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When the words “heart transplant” reached everyone’s ears, their first reaction was shock.

Those who knew nothing of medicine thought it was some wicked witchcraft that involved exchanging hearts.

Those with medical knowledge believed it was simply impossible.

The heart was the source of life. The moment it was removed from the body, the person would die.

Having two patients exchange hearts was already beyond everyone’s imagination.

This wasn’t merely a biological issue. It also involved philosophy and other profound questions.

If your heart belonged to someone else, would you still be yourself?

The Shrine Leader answered loudly.

“Who knows~”

As the spiritual leader of the Water Shrine, the Shrine Leader seemed to see through the thoughts of every believer. Then she shouted the answer in her heart.

It should have been an extremely serious topic, yet she spoke with a relaxed smile.

“You people~ Your ability to accept new ideas isn’t high enough~ Do you really think the Water Shrine is nothing more than a group of people who call themselves servants of the goddess and give up on thinking?”

Eumerika stepped back, allowing the Shrine Leader to stand on the high platform and enter every believer’s line of sight.

“What, exactly, does our Water Shrine exist for?”

The Shrine Leader raised a question.

“To spread the love of the Water Goddess and pass on the teachings of love,” a nun answered.

“Correct.”

The Shrine Leader smiled slightly, affirming the answer.

“For countless generations, the value and application of medicine have been twisted and exploited by wicked people. Now, the time has come. Our Water Shrine will reform this corrupted medical world.”

The Shrine Leader took another step forward, sending her voice to every corner of the hall.

“Last week, someone successfully completed a heart transplant.”

“Is—is it the person who’s coming to work here?”

An elderly physician stepped forward.

“That’s right.”

Everyone nodded one after another.

“He’ll temporarily become our surgical instructor and perform operations with our medical team. Through this opportunity, we can learn from him and make up for the ground we’ve lost in medicine over the years.”

“Th—then why?”

An elderly physician suddenly asked.

“Why have we never heard of such an incredible doctor? And besides… would someone that skilled really come here to teach us?”

“That’s a very good question~”

The Shrine Leader thought for a moment before answering.

“You’ll soon be able to understand the answer from him.”

The Shrine Leader smiled and pushed the answer to that question back onto Cyclone.

There was nothing she could do. Even if this appointment marked an unprecedented reform and the first step of a medical revolution, she still couldn’t answer truthfully.

The reason was simple.

If she bluntly told them that Kakarl was about to face an unprecedented crisis, and that they were using this reform to tie a life-saving remedy to the city, everything would change.

It might even ruin the entire situation.

“Th—then if we study hard, can we also…”

“Of course!”

The nun hadn’t even finished asking when the Shrine Leader answered first.

At her reply, the group of trainee nuns instantly grew excited.

Naturally, the person who should have been the most excited was Hilmirya.

The little village nun who had worked hard to study healing magic and basic medicine finally had a chance to stand on the front lines of medical reform.

No female doctor had ever appeared on this continent. The only women given such a name by society were “witches,” branded with prejudice.

Now, with the Water Shrine leading the continent forward, this was undoubtedly a tremendous cause for celebration.

Yet when Hilmirya thought of the happiness awaiting her future, she remembered what had happened last night.

“By the way, Hilmirya!”

The Shrine Leader suddenly called her by name.

“Hilmirya, you’ve been teaching yourself medicine, haven’t you?”

“…Y-yes.”

“Good! You heard what I just said, right?”

“You mean?”

“He doesn’t worship the Water Goddess, and he has no religious faith.”

The Shrine Leader jumped down from the platform and walked over to Hilmirya, standing before her in full view of everyone.

“However! I now appoint you as our representative~ You’ll study medicine by his side while passing on the teachings of love to him~”

Suddenly burdened with such a heavy responsibility, Hilmirya didn’t know what to do.

However, when Cyclone, the newly appointed instructor, pushed open the doors of the church, that responsibility vanished just as quickly.

After enduring Cyclone’s lecherous hands, Hilmirya led him to the designated workplace.