God of Assassination, Become the Strongest Healer - chapter 4

“…A vessel?” 

When I answered, my father’s eyes lit up, as if he were saying, “I know the answer, but can you say it?” Without hesitation, I continued to meet his expectations. “The soul makes life possible, and the body is the sacred container that holds the soul.” 

“Isn’t that what our family’s founder, Orpheus, once said?”

Yes, it is. At first, it might seem like he’s focusing more on the soul than the body, but that’s not the case.

 Orpheus wanted both the soul and body to be in harmony. This saying shows that to enjoy life truly, we should appreciate both the soul and the body. 

Haha, you’re spot on! Some people misunderstand those words and think Orpheus ignored the body for the soul, but that’s just wrong. I’m impressed you understood it.

Pleased that his young son, barely reaching his knee, understood this complex legacy, my father smiled.

“As a healer and a worthy member of the Claudius line, I aim to become a vessel strong enough to carry on Claudius’s legacy.”

“Then I assume that’s also why you chose to study anatomy first.”

“I felt I needed a deep understanding of the body structure to strengthen myself and fully utilize Angelus’s grace.”

“Haha!”

My dad smiled even more.

He didn’t say anything, but his expression told me everything:

“Yes, that’s my son! That’s exactly what I expect from my boy!”

Seeing that look on his face, I knew it was time to deliver the final blow

“I, Fagan, am determined to become a sturdy vessel through studying anatomy, one that can withstand the times ahead. And one day, I’ll fill it with Angelus’s blessings and the teachings left by our ancestors.”

“Hahaha! Yes! That’s my boy! You need that level of determination to truly be Tiberius and Melissa’s eldest son!”

The words that had been practically spilling from his expression finally burst out.

“Oh, our young master is just wonderful!”

Seeing all this, the nanny couldn’t hold back her tears once again, and before they even had a chance to dry, Father scooped me up and lifted me high in a hug.

“Your mother would be so proud to see you with such a bold vision. She’d be standing tall, saying, ‘See? Isn’t he just like I said he’d be?’ Right, Nanny?”

“Absolutely! Madam would be overjoyed to see the young master looking so gallant.”

My dad spun me around a few times before putting me down.

 He said, “Inexperienced healers who don’t know the basics often forget about the body because they are fascinated by healing magic.

 They believe that since magic can heal wounds, any injury can be fixed with magic alone. That’s a silly way to think.” Every time Dad shook his head, his big beard puffed out like plants in a strong wind.

A healer can have strong magic, but the body, which is just flesh and blood, still needs to handle that magic.

 Even though you’re young and haven’t been trained officially, you’ve already understood this challenge. I’m proud of you.

“Thank you, Dad.”

The whole time he praised me, I kept my head down.

His rare words of praise felt heavy, and as I looked into his eyes, sparkling with expectation for his son, a faint guilt started to creep in.

“I’m sorry, Dad. The truth is… that’s not the whole reason. To be honest, I chose anatomy for another reason.”

I hadn’t officially started my training yet, but I already knew for certain I’d excel in anatomy.

My fat

In my past life, I killed more villains than anyone else, and I was always researching the fastest, most effective ways to deal with trash. Naturally, this made me well-versed in human anatomy over time.

“In the end, assassination is all about striking at the most lethal spot at the most dangerous moment. My master always said this in the beginning: ‘How can someone who doesn’t understand how the human body is built possibly discuss the most effective ways to kill?’

Thanks to my master’s teachings and my research, I developed a pretty deep understanding of human anatomy.

Starting tomorrow, I will begin learning from the best medical family on the continent. There’s a difference between learning to kill and learning to heal, but I believe that the healing knowledge Claudius has developed over the years will help me become a better assassin. Maybe that’s why the light has brought me here. 

I am grateful to the light that led me to Claudius. 

You might wonder why, after having a peaceful childhood on a beautiful island with forests and the sea, I now feel the need to improve the violent skills I learnt in my past life.

The disaster is going to happen soon, and I’m curious to see how you’ll handle it

. If someone asked me, I would say what the light that brought me here once said: “Disaster and evidence.

” During my five years on the calm and beautiful island of Espectara, I couldn’t stop thinking about these words. You might think I’m being too anxious or judge me for not escaping my violent tendencies.

You might make fun of me for worrying too much or look down on me for not being able to change my violent nature. But I believe that practicing my old skills will be useful.

 My dad picked me up again, and I could see everything from the highest point of the island. I saw my dad, the nanny, the people around me, and the island that raised me.

 And then I thought about the world outside the island.

 I looked at that world beyond the waves, keeping my thoughts secret from my dad and the nanny.

