ALL NOVEL Chapter 64
“Teacher Gothberg!”
It was a booming voice that sounded like it had swallowed a train whistle.
Hugo, drenched in sweat, looked quite urgent, and I could loosely guess why.
‘The child he’s holding must be his daughter.’
Looking over Hugo’s medical records, all the healing entries from the Inner Palace were his daughter’s.
Seeing a family shaken by medical bills was common, but I never thought it would happen in this world too.
Hugo looked so shabby; it was hard to believe he had just worked as an inner palace healer until recently.
I smiled and waved at him.
“I understand your urgency, but there are this many patients. Are you going to wait in line?”
“W-wait, you say?”
Hugo sighed as he looked at the long line of people, but he obediently started moving.
Perhaps it was because he hadn’t become a black magician yet, but he was surprisingly well-behaved.
“Knight.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
I requested the Moonlight Palace knight standing next to Tanya.
“Please bring water and a blanket for the pediatric patient that just left.”
“Yes.”
—
[No. 025 Curse of the Black Hand 21%]
Hugo’s resentment stems from the death of his daughter.
The survival rate of children in this world was never high, but for someone, that was their only child.
It wasn’t simply a matter of odds that could be overlooked.
And I certainly wouldn’t want to see a cute little child perish either.
I had to examine Hugo’s daughter with utmost sincerity.
“Next patient, diagnosis. Cold; take the aspirin and the mask, and make sure to wash your hands regularly.”
I continued with my examinations.
—
While waiting for his turn, Hugo gently patted Eri’s back.
During this time, a guard approached him and handed him a blanket and a clean water bottle.
“Teacher sent this.”
“For me?”
“They said your daughter looks like she’s having a hard time.”
The guard delivered the message bluntly and turned to leave.
Wrapping Eri in the fluffy blanket and slowly giving her water, she seemed to look a little more comfortable.
‘Did the teacher properly keep an eye on her in the short span?’
Hugo found it intriguing. When attending physicians treated regular patients, they usually didn’t pay attention to details either.
Hugo glanced at Gothberg, who was examining a patient.
“Oh dear, Teacher. Thank you for your help.”
“Oh, you were here three days ago. Let’s see, no additional infections. You don’t need antibiotics now, just be sure to wash your hands.”
“Teacher, thank you for your consideration, but what about the medical bills…?”
“What? A medical fee? I’m not going to eat the flea’s liver. Let’s call it even; just take this candy and give it to the child.”
Despite continuously tending to patients, he showed no signs of fatigue.
In fact, he seemed to enjoy treating them.
Hugo thought this man was quite remarkable.
From using his own skills to not fretting over money.
‘The inner palace was filled with healers trying to raise their performance for promotions…’
Unlike other healers, Gothberg’s line quickly shortened. His hands were swift.
Still, there wasn’t a single returning patient voicing dissatisfaction.
‘If it’s this person…’
Hugo felt as if he had grasped a lifeline.
Finally, it was his turn to face Gothberg.
“Next. Ah, a loud friend. Both hands are contaminated.”
“I’m fine, Teacher. Please treat my daughter.”
“I figured as much. Tanya, please.”
The guards brought a makeshift bed. As Hugo laid Eri down, Lars observed her with a serious expression.
After a moment, he relaxed and spoke to Eri in an easygoing tone.
“What’s our princess’s name?”
“Cough, Eri.”
“Eri. From now on, the teacher will check what’s hurting you. Once we finish, I’ll give you this.”
Lars pulled a candy from his pocket. Eri’s eyes widened, and she nodded with a smile.
But just then, she started coughing again. It was a cough so severe it seemed she could hardly breathe.
Lars briefly stated “Diagnosis,” then looked inside Eri’s mouth.
After examining thoroughly with his glowing artifact, he turned to Hugo and said.
“Chronic tonsillitis. There are cases where it’s present from birth. Most of the time it recovers itself after childhood, but this is a critical moment. Did you have symptoms when you were little?”
“No, I didn’t. Eri’s mother was weak, but Eri didn’t have these issues from birth…”
“Her immunity is weak, and she’s caught multiple infections. High fever and cough. She’s probably feeling very weak. She’s been tough and holding on well.”
“Is it, is it a serious condition?”
“First, let’s reduce that cough. This will help her feel better.”
Lars gave Eri some cough medicine.
With the effect of the treatment, Eri’s cough began to subside.
“Ohhh….”
With healing spells, it often took a long time to see improvement even when the reservation was set.
In contrast, Lars’ treatment was quick and precise. Hugo was intrigued by his skills.
“Since she’s a child, I hesitate to use aspirin. For now, let’s restore her energy with this.”
Lars took out a notepad.
Hooook.
A pure white energy slowly radiated from the tips of Lars’s fingers.
The air shimmered, forming a gentle wave that gradually enveloped Eri’s small body.
‘Healing spell…!’
Hugo couldn’t hide his admiration.
The healing spell Lars cast was cleaner and more intense than any spell he had seen before. It was clear that he had incredible skills as a healer.
Hoo.
As the casting finished, Eri’s color changed significantly. The return of vitality was evident, and her strength was restored.
