IPHW 05

“Are you saying the little lady actually used healing magic?”

The priest’s tone sounded almost like, “Of course a parent thinks their child is a genius…” as he clicked his tongue.

“Are you implying I’m lying?”

The mother’s tone was also quite authoritarian. Intimidating presence.

“No, no. Of course not. But as you know, madam, healing magic is a blessing granted only to high-ranking priests….”

“Or perhaps she unconsciously used healing magic due to exceptional magical talent,” the father added.

“That’s also impossible. Healing magic is an extremely advanced art. Of course, since she is the daughter of a lady who is among the most gifted mages on the continent, her talent is unquestionable—but as you know better than anyone, madam, healing magic is not something that can be used simply by having a large amount of mana.”

“But….”

“Furthermore, healing magic only works on external injuries. It cannot restore illness or fatigue. So what you felt as recovery does not match its effect.”

Very firm indeed. As stubborn as a rock.

“Can you guarantee that Shana’s body has no abnormalities?”

“Yes! I can say this with confidence. She is in excellent health.”

The priest continued speaking for a while, but I mostly tuned him out. Right now, what mattered more was that strange sensation I had felt earlier.

That feeling of something slipping out from inside my body.

It was an unfamiliar sensation I had never experienced even in my previous life.

For someone like me, who spent a life lying down staring at a mobile, it was the most interesting toy imaginable. If I had heard about it in my past life, I would’ve thought it sounded like some cult preaching about “energy flow”… but—

This world actually has magic!

So it really was true!

I had been half-skeptical even when I heard about healing magic. If I hadn’t seen the wolf’s leg heal with my own eyes, I would’ve dismissed it as some blond kid’s delusional chuunibyou talk.

“Ah, buh… baah….”

Lost in concentration, I ended up making nonsense noises. At least I didn’t drool.

When I waved my short arms in the air, a faint glow shimmered into view.

This was it! This was it!

“Bba!”

“Shana… you seem to be in a good mood….”

My father placed his hand on my forehead. The light lingering around my body did not flow into him.

So healthy people don’t need healing? Automated diagnosis, huh… impressive.

After waving my arms a few more times, I started to roughly understand the sensation.

Something inside my body was gathering as a medium.

It felt like kneading clay, or stirring water. Very strange—but the faint glowing light was pretty, so I liked it most of all.

Earlier it felt like something was pulled out from inside me…

If I controlled it well, I felt like I could draw out more without waste.

Still lying down, I rolled my eyes and looked at my mother.

She doesn’t look like she’s just a bit unwell.

Seeing how the light had been violently sucked toward her while not flowing at all toward my father, it seemed like it had been forcibly pulled out.

I didn’t want my mother to be sick either.

After the priest, healers, and even mages were all called and then sent away, my parents looked somewhat subdued.

“You heard it, Kael.”

“I did.”

“It’s neither divine power nor mana. Then what on earth was it?”

“For now, we can only wait and see, since Shana’s body is apparently fine.”

“As the priest said, healing magic is an extremely difficult art. Priests borrow divine power, and mages require enormous mana… If she restored my breath in an instant, then Shana must have paid some kind of price.”

“Anais, for now just focus on the fact that Shana is healthy.”

Yes, I’m perfectly healthy.

I had three confirmations already.

My mother had a habit of being overly protective ever since the kidnapping incident (I didn’t know anything before that). At least my father was rational… or so I thought.

“If anything happens to Shana, I will turn the entire continent upside down to fix it.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

…He wasn’t rational at all.

My father’s eyes were blazing with determination. He looked like he genuinely intended to kill someone.

There’s really no need to worry that much…

I was certified healthy by three different experts.

I stretched both arms toward my mother as she reached for me.

“Maah!”

“Oh my, Shana. Mommy is here— huh?”

A flash of light.

It seemed… more serious than I thought, mother.

As I watched the light I had deliberately poured out flicker and burst like it was breaking apart, I saw my mother’s face looking like she might cry.

Oh. She’s pretty.

“Shana! Shana, wake up!”

“Anais, calm down. She’s just asleep!”

“But Kael!”

“More importantly, you should check your own body.”

Anais looked up, her face drenched in tears.

Kael smoothly took Shana from her arms.

“Is my body more important right now?”

“It is. Look—Shana is breathing properly. She’s just sleeping.”

“Suddenly falling asleep isn’t normal!”

“Using healing magic isn’t normal either.”

“How can you be so calm?!”

“Do I look calm?”

Anais took a breath.

“…No.”

“To protect Shana, we need to stay rational.”

“…Right. Yes. We have to… We can’t repeat the same mistake again.”

Anais’s green eyes darkened.

When Shana was kidnapped, Anais had completely lost her mind. She had never imagined that the maid who raised her would abduct her daughter, and she had been terrified she might lose her child due to her own carelessness.

That shock had left Anais with an illness.

A condition where mana twisted and damaged the body.

It could not be healed even with healing magic or divine power, so she had been minimizing mana usage and focusing on physical recovery.

“…It’s completely healed…”

“That’s a relief.”

“What do you mean relief? What if something bad happened to Shana because of me…?”

“That won’t happen. Our daughter is very considerate. She wouldn’t do anything to make us worry.”

“What Shana used wasn’t healing magic. It wasn’t divine healing either…”

“Seems so.”

“But there’s no such thing as power without a cost. Even if Shana seems fine, if the temple finds out about this power, they won’t leave her alone.”

“No one who examined Shana will speak of it.”

“We should make sure they can’t.”

“Quite ruthless.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“Not at all.”

Kael kissed Anais’s temple. She was still worried sick about Shana, but she no longer cried.

She reached out and examined Shana’s body carefully.

“So small…”

Barely able to crawl by placing her hands on the ground… so small.

“Mana is stable… breathing is steady. She really is just asleep.”

“You should trust your husband more.”

“…But we must never let her use that power on others again.”

Shana’s ability had to remain a secret.

They had decided they would not allow any threat to come near their miraculously returned daughter.

“Renat. Your leg was injured, right? It’s fine now.”

“A human baby healed it.”

“…Healing magic doesn’t work on us, right? Wait, did you say baby?”

The man called Renat nodded, then spoke again.

“I was hesitating what to do.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“A human kid came and took it away.”

“Human… kid? You’re talking about humans, right? Not beastfolk?”

“Yeah.”

“A human kid carrying a baby? That doesn’t even make sense. How can a kid raise a kid? Well, beastfolk age differently, so a kid might be an adult… but still.”

Renat, the wolf beastman, recalled the blond boy with gold eyes. Those clear, intelligent eyes had not wavered even in front of a wolf.

He was certain of his safety, likely because he was well protected.

The baby would probably be better off there.

In truth, he had no confidence in raising a child.

He had foolishly wandered into a hunting ground while taking a casual walk. Only after being struck by an arrow in the leg did he realize where he was.

Pale golden hair, soft cheeks, and clear green eyes.

The baby lying in the snow had looked directly at him.

Without fear.

Renat rested his chin on his hand.

“If that baby grows up…”

“Hmm?”

“If they show us goodwill too…”

“From a human?”

“Well.”

Beastfolk could not be healed by healing magic. Their regeneration was strong enough that it wasn’t needed anyway, but they were highly vulnerable to disease.

“What goodwill are you expecting from humans?”

“Right.”

Still, that baby felt different. She had smiled brightly at him, like sunlight.

Eyes full of pure goodwill.

And a scent that made his mind go soft.

Is that just what baby scent is like?

No… it didn’t feel like it.

“I should’ve taken her with me.”

He remembered the scent.

If she grew up a bit more… then maybe it would be fine to take her.