My Healing Magic Was Actually Conditioning Magic?!
My head was spinning. It felt like someone had slammed a hammer straight into my skull. It wasn't healing magic...?!
Sieg Barbary. That was the name of the character I'd transmigrated into. In the original story, he was a supporting character who later helped Nero fight against the Demon King's army. By the time the Saint Freya burned herself out from overwork and could no longer use healing magic, his role became absolutely crucial. No matter how many healers the Holy Church had, none could match the level of Freya or Sieg Barbary. He was that valuable.
The so-called relief pitcher who appeared in Freya's place as she collapsed from exhaustion. He'd quietly healed all the key figures opposing the Demon King's army. And now I was being told that his healing magic had actually been binding people and turning them into slaves?
I'd never seen any description like that in the original novel. Which meant...
Is this something that only happened because I'm here instead of the original Sieg Barbary?
My mind spun with countless theories, but the only conclusion I could reach right now was I have no fucking idea. Rather than jumping to hasty conclusions, I wanted to investigate more and take my time figuring this out.
One thing was certain, though. I was way too confused to think straight. Accepting that the "truth" I'd believed my entire life was actually wrong was apparently going to take some time. My emotions were completely out of control. It felt like I'd spent my whole life believing the Earth was round, only to be told it was actually square.
My head was throbbing. I might be in denial... Even though I could see the reality right in front of me, I might still be rejecting it.
Memories floated up from a corner of my mind. Everything I'd felt every time I used healing magic flashed before me like a panorama. The pieces of the puzzle that had been blank were finally clicking into place, and the events of the past started making sense. It became even clearer.
Maybe I should talk to Soho first...?
The thought came to me while I was still examining the murals and documents. She was an expert at data analysis and research. There might be something I'd misunderstood or missed, so asking for her help seemed like a good idea.
But what if she finds out and gets disappointed?
From what I'd understood so far, healing magic was actually conditioning magic, and countless people—including Soho, whom I'd already healed—were bound by it. I couldn't predict how Soho would react once she learned the truth. Not only her, but Daeho, Emilia, Akasha, and even Nero might resent me. And that wasn't even mentioning all the times I'd walked around town spamming the magic everywhere.
Fuck. Isn't this completely fucked?
"Have you found what you were looking for?"
Reina, who had been staring at me blankly from the side, asked with a bright smile.
"...Or maybe you couldn't find it? If you need an extra pair of hands, shall I lend you mine?"
Thanks to her, the idiom about borrowing even a cat's paw popped into my head. If borrowing her hands would actually solve this, I'd take them in a heartbeat.
"Despite how I look, finding things is my specialty! Whoosh whoosh! Can you see these hands move? If you want, I can even find the chieftain's secrets for you."
"No."
"Ow! Ow! I told you not to pull my hair!"
"It'll grow back anyway."
"That doesn't make it hurt any less!"
When I made a wicked face thinking about messing with Yuho, Ria stepped in from the side to stop me. Their comedy duo made me burst out laughing, and I felt a bit calmer.
"Let's head back for now."
I sent Ria and Reina ahead and followed them out of the room. The moment we left—
Thud, thud, thud, boom!
The entrance to the passage closed immediately. Since the document that had acted as the trigger to open it was still there, it seemed we could open it again. It would be good to come back once Soho arrived here.
On the way back to our assigned quarters, the sounds of daily life for the beastmen reached us.
"Ugh... uwaa—!"
"It hurts, Mom. Dad."
"How... how long can I last? Haa..."
Groans and screams that seemed almost routine for the beastmen echoed around us. The symptoms of demonification appeared randomly, but the pain seemed to visit frequently. My body instinctively turned toward them. I wanted to spam healing magic on them right away.
But.
Is it really okay...?
My magic wasn't simple healing magic. Once someone received it, there was no turning back. Could I really do that?
I'd moved past the negative emotions, but that didn't mean the problem was solved. That's why I was hesitating about spamming magic like before. For now, it seemed I couldn't just cast it freely.
"God! God!"
I was lost in thought for only a moment before I heard someone calling me. Previously only Akasha had called me that, so I'd been able to tell who it was, but here everyone called me the same thing, so I didn't know until I turned my head.
"Th-thank you!"
It was a young girl who had approached. "Thanks to you, I'm completely better! As expected of God!"
It was the girl I'd healed from the curse that had been tormenting her. She proudly showed off her neck—where the tattoo had once been—as if boasting about her health.
"Look! It's completely clean, right?"
Just as the child said, she looked perfectly healthy.
"Are there any other symptoms? Like feeling scared when you look at me... or any strange emotions?"
"Of God? Hmm..."
I thought this was the perfect opportunity. Since she'd received the healing just yesterday, she might quickly notice if anything had changed.
"God is...! You're God, of course! Great and holy! My savior, and the savior of us all...!"
Once she started talking, the girl wouldn't stop praising me right there on the spot as if I were a deity. As she did, one thought occurred to me.
Weren't they always like this...?
When I saw Ria and Reina nodding along beside her with murmurs of agreement, it clicked. It seemed I wouldn't be able to gauge how powerful the conditioning effect was through the beastmen.
"So...! Just looking at God makes me happy! And! And... you're so incredibly handsome...!!"
I ended up trapped there, forced to endure a barrage of compliments.
*
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Water droplets fell. Every time she moved, there was a splashing sound.
"Hehe."
Yuho, the nine-tailed fox who led all the beastmen as their Great Chieftain, was carefully washing her body. Bathing had originally been her daily routine to wash away accumulated fatigue, but this time it carried a different meaning.
If her baths until now had been solely for herself, this one was for her master, Sieg. Not a single flaw could be tolerated.
