Soooo a lot has been happening at my place, which made this a very long wait for an update. I got a new PC (which means I'm essentially re-learning how to type on a new keyboard) and school's been a general mess (lots of exams and pre-requisites to finish). Thank you all for your constant support with this story. Without further ado, I give you:

Chapter 13: Within the job description

"Nova, grab your to-go!" Will ran into the Tower's first floor, yelling abruptly and then running up the stairs.

"Everything alright?" Nova was at his heels, taking off her gloves and undoing her apron.

"We got hit at the border with Diamond, there's many injured and possible dead," Will was taking two steps at a time, quickly vanishing towards their sleeping quarters. "They need healers on-site, as many as possible."

"Got it," Nova took a deep breath and ran the rest of the way up, just in time to see Will vanish into his room. She went to her own, tossing her apron into the dirty laundry pile and her gloves in the bin. She dove under her bed, struggling for a moment to pull out her to-go bag, a backpack which was always packed with her healing necessities and ready to go, and then wriggled out. She went for the door, paused, then turned back and grabbed the Surgeon's knife from her drawer, still all wrapped up, putting it into her pouch next to her scalpels. Just in case, she reassured herself. Just in case there was an attack.

"Nova!"

"Coming!" Nova didn't hesitate and slammed her door shut on the way out, wincing at the sound, before flying down the stairs of the Tower. Out of breath, she found Will waiting impatiently at the bottom.

"Elizabeth will cover our patients, let's go!" he rushed her. Nova obediently followed with a nod, too out of breath to speak.

Outside of the Tower, the Wizard King's assistant, Marx, was waiting for them in his usual, translucent form.

"Someone will be here in a moment to pick you up. Stand by." And then, he vanished. Nova had barely managed to catch her breath, before a huge chariot appeared on the road, rushing towards them.

"Are you the healers assigned to the front?" the Magic Knight with light blue hair and glasses in the chariot asked, without any introductions.

"Yessir," Will nodded.

"There's no time to waste, get in," the Mage ordered. Nova accepted Will's helping hand into the ride, finding herself seated next to yet another Mage, who didn't even spare her a look. Will hopped in next to them and the chariot rushed away.

After she got used to the amount of wind and dust their transportation method stirred up, Nova took her time to inspect their companions. There were two of them, one standing and one sitting. The one at the front, standing and steering, was obviously using Creation Magic for the steel chariot. He was tall and had a stern, somehow solemn, expression on his face. He wore a cape signaling that he was from the Golden Dawn.

The other one was brown-haired, smaller in size, but somehow seemed to be exuding an egoistic sense to him. He had his legs crossed and had his head propped up with one hand, staring out at the scenery without much interest. He appeared to be looking at people, but not really seeing them. More like he was inspecting cattle at the market. His cape was also marked by the Golden Dawn sigil. Nova figured that they were both pretty high profile, and that the mission had to be rather dangerous if this was the escort they were getting.

She glanced at Will, who gave her a reassuring smile from his spot across from her and the arrogant Magic Knight, but he didn't say anything. It was interesting, for once, seeing the usually rather talkative healer so silent. Yes, this was definitely high-profile. So, Nova stayed silent, as well, and quickly went over the basics of first-aid in her head.

"We will be arriving within the hour," the Mage with Creation Magic told them. "Be prepared for anything. The battlefield was rough when we left it, and you may need to be providing aid and defending at the same time. No more people can be spared for your defense other than the two of us," he instructed.

"Understood, sir," Will replied politely, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Nova, you've got everything you need?"

"Yes," the girl nodded. She didn't feel comfortable adding anything else in the presence of the two Golden Dawn Mages. Somehow, unlike any of the other Knights she'd encountered so far, these two made her the most uncomfortable. Mostly the man sitting next to her. She felt as if anything she said would be harshly judged on the spot.

"Good, we'll split up on the scene to cover as large of an area as possible," Will told her. "Remember the tag system and be as efficient and as effective as possible. Don't overexert yourself too early, you never know if another wave of enemies might hit on the battlefield. You may need your magic for later on."

"Alright," Nova nodded. Will reached over, taking her hands in his. It was only then that she realized she'd balled them into tight fists.

"If you can't handle something, find me," he told her quietly. "I will be separated from you, but I won't go too far."

"Alright," she nodded.

"And Nova," Will smiled at her when she looked up. "You'll do great, I know it." For some reason, those words made her relax a bit. Still, the tension in her stomach coiled tightly the closer the chariot got to the burning city in the distance.

