Doctor Player

Chapter 4

Fortunately, getting assigned to the almshouse wasn’t difficult: it was dirty, tough, and exhausting work, so no one wanted to be there. There also happened to be an opening at the moment, so he was able to transfer immediately.

I’m going to work hard. Standing in front of the almshouse, Raymond took a single deep breath. I’ll become the best healer by any means necessary!

He had a grand dream to become the best healer in the kingdom and bask in all the honor, fame, and wealth that accompanied the position. He would shake free from the scorn aimed at him for being a bastard and walk with his head held high. I’ll make it happen!

With this resolution, he entered the almshouse and bowed politely in greeting. “Nice to meet you! I’m Raymond, and I’ve just been assigned to the almshouse!”

But his reception was icy.

“Why’s that bastard lurking around the almshouse now?”

“He doesn’t know his place. He’s just going to get in our way.”

“Weren’t they going to kick him out?”

The healers working in the almshouse clicked their tongues at him in annoyance. Although their glares and insults stung, Raymond let them roll off his back with an oblivious smile. After twenty-three years of abuse, he no longer felt hurt at such snide remarks, only tucked them away in his memory for later.

Just wait. Once I become the greatest of healers, I’ll pay you back tenfold for treating me like this. I’ve committed all your faces to memory.

The possibility was now within his grasp, thanks to the abilities granted by <Surgeon>. He would level up by treating as many patients as possible at the almshouse and become a healer admired by all, and then he’d lord it over these jerks! Let’s do this!

But opportunities to treat patients didn’t come easily—no one would allow Raymond anywhere near them.

“Stay out of the way.”

“You, treating patients? When your healing can’t even be considered grade-F?”

Everyone shunned him like he was a maggoty heap of garbage, scowling when he so much as came near them.

Lance, the master healer, was the most vicious of all. “Perhaps there truly was divine intervention involved. The infected patient was already cured when I went to check on him. How lucky you are.”

He didn’t believe for a second that Raymond had healed a patient with a gluteal abscess using his own skills, only considering it all a coincidence.

“Regardless, a promise is a promise. I’ll give you another chance. But this is your last.” Lance twisted the corner of his mouth into a smirk. “How fortunate that you happened to have asked to be assigned to the almshouse. You have two weeks to prove your talent. Otherwise, as previously discussed, you’ll be stripped of your apprenticeship status.”

How am I supposed to prove my abilities when I have no chance to see any patients?! Raymond gritted his teeth. I have to figure out a way to treat someone.

At this rate, he wouldn’t get a glimpse of a single patient even if a whole year passed, let alone two weeks. Instead of waiting for someone to hand him a free lunch, he needed to go out and earn it.

“Hanson, aren’t you tired?”

“Ah, Senior Raymond.”

Hanson looked about nineteen, and his face had yet to shed its boyish roundness. He was the kindest of the apprentices assigned to the almshouse, with a grade-C talent and middling abilities.

“What brings you here?” he asked Raymond warily, a dubious look in his eyes.

Even the kindest of the apprentices treated him this way, because Raymond was filth no one wanted to deal with. Perhaps it was because his biological father was of such high standing that his illegitimacy and inferiority was thrown into even starker relief, framing him as the filth that had tainted the nobility of his perfect father. Combined with his pitiful sub-F talent, this left him someone no one at the infirmary wanted anything to do with.

“You seem to be struggling. Are you all right?”

“Well...” Hanson trailed off. Being the youngest in the almshouse, he’d been saddled with all the most unpleasant tasks.

“I’d like to help. Can I take over cleaning the almshouse?” Raymond proposed.

“Really?” Hanson asked, visibly surprised. Cleaning the almshouse was the worst of his tasks.

“Yes, you just seem so exhausted. I feel guilty for not doing anything. Would that be all right?”

“I would be very grateful, but...”

As Hanson lowered his guard, Raymond subtly introduced his real goal. “You’ve been doing so much even besides that. Could I take over aftercare for patients when you’re too tired for it?”

“What? That’s...” Hanson looked uncomfortable. His role as an apprentice was to handle post-treatment once the certified healers had finished using their healing powers, doing busywork like wrapping bandages or applying medicinal herbs.

“If you don’t want me to, it can’t be helped. I was just worried because it seemed like you were having a hard time.” Raymond hid his true intentions, pretending to be simply concerned about Hanson. Of course, he also showed no signs that he was desperate, which was the most fundamental principle of good negotiation.

Now it was Hanson who was growing nervous. What should I do? The healers will be furious if they find out Senior Raymond took over the patient aftercare. But the reward he was being offered was too sweet to give up. Even being freed from the one task of cleaning the almshouse would take a huge weight off his shoulders.

