Chapter 34

"It's not all better yet, but it's certainly better than before."

Auden said in a surprised tone.

"Getting better so quickly?

It was unbelievable.

Usually, it takes a while for detox medications to kick in. And it's not just detox pills, it's all kinds of herbs.

But right now, my symptoms were getting better by the minute.

"How is this possible?

Raymond smirked to himself as he watched the two in amazement.

"It's working as well as I thought it would. Good, meat tomorrow!

'You can charge me a fortune, for I have done you a great favor.

Galman asked.

"So the wound on my arm is going to heal now?"

I checked, and the rate of necrosis had slowed considerably.

"Soon, the necrosis will stop completely, and the damaged skin will heal naturally over time. There should be no after-effects on the movement of your arm."

Galman breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Auden thought to himself.

"If I'd ignored it and insisted on going to the kingdom, I could have been in trouble.

If the tendons, muscles, and so on were completely damaged, even Count Helien would be helpless.

The function of the arm would have been fatally compromised. Perhaps it would have to be amputated.

'You've come to my aid again.

This was the second time since Princess Sophia.

It was an enormous favor.

Auden was a lord of rewards and punishments.

Whatever reward Raymond wanted, he would give it to him.

"You have done me a great favor. Is there anything you would like me to do in return, if so, please email ...."

Raymond was quick to respond.

"Money."

"Money?"

"Don't think of it as a big favor, just pay for the treatment."

"Of course, that treatment will be a bit expensive, heh.

Raymond grinned conspiratorially.

"Look here. We're pretty high up, actually."

"Oh, I see."

I had guessed.

"You must be an officer of the Shadowlands Guild, because you don't look like a member of a marginal guild.

Galman cleared his throat.

"If there's anything you want, you can tell me. I'll listen."

"No need, just pay me."

Sounds too good to be true, Raymond thought, and added a word for image-making.

"I'm a therapist. It's my job to heal people, so I don't need any favors, just a small fee for my services."

'It's enough for me to put you through the wringer. Hmph.

Unaware of Raymond's true intentions, Galman marveled.

He had felt it before, but Raymond was a true healer of the times.

Next, Raymond asked for money.

"I think I'll charge you about 500 pesos."

500 pesos!

It was the highest price he had ever charged since opening.

For reference, it was the equivalent of half a year's living expenses for a commoner.

The needles used for the treatment and the cost of the antidote itself were expensive, but this was outrageous.

"...500 pesos?"

Galman and Auden were silent for a moment.

Raymond frowned at them.

"...too expensive?

No, it wasn't.

He had to get this much.

Raymond decided to play hardball.

"Yes, 500 pesos. No drafts. I only accept cash."

Then, Galman said.

"Five hundred pesos is a little...."

"It has to be 500 pesos, that's the right amount."

"The right amount?"

"Yes, you must pay that amount."

Mr. Galman's mouth dropped open.

"That's too cheap, I thought it would be at least a thousand pesos. No, I thought it would be two thousand, with the cost of the antidote.

Of course, Raymond hadn't realized they were kings and queens, so he hadn't asked for that kind of money.

But even so, it was cheap.

A thousand pesos was the 'minimum' for treatment by A-list healers.

"He's got integrity.

Galman shook his head.

'It's amazing. There's a reason the people of the Bay Area are so tightly wound.'

In any case, 500 pesos wasn't going to wipe his mouth.

"Five hundred pesos is a ridiculous price. You should give me more.

Galman glanced at Auden.

After a moment of silence, Auden spoke up.

"Let me ask you something. Why are you going through all this trouble?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you struggling in this place?"

Raymond, who had been flattered by the large sum of money, spoke from the heart.

"Because I have a bigger goal."

"A goal?"

"Yes."

Yes, he had big ambitions.

To be the best healer he could be, to have all the riches and fame and glory!

He was working toward that goal.

But when Galman heard the answer next to him, he took it a little differently.

"A bigger goal. You've decided to live your life for the benefit of others. That's wonderful.

Galman glanced over at Auden.

So much for the bastard he'd dismissed as a lost cause.

What could he be thinking?

Auden's face remained expressionless, unreadable.

"A goal, I see."

"Why is that?"

Raymond cocked his head at Auden, who had been acting strangely ever since.

"Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Much improved. Let's get back to work."

