Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Have things been better lately?”
“I think they have improved a little. No, not just a little—quite a lot, actually.”
“What about your sleep? Have you been resting well?”
“I do wake up from time to time, but it is definitely better than before. Just being able to sleep at all makes a huge difference. Honestly…… it makes life feel livable.”
The elf sitting across from me, Ms. Miriel, said that with a gentle smile. The pallor that had clung to her face until recently had faded, replaced by a healthy flush, and clarity had returned to her eyes, which had once looked hollow and gloomy.
Thankfully, the counseling seemed to have worked. Or perhaps the medication had simply been effective. Either way, it was good news.
“So although you wake up occasionally, you do not have trouble falling asleep in the first place, correct?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, there is no need to increase the dosage…… let us continue with the medication you have been taking and monitor your progress. Please wait just a moment.”
I stood up from my chair and headed to the compounding room behind the consultation office.
Our office pharmacist, Erisa, was sitting there in a white coat, nodding off. I lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
“Gah—ah.”
“Were you sleeping?”
Startled awake, Erisa looked at me and jumped to her feet.
“N-no, I was not.”
“I saw everything. Well, if you are tired, there is nothing wrong with getting some sleep.”
Erisa flushed with embarrassment.
“……So what brings you here? Is this for a prescription?”
“Yes. The medicine we prescribed to Ms. Miriel last time. The antidepressant.”
“You mean the mixed potion of ‘Clear Mind Elixir’ and ‘Night’s Embrace’?”
“Ah, yes. That one.”
In this world, we call antidepressants and sleeping pills “Clear Mind Elixir” and “Night’s Embrace.” I kept forgetting.
It was probably a remnant of my previous life.
“How much should I prepare?”
“One week—no, two weeks’ worth.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment…….”
Erisa immediately began moving about.
Before long, she handed me exactly fourteen flasks, each no bigger than my little finger. They were filled with a violet-colored liquid.
I carefully packed them into a medicine pouch and returned to the consultation room.
“I have prepared two weeks’ worth of medication. Please take it for two weeks, and if your symptoms improve significantly, try sleeping without relying on the medicine.”
“Without the medicine…… sleeping without it sounds a bit difficult…….”
“I believe you can do it, Ms. Miriel.”
I had meant to encourage her, but she did not look entirely pleased. It seemed my words had weighed on her slightly.
“However, if you find that you cannot sleep without the medication, continuing to take it is also an option. There is no need to rush. We have plenty of time.”
After listening to me, Ms. Miriel fell silent for a moment, then smiled softly.
“‘Plenty of time,’ you say…… It is my first time hearing those words from a human. It feels rather strange.”
“Haha. I suppose so. From your perspective, it may have sounded arrogant.”
“No, not at all.”
Ms. Miriel gathered her medicine pouch and stood up as she continued.
“On the contrary, you have given me courage. Someday, I will try to sleep without relying on medicine. Thank you, Doctor Kain.”
“I hear the streets have been dangerous at night lately, so please be careful on your way home. There have even been some strange rumors.”
“You mean the rumor about a mad werewolf roaming around?”
“Yes. I think it is just a baseless rumor, but there is no harm in being cautious.”
“Still, I heard that the werewolf only punishes evildoers.”
I paused to think, then smiled as I replied.
“In that case, you have nothing to worry about, Ms. Miriel. I will be the one who needs to be careful.”
“Is that so? In my opinion, my own character may not be much better than yours, Doctor Kain…… In any case, I should be going now.”
Ms. Miriel bowed gracefully—if I were to use a somewhat racially biased expression, very ‘elf-like’—and left the consultation office.
“Hoo…….”
I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh. When I looked out the window, the sun had already set, and the sky had grown dark.
Today had been an especially exhausting day.
There were days like this from time to time, days when I was so busy with clients that I barely had time to breathe.
Still, it was not exhausting alone. It was also fulfilling. After all, had Ms. Miriel not said that life felt livable today? She had been someone who, until recently, spoke habitually of wanting to die.
Running a consultation office was undeniably difficult, but hearing words like “life feels livable” or “I am happy” from my clients made all that hardship fade, even if only briefly.
I had just closed my eyes to let the day’s fatigue settle when Erisa emerged briskly from the compounding room, her hands tucked into the pockets of her coat. She smiled faintly when she saw me.
