The Price of Healing Magic (1)
I turned my head and there she was. The first thing that caught my eye was her hair. My gaze naturally locked onto those brilliant golden locks that seemed to capture sunlight itself. It was as if the radiance of the sun was spilling through the clouds, warming even the air around her with a gentle glow. Her eyes, a deep blue reminiscent of the ocean, held a serene stillness that seemed to freeze time, radiating a calm that put anyone who looked into them at ease. These two features blended together in perfect harmony, creating a picture-perfect beauty with an overwhelmingly powerful presence. She was the spitting image of my favorite character from the novel—Daeho Baekya.
“Soho Baekya, my lady,”
But it wasn’t her. Though they looked identical, this was someone else.
“You’re the second young lady of the Baekya Ducal family… correct?”
Soho Baekya was the twin sister of my favorite character, Daeho Baekya. In the original story, she was only mentioned by name once or twice and never actually appeared, so I didn’t know much about her. As a reader, she was a complete stranger I’d never encountered before. Still, maybe because of how much she resembled Daeho, I felt an unexpected sense of familiarity.
“Even though you are a young lady of the ducal house, you cannot meet the Saintess right now.”
“I see. Understood.”
After exchanging a few words with the guide, she turned away with a downcast expression. I’d assumed she was here to register for the exam too, but apparently not.
“Hmm?”
Had I been staring too long? Our eyes met. She looked puzzled.
“Is there something you need from me?”
“Well… it’s just that…”
The sudden encounter left me at a loss for words. How was I supposed to explain that I’d been staring because she looked exactly like someone I knew? That would sound completely weird.
The silence stretched on, and Soho seemed to reach her own conclusion. She smiled as if she understood perfectly and spoke up.
“I… I am quite beautiful, aren’t I? Hehe.”
With that, she gracefully walked away. I’d completely missed my chance.
My first impression of Soho Baekya was that she was a young lady with extremely high self-esteem.
*
The exam was scheduled for one week from now. It consisted of a written test and a practical test. The final score was the sum of both, and depending on the results, candidates could receive scouting offers from the Church. The Holy Church was the dream workplace for every healer—offering the best treatment and salary in the industry. That was why most people took the exam with the goal of joining the Church. Some might even receive recommendations to join the royal court of another nation. In truth, healers were so rare and valuable that they were welcomed anywhere they went.
With the Demon King’s Army slowly making its presence known across the continent, the existence of healers had become incredibly precious. The real problem, though, was that healers themselves were reluctant to use their magic freely. They seemed to hold the prejudice that such a miraculous power should be conserved and used sparingly. As a result, the only normal way to receive healing was to make a donation to the Church.
I, on the other hand, just spammed it whenever I felt like using magic.
“Heal—!”
“Whoa! I can see! Thank you so much for restoring my sight!”
I’d just cast the spell on a blind beggar. The man, now able to see, scratched his head awkwardly even as he expressed his gratitude.
“But I don’t have anything to give you…”
In this world, if you had no money, you couldn’t enjoy the miracle of healing. The newly sighted beggar knew that fact all too well.
“In that case, it’s fine. Instead, please help someone else the way I helped you.”
“You’re too kind…! Sob, thank you so much.”
I never insisted on receiving anything from those who had nothing. I only used the magic because I enjoyed it, not because I wanted something in return. For people who felt burdened by receiving such unconditional goodwill, I’d casually suggest something instead. Eat a delicious meal. Take a nice walk. Help others and do some volunteer work. Defeat the Demon King’s Army. Things like that. Then they’d leave satisfied.
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind! Sob…”
Anyway, with this, the practical exam shouldn’t be a problem. While using my ability over the past few days, I’d tested just how far my healing could go, and there wasn’t a single illness or condition I couldn’t fix. As expected, the healing magic I possessed was truly omnipotent.
That left the written exam as the real issue. I had Sieg’s memories, so I possessed basic common sense and general knowledge about this world, but I didn’t have the specialized expertise the test would likely require. Honestly, I wasn’t confident, but I planned to do my best.
With that in mind, I was currently on my way to the central library in Marleryung. Located right in the heart of the city and not too far away, it had a vast collection of materials available to the public—including the exact reference materials for the exam I’d be taking.
“Huh?”
As I cut across the market, a familiar figure caught my eye. Even among the crowd, her presence stood out overwhelmingly.
“…Soho Baekya?”
She was standing motionless in front of a street stall, staring intently at the food on display. A tiny bit of drool had gathered at the corner of her mouth—she clearly wanted it badly. Yet she simply kept staring without moving. That was all.
Does she not have any money?
