Chapter 27 The Talent for Healing
Evelyn's POV
Although my injury had largely healed, I felt a lingering anxiety about the upcoming anatomy lessons, fearing the subject matter might hinder my hands-on work.
Kane caught on to how I was feeling and stood by my side in silence, which was his quiet way of making me feel safe.
The room was significantly chillier than a typical classroom, with an atmosphere heavy with the scent of disinfectant and herbal remedies.
Vicky stood at the podium, looking more serious than usual. Today's class was very important—we would be exploring healing magic.
Her gaze swept across the entire class, finally landing on Kane and me, pausing for a second.
With a wave of her hand, several magical constructs appeared on the podium; they were stationary, but possessed simulated life signs. "You must remember, healing magic is not all-powerful."
Vicky clapped her hands and continued, "Energy conservation and life rejection—for these imitation life forms, standard healing spells won't work. Because their life is fake, magic can't find a carrier to attach to."
She demonstrated once. The white light from her wand tip hit the artificial creature and was instantly deflected, even causing a small crack to appear on the surface of the creature made of stone and wood pieced together. "If you try to repair dead objects with healing spells, the magic will completely lose control and might even cause more serious consequences."
Vicky gestured toward a shattered wooden ruler nearby, sparking a wave of gasps throughout the room.
For the rest of the time, Vicky began pouring massive amounts of theoretical knowledge into us.
"Anatomy is the most basic foundation. You must know where the blood vessels are, how the nerves are distributed, and what the bone structure looks like. If you don't even understand the human body structure, your magic won't heal injuries—it will cause secondary damage instead."
Vicky talked fast, but the detailed nerve and bone charts on the wall perfectly matched what she was saying.
"Another consideration is that as healers, you must know when to act and when to stop. If the injured person can't be saved, forcing the spell is an insult to natural law."
I took notes as fast as I could, focused on every word. Despite how dry and technical the theory seemed, it clicked for me surprisingly easily.
The paths of blood vessels, the distribution of nerves—in my mind, they seemed to automatically form three-dimensional images. When she talked about the relationship between magic flow and tissue regeneration, I instinctively raised my hand and asked, "Professor, if tissue death is caused by blocked magic flow, shouldn't we first clear the Mana Circuit instead of directly repairing the body?"
Vicky stopped, her sharp expression noticeably relaxing into a look of surprise as she said, "That’s an excellent question, Ms. Gray."
She nodded. "This is exactly the prerequisite topic we're going to discuss next."
With the lesson nearly over, Vicky stepped down from the podium and made her way over to my desk.
I thought I had done something wrong, but then I heard Vicky's voice, very soft, speaking in a tone only the two of us could hear. "Ms. Gray, has your injury completely healed?"
I was a bit surprised she would ask me this, but I answered honestly, "Yes, Professor, it's almost completely healed. Even the scar is nearly gone."
Vicky narrowed her eyes, her gaze falling on my collarbone area. "Esko mentioned to me that your recovery speed was very fast." Her tone carried a hint of curiosity, but mostly a professional assessment. "It even exceeded the normal effects of standard potions."
My heart raced, and I couldn't help but look over at Kane, who seemed noticeably on edge.
"However, that's not the main point I want to make today."
Vicky changed the subject, raising her voice slightly as she continued, "I've noticed you're grasping the basic content very quickly in this class."
She pointed to the dense writing in my notes and the very accurate anatomical sketches I'd drawn on the side. "Especially the anatomical triage logic and basic biological principles—the questions you asked were precise and hit the key points. And in the last practical class, you did very well too."
The surrounding students glanced over in surprise, likely having overheard the end of our exchange. To them, I was just a newcomer hanging around Kane; they looked down on us both and were shocked to hear Vicky actually praise me.
Vicky looked at me, her eyes showing a hint of appreciation as she continued, "This is rare. Many students only think about how to cast spells, but ignore how to save lives. You seem to have a natural instinct for it."
I was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Kane. He was listening carefully to our conversation.
Perhaps because I was still trying to discover my own species, I felt an unusual sensitivity toward the concept of the physical form.
Vicky paused and continued, "Ms. Gray, stay after class."
My eyes widened, thinking I had heard wrong.
"Don't be nervous." The corner of Vicky's mouth curved into a very faint smile. "Since you've grasped the theory so well, it would be a waste to just listen without practice. I can teach you some practical magic."
"Professor, I... I'm so happy."
Practical magic?
My heart raced with excitement. Before this class, I had been afraid that because of my injury, I would be prohibited from any magical operations. And now, Vicky was actually offering to teach me practical skills.
"But my injury..." I decided to be honest to avoid any bad outcomes.
"Your injury is almost healed, isn't it?" Vicky raised an eyebrow. "And your magic attributes seem somewhat special. I want to see what level you can reach in the healing field."
Special?
I reflected on what Kane had mentioned the day before, thinking this might finally help me identify exactly what kind of shapeshifter I was.
So I nodded, my voice very excited as I said, "I'm willing. Thank you, Professor. I'll definitely study hard with you."
Vicky nodded with satisfaction. "Good, then it's settled. Now let's continue class."
She turned back to the podium and continued explaining how to handle magic poisoning. I listened carefully, afraid of disappointing her expectations. I was very grateful to receive Vicky's guidance.
"Maybe I really do have healing abilities." I encouraged myself. If I didn't know what kind of shapeshifter I was right now, then learning something I was interested in was always good.
In this world of magic, I too could find a place where I truly belong.