“You worked hard today as well, Doctor.”
“Mm. You too, Erisa. Are you heading out?”
“Yes. What about you, Doctor Kain?”
I glanced at the notebook resting on the desk before answering.
“I will leave a bit later. I want to read today’s consultation notes and think things over.”
“Aren you pushing yourself too hard? You should rest when it is time to rest.”
“I am resting enough. You do not need to worry so much.”
After adding, “At the very least, make sure you get enough sleep,” Erisa clocked out and left.
Left alone in the office, I opened the notebook on my desk. Inside were the names and characteristics of the clients I had seen today.
Mr. Draksan, a warrior suffering from anger management issues.
Ms. Cassis, a prophet plagued by anxiety and hallucinations.
Mr. Berian, a fire mage with pyrophobia.
And Ms. Miriel, an elf struggling with depression and insomnia.
“What a headache…….”
Even in this other world, where different races and magic existed, mental illness still existed. And I was the counselor who treated them.
***
“Kain Mental Health Counseling and Resolution Office.” That was the name of the office I ran.
At first, I had planned to name it simply “Kain Mental Health Counseling Office.” However, about a month after opening, I was forced to add the words “Resolution Office.”
This world did not have the concept of “counseling.”
In my previous life, counseling was regarded as a form of service. In other words, it was widely accepted that one had to pay simply to receive counseling.
Legal counseling, financial counseling, career counseling…… and the psychological counseling I provided.
But the people of this world thought, “You are not a prophet or a fortune-teller, and you expect payment just for listening?” I have received complaints more than once.
They could not understand that professional counseling itself was a service.
So I added the word “resolution” and began operating the office as a place that not only provided counseling, but also solved problems. After that change, clients increased, and the absurd complaints decreased.
“And it is not just the concept of counseling that is missing.”
Here, depression was called “weakness” or “a haunting spirit.” To the people of this world, depression was not something to be treated, but something to be exorcised.
Anxiety disorders were dismissed as overthinking, and anger management issues were praised as bravery or recklessness.
This world had no concept of mental illness.
Yet the absence of a concept did not mean the illnesses themselves did not exist.
People in this world suffered without even realizing they were ill, blaming their own lack of mental fortitude or resorting to folk remedies like exorcisms, only to neglect their symptoms or make them worse.
“Showing the path to treatment to people who suffer without understanding what afflicts them.”
That was the reason and purpose behind opening this consultation office. My ultimate goal was to expand it into a large hospital-level institution and build an infrastructure capable of treating mental illness across the entire kingdom.
“Hoo…….”
But it was not easy.
“Mr. Draksan continues to ignore my advice and throws himself into commissions and hunts. Exposure to stressful situations may help him vent his anger temporarily, but in the long run, it only worsens his condition. How should I persuade him?”
“Ms. Cassis’s hallucinations are growing worse by the day. She can no longer distinguish prophecy from auditory hallucination…….”
“Mr. Berian has seizures at the mere sight of a match flame. His condition is not improving; it is deteriorating.”
“At least Ms. Miriel is showing some improvement, but even then…….”
As I was racking my brain, a sound reached my ears.
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking at the door. Perhaps Erisa had returned to retrieve something she had forgotten.
Without much thought, I opened the door—and immediately furrowed my brow. A visitor I was not particularly pleased to see stood outside.
“……Director Justin.”
“Why so stiff? Call me big brother, like before.”
“I have never called you that.”
“Have you not?”
As always, Director Justin responded with effortless nonchalance.
“Why are you here? Let me be clear—I will not do anything like last time. I do not want to be alone with criminals anymore.”
“I am not here for that. I came to request some counseling.”
“You? Counseling? I suppose you have always seemed like someone who needs it.”
“Haha…… not for me. For this one.”
I looked at the person standing behind Director Justin.
She was a woman dressed neatly in the uniform of the Public Security Bureau, but in stark contrast to her orderly attire, her hair was disheveled.
Her eyes trembled intermittently as she looked at me. For some reason, she was hunched over as if frightened.
“She is the youngest in our bureau. After I mentioned you the other day, she insisted on meeting you.”
“But today’s consultations are already over…….”
“You have been eyeing the building next door.”
I was taken aback by the sudden remark.
“You want to expand your office, do you not?”
“……How did you know that?”
