A Man as a Healer? (2)
It was the exact moment I was about to open my mouth after coming face-to-face with that lunatic.
“All right, everyone, please take your seats.”
The examiner walked in. People immediately moved with perfect coordination, each finding their assigned spot and sitting down.
“Tsk.”
Even the crazy bastard who’d been picking a fight clicked his tongue once before returning to his own seat.
Why the sudden hostility? I couldn’t understand it. We’d never even met before. How ridiculous. The silver lining was that I’d managed to escape the woman who’d been pestering me with questions from the seat beside me.
Huh?
The woman who had been chattering away just moments ago had vanished. It was as if she had never been there at all. It was downright eerie.
I didn’t hear a single sound. Not the scrape of a desk, not even footsteps as she stood up. That guy’s dramatic entrance must have grabbed all my attention. Still, it sent a slight chill down my spine.
“Once you finish your written exam, you may submit it immediately.”
Anyway, the test had begun. I started working on the exam paper I’d been given. Thanks to Soho’s thorough explanations, the questions weren’t difficult at all. I could practically see the answers before I even finished reading the problems. All that hard tutoring had paid off.
Nice.
It was a thoroughly satisfying test with zero regrets. After submitting my paper, I headed straight to the practical examination hall.
Inside, those who had already finished were huddled together in groups, chatting. Among them, one particular crowd stood out.
“Hello! I noticed you finished the written test incredibly fast earlier. That’s amazing. And to think you can use healing magic even though you’re a man.”
“What are your plans after the exam? If you have some time, would you like to grab a meal with us? I know all the best restaurants nearby… hehe.”
The area was swarming with questions. It was the group centered around the same guy who had approached me earlier just to hurl insults.
“Thank you. Hehehe, it’s all thanks to the rigorous training I’ve done since I was a child. I wouldn’t say I’m amazing—it’s all thanks to the grace of the One and Only God.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! I love eating, so this is perfect. How did you know? Truly~. Then shall we all go together? Does anyone else want to join us?”
What surprised me was how he answered every single question without missing a beat. And in between, his subtly clingy gestures—naturally linking arms with the women around him or touching their arms.
Where have I seen this before…? It reminded me of those groups from my previous life: a single guy surrounded by a whole crowd of women.
“Hahahaha.”
“Hohohoho.”
The mood was growing warmer and more intimate by the second. Every so often our eyes would meet, and he’d sneer with a look that said I was pathetic.
Fuck. Seriously. What the hell does he want? I had no idea why he was doing this. I almost wished he’d just tell me his reason for fixating on me. If it turned out to be some brain-dead excuse, I’d beat the crap out of him. Though honestly, I kind of wanted to beat him regardless.
“All right, everyone, pay attention! We will now begin the practical examination.”
People gathered one by one as the examiner entered and announced the start of the test. The practical was simple: use healing magic on an actual patient. The patients were divided into stages based on their symptoms. Applicants chose a stage they believed they could handle, performed the healing, and received points based on the result. Choosing a higher stage granted bonus points, so accurately gauging your own ability was crucial.
For example, even if you successfully healed a Stage 1 patient with nothing more than a mild cold, you couldn’t expect more points than someone who healed a Stage 2 bruise. The examiner emphasized this again.
“I’ll say it once more: what matters most is completing the healing perfectly. There is no need to overreach and choose a patient beyond your capabilities.”
Still, perfectly finishing the healing was what counted above all.
“Then I will call you by number in order.”
The test proceeded with one person at a time stepping forward while the rest observed alongside the examiner. I was number 16—a comfortably middle position.
I wish my turn would come soon…!
I’d been so focused on studying the scriptures that I hadn’t been able to use magic much. At most once a day. Without Soho, it would have been a full week of total abstinence. I had been waiting for this moment for so long. If I compared it to a man’s perspective, it was like the thrill right before finally releasing after a week of holding back. My heart was pounding with excitement.
“You there. Sieg, was it?”
While I waited for my turn after the test began, the same troublemaker suddenly approached me, bringing the entire group of women he’d been flirting with.
“I heard you applied even though you can’t use healing magic? They say you’re just an attention-seeker who thinks he’s special. Huhuhu.”
He started picking another fight with more incomprehensible nonsense. I responded, utterly bewildered.
“What are you even talking about? Do you know me?”
“Of couuurse I do~ I know you very well. You’re Sieg Barbary, aren’t you? Right? Huhu, I definitely know all about it.”
The guy blustered on arrogantly. I couldn’t fathom why he was acting so high and mighty just because he knew my name.
“Then why did you even show up for the test? To brag about putting in a little effort? How pathetic.”
“Exactly. I thought he had a cute face, but wow, total turn-off.”
The women standing behind him chimed in, echoing his insults. So that’s why he dragged a whole entourage around—to show off his status while trampling and mocking me.
“Number 15, Arsen Gray, please prepare.”
“Yes!”
The guy turned at the examiner’s call and answered, then kept sneering right until the end.
“Watch closely. This is what real healing magic looks like.”
He stepped forward with absolute confidence.
*
The test continued in sequence. Applicants came forward one after another to demonstrate their magic. Emma, the examiner observing them, felt a surge of pride. This batch of applicants was exceptionally skilled overall. Normally, most chose Stage 2 out of six total stages, yet this time three people had already selected Stage 3. From Stage 3 onward, the patients suffered from curses—territory not easily touched. Curses were a dangerous field; mishandle them and the healer could end up suffering the backlash instead. That was why most people feared attempting them.
The church is going to be bustling.
Especially since they desperately needed more healers lately. Just imagining how many new healers would emerge after these results made Emma feel satisfied. The current applicant had chosen Stage 2 but completed the healing magic with great skill. That was more than enough to pass. With an excited heart, Emma called the next person.
