Chapter 20 - Acupuncture (Complete)

Chapter 20 - Acupuncture (Complete)

"Okay. Then could you lie down here for a while?"

The blind man happily accepted Anthony's request and stood up from the sofa.

Anthony followed the blind man's advice and lay down comfortably on the sofa. Fortunately, the sofa was long enough for him to lie on.

"Uh... How's it going?"

Anthony lay down on the sofa and looked up at the blind man next to him.

"First, you need to know where you are sick. Have you had any discomfort recently?"

"Recently... Maybe because I haven't slept properly, my body and head are heavy due to a lot of fatigue, but how could this... Be possible?"

"Fatigue... Fatigue..."

The blind man knelt down next to Anthony, who was lying on the sofa, and groped for and grabbed his arm.

"Could you please roll up your sleeves?"

"...I will."

As the blind man demanded, Anthony obediently rolled up his sleeves. The servant was watching them from the other side of the living room holding his breath.

As Anthony rolled up his sleeves, the blind man rummaged through the backpack he was wearing and took out one of his needles.

"Please rest your arms comfortably on the sofa. Arms should not be strained."

"...Yes."

It was purely to test the blind, so Anthony complied with his request.

As Anthony relaxes his arm, the blind man's hand brushes along his arm, stopping at one point.

And the other hand of the blind man who was holding the acupuncture needle pierced it exactly at that point.

The saliva quickly dug into the skin, but Anthony couldn't feel the sting.

'Something feels like my head is clearing little by little...'

Shortly after the blind man left his acupuncture point, Anthony's throbbing head was gradually clearing up.

"...What is this...? ...Ah, I'm sorry. I'm new to acupuncture, so I'm really surprised..."

Anthony opens his eyes wide, and babbles at the blind man.

"It's a point that relieves a little bit of a headache. To get rid of the body's fatigue, you have to touch the back, so I tried to solve the headache in a hurry, but how is it?"

The blind man answered Anthony with a calm smile.

'It may be noble. At las...'

Anthony was in a hurry.

An apology came first.

"First of all... I'd like to apologize to the acupuncturist. Since it's acupuncture, the needles will go into the child's body... I'm very worried."

"It's okay. If a stranger puts a spittle on it, that's the reaction."

Saying that, the blind man tidied up his backpack and stood up.

The blind man, having put all of his backpack in order, continues.

"Moreover, it's a daughter's body that won't hurt even if you put it in her eyes... I understand. If I can help someone who is sick, this is also something I have to endure."

Anthony, who was lying on the sofa and looking up at the blind man, saw a flash of light behind him at his elegant words.

'Saint...'

The holy woman and the saint were the apostles of the main god, and only one could exist at the same time.

Even though the saintess recognized by the god would openly exist in her holy kingdom, such words suddenly passed through Anthony's mind.

Of course, when I looked closely, the glow was a lamp hanging from the ceiling. It was his delusion.

Anthony finally came to his senses and stood up from the couch.

"...Anyway, thank you. Let's go together to check on my daughter's condition."

Anthony kindly led the blind man to the room where his daughter would be.

'Anyway, he walks really well.'

The blind man followed Anthony to the room in an upright posture, hearing only the sound of his footsteps.

"I heard it from a servant, but I'm curious about what a feeling is."

"Sense is... Another sense that allows you to roughly perceive where something is, such as sound, waves, or air flow. "

"Haha..."

The blind man was quite humble.

He seemed great to Antony, but he didn't treat it as special.

"This is my daughter's room."

Anthony said that and opened the door to the room.

The blind man who entered the room noticed the presence of a chair next to the bed, groped for the chair, and asked him.

"Can I sit here and see the condition?"

"You can do whatever you feel comfortable with. Gigam is a very mysterious ability."

"But... It's hard to know her exact condition just by feeling, so I have no choice but to contact her. Will it be okay?"

"It's okay."

Anthony stood behind the blind man and watched his actions carefully.

The blind man groped for the blanket that was covering Emilia and then removed her upper clothes, revealing her belly.

Soon after, the blind man felt Emilia's belly, squeezed it, or put her ear close to her body to listen more closely.

'He is an unusual person.'

