A warm voice gently washed over me.

“Yes. As you said, we save them because they are ‘lives.’ It’s not about focusing on their actions.”

“How can all lives be the same? Those who harm others can’t be considered equal.”

Trying to convince her of this obvious truth was frustrating. My teacher patiently explained as I pouted.

“That’s just your personal value system. Healers aren’t defined that way. Besides, our power is a form of authority. We shouldn’t use it selectively.”

It was perfectly understandable logic, yet it was also a perspective I didn’t want to accept. Feeling stubborn, I challenged her in a tone that was unusual for me.

“But healers are people too! Would you heal someone who hurt your family?”

“I would heal them.”

“Liar.”

Her unwavering answer somehow irritated me. Yet she maintained her gentle smile, even as I sulked.

“If you don’t understand now, just accept it for the time being. One day, you’ll come to understand. Some things take a long time to grasp.”

“No, I don’t think I’ll ever understand. I’m only doing this because it’s class, but once I graduate, I won’t heal criminals!”

In the distant memory, I could still feel my teacher’s hand ruffling my hair.

I still couldn’t understand, and I still couldn’t accept it…

What if saving him brought danger back to me? He was a pirate; killing someone like me wouldn’t be a big deal for him.

Moreover, the situation now was completely different from when I was at the academy. This wasn’t a prison; it was an open field. There was nothing here to protect me.

Honestly, I hadn’t become a healer because I wanted to. It was simply because I was born with that power. Did I really have to follow my teacher’s words?

Of course, I did enjoy this work…

I felt proud, and I thought it was wonderful to live a life helping others…

I had promised to be the best healer I could be, given this second chance at life…

Eventually, I stopped running and turned the horse around.

If I acted now, it might not be too late.

***

I never thought I would use the rope I had brought just in case in a place like this. Sweating profusely, I first tied his hands and feet.

The man, nearly unconscious, couldn’t even manage a small groan, biting his lip against the pain with every movement.

“I’m doing this because I’m really worried about you. Just hang in there a little longer.”

I had to laugh at the absurdity of tying up a patient to treat him, but there was no other option.

In the midst of trying to escape, what on earth was happening?

Shaking my head helplessly, I carefully examined the wounds in the darkness. As expected, all the areas I had mended with magic were torn open.

I habitually prepared to numb his senses but hesitated. If the pain disappeared, he might regain consciousness and attack me.

Wondering if I really had to go this far, I sighed again and warned him.

“I’m going to stop the bleeding and re-stitch the wounds. It’s going to hurt a lot, but you don’t have any other option. I can’t anesthetize someone as dangerous as you.”

A bluish light flowed from my trembling fingertips and touched his body. Soon, instead of acknowledgment, a scream like a howl filled the night.

To see the wounds clearly, I had to lean closer to him, and each time I applied more magic, his agonized groans pierced my ears.

I wanted to gag him, but that wasn’t something a healer should do, so I gritted my teeth and endured the patient’s pain alongside him.

Kneeling on the dirt floor, I spent about an hour like that. His screams eventually subsided, giving way to a hoarse voice.

“Th-thank you…”

“Don’t talk. It’ll reopen the wounds after all that hard work.”

Perhaps terrified of experiencing that pain again, he pressed his lips together and nodded vigorously.

“You’ll feel much better after some sleep. There’s nothing more I can do for you, so just survive.”

Having exhausted myself from healing, the fear and anxiety had long vanished. However, it was objectively the right choice to leave this dangerous pirate as soon as possible. My legs were numb, but I forced myself to stand.

“Wait a minute!”

The man called out urgently. I had just told him not to speak. Slightly annoyed, I frowned at him.

“What is it?”

“I stopped you from being kidnapped!”

What kind of nonsense was this all of a sudden?

I stared at him in disbelief, and he struggled to sit up, eager to explain.

“The guys who were with me told me to keep watch and signal if anyone approached. But I wanted to help you somehow, so even when I saw someone coming, I didn’t signal. It’s true. You know that noble guy, the tall one with black hair? Didn’t he save you? Right?”

Talking so much might reopen his wounds… But I couldn’t interrupt. Hearing about Leopold from such an unexpected source was unbelievable.

Maybe I looked dumbfounded because he seemed to gain confidence and continued speaking.

“When I saw that guy going after them in a rage, I ran away. But I guess I ran too much. At some point, I felt my wounds opening up again, and this is what happened.”

He lowered his head and pointed to his wound with his finger, then looked back at me. It was dark, so I couldn’t see his expression clearly, but it was obvious he was smiling like a child seeking praise.

His ridiculous expression snapped me back to reality, and I spoke as calmly as I could.

“How can I believe that? Even if it’s true, you’re still a pirate who saved himself by letting his comrades die. Why should I trust a traitor’s words? I don’t need to hear more. I’m leaving.”

“Those pirates weren’t my comrades!”

My hand, gripping the reins, hesitated for a moment. He seized the opportunity to continue.

“I heard healers can read memories from scars. Here, there’s a scar. Take a look.”

He slightly shook his left arm.

“I’ve got scars all over from those guys beating me! Would real comrades beat me like that?”

Standing there, half-believing, I watched as he shook his arm more vigorously.

Finally giving in, I approached and carefully rolled up his sleeve. With a faint light in my hand, I examined it and saw dark marks and raised scars around his elbow that hadn’t healed properly, covering a wide area—just like the cruel marks that covered Leopold’s calves.

“Those guys did all that. I got beaten so much it wouldn’t heal properly.”

Without a word, I placed my hand over the scars. I envisioned him being thrown onto the deck.

“You bastard, planning to kill us all? We raised you, and this is what we get!”

After the rough voice came a kick with full force, and huge pirates surrounded him, mercilessly stomping.

Startled, I pulled my hand back and looked at him.

“How could pirates do this to each other…?”

“We’re not the same kind of pirates. They just found me. They didn’t raise me; they just let me roll around on the ship. I swear, I’ve never lived as a pirate.”

The word “found” made me flinch. Was he an orphan too? I had been fortunate to be discovered by Lady Lawrence, but if he had been unfortunate and forced into piracy…

“What about your parents?”

An unnecessary sense of sympathy suddenly arose within me. There wasn’t time for this conversation. I felt my mouth drying up, but I was curious about his story.

“I have no memory of them. Twelve? Thirteen? I think that’s when I started living with pirates, but for some reason, I lost all my memories before that. My first memory is on the deck.”

He leaned his head back and let out a deep sigh.

“It was so hard being tormented by those filthy pirates. I should’ve died long ago. Bad luck kept me alive until now.”

His tired voice was filled with bitterness. But still, didn’t he think at all? After I had gone through the trouble of saving him, his words to his savior were outrageous.

“You should’ve let that noble guy catch you. You would’ve died instantly.”

I retorted, slightly angry, and he replied nonchalantly.

“I didn’t want that. That guy ran like a prince from a fairy tale. But dying like a villain under the hammer of justice didn’t seem cool. I’d rather die quietly like this, maybe with a story behind it.”

“Are you serious?”

His childish answer left me dumbfounded. I could almost imagine his eyes rolling.

“…No. I just ran because I didn’t want to get stabbed. Getting slashed hurts so much.”

Though it was dark and hard to see, he looked down at his stitched wound. He then shuddered as if he were trying to recall the pain.

“Glad you know pain. Don’t even think about running now.”

“Of course. But thanks to my nonsense, you’re here listening to me, healer.”

His playful response, perhaps due to the lessened pain, softened my previously sharp demeanor. After rationalizing that I was just helping a patient, as a healer should, I finally spoke up with difficulty.