yemalu

Err… Is this really an extortion or something? I was only joking earlier…

They stopped when we reached the deepest part of the alley and turned back around to face me.

Ok… The fact that the exit to the alley is behind me and they aren\'t blocking the way out meant this wasn\'t a shakedown at least.

How do I know? Let\'s just say it\'s from personal experience.

"So… Can I help you with anything?" I asked, trying to sound innocent.

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding and turning back to me.

I was expecting them to do a number of things, even actually trying to shake me down, but I certainly wasn\'t prepared to see them suddenly fall on the ground to prostrate themselves to me.

"Aster!! Please teach us!!"

"Teach us Iatromancy, please!!"

…

What the heck?

"Wa… Wait a minute… What\'s going on?" I asked, panicking a little from this unexpected turn of events.

Harge pushed her head closer to the ground, "It is embarrassing for us to admit this but despite studying Iatromancy for so long, the both of us are still at Herbalist tier!"

Ah… That\'s the first tier isn\'t it? And they look like they\'re at least two or three years our senior… But…

"Err… But isn\'t that normal though? You\'re not even final year students are you?" I asked.

Increasing the proficiency of a skill could take years and if I\'m not wrong, going from tier one to tier two for any skill could even take someone up to a decade or more.

Of course, there\'s a difference in going from no proficiency to the first tier as compared to going from tier one to tier two.

For a student in this Academy, being able to advance up from the first tier to the second tier by the time you graduate in your specialised skill is already a cause for celebration.

That would even be enough for you to earn a spot in the main Aerialla Academy too.

For the Special Class students, especially those who already have a tier two skill, we\'re not really even expected to advance that skill to the third tier.

We\'re only expected to lay out an even more solid foundation for ourselves and maybe even learn a few more skills along the way before going even further at the main Aerialla Academy where you might advance to the third tier in your skill there.

All you have to do is defend your position as a Special Class student and you\'re already guaranteed a place in the main academy.

I\'m basically the odd one here who managed to increase my proficiency to the next tier so quickly, so I\'m not sure why they\'re so desperate to increase their Iatromancy proficiency? It\'s not like they\'re incompetent just because they can\'t raise it in these few years.

Chamie shook her head while still facing the ground, "No… We… We still have two more years but… We have made no progress in our Iatromancy at all!"

I tilted my head at them, "Eh? Isn\'t it just practising it on your own until you increase your proficiency in it? Actually, could the both of you get up first? I don\'t feel comfortable when you\'re both like that…"

The two sisters picked themselves up from the ground before facing me again.

"It\'s… Not that simple…" Chamie sighed.

Harge nodded beside her sister, "Did… Did you see us trying to heal the patients just now?"

"Umm… I\'m afraid I did not…" I admitted.

I mean, could you blame me? I had four fangirls constantly squealing behind me at everything I did… I didn\'t have any opportunity to look at anyone else since I was too embarrassed...

Chamie poked her fingers together, "We… We can\'t improve because… We\'re… We\'re…"

Harge leaned a little closer to me, "We have a little phobia with healing…"

…

Ah… Ahhhh…

"Let me guess… It\'s because of Professor Anna isn\'t it?" I asked.

The two of them nodded their heads quickly.

Chamie shivered, "The two of us… We\'re the seventh and eighth child of our family… Born from our father\'s second and third wives… We had to beg our parents to allow us to study here or they would have just used us as a political piece to marry into other families… But even then they only let us study Iatromancy…"

Harge slipped her hand into her sister\'s, "We… We wanted to go out and explore the world… But we needed a way to get out from our family who intended to use us to increase their standing in the noble society… We… We don\'t want to marry someone else…"

The two sisters then leaned their heads together and I got the feeling that it wasn\'t the normal kind of sisterly bond between them but… Oh… Ok, these two like each other more than sisters… Alright then.

"So you wanted to run away from your family?" I guessed.

Chamie nodded, "Our plan was to improve our Iatromancy enough to earn a place at the main Aerialla Academy. If we were able to be admitted there, our value as their daughters would also rise which might let our parents marry us into a family with better standing so they will not reject letting us attend the school."

"Then we will run away while we are there or maybe even after we graduate and live our own lives away from Lehcarouc Kingdom…" Harge finished.

I gave them a sympathetic look, "And… You got traumatised by Professor Anna because of her… Unorthodox teaching methods?"

The two girls nodded again.

"She… She came in with a bottle of poison on the first day… Drank it herself and then started to… Die… right in front of the entire class…" Chamie shivered.

Harge hugged her elder sister closer, "She was vomiting and bleeding out from her pores… I remember everyone in the class was screaming or crying at the sight… Some had even ran out of the class."

"Sister and I… We\'re the only ones who watched the entire thing… More out of fear than anything… And… And…"

I shook my head at her, "No need to continue… I can imagine…"

The Professor most likely healed herself afterwards and found most of her class traumatised.

I really want to say something about her teaching methods but… In this World where you could lose your life at almost any time… I guess you need to keep your cool as a healer no matter what.

It would be quite troublesome if you were unable to heal your patient if you were panicking over them having lost an arm or even getting poisoned.

But really… Is there a need to do this in front of ten year olds? You\'re really living up to your name as The Traumatiser huh?

"How did you get to the Herbalist tier on your Iatromancy in the first place?" I asked.

"We… Anticipated that our parents would have this arrangement so we practised a little ahead of time…" Harge explained. "We were hoping that this would give us an edge in allowing us to be admitted to the main Aerialla Academy… But…"

"After seeing that… We… We don\'t even dare to… Ugh…" Chamie blanched from the memory. "Professor Anna is apologetic about it but… I don\'t think we can get that out of our minds anymore…"

I blinked at them, "Alright then… How do you think I can help you? It\'s not like I\'m an expert at Iatromancy you know?"

The older sister smiled wryly at me, "Careful, Aster… If the other students hear that, some might resent you. Reaching Medic Tier in Iatromancy in your very first year? That\'s unheard of."

I have nothing to say to that…

"Well… But why do you think I can even help you? It\'s not like my Iatromancy is any different?" I pointed out.

"There\'s no way that\'s true!" Chamie protested. "You were so beautiful when you were casting your spell! And the way you healed them… It was like looking at a miracle!"

Harge nodded, "If… If we can see more of it… I\'m sure we can use Iatromancy again!"

…

I\'m just casting the spells normally, are you high or something?

No wait… I guess when you have me standing amongst those sadistic classmates and the masochistic Professor… I may as well look like a saint… I guess I can see why they would have that idea.

But… Can I even help them? How do I even help them?

I feel a little sorry for them so I do want to at least try helping them in some way…

I turned to them, "I\'m not sure what I can do to help you though… All I did was practise a lot with the magic in my free time. I work part time as a Mercenary and Dungeoneer you see, so I have plenty of opportunities to practise."

Harge gasped, "That\'s it! Take us with you on your next trip!! We can learn from you like that!"

"Erm… Are you sure? It\'s quite dangerous though… What do you think?" I asked the older sister.

She also nodded her head in agreement, "Please let us try!"

… Hmm… I guess… That might be a way?

I\'ll take them along and they can watch me heal a party from the back, that should work, right?

Let\'s just ask the other girls if they want to go on another Dungeon dive or a Guild mission then…