Chapter 9: Angeline's Training and Additional Village Developments
Personal System Calendar: Year 00012, Day 1-14, Month II: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6857, 1st to 14th day of the 2nd Month
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The Master and His Student
Back at the village, while the trade caravans conducted business in distant cities, Angeline Ross-Finn was training with her master in the healing arts. Count Ronaldo Bradmoore was a profound expert in both magical healing and conventional medical practices, a veteran field medic who had earned fame throughout the known world for his skills, his excellent virtues, his good heart, and his willingness to share his knowledge freely with those who proved worthy of learning.
He was also one of the few medical practitioners who did not mind getting his hands dirty with the messy realities of field medicine. Count Ronaldo Bradmoore was truly one of a kind, and taking interest in a child with as much potential as Angeline was something he had not expected to encounter in his lifetime.
He had taught many students before Angeline, training healers who went on to serve in noble houses, military units, and academies throughout the empire. But he had never seen one as naturally powerful as this young woman from a frontier village carved deep within the Great Forest.
A child blessed by the gods. No, that description was insufficient. It was more correct to call her an apostle, a grand protégé of the Goddess of Healing, Vinerma, worshiped by many and believed in by those who practiced the healing arts throughout the world.
How could one tell she had been chosen? By the purity of her soul, or more precisely, by the quality of the mana flowing throughout Angeline's entire being. It was light itself, pure and radiant in ways that most practitioners of the light element could never achieve even after decades of dedicated training.
As had been noted before, people versed in magical healing most commonly used water magic for their work. There was a soothing quality to using water. The element was liquid, capable of flowing into wounds to cleanse them, drawing out foreign materials and toxins from the body while simultaneously promoting natural healing processes. Water magic was gentle, reliable, and accessible to those with even modest magical talent.
But it was not as potent as the light element when used for healing purposes.
Light magic could reattach severed limbs if applied quickly enough after injury. In some cases, it could keep a person alive even from the absolute brink of death, pulling them back from the edge when all conventional methods had failed. There was also the fact that light magic was most commonly used by those who worshiped gods with light elemental affinities, lending the healing divine qualities that transcended mere medical technique.
An element so powerful it could extinguish curses that defied conventional treatment. It could cure illnesses that resisted all herbal remedies and potions. It could heal injuries that would leave permanent crippling damage if treated by any other means.
For the longest time, Angeline had lacked an appropriate teacher for this element. Master Ben Flameswrath and even Aetherwing could only guide her through general principles of elemental manipulation. They were not practitioners of the healing arts themselves, despite their formidable magical abilities. She had also gained some insights from Sylpharael, Aetherwing's partner, whose light element knowledge provided theoretical frameworks that Angeline could adapt to healing applications.
Additionally, she had trained extensively under Aunt Theressa Peerce, who served as Maya Village's primary medical professional. Theressa had held that position in Kirka Village before they escaped to establish their new home here in the village. She was more of an herbalist healer, someone who understood plants, poisons, antidotes, and the preparation of medicines from natural ingredients. Her knowledge was invaluable even if it did not involve magic directly.
That was why there were many throughout the world who could perform healing without the use of magic at all. Conventional medicine had its place and its practitioners, and they saved countless lives through knowledge, skill, and dedication rather than supernatural power.
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Training Through Experience
Now both the master and student worked without rest. Count Ronaldo's approach to teaching emphasized applied theory through actual experience, and since Maya Village existed in one of the most dangerous environments in the known world, opportunities for practical training were abundant. Their work never stopped.
Master Ronaldo himself was a water elemental user, not someone to be trifled with despite the supposedly gentle nature of his element. His skill level placed him on par with even the most premier experts who wielded the light element itself. He had proven his abilities on battlefields throughout his long career, saving lives that others had written off as lost causes.
Currently, they were conducting free consultations throughout the village. It was an on-the-job training arrangement for Angeline, allowing her to diagnose and treat real patients under her master's watchful guidance.
The ailments they encountered were varied. Many villagers presented with injuries they had been unable to get treated for extended periods due to lack of money before arriving at Maya Village. Magical healing was expensive throughout most of the world. That was simply common practice. Healers charged fees that reflected years of training, the rarity of their talents, and the value of the services they provided.
There were some outliers like Master Ronaldo who would only charge ten percent of the current standard fee in the medical world, and who would frequently offer services entirely free of charge to those who could not afford even reduced rates. That was where herbalists like Theressa and potion makers could fill the gap left by expensive magical healing.