Sensing weakness, Raymond played his trump card. “Never mind then. I was only going to take on those duties when the healers weren’t around, in case it would get you in trouble. Let’s just forget I ever said—”

“Y-yes, let’s do that!” Finally, Hanson surrendered. “But you’re really going to take over cleaning the almshouse, right?”

“Of course.” Raymond grinned inwardly and thought to himself, It’s time to level up.

He wasn’t thrilled about cleaning either, but he decided to think of it as an investment for the sake of leveling up.

***

“All done.”

“Oh my, thank you, healer.”

[Experience points gained!]

“My pleasure. Ah, and take these herbs with you!”

[Experience points gained!]

[Experience points gained!]

Perhaps because the treatments were so simple, there wasn’t a lot of experience he could gain from the aftercare. But though he was awarded only 1 point at a time, many drops made a shower.

[Level Up!]

On the third day since he’d arrived at the almshouse, his level finally increased to Level 4.

Spent unused stat points on attunement. Raymond happily increased his attunement stat. The higher his attunement, the better a surgeon he would become. More. I need more experience points.

With that in mind, he did his best to treat as many patients as he could. Fortunately, avoiding the other healers’ gazes wasn’t difficult, since they didn’t spend every waking hour at the almshouse. Instead, they usually came only when a patient arrived, used their healing power, and then returned to their offices.

“Here, all done. Try to be more careful next time.”

[Experience points gained!]

No matter how many times he heard that message, it was always music to his ears. If I keep working hard like this, I could someday become the kingdom’s best healer. Then a bright future will await me!

Raymond’s goals were to become the greatest of healers, gain honor, and make a lot of money. This was because he’d suffered an impoverished childhood. Despite being born the son of a man nobler than any other, he was left to suffer cruel abuse and treated worse than the lowest of servants.

No one who hadn’t experienced it would understand the sorrow of living as the lowest of existences in the grandest of places, envying everyone else. As a result, he’d become deeply fixated on money. If I become an amazing healer, I’ll have riches beyond imagining.

Healers made a great deal of money, and needless to say, that was doubly true of higher-ranking healers. If he became the greatest healer of all, he would enjoy unimaginable wealth—he’d be able to buy a five-story mansion lined with marble floors, eat the highest quality steak for every meal, and drink the finest wine before bed. He indulged in these rose-tinted daydreams, vowing to make them a reality someday... Though it was an ambitious dream indeed for a Novice Resident who hadn’t even reached level 10 yet.

Anyway, let’s go! Raymond began to attend to his patients even more attentively, and as he did so he heard something unexpected.

“Ah, healer, you’re so good-looking and kind. I’ve visited many an infirmary in my time, but I’ve never met a healer as kind as you,” one of the patients said with sincere gratitude.

“Not at all,” Raymond replied awkwardly. I haven’t even really been especially kind. It’s just that the other healers are so unfriendly.

Those with the capability to use healing were rare, so healers were always in a superior position to all those around them, and hardly any of them ever bothered with being kind to patients.

But Raymond had a different perspective. If you’re a healer, you should be kind to your patients. It was heartbreaking to be treated coldly after dragging your sick body in for treatment. He’d felt this keenly when his mother was ill, so he tried his best to be as kind as possible to his patients.

“Thank you for today, young man. That Lance or whatever, he’s a good healer, but so unfriendly! You’ve been a great comfort, handsome healer.”

Raymond felt a warm tingling in his heart at the elderly patient’s thanks. “Please, don’t mention it.”

As he replied, a bunch of messages appeared with a ding.

[You treated the patient kindly!]

[Achievement <Kind Healer> completed!]

[Fame increased!]

[5 skill points gained!]

That was a welcome message. He wasn’t sure how he would use them yet, but skill points would definitely help improve his surgical skills.

And that wasn’t the only unexpected achievement. Raymond received a significant achievement reward from a completely unexpected source—cleaning.

Hmm, honestly, I don’t want to clean the almshouse either. But I promised, so I have no choice. Cleaning the almshouse was different from ordinary household cleaning. Mopping floors covered in blood, waste, and bodily fluids was nauseating and exhausting work. Should I just do a half-assed job of it? Raymond was tempted to for a moment. Honestly, it wasn’t like Hanson really cleaned all that diligently either.

But he soon shook his head at himself. An unclean environment is bad for patients. It’s tough work, but it can’t be helped. The people of Lepentina didn’t place much importance on cleanliness, and this was true for the healers as well, but now that he possessed medical knowledge, Raymond couldn’t think the same.

He knew now the effects an unsanitary environment could have on patients. No matter how difficult it was, he couldn’t skive off his cleaning duties. It was a matter of conscience.