Chapter 37

The book I ordered from Gustav was a holy scripture used as a textbook for magic.

"Isn't it a good idea to think, 'Maybe the healers use books when they train?'"

Such self-praise fell on deaf ears.

I opened the thickly bound book. The paper was of poor quality, rough, and the ink didn't seem to adhere well, but it was probably what mass-produced items looked like. The paper was better than the one used in the hero's tale I read to Frau.

The contents were handwritten copies. It was likely unintentional, but the text was not parallel in lines and the spacing was uneven, which was quite noticeable.

On the title page, there was just one sentence: "Prayers for miracles are for neighbors." This must be a teaching of a religion.

I continued reading. The language was old-fashioned, and there were many parts I didn't understand, but I could grasp the general meaning.

The text was a story of a saint who traveled, performing miracles and helping people.

...This wasn't what I expected.

No, I ordered a book "used for healer training" from Gustav. Surely, this is what healers use to learn magic.

However, this is more like a holy book than a textbook. It's a true holy scripture.

If I wanted to learn healing techniques, shouldn't there be more systematic content?

I skimmed through it to the end, but there was nothing about training methods or principles.

What's going on?

When I was on Earth, I heard that some magic books were written in codes that didn't look like codes at first glance. Is this one of those?

But even if it were, I couldn't decipher the code.

I was at a loss.

I decided to read the story properly, not just skim through it.

It was a typical story of a "saint" that I could easily imagine. The plot was predictable, and to be honest, it was boring.

By the will of God, the saint performed miracles to save people.

The saint used magic wherever they went, healing the sick and helping with work.

It was clear that magic was used everywhere.

When the saint saw a sick person, they placed their hands on them and recited a prayer. Instantly, the illness disappeared, and people recovered.

At a site where people couldn't gather to build a temple, the saint strengthened their bodies so that each person could work as much as three people.

The magic used by current healers must be the same. I only received treatment once, but the prayer words were almost the same as those in the book.

The prayer words varied depending on the symptoms.

For a patient with a persistent cough, they were made to breathe purified air, and for a fever, the heat was dispersed.

Perhaps this is just a collection of cases.

The book introduces cases like, "The saint used this miracle for this symptom."

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense.

However, this raises more questions.

How do healers learn to use this magic?

It can't be that they can use it just by reciting the prayer words.

I decided to try it out.

The target was me. I was the only one I could test it on.

I closed my eyes and placed my hand on my chest. This posture wasn't used in the holy scripture, but it was a matter of feeling.

"In the name of God, I, Crow, command that vitality be given to this person, *Revitalize*."

Naturally, nothing happened.

Even when I infused it with magic power, nothing happened.

I had expected as much, but it wasn't something that could be used just by reciting it.

I had bought this book to study magic, but I was stuck here.

I put the book aside and lay down on the blanket.

My eyes were tired from reading the fine print.

When I closed my eyes tightly, I heard a whooshing sound as my muscles contracted. When I opened my eyes again, the ceiling seemed a bit clearer.

"Ah, well, maybe brute force is the only way."

The words slipped out unconsciously.

To heal the sick, perhaps brute force, like what I did to Riko, is the only way.

Finding and destroying the pathogens directly. Simple but effective. However, the cost is high.

In fact, I used up all my magic power to cure the three-day fever. I couldn't heal Tereet as easily.

Tereet might be a skilled practitioner with much more abundant magic power than me. I just didn't have enough magic power, while Tereet used their overflowing magic power to perform magic.

So, maybe it's impossible for me.

I created a cold breeze over my eyelids, and it felt very refreshing.

So, maybe it's impossible for me. But I don't want to give up.

The excitement I felt when I cured the three-day fever was real.

I still want to learn.

But I have no idea how.

I sprawled out and stared at the ceiling.

No matter how much I thought about it, I had no idea.

I had given up. I couldn't do it on my own.

On my own, that is.

"Excuse me!"

The next day, I was at the stone shop.

"...Why are you here..."

Gustav lowered his eyes in exasperation and slumped his shoulders.

