Chapter 21
Healing Compatibility: 100%.
Healing compatibility was easy to understand if you thought of it as the “match” between a healer and a mage.
It was a numerical value created by the Magi Administration and the Mage Tower to manage healing efficiently. The higher the compatibility rate, the greater the dilution of miasma per unit of healing time.
According to academic consensus, even a difference of one rank between a healer and a mage could be overcome with a high compatibility rate.
In other words, when healing a B-rank mage, a C-rank healer with 90% compatibility was considered more suitable than a B-rank healer with only 45% compatibility.
For reference, the highest compatibility rate ever reported in academia was 90%.
One hundred percent existed only for Eloise and Gerard.
Even though this was the second time she had confirmed that unbelievable result, Eloise felt happy all over again.
At the same time, she felt relieved.
She was still useful to Gerard.
***
“You’re probably S-rank. Just judging by how you handled my violent miasma.”
Those were his words just moments ago, after they finished checking their compatibility.
He had returned to his usual composed expression, as if he had never looked at her with such naked greed, and then gone back to his office.
Telling her to call him anytime if she needed anything.
Left alone, Eloise replayed the moment of compatibility testing in her mind.
They had only held hands, yet the healing process had been far hotter than she ever imagined.
Eloise suddenly jumped up.
“Why is it so hot?”
She hurried over and opened the window.
Cold air rushed in.
Standing there without avoiding the wind, Eloise prayed desperately.
Please let this wind sweep away all this heat—and Gerard’s scent.
The wind faithfully answered her wish.
But it couldn’t wash away the tangled thoughts in her head.
I became a healer a full year earlier. And still S-rank.
And Gerard was skilled at controlling his miasma during healing.
Then what was that state I saw him in yesterday at the Blue Hole? How did Gerard end up that bad?
To reach the level of miasma intoxication he had shown yesterday, Gerard would have had to clear at least five high-grade Rainbow Holes alone.
But there hadn’t been any high-grade Rainbow Holes recently.
Everything felt slightly out of alignment.
Was it a good sign—or not?
Eloise’s expression darkened.
***
That afternoon, Eloise completed two reports on the Rainbow Holes she had predicted.
Case name, date and time of occurrence, location, involved parties, sequence of events, damages and scale of losses, response measures taken, and future plans.
She reviewed the reports right up until the moment she was about to submit them.
“Line spacing is even, font size is perfect, indentation is clean, and…”
It was a check focused more on format than content.
In bureaucratic society, content mattered—but the first thing people noticed was structure.
***
“The title is shifted 3 millimeters to the left. Center it properly and bring it back.”
“Be detailed but concise. Make it readable at a glance. Gothic font. The title is 1.75 times larger than the body text. Got it?”
When she had first joined, she had been scolded endlessly over trivial things like that.
Remembering it made Eloise shiver slightly.
She remembered writing and erasing the title again and again, changing the report cover ten times.
After that, she even carried a ruler to align rows and columns perfectly.
That effort paid off—her reports were later used as training materials for new recruits.
“Best civil servant of this era!”
Patting her own shoulder, Eloise headed to the deputy director’s office.
Normally, reports followed the chain of Team Leader → Department Head → Director.
But the actual head of the Magi Administration was Deputy Director Morgana, and for Eloise to report directly to her was extremely unusual—and an honor.
Slightly nervous, Eloise entered the deputy director’s office.
Unlike her own office, this one had a double structure.
Beyond the main door was the secretaries’ workspace, and inside that was Morgana’s private office.
“The deputy director is waiting for you.”
A secretary jumped up, knocked, and announced her arrival.
“Come in.”
With Morgana’s permission, the door opened.
Eloise cleared her throat and stepped inside.
Reporting directly to the Deputy Director—this was a first in her long yet short civil-service career. Her palms were sweaty.
“Good afternoon, Deputy Director. I’ve brought the reports.”
“Put them down.”
Morgana pointed at the desk and stood up.
Eloise blinked.
“You’re not going to read them?”
Morgana walked around the desk and stopped in front of her.
Then she smiled, pulling up the corners of her mouth.
“I know you’re a genius at writing reports, Ms. Rubelia. And I was on site for the Blue Hole myself. I’m well aware of your abilities and efforts.”
Morgana smiled broadly, showering her with praise.
“Now then—shall we continue the salary negotiation we didn’t finish?”
But why did it feel cold?
There was only one reason.
Deputy Director… You’re only smiling with your mouth.
Morgana wasn’t someone who smiled naturally.
Smiles came from ease.
Despite her brilliant mind, Morgana had been born a commoner, close to the bottom of society. She had neither ease nor room to smile.
She had fought fiercely for everything others took for granted.
Over time, the muscles responsible for smiling had stiffened.
After becoming Deputy Director, she had tried to smile when necessary.
At her secretary’s earnest request, she even practiced in front of a mirror.
But she soon gave up.
Her smile didn’t look warm—it looked terrifying.
After that, Morgana avoided situations that required smiling to placate others.
Most people were beneath her in rank, so there was no need to manage impressions.
And if rank wasn’t enough, she pushed through with ability and results.
That was why it was possible.
And now—Morgana was smiling as hard as she could.
****
“Eloise Rubelia? In one word, she’s ‘eye for an eye.’ Treat her well, and she treats you well. Treat her like trash, and she bites back just as hard.”
Recalling what she had heard from her secretary, Morgana spoke in the gentlest tone she could manage.
“Sit down, Ms. Rubelia. Shall we have some tea?”
Eloise clasped her hands together and swallowed. Her eyes wavered uneasily.
Was it Morgana’s expression?
The offer of tea sounded less like hospitality and more like a declaration of war.
Eloise quickly reviewed whether she had made any mistakes recently.
Honestly, she hadn’t.
Everything wrong had been Gerard’s fault.
Dropping Morgana into the middle of the Magi Administration garden, for one.
Morgana had every reason to be furious.
Just… not at her.
Unfortunately, higher-ups often thought the same way.
Why fight equals when disciplining subordinates was cleaner and safer?
“Why are you standing there, Ms. Rubelia? Ah, right. I should call you Team Leader now. Sit down, Forecast Team Leader.”
Morgana lifted the prepared teapot and filled a cup.
Eloise sat and reached out.
“I’ll do it.”
Morgana was the real power behind the Magi Administration.
Eloise had no intention of clashing with her this early.
With practiced agility, she moved to score points.
“I’m good at things like this.”
Morgana flinched.
“…I’m a bit clumsy, aren’t I?”
“Not at all. Your movements were perfect.”
It was ridiculous to talk about perfection over pouring tea.
But both of them were serious.
“The Forecast Team Leader’s hands are like art.”
Eloise’s back stiffened.
When a superior suddenly praised you without context, it was never a good sign.
What followed was always criticism.
Or demotion. Punishment. In the worst case—dismissal.
She had become a team leader, gotten an office, and even gained team members.
But Eloise couldn’t relax.
Everything from her appointment until now had been unprecedented.
Which also meant—
It could all be taken away just as suddenly.
