The First Light of Healing
“How have you been feeling lately?”
“A little better, I think. No, not just a little—quite a lot better.”
“And your sleep? Are you sleeping well?”
“I still wake up sometimes, but it’s definitely better than before. Even a little sleep makes a huge difference. Honestly… it feels like life is worth living again.”
The elf sitting across from me, Mirel, smiled softly as she spoke. Color had returned to her once-pale face, and her once-dull, shadowed eyes now held a spark of life.
Thank goodness. The counseling seemed to be working—or perhaps the potions were simply that effective. Either way, it was a welcome outcome.
“You still wake occasionally, but falling asleep itself is no longer a problem, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s no need to increase the dosage. Continue with the current prescription and let’s monitor your progress. Please wait a moment.”
I rose from my seat and headed toward the preparation room at the back of the counseling office. Eris, our resident pharmacist, sat there in her white coat, nodding off.
I tapped her shoulder lightly.
“Hup—ah.”
“Were you sleeping?”
Startled awake, Eris jolted upright when she saw me.
“Ah, I wasn’t sleeping!”
“I saw you dozing. It’s fine if you’re tired.”
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“…So, what do you need? A prescription?”
“Yes. The one we gave Mirel last time—the antidepressant and…”
“A mixture of Clear Mind Elixir and Embrace of the Night?”
“Ah, right. That one.”
We had decided to call antidepressants and sleeping potions by those names here. I kept forgetting.
Force of habit from my previous life, I suppose.
“What dosage?”
“One week—no, two weeks’ worth.”
“Understood. Just a moment…”
Eris began moving quickly. Before long, she handed me fourteen small flasks, each filled with a violet liquid.
I carefully packed them into a medicine pouch and returned to the counseling room.
“I’ve prepared two weeks’ worth. Take them for the next fourteen days. If your symptoms improve significantly, try sleeping without the potion.”
“Without the potion… I’m not sure I can manage that…”
“I believe you can, Mirel.”
It was meant as encouragement, but Mirel didn’t look entirely convinced. My words seemed to have placed an unintended burden on her.
“But if you truly cannot sleep without it, then continuing the medication is perfectly acceptable. There’s no need to rush. We have plenty of time.”
Mirel fell silent for a moment, then smiled gently.
“‘We have plenty of time’… It’s the first time I’ve heard such words from a human. It feels strange.”
“Haha. I suppose it does. It might have sounded arrogant from your perspective.”
“No, it didn’t.”
Mirel gathered the medicine pouch and stood.
“Thanks to you, I feel a little braver. Someday, I’ll try sleeping without the potion. Thank you, Counselor Kain.”
“The nights have been dangerous lately. Please be careful on your way home. There are strange rumors going around.”
“You mean the one about the mad werewolf?”
“Yes. I think it’s just a rumor, but caution never hurts.”
“But they say the werewolf only punishes the wicked.”
I paused to consider, then chuckled.
“In that case, you have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should be careful.”
“Is that so? I don’t think my character is any better than yours, Counselor Kain… Well, I’ll be going now.”
Mirel offered an elegant bow—very elven, if one were to use a slightly discriminatory expression—and left the office.
“Whew.”
I leaned back in my chair with a sigh. Outside the window, the sky had already darkened.
Today had been especially exhausting. Some days were like this—packed with clients, no time to breathe. Yet it wasn’t only tiring. It was rewarding, too.
Especially today, when Mirel had said life was worth living. Not long ago, she had spoken of wanting to die as if it were second nature.
Running this counseling office was difficult, but hearing clients say things like “life is worth living” or “I’m happy” made the hardship fade, if only for a moment.
While I sat with my eyes closed, trying to shake off the day’s fatigue, Eris walked out of the preparation room with her hands in her coat pockets. She smiled at me.
“You worked hard today, Counselor.”
“You too, Eris. Heading home?”
“Yes. What about you?”
I glanced at the notebook on the desk.
“I’ll leave a little later. I want to review today’s session notes.”
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? You should rest when you can.”
“I’m resting plenty. Don’t worry so much.”
Eris added her usual reminder—“At the very least, make sure you sleep properly”—and left for the day.
Alone in the office, I opened the notebook on my desk. Inside were the names and characteristics of today’s clients: Draksan, the warrior struggling with intermittent explosive disorder; Kasis, the prophet suffering from anxiety and hallucinations; Berian, the fire mage with pyrophobia; and Mirel, the elf battling depression and insomnia.
What a headache…
Even in this world of different races and magic, mental illness existed. And I was the counselor treating them.
Kain Mental Health Counseling / Resolution Office.
That was the name of the office I ran. At first, I had planned to call it simply “Kain Mental Health Counseling Office.” But about a month after opening, I was forced to add “Resolution Office” to the name.
This world had no concept of “counseling.” In my previous life, counseling was treated as a paid service. Legal advice, financial advice, career counseling—psychological counseling was no different. People understood that you paid for the time and expertise.
Here, however, the idea was met with confusion. “You’re not a prophet or fortune-teller, so why should I pay just to talk?” I had received several complaints. People simply didn’t see professional counseling as a service worth paying for.
So I added “Resolution” to the name, promising not only to listen but to help solve problems. Once I did, the number of clients increased and the complaints decreased.
It wasn’t just the concept of counseling that was missing.
In this world, depression was called “weakness” or “possession.” Anxiety disorders were dismissed as “thinking too much,” and intermittent explosive disorder was seen as a “brave” or “reckless” personality. There was no framework for mental illness at all.
