As Magnus was led through the camp by the guard, he got a clear look at the state of the survivors and villagers who had either fled to the village center during the attack or been rescued and brought here. The first thing he noticed was the tents near the edge of the village square—they weren't really tents but more like makeshift shelters. Using torn, burnt fabric, splintered wood from destroyed homes, and whatever else they could find, the villagers had made structures that offered a semblance of a home.
The makeshift shelters were arranged in rough circles, spreading outward from the village center.
The walk toward the village hall was a winding series of turns, with few straight paths to follow. The camp's atmosphere was heavy with something hard to describe—grim and tense, but not silent. As Magnus walked, he glanced into some of the open tents they passed. Inside, some families sat huddled on the ground, holding one another close. Some of their faces showed joy at being together, while others bore tear-streaked cheeks. It was anyone's guess whether the people they held were their entire family or just the few who'd survived.
As they neared the village center, Magnus noticed a few sturdier, more proper tents scattered about. These weren't for living; they served as makeshift facilities. Some held supplies, mostly food. Others served as kitchens, with long lines snaking out of both entrances as the chefs worked constantly to keep up with the flood of mouths. The largest tents, positioned closest to the village hall, acted as guard posts. With the chain of command shattered in the attack, these posts were the only places where guards could coordinate.
Just seeing these living conditions made Magnus frown as he followed the guard, who seemed to know his way through the maze of paths.
As they turned a corner, the guard moved aside for a moment, letting a man shuffle past. Magnus did the same, noticing the older man's drooping arms and dragging feet. His expression showed concern as he saw the man's eyes—utterly lifeless as if he'd lost the will to do anything. He moved like a ghost going through the motions of walking. The guard remained silent, resuming his pace once the man passed. Magnus followed but couldn't help glancing back as they took another turn.
"Is he okay?" It was a stupid question, and Magnus knew it. It didn't matter who it was—whether it was people who wore strained smiles or the ones who sat crying into their hands on the ground. No one here was "okay." Their homes had been destroyed, ravaged. Friends, neighbors—people they'd known their entire lives—had been slaughtered. Even the guards, who were trying to keep order, probably had families they'd lost. The only reason they were holding it together, keeping order at all, was because duty gave them something to cling to, a way to sidestep the grief.
The guard didn't answer right away, as if searching for the right words.
"There... have been a lot of people like that, among the rescued," he finally said, his tone a heavy shift from how he'd spoken to Magnus before.
"Everyone here has been through something, but… some just couldn't bear it. They broke, at least mentally, and now... they barely respond to anything." He fell silent after that; he didn't need to explain further. Who knew what that man had seen? In the end, it didn't matter. Everyone had a breaking point, a limit to how much they could take. Thinking of how many had been pushed past that point during the attack seemed futile.
As they continued, they finally reached a straight path that led directly toward the village hall. The silence between them lingered, filled only by the steady sound of their footsteps on the stone. Around them, the camp echoed with voices—people talking, moving about, working, crying—a constant hum of survival. It made Magnus reflect silently. Was there anything he could do here? They'd put out the fires and killed most of the monsters that had attacked the village.
But now what?
It's not like I can rebuild their homes. I'm no builder, and anything I create with elementrix will just turn back into mana over time. And I'm definitely not a therapist—I can't help them process all of this.
He thought about maybe helping with the labor, but he knew he couldn't commit long-term. Who knew how long it would take to gather the resources they needed? And he still had to find Mia and the others. Even if he wanted to stay, he was on a time limit with this assignment.
But was there really nothing else he could do to help?
He kept mulling over it up to the poitnt they reached their destination, the village hall. Turning his attention outward, he finally took in the sight of the enormous tree before him. Its trunk was massive, easily a hundred meters in diameter. As they approached the entrance—stairs carved into one of the giant roots leading up to a pair of large double doors—Magnus spotted a familiar face. It was Elip, the captain he had encountered when he first arrived at the eastern wall.
Elip seemed even more exhausted than last time, yet his gaze remained determined.
Sensing Magnus's stare, Elip turned, eyes widening slightly before he changed direction to head their way. The guard noticed Elip as well, coming to an immediate stop and saluting him.
"Captain, I was escorting the Great Mage, Magnus, to the village hall as ordered," the guard reported.
Elip nodded, gesturing for him to relax.
"Good work. I'll take over from here; you can return to your post."
"Yes, sir," the guard replied. Offering Magnus a respectful bow, he expressed his thanks one last time before taking his leave.
Watching the guard walk away, Magnus remarked, "He was pretty cheerful, all things considered."
"It's a refreshing change," Elip admitted, gesturing for Magnus to follow.
"Most of the guards are either exhausted, traumatized, or injured." Hearing that reminded Magnus of something else he'd noticed but hadn't had a chance to ask about.
