The Saintess of the Infirmary (Part 2)
The mysterious power flowing from Yeonhui's fingertips cleanly healed Seong Hyun-jin's wounds. His swollen eyelids subsided, his burst lips mended and regained their original color. Even prodding them produced no sting like before. It wasn't merely an outward recovery—the injuries had been perfectly cured.
Seong Hyun-jin stared blankly at Yeonhui and murmured, “How is this even possible……”
“You're all better now, right?”
“Was that spirit divine technique you just used? I didn't know divine arts could do this.”
As far as Seong Hyun-jin knew, healing spells using spirit divine arts sped up recovery but didn't heal wounds instantly on the spot. For instance, a wound that would take two days might close in about ten hours. Yet Yeonhui's treatment had mended it right then and there, as pristine as if the injury had never existed.
Seong Hyun-jin gaped at her in stunned silence. “This is just……a miracle.”
“As you said, it's not divine arts.”
Yeonhui smiled brightly and explained. “I told you I'm a transmigrator, remember? I arrived when I was very young, but a special blessing let me survive.”
Come to think of it, he'd heard something like that. Seong Hyun-jin hadn't paid much attention to the details of her blessing, brushing it off.
“So this is the power of that blessing?”
“Exactly.”
Yeonhui nodded. Seong Hyun-jin eyed her curiously, wondering what the blessing entailed, but she deftly changed the subject. “As I mentioned, please keep my ability a secret. It'd be troublesome if word got out.”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded at her request. It made sense with just a moment's thought—if people knew, students would pester her for treatments nonstop.
“Ah……sure, I will.”
“Thank you.”
Yeonhui beamed at him. “Class is about to start soon, so you should head back.”
“Aren't you going to class, sunbae?”
“I need to mind the infirmary for a bit. It's not usually my job, but the instructor stepped out.”
“Ah.”
That explained why she was here. “So you were covering the chapel too?”
“No, that's my actual responsibility.”
“Oh, really?”
It seemed odd for a student to manage an entire chapel, but recalling the miraculous power she'd just shown, it started to make sense.
She said she was an exchange student from Celestial Academy.
Yeonhui was originally from Celestial Academy but had come here as an exchange student. Who from Terastial Academy had swapped places with such a talent? Seong Hyun-jin's curiosity piqued, but he doubted she knew, so he simply expressed his gratitude instead. “Thanks for the treatment.”
“No trouble at all. Swing by the chapel when you have time later.”
“Can I do that?”
“Of course. It's a bit lonely by myself, so it'd be nice if my hoobae kept me company.”
“Sure thing.”
Seong Hyun-jin rose and left the infirmary. “……Small chest, but a good heart.”
He'd thought no flat-chested girls were ever nice, but he decided to revise that notion.
Seong Hyun-jin climbed back up a floor and returned to the Combat Department classroom. Instructor Hayes hadn't arrived yet. Thanks to the quick treatment, he'd made it back before class started. He sat down next to Serena as naturally as could be.
A few students shot envious glances at his casual familiarity. No one else dared approach Serena, intimidated by her fame and icy aura.
What's that guy's deal, acting so buddy-buddy……
……Top and runner-up, maybe?
The boys smitten with Serena's beauty glared jealously, but Seong Hyun-jin ignored them completely.
As he settled in post-infirmary, Serena tilted her head. “What happened?”
“Hm?”
“How are your wounds all gone? They're completely fine now.”
“Got treated.”
“Treated? And they just vanished like that?”
Serena looked baffled, but Seong Hyun-jin confirmed it bluntly, without a hint of embarrassment. “Yeah.”
“……?”
His curt reply furrowed her brow slightly. Assuming he was spouting nonsense again, she began, “That's ridiculous……”
Drag!
Just as Serena opened her mouth to press him, the door slid open roughly, and someone entered. Not just Seong Hyun-jin and Serena—all eyes turned to the woman wearing the instructor's badge.
Her purple hair swayed with her crisp strides, her expression and gaze as stern as ever. She ascended the podium.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Instructor Hayes Penrel, who oversaw the Combat Department first-years, offered a simple greeting. “Did you all sleep well?”
The students murmured affirmatives. Anyone saying otherwise here would be insane.
“My face was so puffy this morning, I thought I was gonna die. Doesn't it look swollen now?”
……Shockingly, one person piped up. Seong Hyun-jin.
Serena gawked at his lighthearted joke beside her. Cracking wise to the rigid Hayes? That took guts—or a death wish. From what Serena knew, Hayes wasn't one for flippant humor. She favored serious, weighty types over the frivolous, matching her no-nonsense vibe.
Joking with her on day one? Even with Seong Hyun-jin's skills, getting on her bad side from the start was unwise. Serena watched Hayes's reaction anxiously, fearing his image had tanked.
Surprisingly, Hayes didn't scold him—instead, she played along. “Not swollen at all, Student Seong Hyun-jin.”
“Really?”
“No different from yesterday.”
Serena blinked in mild surprise. Hayes had a softer side than her reputation suggested. The students, who'd tensed at her aura, relaxed a bit watching the exchange. With the mood lightened, Hayes announced to the class.
“Since it's the first day, we won't dive straight into lessons. We'll be doing class placement exams instead.”
The students took it in stride. This was standard across academies. Not all department students attended the same classes—levels varied, so they split into groups accordingly. Any department large enough did placement tests.
The informed students stayed calm, but one guy freaked out. “Placement exams?!”
Seong Hyun-jin again. Serena eyed him like he'd lost his mind.
“Is that so surprising, Student Seong Hyun-jin?”
“Not really, just never heard about it.”
Hayes faltered at his reply. Most entered academies knowing basics like this. No academy skipped it. It was baffling for someone aspiring to attend not to know.
Seong Hyun-jin asked innocently, “If we split classes, can you teach all of them, Instructor?”
“I'd love to if I could split myself, but that's impossible. I'll handle Class A, the top group. Assistants will cover the rest.”
“Ah.”
Seong Hyun-jin muttered, “Gotta make Class A, then.”
“……That would be best.”
Serena was realizing just how lacking Seong Hyun-jin's common sense was. Without briefing him beforehand, awkward moments like this—embarrassing her by proxy—would keep happening.
Then a thought struck her. ……Maybe I just shouldn't sit next to him?
Problem solved. But Serena couldn't bring herself to choose that.
Then I'd be all alone……
She knew no one else. Sure, being with him drew fewer stares now, per his earlier point, but she had zero interest in cozying up to those approaching with agendas. Seong Hyun-jin was the only exception. So far, at least.
“……Haa, no helping it.”
“What's that?”
“Seong Hyun-jin, ask me first if you don't know something from now on.”
“You'll tell me?”
“Yes.”
Seong Hyun-jin nodded gladly. “Thanks. I've lived on the mountain so long, I don't know much.”
“…….”
His gratitude warmed Serena unexpectedly. Unaware why, she let it pass.
Hayes scanned the room. “I've prepared the exams, so follow me. Give it your all and aim for top scores.”