There was no way to describe the moment Nova went from being anxious and terrified, to the sheer excitement and ecstasy when she stepped off the chariot with Will's help, straight into the mess of the battle aftermath. Her hands, cold until two seconds ago, warmed up. The shaking in her fingers stopped instantly. Her mind, previously blank, went into an overdrive mode, giving her options for every wound in sight, sequences from books and Will's lectures as to what should be done first and what next.

"Creation Magic: OR!" Nova called out, her grimoire taking flight from its usual spot in her pocket. The girl pulled out a pair of gloves from her pouch, ignoring the shimmering dome around her which drew curious glances from her Golden Dawn companion, the holier than thou one.

The first victim she came across wasn't urgent. She quickly assessed him with her OR, identifying a broken arm and some bruises, but nothing too pressing. She quickly gave him instructions, set him up to sit and gave him a green tag. He would be transported back to the Capital and then healed there when there were resources available. His injuries weren't life-threatening.

The next person Nova got to was a woman. She was badly cut along her torso, but the OR didn't detect any internal organ damage which would be pressing to fix. So, Nova quickly tossed a couple of dozen stitches formed by her magic, injecting antibiotics, disinfecting and cleaning the debris as she went. She gave the woman a yellow tag and instructed her what to do in the meantime. Yellow tags were of higher priority than greens, they would usually be taken care of either on-site in a field hospital, or they would be transported with more care than greens back to the Capital.

Nova quickly went back to work, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She mostly gave out green and yellow tags to conscious Knights, along with detailed instructions on what they should do. Some had their Squad's members next to them, uninjured and ready to help, which was perfect when she would tell them how to take care of their companions.

She was vaguely aware of the Golden Dawn Mage following her with an annoyed expression of boredom on his face, sighing from time to time, as if she was as much of a waste of his time as the mission he'd been assigned. It was degrading, but Nova bore through it. Royals, she figured. Nobles and royals. Most of them were brought up to see those like herself as less than human. She couldn't blame them for their ignorance, only their inability to see the error of their ways.

Finally, a red tag came up. And, it was someone she knew personally. She recalled the jovial face of the Crimson Lions Magic Knight from his last visit to the Tower, but this time, his features were twisted in visible agony.

"Miss Nova!" a man sitting next to Remi Beaumont, a distressed look on his face, his hands and torso covered in his companion's blood. "Miss Nova, you've got to help Remi! He covered for me… He took one for me and look! His arms!"

Nova held in a gasp and schooled her face. Remi's arms were sliced clean through. Both of them. She rushed forward, throwing herself onto her knees next to the two men.

"Not to worry, do we have his limbs?" she said in an even tone, which sounded alien to her own ears.

"I sent Genevieve to fetch it. One flew off, she's looking for it now, but I've got the other one all wrapped up here," the man replied. "Where do we move him?"

"We'll do it here," Nova told him, managing not to scold the man for wrapping the severed arm into obviously unsanitary cloth. "I'll take that and you go help find the other arm. Are you injured?"

"Cuts and bruises," he told her and nodded, leaving her with a semi-conscious Remi and his severed arm.

Nova took a deep breath, shaking her head, and then expanded her OR, adding more spells to it, her grimoire whirling from page to page as she listed them off. She knew that Will had warned her about overusing her magic, but she wasn't about to let Remi lose even one arm on her watch.

"He's a lost cause," her Golden Dawn guard tsked under his breath. "You should focus your efforts on those who will live to see the morning."

"Thank you for your guidance," Nova replied politely, then tossed away her used gloves, tied her hair up into a tight bun, and got a fresh pair onto her hands. "Come on, Remi, I've got you," she whispered to the young Knight on the ground, getting to work on the severed, still bleeding limb. Nova quickly cleaned the wound and identified the different vessels and nerves. She grabbed the severed arm, unwrapped it and pressed left and right, seeing if it was still viable. Luckily for Remi, it was. The fingers still pinked up when she pressed certain points.

Quickly, Nova cleaned out the wound, adding magic to her work, and she isolated the vessels and nerves, ready to connect them to the stump. Without taking a break, she got to work. Connect, stich, connect, stich, add magic, repeat. It was a long, grueling process, horribly manual, but she didn't have a choice. She wasn't Owen or Mary to simply use her healing magic to connect the severed limb.

"I need more," Nova murmured. "Need more…" she grumbled to herself. Instantly, she felt it. Her grimoire flipped pages in the air, coming up to a blank one. Then, a spell began writing itself out. Nova grinned at it, quickly reciting it. "Creation: Assistant Hand," she whispered.

