412,

On a night with a dark moon and high wind, Cyclone and Yuna arrived at an old-style building. Even though Kakarl was vastly different from Allen City, with significant architectural variations, the poverty-ridden area of Kakarl where the poor lived remained just as dilapidated. After scanning the letter of recommendation in hand, Cyclone glanced at Yuna. "This is the place," he said. "It's alright, I'm here for you," reassured Yuna. Despite Yuna's comforting words, Cyclone still felt uneasy. He never engaged in risky activities unless absolutely necessary. Cyclone had always lived by this principle. But this time was different. Cyclone had no connection to this place whatsoever. His decision to come here was entirely driven by his own desire. "Is that so..." Dudu showed no surprise upon hearing Cyclone's decision that day. "Even though it's only been twice, I knew from the look in your eyes that you would choose this path," Dudu said. In the forest, Dudu handed the letter he had in his hand to Cyclone. "Studying medicine is not an easy feat; it's not something you can just decide to do," Dudu explained. "I know, learning any skill is never easy," Cyclone acknowledged. "It's not just that, Mr. Cyclone," Dudu replied. Looking up at the sky, Dudu asked, "Do you remember my wish?" "You mean... the 'Medical College'?" Cyclone inquired. Dudu nodded. "In this day and age, there is no place that specializes in teaching medicine with the primary purpose of learning and discussing medical knowledge," Dudu stated as he gazed into the distance, as if something distant lay on the other side of the sky. "Do you know why?" Cyclone remained silent, so Dudu continued, "It's because of magic, and also because... it would be exploited." Dudu smiled helplessly. "The more doctors there are, the more people will die." In the silent forest, only Dudu and Cyclone conversed. Cyclone listened attentively to Dudu's every word. "I won't mention magic, but from a common perspective, research on living organisms, human experiments, body modifications... behind the scenes of every country, are conducted in secret," Dudu spoke nonchalantly, despite the grim nature of the topic. "The stronger the academic knowledge, the easier it is for bad people to exploit it." Cyclone had never considered what Dudu was alluding to. For Cyclone, the purpose of medical skills was solely to save lives. "Have you asked the doctor at Babecaner?" Dudu queried, to which Cyclone nodded in response. "But... I was rejected," Cyclone admitted. "That's normal; medical skills are not easily taught to those with unclear backgrounds," Dudu explained. Cyclone then mentioned his alternative route. "I investigated the priests passing through Babecaner, and despite being such a large organization like the Water Sect, their medical knowledge is only imparted to children who have been baptized from a young age."

"This is also one of the reasons, not that the big ones don't learn well, but that the little ones can even adjust their mindset."

"Mindset?"

Cyclone had a question for Dudu's explanation.

"…Mr. Cyclone? Do you think you are a good person?"

"Huh?!"

Cyclone was puzzled by Dudu's seemingly nonsensical question.

"You see, that's the answer. No one would… teach a bad person methods of killing."

"Is that another reason?"

"Yes, that's the reason. Imagine if someone learned your medical skills and used them for slaughter, what would you think?"

"…"

Gradually, Cyclone began to understand Dudu's meaning.

"Of course, you can slowly immerse yourself in the teaching of water, and when the day comes that you behave well, break away from the seven desires, you can also let them teach you medical skills."

"If that's the case, I wouldn't have come to ask for your opinion…"

After a round of discussion, Dudu pointed to the letter in Cyclone's hand.

"So the recommendation letter you have is currently the best way, in the black market…"

A gentle breeze blew by, as if hinting that this was a branch.

If Cyclone continued like this, he would definitely embark on a path different from the life he had always desired.

"Helping the villain to heal…"

Shaken by Dudu's words, but for Cyclone, whether they were villains or good people, it didn't matter.

Cyclone didn't want to learn medicine to save people.

Although Cyclone didn't say it to Dudu, the real reason he wanted to learn medicine was much simpler, much purer.

He just wanted to learn for the sake of learning.

"This job is very dangerous, so not many people would do it. Especially being a doctor is already a well-paying job, who would want to take risks and give up a high-paying position, right?"

"But there are still people doing it, right?"

A perfect retort, Dudu was left speechless.

"Yeah…me too… Mr. Cyclone! With your qualifications and my recommendation letter, that person should be willing to teach you."

"Let's go!"

Leaving behind the memories of the past, Cyclone led the way deep into the building.

"Today is our first night in Kakarl, Yuna~"

And so, the long night began.