"It's okay, no one saw me."

As I said this, I made my body flicker with the invisibility spell, and Gustav's eyes widened in surprise.

"...You can do that!?"

"It's a pastime for children living in the forest."

It was fun to see Gustav's surprised face.

I took a deep breath and looked at Gustav seriously.

"So, what do you need?"

"I have another question."

I said with a smile, and Gustav furrowed his brow and leaned on his cheek.

"I'll listen."

I immediately took out the holy scripture I bought yesterday from my bag and showed it to Gustav.

"This is the holy scripture of the healers that arrived yesterday..."

"Ah."

"Can you tell me how the healers use it?"

When I asked, he looked troubled.

"That's... difficult."

"What do you mean by difficult?"

"The training of healers isn't widespread. Information hardly leaks out to the outside. I don't know either."

He showed a rare serious face and spoke hesitantly. It was interesting to see, but the training method was the bigger issue.

"Since it's information I haven't dealt with... if you can use magic, you're probably trained somewhere. If you can't use magic, you don't need the information."

"Can't you investigate...?"

"That's also difficult."

He answered immediately.

"They are gathered and educated, but outsiders aren't allowed. They have a strong sense of camaraderie, so no one leaks forbidden information."

He added, "At least, I've never seen anyone do it."

If Gustav said so, the secret must be well-kept.

I showed the cover of the holy scripture with both hands again.

"Do you know what's written in the holy scripture, Gustav?"

Gustav nodded weakly.

"Yeah. I've read it... it's a story about a saint who helps people."

"I don't think you can use magic just by reading this."

If he had read it, he should understand.

"Is it used as a supplement, then?"

Gustav started to speculate.

"Is this holy scripture a supplement?"

"Usually, the passing down of techniques in guilds is mostly done orally. Maybe it's the same for healers."

"Like guidance from seniors to newcomers?"

"Yeah."

If that's the case, the guidance from the seniors is necessary for the holy scripture to be useful.

Another question came to mind.

"By the way, what kind of training do magicians go through?"

I remembered that Nixky said magic and magic were the same. If so, the training methods should be similar.

"...It's about the same."

But the training method I was hoping for was also unknown.

"Magic and magic are monopolized by the magic guild and the church. It's like a blacksmith's technique, it doesn't spread."

"...I see."

"Most people who can use magic belong to one of them. There's no need to spread it."

"If I weren't a resident of the slums..."

"I could have joined one of them."

According to Nixky, it would be difficult for me to join a guild or a church.

A dead end.

"Well, I'm sure you can figure out the training for magic."

Suddenly, Gustav said casually.

"Figure it out... What about everything you just said...?"

Gustav opened his eyes in surprise.

"Isn't it easy? You can actually see it."

"Oh!"

"You didn't realize that?"

That's right, how did I get this far?

"You can use the invisibility spell to observe, can't you?"

"But what if there are guards who can handle ki...?"

Gustav laughed it off.

"No way. You and others who can use magic can't use ki. So, healers can't use it either. Outsiders can't join the church if they're not healers."

"There's a possibility of outsourcing."

"If they were doing that, I would have known the inside information."

He said confidently.

Indeed, if that were the case, it would be easy for someone close to Gustav to infiltrate.

"Baal seems to be bribing healers."

When I mentioned the name, Gustav's face turned sour.

"...Unfortunately, I can't use that method."

He didn't put any hint of it in his words, but it was clear he disliked it. It might be due to the preconceived notion I had from yesterday's conversation, but I could clearly feel it this time.

"They needed it. So, they spent years and a lot of money to finally train healers. I didn't need it, so I didn't put in the effort or time."

"Does that mean it would take a long time if I did it?"

"Yeah. I can't put so much effort into such a profitless covert operation."

He seemed irritated, perhaps because it was about someone he disliked. He tapped his fingers on the desk.

"It would be much easier and faster for you to observe it yourself. That's the better way."

"Yeah, you're right."

I didn't want to upset him any further.

I humbly asked for the location of the training facility for healers and headed to the city with the note in hand.