ELISE HAD a good time catching up with Hadrien and she actually enjoyed Sapphire's company before they went back to the carriage. Only this time, she and Aricson were left alone. To avoid unnecessary trouble, she dozed off the whole ride. It felt like hours but they had not arrived yet after she woke up.

They were heading to Medical City which was located in the Blackwood Kingdom, opposite the Fliamma Kingdom according to Aricson.

She peeked outside the window and all she could see where the abundance of nature. On her left were mountains obstructing her view while on her right were expansive fields stretched to the sea. Another hour had passed until the carriage halted.

"Don't let anyone, particularly Healers touch your pulse, understand?" Aricson warned before they could step outside.

"Why?"

"There was no doubt they would be skeptical how a Mundran has multi-colored hair."

She instantly inclined her head. Aricson knocked on the roof of the carriage and the servant opened the door. Not far from them was a man with long black hair tied and gathered on his left shoulder and dressed in a white suit atop a silver coat.

He had a kind smile and gentle eyes. He resembled a lovely middle-aged man neighbor who was very friendly to everyone. Upon closer inspection, he had evident wrinkles and laugh lines but no one could deny he was a handsome man in his prime. 

"Lord Gustavious," Aricson called.

"Rei Aricson." The man bowed. "I am very sorry for the delay of your request, sire."

"It is in the past, Lord Gustavious. I am here to assist my friend, Elise," he said and they both turned to her.

She learned from Orin that Gustavious was known as the founder of Medical City. He was regarded respectfully even among all nobles and seeing that even Aricson called him 'Lord' despite having higher status meant that he was revered.

She curtsied right away. "Good day, Lord Gustavious. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Likewise, young miss. I never dreamed one day this young lord would introduce a woman to me," the man commented, his lips lifting more as he spoke. "So what do I owe this pleasure for?"

"She would like to take the Healer Qualifications," came Aricson's straightforward reply.

Gustavious gestured his hand to the grand staircase behind him and spoke, "Is that so? Let me lead you upstairs."

AS SOON as they entered the huge gates at the landing, Elise gawked and her eyes couldn't be bigger. Ever since she arrived in this world she was always encountering surprise after surprise. She thought she was acclimated to it already but what was in front of her made her mouth drop to the floor once again.

"Welcome to Medical City," Gustavious announced as she took the entirety of her surroundings.

Hexagonal windows were framed with gold plates stacked together in an estimated five rows that ran vertically. Its transparent glass covered up to the ceiling and showcased the people inside who were rummaging and doing their own things. 

Noise from all sides buzzed her ears. Unfortunately, this place had no concept of soundproofing. The utter chaos and fast-paced rhythm of working reminded her of an animated movie about bees. 

She twisted to the left and an endless field could be seen even from her standpoint. It certainly deserved to be called a city on how vast it was.

"We house all qualified Healers here. Once they pass, they will have their own space and can have access to all our medicinal plants. They also have the right to choose who to aid and can pursue more advancement as a Healer," the elderly man added, his voice rising to be heard from the relentless sounds.

Elise frowned after his statement as it was poles apart from what she learned. In her world, all doctors were not allowed to refuse a patient. Regardless of status, ethnicity, religion, or are, doctors were bound to help them with their health. The idea of refusing boggled her and she became deeply intrigued.

He continued his explanation till they came to a stop and stepped inside a room with several sets of tables and chairs.

"This is the central room where the exam is held. If you have the proper requirements, anyone can proceed here to take the Healer's Qualifications. May I have your information sheet?"

"Of course." She handed him the folder given to her by Ariscon. It contained a certificate and the paper she filled out days ago.

Gustavious took his time browsing the contents but not a minute after, he looked up and peered at her from head to toe.

"You reside in Ember Isle and a Mundran?"

Elise nodded to affirm him.

"You're not a Half-breed?" he inquired, his brows scrunched as his gaze locked upon me.

"This is the complicated matter I wanted to talk about in private, Lord Gustavious," Aricson intervened.

The old man laughed. "Here I thought, you just wanted me to keep quiet about your relationship since you even personally came here and asked me to accommodate you."

Aricson did not budge with his teasing and replied, "You can have my word that she is human and a Mundran."

Gustavious seemed to consider it at first but finally approving to let her take the test.

"Healer's Qualification is the hardest test here in Humana. Unlike knights or mages, you have the power to save a life and they are at your mercy. No human doesn't need a healer thus it is our honor to cure the most unexpected sickness, the gravest wound, and even the most venomous poison. But that is not all. Healers can strengthen or weaken a person if they choose to."

