"Those cowards! Preying on innocent civilians," Lyra cursed the evilus under her breath while darting around with healing potions.
"How much bandage should be used for this kind of wound, Lyra-san?" Michalis asked, still new to administering first aid.
"About half of that roll should be enough," Lyra replied, barely paying attention.
There was so much to do.
'Half the roll?' Michalis repeated in his head, still a bit confused, while looking down at the new bandage roll in his hand.
He still had questions, but everyone seemed too busy to answer, so it was up to him to save his patient.
Applying his rudimentary knowledge, Michalis ended up wrapping his patients wounds like that of a mummy, luckily Clair had been watching and came to the rescue.
"What are you doing? Do you want to kill him? How many times do I have to show you how to do it right," Clair scolded, demonstrating the correct technique to Michalis again.
"Thank you, girl," the patient said gratefully to Clair.
Michalis had applied way too much bandage and wrapped it too tightly, but the patient couldn't exactly scold him since he was genuinely trying to help.
Embarrassment washed over Michalis; this was the third time this had happened.
'Why do I keep getting it wrong?' he wondered, his gaze drifting toward the distance where he saw Eleni and Kaguya chopping through rubble with their swords.
Tools were a luxury, so anything that could be used was being utilized.
"Ryuu, a little help here! There are people in need of healing. Hurry up!" Kaguya called out from afar.
"I know, but my spells can't heal multiple people at once. There are just too many!" Ryuu yelled back.
She was already doing her best, but there weren't many healers around.
Once she finished with her current patients, Ryuu rushed toward where Kaguya had pointed.
On her way, she ran into Vasiliki, who was heading in the same direction.
Although Vasiliki lacked healing skills, her ice magic proved to be invaluable.
When applied to a wound, ice helped constrict blood vessels, speeding up clotting and alleviating inflammation, as well as preserving severed limbs.
Upon arriving at the scene, the two girls teamed up and immediately began treating the most serious case.
However, not long after they started, they were drawn by the cries of a young girl who seemed to be in pain.
"Waaaaah, it hurts! It hurts so much!" The little girl sat on the ground, immobile, her arms and legs covered in scratches, her knees bleeding.
Her parents didn't appear to be nearby, and her mind was overwhelmed with terror and longing.
Both girls wanted to help, but they couldn't leave their current patients.
The girl's injuries weren't life-threatening, so they could only try to ignore her until they were free.
Suddenly, a familiar-looking man approached the little girl and knelt beside her.
"Oh my, you mustn't cry, my dear," he said.
"When you cry, you make everyone around you sad too. Here, press this clean handkerchief on your wound," he comforted.
Ryuu's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized him.
"It's you, Eren!" Ryuu called out, but he seemed to ignore her and continued talking to the girl.
Vasiliki glanced between the two for a few seconds before losing interest.
Since Ryuu appeared to know this strange god, Vasiliki thought he probably wasn't a threat.
'He looks quite ordinary and seems kind, so he shouldn't be too weird, right?' she mused, recalling the strange tales of male gods that Bahamut sometimes shared during their gossip sessions.
"Pain, pain, go away," Eren sang exaggeratedly, using his handkerchief to clean the little girl's wounds.
He kept repeating this until her cries turned into a cute giggle.
"There! All gone. Now, if you're brave enough to handle all that, you need not cry, do you?" Eren asked.
"N-no, mister… sniff," the little girl stuttered, wiping her runny nose.
"Good girl," Eren praised with a smile.
"Now, head down that road, and you'll find someone who can help you find your parents. Do you think you can make it on your own? I have to help some other poor children who weren't as lucky as you," he said, pointing down the northern road toward some guild employees.
"Hmm, I can do it, mister," the little girl said, nodding and wiping her tears away.
"Good," Eren said, helping her to her feet.
"Thank you, mister!" the little girl exclaimed, waving back, before running towards where Eren had pointed.
Ryuu watched the entire interaction with surprise.
After tending to her patient, she approached Eren.
"Thank you, Eren. We really need all the help we can get." She said.
"I really misjudged you for-" Ryuu's words of gratitude were abruptly cut off as Eren began to speak.
"Oh, no need to worry. I just came over to offer you an apology, that's all," Eren said.
"Huh? An apology? For what?" Ryuu asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"You see, I tried imitating you, trying to do some good for once, and do you know what I found?" Eren asked, his smile indifferent and unsettling.
Ryuu felt a chill run down her spine, yet she was compelled to hear what he had to say.
"W-what do you mean?" she stammered.
"I'm sorry that I ever said your work was selfless. Now I know there's a reward after all," Eren said.
Ryuu could only stare at the eccentric god in stunned silence.