 I reminded myself that I wanted to gain the strength to handle any problems that came my way without being shaken. That night, in the darkness of Pagan’s room…On a fluffy bed made from the finest materials, a calm and even breath echoed through the air.

With his back, neck, chest, and hands pressed together between his navel and chest, Pagan continued his training of the Angelus, even though it was well past bedtime.

“Heh, you must be exhausted from learning Angelus for the first time today. To be so absorbed in training that you forget to sleep—what a good little kid, especially at only five years old.”

Unlike ‘Arka,’ which allows for comfortable training in any position, ‘Angelus’ demands a strict posture. It was definitely a tough stance for a child his age, and despite having trained for a while, Pagan’s form never wavered.

The results of his daily training, which he had done every morning without fail for a year, were now clear.

Although he should focus more on training ‘Arka’ to improve his combat skills in the future, he couldn’t neglect ‘Angelus.’ If Arka was the “sword hidden in a veil” for the future, Angelus was the solid shield protecting Pagan’s present.

He would soon be under the scrutiny of others, so he needed to master Angelus to a certain extent.

“Hmm… judging by the flow of mana, it doesn’t look like he’s too bad at this. Tibery may look like a clumsy bear, but he’s actually pretty sharp. If he keeps growing like this, he’ll make a decent vassal, something like Tibery. Of course, to make that happen, my subtle help will definitely be needed. Heh heh.”

In the pitch-black darkness, the air shimmered.

A playful voice floated in the background. A blue flame flickered, something you could see but not fully grasp.

 This “blue flame” appeared when Cladius, known as ‘Pagan Cladius,’ blessed the world. It buzzed around Pagan’s sweaty forehead and kept talking non-stop.

Every time I see you, I think it’s good that you look like your mom and not your dad. Since Melissa is pretty, at least you look okay.

 If you looked like your dad—yikes! Just thinking about Tiberius, that big bear, is enough. Imagining your dad-bear next to you? Ugh, it makes me feel trapped just thinking about it.

But now that I think about it, I’m really annoyed. I came all the way here to check on you because I’m worried you’re working too hard and might hurt yourself, and this kid doesn’t even say thank you! Hey! Kid! You have to agree that this is a problem, right?

Sometimes laughing, sometimes angry, the blue flame busily circled around Pagan’s brow, and each time it did, the unseen warmth seemed to breathe new life into his tired body.

Although its true nature was unclear and its intentions uncertain, it was clear that the blue flame’s repeated flights were helping Pagan’s progress.

“That’s right! That’s it! You’re doing well! At times like this, you gotta pull harder, even if it’s a bit much!”

Was it because it knew so well about Cladius’ vision of Angelus?

The flame continued to interfere as it observed Angelus’s aura moving around Pagan. It shouted, urging Pagan to stretch down instead of pulling.

 It warned that if Pagan did it wrong, the mana flow would be disrupted, halting everything that was working smoothly. 

When a big drop of sweat fell from Pagan’s face onto the bed, the flame became even more frantic and yelled again, insisting that Pagan was doing it incorrectly.

Hey! I told you, that’s not how you do it!”

As the sweat started to stream down more, the flame’s voice tone got higher.

“That’s not how you do it♫. That’s not how you do it♪.”

In the end, unable to contain its frustration, the flame started humming a teasing tune, flying even faster over Pagan’s face.

“No, it’s not like that♪, it’s not like that♫, that’s not how you do it♬. If you do, it’ll all be for nothing… huh?”

But suddenly, the flame’s voice quieted down. Pagan, who had kept his eyes closed the whole time since starting the training, was now squinting his eyes and glaring directly in the direction of the flame.

What, what’s up with that! What are you gonna do if you keep glaring at me like that! Oh, wait. That’s right. This kid probably couldn’t even sense me in the first place.

A sharp gaze that you wouldn’t expect from a five-year-old.

Because of that gaze, Flame instinctively raised his voice but quickly shook his head.

There were a few others who had sensed his presence, apart from his first friend, ‘Orpheus.’

But even those guys could only vaguely sense that there was someone like him around, and that faint perception only came after they grew old and turned into hunched-up grandfathers.

Before they became old, only one person had directly acknowledged the blue flame and greeted it with a simple “Hello.”

―Orpheus. Only that guy was able to do it, so there’s no way this little kid could.

“Hey, shut up.”

―Huh!

A firm rejection based on experience.

And immediately after, perfect proof that his guess was wrong.

―You… did you just talk to me?

Flame felt a momentary chill as he locked eyes with the kid and cautiously asked again.

―Wait… can you actually see me?

The first person since the founding head Orpheus to sense ‘The Guardian of Claudius,’ the kid Pagan Claudius, said in a blunt voice.

“You’ve been noisy since earlier, so just shut up.”