Dinner was proceeding gravely.
　No one took the initiative to open their mouths no one took the initiative to add a flourish to the late dinner.

　It's not that they're in a bad mood or that they don't get along with each other to begin with, or that they're usually quiet, but there's an air of, dare I say it, disagreement. In short, he may be dragging out the atmosphere that he had been in just a few minutes ago.

　Of course, it was Ars who opened his mouth first. The unaccustomed sycophant, as usual, is all about praising the food served to him. It's always delicious without even bothering to put it in your mouth, and this time the skillfully prepared items are placed in your stomach without letting your chopsticks rest.

　Some of the items included dishes that Loki would not normally make. Naturally, the cook was Flynn, and her food had a homey feel to it, to say the least.
　She seemed to have been preparing meals on a regular basis, and her skills were not inferior to Loki's. It's not that I don't like it, but it's the fresh taste that surprises me.

　The reason for this is that although it is not a local cuisine, it seems to be common in her native country, Iberis. It's not just the stew, or the seasoning of the soup, or the medicinal herbs that emphasize the nutritional value of the food, but also the taste of the ingredients and their complementary aromas that come together in your mouth as if they were prodigal.
　It is not a direct flavor that appeals to the sense of taste, but rather the impression of a dish that enjoys lingering in the mouth.

　It's not that I'm bored, but rather that I'm enjoying the aftermath of the meal.
　I'm not sure if the way he ate was unusual for Ars, but Loki was surprised to see him resting his chopsticks and looking at them - and his mouth was slightly agape.

　Only the two of them knew that he had overheard Flynn to teach him the recipe later.

　Satisfied, Flynn waits for Ars's hand to slow down as he eats.
　He seemed to be busy eating right now, and it was something he would prefer to do after the meal if possible, but as a healing mage rather than an individual, there were things he needed to hear and report back to him.

　Flynn opened his mouth around the break in Ars's hands as he ate silently.

'Mr. Ars. It's about that training you just did.
What's the matter with you, again?

　Flynn buzzed at the reply, which was grave for mealtime, and shook his head.

'I know it sounds like I'm digging, but as a healing mage, I have to ask. I feel like there's a gap in my experience and knowledge that I've developed as a general practice. I think my grandmother knows that, which is why she told me that I belonged to the Society as a practice.
I see, that sounds like a likely story.
The rest I might need to know as I'm accompanying you on your upcoming field research.

　The majority of the patients Flynn has healed so far have been mainly non-magicians. And the healing required in the outside world is clearly different than it has been in the past.
　There are lives that can be saved and lives that cannot be saved, and they must be prioritized just like they did with Tesfia and Alice in the training grounds.

'Earlier, Ars-san seemed to have attached enough training to injure the underclassmen and Tesfia and Alice, but I think there's probably a clue there.

　Loki also paused once to listen to her serious-looking question.

'So you mean to tell me, Mr. Flynn, that a military mage has different values?
'No, no I don't think that's true but I think there's a difference in ability and awareness of what's needed.

　I try to tell you in crisp, crisp language.

'What, if you know that much, you're talking fast.
Are you early?
''Yes, the role of a healing mage in the outside world is to save lives, but in other words, other than saving lives, you should focus on protecting yourself. Of course, there is also the consumption of energy and magic power, and it depends on the situation. The training I've given those guys is a technique that allows them to intuitively judge a deadly attack.

　If you are seriously injured in battle, some troops may have to abandon you. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a healing mage with you, it will be very difficult to treat them in battle, and they will be a drag on you.
　That's why you have to make an effort to keep the wounds to a minimum to be able to move.

　Sometimes you'll be assigned to an incompetent unit, and sometimes you'll be ordered to the worst possible situation. No matter how much of a unit you are in, you have to protect yourself.

''At least as far as those two are concerned, we put our eyes on them, so if they die prematurely, we'll be throwing away the time we spent on them.
Is it time...
'Flynn-san may still have very little outside activity in the unit, but a healing mage doesn't heal every single one of them with a minor degree of illness. Even a healing mage will probably need to be able to understand the situation. There's no end to the amount of healing that can be done if you heal blindly.......

　Beyond that, Loki stalled for a moment. It wasn't the kind of thing to talk about during the meal, but Ars took over and spoke clearly.

'The squad will fall apart. No matter how good a healer or how good a magician you are, there is a limit to the lives you can protect. If you go beyond that, even the lives you save will fall out of your hands.

　Flynn cleared his throat once and nodded to Ars, who told him in a self-mocking tone. He thinks he understands it in his head, but the healing mage Flynn aims for is one who doesn't make choices that cannot be saved.
　He aims to be a healing mage who can save everything, without being divided like Nexolis. Even though he understands that the perception is fictional, Flynn still holds on to his ideals in healing.

