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Chapter 57
Terminal Baby Doctor Doesn’t Hide That He’s a Genius
It’s very easy to shut up people who spout nonsense. All you have to do is show them you have skill.
A little later, perhaps aware of the situation, Jeok Yunha suddenly appeared and set the stage.
“Wow, what a show! This is something everyone should see, right?”
“W-What…!”
Thanks to her influence around the market, the word spread, and the stage grew very large.
I looked at the new patients in front of me.
“Are they homeless?”
Their worn-out, shabby clothes and unwashed appearances were similar to those of people who loitered in the back alleys of the city.
It was clear that there were people in this city who didn’t receive any benefits.
For the record, I wasn’t the one who brought the patients.
To remove any doubt, I had instructed only Payman, the doctor, to bring the patients himself. And he accepted the request.
Of course, I asked my father to keep watch just in case they tried to run away—but the doctor’s apprentice brought the patients himself.
“Crazy people.”
I felt anger at seeing the patients tied up with ropes, but I had to suppress it for what would come later.
And so, five patients gathered before my eyes.
“Since you brought the patients yourself, you have no complaints, right?”
Payman looked visibly flustered, perhaps not expecting the situation to escalate this much.
But the moment his eyes met mine, he shamelessly acted cocky.
“Hmph, I’m curious to see what will happen when your fraud is exposed right in front of you!”
Trying to act brave despite being intimidated.
‘Being a mid-level doctor, he probably thinks backing down now would hurt his pride.’
I thought it was strange, but it was too late to turn back.
The higher their rank, the more stubborn they are. I had seen countless people collapse because they insisted they couldn’t be wrong.
‘Now it’s your turn.’
I curled my lips into a smirk in my mind.
“And you’ll be treated too.”
“…….”
“What, scared?”
I grinned.
I was going to enjoy watching that confident face twist.
Payman was flustered.
‘I didn’t expect this…’
Having an Asian mentor, he was rumored to be a skilled doctor in his youth.
His mentor was a master of acupuncture.
Payman trained diligently under him and, though he wasn’t at the level of his mentor, he had some skill when he became independent.
His ability was recognized by people—but that peak had ended long ago.
Payman knew it himself.
His skill was only sufficient to be the best in a small village or town.
Becoming a mid-level doctor was purely luck.
Specifically… it was because he treated a relative of a prestigious family in one village.
It was a life-changing moment.
The high-ranking noble he saved belonged to one of the empire’s eight major houses—the ‘Sinion’ family.
“Your hands will inevitably rust. Never neglect practice. Even when you turn sixty, the same applies.”
He no longer listened to his mentor’s advice.
Even without effort, showing his connection to Sinion automatically brought wealth and honor.
Even if patients were treated poorly or the medicine was strange, they trusted a doctor recommended by Sinion.
Payman had come to Heukrim eight years ago, on Sinion’s orders, to establish himself there.
He was told to build a reputation for a time when he might be needed. Now he was finally called upon!
“I was only supposed to handle a simple task…!”
The senior knight from Sinion had said he only needed to deal with a cheeky young doctor.
He realized something was off when he first saw the young doctor appear—an actual baby.
A ridiculous name, ‘Heukbiyu’.
To dare attach ‘Heuk’ in the territory of the Heuk family was practically an impersonation.
…but the accompanying warrior clearly belonged to the Heuk family.
Then Payman realized neither the Sinion knight nor Kanin had given him accurate information, and he felt the sting of misfortune.
But it was already too late.
He was a complacent man. He couldn’t judge correctly, and his once-great acupuncture skills had stiffened and faded.
His disciples had once trusted him, but doubt had begun to creep into their eyes.
Thus, Payman lacked the skill to detect anything unusual about Heukbiyu’s medicine.
Up until now, his powerful backing had shielded him from problems.
But he didn’t know: when someone starts questioning you, even a fortress can collapse fast.
That moment was now.
“Going to refuse?”
Cold sweat dotted his back.
Surely the child should have been intimidated by his reputation and corrected his mistake.
Even if that failed, a knight from Kanin or Sinion should have appeared to back him up…
Why? Why had they come this far?
‘They said they’d come! They said they’d help! Damn it, damn it…!!’
Payman glanced around.
People were watching. Half still trusted him.
His disciples suspected something, but they didn’t doubt their master.
If he ran now…
His neck would be soaked with sweat.
‘Everything will be lost.’
There was no escape. He clenched his fists.
“Hmph, w-who said I’d refuse? You’d better not rely solely on the Heuk family warrior behind you.”
“You must’ve heard me, but are your ears blocked…?”
“What?”
“Enough. Even if you win, I won’t retaliate.”
Baby doctor Biyu grinned.
A sharp light flashed in his curved eyes, uncharacteristic of a baby.
“We…”
Nervous Payman didn’t hear the rest.
He was only relieved that the dangerous man, presumably ‘Heukbihoo,’ wasn’t stepping forward.
‘I can’t possibly lose anyway!’
The patients brought by his disciple all shared the same symptoms.
Their bodies were covered in spots, causing some onlookers to frown.
They were prepared in advance.
Kanin had said he’d take precautions while preparing the patients.
‘If that girl causes trouble, we need a surefire way to win, right? Oh, I’m not doubting your skill as a doctor. But… it’s better to be certain.’
He had also poisoned the patients beforehand, explaining how the poison would act and why the patients would die.
‘Of course, the patients won’t even know what they ate, heh heh heh!’
A few of his disciples helped administer the poison, so everyone was in on it.
‘…The poison is deadly.’
These patients—or rather, homeless people—were destined to die anyway.
They were going to be killed immediately after the child doctor treated them.
Yet Kanin, who had planned everything, was missing.
The Sinion knight didn’t appear either.
“Alright, doctors, are you all ready?”
Jeok Yunha, acting as MC, grinned.
Smartly, she moved the medicinal ingredients closer so more people could see.
Surrounding the circle, in the center were the five patients, Heukbiyu, Heukbihoo, and Doctor Payman.
“I’ll go first.”
Heukbiyu stepped off his father’s arms and waved his hands.
Payman’s eyes widened.
“You said they all have the same disease? I’ll treat three out of the five.”
Biyu clapped his hands without even waiting for an answer. Despite the cute sound…
“Waaah!”
A huge wave surged. Biyu’s specialty.
The wave covered the patients with smooth yet rough curves.
The patients looked bewildered.
“Don’t be surprised. I’m just diagnosing.”
Payman’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘What is this?’
He had seen many doctors before.
But he had never seen anyone with such enormous ability.
For natural-world ability users, scale is a measure of power.
Three patients were trapped in water. But from afar, it looked as if they were caught in a giant sea.
The baby, cute and lovely enough to be mistaken for a doll, stared at the water expressionlessly.
His big eyes widened and twisted fiercely.
“Huh? What is this?”
Some onlookers still marveled at how cute he was, but the water behind Biyu thrashed violently.
Swirling faster than ever, the streams gulped down the medicinal herbs.
The water, initially green, turned blue, then clouded, and finally glimmered gold.
It was as if they had entered the world of immortals. The spectators were entranced.
‘The speed… of making the medicine…’
Payman’s mouth dropped open.
