“──So, the ‘Dark Healer Special Training’ begins today…”
Morning, in one of the rooms of the Demon Nation Army dormitory.
Swan Veister, a harpy demon, sighed softly as she brushed her large wings sprouting from her back.
…Who would have thought she’d become a military medic?
Originally, joining the Demon Nation Army wasn’t even on Swan’s list of future options.
She had planned to work at her family’s harpy-exclusive clinic after coming of age, eventually take over the family business, closely interact with local patients, marry a male harpy demon someday, and spend her life in that small, closed world.
But that future was no longer hers.
…No, I can’t think like that!
Swan gave her cheeks a light slap with both hands.
She had already made up her mind.
Her parents were gone, and she couldn’t return to the family clinic in Elden. She was the only one left who could support her younger brothers, now being looked after by relatives.
…I’ll go through this training, and one day, I’ll probably be sent to the battlefield.
Honestly, war terrified her.
The sense of loss when she turned back and saw black smoke rising from the streets of Elden, and the despair upon hearing of her parents’ deaths from someone else, were unimaginable. Now, she was stepping into a profession where she would face such horrors directly.
“…Alright, time to go.”
Swan took a deep breath as if steeling herself, quickly finished getting ready, and headed for the door—
“Oh no, I almost forgot!”
She had neglected to strap on the Demon Nation Army badge around her arm. Even as a military medic trainee, she was officially part of the army. Without the badge, she wouldn’t be able to enter the Demon Lord’s castle; even if she could, it would result in severe reprimands.
Swan fastened the badge snugly around her left upper arm and finally left the dormitory.
“──All twenty-one candidates have been confirmed present, sir!”
The Chief Medical Officer, Eisei, finished roll call.
The candidates, including Swan, stood in two neat rows, spaced evenly apart.
…Incredible. Such intensity.
Looking at her peers, who would soon be her comrades, Swan couldn’t help but gasp.
Their eyes sparkled brightly, full of determination and drive.
Surely, none of them had joined this “Dark Healer Special Training Program” for impure reasons like her own—because it offered higher pay than a regular novice Dark Healer position.
She felt slightly intimidated.
“Now then, let’s move. We’ll head straight to the office of the Demon Nation’s officer in charge of your training—Kiwi Alaya.”
Cheers erupted from the candidates.
“We’ll finally meet them!”
“To work under Elden’s hero, Kiwi Alaya—it’s an honor!”
“This chance to learn directly from a hero is priceless!”
As they walked, Swan listened quietly to her fellow candidates whispering among themselves.
It seemed many had enlisted out of admiration for “Elden’s Hero.”
Of course, Swan knew of Kiwi Alaya too.
They were the savior who had reclaimed her hometown.
She owed them more than words could express.
But…
…There are rumors about how… eccentric they are.
According to witnesses, they once leapt into a wyvern’s stomach willingly.
They allegedly transported patients—or themselves—on zombies.
And, apparently, they wandered the Demon City at night, catching nightmares with a bug net.
Sigh
Most of these rumors were probably 99% exaggerations, but the very fact such stories existed suggested Kiwi Alaya was no ordinary Dark Healer.
She understood they were extraordinary, but… could she really get along with such a unique individual as her superior?
While Swan worried about this,
“Lady Alaya, I’ve brought the twenty-one Dark Healer candidates!”
Eisei knocked on the door to the private office reserved for senior officers of the Demon Nation.
A woman’s voice from inside replied, “Come in.”
The candidates, Swan included, tightened their expressions and followed Eisei into the room.
The space was simple, with a desk at the far end.
There sat the man in a white coat.
“──Welcome, my prospective subordinates.”
The man raised his face, pale as his coat, with dark circles under his eyes like shadows.
“I’m Kiwi Alaya. Just call me Doctor.”
“Yes, Doctor Alaya! Pleased to meet you!”
Several demons responded energetically, their voices loud enough to make Swan’s ears ache.
“Ah, very good—full of spirit.”
Kiwi nodded quietly before adding,
“I hope you’re all just as spirited two months from now. My training is… rather rigorous.”
He smiled faintly, only at the corners of his mouth.
But his eyes were like murky springs, devoid of light.
A chill ran down Swan’s spine.
…What is this feeling? This presence of Doctor Alaya…
While her peers showed no concern and eagerly declared their commitment—”Yes!” “We’ll give it our all!” “We aim to become heroic Dark Healers like you!”—Swan couldn’t shake the feeling that Alaya’s gaze wasn’t directed at them but at something else entirely.
──Not a hero who saves all demons, but more like a “Grim Reaper” who governs life and death.
That was Swan’s first impression of Kiwi Alaya.