A pair of translucent, bluish hands appeared in the air, shimmering into existence right next to Nova. She smiled, but instantly understood the challenge of the new spell. Her vision seemed to split, allowing her to see the patient at the same time from both her and the additional hands' perspective.

"Oh, this is going to be tricky," she murmured. She maneuvered her hands, and the additional pair in the air trembled, before shooting down too quickly. "Oh, oh!" Nova froze and the hands froze, as well. "How should I… Maybe… Nerve fifty-six to position above," instantly, the translucent hands moved, even though Nova's didn't, executing her command the same way she would've. "Oh, that's better." Nova grinned, getting back to work, murmuring instructions to her newfound assistant.

By the time Remi's companions came back with his other severed limb, Nova had finished reattaching his arm, all nerves, muscles and blood vessels impeccably, along with sewing the skin and applying salve and bandages. It was patchy work, but it was good work. He would definitely keep his arm.

"Miss Nova- Woah!" the Crimson Lion Knight who knew her stood, stunned, watching her four hands at work.

"Other arm!" Nova didn't let him slow her down, demanding the other limb, which he quickly supplied.

"How's it looking?" the Knight asked, lowering himself next to Remi and Nova. The woman who'd come with him looked pale and shaken, but without any visible injuries. Nova started cleaning the fresh limb as she extended her OR around the two newcomers, checking them with it for injuries.

"So far, so good," she told him. "Miss Genevieve, was it?" The woman nodded from behind her companion. "I would ask you to lie down now and not to move as much, I will be right there to help you with that injury to your stomach. It might not seem serious, but you are bleeding internally and it could get complicated. I will be with you in a moment."

"A-alright," the Knight followed her instructions and Nova sent her assistant hands over to the woman as soon as she could spare them, continuing to work on Remi herself, all the while giving instructions to the translucent magic hands which fixed the blunt force trauma which had injured the woman's stomach. It was odd, working on two complex surgeries at once, but in her state of adrenaline pumped brain, Nova was pretty certain she could do even double the work without a hitch. This was what she lived for. This was what she'd been born to do. She knew it. No other work would do it. This. This was what she'd been made to do all her life.

Daylight was running out, and very soon, Nova was working in the dark on numerous wounds she could barely see. Luckily, the whole ordeal was almost over and the majority of the injured were sorted into their proper tents in a field hospital. Nova, though, was at the very end of her strengths. Using her new Creation Spell had taken a huge chunk out of her mana reserves and she was sweating profusely, breathing hard and re-checking her work constantly for mistakes. Her Golden Dawn guard wasn't helpful at all. He wouldn't hold up a light for her to see and refused to follow her out of the field hospital when she'd needed to check the area again for any leftover injured.

That was how she'd ended up, stumbling on shaky legs through dark streets, with a single lantern in her hands swaying left and right. She didn't dare call out to the injured in the dark, fearful of leftover Diamond Kingdom Mages who could easily send her to an early grave. Succumbing to the pressing anxiety of her inner worries, Nova took out the Surgeon's wrapped up scalpel and held it in her hand, at the ready.

She had to admit, this, she hadn't really been prepared for. She knew how to work in the Healing Tower. She knew how to assess injuries and fix them. Nova didn't know how to scout the area properly or how to protect herself in an efficient way. She wished, for the thousandth time, that Magna or Luck were with her then and there. Those two somehow always knew how to make light of a difficult situation.

Nova recalled their time in the dungeon together and how she hadn't even had the time to feel so afraid of a possible ambush. Even when they'd had trouble, the two boys had fixed it easily. Even in the middle of battle, when it had seemed like they would actually die, Nova hadn't been this afraid. It was the possibility of her own demise, alone and silent, that terrified her. With a sigh, she stopped, shook her head and gripped the lantern tighter in her shaking hands. She decided to cut her scouting route short and took a road back towards the well-lit field hospital full of white tents.

"Nova, where have you been?" Will saw her staggering into their makeshift camp and hurried over.

"Looking for leftover injured," she smiled, putting on a brave face.

"Alone?" he asked, his eyebrow going up and mouth twisting in obvious anger.

"Ah, yes, it really wasn't a problem," the girl attempted to placate him before he burst out in anger at the Golden Dawn Knights.

"Yes, Nova, it is a problem. I understand that we aren't at the top of the food chain in the Magic Knight pecking order, but we're essential right now. I'm going to-" Will turned around with anger on his face, ready to head into the obviously more luxurious tent than any of the rest, where the Golden Dawn resided.

