Chapter 16

Count August said

"Henceforth, we, Count August, shall regard you, Raymond, as a friend."

"...!"

Raymond's eyes widened at the sudden declaration.

"A friend..., what do you mean by that?"

"Literally. You will be a friend of our Count August from now on."

"...!"

Raymond exclaimed, quickly recognizing the meaning behind the Earl's words.

"He's going to let me be more than just a backup, he's going to let me be the Earl's friend!

A nobleman's friend.

In the future, those who deal with Raymond will have no choice but to care about Count August behind his back.

It will be difficult to treat him as anything less than a bastard, and it will be difficult to antagonize him unjustly.

Raymond bowed his head as the reward was far beyond what he had expected.

"I am grateful for the Earl's generosity!"

"No thanks. No reward can compare to saving my son's life. Again, I thank you for saving my son's life."

Raymond smiled.

And with that, the case was closed.

Lance was punished and disbarred as a healer, and Raymond had his back.

It was a perfect ending, but there was still one more thing.

"I... Count?"

"Huh?"

"We can be friends, but you'll still have to pay for your treatment. Oh, of course, I'd rather not, but it's clinic policy, I'm sorry."

"...."

It was Raymond who paid for the treatment on a shoestring.

It's good to eat the pheasant (Count) and eat the eggs (money)!

* * *

Later, after being discharged from the hospital feeling completely well, Clien had a conversation with Count August.

"Why did you make such a reward?"

"Why, do you think it was excessive?"

"No, certainly not."

Raymond hadn't just saved Clien's life.

He saved the family from a great crisis.

"If I had died as I was, I would have been caught up in the Second Prince's conspiracy, and both the Third Prince and our family would have been in great trouble.

Therefore, any reward was worth it.

However, I was curious as to his true intentions.

"Clien, how do you think the state of affairs will proceed in the future?"

"It will be even more chaotic with succession squabbles. The second prince, the third prince, the fourth prince, all of them unwilling to back down."

"And you think Raymond will be able to avoid that maelstrom?"

"That's...."

Clien closed his mouth tightly.

As things stand, he will.

Raymond is only an illegitimate son with no claim to the throne.

But Clien couldn't answer that easily.

It was because of what he had seen of Raymond this time.

"There's a saying about sharp needles coming out of your pockets," he said, "and with the way he's been acting lately, it's likely he won't be able to stay calm in the storm of power struggles."

Count August was astonished by this assessment of Raymond.

A sharp needle!

"Not yet, of course, but Raymond has a lot of potential, and there's no telling what he'll become.

August, a great southern nobleman, had an excellent eye for people.

In his opinion, Raymond was an untapped gemstone.

He would see the light of day one way or another.

"He is a bastard, but he has the blood of a king. What would happen if such a one were to excel?"

Kliang was silent.

To a normal person, exceptional talent was a blessing.

But for a bastard?

It was a reason to be ostracized. They were often eliminated by their siblings who wanted to get rid of them.

Even in a normal noble family, this was a royal family, a royal succession.

"Raymond is likely to face all sorts of storms in the future. Whether he wants it or not, he will be swept to and fro in the center of the storm. And in the end...."

Count August did not finish his sentence.

But Clien could guess his father's final words.

-And in the end, you will meet a miserable end.

"And so I must offer Raymond a little shield, if only for the sake of my family, though there are limits."

The Earls of August were not the best family in the kingdom.

In the kingdom as a whole, there were many stronger families than the Earls of August.

Even in the southern provinces, where he was based, there were families more powerful than him.

Still, it would provide some sort of shield.

At least until the ugly bastard grew up to be a real threat to the other princes.

"He's so weak now, anyone could trample him. But with us as his shield, no one will dare to touch him."

This was the most Count August could offer.

He looked deep into his eyes and said

"Apart from everything else... I'd like to see him spread his wings as a healer as he wishes, and I'd hate to see a healer with such a good heart get his wings clipped by the tricks of the wrong people."

Clien nodded in agreement.

He tried to imagine Raymond growing up to be a great healer.

It would be wonderful.

Like Raymond, Clien hoped that a true healer would grow up untouched by the winds of the world.

But against their wishes, Raymond was soon brought to the attention of the worst possible person.

Prince Cairn.

The strongest candidate for the throne at the moment, he took an interest in Raymond.

* * *

"Clien is alive, didn't you say you handled it properly?"

"Sin, I apologize, Your Majesty, I must have inflicted a mortal wound...."

The sculpted handsome man lifted his teacup and brought it to the corner of his mouth.

It was a simple gesture, but it was graceful and dignified.

It had to be.

The man's name was Kairn.

He was the second prince of this Houston kingdom!

He was the firstborn, replacing the unfortunate genius, Prince Python, who had died in an unfortunate accident.

