I Became Able to Use Healing Magic
The hammer in his hand was fairly heavy.
Whether it was because the hunter who had originally lived in this house had been large, or because hammers in this world were naturally big and heavy, even with Juhwan’s considerable size, the hammer did not feel particularly small in his hands. It would be perfect for him to swing.
Recalling the way of walking Gus had taught him, Juhwan distributed his weight evenly between both legs.
Though it had been only a single day, the movements Gus taught him had settled surprisingly well into his body. It was not perfect yet, but if a fight broke out, it would help his huge frame move more swiftly.
As the village chief and the men approached, Juhwan lowered his waist slightly, preparing himself to spring forward at any moment.
But the moment the village chief came near the house, he suddenly shouted furiously at the fallen men.
“######.”
It sounded like some kind of curse. You idiots, you fools, you morons, something along those lines. He looked extremely angry.
‘Did those bastards act on their own?’
Juhwan felt a little relieved.
If every man in the village was the sort to casually lay hands on another person’s family and belongings, continuing to live on this mountain would have been impossible.
Juhwan turned his gaze toward the men standing behind the chief.
Unlike the chief, the village men’s faces were stiff. It seemed the condition of the collapsed men was far worse than they had expected. Since this was a small village, they were probably relatives or childhood acquaintances.
With an expressionless face, Juhwan glared at the men behind the chief.
The villagers silently avoided his gaze without saying anything. They did not seem to agree with the chief, but they did appear to think the fallen men were in the wrong.
So even in this world, stealing another person’s belongings or violating someone’s wife was considered a crime.
If that was the case, then the village chief and villagers who had taken the hunter’s belongings should also be criminals. Was this simply a society where the weak had to endure injustice in silence? Then again, this was a world where others could decide your marriage partner, so perhaps that was only natural.
Juhwan clicked his tongue inwardly.
He could almost see how oppressed Lizzy and Dorothy must have been while living here. Still, it was fortunate this place was not complete lawlessness.
As Juhwan stood firmly in place, the village chief stepped forward and said something in a tone that sounded like an excuse.
Perhaps because they heard the chief’s voice, there were signs from inside the house that the door was about to open.
Remaining wary of the chief and the men, Juhwan met Lizzy’s eyes through the slightly opened door. He shook his head, signaling her not to come out, and the door closed again.
After quietly watching the exchange between Juhwan and Lizzy, the chief forced an ingratiating smile. After speaking a few more words that sounded like apologies or excuses, he held out the bundle of cloth tucked under his arm toward Juhwan.
It seemed they intended to settle the matter of the fallen men with this. Or perhaps it was also hush money for stripping the house of everything it once had.
If someone committed a crime, would they be put on trial if reported? It did not seem like a place that would have proper courts, but perhaps they reported cases to a nearby lord, or the villagers gathered to hold some kind of trial themselves.
“....”
Juhwan frowned briefly, but quietly accepted the cloth.
No matter what, it would be troublesome to completely turn the entire village against him right now.
There was also the saying that dead men tell no tales. If the villagers began to see him as a threat, they might attack despite the danger, simply because he was an outsider.
If he were alone, it would be one thing. But in that situation, protecting Lizzy and Dorothy would become difficult.
‘It’s probably better to end things here.’
When Juhwan accepted the cloth, the chief visibly relaxed.
For a moment, Juhwan even wondered if the cloth had been offered because they were worried he might leave the mountain.
Perhaps the people here truly needed a hunter to remain in these mountains.
He needed to learn the language as quickly as possible. Not understanding the situation at all was maddening.
When the chief gave an order to the men, the villagers hoisted the injured men onto their backs. Juhwan had expected them to at least bring stretchers, but the villagers had come empty-handed.
Maybe this world did not even have stretchers yet. Or perhaps the village was simply too poor to own any.
The injured men screamed as their damaged bones were jostled painfully while being carried.
If they died from that, it would not be Juhwan’s fault but the villagers’. The movement without proper treatment would likely drive broken bones into their organs.
