Suppressing a wave of emotions, Lily fought the urge to retaliate against the painful grip on her arm. "Miss, I'm truly sorry if I've caused any offense," she said, her voice steady despite the distress. "I mustn't keep Master Orion waiting with his orders. Please excuse me." The mention of the mendicar's name seemed to startle the apprentice, who promptly released her grip.

As the girl muttered a few more scornful remarks, Lily didn't linger to absorb the full brunt of her words. Descending the stairs, a dizzying wave of helplessness washed over her. Though not overpowered in strength, she felt diminished, humiliated. Conflicting emotions tugged at her – anger urged her to confront the girl, while sorrow pushed her towards tears. She couldn't fathom the reason behind such unprovoked hostility from a fellow student.

Reaching the reception room, Lily steadied her trembling legs. She observed Master Orion issuing commands to the other students. Waiting for a break in his instructions, she politely excused herself with a brief nod from Orion, then quietly departed.

Her first day had been a combination of highs and lows. She had witnessed a treatment firsthand, collected valuable knowledge from "Basic Healing," and even encountered a spell she hoped to master. However, the day was blemished by mistreatment and disdain, it was so different from her experiences at the tavern where she was respected and appreciated. Recalling the warmth and camaraderie of her former workplace brought a swell of tears to her eyes.

The abrupt transition to this new environment felt overwhelming. Caught between the thrill of new opportunities and the sting of harsh treatment, Lily struggled with her emotions.

Back to her home, Lily lay beside her brother, tears silently streaming down her face. The loneliness she had managed to keep at bay since their parents' passing now consumed her. It was a sorrow long suppressed by the constant busyness of life, now breaking through in quiet, overwhelming waves.

"There's hope now," she whispered to herself, seeking solace in the thought of saving Draven. With this sense of purpose, Lily found the strength to continue her evening routine. Everything was meticulously cleaned, including herself and her brother, and soon she sat by his bed for their meal. After the nightly rituals, Lily finally had a moment to explore the spell she had read about.

The 'clean' spell, a basic tier 1 magic, was technically within her grasp, despite the absence of a spell scroll. Breathing deeply, she focused on sensing the life mana within her, channeling it from its source in her brain. Though mana absorption was fundamental for mages and warriors, the true challenge lay in mana manipulation – the first step in spellcasting. Lily understood this was a natural progression from absorption, a skill often mastered without the aid of scrolls.

Gently, she coaxed the life mana from its spring deep within her soul to her hand. She focused on drawing the spell's pattern in the air, the complex lines representing purity. Working with her life mana was a soothing experience, the magical energy feeling rejuvenating and familiar.

However, forming the spell's pattern proved challenging, like writing with smoke. As soon as the mana left her body, it behaved unpredictably. It was a reminder of why the mage's path was considered more demanding than that of a warrior, and why mages were revered for their unmatched prowess within their tier. Lily's resolve, however, remained unshaken.

Exhaustion eventually won over her persistent attempts at spellcasting, and she succumbed to sleep.

The next morning came with urgency. Lily rose early, aware of their dwindling food supplies and her limited time before work. She quickly boiled water for a basic wash, tending to herself and Draven with brisk efficiency. With only a meager sum of silver and copper to her name, her trip to the market was a race against both time and budget. Her thoughts lingered on Draven, hoping his condition would hold steady long enough for her to learn from Master Orion and resume earning for his treatments.

Purchasing only the essentials, Lily hurried back home and prepared the quickest meal she could muster. Then, she dashed off to work, silently praying she wouldn’t be late. Whether by fortune or indifference, her arrival went unnoticed, or at least unremarked.

Later, when tasked with cleaning the treatment room, Lily took her time, particularly while dusting the cabinet. She identified the disinfectant used for soaking the cloths – a diluted tincture with an aroma reminiscent of strong ale. She noted its application in the liquid mixture for wound cleaning and made a mental note to learn its preparation. Her scrutiny extended to the herbs in the cabinet, mentally cataloging those used in the salves and concoctions.

Lily then turned her attention to the tools. She handled each one carefully, mimicking the students' movements from the day before, trying to deduce their functions and familiarize herself with their feel.

