Chapter 19 19: A Different Kind of Feeling

August let out a slow breath.

Even with cheers of success ringing around him, he barely seemed to notice. Instead, he stared at his own hand as he drew back his mana. It felt entirely surreal.

"So this is what it feels like to use mana..." August slowly clenched his fist, a conflicted, hollow look crossing his face. "Doing it for the first time... it feels strange."

Noticing his unease, Hestia was the first to move. She stepped up beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

Wrapped in Hestia's gentle embrace, August felt the tension in his mind melt away.

"It's my first time casting magic," August admitted quietly. "It feels unreal. Like someone else was pulling the strings."

Rather than brushing aside his concerns, Hestia beamed with pride.

"That's my Familia!"

"To cast a spell this perfectly on your very first try... You really are amazing!" Hestia lavished him with praise. Her eyes shone with unreserved pride, untouched by the faint melancholy on his face. If anything, she looked prouder than ever.

"August, this is your first day as an adventurer. It's your first time using magic. Pulling off a high-tier spell to this degree without a hitch... You are a walking miracle."

That was the Goddess's official evaluation. He had exceeded all expectations.

Standing nearby, Commander James and the others caught Hestia's words. Realizing this was August's very first time casting magic, and that he had still burned through his own energy without hesitation to help their veterans, the officers were deeply moved.

"August, an ability like this is beyond anything I could have imagined," Commander James said with a soft sigh. "And the fact that you used it to restore these soldiers... in another age, they would have written your name into the history books."

There was no doubt in James's mind. This young man was a good person.

"He's right. A power like this is nothing short of miraculous. We old-timers never thought we'd live to see anything like it," one of the white-haired doctors said.

To possess such power at his age and choose to heal the wounded out of sheer goodwill said a great deal about his character. More importantly, August had just opened the door to an entirely new field of study.

Magic.

They had never seen real magic before in their lives. Watching mana be used to regenerate living tissue was a revelation.

"Thank you," August replied, feeling much better.

He pulled himself together. In that moment, he suddenly understood why some people would volunteer their own time to join rescue teams without asking for a cent. Being appreciated like this was intoxicating.

August took a deep breath and steadied himself.

Seeing that his mood had settled, buoyed by the praise, Hestia smiled and let go of him. There was nothing a goddess loved more than seeing her child shine.

With his focus back, August turned his attention to the veteran. The soldier's right arm was fully restored, and his vital signs were stabilizing, though he was likely still in too much pain to speak.

"Should we continue?"

The veteran had lost both arms; now one was back, and he was slowly regaining feeling in the new limb.

The old doctor noticed that the patient was drenched in sweat. "Get him some fluids first. He's sweating heavily. We need to stabilize him before the second round, or he'll pass out from dehydration."

Hearing that, August realized he had overlooked the physical strain. As expected of a professional. Experience made all the difference.

Commander James gave a quick signal to the guards on standby. The soldiers immediately rushed out to fetch saline solution to rehydrate the patient.

While they waited, August pointed to the junction where the new arm met the old shoulder.

"That's strange. Why is there a scar left behind?" August frowned.

A faint scar still marked the seam. Logically, a full regeneration spell should have restored the flesh to a pristine state. So why was the seam still there?

The doctors crowded around to inspect it, gently running their gloved fingers over the area. The skin of the new arm was tender and smooth, like a newborn's.

"There's a clear difference in skin texture. The new arm is flawless," one middle-aged doctor noted. "What's your take?"

"Based on my understanding," the old doctor replied, "when the amputation occurred, the surgical incisions and sutures healed over time. Those healed scars became a permanent fixture of his body."

"I agree with Dr. Andrew. The magic likely registers the old, healed scar tissue as the host's natural state now. Since so much time has passed, the spell accepts the scar as part of his baseline body."

The medical team quickly conferred, trading theories back and forth. In the end, they reached a consensus: August's [Healing Fire] had recognized the old, surgically closed stump as part of the veteran's original body. The scar had already become a part of him.

"It seems magic isn't flawless after all," August noted.

He realized that when dealing with years-old scars, the spell registered them as the body's natural state. That meant [Healing Fire] wasn't a universal reset button for old deformities.

"Hey, just having an arm back is a miracle. Who cares about a little scar?" Commander James waved it off, holding a very different perspective.

"Don't let perfectionism get to you, August."

"For these wounded men, getting the chance to live a normal life again is the greatest blessing they could ask for."

A scar was fine. In fact, it was a testament to what they had survived. A true badge of honor. What kind of soldier didn't have a few scars anyway?

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

After drinking the saline and catching his breath, the veteran slowly opened his mouth. Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, he spoke.

"Sir... please continue the treatment. I can take it."

His lips were still pale, but his voice was dead serious.

"Thank you." He was deeply grateful for what August was doing for him.

"Good man." Commander James clenched his fists, encouraging his former soldier. A damn good soldier.

"Let's begin, then." Hearing the veteran's resolve, August wasn't about to stall. If they were going to do this, they were going all the way.

When [Healing Fire] flared to life once more, August was far more composed, guiding the flow of mana with the confidence of newfound experience.

The veteran doctors adjusted quickly as well. The first time, they had been caught slightly off guard, relying on ingrained medical instinct to deal with the shock. This time, however, they moved with deliberate precision. They stepped back just enough to observe, their eyes fixed on the process as they studied every stage of the cellular regeneration with clinical intensity.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

For every 100 Power Stones = I'll drop an extra chapter!

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