It Wasn’t Healing, It Was Training Magic

Early morning.
Akasha opened her eyes.

Turning her head to the side, she saw Zick’s face.

Just watching him brings a smile to her lips.
She had heard that there are sights that make you feel good just by looking at them.
She guesses this might be exactly that sight.

Thanks to this, Akasha, who woke up in a good mood, carefully got up from her place.
Then, after tidying up where she had been lying, she moved to the other empty bed.

She closes her eyes again.
Covering herself with the blanket is the final touch.

With this, it’s a perfect crime.

She thought it was too much even for herself to sleep next to Zick every night.
It would be embarrassing for a grown adult woman to dare sleep in the same bed with Zick, a man.

But because her desire to sleep next to him was just as strong, she came to a conclusion.

She decided to lie down secretly.

She had been repeating a routine of waiting for Zick to fall asleep every night and returning to her own place before he wakes up.

“Good morning~.”

Just then, Zick woke up.
Hearing his voice, Akasha acted as if she had just woken up.
Then she naturally approached and hugged him.

Sniff sniff.

Her own scent wafts from Zick.
It was a mark of territory with the unique scent that only beastkin can detect.

Beastkin, especially the fox tribe, announce in this way by leaving their body scent.
That this person is theirs.

Of course, this was also done secretly without Zick knowing.
Sometimes when his scent comes from him, it’s thrilling.

This feeling of doing something bad.
A slight sense of guilt coexists with an addictive thrill.

“Well then, I’m off~. See you in the evening~.”
“Yes! Have a good day! Hehe.”

She sees off Zick, who has finished preparing to leave.
Then Akasha starts hurrying too.

She had thought that she could sufficiently protect Zick with her scent until now.
But after recently smelling that female bitch’s scent, she realized the seriousness of the situation.

At this rate, Zick is in danger.

She doesn’t know who it is, but it must be a woman who approached after seeing Zick’s face.
How dare she approach God.

It’s absolutely unforgivable.

Akasha followed Zick out.
She followed closely, muffling her footsteps to shadow him.

Zick arrived honestly at the library.
Akasha also entered the building.

She could find Zick quickly.
He was sitting in a seat, taking out a book and reading, Zick concentrating as soon as he arrived.

‘He’s so cool.’

His focused appearance was very attractive.
And of course, Akasha wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Which family is that man from? I want to introduce him to my daughter~”
“He’s so handsome. Damn. There was a man like that?”
“Should I go ask his name?”
“His concentrated look is so sexy… haah.”

The gazes of many people around were focused on him.
Some whispered while looking at Zick, restless about whether to approach or not.

But no one dared to approach.
The aura emanating from his appearance.
And because they felt they shouldn’t dare disturb him while he’s concentrating.

“Hmm… is this it?”

Akasha felt relieved seeing Zick studying like this.

‘Was it, was it a coincidence?’

Secretly following and watching,
Zick seemed to be concentrating only on studying.

Other bitches show interest but don’t dare approach.
It seems there won’t be any problems unless Zick shows interest first.

‘Thank goodness.’

Akasha let out a big sigh of relief.

Actually, she had been anxious.
Worried that Zick might abandon her because of some other woman.

Akasha, who had lost her mother, had always been alone since then.
No one showed any sympathy to her when she was in a terrible state, rather they were full of looks of disgust.

She came to Marleon inevitably to receive healing,
but in this city, due to the church’s influence, there was literally not a single person who looked favorably upon beastkin.

This was the first time she felt such warm affection with Zick.
Therefore, Zick was very precious to her.

He’s Akasha’s only sanctuary.

“Aha, so this was it! The scripture is quite readable?”

Akasha, who had been worried but now relieved, was about to turn her back.
She felt guilty for doubting Zick,
and she thought she shouldn’t disturb Zick any further.

Just as she was about to turn with light steps.

“Lady Soho, you’ve come.”

Zick’s voice pierced her ears.
And it was a voice affectionately calling the name of someone she had never heard before.

“To be studying on your own even before the lesson starts, you’re diligent.”

The woman facing him.
Judging by her appearance, she seems to be from the Seolha Empire,
but her clothes revealing her side chest looked vulgar.

“Hehehehehe.”

Her subtle eye smile was also extremely disgusting.

Crunch.

She’s angry.
She’s overwhelmed by the urge to rush in and sink her fangs into that neck right away.

