Rescued by a suspicious Arachne youth.
Propped up by Sharin, I followed the Arachne man. He moved briskly through the dark forest. After a while, we emerged from the forest and onto a well-maintained road. Continuing along the night road, a large wooden building came into view.
An old signboard glowed faintly under the moonlight. It read “Jarrot Clinic.” That’s right, this was the clinic we were aiming for. But the building was pitch black and didn’t look like it was open.
“Here we are, I wonder if everyone’s still alive?”
“Thank you very much. They’re all alive, so it’s okay.”
He shrugged, looking disappointed. I wouldn’t let my companions become dolls. I knocked on the tightly shut clinic door.
“Excuse me, is anyone there? Hello?”
I knocked several times. Silence from within, as if no one was there. It said they were open at night, but perhaps the information was old. Should I just wait until dawn? Karubene slumped against Philiana, his breathing rough. Piyo and Cecilia were still unconscious. Would they last?
“Wait a moment, I’ll go check the situation.”
The Arachne man said that and slipped around to the back of the building. He then knocked on the back door several times.
“Hey, Eia, it’s me. Can you open up? You’re home, right?”
After a short wait, the old back door creaked open.
“What do you want?”
A hoarse voice, like someone who smoked too much. Could this woman be the doctor? She seemed unpleasant.
“It’s an emergency. They’re injured, can you take a look at them?”
The door slammed shut. She wouldn’t examine them? Even though she’s a doctor? Perhaps coming at night was a mistake. Just then, the entrance door, which had been closed, opened. A Dark Harpy in a dirty white coat emerged. So this was what “open at night” meant. They were nocturnal creatures.
“What is it, how much will you pay?”
Was that the first thing she said upon coming out? I might be better off waiting until dawn and going to another hospital. I couldn’t trust a doctor like this.
“Now, now, don’t say that. Oh, right, are you guys covered by insurance?”
…Huh? Insurance. Insurance… Right, they have that here too. Of course, we weren’t covered.
“We’re travelers, so we don’t have that.”
“Oh, then it’s full price? Do you have money?”
How much would they charge? I had some money, but I wasn’t rich. The Dark Harpy woman, who was called Eia, smiled wryly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a special low price. Now, come in, bring the sick inside.”
I felt an almost unbearable sense of unease, but I had no choice but to go inside.
