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Chapter 91
“…Why are they coming out here?”
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
‘I expected them to move at some point, but here? Already?’
The larger a clan’s power, the slower their movement — there are so many considerations. But it seemed Sinion held an unusually deep grudge over what happened in Heukrim.
‘Or they’ve decided they must strongly check either me or the Heuk family.’
Either way, I wasn’t particularly afraid.
A rabble can roar all it wants, but a rabble is still a rabble.
Whatever else, them coming to pick a fight with me over treatment? Not scary at all.
“…Um, did I make a mistake somewhere?” Lord Rederick asked cautiously, since I wasn’t ecstatic.
“No.” I told Lord Rederick it wasn’t his fault and shared just a few facts — basically the circumstances between Sinion and what happened in Heukrim.
“…Then I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
Good. Rederick’s side wouldn’t meddle carelessly into the relationship between Sinion and me anymore.
A little while later, people arrived in force.
‘Wow, they really brought supplies.’
To me, Sinion’s banner looked like a source of provisions.
Your money—I’ll put it to good use for treatments, I thought with a grin and rubbed my hands.
“This is Luise Schweiger, a senior physician from Sinion.”
They even sent a branch-line representative from Sinion. That showed how seriously they were taking this matter.
She had a calm expression, but she scanned me with obvious hostility.
“You… are you the ‘Heuk Biyu’ who’s been famous lately?”
“Thanks!” I said.
“…?”
I didn’t notice any look of condescension; instead, she said my name properly, not the wrong nickname. Even though she was an enemy, credit where it’s due.
“I’ll take overall charge of here, so what we need to—”
“No, since I’m here now, hand over command. Sinion will lead the treatment from now on.”
Huh? I could practically hear someone trying to stick their spoon in the pot.
“The administrator here is Count Rederick, and I have been delegated authority by the Count.”
“What does that matter? You’re young, and as far as I know you don’t even have a physician’s license… you want to compare yourself to a senior physician like me?”
Ah, so it was her. The authority that tiny certificate grants.
I snorted.
Sitting beside my father and talking, I matched the Sinion physician’s level perfectly. It was just right.
“Do I have a Heuk-family physician’s badge? If you’re a senior physician of the Heuk family, you should know we’re treated even more favorably than an ordinary senior physician. Oh! Our patriarch warned me that Sinion might be jealous of our family — isn’t that what you think?”
“You may be right.”
“Oh, so Uncle thinks the same.”
Good timing. Luise’s expression stiffened instantly.
“That doesn’t mean I will dismiss this. If you insist on taking responsibility—”
I pointed toward the square, drew a circle in the air and split it in half.
“Divide the village in two and you take responsibility for that half. Will that work?”
“That’s a good idea. We at Rederick agree.”
When Lord Rederick, who was arbitrating, stepped in, Sinion no longer objected and accepted the arrangement.
“You’ll regret this, Lord Rederick. Those patients over there will all die.”
Wow, go ahead and curse me then.
I shrugged.
‘But…’
I tilted my head as I watched the supplies Sinion’s side was organizing.
‘Do they really look like they came to treat people?’
I’m very attuned to diseases and injuries.
I’d lived my whole life as a physician and pharmacist.
Maybe I’d developed an instinct that was almost fated.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Nah. Not at all.”
Late night.
I was tired after a full day of treatments. If I didn’t rest properly, the next day’s treatments would suffer — yet I came out at this hour because something was bothering me.
‘They seemed to be treating people, at least.’
We split the village in half around the square, and Sinion’s side also began treatment.
It was a cumbersome task to move patients, but my father solved it by transporting them with wind.
Still, an uneasy feeling didn’t go away.
‘They won’t simply treat people and leave, right?’
The first night was quiet.
Afterwards we kept watch on Sinion’s side every night for about two days.
It was tiring, but after pulling all-nighters for five days before, this was nothing.
‘They’ll definitely do something. They won’t just sit still.’
In the meantime, I worked at an astonishing pace and nearly finished the treatments assigned to me.
Only patients with mild symptoms remained.
Today my uncle, who was with me, yawned and asked, “Do you really think something’s going to happen?”
“Yeah, it’s Sinion.”
I thought maybe it would happen today, and that feeling turned out to be right.
My paternal uncle (baekbu) had spotted something.
“Oh ho, there are still little rats left?”
A group clad in black clothes was moving stealthily.
“Baekbu, follow those people and stop them before they do anything decisive.”
“All right.”
Baekbu vanished from where he stood.
“Uncle, can you put a pair of listening devices inside that house?”
It was the room where Sinion’s senior physician Luise was staying. My father nodded and made a motion with his hand.
— Then will it be carried out tonight?
— Our operatives have already gone out.
My uncle made a water-like mirror in midair. Amazingly, on its surface the black-clad group who had moved stealthily earlier was reflected, along with the figure of baekbu shadowing them.
‘Treating people really has its perks.’
My uncle and baekbu kept showing more and more astonishing abilities.
— We must succeed. There must be no failure.
— …Of course. We will not disappoint the patriarch.
On one side was Luise’s voice, on the other an old man’s voice.
— The girl’s ability is indeed extraordinary. And to think the three brothers from the Heuk family were with her — it’s no surprise they failed in Heukrim.
— …I don’t think she’s that remarkable. After all, she’s only three years old!
— Acknowledging shortcomings is also the mark of a good physician, and it’s the right attitude to become Sinion’s loyal. Right, Luise?
— …I’m sorry.
— No need. Jealousy at that stage is understandable. Hehe. If I hadn’t lost my healing ability, I’d have been furious at such overwhelming talent.
Suddenly my father’s and uncle’s gazes turned to me. I cleared my throat and sneaked a tilt of my head upward.
Ahem, I am pretty remarkable, even my enemies admit it.
— Kidnapping might even be one way to handle it.
“We should kill her.”
“No!”
Hold on — their scheme hasn’t been revealed yet, you two. Later, later!
If I tried to stop my father, my uncle would jump in to take over, making a scene.
I had just calmed the two excited ‘children’.
— The disease will deepen. Our grand plan must not be ruined in just one village.
The gravity in their conversation made me narrow my eyes. I fixed my stare on the building Luise occupied.
— We must never let them perform treatments. You would fail, too. And this disease will spread without limit. Until it covers one-third of the continent.
…What?
— That way our work of creating the disease will have justified itself, won’t it, Luise? We will enjoy watching your failure.
— I will remember that.
I froze.
‘…Even in the third wave, I wondered why this disease suddenly appeared.’
Still, I never found out the reason. I simply thought environmental factors might be involved.
But what if this disease was artificially created?
And furthermore, deliberately spread by someone?
At once I remembered that among the dukes Kanin tried to use in Heukrim, there had been a plan to spread contagion.
…No way. Other diseases I know of?
My face grew serious.