"And what's this, Raymond is the healer who cured Clien? How interesting, last time I saw him healing Sophia."

Kairn sounded intrigued.

There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"...."

The nameless nobleman in front of him stiffened and stared at Kairn.

"Well, I guess we'll have to cancel this plan anyway. Raymond, that puppy has ruined my carefully laid plans."

He referred to Raymond as a puppy.

Indeed, to Kairn, Raymond was a puppy.

A dirty, lowly, ugly puppy that could be played with.

"I guess our 'puppy' has changed a lot since I last saw him."

Kairn thought back to the Raymond she'd seen in passing at the Tanshin Festival not long ago.

He still looked timid, but he had certainly grown up.

He smirked and rose from his seat.

The wide windows offered a panoramic view of the palace. Countless figures were scurrying about like ants.

"We'll have to see about that."

Kairn said in a languid tone.

"See how our raggedy puppy grows up."

* * *

A little time passed after that.

After Chief Healer Lance was kicked out, Raymond's standing had risen by leaps and bounds.

None of the healers dared to disrespect him now.

No wonder.

He was knighted, and he had an earl for a backer.

No commoner healer would dare to speak ill of him, lest they be booked for their previous sins.

But that didn't mean he didn't recognize Raymond's skill.

'He's a hack, to be sure.

"How did you get so lucky to cure the heir to an earldom?

"Eh, maybe I should have stepped in. If that's what he can do, it seems like a minor injury.

To the healers who used the heels, medicine was nothing more than pseudoscience.

I didn't say it out loud, but most of them gave me a dismissive glance.

Some.

Only a few thought otherwise.

"It's too much of a coincidence... that this is the third time.

"He saved the princess, so maybe it has some other mystical power besides healing?

One of those few healers was Hanson.

Hanson helped Raymond up and asked gruffly.

"Isn't your lordship angry?"

"At what?"

"That people disrespect medicine."

Raymond replied nonchalantly.

"It doesn't bother me."

"Because it's a natural reaction.

What if Hill showed up on "modern Earth," where medicine is the norm?

Everyone would condemn it as quackery and dismiss it.

It was the exact opposite.

"It would take a long time to break down the walls of prejudice.

Raymond was well aware of the plight of medicine.

"That's okay, though, because eventually you'll be recognized for your skills.

Medicine was a therapy that could transcend Hill's limitations.

So, Raymond decided to relax.

People would eventually recognize the practice. Raymond was convinced.

Despite Raymond's confidence, the healers increasingly looked down on the practice.

They couldn't dismiss it outright like they used to, so they gossiped about it ugly behind his back.

"You're about to take the therapist exam. Do you think you'll pass?"

"I don't know. If I'm lucky enough to have easy patients like I've had so far, I might."

"Then what grade do you get? I'm guessing a D at best."

"What's a D? Wouldn't that be an F?"

"Well, an F doesn't get you recognized as a therapist, so does that make you fail?"

The healers snickered behind their backs.

"Let's make a bet. We'll see what happens."

"I fail with an F."

"Hey, is this a bet? Aren't you all betting on being eliminated?"

And so, the people at Belland's clinic watched Raymond's test results with excitement.

And then.

The fateful moment had arrived.

Raymond's therapist license was at hand.

It was the moment Raymond had been waiting for for five years.

* * *

"This is finally happening to me.

Raymond's heart pounded in his chest.

Passing the advancement examination was essential to becoming an upstanding healer in the Crusader Empire, including the Kingdom of Houston.

"I've been persecuted all this time to take this test, and I've never been able to leave the Belland Healing Center.

In order to take the advancement exam, he had to be recognized as an apprentice.

"Though my healing powers are still intact.

Raymond opened his hand to reveal a heel.

'Fishhooks.

A faint glow, I'm not sure I'd call it a glow, flickered on and off.

This was his healing power. One that no one recognized.

'But it doesn't matter.

Raymond thought firmly.

He had another ability that could save his patients.

"No matter what patient is placed in front of me, I will heal them with this power.

Becoming a licensed healer was a longtime dream of his.

Raymond looked forward to receiving the healing wand symbol that would prove him a licensed healer.

It wasn't long now.

* * *

But then things took a strange turn.

Kingdom of Houston.

The following discussion took place in the Tower of Healing chapter.

"Are you suggesting that we assign that patient to Sir Raymond's examination?"

The examiners administering the advancement exams looked surprised.

"Isn't that the same patient that Tras, a Grade B+ healer, failed to treat?"

Grade B+.

Not just a B, but a B+, which is closer to an A.

"He needs to be a Grade A or at least a Grade B+ healer to be cured, and you're going to put him in the test?

Everyone was surprised.