Potions had a wide range of prices depending on their potency and complexity. The expensive ones could perform miracles: reattaching severed limbs, curing deadly poisons, restoring sight to the blind. But healing potions were not omnipotent. They could not revive the dead. No mortal had that power, and it would be foolish to claim otherwise.
Even the light element, for all its extraordinary capabilities, could not bring back those who had truly died. That would be different only if one were an apostle of a goddess who held dominion over both healing and resurrection. Vinerma bore both titles: Goddess of Healing and Goddess of Resurrection. For the longest time, she had not chosen an apostle to represent her in the mortal world.
Not until a baby girl named Angeline Ross was born in a small village that she no longer considers home (Kirka Village).
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Daily Rounds
Back at the healing space they had established in one of the village's communal buildings, both master and student worked through their daily quota. They limited free consultations to fifty people per day to prevent complete exhaustion while still providing substantial aid to the community.
After completing the civilian consultations, they would proceed to the medical tents where injured soldiers from Maya Village's military forces received treatment. They also visited the empire's military camp to tend to any imperial soldiers who required healing. Additionally, they treated hunters who had encountered life-threatening injuries during their expeditions into the forest's depths.
August stopped by from time to time to observe his wife's progress. He did not need healing himself due to his Personal System's overpowered regeneration capabilities, but Angeline still insisted on treating him whenever he sustained injuries, especially when they were at home together. It was partly practice for her, but mostly it was her way of caring for him despite knowing his wounds would heal regardless.
The two had separate training schedules with their respective masters, but they had not neglected their duties to each other as husband and wife and towards the village. They helped where they could and when circumstances permitted. There were more people in Maya Village now than ever before, which meant problems had not been minimized. If anything, they had increased proportionally with the accompanying population growth.
But these were good problems to have. They indicated progress, expansion, and the transformation of a struggling settlement into a genuinely thriving community.
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Village Development
By now, Zone 2 had been filled with the homes of villagers who had arrived over the past few years. Zone 3, the Special Administrative Zone designated for beastfolk who wished to preserve their own cultures while still participating in the village as a whole, was similarly occupied and functioning well.
Zone 2 had always been designed as a mixed-use area incorporating residential, agriculture, industry, commerce, military installations, and security infrastructure. All of these functions were now operational and expanding. The zone included residential housings, taverns with attached inns, extensive farmland, domesticated beast pens and poultry coops, grazing grounds for livestock, warehouses for storing goods, soap production facilities that supplied both local needs and export markets, beast processing facilities where hunters brought their kills for butchering and material extraction, facilities for producing wine and beer and other fermented beverages, grain silos that stored the harvests, blacksmith workshops, and numerous other essential establishments.
The only major department that remained underdeveloped was education. There were lessons here and there, informal instruction provided by literate residents to children and adults alike. The basics were taught, along with oral traditions, histories, and practical skills. But there was no formal school system yet, no structured curriculum or professional teachers.
Hopefully, this deficiency could be rectified soon by inviting scholars and professional educators to establish proper schools in the village. Education would be essential as the settlement continued to grow and as the children born here came of age needing skills beyond basic literacy and manual labor.
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Economic Development
With the start of regular trade with visitors and merchant caravans, money had been injected into the village's economy. Both local currencies and imperial coins now circulated among the population, creating opportunities that had not existed when the village operated purely on mutual aid and barter systems.
Once money began circulating properly, the village could compensate its staff and workers with actual wages rather than relying solely on communal distribution of resources. The village remained fundamentally a community where people helped each other wherever possible. They had not shed this unique aspect of their culture, and they had no intention of doing so.
But people had wants that needed fulfilling beyond their basic needs. Those needs could be met easily enough. The village was abundant in resources. Villagers were free to obtain grain from the communal silos, meat from forest beast hunts or from domesticated animals and poultry, vegetables from the extensive gardens, and other essentials without payment.
But temporary citizens, visitors and passersby who were not registered citizens were required to pay for goods and services. The prices were not marked up excessively since products were purchased directly from the village at production cost, but money was still money. This arrangement meant the village could also implement a modest tax rate of ten percent on commercial transactions, generating revenue for public projects and infrastructure maintenance.
