“First, you all need to get accustomed to using this.”
As Alaya said that, a slender, black-bound magic tome was handed out by him and a beautiful woman who seemed to be his secretary.
Swan carefully examined the front and back of the book she received. There were no unnecessary embellishments; the cover simply bore the title “Book of Black Healing” in stark white letters.
“As you’ve already been told, your goal is to become versatile Dark Healers. That said, you’re already about halfway there just by reaching this point.”
After confirming that everyone in the group had received a copy of the Book of Black Healing, Alaya held his own aloft for emphasis.
“With the basic medical knowledge you already possess and the healing techniques made possible by the mechanisms of this book, you’ll be able to treat most species.”
A stir swept through the group. Swan’s fellow trainees buzzed with excitement, while she herself was left momentarily speechless, her mouth agape.
…Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of medicine would realize just how outrageous that claim was.
The denizens of this demon nation were broadly categorized as “demonfolk,” but the physical traits of different species varied dramatically. Differences in skeletal structure, muscles, and nervous systems were just the beginning. Organs could differ in location, shape, and number. Some species didn’t even have organs, bones, or muscles—there were even undead beings that continued to function despite being technically deceased.
And yet, this slim magic tome supposedly covered almost everything? Could such a fantasy truly exist in reality?
“So, what is expected of you during this training? Simply put, it is ‘gaining experience through practical application.’“
Alaya slowly paced in front of the trainees, meeting their gazes one by one.
“While the Book of Black Healing allows for the reproduction of various healing techniques, these techniques are useless without the proper judgment to determine their effectiveness for a given species. Your task is to develop the flexible thinking needed to identify the best course of action, even when faced with patients from unfamiliar species.”
Alaya ‘s reasoning was sound. But could such an ambitious goal even be achieved?
Even after the unification war of the demon nation a century ago, which brought various species together, strong species-based preferences persisted. Shopping was done at stores catering to one’s kind, grooming was entrusted to specialists of the same species, and medical treatment was sought from Dark Healers familiar with the patient’s physiology.
So where could they possibly gain practical experience with a diverse range of patients?
…Wait. There was one place in this demon capital, Delmond, that might fit the bill.
“Indeed.”
A low, murmured voice startled Swan. She stiffened as Alaya suddenly appeared before her, his face alight with a knowing grin, as if he had read her very thoughts. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, reverberating painfully in her ears.
“You’ll be divided into three groups of seven and assigned to two-day rotations at my Alaya General Hospital over the course of the next week. There, you’ll complete the ‘introduction’ to the Book of Black Healing by working with real patients.”
Alaya General Hospital—a legendary institution that opened a few months prior and had since become a beacon of hope for the increasingly strained medical needs of Delmond. Its director, Kiwi Alaya , had established the hospital as an all-species medical center.
“On busy days, our outpatient cases exceed two hundred… Impressive, isn’t it? You’ll be so busy practicing you won’t have time to stop.”
The trainees gulped audibly, the sheer scale of the workload leaving even the most enthusiastic among them momentarily stunned.
…That made sense. Even at Swan’s family clinic, daily outpatient numbers rarely exceeded thirty to forty. The thought of handling more than five times that number was staggering.
However, none of the trainees appeared disheartened. Instead, a collective determination burned in their expressions, as if each of them was silently vowing, No matter how tough it gets, I’ll rise to the challenge!
“Now then, today I’ll walk you through the most essential techniques from the Book of Black Healing—’diagnosis,’ ‘disinfection and sterilization,’ and ‘self-healing enhancement.’ I’ll also provide a guidebook for you to study the remaining combinations on your own.”
With that, Alaya began his lecture. Perched lightly on the edge of his desk, he explained the material with the clarity of a seasoned teacher.
Swan, observing him, felt a sense of relief.
…He seems far more normal than I expected.
She breathed an internal sigh of relief.
Rumors, it seemed, were unreliable. Alaya might have an eccentric air about him, and his presence was undeniably intimidating, but his explanations were logical, and even the “grueling” training he had mentioned earlier seemed manageable, given the reasonable workload.
…I guess I overprepared. I was bracing myself for sleepless nights filled with endless healing practice, but this seems doable.
As she practiced the Book of Black Healing‘s techniques under Alaya ‘s patient guidance, Swan even began to feel confident.
For a moment, she let her mind wander:
What kind of training will follow after the hospital practicum?
…Little did she know that, two months later, her future self would desperately wish to convey this message:
*”Prepare yourself, Swan Veister.
In the next two months, you will shed countless tears, suffer stomach-churning anxiety, and experience profound helplessness.
But through it all, your efforts will be rewarded.
So please, stay strong and keep going.”*
