Efosa was angry, but he took the bowl of medicine and drank it. Even if he would never admit it openly, he realized his sister was more skilled than him the previous day. He wasn't the one with real talent, and his grandfather didn't value him much. After all, there was another grandson. Only his parents treated him well—after all, he was their only son.
Hearing Iyare's words reminds him that his heir position might be taken away if he really becomes useless.
After the incident that morning, Efosa stopped making demands and began cooperating with his treatment.
During this time, Iyare was finally able to rest. She went out into the bush to practice every day after taking care of her brother. She would also secretly listen to the healer as she taught her disciples.
The healer had noticed from the first day that Iyare seemed interested in medicine.
"Do you want to learn?" the healer asked one evening, after finishing Efosa's treatment on the third day.
Iyare looked at the healer, surprised. She thought she had hidden her interest in learning from the healer quite well. She hadn't expected her actions to be noticed.
"You've been secretly listening when I teach," the healer said. There were two men and a girl currently learning under her. After attending to patients in the morning, she would explain their conditions and progress to her students in the afternoon.
"I'm sorry," Iyare apologized. Efosa, sitting on the bed, rolled his eyes. He thought his sister had a habit of sneaking around.
"I will give you a chance to learn if you can answer half my questions correctly," the healer said.
"I… I…" Iyare stammered, surprised by the offer. Over the past three days, she had come to understand the healer's mountain better. Many people wanted to learn from the healer, but she often turned them away.
"I only accept smart disciples. If you're not willing to try, then stop listening to my teachings," the healer said, standing up.
"I'll try," Iyare said immediately. She felt confident, having been paying attention to everything the healer taught her students over the past three days.
"Then come tomorrow for your test," the healer said before walking away.
"What are you trying to do?" Efosa asked as soon as the healer left.
"What?" Iyare replied. She just wanted to know how much she had learned in the past few days. She did not think there was anything wrong with her decision.
"If you become her student, how will you participate in training?" Efosa asked.
Iyare suddenly realized the problem. Although she wanted to learn to be a healer, it was impossible since she was her brother's body double.
"I'm only listening secretly. I might not even pass her test. There's no harm in trying," Iyare argued after a while. Efosa agreed since her reasoning made sense. He had seen how difficult it was for anyone to become the healer's student. Over the past three days, more than ten people had tried and failed her test. Efosa didn't believe his sister could succeed after just three days.
---
The next day, Iyare went to the healer's teaching hut. It was a large space filled with various medicinal herbs, all neatly arranged. Her three students were present when Iyare arrived.
"Your first task is to identify as many medicinal herbs here as possible," the healer said.
Iyare took a deep breath. This task was difficult; it was easier to recognize herbs when they were fresh. After drying, most leaves looked very similar. Taking another deep breath, Iyare began examining the herbs. She remembered the healer's explanations to her students about differentiating dried herbs.
Although Iyare had not clearly seen each herb at the time, she relied on the healer's instructions and successfully identified the herbs.
The healer was surprised. All the herbs were ones she had recently taught her students to identify. It required a keen sense of smell and observation to notice the differences. Even her students, after days of study, still made mistakes.
"All correct," the healer announced after her initial shock. The students were equally astonished. They had been studying these herbs for over a week, yet still struggled to get them right.
"Have you studied herbs before?" the healer asked, still surprised. She herself had not learned so quickly.
"No. My family deals with weapons. Apart from common medicines for colds or fevers, I don't know anything else," Iyare answered honestly.
"Very well. Now I will ask you a set of questions. If you answer well, you can become my student," the healer said.
This time, the questions were about symptoms and treatments for patients they had treated in the past few days. Out of ten questions, Iyare managed to answer all eight correctly. The healer was very impressed. She had expected Iyare to get five correct at most.
"You've done very well. Later this evening, I will let you massage your brother's hand and reset the small wooden supports around his leg. If you can do that correctly, you will become my student," the healer said.
"Ma, will it affect my brother if I make a mistake?" Iyare asked nervously. Although she was eager to try, she worried her father would be furious if she hindered her brother's recovery.
"No. It's already the fourth day. My assistants will be attending to him. Nothing serious can happen. Besides, I will be present and won't let any harm come to him," the healer assured her.
"Then I'll try. But if I pass, I don't want my brother to know about it," Iyare said. She knew her grandfather wouldn't allow her to learn from the healer instead of training. She intended to keep it a secret.
"That's fine," the healer said, understanding Iyare's concerns. After all, a girl born into a family like Edosa's had no need to become a physician. Only women from poorer backgrounds typically became midwives or practiced medicine.