Her exploration, however, was constrained by time. Eager to carve out moments for her own studies, she expedited her cleaning. As she finished with the treatment and reception rooms, she noticed Master Orion descending the stairs. He offered no greeting, but a flicker of satisfaction crossed his face upon seeing the prepared breakfast. It was a small victory for Lily – at least her efforts in the kitchen were appreciated.

The morning hours swiftly dissolved into a flurry of activity until a knock at the door heralded the arrival of a new patient. Mrs. Patricia, a pregnant neighbor, entered seeking assistance for her discomfort. The students' initial disappointment at the mundane nature of her complaint vanished under Master Orion's stern gaze.

Lily observed, intrigued by the vibrant concentration of green life mana in Mrs. Patricia's abdomen – a clear indication of the life growing within. Orion ushered her to lie down on one of the beds, signaling his students to observe as he conducted the examination. It was evident to Lily that Mrs. Patricia was a regular, valued client given the personal attention she received from the mendicar.

Orion gently felt the woman's pulse and then cautiously palpated her belly. He then summoned a student to fetch a box containing numerous vials, each sealed tightly. With meticulous care, he held each vial under Mrs. Patricia's nose, observing her reactions. It wasn't until the vial containing a red liquid was presented that she winced in pain.

Satisfied with his findings, Orion returned the box to the student. Mrs. Patricia, already panicking, inquired about her baby's condition.

"Your baby is showing signs of mild fire mana poisoning. It's treatable, but we must pay attention to avoid complications," Orion explained, his tone displaying a professionalism Lily hadn't seen in him before.

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"Fire poisoning?" Mrs. Patricia's confusion was evident.

"It's likely you've consumed something with a high concentration of fire mana. Normally beneficial, but it can, occasionally, affect the baby," Orion clarified.

"I haven't eaten anything unusual," she protested.

"Sometimes, foods rich in mana can be consumed unknowingly. It doesn't have to be anything exotic. It could be meat from a fire-aligned creature or a herb or vegetable with fire properties," he elaborated with patience.

Mrs. Patricia's irritation flared as she questioned, "Then how am I supposed to know what's safe to eat?"

Master Orion addressed her concerns with practical advice. "Start by eating less, and avoid unfamiliar foods. The likelihood of the baby reacting to something in your regular diet is quite slim," he counseled.

Though Mrs. Patricia appeared only partly reassured, she urged him to proceed with treatment. Orion, surprisingly, chose to explain the treatment process aloud, providing Lily with an unexpected learning opportunity. He outlined two primary methods for treating mana poisoning: countering the offending mana with its opposite, or expelling the excess mana from the body. While countering was simpler, expulsion could be more effective with fewer side effects, making a combined approach often preferable.

Given the delicate nature of treating a baby, Orion decided on a gentle concoction for Mrs. Patricia to ingest over several days. It would consist of weak water-aligned herbs and a detoxifying agent. The challenge lay in the precise formulation and dosage. Lily listened intently, observing not just the concoction’s preparation but also the changes in life mana within Mrs. Patricia's abdomen.

After the consultation, Mrs. Patricia didn't hesitate to pay, handing over ten silver coins to a student and promptly departing. Although the fee was similar to what the hunters had paid, the resources and time expended were considerably less.

The afternoon was quiet, with no new patients arriving. Orion seized the opportunity to quiz his students on herbs and their effects. Lily eavesdropped from a distance, eager to absorb as much information as possible. It dawned on her that she needed a notebook for her studies to prevent the details from blurring in her memory.

Later, while the others dined downstairs, Lily revisited the healing book, mindful to finish her reading and leave before attracting any unwanted attention.

That night, after her duties were complete, she dedicated herself once more to mastering the 'clean' spell. The absence of a night shift in her job afforded her more time for Draven and her healing studies. Each occupation had its merits; while her current position didn’t offer financial compensation, it provided invaluable knowledge and practice in her class.

For hours, Lily faced the pattern of the 'clean' spell, each attempt slipping through her grasp like mist. Just as she neared the brink of giving up, the pattern finally held together, a fleeting triumph that was quickly overshadowed by her forgetting the subsequent incantation. Repeated trials led to a revelation; her intense focus had been a hindrance. The spell required a blend of instinct and familiarity, something she only grasped as fatigue began to dull her sharp concentration.

Inspired, Lily practiced the pattern several times, achieving success more consistently. Now, the challenge was the incantation. Without a spell scroll or a mentor, the ancient language of the spell was a puzzle. She decided that deciphering the correct pronunciation would be a task for the next night; for now, rest was essential.