"I can imagine. Speaking of injuries, though—I noticed there weren't as many injured villagers on the way here as I'd expected. What's up with that?" Sure, he'd seen plenty of bandages, splints, crutches, and slings, but given the scale of the attack, he'd anticipated far worse. Most of the injuries he'd seen so far looked manageable, they would heal in time.
Elip glanced back as he replied, "That's because we're using the village hall as our temporary hospital. The actual one was in the western district—one of the first buildings to burn down."
Magnus's expression grew tense at that news as they ascended the stairs to the hall's entrance. Two guards, each wielding spears, stood at attention, saluting Elip as he pushed open the doors. Magnus looked forward, seeing a scene that, in all honesty, was exactly what he'd expected. Inside, the massive tree had been hollowed out, creating a building-like structure. The walls and ceiling were sanded smooth, forming a circular grand hall on the first floor. Directly ahead, a staircase led up to a second level within the first floor.
Doors and entrances lined both levels, leading to various areas. Interestingly, the staircase didn't stop at the second layer. It began on the first floor, continued to a platform on the second level, and then split into two curving staircases that hugged the inner wall of the tree and presumably led to the second floor. The village hall's aesthetics were simple, though Magnus noticed outlines on the floor where carpets and furniture had likely been moved.
And the reason was apparent.
He hardly had time to take in the hall's architecture, overwhelmed by the people bustling back and forth from different rooms. It was chaotic, with men and women in white robes moving about urgently. As they opened and closed doors, Magnus heard a mix of sounds—people talking, others crying out in pain, and even the occasional scream.
"It hurts! Agh!"
"My arm! I can't feel my arm!"
"We're out of bawuka herbs! Hurry and get more from storage!"
"I need fresh water over here!"
"Where's that splint I asked for!?"
"Hold him down tighter; we can't risk cutting an artery!"
The chaos was nearly overwhelming, and Magnus took a deep breath to steady himself.
Seeing his reaction, Elip stepped in to explain, "We lost a lot of doctors and nurses in the fire that hit the western district, so we're severely understaffed. The one relief is that our warehouses were spared, so we're not low on supplies."
"Well, that's something," Magnus replied, relieved to hear that food and medical supplies weren't another concern amid the chaos.
"By the way," Magnus began, "the guard mentioned orders to bring me here to the village hall, but he never said why. Did something happen?"
His question gave Elip pause.
"Well..." Elip muttered, looking at Magnus with clear hesitation.
"We weren't exactly sure how to tell you, but-" Suddenly, the village hall doors burst open as a desperate voice rang out.
"Help! Please help! This man—my brother—he needs immediate medical attention! He's bleeding out!" Magnus and Elip turned, spotting a guard struggling to support a man slumped over his shoulder. Blood soaked the guard's armor and hands, and a gruesome gash ran from the injured man's shoulder down to his stomach. Torn clothes revealed the white of bone beneath raw muscle, flesh, and blood.
A nearby doctor rushed over, helping the guard lower the man to the ground while calling out, "We need a stretcher!"
The doctor bent down, pulling open the man's shirt for a closer look. His eyes widened, and he took a sharp breath. The guard's face fell, his voice tense with desperation.
"What is it? Can you save him? Please—tell me you can!" The doctor clenched his fists, shaking his head slowly.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. The wound is too deep, and it's likely damaged his organs. Even if we stitched him up, infection would set in before we could clean it properly."
The guard's breath hitched, his arms dropping helplessly to his sides as he stared down at his brother, disbelief clouding his face.
"No... no, that can't be..." Elip stood quietly nearby, his expression full of sympathy as he offered his silent condolences. The doctors and nurses around them did the same before quickly returning to their duties. Even if they couldn't save this life, others still had a chance as long as they kept working.
However, Magnus's expression was different. He seemed to be debating something within himself as he asked Basker something internally.
Basker, we bought twenty of those Mana Imprint Spell Catalysts at the Academy Exchange Center, right? Excluding the one we used against that mana beast in the forest, that means we should still have nineteen left.
[That's correct, Master. However, I should note that you only brought half of them with you. Currently, you have nine on your person. Also, I must remind you that this assignment is meant to help pay off the Arcana Advance we used to buy them in the first time. Using them now, especially when we may need them to deal with the glitch Mia and the others are dealing with, carries risk.]
I know, I know, you're right. But...
Magnus's internal voice trailed off, yet Basker sensed his thoughts clearly and replied in kind.
[I know you can't ignore something like this, Master. As much as you hate to admit it, you're too compassionate to just walk away. Still, I'd suggest saving at least two catalysts if you plan on saving people, just in case.]
Magnus stood silent for a moment, considering Basker's words. Then, with a quiet nod to himself, he moved over to the injured man lying on the ground, struggling to breathe, as the guard and doctor nearby spotted his approach.
