Chapter 38

The introduced clinic is a large building with many therapists. However, its layout is similar to the clinic where I was treated before.

The exterior is a single slab of blue concrete, perhaps a trademark of sorts.

The inside is the same. There is a waiting room, and behind it, the treatment rooms.

However, according to Gustav's note, there is a large room. Using the map, I search for it while using the transparency spell. I just need to find a place that is off-limits to the general public.

The patients seem to be having a good time, chatting and laughing loudly, filling the waiting room.

If I listen in, they are boasting about the body parts that have recently been causing them trouble. One person laughs about a sore back, and an old woman retorts that her hands have been numb recently. Another person keeps asking for things to be repeated because their hearing has gotten worse.

I couldn't understand what was so enjoyable.

Behind a screen, there seems to be a waiting area for the therapists. There is a water station and, perhaps, a small room that serves as a toilet.

At the end of the corridor connected to this area, the large room I'm looking for is located.

"Before lunch break, we'll have a morning lecture, so be prepared!"

A timid-looking man is raising his voice. I came to listen to this lecture, and it seems the timing is good.

However, there seems to be a bit of time before it starts, as the therapists gather in the break room and snack on fruit.

"That's why, for that person, there was also nausea, right? You can't use *Revitalization* in that case."

One of the therapists is being scolded. A tall woman with her hair tied back is scolding a short-haired woman with curly hair.

"Um, but in Chapter 3, Section 2, Saint Koyashiba used *Revitalization* for patients with nausea."

"Even if there's still poison in the body, absorbing it will be bad in the long run. First, you should use *Neutralization* or *Extraction*..."

It seems to be a lesson on how to use the spells. The names of the spells I glimpsed yesterday are mentioned here and there.

"...it's about to start, so everyone, please gather!"

I wanted to listen to the lesson as well, but now it's time for the spell lecture.

I wonder what kind of class it will be.

"So, for fragile bones that break multiple times in a short period, use *Accumulation* or *Numbing* over a long period, ..."

The content is an explanation of the holy scriptures. It explains the miracles performed by the saints, relating them to the symptoms of patients seen recently.

Everyone places the holy scriptures on their desks and listens to the explanation while reading. It's like a university lecture.

To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed.

This is not much different from me just reading a book.

And with this, I don't feel like I can use the spells.

"...Saint Forte is said to have developed a miracle that makes bones less likely to break if used once a year... In this chapter..."

I take notes while listening to the professor's lecture. It's just a regular class up to this point.

There is a difference in the way people take notes.

More specifically, the appearance of the holy scriptures is different.

The curly-haired woman, who is taking a lot of notes and listening intently, still has white spaces in the margins of the holy scriptures. However, the holy scriptures of the therapists, led by the long-haired woman, who are not taking many notes, are already filled with annotations and underlines.

Probably, this class is repeating the same thing many times.

From the beginning to the end of the holy scriptures, the interpretation and explanation are repeated. That's how they study.

This means that the curly-haired woman is a newcomer among them.

If I watch her, I might be able to see the practical training as well.

Thinking this, I decided to watch her today.

After lunch break, Yoshino, who is being mentored by Nate, started waiting with him.

There are not many patients right after lunch, and both of them look idle.

I want to see one of them use a spell, but the opportunity doesn't come easily.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, the moment finally arrived.

"I fell and scraped my knee..."

A boy, probably around thirteen or fourteen years old and in good physical condition, came in with a woman who seems to be his mother.

"Ah, then let's start with the wound..."

As Yoshino was about to place her hand on the knee, Nate stopped her by tapping her shoulder.

"There seems to be a bruise around it. How did you fall?"

He asked the boy. Yoshino, who was interrupted, looked at Nate and opened and closed her mouth.

"..."

The boy nodded slightly and turned to his mother. The mother answered.

"Well, I think he fell forward, landing on his knees."

Nate looked away from the mother and said to the boy, "I'm going to touch it."

The boy looked back silently and gently pushed his knee forward.

"Does this hurt? How about here?"

Nate touched the knee and asked the boy. The boy answered by nodding or shaking his head.

"Then, there doesn't seem to be any abnormality in the bone, so let's clean it and heal it quickly."

The examination was over. Then, he looked at Yoshino and gave her instructions.

"Uh, eh? Yes!?"

Yoshino, who was looking at Nate, responded with a high-pitched voice when suddenly spoken to. She placed her hand on the knee and recited a prayer.

"In the name of God, I, Yoshino, command you, impurities, to be cleansed. *Purification*"

"I command again, let the wounded be healed. *Healing*"

The effects seemed to appear with each phrase. The dirt was repelled, and the wound closed as if covered by stretched skin.

"Thank you very much."

The mother bowed and expressed her gratitude. The boy also bowed.

"Please take good care of it!"

Yoshino said cheerfully and bowed lightly.

Nate was watching the scene from behind.

"Now, do you understand the problem with the treatment just now?"

Nate called out from behind, and Yoshino turned around, answering apologetically.

"Well, I judged it was just a scrape based on the patient's complaint..."

"That's right. The mechanism of injury can change things a lot. You can take the patient's complaint with a grain of salt."

Yoshino lowered her eyes, looking apologetic. However, Nate continued in an encouraging tone.

"Well, I think that kind of response is fine for those kinds of patients. This was just a practice for treating a normal patient."

Yoshino froze at Nate's sudden harsh words. To be honest, I froze too.

"By the way, the boy's muscles seem to be injured, so he might come back. If he does, you can handle him casually next time."

"Wh-what? So, it wasn't enough?"

"Yeah. He could bend his knee and slide his lower leg backward, so his muscle must be torn. He was wincing, so it must have hurt."

"Then, why—"

"Did the boy say anything about pain or injury?"

Nate distorted his face, closing one eye and stretching the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry about it. The boy didn't say a word about pain or injury. Treating the scrape as the mother described was enough."

"Um, um, ...yes..."

Yoshino answered, but her voice was small, and it didn't seem like she was convinced.

...I finally got to see the spell up close, but the other things were so shocking that I couldn't observe it properly...

I'll have to look forward to the next patient.