The following day at work crawled by torturously slow, her mind preoccupied with the spell awaiting her at night. She found it hard to absorb lessons from the day's patients. A child with a simple fracture required bone setting, the application of a healing salve, and immobilization with a splint. The parent, already financially strained, declined the offered 'minor pain relief' concoction, unwilling to part with more silver.

The case of the hunter poisoned by an earth-aligned toxin proved more intriguing. Master Orion explained that all poisons contained traces of death mana, differing from mana poisoning which was merely an overdose of elemental mana. Poison, whether naturally occurring in a monster or concocted by a poisoner, was particularly insidious due to its death mana component, designed to circumvent the body's natural defenses. This explanation offered Lily a deeper understanding of the complexities of her field, fueling her eagerness to learn and master even more.

In the matter of poison treatment, mild cases were usually remedied through detoxification and counteracting effects, while more severe instances required the direct extraction of poison from the body. The hunter's condition, fortunately, fell into the former category, thus within Master Orion's expertise. He was instructed to ingest a detoxifying potion and apply a corresponding balm to the bite on his leg. Less fortunate was the fact that he would endure discomfort from both the poison and the treatment for several days. To mitigate this, he also purchased 'minor pain relief' and 'minor soothing' concoctions, parting with eight silver coins in total.

In addition to observing these treatments, Lily managed to steal half an hour with the basic healing book, broadening her understanding of several treatment scenarios. She also improvised a solution for taking notes, salvaging blank pages from the students' discarded paperwork. It was a makeshift method, but it was all she could afford at the moment.

That night, Lily resumed her practice of the 'clean' spell. The task of randomly testing pronunciations in an unfamiliar language was as tedious as it was exhausting, but her perseverance finally bore fruit. Whispering "clean" in the arcane tongue, she felt the spell seamlessly lock into place. To her astonishment, the spell burst forth in a cloud of green mana mist, unintentionally targeting her bedsheets and leaving behind a small, irregularly shaped white stain, along with a splitting headache as tangible evidence of her success.

A silent cheer escaped her lips, quickly stifled to avoid disturbing her neighbors – kind souls who deserved their rest. Despite the chaos and the pain, she had achieved her goal. It was messy and bewildering, but it was a start.

As she took a moment to steady her breathing and collect herself, the cause of her headache became apparent. Her mana reserves, her inner spring of life energy, were depleted. The realization that casting a single spell had exhausted her mana capacity filled her with a sense of dismay.

Although her inexperience provided a plausible explanation, Lily speculated if she might have simply used too much mana, like pouring an entire bucket of water into a small cup. Another possibility was that her internal mana reservoir, her 'spring,' was still developing, and would strengthen and expand with repeated use of magic.

Her gaze then shifted to the white stain on the sheets. She wondered if the spell's application had been incorrect, or if this was actually a successful cleansing. Initially, she had anticipated that the 'clean' spell would only be effective on living beings, aiding in the treatment of wounds and infections. Now, she considered the possibility of its broader utility, even on inanimate objects.

Reflecting on the condition of the sheets, Lily recalled they had once been much whiter. Despite her diligent efforts to keep the house pristine for Draven's sake, the unavoidable yellowing of fabric over time had taken its toll. Perhaps her spell had reversed some of this wear.

Contemplating whether to continue experimenting or to rest for the night, her excitement won over. After waiting half an hour for her mana to replenish, Lily cautiously attempted the spell again, this time envisioning another area of the sheets regaining its original whiteness. She also consciously tried to regulate her mana usage.

When it came time to recite the incantation, she hesitated, fearing a mispronunciation. However, the correct words flowed from her instinctively: "clean."

This attempt culminated in her directing the life mana mist over a broader area with a gentler touch. The sheets beneath the dissipating green mist were noticeably whiter, though not as white as the first attempt. To her relief, she was spared the headache this time, finding her mana spring still half-full.

With growing confidence, Lily waited briefly before her next trial, aiming for a more focused and intense application. The spell took effect, and she sensed the onset of a headache, signaling it was time to halt. Though tired, the absence of pain was a victory. The resulting spot on the sheets was placed between her first and second attempts.

Satisfied with her progress, Lily allowed herself to drift into sleep, her thoughts filled with satisfaction for her burgeoning abilities.