“Number 15, Arsen Gray.”
Arsen Gray. One of the mere two male applicants in this batch. She’d heard he was the son of the Gray substitute bishop.
“Tsk.”
Honestly, she didn’t like him. During the last general meeting, the Gray substitute bishop had passionately argued that men could do it too. She’d wondered why he was so fervent, but it turned out he was just pushing for his own son. Since he constantly bragged about his child like it was a habit, there was no way she wouldn’t know Arsen.
Let’s see what he’s capable of.
Emma resolved to watch him with strict attention.
“I will take Stage 1.”
Emma found it laughable. So in the end, this was all he could manage? In truth, as she had explained earlier, safely completing the healing mattered more than the stage chosen. Still, the name Arsen made her expectations unavoidably high.
“Then I will begin.”
Arsen approached the Stage 1 patient.
“Hoo…”
He took a deep breath and began chanting. What he recited was a passage from the scriptures. Chanting scripture like this amplified the power of healing magic. After chanting for some time, Arsen slowly cast the spell on the patient.
“Hup! Heal—.”
He invoked the magic with a solemn voice.
“Ugh…”
Small groans kept escaping. The more he used the magic, the more his body screamed in pain. Arsen was a man. Unlike women, his mana was severely lacking, making even this much a heavy burden.
Emma shook her head.
As expected, a failure.
The magic hadn’t even fully activated yet. His struggling expression made the outcome obvious. This was going to fail.
“I have completed it.”
But an unexpected result emerged. After writhing in pain for a while, the guy added one more chant and somehow succeeded.
“Hmm… Very well.”
Emma checked the patient. The condition looked cured. In the end, he had completed the healing. It seemed like he had forced it through with some underhanded trick, but without concrete evidence, she had nothing to say.
“Then, number 16, Sieg Barbary.”
Emma called the next applicant. Another male candidate stepped forward. At the sight of him, Emma’s expression soured. She didn’t particularly dislike Sieg. But after what Arsen had just displayed, she couldn’t think favorably of him. This Sieg fellow had quite a… handsome face, but he had probably applied with nothing but baseless confidence.
“Then I will begin with Stage 1.”
Sieg moved toward the Stage 1 patient. Seeing this, Emma gave a bitter smile.
As expected.
In the end, no matter how hard a man tried to use healing magic, the limit was obvious. He could barely cast it once before collapsing, and the only symptoms he could handle were mild things like a cold. At this rate, even if he could truly use healing magic, she was starting to question whether he deserved to pass. One female healer was far more valuable than ten of these men.
Sieg stood before the patient. The chant began.
“Heal—.”
The light of healing enveloped the patient and vanished in an instant.
“Huh?”
Emma was surprised despite herself. His casting speed was faster than any of the sixteen applicants who had gone before him today.
“Oh… Perfect.”
Just to be sure, she checked the patient. The healing was flawless. She had dismissed him because of his gigolo-like appearance, but he was far more skilled than expected. If he continued training at this rate, he might even be able to challenge Stage 2. The moment Emma felt guilty for her suspicion and prepared to offer him some words of encouragement—
“Heal—.”
“Heal—.”
“Heal—!”
Sieg moved on to the next patient. He healed the Stage 2, 3, and 4 patients in rapid succession.
“Wait… what is that? What is that guy? He’s healing Stage 4?”
“Insane! Isn’t Stage 4 something only high-ranking priests can handle?”
The observers began murmuring among themselves. None of them had ever seen healing magic of this caliber in their entire lives.
But it was still too early to be shocked. Because immediately after—
“Heal—.”
“Heal—!”
He had even healed the final Stage 6 patient. Everyone watching stood with their mouths agape, unable to hide their astonishment. A long, heavy silence stretched on.
“P… Pass!”
What finally broke the silence was Emma’s voice cracking from pure shock.
*
“That feels so refreshing.”
How long had it been? It had been ages since I used healing magic to my heart’s content. Maybe because I had held back for so long, the release felt incredibly satisfying.
“P… Pass!”
The examiner shouted with her mouth still hanging open.
What? Were they announcing the results right away? I had assumed the examiner only measured scores and results came later, but apparently not.
“Y-you’re truly incredible. May I ask which family you belong to?”
“Do you have any plans after the test? If you’re free, would you like to go somewhere nice with us?”
“Are you the saint mentioned in the prophecy?”
The moment I returned to my spot after finishing, questions bombarded me from every direction. Their attitudes had flipped completely. Even the guys who had been insulting me earlier joined the crowd and approached.
“Well…”
Answering wasn’t hard, but with so many people talking at once, I didn’t know where to begin. It was overwhelming.
That was when it happened.
“Th-that’s a fraud! It must be demonic sorcery!”
The guy who had been sulking in the corner—Arsen, was it?—suddenly shouted. His face was flushed bright red with rage.
“That guy didn’t even chant from the scriptures, yet he healed all the way to Stage 6, which is supposed to be possible only for the Saintess! You call that a male healer? As the son of Substitute Bishop Gray, I, Arsen Gray, can prove it! That is without a doubt the sorcery of the demon race!”
He started throwing a tantrum, clearly trying to frame me.
“Is that so…?”
“The son of Substitute Bishop Gray? No wonder…”
“Then that Sieg guy…”
The atmosphere shifted at once. Suspicious glances and confusion swept over the crowd. Just as those doubtful eyes turned toward me—
“No. That is not sorcery of any kind.”
A clear, ringing voice cut through the noise. It belonged to a beautiful girl whose pink hair fluttered gracefully.
“That is the sacred power of the One and Only God. It is pure healing magic.”
She testified to my innocence. Before I could even wonder who she was, someone else spoke up.
“S-Saintess?”
It was the arrival of the Saintess from the One and Only God Church.