Chapter 5: Imperfect Acupressure Can Cripple a Man (2)

Before I knew it, it was already dark outside the clinic.

"Woah, you really pushed yourself today! Great job."

Finley, the blue-haired healer, handed me a leather water canteen. I took it without hesitation and gulped down its content.

Perhaps because I sweated a lot, I felt like getting drenched under a shower of rain while standing in the middle desert.

Meaningful work.

Drinking water after a day of meaningful work makes you feel unusually fresh.

"You did a great job, despite it being your first time. Is it because of your tough physique?"

Finley pounded on my back and shoulders with her palm. She had quite the strength, but it only felt like an itch to me who was trained by Elfriede's whip.

Actually, I was pretty strong.

My height and physique, that grew up enjoying the perks of capitalism, stood out particularly in this world where food and nutrients were scarce.

Finley continued.

"Are all Samaritans like this? The ones I saw before were tall too."

"There were a lot of people with similar height in my hometown."

"Ah, still you're quite reserved. I thought the Samaritans were all ill-tempered and noisy bunch."

Comparing me to the savages of this world would be as disrespectful as saying Koreans and Chinese look alike.

But from the perspective of foreigners, whether it was a Chinese or a Korean, they really didn't look much different.

So I had no intention of explaining I wasn't a Samaritan, but a foreigner from another world.

It did bother me a little though; the gazes directed at me were always harsh as if they were looking at a lunatic.

I was about to continue chit-chatting with Finley.

"Come to think of it, Mr. Veneris was very grateful. His back pain completely vanished. How did you do it?"

"Veneris?"

"The adventurer you treated earlier in the day. His face is dark and—"

"Ah!"

I remembered the face of the man who had thrown me a silver coin.

He had an ordinary appearance that wouldn't stick out in a crowd, but the scene of the thrown silver coin was etched so deep in my mind that it was hard for me not to remember him.

I had treated his chronic back pain.

It was probably thanks to my newly acquired blessing ❰Imperfect Dexterity❱. I can't think of anything more plausible than that, hehe!

"How did you do it? Even with healing magic, it's difficult to treat chronic diseases which are deep-rooted within your body."

"Is that so?"

I was surprised to hear about the limitations of healing magic, which I thought was fraudulent.

Actually, concepts such as 'Magic' and 'Blessings' were still unfamiliar to me as a foreigner. There weren't many opportunities to come in contact with them even after two years. I naturally wasn't very knowledgeable about them.

Thus, I inquired.

"Can't healing magic fix everything?"

"Although recent wounds such as stabbing wounds and bruises are not much of a problem, karma that is deeply ingrained in the body and chronic illnesses usually require long-term treatment or can't be treated at all in some cases."

I don't know what kind of karma is ingrained in my body, but according to Finley, healing magic isn't as perfect as I presumed.

I wonder if my newly acquired 'Blessing' is something great—

It was around this time, while I was immersed in such thoughts that...

"Well, uhmm... Can you teach me this unusual massage technique?"

After hesitating for a while, Finley asked me with a firm expression. I woke up from my daze and then looked at the woman sitting next to me.

"You want me to teach you?"

"Yes, I want to do more for those who are sick..."

Even if it's not omnipotent, you can still use healing magic to heal certain injuries five times a day if you can't afford to seek other treatments.

There was a stark contrast. Being used to Elfriede's whipping, I was moved to see the sight of a woman show such altruism.

Why can't Elfriede be more like her?

While I was deliberating over a proper response.

"I am willing to compensate properly for such a great secret technique. After all, medical knowledge is invaluable."

"A proper amount?"

"Are 10 silver coins enough?"

"Yes?"

"20 silver coins."

"No, wait a minute."

I felt like I couldn't keep up with the current situation. It was because the amount of 20 silver coins I just heard was quite a lot of money for someone like me.

One part of me was tempted by the thought of taking the money, while the other one felt like I shouldn't cheat people with this mysterious power of mine.

"1. Cheat Her." "2. Teach Her."

More than anything else, I didn't think it was right to cheat the kind and friendly Finley out of her money.

"Then I'll give you 30 silver coins. It's all that I have right now. Is that still not enough?"

"No, it's enough. Please lie down on the bed over there."

It was too much for me to refuse. I didn't have to worry about freeing myself anymore if I get my hands on that amount.

"You want me to lie down?"

"Yes, the best way to learn would be to experience it yourself."

When it comes to learning massages, the best way to do it is to experience it yourself and try to comprehend the sensations and feelings.

Once you understand the refreshed and good feeling yourself, it is easy to pass on those feelings to others.

Finley laid face down flat on the empty bed.

"Umm, it's kind of embarrassing."

She buried her face in her pillow and expressed in a flustered manner.

It sounded very cute, but I had to calm down so as not to cause any 'unfortunate accident'.

"I'm soon going to touch you with my hand. I'm telling you in advance so that you're not too surprised."

"Yes, yes. I'm fine."

With Finley's permission, I put my hand on her back. Her thin waist could clearly be seen through the thin, black fabric.