The villagers surely knew that too, yet even as the screams became shrill and unbearable, the men silently continued their work.
Perhaps they already considered the injured men as good as dead.
This world seemed far more cruel and cold-hearted than he had imagined.
Under Juhwan’s watchful gaze, the chief and villagers descended the mountain.
Hunter Gus watched them for a moment, then grinned and waved farewell to Juhwan. Casually following behind the village men, Gus also headed down the mountain.
Along with the figures, the screams gradually faded into the distance.
Before long, the sky had darkened. The men descending far below lit their torches. In the dim twilight, the blazing flames swayed like dancing lights between the trees.
Juhwan watched silently as the lights grew smaller and more distant.
Only after the chief and the men had become tiny dots far away from the house did Juhwan finally turn around.
The moment he entered the house, Lizzy—who had been standing hidden in the corner with Dorothy—ran toward him.
Her anxious expression immediately softened when she saw him.
The two of them buried themselves in his embrace and let out sighs of relief.
Two small breaths brushed against his body like soft down feathers before fading away and returning again.
Watching Lizzy and Dorothy relax in his arms made Juhwan himself feel relieved instead.
He was glad he could become a place where they felt safe.
That thought filled his heart with warmth and fullness.
As Juhwan bent down and gently patted their backs, a loud growl came from Dorothy’s stomach.
Hm. A child’s internal clock really was accurate no matter the situation.
That evening’s dinner was roasted wolf meat, its surface already beginning to dry and toughen.
Dorothy seemed to eat more than half of it.
Her tiny stomach swelled round like a little toad’s belly, to the point where breathing itself looked difficult later.
With only half-dressed clothing on, Dorothy rolled around beside the warm hearth like a cat, while Lizzy busily cut apart old women’s clothing and sewed them into children’s clothes.
The clothes stained with pee had been washed in water mixed with ashes and hung inside the cabin to dry.
Until they dried, Dorothy remained half naked.
Since the child had nothing else to wear immediately, Lizzy seemed quite anxious.
As the darkness deepened, the stars in the sky seemed to shine even brighter.
Even though this place was located near the lower part of the mountain, the sky felt close enough to touch if one stretched out a hand.
Would he grow accustomed to this too with time?
For now, it still felt extremely unfamiliar.
Winter nights in the mountains were quiet.
In the darkness without even the sound of insects, only the crackling of burning firewood softly echoed through the house.
After such a wildly turbulent day, Dorothy had fallen into deep sleep early in the evening.
Her little stomach was still puffed out roundly.
Perhaps she enjoyed the feeling of being full, because she had fallen asleep wearing a satisfied smile.
Juhwan had worried today’s events might leave bad memories in the child’s mind, but occasionally small giggles escaped from her sleeping lips.
She seemed to be having a good dream.
That was good.
Truly good.
Beside the crackling firewood, after finishing Dorothy’s clothes, Lizzy spread out the cloth they had received today and quietly examined it.
To Juhwan’s eyes, it looked rough and coarse, not particularly good fabric, but Lizzy clearly liked it.
She stroked it over and over with her hands, checking carefully for pulled threads or patches of mold.
This was already the third time.
She would unroll the fabric, inspect it carefully, fold it again, and before long she would once more be sitting beside the fire, staring at it.
He had not expected her to be this happy over it.
“....”
It was fortunate he had not stupidly started another fight when the chief offered the cloth.
He had done well accepting it quietly.
Still, realizing that every object here was something incredibly precious to Lizzy made him feel strangely sad.
If only he could have brought even a little something from Earth instead of arriving naked.
At this rate, if he ever met Santa Claus, maybe he really ought to punch him once.
Juhwan watched Lizzy stroking the fabric for a moment before heading toward the corner.
Crossing his legs, he sat heavily on the floor.
Ever since killing the wolf, he had continuously tried to use magic to create fire.
