Chapter 39: Not Quite Enough

"Well done, Student Maximus. You did a great job," the female Head Teacher praised.

After Max finished the healing, he and the teachers exited the room. Inside, the family gathered around the kid with overwhelming joy and emotion. They left the family to enjoy this moment of joy and forget the past.

"Thank you for the praise, Head Teacher," Max replied.

In truth, he had done nothing but use his Inborn Skill. The success was all thanks to [Salvation]; it was truly a good healing skill. If he could achieve 100% proficiency and level up, the skill could be very effective. Currently, he was utilizing the skill to its full extent since he did not know when to stop. He was afraid of experimenting on people by stopping midway. What if cutting the skill prematurely caused a backlash on the patient? He would have to find out exactly when to stop instead of using all his mana.

"No, you do not understand the severity of the kid's status. She was almost a gone case. It is a miracle she survived this far," the female Teacher emphasized.

Max, however, could somehow understand the situation. Just by looking at her with his naked eye, she had almost become a skeleton.

"Teacher, what could have caused this severe condition?" Max could not help but ask. "Even the Elixirs were not effective. In reality, Elixirs work well on kids, right?"

He asked the question since the teacher could understand the condition very well.

"Yes, it is true that Elixirs work well on kids. The only drawback is that it is very difficult to detect the issue the kids have," the Department Head Teacher explained. "Most of the time, using Elixirs relies on guesswork based on a naked-eye understanding. Most of the time it works, but in some cases, it causes a backlash on the kids."

"That does not sound right. There should be some way to diagnose what is wrong with kids. How can there be no way to find out? Is no one interested in finding out?"

Although Max had learned all of this during the morning class, he still could not control his frustration at this absurd news. How could a world with advanced magic not have a method to diagnose a kid's issue?

"I understand your frustration, but the sole difference goes back to being awakened and unawakened," she explained, reiterating the concept he had learned. "Humans get their Magic when they awaken their Mana Core and Mana Path. Kids lack these, so Magic does not work on those who do not yet have access. It is the nature of the world that we simply have to accept. Remember, never go against the norm of nature."

Although it was a very frustrating thing to endure, he had very little capacity to argue on this topic. Thus, he simply nodded his head.

While they stood outside the room, the door suddenly clicked open. Everyone's attention shifted towards it. Behind the opened door, they saw a girl. Behind her stood her mother, father, and the others.

"Hello, Lydia. How are you feeling? Are you able to walk on your own?" Max asked upon seeing the girl.

The girl walked out of the doorway with casual steps; there were no complications with her walking. She stood directly before Max. Seeing this, Max crouched down, expecting the kid to say something.

"I did what you said," she said.

Hearing this, Max was confused. What was she referring to? Not only Max, but the others were also in confusion regarding her words. While they were confused, she continued speaking.

"I relished the pain as you asked for one last time. It was hard, but I did it," she explained.

Hearing this, Max revealed a small smile. He had indeed told her to experience the state she was in, as she would become healthy again after his healing. He had only said that to make some conversation; he did not know the little girl would actually do it.

"Hahaha, I am glad you did. Do you like the new you?" Max asked.

"Yes," she nodded her head. "Thank you for healing me," she said.

"No problem, Lydia. Now that you are healed, I want you to enjoy your new life. Can you do that for me?" Max asked. He did not know what her thoughts might have been when she was bedridden, whether she felt bad that she would stay in bed forever or hoped she would someday get healed. However, he wanted her to enjoy her life hereafter. Hearing this, she nodded her head in agreement.

Max stood up, shifting his gaze toward the parents, who were still in tears. The mother, especially, was experiencing a plethora of emotions.

"I believe there will be no issues in the future. If you notice anything odd, please let me know. I will come and check as a priority," Max said to Thure and the grandfather.

However, while he was speaking, the kid's mother suddenly went down on her knees. She bowed her head as she cried loudly.

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"Thank you. Thank you for saving my daughter. I do not know what I can give you for this debt. We are indebted to you for our whole lives. Thank you." She remained in a kneeling position as she thanked Max.

Startled by this sudden action, Max did not know what to do. Following that, Thure also went down on his knees to thank Max.

This thanking went on for a while, even after Max stated it was nothing. The old man, Clive, gave a firm hug to Max, thanking him with wet eyes. Seeing all of this, Max could understand the relief they must have felt when they saw the kid in good shape. Thus, he did not neglect their thanks. He gave as many consoling words as he could and finally left the mansion, traveling back to the Academy.

---

The vehicle reached the Academy around 9, and Max reported directly to the Academy Head Teacher's office alongside the two Department Head Teachers.

Standing in the middle of the room, Max listened as the Academy Head Teacher delivered a big speech of congratulations. "Student Maximus, you did a great job healing the kid and removing the pain from her. Your deed will definitely be appreciated, and you made this Academy proud. I personally thank you, and I want you to do these great things in your life."

