"Huh? Why is the wound...?"

The bruise, which had been dark blue, slowly faded with a soft light, and Yulia’s mouth slowly fell open in disbelief.
What on earth was happening?
It was such a sudden and unexpected event that her mind was struggling to catch up.

I just... wanted that wound to disappear...

Yulia had entered Aslan Vermont’s office on impulse.
She hadn’t had a plan or a reason; she had just seen Yulia leaving the office with a cheerful expression and had stormed in out of frustration.

She couldn’t even understand why she had come in.
But looking at the carefully wrapped bandages around Aslan’s arms and neck, she couldn’t help but feel inexplicably angry.

That’s why Charlotte keeps hanging around Aslan Vermont.
That’s why Yulia is paying so much attention to Aslan.
Her anger turned towards Aslan’s wound.

If only that wound could disappear, everything would be so much better.
If that little scrape were gone, she could stop seeing Charlotte and Yulia spend so much time with Aslan Vermont.

As that thought crossed her mind, Yulia’s hand moved on its own.
Before she realized it, her hand was gently caressing Aslan’s neck.

There was no other thought in her mind.
She simply wished for the wound to disappear urgently.

For a brief moment, in that fleeting second, Yulia’s rationality melted away, and her mind was filled only with that strong desire.
In the depths of her unconscious, her wish seemed to connect with something.

The thought of getting back at Aslan Vermont fueled her power.
She honed her magic.
While she burned with the desire for revenge, she unknowingly also gained the opposite desire for Aslan.
The desire to heal him.

That desire filled the last empty space in her talent.
And it finally shone brightly.
It was the moment when the ability she had painstakingly developed completed itself.
In terms of another world, it was like her "first job change" had been completed.

"Ah!?"

Crash!

Yulia, stepping backward in shock, tripped over a chair and fell.
Aslan, who had been groping his neck while holding a hand mirror, let out a slight grin before quickly bending over and offering his hand to Yulia.

"It seems I really do have good employees."
"..."

His expression was unreadable.
Yulia, with her trembling hand, grabbed Aslan’s hand and quickly became close to tears.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed that this man was only thinking about using her ability for himself!

[The protagonist, Yulia, has awakened.]
[The skill, 'Healing', is activated.]

[Yulia]
[Age: 15]
[Affection: ???]
[Job: Healer (Lv.1)]
[You have complex feelings about this person.]

An unexpected system window appeared at the most shocking moment.
Yulia had never expected to awaken here.
She had thought her awakening had already happened a long time ago.

After all, her swordsmanship was already on par with Sylvia, and her magic had far surpassed the Imperial Magic Academy’s average level.
Because of this, Yulia had assumed that her rapid growth was some kind of ability, but she was completely wrong.

Until now, Yulia's growth had been her performance before the awakening.
This was the real awakening.
It was nothing short of shocking.

Looking into the hand mirror again, the dark bruise on her neck had completely disappeared.
Just moments ago, Irene’s finger marks had been clearly visible.
No one would believe that she was living with bruises from her sister after seeing this.

Healer...

Why, of all things, did it have to be healing abilities?
It wasn’t entirely out of the blue, as healing classes had been possible in the original work.
But given everything Yulia had done until now, she never imagined she’d end up as a healer—she’d always been more inclined toward destruction than healing.

In fact, it was almost a welcome change.
Charlotte was already overwhelming in terms of wide-area combat.
Sylvia alone could handle close-range combat with ease.
And Yulia’s undead army was perfect for overwhelming enemies with numbers.

So, adding a healer to the mix was all that was needed.
Now that Yulia had transitioned to a healer, she looked far more appealing than she ever had before.
The Vermont family was now complete.

"H-how did this...?"
"Yulia. Calm down for now."
"Is your neck okay? I saw the light coming from my hand earlier. Does it hurt at all...?"
"It’s fine. You can see that the bruise has completely vanished, right? It seems like you have healing abilities. Would you mind trying it on my arm, just like you did with your neck?"
"..."

Yulia swallowed hard and nodded.
She carefully unwrapped the bandage to reveal a long scratch.
Yulia hesitantly placed her hand on the wound and gently closed her eyes.

"Ugh..."

She groaned for a while, her hand trembling.
It seemed that she wasn’t able to perform the skill as smoothly as before.

But what she had just done was a type of skill.
Just as I could freely use 'Death's Touch' or 'Black Magic', once Yulia learns how to use her skill, she’ll be able to use it easily.
But she still wasn’t familiar with the concept.
I grabbed Yulia’s wrist and whispered softly.

