It Wasn’t Healing, It Was Training Magic

Just as I was about to open my mouth to confront this madman.
“Alright, everyone, please take your seats.”
The examiner entered.
People moved in an orderly fashion.
Each finding and sitting in their own seat.
“Tch.”
Even the madman who was running his mouth clicked his tongue once and returned to his seat.
‘Why the sudden provocation?’
I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this when he had never seen me before.
It’s ridiculous.
The only benefit was that I could escape from the woman who had been bothering me from the side.
‘Huh?’
The woman who had been chattering with questions until just now disappeared.
As if she had never been there in the first place.
It’s enough to make a ghost cry.
‘I didn’t hear any sound?’
I didn’t even hear the sound of a desk being pulled or footsteps of someone getting up from their seat.
I guess I was too focused because that guy’s impact was so big.
Still, it gives me slight chills.
“You can submit your exam paper as soon as you finish.”
Anyway, the exam began,
and I started solving the exam paper I received.
Thanks to Soho’s explanations, the problems weren’t difficult to solve.
I could see the answers even before reading the questions, to the point where I knew what to write.
This was all thanks to the intensive tutoring I received.
‘Good.’
It was a satisfying exam with no regrets.
After submitting my exam paper, I immediately moved to the practical exam venue.
In the practical exam venue, people who had already finished their exams were gathered in small groups chatting with each other.
Among them, there was a particularly noticeable group.
“Hello, I saw you solving the written exam quickly earlier, that’s amazing. And to think you can use healing magic even though you’re a man.”
“What are you doing after the exam? If you have some time, would you like to have a meal with us? I know a good restaurant nearby… hehe.”
A place where various questions were flying around.
It was a group centered around that male guy who came up to me and cursed earlier.
“Thank you. Hehehe, it’s the result of training hard since I was young. Rather than saying I’m great, it’s all thanks to the One God’s grace.”
“Really? That’s great! I like eating, so that’s perfect. How did you know that, really~. Then shall we all go together? Is there anyone else who wants to join us?”
What’s surprising is that he’s answering every single question without missing any.
And his gestures of subtly clinging to others in between.
He naturally links arms with or touches the arms of the women surrounding him.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…’
It was like watching a group with a single flower in an all-male group from my previous life.
“Hahahahaha.”
“Hohohoho.”
The atmosphere was becoming more and more relaxed and harmonious.
And in between, he would make eye contact with me and sneer with a look of contempt.
‘Damn, really. What does he want?’
I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this.
I wish he would at least tell me why he keeps giving me attention.
If I hear it and it’s really a stupid reason, I might just beat him up.
In fact, regardless of the reason, the fact that I want to beat him up won’t change.
“Alright, everyone, attention please! We’ll start the practical exam.”
As people gathered one by one,
the examiner entered and announced the start of the exam.
The exam was a simple test where you use healing magic on actual patients.
The patients are classified by stages based on their symptoms,
and the applicants decide which stage they can handle before healing.
Then scores are given based on the results.
Since additional points are given for choosing higher stages, it was important to know your own abilities properly.
For example, even if you succeed in choosing stage 1, which is about the level of a very mild cold,
it’s difficult to expect a higher score than someone who healed a stage 2 symptom like a bruise.
“I emphasize once again, the important thing is to complete the healing perfectly. There’s no need to choose a patient beyond your ability by pushing yourself.”
Still, what’s important is to complete the healing perfectly, no matter what.
“Then, I will call out the numbers in order.”
The exam proceeds with each person coming out according to their assigned number,
and the remaining waiting applicants watch along with the examiner.
I’m number 16.
It’s a number in the middle.
‘I wish it was my turn soon…!’
I couldn’t use magic much because I was focusing on studying the scripture.
Barely one spell a day?
If it weren’t for Soho, it would have been a week of complete abstinence.
I’ve been waiting for this moment so much.
It’s like the excitement just before releasing after a week of abstinence for a man.
My heart is pounding.
“You there, Zick was it?”
While waiting for my turn after the exam started,
the guy who was running his mouth earlier approached me out of nowhere.
And he brought along the group of women he was playing with earlier.
“I heard you applied for the exam even though you can’t use healing magic? They say you’re an attention seeker who thinks too highly of yourself. Huhuhuh.”
He starts picking a fight again with incomprehensible words.
To those words, I replied with an incredulous look.
“What are you talking about? Do you know me by any chance?”
“Of course~ I know you well. You’re Zick Barbar, right? Correct? Huhu, I’m telling you I know.”
The guy blabbered on with an arrogant attitude.
Why is he acting like this just for knowing my name?
“Then why did you come to take the exam? Is it to show off because you tried a little? You’re making a fool of yourself.”
“Yeah, I thought you looked cute, but wow, what a turn-off.”
The women standing behind the guy started chiming in and making a fuss.
I was wondering why he keeps a group around him, and now I understand the reason.
It was to boast about his own authority while belittling and mocking me at the same time.
“Number 15, Arsen Gray, please standby.”
“Yes!”
The guy turned his head and answered at the examiner’s call.
And then he sneered at me until the end.
“Watch carefully. This is what healing magic is.”
The guy stepped up to take the exam with a confident look.
*
The exam proceeded sequentially.
Applicants came out one by one to use magic.
Emma, the examiner watching them, felt proud.
The applicants in this batch were generally of high caliber.
Usually, most choose stage 2 out of the total 6 stages,
but this quarter, three people have already chosen stage 3.
From stage 3, it’s curses.
It’s a stage that can’t be easily dealt with.
Curses are a difficult field to handle, and if done wrong, the healer could be harmed instead.
That’s why people are usually afraid to challenge it.
‘The church will be invigorated.’
Especially since more healers were needed recently, after the results of this exam are announced.