The thought crossed my mind, but that couldn’t be right. She was the second daughter of the Baekya Ducal family from the mighty Seolha Empire. There was no way she lacked money. She was probably holding back for the sake of dieting.
After she’d been standing there for quite a while, the stall owner greeted her warmly.
“Miss, would you like one?”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t have any money…”
“Hahaha… I see. Well then… I understand. Tsk.”
It was actually true?! The stall owner scratched his head and turned away, clearly feeling awkward.
“Hello.”
I walked up to Soho and greeted her. I had a feeling this was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her. I wanted to become friends with Soho. She was a daughter of the Baekya family and the younger twin sister of my favorite character. If I wanted to meet Daeho, going through her would be the easiest route.
First of all, the Seolha Empire was a country closed off to outsiders, and the Baekya Ducal family itself wasn’t particularly welcoming to strangers. On top of that, Daeho was a hikikomori who avoided meeting people because of her curse. If I could befriend Soho and get invited over, I might be able to arrange a natural encounter.
And if I got to meet Daeho…
I’ll just heal her.
I could cure the curse and illness plaguing her and prevent her tragic death. It was the very first goal that had come to mind after I’d been transported into this world.
“Ah, it’s that handsome gentleman from earlier?”
Her sudden compliment caught me off guard. It seemed her playful personality was showing through.
“Pardon? Ahem. My name is Sieg Barbary, my lady.”
After a brief moment of flustered surprise, I calmly introduced myself first.
“Is that so? Nice to meet you. I’m Soho Baekya.”
In response to my introduction, Soho gave a graceful, perfectly refined bow befitting a daughter of a ducal house. It was completely different from the dazed expression she’d shown the stall owner earlier, creating a slight sense of dissonance.
“So, what brings you here? I’m quite busy at the moment, so I can’t chat for long.”
“Do you want to eat that?”
“What?!”
“You’ve been standing here for a while. Shall I buy you one?”
“N-no, not at all! It’s absolutely not because I wanted to eat this food that I was standing here staring at it, okay?”
What was she even saying? Did she seriously think I wouldn’t notice?
“Really, I didn’t want to eat that food at all!”
Perhaps sensing my doubtful gaze, Soho repeated herself. Her face was flushed red. At this point, I almost felt guilty enough to just play along and pretend I believed her.
“…But I won’t stop you if you insist on buying it for me.”
“Then please enjoy one.”
I opened my wallet and paid. Since I also needed snacks for Akasha, I bought some extra. I handed the food I’d received from the stall owner directly to her.
“Nom nom nom!”
She began eating with obvious delight, then gave an embarrassed little laugh before speaking.
“As a woman, receiving food from a man like this… I suppose I have no choice but to offer something in return. Go on, tell me what you want.”
Soho puffed out her chest with confidence. Her usual outfit had a wide opening at the side of her breast, so every time she did that, the presence of her chest became overwhelmingly noticeable.
“Anything is fine! Just say the word. Hehe.”
“R-really?”
For a split second, I almost shouted, Please let me touch your breasts! Given her bold personality, she might have actually offered them willingly. But…
I can’t waste this opportunity like that.
My goal was to build a connection with her. I needed a natural reason to get closer. The dilemma didn’t last long. As it happened, I had something I needed help with. If things went well, I could kill two birds with one stone.
“Could you teach me so I can pass the healer written exam?”
We could spend time together and naturally grow closer. Of course, only if she was willing.
At my answer, Soho gave a smile that seemed almost amused.
“Hehehe. That’s simple enough. Just leave it to me. Even though I’m not taking the exam myself, something like this is child’s play for a daughter of the Baekya Ducal family. So, who exactly am I supposed to be teaching?”
“Me.”
“Eh? You’re the one taking the test? A man? No way…”
Was the shock that great? Soho asked again, repeating herself.
“I can help you with the written studies, but… you can really use healing magic?”
“Yes.”
“Hah! No way. There’s no way a man like that exists. And with a face like yours… you can even use magic? Should I kidnap him? But that can’t be possible, right?”
Huh? Kidnap?
Did I hear that wrong? When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, Soho spoke with a completely serious face.
“Can you prove it?”
No matter what I said, she clearly had no intention of dropping her suspicious gaze. It seemed I really had to show her to make her believe. I quickly scanned the surroundings. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the day you need something is when you can’t find it—there wasn’t a single person nearby who looked sick or in pain. There was no situation where I could use healing magic. This was truly troublesome.
Will a sick person fall from the sky or something?
The moment that thought crossed my mind—
“Guhk—!”
A fountain of blood erupted right in front of me. It didn’t stop, splattering all the way onto my face. And naturally, the owner of that blood was—
“Damn it…”
Soho, spitting out a curse as she suffered from a violent bout of hematemesis.