"Close your eyes and breathe calmly."
"Yes."
"Now, focus on your inner self. Try to visualize the ability you just used. You can either think of an appropriate spell in your mind or say it aloud. Are you ready?"
"Yes... let me try..."

She tensed up, focusing hard, and then, once again, bright white light began to emanate from Yulia’s hand.

I had thought she would say the spell out loud, but she managed to cast the skill successfully without speaking it aloud.
Given how badly Sylvia and Charlotte named their spells, I couldn’t help but hope that Yulia would be better at it.

The light that emitted from her hand seeped into my skin, quickly healing the wound and making it disappear.

Is it accelerating cell metabolism only at the wound site? Or is it reversing time somehow?

Though I was curious about the healing skill’s principle, it didn’t seem like something I could figure out right now, so I decided not to dwell on it.

"This confirms it. Yulia, you have awakened your healing abilities."
"Healing abilities!?"

Yulia was shocked.
'Abilities' were incredibly rare talents people were born with.
Magic was also considered an ability, but since most people awakened it, it wasn’t typically treated as such.

But healing abilities were incredibly rare, appearing only in ancient legends.
Compared to other abilities, this one was exceptionally rare.
This meant endless possibilities for practical use.

"Hik!..."

When I glared at her, Yulia flinched and stepped back, trembling.

"When does your contract with Vermont Security end?"
"It’s a six-month contract, so it will end next month..."
"Let’s extend it now."
"H-how much are we talking about?"
"Just four years. I’ll also increase your salary and give you a promotion. What do you think? You could rise through the ranks in Vermont Security, and with that ability, it wouldn’t be hard to make money..."
"Um! Let me think about it!!!"

Yulia immediately turned and ran off.

[The evil god, 'Kali,' scolds you for scaring Yulia!]

I hadn’t meant to scare her...
I was just too excited about her awakening and got too carried away.
I guess I need to calm down a bit.

"Hah... hah..."

Breathing heavily, Yulia collapsed in the middle of the garden.
She had awakened her abilities.
She wasn’t entirely sure what it meant yet, but from the look in Aslan’s eyes, she could tell it wasn’t something ordinary.

The moment Aslan immediately suggested extending the contract, Yulia realized the situation was more serious than she thought.
Frightened by how quickly things were escalating, she ran away.

Ugh, I’ve just committed a huge faux pas against the lord...

"What should I do?"

Yulia didn't know what decision to make.
Should she tell Charlotte and Yulia?
Should she ask the black man for advice?
Oh, right, she had stopped writing letters to him...

"Ugh..."

As Yulia buried her face in her knees and groaned, she suddenly heard rustling and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"You’re fast. How did you catch up so quickly?"
"Lord!?"

It was Aslan's voice?
How could he catch up with her so fast?
Yulia turned around in shock and saw Aslan being carried by Sylvia on her back.

How can someone look so ungraceful?

Yulia’s tense expression softened a little.

"I didn’t expect this situation, so I was a bit disoriented. There’s something I meant to say earlier, but I forgot. First of all, congratulations. Healing abilities are no ordinary talent. You’re one of the lucky few chosen by the world."
"Yes..."

Yulia could guess what he was about to say next and quickly shut her eyes tightly.
She had a contract with Vermont Security.
And within that contract, they could impose some restrictions on her actions.

For example, they could designate her abilities as confidential and prohibit her from revealing them.
If the contract was extended, it would be possible to exclusively use her abilities within Vermont Security and keep it a secret.

"I was in a hurry, so I brought up the contract extension first, but if you don’t want to, I won’t force you. However, if you choose to stay with Vermont Security, we can help you develop your abilities to the fullest. We’ve already helped Charlotte and Yulia grow their talents, so I trust you’ll make the right decision."
"Is that... the end?"
"Wasn’t it going to take more time for you to decide?"

Aslan said something completely unexpected, then abruptly turned and walked away.
Yulia, confused, grabbed Aslan’s sleeve to stop him, but quickly recoiled and let go.

"Wait... is there no way to keep my abilities a secret from others?"
"You’re not my slave, so why would I make you do that? It’s up to you to decide. My suggestion is to share it with close friends but not broadcast it to everyone. You can make your fame once you start making money off those abilities."
"..."

Aslan casually reached up and patted Yulia’s head, much like he did with Charlotte, then turned and walked away.
Yulia sat there for a while, staring blankly at the blooming flowers in the garden.