Except for the necrotic area on the outside of his arm. It didn't look like it would leave any scars.

"Five hundred pesos seems a small price to pay for that, since it's all I have."

With that, Auden pulled out a ring.

Raymond's eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a ring with a small gemstone!

"This, this?"

"It's nothing. Sell it."

It wasn't nothing!

The gemstone had a strange glow to it.

Unbeknownst to Raymond, it was a pearl called the Mermaid's Tear, a high-grade gemstone worth more than 10,000 pena!

He had unexpectedly gotten a huge amount of money!

And that wasn't the end of it.

"As if that wasn't enough."

Before Raymond could say anything, Auden continued.

"We'll have to come back after hours."

"...?"

"I'm looking forward to seeing what this healing center looks like when I come back."

And with that, they left.

Raymond scratched his head.

"Expecting what?"

* * *

"This is amazing.

As Galman left the healing center, he thought about what he'd just seen.

He'd noticed it the last time they'd met, but he hadn't realized how much he'd grown, and the ugliness of his past was nowhere to be seen.

I was particularly impressed by his insistence on taking only 500 pena.

"The kingdom could use more healers like that.

"A true healer, a rarity in this day and age, don't you think?"

Galman asked bluntly.

Auden still had no answer.

Biting his tongue, Galman asked something else.

"By the way, I'm afraid I'm underpaid."

Ten thousand pennies worth of jewelry was a small price to pay for curing the king.

"But what do you mean by that?"

"I'm looking forward to seeing what this healer looks like when I come back.

A strange look crossed Galman's face as he recalled Auden's words.

It meant something.

King Auden had said he would see how Raymond would grow.

But Auden didn't seem to have much of an answer, just continued walking in silence.

After a while, Auden said something else.

"I guess we're going to have to find out who's behind this."

"Yes, sir."

Galman's mood grew heavy.

This was a high-profile assassination attempt on the king.

He had to dig deep and find out who was behind this.

"You've read my tracks," he said, "so there must be K'napul in the castle. I want you to search the castle for them."

"Understood."

Galman's eyes grew cold.

They foretold bloodshed.

There will be a bloodstorm in the castle as soon as they return.

* * *

Meanwhile, far away from the capital of the Kingdom of Houston, a mysterious man was listening to the report through a magical communication channel.

"So, you failed to assassinate Auden?"

This man was the one behind the attempt to assassinate Auden!

"I used three hundred and four mixed poisons, I thought I'd be lucky to get at least one limb, but it's a pity."

It was a languid voice.

Despite his words, he didn't sound disappointed, just as if he had lost one of his many hands.

"It doesn't matter, there's always another way."

The man turned to the map.

It was a map of the entirety of the Kingdom of Houston.

He picked up a sharp dagger and threw it at the map.

Boom!

The dagger struck the capital of the kingdom, which is where the Bay Area is located.

The man stared at the dagger in the Bay District with a blank stare, then turned to the magic conduit and spoke.

"The Bay District is my next target. This time, I must not fail."

It was an eerie story.

Not only was he planning to assassinate Auden, but he was also planning to carry out some sort of plot in the Bay Area next.

-Yes! Yes!

A nervous voice came from the other end of the line.

After the comms were turned off, the man leaned back in his top-notch leather couch.

"By the way, you recovered from the three hundred and four poisons with no ill effects. You must have been lucky to have a great healer in the Bay Area."

The man guessed so.

Detoxifying the poison would have been impossible with normal healing powers.

"I hope I'm not interfering with your next move."

The man looked serious for a moment.

Coincidentally, his next plan was something only a healer could stop, and the healer who had cured Auden might be a factor.

But the man shook his head in disbelief.

"Not likely, because this plan isn't something that can be stopped simply by having a powerful ranked heel."

The man continued.

"Rather, it is a plan that cannot be thwarted simply by having a high level of healing power, unless you are a healer with a broad and deep knowledge."

A healer with broad and deep knowledge.

They were much harder to find than healers with strong healing powers.

In recent years, healers have been all about the healing, not the knowledge.

So there would be no healer who could stop his next plan.

The man smiled a crooked smile.

"I'm looking forward to the next part of my plan."

He still needed more time.

It would be at least a month before he could make it as elaborate as possible.

He decided to look forward to it.