The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

“Aspirin, aspirin, there’s aspirin here too, and… huhhhh, Teacher!”

Chloe, as always, greeted me with a stutter.

When I mentioned that the trial by combat had gone well, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

“How did the… uh, Haeju* go?”

“Antidote. It worked well. Well, thinking about it, it’s a similar word.”

“Yes, it was poison made from black magic.”

Haeju. It’s the work of breaking a curse.

“I couldn’t pay attention for a bit because of the duel.”

During the party, I had boldly declared that I would take you down in front of Acella.

“The problem is this.”

I checked the X-ray photo I had moved using the recording function of the status window.

While researching the shadow’s poison, I confirmed the same mechanism in Acella’s photo.

The black mass entangled in Acella’s abdomen was judged to be a curse.

I could handle a bit of poison, but I needed to exactly identify what type of high-level curse it was, which was impossible even with my diagnosis.

If I cut carelessly, the curse could explode at that moment.

“Chloe, do you know much about curses?”

“Ah, n-no. There are specialized Haeju healers for curses.”

“Haeju, huh.”

I might need that.

“Who’s the most skilled Haeju healer in the inner palace?”

“Um, maybe Hugo… I think?”

“Hugo? ‘Black Hand Hugo’?”

“Eh? Do you know him?”

I do know him. In ten years from now.

―The hero sent from the hateful empire! I will repay the grudge I have borne for ten years!

―Healer! He must be from the empire’s inner palace. I will never forgive those demon scum!

I recalled Hugo who dramatically delivered such dialogue like a raid boss.

I opened the status window.

[No. 025 Black Hand’s Curse 21%]

Hugo was the leader of a group of black magicians who worshiped a dragon.

He was quite a troublesome enemy, wielding rather powerful curses.

‘He got kicked out of the imperial inner palace due to some problem and turned to the path of black magic.’

“Where is he now?”

“Um. He’s probably at the dragon corpse…”

“Still doing that?”

“Yes, it seems he’s in the midst of a classic.”

The dragon corpse I defeated at the martial arts tournament can’t just be burnt or buried carelessly because the curse contained in its body would be scattered everywhere.

“Isn’t a dragon corpse super expensive? Just one tooth must be worth 3 gold.”

“It’s unbelievably high. The Haeju faction is taking it, so everyone is flocking to it.”

Extra money sounds nice.

But since it’s a dragon, it probably contains the highest-level curse, and while I can do some Haeju, I can only handle low to mid-level at best.

“Hugo, should we see each other next time?”

The side effects of the strength enhancement potion I used during the trial by combat were starting to set in, so I took the day off.

*

After a while, I looked for the underground area of the inner palace where the Haeju work was being done, but I got a rather poor response.

“Hugo got fired, huh?”

A healer who was sweating while tightly binding a dragon corpse with a sacred cloth explained to me.

He was a friend from Heike’s faction, which was under Alberich.

Since there were many people here, the atmosphere seemed to split according to their origins. He was somewhat favorable to me since he was from the empire.

“Actually, the faction where Hugo was part recently disappeared. It belonged to Lord Armin, the grandson of King Archibald.”

“They just got independence and hereditary titles not long ago.”

“Yes. I don’t know the details, but he left the inner palace a few months ago, probably because problems arose.”

“Any idea where he went?”

“Hugo worked at the inner palace for over ten years, so he probably got a house or something. He seems to have a family too.”

“Ah, that friend Hugo? He doesn’t have a penny.”

Another healer passing by joined in the conversation upon hearing.

“Healer, what’s the story?”

“Oh, Teacher Gothberg. Hugo paid far more in healing fees than he earned at the inner palace. His debts must be astronomical.”

“Why would a healer receive treatment at the inner palace?”

“Was it because of that black hand? I heard he got injured while doing Haeju.”

“Right, the hand. That friend can’t cast healing spells. That’s why he spent all his fortune on his daughter’s treatment. The little girl was always sick.”

“A daughter, huh.”

I could roughly guess why Hugo hated the empire.

He worked his entire life at a place where he couldn’t even heal his family, only to be drained of money.

Did he turn to studying black magic, accumulating knowledge while doing Haeju, and dreaming of revenge?

Wait, doesn’t the inner palace have staff discounts or occupational hazard insurance?

The inner palace sounds like a dream job.

“Well, those debtors have nowhere to go. They can’t escape the checks, so they can’t leave the system, and they have to hide in the slums.”

“The slums. Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen the residents from that side.”

“They’d have no reason to come to the inner palace for treatment.”

That’s what it means to be in a medical service blind spot.

“There must be tons of patients.”

“Uhh… I guess so?”

A good idea popped into my head.

I need to prove the effectiveness of the cough medicine to the emperor. A lot of data is necessary.

‘I had plenty of medications I wanted to test as well.’

It would help me level up my medical skill that has been increasing slowly lately.

‘And I could probably lure Hugo in too.’

I don’t know if he would cooperate, but it’s an opportunity to erase a bad ending.

There’s a lot to gain.

“Aah, it’s going to burst again!”

“Stop it, stop it!”

“Ugh, the bishop is going to shout again.”

From the cut surface of the dragon’s severed head, a black liquid oozes out. The healers scrambled, using new sacred cloths, grunting as they covered their heads.

“It would’ve been done ages ago if Hugo were here.”

“I know, right? He quit right when we needed him the most. It’s driving me crazy.”

I crossed my arms and watched the Haeju scene before moving on.

Next stop was Mokhwi Palace.

With Chloe, I delivered aspirin and penicillin, and Heike was very satisfied.

“Timely as ever. I will send the payment to the Moonlight Palace.”

“Great. What about the reward for taking down the Togin Palace?”