“Teacher, are you alright?”
“Uh, uh-huh.”
Lars gulped some water. He didn’t look fatigued, but beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
‘Does he have bad memories associated with healing spells?’
Hugo could relate to his feelings.
He too was starting to struggle with casting healing spells.
It wasn’t a physical issue, but rather a mental one. Each time he performed the spell, he lost his ability to heal and moved farther from figuring out how to help Eri. Naturally, he felt the reluctance rising.
‘The teacher might have had similar experiences.’
Still, gratitude welled up in him for the man who had unhesitatingly used his healing techniques for Eri’s sake.
“It only improved the symptoms; it hasn’t resolved the root of the problem. If we’re lucky, it’ll return in a few weeks. Has she been in this state for years?”
“Yes. She has been treated at the Inner Palace each time.”
“Let’s take a picture.”
“A picture?”
Lars led Hugo and Eri into a nearby tent.
Inside, Lars worked on something with Eri before sitting Hugo down and showing him a hovering photo with a crystal ball.
“Hey, take a look here. This is inside Eri’s throat.”
“Inside photo?”
“Right. Do you understand what you’re seeing?”
Hugo nodded.
Having dealt with curses frequently, he had many opportunities to see human bones. He quickly understood the picture was of Eri’s skull.
“Here’s the jaw; the inside is the throat.”
“Exceeding my expectations. So, what do you think about this point?”
Lars pointed to something with his pointer.
There was an elongated object marked in white inside Eri’s throat.
“I’m not sure. But it looks somewhat unlike the surrounding structure.”
“Exactly. It’s a foreign substance. A thorn or a needle, roughly that type. Looking at the photo, it appears to be made of metal.”
“A foreign substance! Does that mean something is stuck inside Eri’s throat right now?”
Lars nodded.
“Specifically, inside the tonsil. For a pediatric patient, it’s visible only at this angle. Continuous irritation has caused her tonsillitis to be more frequent, and it has currently developed into a peritonsillar abscess.”
“Abscess, you say…?”
“There’s a lump. We need to remove it. Healing spells will regenerate while leaving foreign substances in; it won’t help in this situation.”
“That can’t be.”
Hugo cradled his head and bowed towards the table.
“Hoo… all this time, Eri’s suffering was caused by that. I can’t imagine how painful that tiny thing must have been.”
“It’s not your fault. Usually, it’s impossible to know. Healing spells regenerate the body even with shards embedded in it. Foreign substances become ongoing pathogens inside. Dissection is illegal, so it’s never been known.”
As he said, cutting into the body of a living person is the mark of a villain, typically done by people like black magicians.
They use even corpses as offerings, so dissection is completely illegal.
“Teacher, what should we do?”
Lars tapped his temples a few times with his index finger before responding.
“Hugo, how open is your mind?”
“E-eh? You know my name?”
“Why not? I’ve seen you at the Inner Palace.”
“Eh… I didn’t think you would remember.”
Hugo scratched his head, feeling embarrassed to show the current state of himself.
“When you say ‘mind,’ what do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you’d believe that I can fix Eri’s body with a knife.”
“A knife…?”
Hugo swallowed hard.
There’s only one reason for a person to point a knife at another person: to threaten, attack, or harm.
But Gothberg had made remarkable advances in treatment.
And though his manner was light, he never treated his patients lightly.
“…I’ll trust you, Teacher.”
Hugo resolved and opened his eyes wide.
“Please, I beg you. If you can only fix Eri, use any method you need…!”
Hugo bowed his head deeply.
Lars looked at him with a slight smile.
“Alright. Leave your daughter to me. I will surely heal her.”
“R-really?”
“Now, about the payment.”
Thud. The hope-filled chest of Hugo sank.
Thinking back, it was only natural for the royal attending physician to dedicate this much time to treat a regular patient.
But right now, he had not a single coin.
Should he give up? Just as he contemplated, Lars patted his shoulder.
“You say you can use Haeju, right?”
“Yes? Ah, yes… I can only use Haeju.”
“I have a high-level curse I need to dispel. It might be the highest level? You’ll have to judge. Ah, but first, let’s perform the Dragon Haeju first.”
Hugo couldn’t believe the offer that followed Lars’s words.
—
“Still haven’t done the Dragon’s corpse Haeju? What are you all doing?”
Finally grasping the situation, Alberich emerged from the underground, scolding the Haeju practitioners.
“Do these salary thieves not realize the value of one such dragon corpse? Princess Heike is pressing for it…”
Thud.
The underground foundation door opened, and a group walked in amid backlight.
Seeing the fluttering white coats, Alberich furrowed his brow.
“You, Gothberg! How dare you take our healers for external activities! How long do you plan to disrupt the Inner Palace!”
“Now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m here to take the Dragon corpse.”
Alberich scoffed at Lars’s relaxed attitude.
“Hah! You have no basic common sense. If the corpse isn’t healed, it can’t take a single step outside of the foundation. We can’t allow any curses to leak out!”
“I know. Of course, I’m going to heal it before taking it.”
Lars casually sidestepped.
Behind him, a large black-handed healer in the same robe confidently walked in.