He imagined images in his head and used every word related to fire or magic he could think of.
But every attempt failed.
There was no sign at all that he could use magic.
Now only magic training remained.
He did not particularly want to be doing this at his age, but there was no choice.
Maybe magic worked similarly to martial arts training in wuxia novels.
Honestly, if even this failed, there was nothing else he could do.
Juhwan straightened his back and closed his eyes.
Calming his mind, he slowly exhaled and inhaled again.
Like he had read in martial arts novels, he organized his thoughts and gathered energy into his dantian.
Focusing all his senses, he tried to feel the flow of energy moving within his body.
It would not be easy.
Juhwan quietly breathed in and out, trying desperately to sense the energy around his navel and fingertips.
“....”
He felt nothing.
It did not seem like anything existed inside his body at all.
Honestly, when he closed his eyes, he could barely even tell where his navel was without touching it. Trying to find some mysterious dantian with his eyes closed felt absurd in the first place.
He began to doubt whether those stories about circulating inner energy through the body were even real.
He could not feel anything whatsoever.
Juhwan let out a long sigh and opened his eyes.
“!”
He jumped in surprise.
Lizzy was sitting right in front of him, quietly watching him.
Perhaps his behavior had seemed strange, because she tilted her head slightly.
Cute.
Since he was doing something unusual, she probably worried about him.
Lizzy raised a slender finger and touched Juhwan’s forehead. Then she gently placed her palm against it.
It looked like she was checking his temperature.
“....”
I’m not sick, Lizzy.
Juhwan smiled bitterly.
He wanted desperately to use magic somehow, but it was not easy.
Maybe there really was some sort of leveling system like in games or novels.
There was no one he could ask, and the frustration was unbearable.
If he ever met Santa Claus, maybe he should punch him twice.
Shadows cast by the campfire flickered across Lizzy’s small white face.
As the light swayed like waves, the blue bruises on her skin disappeared into the shadows and reappeared again.
A fragile woman’s body bruised far more easily than a man’s.
The places she had been struck earlier in the day had become even darker by evening.
Should he have found out who hit her and simply killed the bastard?
Unable to calm the sharp edge rising in his heart, Juhwan briefly wore a vicious expression.
Lizzy flinched.
Not wanting to frighten her, Juhwan smiled again and gently touched the bruise with his finger.
He carefully stroked it as softly as possible so it would not hurt.
If he could use magic, he would erase bruises like this instantly.
The anger that had briefly settled began to rise once more.
He could not understand men who hit women.
Where on such a tiny body was there even a place worth striking?
A sigh escaped him unconsciously from the sorrowful feeling.
The wounds from the wolf bites on his own body were healing little by little without him doing anything special, yet when he truly wanted to use that power, he could not.
What a foolish thing.
As Juhwan gently stroked the bruise several times, Lizzy gave a small laugh.
As if to say don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt, she lightly tapped his leg with her hand.
“I’m okay.”
As she said that, Lizzy leaned her bruised cheek against Juhwan’s palm almost like a spoiled child.
Her small face fit entirely within his large hand.
Warmth quietly passed between them through his palm for a moment.
Suddenly, he became aware of how cold the surrounding air was.
Juhwan himself was fine, but this corner of the room must feel quite cold to Lizzy.
Juhwan removed his hand from her face and gently lifted her up.
As he stood, a sudden thought struck him.
Lizzy’s face looked clean.
Not beautiful or anything like that.
Literally clean.
‘The bruise...’
Startled, Juhwan quickly checked her other cheek too.
Maybe he had imagined it.
But both cheeks were spotless.
The bruises that had darkened her face just moments ago had vanished completely.
No way.
Had that ridiculous magic training actually worked?
‘What kind of nonsense... that sloppy method...’
Juhwan quietly placed his fingers against Lizzy’s now-clear face.
Good heavens.
He had become able to use healing magic.
He could heal wounds.
Only then did his mind fully grasp the truth, and overwhelming joy began to flood through him.