For a moment, Julius genuinely thought Luca was joking.

His lips twitched, waiting for the punchline—for that smug 'got you' grin that would follow.

But it never came. Luca simply stood there, calm, confident, completely unbothered.

And then it hit him.

He wasn't joking.

Luca truly believed what he said.

Julius stared at him for a few seconds, and then—he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Loud, unrestrained laughter that even made Rufus flinch. He laughed so hard that his shoulders shook and tears formed in his eyes.

"You?" He finally managed between breaths. "You're the doctor? Oh, by the gods...what a joke. What an absolutely amazing joke."

He wiped the corner of his eye, grinning mockingly.

"I never knew humans could be this funny. If I'd known earlier, I would have kept one of you around just to make me laugh whenever I got bored. Really, this is incredible."

Luca, however, didn't look offended in the slightest.

He just tilted his head a little, smiling faintly.

"Is it really that funny?" He asked, voice low and calm. "To say that I can be a doctor as well?"

"I mean, it's not like medicine is some divine gift that only you are allowed to touch. There are thousands of doctors out there—men, women, humans, elves, beastkin alike."

"What makes you think I can't be one?"

"Oh, of course." Julius said, nodding with exaggerated politeness. "Of course, you're right. There are many doctors in the world."

Then his voice dropped to a sneer.

"But you?"

He stepped forward, eyes glinting with mockery as he stared straight into Luca's.

"You of all people? No. I don't believe that for a second. The reason you were brought into this world was to defend the demi-human continent. And I'll give you credit—you've done that well. You're strong, powerful, and certainly dangerous."

He even clapped slowly, the sound sharp and taunting.

"But medicine?"

Julius's voice turned cold and cutting.

"That takes decades of study, of trial, of relentless dedication. Even I, a renowned healing mage in my youth, spent half a century honing my craft before I dared call myself master of it."

He gestured dismissively toward Luca.

"And now here you stand—some soldier plucked from another world—claiming you can step into my place because you know how to draw blood and check a fever?"

He shook his head, lips curling in disdain.

"Truly hilarious."

His laughter broke out again, and this time Rufus and Isaac joined in, chuckling nervously but finding confidence in their his mockery.

Leona and Nyx also exchanged a subtle glance.

Though they didn't support Julius, doubt flickered across their faces.

Luca was already impossibly strong, an anomaly among humans. So, to claim medical mastery on top of that seemed almost greedy, almost too much to believe.

But then—

"No!" A voice called out.

Lulu took a bold step forward, standing right between Luca and Julius. Her eyes were fiery, her small hands clenched tightly around Luca's sleeve.

"No, he's definitely not lying. He's most definitely a doctor—I can attest to that!"

Julius's brow arched in amusement. "Oh? You can attest?"

"Yes!" Lulu said stubbornly, puffing her chest out. "He helped remove an arrow from my body. It was deep—so deep I thought I'd die—but he pulled it out, patched me up, and even stitched it perfectly!"

"He knew exactly what he was doing!"

Luna quickly followed, stepping to her sister's side and raising her hand.

"He also taught me a lot—about stitching, patching, cleaning wounds, and keeping them from getting infected. I believe him! I believe Luca is a doctor!"

Julius's smirk widened.

"All very impressive." He drawled. "But those are basic field techniques. Any soldier who's seen a battlefield for more than a day can learn them with a little practice. They're hardly proof of true medical mastery."

He turned his gaze toward Esme, still lying pale and silent on the bed.

"But this illness?" He gestured toward her. "This is no battlefield scratch. There is no way someone like him could do anything meaningful about it. Utterly impossible."

He paused, then added with false modesty.

"Truth be told, even for me this case is…complex. Every method I've attempted has failed to produce lasting results. I doubt very much a human dabbler could unravel what has stumped me."

It was pure arrogance speaking now—the deep-seated belief that no one in this village, perhaps no one in the entire forest, could possibly surpass his knowledge.

That superiority had always lived in his blood, and it fueled every word.

He took a step closer, voice softening into something almost patronising.

"Perhaps you're acting out of frustration, Hero. Spinning these tales to comfort yourself and the others. I understand—tempers run hot. But I advise you not to stake lives on empty boasts."

He spread his hands again, magnanimous.

"But I will say that there are many lives hanging in the balance here and I truly care about them. So, if you simply apologize for your earlier outbursts, I am willing to overlook everything."

