Chapter 18
"Noah, step forward."
Before morning training, my name was finally called.
I stepped out of line and knelt before the priest.
The priest held a hand over my head, and the faint light of Heal enveloped my body.
But perhaps because the priest was exhausted, I wasn't completely healed.
Taking advantage of that opening, I secretly channeled mana into myself.
I healed my scars and reset my displaced bones.
My foggy mind and misshapen body were completely healed, as if I'd been given a brand-new body.
Next, a medal was hung around my neck as scripture was recited.
I bowed reverently to express my gratitude.
I could feel the trainees in line watching me.
Applause, praise, and a hint of envy filled the entire square.
When training began, I made my rounds between the lines just like the other healers.
Whenever I found a badly injured child, I immediately held out a hand and healed them.
Of course, just like before, I didn't heal them completely. For now, I had to follow the Church's ways.
Some of the trainees resented me for becoming a healer so soon after training began.
It seemed especially common among trainees older than me.
—First, I had to make them acknowledge my ability as a healer.
While behaving just like the other healers, I healed one trainee after another at several times their pace.
Even after the other healers ran out of mana, I kept casting Heal and making my rounds until the very end.
As I demonstrated my abilities as a healer, even those who'd resented me gradually began to soften their attitudes.
One day, an older trainee I'd been healing finally spoke to me, though hesitantly.
"Hey. If I got hurt even worse, like you, would I get better at magic and become a healer?"
The boy's voice was strained with desperation. If he'd been brought here at around my age, he must have endured this ordeal for five years.
I immediately used Appraisal.
【Name】 Erios
【Rank】 I
【Magic Power】 C
【Skill】 Light Magic
【Magic】 Heal
—He can use Heal. That should be enough for him to be promoted to healer.
"You could say that, and you could say it isn't."
I lowered my voice.
"Pain has absolutely nothing to do with improving your magic. It's just useful for proving your faith to the Church."
The boy turned to me with an utterly incredulous look.
"Don't let anyone get suspicious. Becoming a healer requires loyalty to the Church more than magical ability."
I continued in a low voice.
"Today, I'll secretly take away the pain and nothing else."
As I said that, I quietly cast Calm.
The boy's eyes widened.
"Tomorrow, when I pass by, whip yourself with all your strength. I'll take the pain away right away. If you do that, you'll surely become a healer soon. —And keep it a secret from everyone."
I whispered softly, then left, feeling his heated gaze on me.
The next day.
When I passed by Erios, a particularly loud crack of a whip rang out.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain.
"You've done well."
As I spoke, I immediately used Calm, then followed it with Heal to mend his wounds.
The way Erios looked at me had changed.
As if the person before him were the light itself.
"I'll teach you the tricks of magic in time, too."
When I whispered that, Erios's strength suddenly left him.
His eyes held no doubt, only the peace of someone entrusting everything to me.
—That should do it. From now on, he'll believe only what I tell him.
Using the same method, I kept stealing the faith of trainees who should have turned to the Church.
——And then, three years passed.
My fellow trainees, Kyle and Klaus, had become devoted followers of mine, and had also grown as healers.
The older believers had graduated from the Cocoon of Light.
We had no way to contact the outside, so I didn't know what was happening.
But after I left here, they'd surely be able to help me.
The instructor priests also thought highly of me.
According to them, the number of trainees with deep faith had increased under my influence.
According to them, trainees who received my magic were making remarkable progress as healers.
My training had gone smoothly, but at last, signs of change appeared in my life.
"Noah. I believe you've had enough training here."
At the end of training, the instructor priest spoke to me in a gentle voice.
"Children as devout as you, who hone their magic with the light of God in their hearts, are few and far between."
The priest's voice brimmed with a certainty that seemed to transcend age and experience.
"You are a little young for it, but your strength is already enough to advance in rank. From now on, you will begin training to advance your rank."
"Advance... in rank?"
"Yes. It's training reserved for outstanding healers. As you rise in rank, your Magic Power will increase, and your body and mind will gain strength worthy of God's name."
At those words, something stirred and warmed deep in my chest.
"How will I train?"
"You will crush monsters and purify the darkness. Nothing but that. It is a trial, and service to God."
"Monsters..."
"Beneath the cathedral is a dungeon, established as a place for the faithful to hone themselves. You will keep venturing inside."
The priest's eyes glowed with fervor.
"It is a grueling ordeal to become worthy of the light of God. I'm sure you can see it through. Come with me."
The priest began walking quietly.
I took a deep breath and stepped out into the world beyond the Cocoon of Light for the first time in three years.