It Wasn’t Healing, It Was Training Magic

Normally, people have some presence.
It’s normal to hear footsteps, breathing, or some kind of sound.

Was it because she’s a Sword Master?
Emilia appeared suddenly without any sound.

And because of that,

“Grrrrr!”

Akasha counterattacked in an instant.
She seems to have judged it as a surprise attack.
That was the reason for Emilia’s sudden appearance.

Bang—!

Along with the sound of metal clashing, Emilia let out a groan.
Akasha’s response was that quick.

“What’s this, a little kid?”
“Grrrrr!”

Akasha’s dazzling movements.
She persistently targeted Emilia’s vital points.
Neck, temple, solar plexus, back of the hand, ankle, and so on.
It was like watching a feat.

“Why is she so ferocious?”

Emilia muttered.
But she blocks everything without a moment’s carelessness.
As expected of a Sword Master, she deflected Akasha’s attacks without even drawing her sword.

A battle between a Sword Master and a Demon King’s Army Commander.
It’s a magnificent scene.

‘This isn’t right.’

I, who had been blankly watching for a moment, shouted at Akasha.

“Akasha, stop! She’s my acquaintance!”
“What?”

Akasha turned to look at me just before magic activated in her hand.
It seems she’s already learned the beastkin’s sorcery, her unique magic.

‘That was close…’

The magic Akasha uses is self-replication.
It was a unique magic based on beastkin sorcery.

She summons multiple duplicates with exactly the same power as herself.
The number was over 100 during her time as a Demon King’s Army Commander in the original story.
It was truly a calamity, a one-person army.

If that magic had been activated here and a full-scale battle had ensued,
it would have been irreversible.

Akasha’s identity as a beastkin would have been exposed.
And terrible things would have happened.

It’s a thousand blessings that she stopped.
I called out to Emilia with a sigh of relief.

“Emilia, it’s been a long time. Have you been well?”
“Young Master! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

Emilia approached with a broad smile.
I introduced Emilia to Akasha.

“This is Emilia, who was my maid before.”
“Hello, I’m Emilia, Zick Barbavar-nim’s ‘maid’.”

Does Emilia still want to call herself a maid even now?
She introduced herself with emphasis on the word maid.

“Ah, I’m Akasha. I’m sorry.”

Akasha looked at me and apologized.
Then she met Emilia’s eyes and opened her eyes wide.

“Oh, that Sword Master?”

She recognized her.
That she was the protagonist of the match we had just been watching.

“So the God was right that you were that Zick! As expected…!! Now I understand her strength.”

While Akasha was admiring,
what does Emilia being strong have to do with me?

“Akasha, quiet!”

I cautioned Akasha, who was excitedly wagging her tail inside her robe.
Even though it’s a quiet place with no people, you never know who might hear.

I wanted to calm her down before the problem got bigger.

“Akasha, keep this a secret for now. Shh!”
“Uh… yes!! Shh!”

When I put my index finger to my lips, Akasha followed suit.
Phew, is this incident settled for now?
I let out a sigh of relief.

At that moment.

“What’s a secret? Zick-nim?”

An unbelievably familiar voice was heard from the side.
When I turned my head, I saw three people.
Two of them were very familiar faces.

“Did you perhaps lie to me about something?”

It was Soho.
She quickly spotted Emilia and asked with a bright smile.

“To think the Zick who raised Sword Master Emilia was a man! Oh my…”

And next to her, a woman who looked exactly like Soho.
Daeho admired me.

It seems the misunderstanding I was worried about has accumulated.

We moved locations.
We entered a certain lodging.

There were a few people around to clear up the misunderstanding on the spot.
As they say, daytime words are heard by birds and nighttime words are heard by mice.
We asked for understanding and moved locations before the ripples grew larger.

“So what’s going on here? Zick. Nim?”
“First of all, the Zick Emilia mentioned is indeed me.”
“You said it wasn’t you! Are you deceiving us?”

What kind of relationship do we have?
Soho looked disappointed with an expression of utter dismay.

“Calm down and listen. It is me, but I just encouraged Emilia, telling her she could become a Sword Master. I never taught her swordsmanship.”
“That’s right. The Young Master gave me confidence. Telling me I could become a Sword Master!”

Soho’s gaze turned to Emilia after hearing my explanation.
Then Emilia chimed in.

“I actually wanted to say that, but I didn’t know such a misunderstanding would arise.”
“…Anyone would misunderstand if you answered that question like that.”

Soho sighed at Emilia’s confident attitude.
It was a dejected sigh.