After thoroughly cleaning herself, Yuho applied the precious spices she'd been saving. The lustrous sheen added to her voluptuous yet toned figure. Even she had to admit the reflection in the mirror looked magnificent. It was proof that she hadn't neglected her training all this time.
However, there was one thing that displeased her.
Those damned Church bastards...!
The curse tattoos that bound her like shackles across her neck and various other places, resembling scars. Whenever she faced them in the mirror, resentment and humiliation from the pain always surged up.
But now she could say goodbye to this curse as well. Because of her position as chieftain, she'd put it off thinking she'd only receive it much later due to her sense of responsibility. Yet God himself had personally recommended it—a precious opportunity! How long had she waited for this moment?
She would offer everything she had to God! Her body trembled with emotion.
Knock, knock.
After finishing her preparations, Yuho knocked on Sieg's door to announce her arrival. The door opened.
"Chieftain!"
It was the cute lion beastgirl Ria. She greeted Yuho with her usual expressionless face.
"Then I'll leave it to you. The ritual must proceed."
"Yeees~ Yeees~."
Reina replied half-heartedly as she left the room with Ria. They had been asked to stand guard outside while Sieg healed the curse. It was so that nothing would interfere with receiving the grace bestowed by Sieg.
"You're here?"
Now that they were alone in the room, Sieg greeted her lightly.
"Yes! God...! I washed my body thoroughly and came. How is it? Did I do well? Would you like to check?"
Yuho slightly loosened her clothes so her figure would be more visible, as if showing off. Thanks to that, her prominent chest line stood out. Sieg averted his gaze and declined.
Everyone's making this so difficult.
It was to block the sexual desire that had been building up unresolved since the demon attack earlier.
"Hehehe, I'm just kidding. Your expression looked so stiff, God."
Sieg had welcomed Yuho warmly the moment she entered, but he seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
"Are you feeling unwell? If so, we can postpone it..."
"..."
Sieg remained silent at Yuho's suggestion. That was the reason he'd been slightly hesitant. He was still wondering if he should use healing magic so recklessly.
Should I just tell her honestly?
Sieg wanted to tell Yuho what he'd seen today. She was the Great Chieftain of the beastmen and a priestess who served the gods. She might already know the secret behind his ability.
And maybe a solution too...
With a sliver of hope, he spoke honestly. He hadn't known it was that kind of power. He'd only just learned it now.
"...So honestly, I'm worried. About whether I should use healing magic."
"Aha...!"
Yuho, who had been quietly listening to Sieg, smiled brightly.
"Of course I knew."
"As expected. And you're still okay with it?"
Yuho smiled faintly and knelt down. Looking up at Sieg from below, she said,
"It's more than welcome."
"Huh?"
At his bewildered question, Yuho spread her arms wide.
"To receive domination from God is the greatest blessing! This is something our entire clan already knew. We actually want to be bound by you, God! Do as you please...!"
Then Yuho crawled on all fours like a puppy and clung to Sieg. Her nine tails moved in perfect unison.
"...We like it. So don't hold back and use it as much as you want...!"
Yuho's voice tickled his ears. Was it because he'd been holding back so long? The magic he'd wanted to use but couldn't. His fingers moved naturally. It wasn't just from the pure desire to use the magic fully. The urge to dominate Yuho, just as she wished, crept up slowly.
It was as if he'd been bewitched by a fox.
"Heal—!"
And so he released the magic he'd been hesitating over in a refreshing burst.
*
"The ancient god of the beastmen possesses this kind of power...!"
The Shiba Ducal House of the Seolha Empire. They stood shoulder to shoulder with Duke Baekya as one of the empire's pillars. Two of the current six Sword Masters came from the Shiba Ducal House. They were the mad clan known as the incarnations of the battlefield. It was said that if the Shiba family extended their hand, they could easily invade a small kingdom.
What they pursued was neither power nor honor, but pure strength. Becoming stronger was the only ideal they chased.
The Shiba Ducal House had recently succeeded in deciphering an ancient document discovered through the Magic Tower, and the duke's only daughter, the young lady, was listening to its interpretation.
"The ancient god of the beastmen can grant transcendent power...?! Is this truly factual?"
"It is. Completely healing the body is merely the basics... it can bestow immense power. According to ancient records, the ancient beastmen were able to mass-produce Sword Masters thanks to this!"
"Such...!"
Mass-produce Sword Masters? Sword Masters weren't some common name for dogs, yet this was an unbelievable story.
"Excellent, excellent! Truly magnificent...!!"
The successor to the Shiba Ducal House, Lady Shiba, couldn't tear her ears away from this tale. She was someone who had never avoided any form of training to become stronger. She'd thought she could progress no further, yet there was a way to grow stronger?
"Although the document was partially damaged so we couldn't learn everything, I believe it's sufficiently worth attempting."
At the words of the mage who had cooperated with the Shiba family for a long time, Lady Shiba broke into a wide smile. She thought the same. If it meant she could become stronger right here and now, she would swallow a hundred needles.
"Good! Then let's depart immediately! To the Goshura Great Forest where the beastmen are said to reside!"
Lady Shiba hurriedly set out on her journey. To become stronger as soon as possible.
And the mage who remained behind looked at the ancient document and sighed.
"It would have been better if this part had been intact."
Because it was torn, she couldn't make out the content of several sections.
"Well, it probably wasn't anything important."
After all, the core was the powerful ability of the ancient beastmen's god.
But that was the mage's mistake. The damaged and missing content was...
The kin shall be bound...... and become slaves...... thus they shall obey the god's every command.
It was a warning about the price of that power.