When it comes to relationships with people, it is said that first impressions are very important.

Antony's first impression of the blind man was impressive.

The mysterious ability of qi sense, his excellent acupuncture that he experienced firsthand, and even the appearance of white bandages around his eyes.

Every single thing that made him was a mysterious figure.

Sensing an unusual aura in the sight of the blind man looking around at Emilia, Anthony was slightly nervous, so he crossed her arms and watched him.

The blind man, who had been using all his senses to check Emilia's condition, opened his mouth as if he had finished checking.

"...I was skeptical when I heard the rumors, but after looking at it, I think my predictions were correct."

"Do you know the name of the disease?"

"...Have you ever heard of 'mana exhaustion'?"

"Mana exhaustion...?"

Anthony expresses bewilderment at the unfamiliar disease name.

"Mana constitutes the human body and is the source of life... It should be seen as a kind of life force."

"I know that, but..."

Although he did not handle mana as well as a knight or wizard, Antony knew that everyone in the world lived with mana in their bodies.

"But if you take this mana out of your body and consume it, that's how much of a burden it is. This is the case with wizards. Magic basically consumes the mana you have."

"...But my daughter is an ordinary child who can't handle mana properly, let alone magic. But exhaustion?"

As the blind man's explanation continued, Anthony, who became suspicious, untied his arms and asked him.

"Originally, mana exhaustion is a temporary condition. In other words, it is a phenomenon seen by those who have consumed a lot of mana. However, even though your daughter did not consume mana, mana is leaking out of her body from the short battle that recovers mana... The state of mana exhaustion continues."

"...Mana is leaking... Mana exhaustion... Is it impossible even for an acupuncturist to cure it...?"

At Antony's earnest question, the blind man's head, which had been facing Antony, turned towards Emilia again.

"Originally, this disease is a rare disease, but I know that it can be cured by using 'Divine Clear', which purifies harmful conditions among divine magic... But I heard that it is not possible to do so."

Saying that softly, the blind man opened his backpack, took out many needles, and placed them next to Emilia who was lying down.

"So... I'll have to try."

"Could I risk my life while attempting treatment...?"

Anthony asked at the blind man's words.

Of course, Anthony firmly believed in the acupuncture skill of the blind man in front of him, but he could be a bit reluctant if there was a risk.

"There's no risk. It's just a job that requires a lot of concentration."

"Ah... I see. Please. If you feel uncomfortable with me being here, please tell me."

"It's okay. You can watch it as long as it doesn't affect your mood."

Saying that, the blind man slowly put his finger on Emilia's stomach.

Soon the blind man picked up a needle.

ã…¡Gulp.

Anthony involuntarily swallowed heavily.

He begged not to affect his mood, but his anxiety was not relieved.

'Dear Heneris. I hope you sent me a nobleman today.'

Anthony prayed to the Lord deeply in his heart.

The moment he was about to place one of his saliva on Emilia's stomach, the blind man stopped his arm.

Anthony immediately questioned his questionable behavior.

"Did something unexpected happen?"

"No, I think I need to go more clearly. Since the procedure is so important, I'll review it for a moment. Just wait a little bit."

Anthony was puzzled by the blind man's incomprehensible words, but it seemed that the blind man, who was lowering his head, was really replaying something in his head.

'The order of saliva is important... I expected it, but it's a tough situation.'

After a while, the blind man finally raised his head.

"Okay. Then, let's begin."

The more certain tone of the blind man with his head raised was enough to instill trust in Anthony.

A blind man's spittle was placed on Emilia's stomach.

Emilia's expression did not change. Fortunately for her, she doesn't seem to feel her pain.

The blind man continued to caress Emilia's belly, locate it, and place acupuncture needles over and over again.

'Dear Heneris... Please give strength to our pitiful Emilia...'

Anthony prayed to the god he served.

The blind man's needles were embroidered one by one, and it was at this point that even after ten, it exceeded two.

The blind man's hand, which had been moving calmly and swiftly, finally stopped and he opened his mouth.

"Whoa... It's all over. Now you just have to wait. In this case, it's not easy to see the effects of the acupuncture immediately like before."