“By the way, that’s quite interesting. Becoming a Sword Master through encouragement. I wonder if Emilia-kyung’s talent was originally exceptional. Or if it was really the power of that encouragement. I’m curious.”

Daeho, who had been listening with her chin resting on her hand, spoke.
While their appearances were certainly similar, the atmosphere they gave off was worlds apart from Soho.

‘Wow!’

I inwardly exclaimed.
I was seeing my favorite character that I really liked with my own eyes.
I felt like I wanted to shake hands right away to confirm if this was real.

I couldn’t look at Daeho in detail on the way here because I was so overwhelmed,
but now I can see her face.

Her hair flowed down her shoulders like gentle waves.
When it catches the sunlight, it sparkles like gold,
and it was indeed the same color as Soho’s hair.

However, her brilliant blonde hair softly framing her face creates a more elegant atmosphere unlike Soho.

And the blue eyes visible when making eye contact.
They were reminiscent of a deep lake, as if one could be pulled in.

Is it the dignity of an older sister?
The smile lingering on her lips subtly reveals the composure and confidence within.

Overall, she had a rich and relaxed attitude.

“Ah, my introduction is late. I’m Daeho Baekya. Nice to meet you, Zick-nim.”

After staring at her for a moment,
Daeho introduced herself.
She seemed to know about me to some extent already through Soho.

“I’m Zick Barbavar. You look exactly like Soho-nim. I doubted my eyes for a moment.”
“Is that so? But my chest is bigger! Huhuhuh. Would you like to take a closer look?”
“Uh… Sister?”

When Daeho spoke playfully,
Soho blushed.

Thanks to that, I even learned about such deep family matters.
Even twins who look this similar have different parts.

“Soho was praising Zick-nim earlier, and I can see why. You’re very handsome. Indeed an appearance Soho would fall for.”
“Ah, Sister, what are you saying since earlier!”
“Is that so? I’ve never heard Soho talk about men before? But she was excited talking about Zick-nim? It seems obvious she’s interested… hmm?”

The continued teasing.
It gives a glimpse of how close their relationship is.
But for Soho who was on the receiving end, it was just painful.

Judging by her crumbling expression.

“But it’s a shame. That it wasn’t Zick-nim who raised Emilia-kyung. If it was, I wanted to ask you to train my servant too…”

The servant Daeho mentioned was the woman from the Seolha Empire who was Emilia’s final opponent.
A tall, muscular woman.
She’s standing guard silently by Daeho’s side.

“Or, Zick-nim, could you give a word of encouragement to our Jakan too.”
“How could that work? Then anyone could be a Sword Master? It’s probably just that Emilia-kyung is exceptional.”

Soho stopped Daeho’s request.
I thought the same.
If anyone could become a Sword Master just because I encouraged them, everyone could become a Sword Master.

“Still, I want to try even a cat’s paw… If it could be of any help.”

Daeho’s continued lamentation.
It was full of desperation.

Come to think of it, I know the original story is about to start soon.
The original story begins with the meeting of Princess Nero and Daeho.

Daeho, who was tracking the being who cursed the Baekya family, happens to learn that the Demon King’s Army has sneaked into the capital.
And she tries to capture that Demon King’s Army to get a clue about the curse.

Although Daeho wanted to solve it alone if possible,
Daeho, who uses magic at the cost of her lifespan, couldn’t use her power anytime.

She had no choice but to ask for help from the imperial family.

“…Do I really have to get help from the imperial family?”

Daeho shook her head.
Certainly, in the original story, Daeho didn’t want to receive help if possible.

“Ah! That’s right! Sister, there was a reason I wanted to introduce Zick-nim to you. Would you like to receive Zick-nim’s healing magic once?”
“What…? Healing magic? But he’s a man?”

At Soho’s words, Daeho held back her laughter.
She must have thought it was nonsense.
A man using healing magic.

“Zick-nim, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to laugh at you, it’s just that what Soho is saying is so surprising…”

Daeho looked at me and apologized.

“I understand. Because there are no cases of men using magic, let alone healing magic.”

I nodded and took out my license from my chest.
It was a license certified by the church.

Seeing that, Daeho’s eyes widened.

“R-really?”
“That’s right, Sister. Zick-nim is skilled. He even lifted my curse.”

Daeho couldn’t close her mouth.
Does she finally trust it now?
Daeho approached me and said.

“Alright, Zick-nim. Cast magic on me. If you really can heal… I’ll apologize for doubting you and let you touch my chest.”
“What?”

Daeho approached with a wink.
And her shocking proposal.

At those words, I raised my hand to cast the spell without refusing the offer.

“Heal.”