Jotted along the market district were street stalls of various sizes, serving various delicacies as well. When customers were tired from looking around the shops, street stalls stood to wait ever vigilant to appease their tired minds - and unsuspecting wallets. In a way, it served as a good meeting place for the party since they could have a meal together before they went on their own way. The location was also convenient for them to do their own shopping after the meeting.

"Nothing in mind yet? Okay, I'll start so you can get an idea of what I can do." Aima smiled smugly as she placed a hand on her chest. "I will reinforce my chest armor and greaves. They're all made of leather so using iron ores here and there will provide additional defense while only impeding my mobility a bit."

"Question though." Sebastian found himself raising his hand again to interrupt the discussion. It was an awfully embarra.s.sing habit he wanted to get rid of from his studying days. "Ahem. You also seem to be wearing leather armor Aima. Doesn't it get in the way of your magic spells? I thought a robe or a cloak would suit a mage or supporter better."

"That is a very rookie question coming from you. I'm a bit disappointed actually." Becky crossed her hands across her chest as if to show indignation before she continued. "Mages and supporters aren't in the frontline. However, if and when the frontline is breached, then what becomes of them? Should they cast reinforcement spells non stop until mana burn?"

"Now now, you don't need to be that harsh Becky. Sebastian's first party was with you, me, and Rivie - who wore a robe. Rivie's a special case, Sebastian. She's so strong by herself that she can even function as a vanguard with me if needed. She doesn't have a spear and s.h.i.+eld but her magick's probably more potent compared to that."

"It does seem like it. Thanks for pointing that out Jin - I didn't even realise it before you told me." Sebastian drank the fruit juice in front of him as he looked to Aima. "In my case, can you please reinforce my armor as well? I would still want it to feel light, but I don't want to lose out on defense. If you know what I mean."

Expecting a new weapon from Leo's quest, Sebastian didn't want to squander his opportunity at the moment to upgrade a piece of equipment he would soon replace.

"That is a sensible decision dear patron - I mean Sebastian. Leave your armor with me. It should take me a day for your modification. What about the others?"

The party's decisions were to be expected. Jin wanted to enhance his glaive and buckler, Becky also focused on her weapons, while Mel surprisingly wanted to have a new short sword forged. When they pressed for her reason, she simply mentioned that she couldn't use her sword in the cave because of its condition. With everyone's request, Aima estimated to take at least 4 days for the smithing process. After deciding when and where to meet up again, the party went on their own ways.

Everyone except Sebastian and Mel. Sebastian followed Mel to a bungalow in the corner of the market district. It was tucked away through an alleyway. Her house even had a small courtyard, which was a rare sight for a house in the city.

"This is my house. I'm the only one living here at the moment so please make yourself at home. This should be private enough for your treatment." Mel opened the door to reveal a tidy interior with the basic furniture dotting the inside. Everything was tidy and had its place.

"Thank you for that. Do you have a small couch where you can lie down? I'll just take a seat beside you. This will be our first process - I call this 'talk therapy'."

"Not even asking for a gla.s.s of water or a bite to eat? You sure get down to business quick."

"I must tell you beforehand. I'm not an expert in dealing with psychological trauma - I only have the basics patted down. Which is why we might need a long time for this. I'd like to get started as soon as possible please."

"I was only kidding, lighten up. Please feel comfortable around me as well Sebastian. I know I'm not as cheerful as Jin, but I won't bite. We can use the living room furniture here."

When they got their positions down, Sebastian immediately started to draw Mel out from her sh.e.l.l. He started by asking for general information about her, how she felt being an adventurer, and even her daily routine. Eventually, they got to the topic where Mel's parents who were both adventurers, were slain while they were on a quest. She was left to fend for herself, but she was already in her teenage years when the mishap occurred. She used her parent's savings to get by while she studied being an adventurer in the monastery. Using her parents' death as her motivation, she was going to be an adventurer as long as she was able to help others through questing. When her previous party disbanded and chose mundane vocations, she continued being an adventurer.

"Tell me what happened during the encounter with the mutated wolves. What do you remember."

Sebastian used open-ended questions to prod Mel into describing the traumatising battle which allowed them to meet. Every time Mel was about to have a panic attack, Sebastian coaxed her into doing pursed-lip breathing and meditation exercises to calm her down. It took the whole day, but Mel was finally able to reiterate the fight based on her memories. He noted that there were patches left out here and there, but it was to be expected from a traumatic event. After making sure that Mel was stable enough for them to end the session, they finished their talk therapy as he made his way back to the inn. Sebastian was deep in thought as he walked the calm evening streets.

'Being an adventurer here is very difficult. You have to be prepared to give your life, even at the cost of leaving your children behind. The world here is brutal and unforgiving, which would be why there doesn't seem to be any wars or conflicts happening. When you're main concern is your survival, political strife seems petty and a luxury.'

***

"What are we doing here Sebastian? Your armor is currently with Aima for enhancement, will that thing suffice in this place?" Mel pointed to the leather armor Sebastian was wearing. It was an old piece he picked up from the discounted corner in an armor shop. It looked shoddy and unreliable, which made her fears grow as they walked in Trenlant Forest. Sunlight pierced through the green canopy as it provided warmth for the two adventurers cautiously moving deeper into the forest.

"I'm currently using my [Augment] skill to scout ahead of us. There aren't any threats so please rest a.s.sured. We don't have long to go." Sebastian looked confident as he led the way in front of Mel. She wasn't sure if it was because of his augmented scouting skill, but he seemed to be looking for a specific place. Clutching her bow tightly, she followed him closely.