The blind man carefully packs his rucksack, gets up from his seat, and knocks on the chair he was sitting on until just now.

"Sit down. If she gets up, she'll want to see her father's face first."

"...Thank you."

"But we still don't know. We'll have to keep an eye on it."

Anthony sat down in her chair with a trembling expression and looked at Emilia, who had twelve acupuncture needles in her tiny belly.

As Anthony looked at his daughter and thought of his wife who had passed away first, his heart sank.

'It was difficult... But I was able to endure it while watching her daughter... How am I supposed to endure if Emilia leaves you too?'

Anthony gathered his hands neatly and placed them on the bed and prayed to the Lord desperately.

The blind man stood silently watching the broad back behind him.

Like that...

How much time has passed

Anthony, who was praying with his head down, heard someone's voice.

A voice he longed to hear.

The only voice that was desperately longing for.

"Dad...?"

It was Emilia's voice when she woke up.

Emilia, as if her mind was in a daze, called Anthony Daddy.

Dad.

Anthony was a word I hadn't heard in a very long time.

Because, ever since his wife passed away, when she addressed him, he chose the word her father rather than her father.

"Emilia...? You're awake...!"

"Yes..."

"Emilia... Black... Huh..."

Emilia wonders why her tears are flowing from her own precious father's eyes...

She couldn't know

But.

She looked at her father and smiled.

I guess that's why it has to be.

"Hi-Hi..."

Anthony's tears only flowed more forcefully at Emilia's smile, which looked just like her own wife.

"I missed you so much... My lovely daughter..."

***

"Are you really okay with 700 gold?! Someone told me that I would give 2000 gold to anyone who heals my daughter..."

"It's okay. Wouldn't it bother you more at this amount?"

"But... No. The acupuncturist has everything you want, so I'll follow. Thank you very much."

Anthony bowed to me and greeted me.

'If you take all 2000 gold, your becoming a saintess' patron will be delayed...'

When it becomes a saint episode, it starts to get twisted subtly, so I received as little as possible.

Even the offer of 1000 gold she refused.

After calling for about 700 gold, Anthony was convinced and accepted.

'Being good is a very good person.'

The girl holding on to one of Anthony's legs, his daughter Emilia, waves her hand at her me. I'm a little embarrassed because I'm unfamiliar with it.

"Emilia. She's a blind person, so it's better to say hello with her mouth."

Anthony crouched down on her, brought her to eye level with Emilia, and spoke while stroking her.

'I used up both skill points, but I don't worry because I have an 'eyepatch' for experience... I have some saved up in case something like this happens.'

Before she tried her acupuncture on Emilia, she didn't seem to be able to level 1 at all, so she used her 2 remaining skill points to level 3.

Fortunately, the results were successful.

Just then, the result speaks to me in a small, sweet voice.

"Acupuncturist... Thank you... See you next time...!"

I smiled at Emilia's shy greeting.

"I don't know if I'll get a chance next time, but I'll repay you bigger someday. Acupuncturist."

"Haha. Thank you enough for the money I've already received. Then, I'll be on my way."

"Please enter carefully."

The servant standing next to them also bowed to me.

I said goodbye to them and left.

'I feel like my excuses are getting better as time goes by.'

It is impossible to take off the 'eyepatch', and the future of good people in my hands was too precious to give up everything.

As Anthony is a person who will become the patron saint of the saintess, the connection with the saintess will deepen in the future.

'If I solved this quest in the game, I started off with a slight increase in the favorability of the saintess...'

The saintess' appearance at the academy was a bit far later.

Her name was deliberately abbreviated.

It's better to be specific.

She's the type to be attracted to mystical figures, so it seemed like it could work better if she didn't give her name.

When I left Antony's house, the sun was slowly revealing itself.

The backpack was thick.

She received 700 gold, so 500 gold is a solution.

All that remains is an object containing memories of the soul.

Knowing the location, this process should not be difficult.

Once you join the exchange meeting, you can't change it for a while, so it was an investment of two skill points and a passive skill that increases swordsmanship attack power.

'Still, this method is the fastest.'

Yodo (妖刀) is really not far now.

'I need to move quickly so as not to be late.'