I started scrolling through her spine with my finger.

"You have a slight tilt to the right."

"What? Is that a bad thing?"

"No, we all tend to lean to one side as we go through life. It's not too bad in your case. It won't take too long to fix it. Now, breathe in..."

"Hahh...."

"Huff—"

I placed my palm on Finley's back and pressed very hard after she breathed out. Then a loud sound echoed through the treatment center. It was hard to believe such a loud sound would come from such a slender back.

"Agh-!"

But what surprised me the most was Finley's grotesque scream.

"Fi-Finley? Are you all right? It might hurt a little at first."

"Oh, no... It hurts a little more than I thought... so I was just a little surprised. Are you done?"

"Not yet. Breathe out again."

"Whoa..."

Crack— Crack—

"Hey-! Whoa!"

I finally lifted my hand from Finley's back after pressing and correcting her waist and pelvis.

Finley whined like a dog that was being beaten and dropped on the bed like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

"Are you all right?"

"P-Please let me rest a little longer."

"It hurts a little at first. But you'll feel a lot better if we keep doing it. It is recommended that you do it consistently two to three times a week to see good results."

"I-Is that so? I'm feeling very refreshed right now."

Probably still feeling weak, Finley didn't even get up from the bed yet. I sat on her waist like that.

"Hassan? What are you doing?"

"Since I'm getting 30 silver coins from this, I have to do my job thoroughly. I'll show you simple and efficient acupressure methods. Feel it for yourself. The human body has certain spots we call acupressure points."

I placed both thumbs on the side of Finley's outstretched neckline.

It was the part where the neck meets the back of the head. I pressed the dents with my thumbs and started circling around it, as Finley fluttered beneath me.

"Ah— Uhh—"

"Does it hurt?"

"N-No, I just felt a tingle all over my body for a moment... What effect does it have?"

"It works great for insomnia."

"Great for insomnia? Uh-."

I remembered that Finley suffers from insomnia. She doesn't sleep much, so she could even take care of the night shift.

Thanks to that, dark circles that shouldn't belong on her face were present.

Unlike Veneris' chronic back pain, I couldn't get rid of Finley's 'insomnia' condition by pressing on the acupoints of her neck.

What am I doing wrong?

Am I pressing on the wrong spot?

I got up and looked at her entire body as she laid down. The first thing I noticed was her palm.

The hand is like a microcosm of the human body, and most acupoint methods were concentrated on the palm of the hand. The second thing to check is the soles of the feet, also called the second body-.

"What are you doing now!?"

Finley screamed in astonishment when I started taking off her sandals.

"I wanted to see the sole of your feet for the massage."

"Hey! You can't do such a thing! No!"

"Why can't I?"

"Of course, you can't! It's taboo to touch a woman's feet!"

Fuck, I didn't know there was such a thing.

It was truly the first time I had heard of such a thing. I became restless, as I felt like someone who had been falsely accused of molestation and sexual harassment.

"I didn't know there was such a thing. I didn't do it on purpose."

In my mind, a newspaper article flashed through my mind.

"Savage slave molested a female healer." "He was castrated as a punishment."

Of course, there was no such thing as a newspaper in this world. Still, violating a woman was a vicious sin in both worlds.

"I really didn't know!"

"Ah... you're a Samaritan, after all. It makes sense for you to be unfamiliar with the customs of the Gaia continent. Anyway, please be careful from now on as touching a woman's feet is extremely shameful."

Finley put on her sandals with a flushed face.

At that very moment, the white soles of her feet that she so dearly wished to protect came into my sight.

Swish-

There was a red dot that looked like a drop of ink in the center of her tiny soles.

It resembled the acupressure points that I pressed with my finger to cure Veneris' back pain and headache.

Perhaps...

I clung to Finley's ankle as a sudden thought flashed in my mind. Her thin ankles were now in my grasp.

"Mr. Hassan?"

"It's a necessary part of the treatment. You won't feel ashamed if it's an act of treatment, right?"

"It's an act of treatment?"

"Yes, it's simply a treatment. Do you not change clothes for patients who are paralyzed and can't move?"

I remembered the work I did with Finley today.

Even if he can use magic, a healer doesn't simply use magic and call it a day. They do all sorts of miscellaneous, nasty tasks like a nurse would back on Earth.

When dealing with sick people, you are bound to unintentionally witness embarrassing scenes. However, Finley and the other healers acted as if they saw nothing.

"You can just think of it as me treating your feet."

"But my feet are fine."

"That's what I'm saying. I must do it in order to implement my secret technique."

"Now, hold on a second. Just give me a moment... Ah..."

Finley sat on the bed and gasped.

To her, the act of showing her bare feet to someone was more shameful than seeing her patients' naked bodies.

Her face turned bright red, and she seemed anxious. I felt anxious as well.

Simply taking off her shoes makes my little brother rise with pride and glory. Of course, the reason my little brother is raging is because of the clinic's unique and loose outfit.

"I-I... The-Then, just for a moment."