Sakaku Hishikawa – författare

Unassuming, hard to notice, downright plain—that’s how Tenes Lumel’s coworkers at the adventurers’ guild describe him. As the guild’s handyman, he tackles the boring paperwork and menial labor, all while clocking out on time from his quiet job in the boonies.

But the low profile he keeps by day hides a darker truth. In reality, Tenes is the mastermind behind a secret organization singularly determined to upend the twisted rules that govern the world.

Exiled from a great noble house and abandoned by God, he won’t stop until he’s dismantled the system. From the shadows come powerful allies to stand by his side: a battle-hardened maid, an infamous bandit, and a legendary dark elf. Together, they’re plotting their next move behind the scenes—and Tenes has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to set the stage.

Born a poor man in the slums, Zenos never had opportunities in life, so he decides to forge his own opportunities by teaching himself the curative arts after a chance encounter with a healer. When an adventuring party led by a man named Aston extends him an invitation, Zenos is elated—only to then be treated like dirt by his teammates. Despite Zenos’s diligent efforts to hone his skills to nothing short of perfection, the party deems him useless and kicks him out. Bereft of money and options, Zenos starts an illegal clinic and becomes a shadow healer. Word of his healing genius spreads quickly throughout the city’s underbelly, and as his reputation grows among the dregs of society, knowledge of Zenos''s esteem reaches the wrong ears...

After following up on a lead about Callendore’s involvement in child trafficking, Krishna discovers the rumors to be true and finds herself in mortal peril—that is, until Zenos comes to her rescue just in the nick of time. Having earned the knight’s appreciation and added yet another “unique” lady to his ever-growing collection of difficult patients, our exasperated hero returns to his usual routine. Elsewhere, a certain healer-less party finds out that maybe they’ve made a terrible mistake. Soon Zenos finds himself having to deal with a new problem—well, an old problem, really. As trouble continues to follow the shadow healer wherever he goes, his wish for anonymity slips further and further away from his grasp...

With the golem situation resolved and the slums safe, an exhausted Zenos decides to take a well-earned break and go on vacation to the hot spring town of Flamme. But with the demi-human leaders, Krishna, Lily, and even Carmilla tagging along, his attempt at relaxation unsurprisingly doesn’t turn out exactly as he’d hoped.

Meanwhile, volunteer healers enter the slums to offer aid in the wake of the golem attack. But when they find no injured to assist, certain individuals in high places begin to suspect something is amiss—and, coincidentally, one of them happens to get sent out to Flamme on healing duty.

Will Zenos be able to maintain his place in the shadows? Or will his brilliance be revealed, kick-starting a whole new adventure...?

Life hasn’t been kind to Zenos. He was born in the slums, and his dirt-poor background has denied him almost every opportunity. After an encounter with a healer, he throws himself into studying to become one and finally catches a break when an adventurer invites Zenos into his party. Zenos is thrilled—so thrilled, in fact, that he’s willing to put up with his teammates treating him like garbage. They fail to appreciate his talents and ultimately kick him to the curb, claiming he’s outlived his usefulness to them.

Now bereft of money and out of options, Zenos decides to put his self-taught skills to use elsewhere and opens an underground clinic. Word quickly spreads about the brilliant healer working incredible magic in the city’s shadowy underbelly. Even the royal palace is taking notice...

Can Zenos buck the odds and carve out a life for himself in a world that’s spit in his face? And can he save the lives of the patients who wind up on his doorstep in the process?

Exhausted after dealing with the golem incident, Zenos decides to get some well-deserved rest and travels to a hot springs resort. His ability to actually rest, however, is greatly impaired when his collection of problem patients follow him there. Coincidentally, Umin, a healer affiliated with the Royal Institute of Healing, also happens to be staying at the exact same inn. When an accident befalls their hosts, Zenos once again demonstrates his “plain ol’ shadow healer” abilities, and in so doing yet again attracts the exact kind of attention he didn’t want. Now on the Institute’s radar, Zenos is faced with an unexpected request...

With everything at the Royal Institute of Healing settled, Zenos, Lily and Carmilla return to their routine at the clinic in the ruined city. As Zenos reminisces about his mentor and his past, the three demi-human leaders announce the slums’ first-ever night festival to foster camaraderie and provide people with much-needed entertainment. Of course, the three of them being who they are, the festival also ends up turning into a “friendly” competition for Zenos’s heart. In a shocking turn of events, the peaceful festival is very nearly ruined by the sudden appearance of a certain underground faction of the slums...

Now that the situation with Liz has been resolved, Zenos shifts focus to researching the Black Guild. He soon learns of an important figure within their ranks who is supposedly able to heal any malady. Suspecting this might be his childhood friend Velitra, who once studied under the same mentor as him, Zenos decides to look further into the matter. Zenos suspects that Velitra has their old mentor’s notes. If Zenos is correct, his old friend might also hold the key to finding out more about the mysterious man.

Unfortunately, the Black Guild is shrouded in mystery, and information on their executives is guarded closely. Left with little other recourse, Zenos seeks out an information broker to help him gather the knowledge he seeks.

Will Zenos manage to infiltrate the Black Guild? And if he does, what secrets will his prying reveal...?

After encountering his late mentor’s projection, Zenos realizes he only got where he is now because he had a teacher. He and the demi-human leaders decide to start a school in the slums. Unfortunately, they quickly encounter a roadblock that seems insurmountable: how can they provide the children of the slums with proper education when none of the leaders have received formal education themselves? Fortunately, a visit from a familiar face brings with it the perfect opportunity: Zenos has been asked to become an interim healing-magic teacher at a prestigious academy. Saying yes could be the solution to their problems—nothing beats hands-on experience, after all—or create even more problems to be solved. Regardless, Zenos finds himself with no other choice but to accept after learning of a certain influential figure’s involvement in winning him the position. And when his first day of class arrives, it quickly becomes apparent that his assignment isn’t quite what it was made out to be...

Thanks to Zenos and Lily’s time at an academy for noble children and the assistance of several of its students, the gang is able to successfully establish St. Carmilla Academy, the first-ever school in the slums. There, the shadow healer meets Roa, a young girl with big dreams of adventure and bold claims of being the daughter of a legendary swordsman—the former Sword Saint. When Roa runs into trouble, she finds herself face-to-face with the current Sword Saint and resolves to become the woman’s apprentice. Between this fateful meeting and a little push from a certain meddling wraith, Zenos finds himself dragged back into the adventuring lifestyle for the first time in a long while...