"Thanks, Head Teacher. I am honored by your praise," Max said. "As you mentioned, I will do what I can in the future."

Max gave a big bow, left the office, and walked toward the canteen. Since dinner time almost ended at 8:30, he just wanted to check if he could still get a meal, as they had traveled directly to the Academy without stopping for dinner on the way.

Surprisingly, the canteen was still open, though no students were around. Seeing activity at the back of the food serving area, he walked over to ask if they could make a quick dish for him. However, before he could reach the spot and speak, someone called out.

"Oh, Student Maximus, we are waiting for you."

The canteen maintainer's words surprised Max. They knew his name and were waiting for him?

"We got the order to serve food for you late today. Here is the food, please take your time." The person handed over the food plate as steam rose from it.

With great joy, Max nodded and picked up the food, thinking the instruction must have come from the Academy Head Office. He ate at his own pace and left the canteen. Filled with plenty of food and feeling tired from the whole day of mana replenishing, he went directly to bed the moment he reached his room.

---

Max woke up the next morning and read the book about poisons. Although his skill could heal anything, he was just trying to build a habit of finishing what he had started. Thus, he continued to read for a while until it was time for class. If he did not rush his reading, it would take another few days to finish it.

Walking along the path that led to the canteen, he was deep in his own thoughts when someone called him from behind. Turning around, he saw a youth dashing towards him. Max remembered this youth; he was the one who had been healed for a childhood fracture.

"Hey, man. Good morning," the youth greeted.

"Good morning, Steven. How are you feeling?" Max asked.

"Call me Steve. I am feeling great, man," Steve replied.

"I meant your elbow. Are you able to use the spear properly now?" Max asked.

"Oh, check this out, man. There is this guy who always boasts about his skills in the training hall. He always messes with everyone," Steve explained. "Yesterday evening, he came to bully me. However, he did not know that I was already at my peak. After the healing, I got to use the spear like water. The feeling I had earlier was right; that injury was not letting me use my full potential. After the healing, all the discomfort went away. I became a true expert with the spear."

"Well, did you beat the bully or what?" Max asked.

"As for that guy, no. He had superior Inborn Skills and still beat me, but I gave him a tough competition. That shocked everyone. Even the Teacher gave me praises," Steve answered.

"That is good to hear, Steve. I am glad you gained something after the healing," Max said.

"Man, do not mention the healing. The healing felt so good that I want to get healed again," Steve said. "Do you charge for healing? I will gladly pay whatever the price."

"You want to get healed again?" Hearing the guy, Max was dumbfounded. Why would anyone want to get healed even after their issue was fixed?

"Yeah, man. Do you do paid healing? Those few minutes of healing rekindled the memories of my childhood. It was the best healing I have ever received. It was truly divine healing." Steven continued blabbering about the healing as both of them entered the canteen.

Max did not know what Steven was talking about. He did not get to experience anything while he used the skill. Naturally, he did not know how the healed person felt, and he could not just ask them. However, seeing this guy describe the healing experience, Max was a little surprised. His skill must give some sort of soothing feeling.

While he lined up to get his breakfast, Moon was already sitting at a table and waved her hand. After picking up his food plate, Max walked over. Steven followed him as well.

"What is up, Moon? You look happy today," Max asked as he sat down.

"What are you talking about? I am always like this," Moon retorted at his comment.

"I do not know. Today you seem a little energetic and happy." Max shoved food into his mouth. "Oh, this is Steven Fitzgerald. Steve, this is Moon Chamberlain."

"I know the famous Moon, The Ferocious Archer. It is an honor to meet you, Ms. Moon," Steve said, looking at Moon.

"Thanks for the praise, Steven. At least you know who I am. That is unlike someone who forgot their childhood friend." Moon gave a sarcastic look at Max. Max, however, was surprised by the nickname the guy used for Moon: Ferocious Archer.

"Is some special event going on today? I saw a lot of high nobles in the Academy early in the morning," Steven asked casually while they were eating.

"I do not know. There were no notices or class announcements as far as I know." Max shrugged it off.

"I think so. I even saw a King's entourage. There must be an Academy administrative-oriented event," Steve speculated.

They finished their breakfast and went on their way to their respective classes. Max pondered over Steve's mention of nobles visiting the Academy. Was this to support their children in the upcoming competition? There was a chance that visiting the Academy would give a boost to their kids among the other small families who sought the support of the big families.

The more he thought about this competition, the more he started to lose confidence that he would get all the promised votes from the people. They would definitely change their minds at the last minute due to this kind of influence and family pressure, choosing to vote for someone else. Thus, solely believing he would win just by trading healing for votes would not work. He would have to think of another way to put his name out there.