SSS-Ranked Surgeon In Another World: The Healer Is Actually OP! - Chapter 213: While He Was Gone...

Chapter 213: While He Was Gone…

As they stepped through the gate together, Bruce glanced down at Lily and asked casually, “How long was I gone?”

“Three days,” Lily replied without hesitation.

Then, almost immediately, she added, “Don’t worry, big brother. Even though you didn’t tell me before you left, I didn’t forget to practice. I practiced every day and even learned some new moves. Mom also taught me how to use the smart bracelet you gave me back then.”

Bruce paused slightly, brow lifting in genuine surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes! Big brother, look,” Lily said eagerly.

She lifted her wrist and tapped the button on her smart bracelet. A soft chime sounded as a holographic screen bloomed into existence above it. Lily’s fingers moved with surprising confidence as she scrolled through different tabs, navigating menus that looked strikingly similar to the apps on smartphones back on Earth.

Bruce watched quietly, eyes narrowing just a fraction.

He hadn’t expected her to be this fluent.

“I can call you now, big brother,” Lily said proudly. She exited the current screen, scrolled a little further, then tapped another icon.

The next second, Bruce’s own smart bracelet began to beep softly.

The connection had gone through.

Bruce chuckled lightly. “Nice, Lily. Very nice. It’s good to be fluent with this stuff. If you ever need help, or anything at all, when I’m not around, don’t hesitate to call me.”

Lily nodded seriously, her expression suddenly solemn. Then she straightened and gave him a crisp salute.

“Yes, big brother.”

That finally earned a small smile from him.

Together, they walked up to the door and entered the house.

“And with the bracelet,” Lily added as they stepped inside, “I was able to practice every day using that manual you got from Uncle.”

Bruce listened quietly.

And once again, he was reminded that while he had been gone, life hadn’t stopped moving forward.

He let out a slow sigh, more thoughtful than tired.

’So only three days have passed here…’

Seven days in the Nether. Three days in Velmora.

The difference wasn’t insignificant. Time hadn’t flowed equally. It had folded, compressed, slipped sideways. Enough for him to grow. Enough for Lily to improve. Enough for nothing to feel abandoned, yet still long enough for absence to matter.

’That’s interesting,’ he thought calmly. ’Dangerous, but interesting.’

If he wasn’t careful, he could lose track of what mattered. Lose sync with the people waiting for him. Power made distance easy. Distance made forgetting easier.

He stepped fully inside.

“Bruce?”

Lucy’s voice came from deeper in the house, surprised, then immediately warm.

The next second, she appeared in the hallway, apron still tied loosely around her waist. For a brief moment, she simply stared at him, as if confirming that he was really there and not just another delayed expectation.

Then she moved.

“You’re back,” she said, relief slipping through her tone despite her effort to sound composed. She reached out and touched his shoulder, then his arm, as if grounding herself. “You didn’t say when you’d return.”

Bruce shook his head lightly. “It wasn’t something I could predict.”

She sighed, but there was no reproach in it. Only familiarity.

“You should’ve eaten properly wherever you were,” Lucy said, already glancing him over out of habit. “You look fine, but that doesn’t mean you are.”

Ash chirped loudly the moment Bruce stepped fully inside, wings fluttering as he hopped up onto the back of a chair, tail swishing with obvious excitement. He puffed his chest out, head held high, as if proudly announcing that he had been holding the fort while Bruce was gone.

Lucy noticed him then and smiled despite herself.

“And you,” she said, reaching out to tap Ash lightly on the head. “You behaved while he was away, didn’t you?”

Ash chirped again and nodded enthusiastically, then paused, glancing toward Lily as if remembering something important.

Lily crossed her arms, trying very hard to look stern. “He mostly behaved,” she said. “He only tried to sneak into the kitchen once. I didn’t know Ash could make and throw fires, but I wasn’t surprised since I know dragons do that and Ash is a dragon. One time he almost burned the broom with a fire ball, but that doesn’t count because he was trying to help me lit on the stove.”

Lucy sighed from the side. “It absolutely counts.”

Ash lowered his head slightly, then scooted closer to Bruce’s chair anyway, clearly relieved to have him back.

Lucy turned to Bruce again. “Sit. I’ll bring you something warm. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Bruce opened his mouth. He wasn’t hungry so he didn’t mind.

But Lucy, as if expecting what he’ll say next, raised a finger. “Don’t answer that.”

That earned a quiet exhale of amusement from him as he moved toward the dining table. Lily followed close behind, still brimming with energy, while Ash hopped down and circled Bruce once before settling near his feet, tail thumping softly against the floor.

Lucy paused halfway toward the kitchen and glanced back.

She glanced at him for a moment then she disappeared into the kitchen.

The house slipped into its familiar rhythm.

Lily climbed onto her chair and leaned forward, elbows on the table.

“Big brother, Ash missed you a lot,” she said casually. “He kept checking the gate every morning.”

Ash chirped in agreement.

“After I learnt he can use and breath fire, I got him to train outside everyday…”

“But he wouldn’t train properly unless I said it was your idea,” Lily added. “He listens better when I say that.”

Bruce glanced down at Ash. “Is that so?”

Ash immediately looked away.

Bruce smiled faintly. He found this funny. Clearly the capabilities of Ash in its cub form were weaker than its full dragon form. But it was still very strong. What Lily might think that Ash is nonchalant is actually him holding back.

Lily brightened again. “Oh! And when you’re done eating, can I show you the new stance Mom helped me fix? It’s way better now. My balance doesn’t wobble anymore, and I can hold it even when Ash bumps into me.”

Ash puffed up proudly, then gently nudged Lily’s leg as if demonstrating.

Bruce nodded once. “After I eat.”

Lily grinned, clearly satisfied with that answer.