"No, Will, please," Nova grabbed his arm and he stopped. He looked down at her, then took the lantern from her hands and gave her a hug. Nova realized that she was still shaking, but the heat from his embrace and the familiar smell of herbs from the Tower calmed her down a bit.

"I'll write them up in the report, don't worry," he whispered to her. "We all have our jobs here, and theirs is keeping you safe. Obviously, they weren't doing it. I'm definitely going to write it in the report."

"I just don't want to make any trouble," the girl told him in a small voice. Will finally let her go, taking her hand and pulling her into the red tag tent nearby. It smelled like the Tower, of herbs and Will's minty cologne, a scent of home and safety.

"Alright, I'm going to leave you here on watch," he told her. "Sit here, let me," Will crouched and unfolded some blankets setting them in a nest position, "-here, lie down here and get some rest. If there's any trouble with the patients during the night, give me a shout. I'm going to make rounds on the other tents and I'll stay in the other red tag, alright?"

"Alright," Nova agreed in a low voice.

"Don't hesitate to call for me and make sure to get some sleep," Will ordered with finality to his tone. "I know you were using your magic, so don't overexert yourself. Everyone here is stable right now." Nova nodded, sinking into the nest of blankets and holding the Surgeon's scalpel tight in her hands. "Oh, and kid," she looked up at Will, finding him smiling warmly at her. "You did great." Nova fell asleep with a proud grin on her face.

"What's up with you?" Magna asked as Nova flinched for the hundredth time as he put his hand on her unexpectedly. "You've been jumping at every noise." The girl shook her head, patting the gloved hand on her shoulder that had caused her heart to race.

"Nothing, nothing," she reassured. "Just ignore it, it'll pass." Magna spared a look up front at the counter, where Luck was making trouble in the sweets shop.

"Dude," his eyebrow rose. "If you're so jumpy, it's not nothing."

"I just-" Nova took a deep breath, calming down. "Will and I got sent out to Tairen the other day. A platoon of Spade Kingdom Mages had gotten that deep into the territory and the stationed Knights had to fight them off. Crimson Lions got sent for back up, but they were outnumbered. Lots of civilians were caught in the crossfire. I just… I can't get it out of my head."

"My first mission was in some tiny village," Magna told her. "I got sent there all alone to help clean up some bandits. Had me waking up in the middle of the night for weeks, screaming my head off. Something about being alone in unfamiliar territory with a target on my back because of my Knights' cape simply seeps into the bones." Nova looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. She knew exactly what Magna was talking about. It had been two weeks since her visit to Tairen and she still felt the fear from her rounds in the dark, all alone, deep inside her chest whenever the sun set.

"I had no idea you were that sensitive, Magna," Luck had apparently joined them mid-conversation, the clerk at the counter red in the face from his 'buying' of sweets. "My first mission was just fine. I beat them up all bloody and got back in time for dinner."

"That's because you were dropped on the head while you were a baby," Magna growled at him. "Repeatedly, probably." Luck zapped him in retaliation, which in turn made Magna open his grimoire. Nova was just glad that she managed to get them to leave the sweets shop before they started hurling spells at one another and had to pay for repairs. Again.

Nova shot up in her bed, breathing heavily. There was a sense of dread in the air, of fear so thick she could almost taste it. She couldn't remember her dream, but it had been something horrific. Bloody. Something not hers and which had filled her with the sense of impending doom. She got up, heading for the kitchen of the Tower.

The corridors and the stairway were wrapped in shadows, the only light coming from the occasional window with moonlight seeping in. Her own footsteps seemed to have an echo of another set, making her stop every once in a while, and hold her breath, listening for the non-existent enemy she was certain was just behind her. The growing sense of panic made her chest tight and her hands shake.

Nova recalled a story one of the kids from her hometown had told them. She couldn't remember all the details, but the point was, that there was some warrior who'd died by his allies' hands on the battlefield, so his spirit was left wandering the earth, tailing unsuspecting victims. If you turned to look behind you three times, he would slit your throat, just like his was slashed open.

A shiver passed down Nova's spine and she abandoned her quest towards the kitchen. Instead, she ran down the stairs all the way to the emergency area. She went to the broom rack and grabbed hers, slipping through the large wooden doors and out into the cool air of the night. An owl hooted in the distance as she got on her broom and hopped up, using as many as five treetops to get her into the air properly.

