The Only Healer, Ruela (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5

I’ve really been thrown out.

“Isn’t it too harsh to send me away empty-handed like this?”

I kept knocking on the firmly shut iron gate, but it was no use.

To end up on the streets before even fully grasping what was going on…

She gazed wistfully at the light spilling from the mansion. Had it been winter, she’d have felt exactly like the little match girl.

“If you were going to throw me out, you could’ve waited until tomorrow morning. We were family, after all… affection…”

She stopped short of appealing to their feelings.

Though some sisters-in-law get along well, most relationships between them are like enemies battling in a war without guns or swords.

“Don’t you have any humanity?”

She shouted at the top of her lungs, but only silence answered from within.

Two days ago, she’d woken up in a room she didn’t recognize at all. Dazed, she’d simply let herself be tossed about by whatever happened in front of her. Just as she finally gathered her wits and tried to plan for the future, she was thrown out.

Should she be glad just for having regained her memories—even if they had nothing to do with this place?

She understood now why they’d chased her out without a backward glance the moment her brother died. Still, to cast her out at night, with nothing at all…

‘No… if they believe my husband died because of me, maybe it’s understandable…’

Ruela, forced to revise her thoughts immediately, quietly looked around.

There were no streetlamps in this place, so the surroundings were pitch black—utterly dark. Her future looked bleak.

“This is terrible. I’ve been kicked out before even properly figuring out who Ruela Romnin is. How am I supposed to know where to go or what to do?”

She didn’t know who her relatives were or whether she had anyone she knew. With no idea what to do, everything felt hopeless.

Thinking about it, she could understand why this had happened.

Before she collapsed, she’d enjoyed lavish meals and had maids who addressed her as “young lady.” She’d worn expensive jewels with her dresses and attended parties.

Since she and her brother had arrived with not a single coin to their names, everything must have been bought with her sister-in-law’s money.

But then her husband died—and they even blamed his younger sibling. In that situation, would anyone want to keep spending money on their husband’s younger sister? Even if she were in her sister-in-law’s shoes, she’d have wanted to drive her out too.

“But then, how am I supposed to survive from now on?”

Just then, as if answering her question spoken into the empty air, a voice reached her.

“You were expelled because of the public notice posted in the square. The Balder Guild has declared hostile actions against you, miss.”

The iron gate she’d just kicked swung open, and a man appeared. Surprised, she stared at him as he offered her a cloak.

“Who are you?”

Since she’d claimed to have lost her memory, she could ask without hesitation who he was.

“I’m the butler of House Camin. Shuna pleaded with me to please deliver this to you, miss.”

“Did you come out just to give me this?”

Touched by this unexpected kindness, she was about to thank him when the butler replied.

“I came out to deliver my lady’s message. The coat was just something I brought along.”

Still, it was something that he’d honored her request at all. Only someone with a kind heart would do such a thing.

She wanted to believe that was true—even if it wasn’t—otherwise she’d surely collapse under the weight of such despair.

“What did she say?”

Part of her wanted to refuse to listen and walk away dramatically, but she couldn’t help wondering if there might be a chance to return, so she had to hear it.

“Now that Lord Camin is dead, my lady says she has no further business with you. Your ties are severed forever, so don’t expect any help. With that, I’ll take my leave.”

Just as she’d expected. The butler went back inside immediately, giving her no chance to protest.

Though the situation was desperate, her sister-in-law wasn’t wrong. She fully understood.

As her initial panic settled, her anger faded too. Since they’d been so clear, there was no need to strain her voice here any longer.

She looked around once more, then checked the square window floating before her eyes.

What had previously just hovered there without any interaction now seemed alive. The colorless buttons had all changed to their unique hues, and even the small map on the right had gained color.

Was this what it felt like for a screen—previously frozen except for the clock—to finally activate properly?

Operating the game interface didn’t require physical effort like pressing with her fingers.

Without raising her hand, she stared at the screen and tried moving things with her mind. Fortunately, it responded fairly well to her intentions. It wasn’t effortless yet, but she thought she’d manage once she got used to it.

She was grateful such a method existed—she couldn’t very well wave her hands around like a madwoman in front of others.

While exploring the interface, she pressed the button to return to the main menu, just in case.

On the character selection screen, only one character appeared, labeled “Ruela Romnin.”

“So it’s real.”

What she’d been doubting since earlier was now confirmed as fact.

She really had been pulled into the game.

Could something like this even happen?