“Buying the neighboring building outright would strain your finances, I imagine.”
He had hit the mark.
As the number of clients increased, I had felt the need to expand the office and had indeed been eyeing the building next door. It was also true that I lacked the capital to purchase it easily.
“This is information only someone like me would know. The owner of the building you are interested in has accumulated a large debt.”
“What does that—”
“It means the building might go up for auction at a very low price.”
Director Justin leaned toward me and spoke in a low, quiet voice.
“If you help with this matter, I will make sure you can purchase that building at a surprisingly low price.”
Director Justin was a powerful figure within the Public Security Bureau. His words were not empty boasts. After a moment of hesitation, I let out a sigh.
“……Very well. I will help.”
“Thank you! I will be sure to repay this favor.”
“I am sure you will.”
“Then I will be off—busy work, you know. Please make sure our youngest becomes a proper person, Doctor Kain!”
With one last frivolous joke, Director Justin left.
“What a sly old fox.”
I looked at the woman he had left behind, the youngest member of the Public Security Bureau.
“Shall we go inside first?”
“……Yes.”
She examined my expression, then cautiously stepped into the office. Even after sitting down, she continued to glance around warily. Her posture was rigid, her shoulders tense.
“Dark circles under her eyes, and her lips are dry.”
Clear signs of sleep deprivation, often seen in patients with insomnia.
It was evident that she was in a psychologically unstable state.
“May I have your name?”
“Nyxle. Nyxle Welfor.”
“Do you know what kind of place this office is?”
“Yes. A place that treats the mind…….”
It seemed she had learned a fair amount through Director Justin. There was no need to belabor an explanation of what this office did.
“She is wary of me.”
A faint trace of suspicion and distrust lingered in Ms. Nyxle’s expression.
It would be better to ease the atmosphere before getting into the main discussion.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Ah, yes. Please.”
“Is there any scent you dislike?”
“It is fine. Anything is fine. Yes.”
I took out some tea from the shelf. It had a mild, slightly sweet aroma. Even if she did not drink it, it would help ease her guard.
I put on a counselor’s practiced smile.
“You work for the Public Security Bureau, correct?”
“Yes…….”
“You must be very capable. Director Justin is not usually someone who goes out of his way to look after others. He values merit above all else.”
“Well, he does have that side to him…….”
Ms. Nyxle nodded in agreement, a brief smile flickering across her lips.
Indeed, nothing built rapport faster than a bit of gossip.
I carefully observed her expression as I continued.
“What kind of work do you do at the bureau?”
“I just…… catch thieves, catch murderers…… things like that.”
“I see. Come to think of it, was it the ‘Elf Killer’ recently? I heard that a vicious murderer who targeted only elves was caught.”
Ms. Nyxle’s pupils widened slightly.
“I caught that Elf Killer.”
“That is impressive. I would have been too afraid to even try.”
“No, it is not that impressive…….”
She lowered her head shyly, an awkward smile on her lips.
At this point, her wariness had eased considerably. It was time to get to the point.
“What kind of help do you need, Ms. Nyxle?”
I asked while looking at her.
She avoided my gaze and parted her lips slightly. It seemed difficult for her to talk about her symptoms.
Running a consultation office, I often encountered clients like Ms. Nyxle. Some felt embarrassed simply to describe their symptoms. Others did not know where to begin, or did not even understand what kind of help they needed.
I did not rush her and waited calmly.
During the silence, I began to speculate about her condition.
The overt anxiety she had displayed earlier had eased considerably. Her trembling eyes had steadied, and her previously hunched body had relaxed.
It seemed that the light conversation meant to lower her guard had worked.
“In that case, it does not seem too severe…….”
Carefully guessing, I suspected that her symptoms were likely mild anxiety or insomnia.
She would probably request a sleeping aid—what we called “Night’s Embrace.”
At that moment, Ms. Nyxle lifted her head and spoke.
“I heard that you have a medicine called ‘Night’s Embrace.’ A medicine that helps people fall asleep easily.”
“Yes, we do.”
As expected.
“Have you been unable to sleep lately, Ms. Nyxle?” When I asked, she neither nodded nor shook her head.
With eyes so bloodshot they appeared almost entirely red, she stared straight at me in a way that sent a chill down my spine, and then continued with a question of her own.
“Do you happen to have a medicine that keeps people from falling asleep?”