It wasn't that Nova didn't enjoy nighttime. In fact, she had always loved being alone and staying up in the calm and silence while everyone else slept. It used to fill her with a sense of peace. Now, however, all she felt was the overwhelming fear of being watched. Nova knew her destination before she was even aware of it. She landed in about twenty minutes in front of the Bulls' base.

After she was safely on the ground, Nova walked up to the door, briefly hesitating. She became aware of the fact that she was barefoot. That she was in her nightclothes. That her hair was a mess and her eyes probably had black circles around them from the lack of sleep. She was a mess. An utter and complete mess. But, she also knew that there was no chance that she'd go back to sleep on her own. Luck or Magna, she didn't care, but she needed some company from a person who wouldn't ask too many questions, unlike everyone at the Tower.

Nova knocked on the large doors. Nothing. She took a deep breath and knocked again. Vanessa, at least, she hoped. Anyone. She would take anyone at this point. Something crunched behind her and Nova shut her eyes tightly, her hand trembling as she knocked weakly on the doors again. Then, with a whoosh, they swung open and she was basked in warm yellowish light.

"What?" a gruff voice asked.

Nova looked up to find the disgruntled face of none other than Captain Yami looking at her, cigarette in his mouth, as always.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Reviews:

Obstreperous:
Thanks so much for the review! It definitely made me think a lot and I'll try to answer everything as best as I can xD
Primarily, the Tower healers are in the service of the Wizard King, so it follows that they mostly cater to Knights. However, taking care of the citizens is within their area of expertize – I added some 'daily rounds' in the beginning of the story, where Elizabeth is showing Nova the ropes, where they go and distribute medicine to regular citizens. They are more in the role of a 'royal physician' if you look at it historically, than anything else. They can accommodate for pregnancies (I imagine the nobles such as the Silvas would want someone of high ranking to take care of their women when they give birth for example), but I don't think it would be plausible for a handful of healers to be in charge of the whole country. It's more of a situation that they work on the tasks assigned directly to them by the Wizard King.
In my fic the healers at the Tower aren't really interested in different methods, well, before Nova arrives, hence her importance to the progress of the branch. Their focus would have primarily been on fixing Knights and sending them on their way into a new battle. Also, I kind of imagined the old system as one where healers aren't really seen as important (perhaps like in Naruto shinobi teams before Tsunade's rise in rank in the Second War). Julius is attempting to change this with his recruitment, like he's aiming to lessen the gap between social classes. I hope that this answers the question?
Nova is definitely going to have her fair share of struggles, seeing as her magic isn't primarily healing magic. So, she will definitely look for other ways to accommodate her methods to the healing taught at the Tower. Luck will surely have his chance to shine, of course :)
I hope you enjoyed the update!

Kadienewberg:
Thank you so much for the lovely review! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and my 'slice of life' take on it when it comes to character exploration. There will definitely be more chances to meet all the members of the Tower team and get to know them, but, for now, the mysterious member will remain in his preferred spot – in the dark xD
Looking forward to your further input!

AmericanNidiot:
Thanks so much for the comment!
It took a while, but Nova got there :P Now, there's just Luck… He might need a while to get there, too. After all, he's a bit adorably emotionally stunted xD
Vanessa has definitely figured out Nova's weakness there hahahhaha
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Katsusando:
Thanks so much for the lovely review and welcome to the family!
I'm glad that you enjoy my writing style Q.Q I do my best to make it both interesting and eloquent, but sometimes I worry I overdo it hahahaha You give me too much praise! I'm an English major, so I do my best to make my fics in a way that the reader would enjoy them :D I'm glad it worked :)
Vanessa is an amazing character! I just love writing her, even though every character in Black Clover is such an individual that they're a challenge for me xD Vanessa surely has discovered a way to get to Nova's most secret thoughts right there hahaha
I hope you enjoyed the update :D

KenosDC1:
Thanks for another lovely review!
I figured that Nova, being more mature when it comes to everything, feelings included, would try to rationalize them and not be a bother with her affection. It surely will be interesting to see how she will react to Luck from now on… And, of course, what he has to say on the topic :P
Vanessa is one of my favorite characters! I adored her arc, I thought it was so creative and well-thought through. I will definitely elaborate more on her relationship with Will and how they met in the future :) There's a bit to unpack there hehehehe
I'm glad that you enjoyed my addition to the lore :D I'm usually very type A when it comes to the canon and prefer sticking to it, but this felt like a natural addition. I will be crushed if there's more about Luck's past in the future and it ends up making my little bits and pieces I have planned completely AU… But, I've gone down this road already, I'm sticking to it xD
Hope you enjoyed the update!