"W-Who are you?" The guard asked, startled, as Magnus knelt beside his brother's body.
"Someone who's going to heal your brother," Magnus replied, reaching out with his hand. He activated the storage ring on his finger, and light began to coalesce into a physical form in his palm. Unlike the spell catalysts Luden had given in the past, this one was much thinner—a black sheet that flexed like paper, cut to fit a person's palm. Seeing the strange object with its intricate markings, both the guard and the doctor looked on, both shocked and wary.
"Hey, what are you-" The doctor stopped abruptly, feeling a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Elip, who looked back at him with a serious expression.
"Don't worry; he's a mage," Elip reassured, then directed his words toward the guard, who was still visibly tense, eyeing Magnus with concern.
"He's also the one who took out the monsters at the eastern wall and put out the fires. He's trustworthy." The revelation that Magnus was a mage was surprising enough, but hearing that he'd been responsible for defending the village left both the doctor and guard staring in wide-eyed silence. Magnus, meanwhile, placed the spell catalyst on the injured man's chest, just beside the wound, and created a thin water blade along his right fingertip using water elementrix magic. In the tense quiet, Elip, the guard, and the doctor watched as Magnus pressed his left thumb over the catalyst, cutting it just slightly with the blade.
A single drop of blood fell onto the black sheet, and almost immediately, it was absorbed. The micro-runes etched into the catalyst's surface sparked to life, glowing with a blue-white light.
"Ugh..." Magnus let out a low groan as he felt the flood of visual information about the man's body fill his mind, closing his eyes to focus. It was just like when he peered inside his own body, seeing the microscopic complexities that made up human life. He was used to this sensation by now, and he quickly narrowed his focus, tuning out unnecessary details so he could think clearly. As he did, the spell catalyst began isolating various parts of the man's body, one after another. Bodies varied, but certain biological structures remained consistent. Magnus had long since memorized these patterns, allowing him to locate the areas that needed healing almost instantly.
He began studying the unique qualities of the man's cells, noting their various biological functions and how his body was trying, however futilely, to heal itself.
Initially, I bought these mana imprints as a one-shot move for situations like that encounter with the vampire—someone who couldn't just be overpowered by raw magic. But if I can see inside other people's bodies like this, then I should be able to heal them too, as long as I can visualize it properly.
Within three minutes, he had memorized everything he needed.
[Perfective Regeneration]
"Huh?" The guard peered closer at his brother, noticing movement on his chest.
"Wha-What in the world!" The doctor exclaimed as well, realizing something was happening.
Elip, though silent, was equally amazed.
So this is what magic is also capable of?
The three of them watched in awe as the wound across the guard's brother's chest began to heal. Layer by layer, damaged muscle reformed; torn flesh and tissue knit back together, pulled together by an unseen force. Skin smoothed over everything, restoring his body to wholeness. The pallor from blood loss faded, and the man's natural color returned. His breathing steadied, falling into a calm rhythm.
It had taken only ten seconds for the wound to heal. If Magnus had spent even more time studying the man's body, it could have been even faster.
"There we go," Magnus muttered, opening his eyes and letting out a short sigh. Just as he spoke, the man on the ground stirred, his eyes snapping open as he sat up with surprising vigor, as though he'd never been injured. He looked around in confusion before spotting his brother.
"Feler? What's going on? What happened to the-" He was cut off as Feler, the guard, pulled him into a tight hug, letting out a relieved cry. After a moment, Feler finally released him, though his brother still looked bewildered, and turned to Magnus.
"Thank you! You're a miracle worker, truly! I'll never forget this as long as I live!" Feler lowered his head in gratitude, prompting Magnus to raise his hands and shake his head.
"There's no need for that, really." But then he heard Elip speak, urgency clear in his voice.
"Magnus, can you heal even more severe wounds?"Magnus turned to him, a bit taken aback by the question, but nodded.
"Uh, yeah. Anything short of a complete loss of a body part." At first, this seemed to give Elip a glimmer of hope, though it quickly faded as Magnus said that last part. As amazing as Magnus's [Perfective Regeneration] was, it was grounded on enhancing the body's natural capabilities, not true supernatural regeneration. As long as some part of the body remained, he could regenerate it—just not lost limbs, as they were beyond natural healing.
Seeing Elip's reaction, Magnus frowned slightly, standing up as he looked at him.
"What is it, Elip? You were trying to tell me something earlier. Is someone injured? Is that why I was told to come here right away?" Magnus's words seemed to hit the mark, and Elip nodded slowly.
"It's about the girl you came here with… Seraline. According to the knight who brought her here, she encountered an Adept-level mana beast. She's tough and managed to survive a point-blank attack, killing it in the process. Right now, she's stable, and her life isn't in danger, but…"