Li-Xiang

Li Xiang sat quietly at her desk and sighed.

“Moon Shadow Cult.”

She once belonged to a prestigious family of doctors. Her family strictly divided patients into those who could be cured and those who couldn’t. They gave their all to the curable, and for those beyond help, they used sleep incense to send them off.

Labeled as a “painless and peaceful final moment,” this kind of death was not by the patient’s will, but by another’s decision. Following that belief, she took countless lives.

Now she knows that belief was wrong. But she still can’t fully deny the idea of a “peaceful final moment,” because she has seen too many lives that suffer more than death.

People attacked by monsters, those with terminal illnesses, soldiers grievously wounded in battle. She’s seen countless patients and deaths, but the most terrifying ones were those caused by Nectar.

Those who stumbled into the Nectar swamp, those attacked by the Moon Shadow Cult, and those who directly consumed Nectar.

The reasons varied, but the outcomes were the same.

Living itself became a form of suffering.

And now, the Kamp Mercenary Corps must face the Moon Shadow Cult, which controls Nectar.

Li Xiang gently touched the incense burner and spoke solemnly:

“Sleep incense... I really hope we never need to use it again.”

You’re here? You look like you’re doing well. Me? Same as always—mixing medicine, treating patients, reading. Just my normal routine.

But there is one change. Remember Nosa? That kid who trained hard to become an official mercenary. I taught him seriously and even showed him how to make first-aid ointments, but it was way too difficult. He’s hopeless at alchemy—couldn’t even tell herbs apart and mixed poisonous plants into the balm. I had to give up teaching him before he killed someone.

But I unexpectedly found he has a knack for physical training—he just hadn’t had proper instruction before. After training with Kana, he improved a lot and gained confidence. He still needs work, but with more training, he’ll be combat-ready.

The problem is Kana. After training Nosa, she’s been acting all high and mighty, bragging about him to everyone. Nosa himself is so excited he follows her around like he’s worshiping her.

So lately, I’ve been exhausted. Kana comes to me all the time saying things like, “Unlike you, I didn’t give up on Nosa. Look how great he turned out.” She comes so often my ears are getting calloused.

Sigh… maybe I should find an apprentice to train too…