One week had passed since the Swan candidates began their training at Alaya General Hospital.
“Ughhh… finally, the day is over…”
As the sun dipped low in the sky, Swan collapsed onto the ground as soon as she returned to the hospital after seeing off the last patient of the day.
…I can’t take this anymore. I’m completely drained of mana…
Once again, from the early hours before the morning consultations began, a long line had formed outside Alaya General Hospital. Milphobia and Shes efficiently handled the reception process, sending patients to Swan and the other candidates in turn.
The candidates worked tirelessly, using the Black Cure Codex to activate diagnostic spells, followed by the appropriate healing spell, Dark Heal. They handled the cases they could manage on their own and consulted Dr. Alaya for anything beyond their capability.
“Good work today, Swan.”
While slumped in front of the hospital entrance, Usari, one of the few other female candidates, approached and crouched down in front of her. At eighteen, the same age as Swan, the two had quickly bonded on their first day.
“Good work, Usari… Are you holding up okay?”
“I’m doing much better compared to the first day!”
Usari’s long, black rabbit ears, a trait of her magical rabbit species, bounced cheerfully.
“Guess what? I managed to treat twenty patients today! That’s double what I managed on the first day—I think I’ve gotten the hang of it!”
“What? That’s amazing!”
Swan couldn’t hide her astonishment. After all, she had only been able to treat twelve patients today.
“What’s your secret?”
“You know how using the Black Cure Codex consumes way more mana than regular magic? For patients from species I’ve already treated before, I switched to my own Dark Heal spell to save mana. That way, I can stretch my reserves.”
“Ah… that’s a really smart idea!”
“Hehe, right?”
It really might be the right approach.
If she relied solely on the Black Cure Codex, her mana reserves would hit zero in no time. The next day, she would feel the backlash, a tingling sensation like muscle soreness, as her mana flow struggled to recover. It was unpleasant and debilitating.
“Another thing worth trying is mimicking Dr. Alaya ’s techniques.”
“Mimicking him?”
“Dr. Alaya was incredible today too. While assisting us with treatments, he managed to see over a hundred patients on his own.”
“Wow… that’s some extreme multitasking. How much mana does Dr. Alaya even have?”
“Not only is his mana capacity off the charts, but he’s also super efficient. He loses almost no mana during the process. It seems like he repurposes the mana he uses for diagnostic spells directly into the healing process.”
“That’s… incredible.”
“Right? I wanted to try copying him, but I’m nowhere near that level yet. Maybe it’s possible to replicate it with the Black Cure Codex, but that’ll take more study.”
“Still, Usari, that’s amazing. You’re doing treatments and keeping such a sharp eye on Dr. Alaya ’s methods!”
“Aw, stop, you’re embarrassing me.”
Despite her words, Usari looked quite pleased, puffing out her chest proudly.
“Well, if I want to become one of Dr. Alaya ’s direct medical officers, I have to keep pushing myself. The team only has sixteen spots, and I can’t afford to fall behind the other candidates.”
She finished with a playful wink at Swan.
“Let’s make it through these next two months and work under the doctor together, okay, Swan?”
“…Yeah, let’s do our best!”
Honestly, Swan was fully aware that she was far behind her peers.
Her patient count today was the lowest by far, and at this rate, she wasn’t confident she’d make it into the sixteen available spots.
But thanks to Usari’s advice, Swan resolved to turn things around from here.
As she steeled herself with newfound determination,
“──Candidates, you’ve all worked hard today,”
a voice called out from the consultation room. Emerging was Dr. Alaya himself, hands casually tucked into his lab coat pockets, his eyes lazily scanning the group.
“Good evening, Doctor!” the candidates, including Swan and Usari, quickly stood and responded in unison.
“Good,” he replied with a single nod. Then, his gaze settled on Swan, as if noticing something.
“You there—your complexion looks pale. Mana exhaustion?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Hmph… I see. That’s good.”
What about this was “good”? Swan had no idea. But Dr. Alaya chuckled softly to himself, his cryptic demeanor something the candidates were growing accustomed to. Trying to understand his thoughts was a futile exercise.
“Now then, candidates. You seem to be getting the hang of the Black Cure Codex.“
“Yes, Doctor!”
“Very well. The other groups are doing fine as well. Next week, we’ll move on to the next stage of training.”
Oh, right.
Today marked exactly one week since they began their practical training at Alaya General Hospital, the initial stage that Dr. Alaya had mentioned.
“Dr. Alaya , what kind of training will we be doing next?”
“Hmm? ‘Training’ here?”
Dr. Alaya tilted his head quizzically at the male candidate’s question.
“The practical training starts now.”
“Huh…?”
“As I said before, this past week was just to familiarize you with the Black Cure Codex—an introduction, if you will.”
The candidates stared at each other, mouths agape. Swan and Usari exchanged silent glances, their thoughts aligned.
…This was just practice? Treating real patients, exhausting their mana completely—this was only a prelude?
“Then… Doctor, where will the actual practical training take place?”
The same male candidate hesitantly asked again.
Dr. Alaya looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if the answer was obvious.
“You’re training to become military medics, aren’t you? There’s only one place for real practice.”
In a matter-of-fact tone, he declared:
“──The battlefield.”
