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Chapter 47
“That bird tried to hurt you.”
Huh? Me? When? Could he mean the bird showed displeasure by pecking my arm?
“His eyes are always like that!”
Sure, he’s kind of dumb and selfish, but still… he’s a good bird.
“Do you even realize your clothes are singed?”
Only then did I notice the holes burnt into my outfit.
“Ah…”
Still, it’s a shame for him to be erased for something like this.
Not to mention, my relationship with Jeok Yunha would be completely ruined.
“Even so! He’s a good bird!”
“You speak as if you know him well.”
“Well, it’s my first time meeting him, but fire-type beings are usually temperamental. Maybe divine beasts have fiery personalities too?”
At some point, my older cousin had shuffled over beside me and began stroking Noesu.
“…You hear that? Be nice.”
—Squeeeak!
“Good. Seems like no one will hate you.”
Now’s not the time for that, big bro! And what’s Noesu so excited about, squeaking like that?
…Wait, that’s not what matters right now.
I barely managed to send the firebird back.
“Dad, your permit lasts a while, right? Let’s go out today.”
I turned to glance at my hesitant cousin.
“You come too, Oppa.”
If we all left today, that would leave Black Gyeweon alone in the eastern wing.
And that wouldn’t be ideal.
‘This is what shared parenting looks like!’
—Even if such mature thoughts didn’t quite match a three-year-old’s mindset, I nodded seriously.
“Hello, Doctor.”
Jeok Yunha greeted me warmly. He seemed much more familiar this time than the last.
“Have you been well these past three days? You look much healthier. And your… family has grown?”
His surprise was understandable. From my bag, a little fox was poking its head out.
‘I couldn’t just leave him at home.’
It would’ve been cruel to leave both my cousin and the baby fox behind.
“Oh wow, how cute~ But isn’t that a white fox? Where’d you even find something so rare?”
“That’s a secret.”
Besides, the baby fox cried so miserably whenever we were apart—even a little bit.
‘That’s strange. They say foxes look like dogs on the outside but act like cats on the inside.’
They’re supposed to be curious and meddlesome.
That’s why Dad had wrapped him in wind, just in case. But oddly enough, even outside, he was very calm.
“Where are Uncle Undeok and Tak Minjae?”
“Oh, they’ll be here soon. Minjae too.”
I was currently sitting on Dad’s lap.
Though invisible, my wrist inside the sleeve was coiled with Bbaembbaemi, my baby horned viper.
‘When he gets bigger, I’ll have to give him a proper name.’
Thinking that, I turned my head. Sitting in front of me was a middle-aged man wearing a dazed expression.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“N-No, not at all, Doctor…!”
“I’ll give you three days’ worth of medicine. Don’t leave it untreated too long—it could get infected. Clean the wound with clear alcohol or clean water.”
“Y-Yes, of course…!”
Who was this man? A patient.
And where were we? A small herbal clinic.
Jeok Yunha couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“…So I have to ask now.”
At that moment, I was finally fulfilling my role as a doctor and herbalist again.
Jeok Yunha, standing beside me, rubbed his temples, looking utterly baffled.
“Why… are you here, exactly?”
The location he’d called us to was a quiet building. On the first floor, someone acting under his orders was already waiting.
But I had gone earlier than the agreed time to say:
‘I’ll give you the time and place. Please have them come this way.’
And then I’d turned away without hesitation.
The next location I arrived at was the tiny herbal clinic next door.
The clinic’s owner was a reasonably materialistic person. I paid him, and he quickly rented me the space.
I paid him again, and he was equally quick to gather patients from the neighborhood.
‘It’s been a while since I treated people in a clinic.’
So far, I’d only treated Uncle, Second Uncle, Dad, and Tak Minjae.
Word that a doctor with natural abilities had appeared spread like wildfire.
Given the nature of a marketplace, it was no surprise a line had formed, like an open-run at a popular shop.
‘Of course it did. I’m basically treating people at bargain prices.’
The clinic owner, grinning from ear to ear, was collecting medicine fees and extra charges happily.
As for my cousin? I told him to enjoy the market for once, but he insisted he’d act as my assistant since he’s a warrior.
‘He’s surprisingly competent…’
Maybe because he’s smart—once I taught him something, he didn’t forget. He memorized frequently used herbs in no time.
Dad?
Dad was basically my trophy bodyguard.
He held me on his lap, and whenever some troublemaker tried to stir up drama, he’d summon wind and drive them off.
‘A nuisance. Exiled.’
‘W-Wait, aaaargh!’
I clapped in glee.
Wow, those troublesome types I used to struggle with so much when working alone…!
Now I finally understood the joy of having a capable warrior by my side.
I’d suffered so much just because of a single rumor…
‘Dad, you’re really too—’
‘Too much?’
‘No?! You were amazing. Keep kicking them out! Toss them beyond the market gates! Give them bruises too!’
‘…I’ll take it under consideration.’
Soon, rumors began to swirl that a beautiful goblin had appeared in the area.
Three hours later, Jeok Yunha arrived.
“Excuse me, I’m pretty sure I gave you the time and place… so why are you here?”
He looked bewildered, hair slightly disheveled. Apparently, there’d been a scuffle outside about people cutting the line.
Absurd.
“Aren’t you… kind of famous around here?”
“Me? Um, I guess… but still, being too well-known isn’t always a good thing. No—wait, that’s not the point. Little doctor, can you please answer me? What are you doing here?”
I continued diagnosing the next patient without flinching.
“It’s not scary. Stay still.”
“Wahh, the water, the water…! Ohhh!”
As I watched a man flailing in a water bubble, I turned my gaze away.
Information flowed through my head nonstop, and the stream of water surged through the clinic like it had been waiting.
The herbs and tools knocked over by the water were quickly picked up, shaken dry, or tidily organized by Black Gyeweon and Raon.
‘Forget my cousin—Raon… why are you so good at this?’
Is he really a fox?
Are foxes this clever? I mean, they’re supposed to be sly, but…
I tilted my head but was ultimately pleased. Thanks to the snake coiled around my wrist, the quality of the medicine improved dramatically.
Amid my enthusiastic work, I turned to Jeok Yunha again.
“You want to know why I’m doing this?”
“Yes.”
“To become famous.”
“Wait… what?”
My abilities grow absurdly stronger the more experience I gain.
‘I’m basically a walking medicine factory.’
Even now, I can make simple cold medicine in under 30 seconds. And the effects? Absolutely incredible.
After all, this is my third life’s worth of experience.
I’m like an undiscovered master.
“It’s just a cold, so take this and get plenty of rest. But this type spreads easily—if you have a child, sleep separately for tonight.”
“Oh, yes…! I have a child. Thank you, thank you so much, Doctor…?”
There’s a common thread among my patients: they can’t look me in the eye. Or they act confused.
When they’re unsure, they glance over at my dad.
‘It’s like they think he’s the real boss here.’
I barely held back a chuckle as I sent the patient on his way.
Before the next person came in, I looked up at Dad.
“Dad, can you adjust my voice so only one person hears it?”
When I gave him the signal, my voice became audible to Jeok Yunha alone.
“You did a background check on me, right?”
That was my answer to his earlier question.
“Then you already know. If I keep going like this, I won’t even make it to our family’s main house—let alone become a clan head candidate like the other branch kids.”
