Chapter 32
32
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"Yes, Teacher."
Gabriella answered obediently and lay down as instructed.
I placed Yan on my palm and explained.
"The ward is over there."
We went to the next room, closed the door, and pressed our ears against it.
"Cough, cough! Cough, cough..."
Gabriella coughed uneasily a few times before falling silent.
Yan lowered his voice and muttered.
"Why isn't the teacher treating her quickly?"
"Tch..."
I grumbled but raised the hand holding Yan and examined him closely.
"But our Yan seems to be very healthy. He heals really fast even when he's hurt."
"That's because the teacher is excellent."
He spoke so nonchalantly, as if he had forgotten all about his tantrum towards the Royal physician.
I scoffed inwardly and asked.
"So, you don't hurt anymore?"
"No, I do. I told you I'm in a lot of pain, right? Hurry up and 'hoo' me."
"Again?"
Because Yan stubbornly insisted, I ended up spending the afternoon 'hooing' Yan.
* * *
"Cough! Cough!"
Gabriella woke up after another deep nap, but her cough hadn't lessened at all.
"Gabi, how can you cope when you're so sick...?"
"Oh, it's nothing... Cough! It's nothing, Your Highness."
It couldn't be nothing.
While Gabriella worked through the day's tasks despite her illness, I went to the next room with Yan again.
Then, struggling and clinging, I opened the large cabinet in the corner of the room.
"What's in there?"
Compared to a few days ago when he told me not to talk to him, Yan was quite curious.
I was already panting from just opening the closet door and crawled inside.
"Something to find... is there."
I thought I saw it kept somewhere in here last time...
After rummaging through several boxes and baskets, I finally found it.
"Found it!"
With Yan curiously watching as he flew over, I opened the lid of the sewing box.
Inside were several types of sharp objects that I couldn't find no matter how hard I looked in the room.
'First, scissors and... a needle...'
Unfortunately, the scissors were too big and heavy.
I almost dropped them just from holding them for a moment, so I hurriedly put them back in their place.
That left me with several needles.
I took out the thickest needle and crawled out of the closet, collapsing onto the floor.
—Squeak, squeak!
Yan cried out in dissatisfaction.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"With this..."
Hoo, a sigh escaped me.
I was scared, and the finger holding the needle trembled.
'But I need to know. I need to know for sure if I really don't have any Divinity left.'
Stab!
When I pricked the needle into my fingertip, tears streamed down my face because it hurt so much.
'I really haven't been hurt before... It's just a needle... but it hurts so, so much...'
Yan, who was watching, exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
Then he flapped his wings and flew around the room in a frenzy.
'I'm already in so much pain, and he's making it so distracting...'
Even in the midst of all that, I didn't lose focus and observed the drop of blood that welled up on my fingertip.
'The blood isn't stopping... It's not healing...'
Yan was furious.
"You really...!"
Now I was crying not because of the pain, but because I was upset.
'I don't have Healing Power... I can't save Gabi...'
It was then.
Yan came close like he had a few days ago and used one of his wings to wipe the tears from my cheek.
Then, just like I had been doing for him, he gently blew on my injured finger.
"Thank you, Yan..."
Even as I said that, I looked sadly at my finger, and at that moment, the blood dried up and the wound healed smoothly.
"Huh?"
I blinked my eyes and touched the fingertip that had been injured.
It had hurt so much, but now it was fine.
"Did you see, Yan? Did, did you do it?"
"Me?"
Yan retorted in an absurd tone and then sighed deeply.
"No! You discuss other worries so well, but why are you stabbing yourself with a needle without asking or anything?!"
"Well... I thought Yan would scold me..."
"If you think I'll scold you, then don't do it! Do you think this is a joke...!"
He was so angry for such a small creature; I could almost see steam coming from Yan's yellow beak.
"Then I... I healed it? Me?"
But Yan didn't answer, still fuming.
'I can't help it...'
So, I reached for the needle again.
"Yaaaaa!"
Yan screamed.
'At this rate, Gabriella in the next room will hear!'
I anxiously looked towards the door, but Yan didn't pay any attention to Gabriella and flew over in a frenzy.
Then he snatched the needle from my finger and threw it out the window.
"How could you just throw it away...? If Gabi finds it later..."
I said worriedly, but Yan just kept huffing and puffing.
"Hey! No matter how small and ignorant a child is! Does a four-year-old stab their own finger? What if Ea is watching? Are you confident you'll be forgiven?"
"...Huh?"
Come to think of it, my mother did receive Divinity from Ea, the God of Water.
But I never thought that Ea was watching us all the time.
"Wow, now that I see it, your faith is complete crap?"
"...Not complete crap."
"Quiet!"
Yan took a few deep breaths, as if to calm himself, then put his wings together like hands and prayed to the sky.
"Ea, forgive this foolish child."
Since when has he been so devout?
Because of Yan's fuss, I had to kneel down as if I had committed a heinous crime.
"Please forgive me."
Only after I prayed like that did Yan seem relieved, letting out a deep sigh.
"Listen carefully. Originally, I didn't come here to give you this explanation."
"...Huh?"
Yan's sigh deepened.
"But now that I'm here, I can't just watch you stab your finger. If I did, even I wouldn't be forgiven."
So, Yan knows something?
"So, do I have it? Healing Power."
When I asked directly, Yan finally nodded.
"But it's very weak. It's just, really just, a newly born power. It's no wonder you didn't know."
"Then it will take a long time... but can I heal? Can't I heal others?"
This time, Yan shook his head.
"Your power isn't like that. It's not like that..."
I was denied Healing Power.
The hope I had held onto without any basis quickly crumbled in my heart.
'Even if I have Healing Power, it won't be much. It would be fortunate if I received as much power as my mother... It will be difficult to defeat Rosa...'
Yan flew onto my drooping knees and looked up at me intently.
"Your power isn't just that. Kid, you are the greatest mercy the gods have bestowed upon this place."
"...What?"
Yan chuckled.
Now that I think about it, his high-pitched voice, which was always scolding, had been strangely subdued for some time.
"You already healed me, didn't you?"
I healed Yan? When?
As I stared blankly, Yan flew to my neck and rubbed his small head against me.
"Compared to you, that quack doctor only poked me with needles and hurt me."
I, I healed Yan?
As I blinked in disbelief, he continued to explain.
"You're weak now. It's going to be difficult if you try to heal just anyone. You won't be able to imprint the power you receive onto your body."
"But did I really heal you? With my palm?"
I asked, remembering only holding him all night, and Yan smiled.
"Of course, your palm is better than nothing..."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"You're young, and your power is insignificant, but the proof that you are a seed of God is right inside you."
Looking into Yan's black eyes, I finally realized.
"...Tears. It's tears."
"Yes."
He admitted.
"So, don't waste them carelessly. Of course, I've been making you cry a lot lately because I've been so sick."
"I, so I healed you?"
I asked for the umpteenth time, and Yan spread and folded one wing, theatrically bowing.
"Yes. Thank you, Lilin."
Then he continued.
"So... I owe you my life."