"Right. It should be here. This is the place where my first party found yours." Sebastian slowly guided Mel back to the tree where Ellie was holding her, trying to cast [Heal] to stabilise her wound.

Understandably, Mel was rooted in the ground as she blankly stared at the spot. An entire season had pa.s.sed since it happened. However, for Mel who was standing in the same area, it was still fresh. She started panting and hyperventilating. The world felt numb as it started spinning at dizzying speeds.

"Mel, focus on me. Remember the deep breathing exercise I showed you yesterday. That's good. Keep doing that." Sebastian grounded Mel back in reality as he held her hand. He didn't turn her away from the site, he wanted her to slowly absorb and refocus on the location where the traumatic event took place.

"I'll take the part of the mutated wolf. Take your sword out. I can probably evade you but don't stab me please." With a smile, Sebastian started the role play session to reenact the scene. They even replayed the fight scene based on Mel's memories. Riddled with pauses and panic attacks, the role play session finally ended. With a pant, Mel laid down on the gra.s.s.

"This is definitely harder than my training or the actual fight. You did this before in your previous world? You are quite impressive Sebastian. I mean it."

"Not in-depth like this. My job just tasked me to take care of patients while the doctors - er specialists were seeing other patients. That was why I was taught just the basics for psychology."

"But it's still helpful in this situation. I feel like if you weren't here the mental scar would have festered until it affected and overtook my mind. I don't think I would be able to keep adventuring if that happened."

"Then let's focus on the positives Mel. You've definitely made progress compared to before. You're able to talk about it now, and you're even able to wield your sword. I can't compare it to your previous skill when you were a swordswoman, but it's better than your performance in the cave."

"Never one to hold back the punches. However, you are right. I do feel better when we're talking about this topic. I'm even able to make jokes now. Thank you. Let's head to a pub after this - my treat."

*

The local pub mentioned was simply a small tavern that served ale together with their meals. Their main business was the inn and restaurant, so alcoholic beverages were added to the menu as an afterthought. It showed in the quality - not that it was important as people only drank alcohol to get a slight buzz and to get tipsy. Before they left the pub, an in-house healer always casted [Detoxify] to sober them up before going home. In that sense, alcohol was considered a beverage with meals and nothing else.

"Puhaa. Ale always. .h.i.ts the spot no matter what." Melissa placed her flagon on the table with a slight clink as she finished her ale with a single swig. Sebastian never expected her to enjoy drinking.

"Do you always drink? Or was it after the wolf incident?"

"Don't worry, I drank ale with my meals even before the incident. I didn't turn to alcohol for my coping you know. Don't worry about it too much Sebastian. You can drink as much as you want, as I said it's on me. The healer by the door will cast [Detoxify] on us before we leave so we won't get drunk."

"If you say so. I was merely checking - "

"This isn't the time for therapy. A beautiful woman in front of you is asking you to drink. Down the hatch." Mel tapped her flagon to Sebastian's to indicate that she wanted him to drink at the same time. With a shrug, Sebastian also downed his flagon without stopping in between.

"Doesn't it taste good? If only all our problems will go away like the ale before us."

"The shy Mel actually becomes talkative with alcohol in the mix. Interesting."

The night went by after a few rounds of ale, mead, and bickering before they went home. Sebastian still found it strange to feel drunk after drinking only to have it taken away abruptly with the [Detoxify] spell. It was as if cold water was splashed on his face on an early morning.

***

"For starters, let's resume with our talk therapy. You'll lie down on the couch again while I sit here beside you. Like before, don't look at me and just say whatever comes into your mind."

"If I didn't know better I think you really did this as a job in your previous world. I'll be in your care again for today Sebastian." Mel lay down on the couch as she was instructed and looked at the ceiling. The sunlight s.h.i.+ning through the windows gave a warm feeling inside her house. Her scent wafted through her house, adding a refres.h.i.+ng feeling. Sebastian found it too relaxing as he tried to focus on the task for today.

The morning flew with their talk therapy. Mel was indeed becoming more open with Sebastian as she continued to bare her feelings and emotions as she dealt with the trauma. Sebastian also noted that she suffered from a few panic attacks while they were talking about it.

"With that, let's take a rest. This afternoon we can try physical exercises again with your sword." Sebastian closed his notebook as he brought the talk therapy to an end.

"Did you practise this 'talk therapy' a lot before or when you came here? I think you can profit from that. I know of some adventurers who actually suffer from some sort of mental trauma like me. If they can have it treated like this then they would pay you handsomely."

"I'm not sure if I want to spend the rest of my days here doing talk therapy. Also when I arrived I spent a lot of time with Rivie as she did something similar to this."

"Tch. It's not good to talk about other women when you're with one you know." Mel suddenly sat up as she walked towards her kitchen to prepare for lunch.

"Eh? Everything alright Mel? You do know Rivie, right? I mean she was the one who -"

"Yes, I know! You don't need to tell me that. Wait there while I prepare lunch."

Mel roughly handled her cooking utensils it almost looked like she was fighting with the ingredients. There was an awkward silence while they ate lunch, one which Sebastian couldn't break easily. Every time he wanted to open a topic, Mel only answered with short sentences or grunts. After the meal and a short rest, Mel also seemed possessed as she aggressively attacked Sebastian during their sparring practice. For his own safety, Sebastian even resorted to using [Augment] as Mel didn't hold back. For the life of him, he didn't know if this phenomenon was a good thing or not in relation to her trauma recovery.