"I will rescind my resignation and continue treating the patients. I am, after all, quite merciful."

Before Luca could open his mouth, Lulu tightened her grip on his arm and practically leapt in front of him.

"Never!" She shouted. "You stay back! Luca will handle everything. We don't need you for anything!"

Luna squeezed his other hand, stepping closer to his side.

"You'd only make things worse." She said firmly. "I may not know the full extent of Luca's medical knowledge, but I trust him. I trust he wouldn't make such a claim carelessly."

"For his honor alone, I know he'll see this through."

Hearing the twins unwavering faith, something shifted in the room.

Nyx's faint smile returned, warmer now. Leona's shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension she was feeling easing.

Even if Luna and Lulu were young—sometimes silly and impulsive—the women knew the girls would never gamble their villagers' lives on pride alone.

That certainty began to spread and noticing this, Julius's expression soured.

"I extended an olive branch, and you slap it away. Very well."

He scoffed, folding his arms before his voice turned icy.

"Do whatever you wish. I will stand right here and watch. I will not lift a finger to help, nor to hinder. Even if death itself stands at the bedside, I will do nothing."

And hearing this, Little Lisa suddenly trembled. Her wide eyes filled with tears.

"Wait...is Mother going to die?" She whispered, voice cracking. "I-Is Mother really going to die like he said?"

Nyx opened her mouth to comfort her, but Luca was already moving.

He crossed the room in three calm strides, knelt beside Lisa, and gave her the warmest, most reassuring smile anyone had ever seen from him.

"Hey." He said softly. "Don't cry, Lisa. I promise you—nothing will happen to your mother. Not today. Not while I'm here."

Lisa blinked, staring at him through watery eyes.

"R-Really?" She whispered.

"Really." Luca nodded.

Then, with a gentle curiosity in his voice, he asked,

"Tell me something, Lisa. Does your mother have a nickname for you? Something she always calls you?"

Lisa sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Y-Yes...she calls me 'Little Katawa'."

"Little...Katawa?" Luca repeated, smiling. "What does that mean?"

"It's elvish." Lisa said softly. "It means 'little butterfly.' Mother says when I run through the flower gardens, I look like a butterfly. She calls me that all the time."

Luca's smile grew warmer. "And do you like it when she calls you that?"

"I love it." Lisa nodded quickly. "It's my favorite thing."

"Good." Luca said quietly. "Then I promise you this."

He leaned closer, his eyes kind but steady.

"By tonight, your mother won't be lying still anymore. She'll be sitting up, calling you little catawa again and she'll call you that over and over until you're tired of hearing it."

Lisa's eyes lit up like stars.

"R-Really?! You'll really do that?"

Luca smiled, patting her head again.

"I promise."

And that single promise—spoken so calmly, so confidently made Nyx and Leona's doubts vanish.

Because to make such a vow in front of a child, with that kind of sincerity, meant he wasn't just bluffing.

He had a plan.

Nyx folded her arms with a smirk.

"Well then." She murmured under her breath. "Let's see what kind of doctor our dear Hero really is."

Leona said nothing. But her eyes were fixed on Luca, her heartbeat quickening not with fear this time, but with hope.

Meanwhile, Julius simply stood there, his arms crossed and a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Fine." He muttered. "Let's see how long your little fantasy lasts, Hero. I honestly don't want to stay here after the humiliation I went through, but I really want to see what nonsense you pull off."

"Could you stop yapping already?" Luca turned with a tired look on his face. "It's getting painfully dull. I've had enough of your voice echoing in my ears."

Julius frowned deeply. "Excuse me?"

"And rather than standing there acting all superior." Luca said, waving his hand dismissively. "Why don't you do something useful for once and tell me the symptoms from the very start?"

Julius blinked, then let out a short, incredulous cough.

"What are you talking about? Can't you see for yourself?" He gestured sharply toward Esme's frail form on the bed. "She's extremely thin, swollen in places, running fevers, constant headaches—the signs are obvious to anyone with eyes."

Luca shook his head slowly, unimpressed.

"Those are late-stage symptoms, Julius. The kind anyone could guess just by looking at her right now. I'm talking about a detailed history. The very first changes—the small, primary symptoms that appeared before everything escalated. There had to be subtle things at the start that progressed into secondary ones."

"You treated her, didn't you? So tell me."

Julius opened his mouth, then closed it. His brow furrowed.