There were also plans for a river fishery that would begin construction in the following months. Scouts had discovered that a nearby river stream was deep enough to support fishing operations, potentially adding another food source to the village's already impressive array of resources.
The village remained approximately forty percent agriculture-dominated, which explained why most of the early patriarch families who formed the elder council specialized in farming, animal husbandry, and related fields. The hunting sector accounted for roughly fifteen percent of economic activity. The construction sector represented about ten percent, constantly busy with expansion projects. The remainder was distributed among various labor categories and security concerns.
Security had become increasingly important as the village grew. They needed their own forces, not just imperial troops, to staff the major military outposts that had been established around the territory. This included the hunting camps, which required semi-permanent troop rotations to ensure safety for hunters operating in the deeper forest regions.
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Planned Expansion
The village was progressing steadily. Zones 4, 5, 6, and 7 were now being planned in detail. Zone 4 would double the size of Zone 2, built on the western side of the existing settlement. It would primarily focus on agriculture and additional residential spaces as Zone 2 transitioned into serving as the village center for commerce and administration. Zones 5, 6, and 7 remained flexible, designated for whatever future needs might arise as the population continued to grow.
Just as the children who had survived and thrived in this dangerous forest were training and educating themselves, their home was progressing at a significant though carefully controlled rate. The village leadership deliberately chose not to accept refugees and migrants indiscriminately. They did not want to overburden infrastructure or dilute the community culture that had been carefully cultivated.
There was now a set timeline for when bulk migrations would be accepted: every two years, coinciding with major infrastructure completion milestones. Slow individual migration could occur monthly as more people discovered this forest enclave and sought to join the community. But all prospective residents were thoroughly checked. Background investigations were conducted. Compatibility with village culture was assessed.
Approved applicants were then further vetted before being granted permanent resident status. Initially, they would be classified as temporary residents when first accepted. The vetting process for permanent status was more rigorous than the initial screening. It was the final step, of course, and once completed, residents could enjoy the full benefits the village offered.
Free healthcare. Food became free through access to communal stores. Housing was provided without rent. Citizens gained the right to choose their own professions rather than being assigned work based solely on village needs.
It was not that the village was desperately hungry for more people, though additional capable hands were always welcome. The careful approach reflected wisdom learned through their earlier experiences. Uncontrolled growth could destroy a community as surely as external threats.
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Worker Programs
For workers that the village needed but could not immediately fill through the resident population, there was an alternative path. Migrants could be allowed to work in the village without being classified as residents. They would live in apartment-style dormitories specifically constructed for temporary workers. After two years of employment, workers could choose to apply for resident status.
This arrangement provided significant advantages for background verification. Two years of observation and employment provided ample time to assess character, work ethic, and cultural compatibility. Workers following this path would not need to undergo the rigorous vetting process required for temporary residents who entered through the standard migration channel.
There were disadvantages, of course. It took two years of work before eligibility. The employer who hired the worker became responsible for vouching for their background and suitability for village life when they applied for residency. The arrangement required finding an employer willing to take on that responsibility.
The advantages were also clear. Only two years of work were required. If the worker performed well and their employer was willing to vouch for them, the path to permanent residency became much smoother. Workers did not have as many privileges as temporary residents during their employment period, but the process was more straightforward and the outcome more certain.
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Angeline's Progress
Back to Angeline's training progress, Count Ronaldo could only marvel at how quickly she absorbed his teachings. She was not difficult to teach at all. She already possessed practical experience unlike his previous students at the imperial academies, who typically came from noble houses or wealthy commoner families with no exposure to real medicine beyond theoretical study.
Angeline had treated real injuries under field conditions. She had seen infections, trauma, complications from poorly healed wounds, and all the messy realities of frontier medicine. That practical foundation made her an exceptional student who could immediately apply advanced techniques without the fumbling hesitation that characterized less experienced learners.
With her training progressing well, the village continued its steady development. Everyone was advancing together: the fighters training to protect the community, the healers learning to preserve life, the farmers expanding food production, the craftsmen perfecting their trades, the merchants establishing profitable relationships with distant cities.
Maya Village was becoming something remarkable, a community that proved survival was possible even in the most dangerous environment, and that prosperity could follow if people were willing to work together toward common goals with discipline, mutual respect, and unwavering determination.
The future remained uncertain. Threats would come. Challenges would arise. But for now, the village was strong, growing stronger, and filled with people who refused to surrender to circumstances beyond their control.