Emma felt full just thinking about how many more healers would increase.
The applicant in front of her now chose stage 2, but
she completed the healing magic skillfully.
This much is a passing grade.
Emma called the next applicant with an excited heart.
“Number 15, Arsen Gray.”
Arsen Gray.
He was one of the two male applicants in this batch.
I heard he’s the son of High Priest Gray.
“Tch.”
Honestly, she didn’t like him.
High Priest Gray, who argued at the last general meeting that men can do it too.
She wondered why he was so passionate about it, but
in the end, it was for his own son.
Since he habitually brags about his child,
it was impossible not to know about this Arsen guy.
‘Let’s see how good he really is.’
Emma decided to watch thoroughly.
“I’ll do stage 1.”
Emma thought it was ridiculous.
In the end, all he could do was stage 1?
As she explained earlier, completing the healing safely is more important than the stage,
but she couldn’t help having high expectations because it was Arsen.
“Then, let’s begin.”
Arsen approached the stage 1 patient.
“Hoo…”
After taking a deep breath, he started chanting.
What Arsen was reciting was a part of a verse from the scripture.
Chanting the scripture like that increases the effect of healing magic.
After chanting for a while, Arsen slowly activated the magic on the patient.
“Yah! Heal—.”
He uses magic with a solemn voice.
“Ugh…”
Groans leak out slightly.
The more he uses magic, Arsen’s body screams in pain.
Arsen is a man.
Unlike women, it’s burdensome to use magic with significantly less mana.
Emma shook her head.
‘As expected, a failure?’
The magic hasn’t even fully activated yet.
Seeing his struggling appearance, she can predict.
This is a failure.
“Completed.”
However, an unexpected result came out.
The guy who had been in pain for a while chanted once more and succeeded.
“Hmm… good.”
Emma checked the patient.
Looking at the condition, it’s a pass.
After all, he completed the healing magic in the end.
It looked like he used some kind of trick to forcefully use magic,
but there was no concrete evidence, so she couldn’t say anything.
“Then, number 16, Zick Barbar.”
Emma called the next applicant.
What came out was another male applicant.
Seeing that, Emma frowned.
It’s not that she had any ill feelings towards Zick specifically.
But because of the behavior Arsen just showed, she didn’t have good thoughts.
This Zick guy, he has quite a… face,
but he probably applied for the exam with just hollow confidence too.
“Then I’ll start with stage 1.”
Zick moved to the stage 1 patient.
Seeing that, Emma gave a bitter smile.
‘As expected.’
In the end, no matter how much a man uses healing magic,
the limits are clear.
They can barely use magic once before collapsing, and the level they can handle is just minor things like colds.
At this point, even if they can really use healing magic, she starts to wonder if they should pass them.
One female healer is much better than ten guys like that.
Zick stood in front of the patient.
And the chanting began.
“Heal—.”
The light of healing enveloped the patient and quickly disappeared.
“Huh?”
Emma was surprised without realizing it.
It was because his casting speed was faster than any of the 16 people who came out today.
“Oh… perfect.”
She checked the patient just in case, but the healing seems perfect.
She had ignored him because he looked like a pretty boy, but he’s more skilled than expected.
If he cultivates more like this, he might even aim for stage 2.
Just as Emma was feeling guilty about her doubts and was about to give words of encouragement to Zick.
“Heal—.”
“Heal—.”
“Heal—!”
Zick approached other patients.
He’s healing stage 2, 3, and 4 patients in order.
“Uh… what’s that? Why is that man healing stage 4?”
“Crazy! Isn’t stage 4 something only high-ranking priests can do?”
People around started whispering.
It was because they had never seen such high-level healing magic in their lives.
But the surprise was far from over.
That’s because.
“Heal—.”
“Heal—!”
He finished healing even the final stage 6 patient.
Everyone watching the situation was open-mouthed and couldn’t hide their shock.
A long silence ensued.
“P-pass!”
What broke the silence was Emma’s voice cracking from being too surprised.
*
“Refreshing.”
How long has it been?
It’s been a long time since I used healing magic to my heart’s content.
Is it because I held back for so long?
It felt so refreshing.
“P-pass!”
The examiner shouted with her mouth open.
‘What’s this?’
Are the results announced right away?
I thought the examiner would just measure the scores and the results would be announced separately, but it seems that wasn’t the case.
“You, you’re really amazing. May I ask which family you’re from?”
“Do you have time after the exam? If you do, would you like to go somewhere nice with us?”
“Aren’t you the saint mentioned in the prophecy?”
After finishing the exam and returning to my seat,
questions poured in from all directions.
The suddenly changed attitudes.
Even those who had been criticizing me mixed into the crowd and approached me.
“Well…”
It’s not difficult to answer.
But because there are so many, I was at a loss as to what to say first.
It was at that moment.
“That… that’s cheating! He must have used demonic arts!”
The guy who was stuck in a corner, Arsen was it?
That guy shouted.
His face was red as if he was very angry.
“He didn’t even recite the scripture chant, and he did up to stage 6 which only the Saint is supposed to be able to do! How can he be a male healer? I, Arsen Gray, as the son of High Priest Gray, can prove that this is demonic arts!”
The guy started whining and shouting.
He was trying to slander me.
“Is that so…?”
“The son of High Priest Gray? No wonder…”
“Then that man called Zick is…”
The atmosphere changed.
Suspicious gazes and confusion enveloped the crowd.
Just as those suspicious gazes were about to turn towards me,
“No. That is not demonic arts or anything of the sort.”
A clear voice was heard.
It was a beautiful girl with pink hair fluttering.
“That is the power of the holy One God. It is pure healing magic.”
She testified to my innocence.
And before I could wonder who this woman was, someone said.
“S-Saint?”
It was the appearance of the Saint of the One God Church.