Secretly, a test on Yuri’s special ability has begun.
This ability, like all others, fundamentally consumes mana.
Therefore, it’s essential to check the performance limits of the ability, the mana consumption, and whether there are any side effects beforehand.
Otherwise, one could face unexpected mana exhaustion in a crisis and find themselves in trouble.
“The test subjects will be limited to the injured employees of Vermont Security.”
“Ah, weren’t we supposed to go to the hospital…?”
“….”
I was at a loss for words as I met Yuri’s innocent and pure gaze.
A hospital?
Doesn’t she realize what might happen if she performs a miracle by healing patients instantly in front of the world?
“If you wish to be revered as a saint and forcibly transferred to the Church, where all your freedom will be restricted, then go ahead.”
“But I’m not a saint… I just awakened a rare ability…”
“Nobody will care about that. People have a tendency to believe what they want to believe. You need to be careful.”
“Yes…”
Only then did Yuri seem to understand my meaning and responded in a timid voice.
She was probably excited at the thought of rushing to the hospital and healing the sick with her ability.
However, good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes.
Someone would revere Yuri as a saint and try to enroll her in the Church.
Sick people would flock from all over the country, continuously bothering Yuri, asking her to heal them.
If Yuri decided to give up her everyday life and dedicate her life to healing the sick worldwide, I wouldn’t stop her.
But I knew very well that Yuri wouldn’t do that.
The Yuri I saw in the original work was definitely devoted, but she was not someone who could be called a saint, completely devoid of desire and wants.
She was selfish enough in some ways, but still compassionate to a certain extent—just towards her friends.
A typical human being, but when faced with extreme situations, she would show superhuman traits.
In that sense, she was more of a ‘hero’ than a saint.
At least, that’s what my extensive experience playing up to Chapter 1 tells me.
“My employees are contractually prohibited from disclosing your ability to outsiders, so feel free to use it.”
“Yes, I understand, Count.”
The carriage arrived at the Vermont Security estate in the Ariente territory.
We headed straight for the training grounds.
Recently, Vermont Security had been rapidly improving its training programs since the employees were undergoing real-world scenarios daily.
The training was now focused on intense drills, and I knew that the rate of injuries had been rising.
It became normal for employees to walk around wrapped in bandages.
Injuries ranged from the back and limbs to abrasions, lacerations, and burns.
This was the perfect place to test Yuri’s ability.
Isn’t this an unethical human experiment?
Considering that the head of the household had already conducted human experiments on himself, there was no reason not to experiment on employees.
There was no hesitation.
“Everyone, listen up! All those injured and unable to participate in the training program, report to the medical room. There will be a free talent donation for healing abilities. After that, we will gradually expand the scope of the subjects depending on the severity of the injuries.”
“…!”
It didn’t take long to gather the subjects for the experiment… I mean, the talent donation.
The term ‘talent donation’ wasn’t entirely incorrect.
I had only hidden the fact that Yuri had only a few experiences using her ability.
I wasn’t lying.
“I’m recovering from a twisted spine…”
“My ankle bone is broken…”
Injured volunteers, revealing the areas they were hurt.
Yuri, perhaps worried about something going wrong, extended her trembling hand, and like she did with me, began to emit a bright white light.
‘She’s totally my opposite…’
When I use black magic, black mist emerges.
Coincidentally, the white light from Yuri’s hand contrasts sharply with mine.
Now, I feel like I’m the cruel villain standing against the protagonist.
In reality, though, I’m just an ordinary citizen with a small wish to marry the protagonist’s friends, and maybe even the protagonist himself.
“Wow! My back feels completely healed!”
“My ankle doesn’t hurt at all!”
Every injury Yuri touched was instantly healed.
For now, it didn’t matter what type of injury it was; they were all being healed.
But when would her mana exhaustion come…?
‘How big is her mana pool?’
By now, Yuri had healed the injuries of 20 people… and yet, she showed no signs of exhaustion.
She was actually speeding up.
She seemed to be doing fine.
Maybe her healing ability has an unusually high mana efficiency?
Or maybe Yuri’s mana pool is ridiculously large…?
Either way, it’s a miraculous performance.
At this rate, she probably won’t run out of mana in most situations.
“Ah…”
“…”
Meanwhile, Yuri was being very careful with her touch.
When she healed my neck and arms, she grabbed them firmly.
But now, it seemed like she was worried about touching an employee’s body, cautiously reaching out, almost as if she were afraid.
Maybe all the kindness I’ve shown to Yuri has finally paid off.
It seems like Yuri is wary of me, but…
It seemed that Yuri’s wariness had largely melted away unconsciously.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Count? You look really happy…”
“It’s nothing. Hehe.”
“…?”
Saying that, I secretly ruffled Yuri’s head.
Despite this, she didn’t show any rejection, only a puzzled expression.
Good. She’s starting to get used to having her head patted.
At this rate, it seems like she’ll be more receptive to it than Charlotte or Julia.
If things continue like this, it’s not impossible to completely win Yuri over.
Maybe it’s time to start having some hope.
“Ugh!”
“You’re starting to feel sore, which means mana exhaustion is near. Let’s stop here.”
“Huh? No? I just stayed in the same position for too long, that’s all.”
“…?”
“Then I’ll keep going!”
By now, Yuri had healed more than 100 people’s injuries.
And yet, she still showed no signs of fatigue.
She sped up even more,
and started healing light injuries that wouldn’t disrupt training.
The human experiment… I mean, the talent donation was completed in less than five hours, healing all of Vermont Security’s employees.
Is this really mana efficiency?
I was momentarily at a loss for words, completely dumbfounded.
“Good job. Now, we can get all the people who were taking leave under the pretense of injuries back to work.”
“Hehe. What? Ugh…!”
Yuri, puffing out her chest slightly, proudly stretched her shoulders.
I naturally ruffled her head again, and at first, she made a contented snorting sound.
But suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and backed away, keeping her distance.
“T-thank you for the compliment, Count.”
“…”
Yuri suddenly became stiff, speaking in a blunt tone while bowing her head.
Damn. Did I pat her too much?
It seems like I tried to close the distance too quickly.
I probably need to be more careful going forward.
“By the way, Master.”
“Speak.”
“Is this the last of the injured people who can test my ability?”
“Right now, that’s the case. It’s limited to those who can maintain security. Why? Do you think it’s still insufficient?”
“Yes… Actually, I’ve just started getting used to it, and it feels like I’m getting the hang of it. But it suddenly stopped. I think I could do better now…”
“…”
Yuri clenched and unclenched her fists, letting out a sigh, as if feeling regret.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
I thought she had already been healing quickly and perfectly up until now.
But now she thinks she can do even better?
It seems like her healing ability could still improve a lot more.
I was starting to get curious about just how far it could go.
“Wait a bit. The ones who train hard will probably get injured again soon.”
“Ah… Do I have to wait longer? I have a better idea.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Since my healing ability is almost perfect, waiting for someone to get injured to test it seems a bit slow. It would be much more efficient to test it directly on myself. Since I’ve confirmed I can heal light abrasions, I can gradually increase the depth of the wounds…”
“No.”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is horrified and urges you to stop Yuri from doing this.]
As Yuri’s gaze began to change into something strange, I firmly grabbed her wrist and rejected her idea.
This girl…
Is she really so boldly suggesting self-harm?
Her gaze was not sane, filled with a disturbing sense of madness.