Her back straightened. He was basically implying that they could also kill their patients if they wanted to since they gave their trust to them. This was basically similar to historical books where the physicians held the upper hand in royalty schemes.

"As a Mundran, you have your limits but even the most powerful will succumb to the hands of a mere Mundran with a broad knowledge of medicine. We know the body more than it can ever will. We know the plants more than anything. Therefore, once we put our hands on this, we are responsible for the result."

What he said was both motivation and a warning. Saving a life was a serious matter and it had been ingrained in her from the moment she decided she wanted to be a doctor. In this kind of work, there were times when lives could be lost and there was an underlying question in his statement that was waiting for her answer.

"I am willing to do this," she responded, feeling the same pride as the day she recited her Hippocratic Oath.

Her hesitation when she was asked by Aricson before was no longer there. She did not plan to stay long but then she realized that she could not deny how she loved experimenting using their methods and incorporating what she had previously learned into their world, applying it to improve their medical ways if proven effective.

And by doing that, it was best to have their certification as it could be considered that what she had done with Hadrien could be medical malpractice. Failure was never an option for her but she could not help but imagine what would happen if the treatment was unsuccessful.

"Since you are a Mundran, you could not make a pill but I want you to write the procedure, nonetheless. I will go ahead first. I wish you the best of luck." Gustavious retained his smile and handed her a paper before leaving them.

"I saw you worked hard so I know you would pass this easily." Aricson's reassurance came unexpectedly but he was not contented with just that.

He took several strands of her hair and brought them to his lips. Their eyes crashed as he kissed those strands with the gentlest peck. When her hair slipped from his hand, he gave her one of his rare dazzling smiles that sent her heart into a frenzy as per usual before closing the door without any more words.

'Oh my god! Calm down, you stupid organ!'

ELISE HAD been done answering and was just waiting for Gustavious to announce. It was just five pages but had taken a long time but there was no nervousness coming from her.

She was assured she would pass. Even before, she never got worried when there were examinations. She believed that if you studied hard why would you even struggle? Although, that confidence in her had earned some hate from her classmates.

"I'm hungry, Aricson," she grumped.

She and Aricson had been sitting at one of the gazebos overlooking the field of crops. They did have lunch at the Academy but it was always her habit to binge eat after exams way back in her school days.

"I thought you wouldn't say that."

He muttered in a foreign language as another one of those fiery orbs appeared. The orb was bigger than usual then it slowly dimmed and revealed a basket.

"Your orbs are definitely convenient!" she lauded and settled the basket on the chair beside her before digging in.

She found some sandwiches and fried foods. With both hands grabbing some, she began eating with no hesitation. She was on her third one when the cordial and composed Gustavious she met awhile ago was storming towards their direction in almost a fervor state.

"Enlighten me, dear," he spoke but quickly paused as he took some deep breaths. "How did you come up with this solution? I apologize for the wait but I tried your answer and it was effective! This is brilliant! I cannot believe to have found a Mundran as young as you are with the mind of a prodigy!"

She was expecting her answer would cause a ruckus but she did not imagine it to be like this. She liked the lord so she answered in full detail and even shared her innovations.

The first half of the exam was basic questions like identifying the plants and what were its uses while the other half was where your knowledge was tested in making a pill. For Mundrans, they just need to write the ingredients and process how to make whatever pill they like and she wrote an alternate solution.

She had always been fascinated by the pills and had asked Orin to make her several of them. With her craving for knowledge, she studied it since it was one of the unique things that could only be found in the world of Elith.

"As pills are induced with the light element which acts as the guiding herb, there are also multiple plants that can replace it. The only thing that prevents this discovery is the compatibility of all the herbs for the medicine made. This procedure cannot be done on all kinds of pills but there are a few where this method can be applied. Blossom Pill could cure rashes in just seconds. They have similar ingredients as the common Rash Powder that takes a couple of days of intake before it disappears. The only difference is that Blossom Pill uses the light element."

Lord Gustavious was listening intently so she proceeded to her theory.

"The light element had various effects on plants which resulted in positive enhancements of its components. Each plant reacts differently to this light element. To enhance the ingredients without the use of the element while not affecting the original result, one must find certain plants that give similar results. The biggest disadvantage in this method is you need to add more ingredients which can be hard to find."

"So you mean to say that each plant differed for each medicine to produce a similar effect as the light element?" The wrinkles on his face sunk as he propped his chin.

"Yes. But as I've said. the most difficult part is that the plant shall be compatible with the other ingredients. It can produce the same result or better but the rarity of ingredients needed will be tricky. So far, I only succeeded with the Blossom Pill since Master Orin had plenty of molten flowers that were used as a replacement. Regrettably, that is all I have at the moment, and have no further findings in making other pills."

