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Chapter 77
“I don’t know what I was thinking back then. Not that it matters. But if it were me now… if I had to protect you, I think I could leave everything behind and go.”
“……”
“Didn’t you feel the same way?”
I slightly parted my lips.
‘Does he even realize what he’s saying right now?’
My dad, having spoken, casually turned toward my uncle, great-uncle, and cousin preparing the meal.
“Ah. Looks like the meal is ready. Let’s go.”
I nodded in a daze and followed him.
‘…He’s already come to like me that much? Enough to run away with me?’
After running for a while longer, we safely arrived at Cheymik—our destination.
“……Is this really a village people live in?”
Cheymik, though small in size, is a commercial hub, so many travelers pass through it.
It’s usually welcoming to outsiders, yet the village we arrived at was utterly desolate.
‘…Enter. I will inform the village chief that a doctor from the Heuk family has arrived.’
Even the soldiers guarding the gate had stiff expressions.
However, seeing our party and the Heuk family emblem on the carriage, they seemed relieved.
‘Besides, judging by their eyes, they must have assumed Dad or Uncle is the doctor, right?’
The Heuk family provides dispatched doctors with a “doctor’s badge.”
The badge indicates rank and serves as a certification of the doctor’s identity and skills.
Even though I showed mine, they naturally assumed Dad or Uncle was the doctor.
Well, it’s understandable.
Inside the village, it was eerie—no one was in sight.
I didn’t find it strange at all.
“Hey, are you listening? Hyung. Do you guys feel anything?”
“This is the first time seeing a village with an epidemic, isn’t it?”
“That’s true… but you talk as if you’ve seen this before?”
Heukbirang frowned, seemingly puzzled by my calm demeanor.
I shrugged.
Of course I’ve seen this. Plenty of times.
Villages stricken by disease generally show the same patterns. Even more so if the disease is unknown and without a developed medicine.
Soon, we saw a large pit with a fence blocking access.
Other signs included mounds of earth or bundles covered with straw or cloth.
‘Their response is a complete mess.’
Just by looking, I could tell:
This village didn’t have a competent doctor.
Even if there was one, they didn’t consider hygiene or know how to handle an epidemic.
Dad stopped walking.
“Are we going further into the village?”
“Of course.”
Dad looked displeased.
“The village chief should come out when you’re here.”
“My great-uncle agrees. There are too many corpses. Should I help, little one? I could strike lightning—ouch, that’d hurt—and run in.”
Would that be necessary, human?
“No. They’re probably busy dealing with the situation.”
Soon enough, we met the person who came to greet us.
“Hello!”
He was a doctor wearing a new beak mask that my uncle had tossed aside in the carriage.
“I received your message and also the supplies! I’m Coma, a mid-level doctor from the lordly estate under the Count of Lederrick, the nearby city! I’ve been in charge here for three months. It’s a bit filthy, isn’t it?”
The man, appearing in his late 30s, spoke only about himself.
“The patients’ symptoms are disgusting, and it’s better if you don’t touch them. They’re filthy. You only need to treat the ‘special’ patients we’ve selected.”
…What is this? Selecting patients? How can a doctor not treat patients fairly?
Regardless, the doctor’s voice carried excessive delight.
“It’s only my third time seeing a Heuk family doctor alive, but they’ve all shown incredible abilities. I have high expectations!”
After the emergence of doctors from the Eastern Continent, medical and treatment systems in the Western Continent standardized to using the term “doctor.”
He was subtly flaunting that he was a government-certified mid-level doctor.
‘Even that Payman guy was mid-level, and he was terrible.’
Similar to Payman, though supposedly in charge of medical operations here, the village was a mess.
“It’s a great honor to meet a doctor of the famous Heuk family. To whom should I report the situation?”
As expected, he alternately glanced at Dad and Uncle as if it were obvious.
‘My uncle looks like a warrior through and through. Even his clothes are loosely worn.’
Doctors usually present themselves neatly. In that sense, Dad and Uncle fit the image.
“I am not a doctor.”
“Excuse me? Ah… I see. Then, are you the doctor?”
“Nope.”
Currently, I was being held by Dad.
Heukbirang, for some reason, grabbed one of my hands with a proud and confident look and lifted me up.
“We’re just here to support, and this is the esteemed doctor.”
The mid-level doctor’s eyes landed on me.
Through his transparent goggles, I could clearly see his expression.
First, shock. Then, disbelief. Finally, anger. Mockery and scorn were evident.
“Did I hear wrong? Or are you trying to mock me? This… is a very young baby.”
“So?”
“Excuse me?”
The doctor’s voice involuntarily rose at Dad’s calm tone.
Dad tapped the doctor badge I held in my hand.
“There’s no law saying a child can’t be a doctor. The important thing is that the badge is shown in front of you. This is the person you should report to.”
“Uh……”
Mid-level doctor Coma laughed—a sharp, incredulous laugh.
“Are you all crazy? A baby as a doctor? If that baby is a doctor, I might as well eat manure.”
“……”
“I’ve heard the head of the Heuk family has gone senile from living too long. Seems like it’s true?”
The respect he initially showed was completely gone.
“How can that tiny kid treat patients? The world has gone mad. Now even kids are crazy… ugh!”
At that moment, the doctor was thrown backward.
BANG!
A water bomb fell on him.
The force throwing him came from Dad, and the water, naturally, was Uncle’s doing.
“Oops, my bad, Doctor Heukbiyu. I just saw some filth and wanted to clean it off.”
Uncle scratched his neck without an ounce of apology.
“I cleaned the filth that reached your ears, Doctor Heukbiyu.”
Dad responded even more shamelessly. Call the name properly, you rascal.
I scratched my cheek.
‘Honestly, I’m used to being underestimated for my age, so I’m not even angry…’
I laughed, feeling oddly pleased, when Great-Uncle poked his face in. Surprised me…
“I held back a bit. Using my ability on someone wet would hurt a lot.”
“…Alright, fair enough.”
I looked at the thrown doctor.
He wasn’t unconscious, but his face was a mix of shock, fear, and lingering defiance.
‘This situation is a complete mess.’
The epidemic had grown uncontrollable, largely due to this doctor.
I smiled lightly.
Before, I would have had to politely convince such a prejudiced person myself.
Now, that was unnecessary.
‘The situation is worse than I thought.’
I clapped my hands.
“Now, my warriors.”
Why did I bring three strong warriors all the way here?
I pointed to the collapsed doctor.
“Time to scare him a little.”
Better to make him listen first.