"I...Well…" He cleared his throat, suddenly less certain. "I didn't really note that down since—"

Luca's lips curled into an incredulous smirk.

"Wow. You call yourself the grand healer of this village, and you didn't even bother with the most basic diagnostic process?"

He looked toward Leona, Nyx, and the others, shaking his head slowly.

"I honestly don't know how this village has survived this long with such an incompetent healer."

Julius's face flushed red. His jaw clenched as anger flared in his eyes. "You—!" He began, but before he could continue, Luca turned away from him completely.

He walked over to Lisa, who looked up at him in surprise.

"Lisa." Luca said softly, crouching down to her level. "Right now, Big Brother is really confused. I have some big doubts that I need to clear up. And I was looking around, trying to find someone really, really smart who can help me."

He glanced dramatically around the room, then pointed right at her.

"And when I look around...I'm pretty sure the smartest person in this entire room is you."

Lisa's eyes went round with shock.

"Me…?" She pointed at herself. "But I'm not that smart! Big Sis Nyx is way smarter—she leads the whole village and everything!"

Luca shook his head solemnly.

"Nyx is smart, sure. Very smart. But she's definitely not as smart as you."

He leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a great secret.

"I can see it, you know. There's this...radiance of wisdom around you. Like the Godess of Knowledge herself came down and blessed you personally."

Nyx, catching on immediately, placed a hand over her heart and bowed her head with exaggerated humility.

"Indeed." She said gravely. "I am nothing in your humble presence, oh wise Lisa."

Lisa blinked, then burst into a shy giggle, covering her mouth with both hands.

Luca grinned.

"So? Will you help Big Brother out?"

And seeing everyone look at her, Lisa straightened up, puffing out her chest with sudden determination.

"Sure! If I can help Big Brother, I'll do my best!"

"Good girl."Luca nodded encouragingly.

"Then tell me—when your mother first started feeling unwell, what did you notice? You were probably closest to her then, right? So you might've seen things others didn't. Take your time, and tell me every little change, even if it seems small."

Lisa's brows furrowed as she thought hard. She tapped her lips, whispering to herself, then slowly began.

"Well...at first, Mother started feeling weak all over." She said. "She's really strong, you know? Even though she's small, she can carry heavy water buckets easily."

"But then...she started struggling. Even climbing the stairs became hard, and I had to help her."

Everyone was listening now, completely silent.

"Then…" Lisa continued. "Mother's hair started changing. She has really beautiful brown hair—I always makes pretty ponytails with it—but it became really weak. It started splitting and even falling out sometimes."

Luca nodded seriously. "Good, go on."

"Her nails too." Lisa said, looking at her hands for reference. "They became thin and broke easily. And her skin...it wasn't soft anymore. It became dry, like parchment."

"Excellent." Luca murmured. "Continue."

Lisa's eyes brightened; she could tell she was helping.

"Then Mother started eating less. Much less. Sometimes she wouldn't eat anything at all, even when I tried to feed her. She was eating less than me! That's when I got scared."

Her voice wavered slightly, but she pressed on.

"After that, she started getting fevers. She stayed in bed all the time, saying she felt dizzy."

"One day, she tried to get water and fell from the bed. It was a tiny fall, but her leg got all bruised and swollen, and it didn't heal for a week!"

Lisa continued, her tone sadder now.

"T-Then she got headaches...and colds. Her body was cold all the time, and she was always tired. Then, after that...she became so skinny you could see her bones under her skin."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Her feet and face started swelling...and after that, she couldn't move anymore. She just...stayed there. And I had to do everything for her."

Silence hung for a moment as all the women in the room couldn't help but feel horrible for Lisa who had to go through all of this alone.

Finally after gathering her courage, Lisa lifted her eyes to Luca, uncertain and pleading.

"D-Did I do good, Big Brother? Did I help you?"

Luca looked at her for a long second.

Everyone tensed—then Luca shook his head slowly.

"No, Lisa." He said quietly.

"You didn't do good at all."

A collective gasp rippled through the room and Lisa's little face fell, eyes instantly filling with tears.

But then Luca's serious expression cracked into the widest smile.

"That's because you didn't just do good, but you did absolutely perfect."

He reached out and gently pinched both of her cheeks, tugging them playfully.

"You did so incredibly well, in fact, that with your help I was able to figure out exactly what your mother is suffering from right now."

"And it won't be long before she completely recovers."

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