“We agreed to share Acella and the 2nd regiment, which was under the Togin Palace faction and that barracks.”

“That’s great news.”

Acella was Acella. By now, she has snatched one of the four major barracks of the imperial knight order.

Heike must have conceded quite a bit since she hasn’t been monitoring Acella, but…

One day, there’s bound to be a big clash.

“Gothberg, have you thought about your reward?”

“I appreciate your generosity. It’s not that big of a deal.”

I took a moment before answering.

“I’d like to borrow a few Haeju healers from the royal princess’s faction. About ten or so.”

“Healers? What for?”

Heike, intrigued, asked.

With a light smile, I replied.

“I’m thinking of going on a little business trip.”

*

“Who’s there?”

Hugo finished his hard labor and clutched a few coins in his hand.

Most of the day laborers he worked with had no home. They lived day to day.

Those who were a bit better off stayed in inns, but most were homeless. Usually, they spent their day’s wages on drinks at pubs.

But Hugo had no luxury to do that. He needed to save every bit of money to hire a healer.

He concealed his hands, hidden beneath gloves. Underneath, curses had invaded.

It wasn’t a specific curse. After doing Haeju for so long, remnants of various curses mingled and seeped in like dirt beneath fingernails.

“…Tch.”

He attempted to release divine power, but it was stained black due to the curse’s influence. If he cast a healing spell in this state, he would only transfer the curse to his patient.

Hugo shoved his gloved hands into his pockets and hurried along.

He headed towards the outskirts of the system, to an undeveloped lot. Tents were set up everywhere. These were all poor people with nowhere to go.

The slums.

Just a short while ago, he had worked in the imperial inner palace, and now he had hit rock bottom.

But his eyes were sharper than ever, filled with determination.

Hugo walked into a tent, which would be embarrassing to even call a home.

“Eri, Daddy’s back.”

“Daddy…!”

Inside the tent was a five-year-old little girl lying under a blanket.

Her jet-black hair resembled Hugo’s.

“Did you do well while Daddy was gone?”

“Yeah…! I played with Charlie and Max! cough.”

Those were the names of the dolls lying quietly beside Eri’s pillow.

Though she said that, it was clear Eri had been too weak to get up all day.

“Eri, let’s get up and drink some water.”

“Uh-huh…”

Hugo slowly poured some water into a small paper cup and fed it to Eri.

She gulped a bit before coughing and spitting it out immediately.

‘It’s been over three months since she received healing.’

Hugo felt a knot in his stomach.

Eri had been healthy at birth. She started getting weak and coughing all the time three years ago.

Had she really been healthy before? The mother, who was relatively weak, left after giving birth to Eri.

What troubled Hugo the most was the reality that, despite being a healer, he could no longer use healing spells on his daughter.

“I used all my savings just to heal Eri.”

No matter how much he healed her, it was only briefly beneficial; Eri’s condition worsened again quickly.

The healing in the inner palace was expensive.

He had made use of connections to get more frequent treatments, only to realize he had sold his house in the process.

But without healing, Eri might have already died.

‘If only I’d kept working…’

Hugo’s greatest misfortune was choosing the wrong faction.

Patients afflicted with curses are rare. There’s not much demand for Haeju, so most healers only do it as a side job.

The lord of the faction, Lord Armin, had become independent, and Hugo wanted to follow him.

But quickly rejecting him, Armin told Hugo that he couldn’t take him without clearing his debts.

In the end, the world revolves around money.

‘No other faction wanted me either.’

In the blink of an eye, he was cast out of the place he had worked his whole life.

‘What good is the emperor’s grace anyway?’

Hugo felt a simmering hatred rise against the inner palace and the empire.

It was unlikely, but if Eri happened to get worse…

It would be the fault of those inept imperial scum who couldn’t heal her.

“Cough cough!”

“Eri!”

Hugo could only gently stroke Eri’s forehead and lay her down, not knowing what to do.

Eri barely opened her eyes and murmured.

“Daddy…”

“Eri, is there anything you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”

She shook her head.

“Just… here…”

Eri quietly grabbed Hugo’s clothes with her tiny hand.

How lonely must she have felt while he was gone?

Hugo was angry at the reality that he had no time to stay by her side.

At that moment,

“Hey, is bulk guy around?”

He heard the voice of another resident from the slum outside. Hugo pushed aside the entrance of the tent.

“Looking for me?”

“Yeah, it’s you. Didn’t you say your daughter is sick?”

“…That’s right.”

“Quick, bring her out.”

“What’s going on?”

The resident gestured urgently toward Hugo.

“They say a healer is here, from the inner palace! Even the attending physician! They’re seeing people for free, so hurry and take her!”

“Why would the inner palace come here? There’s no way they’d get paid for healing patients here.”

Hugo frowned with disbelief. The resident clicked his tongue.

“Wow, have you been living under a rock? They’re even giving out something good called ESSIP or something.”

“Aspirin, you mean?”

“Yeah, that. Whatever it is.”

Hugo’s eyes lit up.

He had heard a rumor right before he was kicked out, just before the martial arts tournament.

“Eri, let’s go out for a bit.”

Hugo gently cradled Eri under the blanket and hurried toward the crowd of people.

He rushed to the place teeming with people.

“Diagnosis. Abrasions, apply red medicine. Diagnosis. Ah, a cough patient. You’re the one I was looking for. Take this regularly and record your condition daily. If you just come to grab the medicine and leave, the knight lady here will beat you up.”

There was a line forming in front of a man wearing a white coat.

Hugo knew his name.

He had heard whispers about the attendings from the newly rising third princess faction before he got fired.

“Teacher Gothberg!!”

At Hugo’s booming voice, everyone turned to look at him.

Everyone was surprised, and while they were in shock, only Gothberg smiled at him with satisfaction.

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