'So, minimally, you try to avoid the help of a healing mage.
I don't know anything about healing mages to be honest. I'm not sure if this is the only way to experience it, after all. The reason why the old lady didn't teach you is because that's what it's all about. I think you should do all you can for now. As a matter of fact, having a healing magician in the squad will increase the survival rate dramatically.

　Without needing to reiterate the need for healing mages, Loki nodded his head. Until now, due to their scarcity, their accompaniment to troops has been limited. With the exception of Ars, long expeditions such as large scale battles by single mages fall under this category.
　To put it simply, there were good and bad in the sense that the mobility of the troops was significantly reduced by having a healing magician accompany them.

　Naturally, there would be no one as dependable as this if we were to talk about the survival rate of the squad alone. At any rate, if you suffer a fatal injury in the outside world, you won't survive. More importantly, it's not easy just to bring them home.
　As a matter of fact, they will be left behind in the outside world. Or he will have to commit suicide. There are times when a member of the team will intervene as a mercy, but since we have to consider not being eaten by a demon, that option is still very few.

''The next outer world test survey I'm accompanying you to will be camped near the mineral deposits, right?
Yes, we've already started building a base of operations to serve as a redoubt for future mining operations.

　The three of them finish their meal in a leisurely stream of conversation.
　What Flynn lacks is the knowledge and awareness of the outside world, as well as mage chicks and students. More to the point, it was a shallow understanding of the mages themselves who put their lives on the line in the outside world.

　In that respect, Flynn, who had always experienced death close to home, may have been able to understand it more clearly.
　It took two people, Loki and Flynn, to wash the dishes, and Ars was in charge of the simple wiping process. At the very least, it was a courtesy, and usually Loki wouldn't even let him do that.

　If the three of us took it easy, we could finish putting the dishes back on the shelves in a fraction of the time, just like a streamlined process.

　The date was about to change when we got out of the bath after the whole process was complete and as quick as a crow's nest. Loki served three cups of tea for the three of us, as if he had taken the opportunity to do so. The air was colored by the rising steam.
　You can find a number of different types of shoes for you to choose from.

　A slight warmth seemed to come from the core of his body. Your shoulders are loosening, or more specifically, your entire body's strength seems to be melting away.
　Even though his eyelids weren't heavy, Ars rubbed his eyes twice or thrice with an exhaustion that he couldn't refuse.

　Thinking back, he felt exhausted today. Sharpening his nerves when he wasn't in the outside world was something he had rarely done before.

'Al, do you want to go to bed now?'
I'm fine but.... No, I'm a little tired.

　Ars accepted Loki's offer with open arms. He decided that he probably wouldn't be able to get anything done if he stayed awake. A glance at the two swings of AWR on the desk made his resolve even more determined, and his consciousness faded as if covered in a haze.

'That sounds better. There's no point in forcing yourself to stay awake, Ars-san, and on the contrary, it will leave you exhausted.
Yeah, I'm sorry, but I'll do that. I'll have to see you off, so I'll leave you to it.
'Yes!　I won't hold my breath and look forward to it.

　The words were bouncing off the end of his speech, but his face was somewhat strained and he didn't think he could get up.
　Flynn and Loki watched Ars's back as he disappeared into the bedroom until the door closed.

　And when Ars disappeared, Loki let out a small but loud sigh.

'He's really a goody-goody... but more importantly, it looks like Flynn-san was right about the effect.
That's true. Ars-san's fatigue did not seem to surface, so the effect was extraordinary. Of course, if she wasn't fatigued, the effect would be nothing at all. I'm sure he must have been quite tired from the way he looked.
Thank you.

　The reason for thanking her is because this tea is made with Flynn's special herbs that are expected to restore fatigue and other benefits. I made him include it in the tea as she instructed, but he must have been so fatigued that he didn't even notice it.

　Flynn also glanced at Loki as he sipped the same thing.

''Loki-san, you're having quite a hard time, aren't you?
'It's not a hardship, but Al doesn't know how to rest when it's like today. Not in the outside world, especially on the inside...

　Socializing with people, for better or for worse, makes Ars emotional. It makes him think.
　He doesn't know if it's research, but he's too cautious for the sake of others.

　They continued to talk after that. Although not all night long, the conversation did not rest and did not interrupt the silence of the night, even after Ars had fallen asleep.
　The occasional sound of stifled laughter must have been a charm.


　The next morning, without betraying Flynn's warning, Ars wakes up at sunrise.
　When he mechanically got up, he stretched out and realized from the odd lightness of his body that he had been drugged.

　Before the students start to arrive at school, Flynn also gets ready, takes a large bag and gets on the transference gate, the "circle port".
　Both Ars and Loki, who was looking off, didn't have a trace of fatigue from last night.

　And before she enters the designated coordinates, they open their mouths as if they remembered.

''Ah!　I forgot about that, Ars-san. Grandma said to mass-produce more of it.
''Well I'm sure I've given you the blueprints as well, but I'll go check on your progress in the near future.
'All right. I'll tell your grandmother and the chairman.
Yeah, that's nice to know.