl with one arm over his shoulder, her yellow cape hanging limply from her back. But what caught Mav's attention was the long, gaping wound across her stomach, blood staining her dark clothes.

Ana rushed over, grabbing the girl’s other arm to help. "Ma—Azure, grab that table, quick!"

Mav obeyed, clearing the bottles and Daimoniki cores scattered across the long wooden table before dragging it to the center of the room.

"Help me get her on the table!" Ana shouted, and the three of them carefully laid the girl down. Her pale skin looked even more ghostly under the harsh light, and blood continued to drip slowly from the gash.

"What happened?" Ana asked, her voice tight with concern.

"W-We were in the forest," the young man stammered, his face pale. "We ran into a pack of Gray Wolves. I thought we could handle them, but she... she misjudged one of their attacks. She almost had them all, but... it’s my fault! I was too slow to cast my skill. I let her down," he choked, his eyes filling with tears.

Ana placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly. "It’s no one's fault. Calm down. She’ll be fine."

Then she glanced at Mav. "Do it, Azure."

"Dark Blue Miracle," he whispered quietly, his hands hovering above the girl's wound.

A dark blue flame enveloped her, its gentle glow spreading across her body. The gash in her stomach began to knit itself back together, the torn skin mending seamlessly as if the wound had never existed. In seconds, the injury was completely gone—no scar, no blood, only the tear in her shirt remained as evidence of what had happened.

The girl stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. The young man immediately gripped her hand tightly, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m so sorry," he whispered, pressing his forehead against her hand.

Olivia smiled weakly, her voice barely a whisper. "It’s not your fault, Oliver."

But the young man said nothing more. He simply held her hand and cried, his body shaking with relief.

After a few moments, Olivia sat up slowly with Ana’s help. She ran a hand through Oliver’s hair, offering him a tired smile. "See? I’m okay."

Oliver lifted his head, his eyes wide as he glanced at her stomach. "Not even a scar left..." he whispered in awe.

He turned to Mav, his face filled with gratitude. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much." Without warning, he rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Uhh... you’re welcome," Mav replied awkwardly, his arms hovering stiffly before he patted the boy's back.

He shot Ana a look, silently asking for guidance, but she just smirked and gave him a knowing glance, as if to say, Let him have his moment.