But.

“Shall we start then?”

Seeing them continue studying together.
Seeing them both concentrating, she couldn’t bring herself to rush in.

Rather, she was blinded by worry that she might incur Zick’s displeasure if she interfered.

“…Let’s go back.”

What Akasha fears most is Zick distancing himself.

She decided to vent her anger elsewhere.

As it happens, there’s a dungeon under Marleon where monsters appear.
It might not be bad to go there.

After that day, in the dungeon.
It’s said that numerous brutally murdered monster corpses were found.

It’s already been 6 days since I started studying with Soho like this.
I’ve learned a lot during that time.

Although the exam is right ahead tomorrow,
I feel confident enough to pass even if I took the exam now.

“This part is like this.”

I’ve received a lot of help from Soho to that extent.

I can’t deny that much, but.
There was one peculiar thing.

“Ugh…”

It’s that Soho shows strange symptoms at random times.
What’s really amazing is that she brings a different symptom every day without getting tired of it.

It’s almost like the fun of choosing,
reminds me of a certain brand of ice cream.

One day she gets skin boils.
Another day her body dries up and becomes like a skeleton.

Today she even came with a strange curse where her body melts like slime.

And when I cast healing magic on her, what she says is.

“You can heal even this? It makes me feel competitive?”

She throws out meaningful words.

“At this rate, can you really heal anything…?”

She mutters, lost in her own world.
At this point, it seemed certain that she was deliberately getting cursed.

‘Well, I enjoyed it too.’

At first, I was puzzled by her deliberately getting cursed,
but I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed it.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t excited about what curse she would bring next.

It was fun, almost like a catering service that comes on its own.
Especially considering that I hadn’t been able to use much magic recently due to studying, it was rather good.

And the reason I could think so leisurely now was because I understood her strange behavior.

‘She must be researching for her sister’s curse.’

I couldn’t help but notice easily given her muttering words and actions, and what I knew about her family.
Currently, she was gauging whether I would be effective in healing her family.

It was a welcome thing.
After all, Zick approached Soho for the same purpose.

And if I could ultimately treat her sister Daeho.
The threat of the Demon King’s army wouldn’t be so scary.

Even the Demon King in the story postponed the invasion because he was afraid of her.

‘I just hope there are no side effects from the healing magic.’

Soho was the first person I had used healing magic on repeatedly like this.

At first, I didn’t dare imagine there would be side effects or abnormal symptoms.

“I’m hungry?”
“It’s absolutely not that I prepared this for Zick-nim to eat. It’s not that I want you to eat this… Here, please eat.”

“Ah, I’m sleepy~”
“Oh my, why is there a blanket here? This is absolutely not because I thought it would be nice if Zick-nim slept with it, it just happens to be here, oh my?”

Soho reacts excessively sensitively to my words.
I couldn’t deny that it was visibly getting worse to the point where I could feel it every time she received healing.

My healing magic.
It seems to do more than just heal.

For now, it’s just a hypothesis.
Nothing is certain.

However, the ominous feeling in a corner of my heart wouldn’t easily disappear.

‘Surely nothing strange has happened to the people I’ve healed so far, right?’

I could only hope not.

Not far from Brook territory, Märchen territory.
This was where Zick briefly stayed after escaping from Brook territory,
before coming to Marleon.

Emilia, who had come out far for an errand, heard a familiar name while walking.

“Is it okay to give me so much food?”
“All of this is thanks to Zick-nim’s grace. He told me to share my love with you, sister, without compensation, just as I received.”

In a corner of the street, a woman was sharing food with a begging old woman.
It was truly a heartwarming sight.

But the name that kept being heard.

“Ah! Zick-nim! How beautiful and intelligent he was. Surely you would understand my feelings if you met him, sister.”
“Ohh!! To think such an excellent person exists…! I believe you.”

At first, she thought this was a coincidence.
But the familiar scenes she kept encountering.

“Come on! The reason we mercenaries have gathered is to overthrow the Demon King! Under Zick-nim’s command, we aim for the Demon King!”

“If we tend this park, Zick-nim will be pleased too. He especially liked this flower, you know.”

“No matter how much I sculpt, I can’t capture Zick-nim’s appearance. Damn it!”

Everyone was talking about Zick.
And the moment she saw these scenes, Emilia thought.

That it was very desirable.

And it would be a long time before Zick learned of this fact.