Yet the absence of a concept didn’t mean the illnesses themselves didn’t exist. People here suffered without even realizing they were ill, blaming their own lack of mental fortitude or turning to folk remedies like exorcisms that only made things worse.
Showing them the path to treatment—that was why I opened this office.
My ultimate goal was to grow the office into something like a full hospital, building an infrastructure that could treat mental illness across the entire kingdom.
“Haa…”
But it was proving far from easy.
Draksan keeps ignoring my advice and throwing himself into dangerous jobs. Short-term stress relief only worsens his symptoms in the long run. How do I convince him?
Kasis’s hallucinations are getting worse. She can no longer tell prophecy from delusion…
Berian still has panic attacks at the sight of a match. His condition isn’t improving—it’s deteriorating.
At least Mirel is showing progress, but even so…
While I was lost in thought, a knock sounded at the door. Perhaps Eris had forgotten something and come back.
Without much thought, I opened the door—then frowned.
It was a visitor I wasn’t particularly happy to see.
“…Chief Justin.”
“Why so formal? Call me ‘brother’ like you used to.”
“I’ve never called you that.”
“Really?”
Chief Justin grinned shamelessly, as always.
“Why are you here? I’m warning you—if it’s the same kind of request as last time, I’m not doing it. I don’t want to be alone with criminals anymore.”
“It’s not that. I came to request counseling.”
“You need counseling? I’ve thought so for a while.”
“Haha… Not for me. For this friend here.”
I looked at the person standing behind Chief Justin. She wore a neatly pressed police uniform, but her hair was disheveled. Her eyes trembled intermittently as she looked at me, and she seemed to be shrinking into herself, as if afraid.
“She’s the newest member of our department. When I mentioned you once, she said she really wanted to meet you.”
“But today’s counseling hours are over…”
“You’ve been eyeing the building next door, haven’t you?”
The sudden change in topic caught me off guard.
“You want to expand the office, right?”
“…How did you know that?”
“And you don’t have the funds to buy it outright.”
He was right. With the growing number of clients, I had been considering expansion and had my eye on the neighboring building. I simply lacked the capital to purchase it.
“It’s not exactly a secret to someone like me. The owner of that building has racked up a massive debt.”
“What are you saying…?”
“It might go up for auction at a very low price.”
Chief Justin leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“If you help me with this case, I’ll make sure you can buy that building for an unbelievably cheap price.”
Chief Justin was a powerful figure in the police department. His words weren’t empty promises.
I sighed and nodded.
“…Understood. I’ll help.”
“Thanks! I won’t forget this favor.”
“Of course.”
“I have to get going. Take good care of our rookie, Counselor Kain!”
Chief Justin left with one last meaningless joke.
Sly old fox.
I turned to the woman he had left behind.
“Would you like to come in?”
“…Yes.”
She studied my expression for a moment, then carefully stepped inside. Even after sitting down, she kept glancing around the office with wary eyes, her posture stiff and shoulders raised.
Her eyes are bloodshot, and her lips are dry.
Classic signs of sleep deprivation.
“What’s your name?”
“Naikle. Naikle Welfor.”
“Do you know what kind of place this office is?”
“Yes… I heard it treats mental and emotional issues…”
She seemed to have some idea thanks to Chief Justin. There was no need to explain further.
She’s on guard.
I could sense a faint trace of suspicion and distrust in her eyes. It would be best to ease the atmosphere before diving in.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Oh—yes, please.”
“Is there any scent you dislike?”
“No, anything is fine.”
I took a mildly sweet, gentle blend from the shelf. Even if she didn’t drink it, the aroma would help lower her guard.
I offered her a professional smile.
“You work at the police department, correct?”
“Yes…”
“You must be very capable. Chief Justin doesn’t usually look after people like this. He’s quite the meritocrat.”
“Ah, he does have that side to him…”
Naikle nodded in agreement, a brief smile flickering across her lips. Nothing brought people together faster than a little gossip.
I continued the conversation while carefully observing her expression.
“What kind of work do you do there?”
“I just… catch thieves, murderers… things like that.”
“Ah, speaking of which, I heard they caught that ‘Elf Slayer’ recently—the one who only targeted elves.”
Naikle’s pupils widened slightly.
“I caught him. The Elf Slayer.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. I wouldn’t have had the courage to chase after someone like that.”
“No, it wasn’t that impressive…”
Naikle lowered her head shyly, an awkward smile on her face. By now, her wariness had eased considerably. It was time to get to the point.
“What kind of help are you looking for, Naikle?”
She avoided my gaze and hesitated. It seemed difficult for her to speak about her symptoms.
This was common. Some clients were simply embarrassed, others didn’t know where to begin, and some genuinely didn’t understand what kind of help they needed.
I waited patiently without pressing her.
During the silence, I tried to assess her condition. Earlier, Naikle had shown clear signs of anxiety, but now she seemed much calmer. Her trembling eyes had steadied, and her once-hunched shoulders had relaxed.
The light conversation had worked.
Then it probably isn’t too serious…
Most likely mild anxiety or insomnia. She would probably ask for a sleeping potion—Embrace of the Night.
At that moment, Naikle lifted her head.
“I heard there’s a potion here called Embrace of the Night. One that helps you fall asleep easily.”
“Yes, of course we have it.”
As expected.
“Have you been having trouble sleeping lately?”
Naikle neither nodded nor shook her head. Instead, she stared straight at me with bloodshot eyes and asked another question.
“Is there… a potion that prevents sleep?”