She tilted her head, puzzled, as she looked at her avatar and its name—her character name.

Ruela Romnin.

It was a name she’d seen somewhere before.

She hadn’t recognized it by sound alone, but seeing the figure in a dress with “Ruela Romnin” written beneath it felt strangely familiar.

“Where… where have I seen this before?”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall.

Deciding she’d remember later anyway, she quickly gave up and clicked on the map in the game interface.

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much!”

The moment she looked at the map without expecting anything, an exclamation and a thank-you to someone unknown burst out spontaneously. She stomped her feet excitedly, barely holding back a shout.

After jumping around for a while, she finally calmed down enough to look at the map again.

Was this what self-illumination meant?

The map before her eyes seemed to radiate light.

In the original game, the map only opened as you explored it yourself—places you hadn’t visited remained blank. Players often deliberately set aside time just to explore the game world and unlock the map.

Yet the map before her was perfect.

Mines, herbs, key facilities, inns scattered throughout, rare animals and fish, locations of valuable resources, important buildings, portal positions—everything was marked in exquisite detail, leaving nothing to be desired.

It was truly a treasure map. With this, she had nothing to fear.

She could gather herbs to sell or mine ore from unclaimed mines. Though she didn’t have a single coin, she wouldn’t starve to death.

Excited, she clicked on other parts of the game interface.

There wasn’t much else. Probably because she was level 1, her inventory was completely empty, and her class window showed no skills at all. Naturally, she also lacked any profession.

Realizing something belatedly, Ruela let out a groan-like exclamation.

“But I’m level 1?”

The shocking truth made her blurt out loudly.

She’d been so busy exploring other things that she’d only just noticed her level. Having started in a grand mansion and wearing an expensive dress, she’d assumed she’d be high-level—but that had been wishful thinking.

She looked around once again.

Where she stood now was the beginner zone. Though she’d started at Camin Mansion, being thrown out meant she’d ultimately begun at the same starting point as when first logging into the game.

It was frustrating, but there was nothing she could do.

Ruela glared at the forest—familiar yet strange.

In the game, to level up, she’d have to enter the forest and defeat wild animals or lesser monsters.

But could she really do that in real life?

After much deliberation, she concluded she simply couldn’t bring herself to kill living creatures—whether wild animals or strange beings.

Moreover, though it sounded like an excuse, she didn’t even have the basic weapon or armor normally granted upon character creation. Entering the forest in a flimsy dress and heels was out of the question.

She’d have to find a way to level up without killing. Most quests would likely require hunting, but since not all quests were like that, she could focus on those instead to gain levels.

Ruela quickly scanned through the quest list.

[War Preparations]

When she clicked it, the page unfolded, revealing the quest details.

[Intelligence has been received that the Helanains will invade Camin Village. Prices for animal hides needed for armor have surged due to war preparations. This is a good opportunity to earn travel funds to the capital—please bring back animal hides. Reward: 3500 XP, Beginner Armor Set.] [Monster Hunt] [Recently, monsters near the border have frequently left their territory and descended upon settlements. Please help maintain order by eliminating lesser monsters. Reward: 5500 XP, Beginner Staff.]

She kept scrolling down the list.

After scrolling for a while, she found a quest directing her to the next area.

[New Information] [A new notice has been posted on the village square bulletin board. Please go and read it. Reward: 1500 XP, 15 Luer.]

“Just for going there, they give 1500 experience points? Is ‘Luer’ the currency here? And anyway, they don’t usually give quests like this early on…”

Travel quests to the next area typically appeared once you’d leveled up somewhat. Most were simple errands like “go meet someone,” but this one told her to visit the village bulletin board?

Suddenly, the butler’s words from earlier came back to her.

〈You were expelled because of the public notice posted in the square. The Balder Guild has declared hostile actions against you, miss.〉

So a notice accusing Ruela Romnin had been posted on the village bulletin board, and that’s why she’d been thrown out.

Judging from everything that had happened so far, this wasn’t exactly the same as the game. Before being expelled, even the starting point had been different, and the quests varied slightly too.

Was this the difference between the game and reality?

Anyway, the designated location she needed to visit was a familiar place she could find even blindfolded. Having raised multiple characters and visited it every time, it’d be strange if she didn’t know it.

Kindly, the interface even showed her the direction with an arrow.

Though she’d been suddenly cast out and didn’t know where to go, perhaps following the quest navigation like this would lead her to an answer.

And besides, she’d even get paid upon completion.

So really, what was there to worry about?