"Helping people makes you feel strong! Being thanked makes you feel proud! Giving charity makes you feel superior! And it all feels so good, doesn't it?" Eren exclaimed, his arms spread wide with glee.
He had done it; he had found the reward for performing good deeds.
Eren felt as though he could now fully understand the minds of his mortal children.
However the joy and abundant merriment in his voice only served to make Ryuu's blood boil.
"Oh, how I wish you had told me of this sooner. I was worried, you know? Worried that you all were working yourself to the bone for no gain!" he said, approaching her with a sad expression.
"Get back," Ryuu mumbled, taking a step back, feeling afraid of the mad god before her.
"I guess there are some truths even the gods don't know. Hands-on experience seems to be the solution to such conundrums," Eren muttered, not hearing Ryuu.
"Take that back," Ryuu said, her fist shaking in rage.
"Take what back?" Eren asked, perplexed by her behaviour.
"The complete disrespect that just came out of your mouth," Ryuu clarified.
"How dare you say that the only reason we do all this work is to satisfy our egos?" Ryuu's voice rose slightly.
Vasiliki, who was busy with a patient, was drawn to the commotion due to her sensitive senses. She didn't know what was happening, but Ryuu seemed to be angry at the god before her, and no one else seemed to notice or were simply ignoring it.
Vasiliki hurried to finish treating her patient, eager to find out what was wrong and offer help if needed.
"What? So that's not why you do it? But then what are you fighting for?" Eren asked.
Despite noticing Ryuu's rising fury, Eren didn't back down; he pressed on with more questions, enjoying her reactions.
"Stop being insensitive! We fight for the good of the people, for the sake of order! So that nothing like what happened here repeats itself," Ryuu countered.
"Isn't that self-satisfaction?" Eren asked in a soft yet icy tone.
"What?" Ryuu muttered, momentarily at a loss for words.
"I mean, nobody pays you, do they..." Eren said, his voice like a shadowy serpent, confusing her mind.
"Stop talking," Ryuu replied, not wanting to hear more.
"Nobody gives you bread or buys you soup in return for the free things you give," Eren continued.
"Stop it," Ryuu insisted.
"Tell me, how many people have you helped? How many have changed because of your actions? You help them once, then twice, and so on… until they become completely reliant on your so-called good deeds," Eren said.
"Shut up," Ryuu said, now covering her ears.
"It's not sustainable if only one side is giving. So what exactly is driving you if it's not self-satisfaction?" Eren questioned, eager to delve deeper into her mind.
"I said shut up," Ryuu muttered.
Eren smiled, a mocking grin on his lips as his eyes glowed silver.
"If you deny yourself riches, fame, and even gratitude, then perhaps it's not justice you seek but….."
Ryuu finally exploded. "Shut uuuuuuuupp!" she screamed, startling nearby patients and drawing attention toward them.
Vasiliki, having finished with her patients, sprang to her feet and hastily approached the duo. "What's wrong, Ryuu-san? Is this god bothering you?" Vasiliki asked, standing between them and glaring at Eren menacingly.
"Oof, and who is this feisty, fascinating specimen?" Eren asked, his gaze scanning Vasiliki with mild interest.
"Vasiliki, vice captain of the Bahamut familia. And who is this creepy god picking on my cute elven friend?" Vasiliki retorted.
"Eren, at your service. I assure you, I'm not picking on this child; I'm just asking questions she doesn't want to hear," Eren replied smoothly.
"Anyway, I mean you no offense, my little elf child. You may think of this discussion as nothing but the mad insight of a capricious god, but I implore you to ask yourself this question and see what you come up with…" Eren smiled, his lips moving slowly.
"What exactly is your justice?"
"If you can't answer that, then whatever you call justice must be something twisted beyond measure, far more than anything you deem evil," Eren said.
At this point, Ryuu couldn't control herself any longer.
She rushed past Vasiliki to grab Eren by his clothing, completely forgetting that she was disrespecting a divine being.
Vasiliki immediately took action, stepping between them before things escalated further.
There could be terrible repercussions if Ryuu went any further, especially in public.
"Don't let him get to you. Your actions right now might just be proving his point. Besides, there are many in need of your help right now, so stop wasting your time here," Vasiliki advised, squeezing Ryuu's arm until she loosened her grip on Eren.
Ryuu could only grind her teeth in frustration at her lack of answers.
"Fuuuuu! That was a bit exciting," Eren muttered, tidying his clothing.
Knowing that things could escalate further, Vasiliki dragged Ryuu away, leaving the scene behind.
They had already healed who they could, and there were many others in need of their help in other areas.
"Pride, ideals, conviction—certainly, only a righteous soul can keep such things burning forever. But if starved of rewards, thanks, and validation… how long can they last? I can't wait to find out," Eren said out-loud, watching the girls disappear into the distance.