She had been doing a lot of trial and error but only the rash pill was successful. She badly wanted to do more but the limited resources prevented her.

"Nevertheless, this is already a huge breakthrough for us Healers. As much as there are light elemental users, there were only several who have chosen to become a Healer. This can help even the Mundran Healers' advancement for medicine that only the Enchanters can have."

"However, I had to clarify that the light element still has a quality that plants could not have which is the hundred percent effectiveness. Even existing medicine powders cannot guarantee to completely heal and the substitute plants only work to speed up the process of treatment."

"I know, but this is enough to have an impact on making medicines. With further exploration, we could find more alternatives. I will assign some of my people to research on this matter."

"If you'd like, I can give you a written note for your guide," she offered.

"That will be extremely helpful. By the by, I had ordered your name block to be made in gold. That is only given to those who have passed the exams with flying colors but since you are willing to share your findings with us, I will need to order it to be changed once again. If you can excuse me for a while."

Gustavious stepped away from them and an orb appeared. She looked at Aricson and he was smiling again.

'Was it just me or had he been smiling a lot for some time now?'

"I knew you could do it but you've exceeded my expectations. You are indeed remarkable," he commended.

"Well, I already love medicine and in this world, I could do my specialty here."

"I don't know if I'm in awe of your talented hands that seem capable of anything or the vast knowledge your mind has." There was no large difference in his usual face except for the subtlety of his softened stare which in return, quickened the pace of her heart.

"You could start by admiring solely myself," she joked and realized what she said was quite  narcissistic that a pink flush rose to her cheeks.

It was like she was fishing for a compliment from him but he still indulged her.

"You are admirable, Elise." His ruby eyes remained on her as he spoke those words before they sunk into another silence.

THE NAME block had just been delivered but the skies had already shifted to deep blues and stars scattered around.  Aricson helped her chain the block and the rose gold bar rest atop her chest. It was the size of a military dog tag with her name carved and a closed lotus flower encircled by wavy lines. On the back, the letters '8th Moon 26th Day' was engraved.

"The normal passers wear silver and the exceptional ones wear gold and there are those who made merit. They are called the Contributors and each of their name blocks was uniquely plated. Yours is the only one in rose gold. Be proud for you are the fourth Mundran to get this honor. It—"

"Excuse me, Grandfather. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you," a voice interrupted Gustavious.

She veered and saw Arllian and she recognized them too.

"Rei Aricson, Elise it is nice seeing you here," Arllian greeted which they also did in return.

"You know Elise?" Gustavious inquired.

"Yes, Uncle. She is the one I talked to you about before."

"The one who healed Hadrien? I should have guessed when Rei Aricson had personally brought her here. I can see why you praised her so. Even I, myself, am amazed by her intelligence."

Arllian, then, noticed her name block and her face morphed into shock.

"She is a C-c-contributor?" she mumbled, her small eyes widened while looking back in forth to her face and the thing in her neck.

"Yes. She is such a gem and I'm glad she decided to share her knowledge with us."

"Congratulations, Elise," Arllian gave her regard.

Elise simply muttered her thanks since she was not fully aware of the significance of her title.

"We need to get going, Lord Gustavious. It appears like an important matter needs your attendance," Aricson intervened.

"You're right. We hope you can visit us again soon. It is a pleasure to talk to you, Elise."

"Thank you, my lord."

They bid their goodbyes and finally returned to Ember Isle. It was a tiring day and she let sleep take over her on their way home.

༻❁༺

U n S c e n e s

Q:  What is your pet peeve?

Dryann: You again? Why do you keep asking questions? Are you spying on us? How dare you—

Hadrien: Please calm down, Elder Sister. Um... A-actually... W-we d-don't have a... um... a p-pet.

Sapphire: *distracted on the corner*

Elise: Sorry about that. I guess they are not familiar with some terms. Let me explain it, okay? A pet peeve is something particular that annoys you. For me, it's people's stares. You know, that kind of stare that makes you feel like a clown? That's pretty much it. What about you, Aricson?

Aricson: Me? The stink of other races' blood. It is hard to wash off every single time it gets on my skin that ripping their heads off is not worth it.

Elise: Ah, well... *turns her head and faces me* I guess, you need to come up with better questions.

Note: Yes, sadly, I'm running out of questions. It will be awesome if you can ask something you want to know more about the characters. Also please read the disclaimer if you want to talk about medical stuff because all these are just a product of my imagination but I also drew inspiration from actual treatments so they are basically half truth half fictional. 

The Hippocratic oath is done during the graduation ceremony for doctors and I don't know about y'all but our university is still doing it.