Doctor Player

Chapter 8

Though Raymond couldn’t be sure if the player system was capable of predicting future patients, he didn’t have a good feeling about all this.

Lance asked again, “What will you do? Surely you wouldn’t decline…?”

“I’ll do it.”

Lance’s eyes widened upon hearing his unexpected acceptance.

“But on one condition.”

“And that is?”

Raymond thought to himself, The quest rewards alone aren’t enough. Now that it had come to this, he’d just have to milk it for all it was worth. “Please allow me to take the upcoming healer certification exam after the banquet.”

The healer certification exam was only open to those whose talent had been recognized in the course of their apprenticeship, and passing this exam was essential to becoming a healer licensed to practice independently. This was the sole reason Raymond had endured the Bellund Infirmary’s harsh environment for all these years.

Lance’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why bother taking the test when you don’t even have grade-F healing power?” he sneered.

“Master Lance, did you not just say I will be dispatched to the royal palace? That I’m sufficiently qualified?” Raymond shot back.

Lance’s face turned red. He had indeed said that. Caught in his own web, he had no choice but to nod. “Fine, but only upon your return after successfully performing your duty at the banquet.”

That was already the plan. In any case, having secured approval, Raymond internally pumped his fist with triumph. I finally qualified for the exam! This is just the beginning.

Being a certified healer was worlds apart from being an apprentice, as different as a knight from a humble squire. As soon as I get certified, I’m out of here. He may have had no choice at the moment, but he didn’t intend to stay at Bellund a moment longer than necessary.

But before that... Raymond leveled a fierce look at Lance.

Once he was certified, he’d take Lance out back and beat the asshole black and blue before leaving the center behind for good.

***

Despite having made his decision, Raymond still felt apprehensive about going to the royal palace.

It hadn’t been the healers who’d most maliciously despised and tormented him. Compared to what he had endured in the royal palace, the healers’ bullying was almost cute. At least they treated him like a human being, albeit a worthless and pathetic one. But in the royal palace, Raymond was regarded as vile trash—nothing more, nothing less. Let alone the nobles, even the maids and servants all looked down on him.

The worst offenders of all were the other members of the royal family. Though they shared the same father, those radiant and noble princes and princesses so different from his own base existence had tormented him mercilessly. If he attended the royal banquet, he was sure to encounter them again. Should I decline now, before it’s too late? For a brief moment, he seriously contemplated it, weighed down by his past trauma.

Since I’m just an apprentice, I could skip it without anyone questioning me, though Lance would use the excuse to harass me even more. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to avoid the situation entirely.

But then, another thought crossed his mind. What if an emergency happens, and I’m not there? There will be healers, but not all emergencies can be handled with healing. Many healers would be sent to the banquet, but as he’d previously witnessed, healing had its limitations. What if an emergency occurred that healing couldn’t help? In that case, that patient would die. What should I do?

Raymond bit his lip as a new resolve washed over him. I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I have to avoid them? All throughout his life, he’d asked himself that question countless times while enduring unbearable pain. Why should he suffer, when he wasn’t the one at fault? It was the same this time. He had done absolutely nothing wrong. He wasn’t born “disgusting filth” by choice. If anything, the wrongdoer was his father, the king. Raymond was merely the victim.

I’m going to confront this head-on. He chose to face his fear. The old, timid Raymond would never have been able to summon up the courage, but he was different now. His newly acquired abilities had given him both confidence and determination.

And the moment he made up his mind, new messages began to appear.

[You have decided to face your fears for the patients’ sake!]

[<Heart of Steel> resonates with your resolve!]

[Proficiency of <Heart of Steel> temporarily increased to A!]

<Heart of Steel>

Category: Attribute Skill

Rank: Legendary

Proficiency: D → A

- You maintain an iron will and a steadfast courage.

- Proficiency increase retained until end of banquet!

Incredibly, at that moment, Raymond’s heartbeat calmed, and a strong will and solid resolve took root inside him. Is this the effectiveness of A-level proficiency? It wasn’t the incomplete <Heart of Steel> he had previously experienced. He felt no fear whatsoever. His eyes shone with an intense desire to help his patients.

Right, I haven’t done anything wrong, so I shouldn’t be intimidated. I can do this! Raymond decided to discard any negative thoughts and focus only on the positives. If I save a high-ranking noble at the banquet, I could get a hefty reward for it. If you think about it, this is a great opportunity!

He clenched his fist, thinking of the money he might earn. He would do everything he could to save his patients, all while reaping the rewards. I need to make this happen.

Raymond decided to buy more skills while he was at it. There would surely be a few that would be useful to him when attending the banquet.

Open skill market.

Messages began to scroll across his vision.

[Purchase desired skills using skill points!]

[Your low class rank limits the skills available for purchase!]

[Currently available skills are as follows:]

[5 support skills]

[3 attribute skills]

Check support skills available for purchase, he thought, and a list popped up before him.

[Support Skills Available for Purchase]

- <Basic (grade-D) Ignis Magic>

- <Basic (grade-D) Aqua Magic>

- <Basic (grade-D) Ventus Magic>

- <Basic (grade-D) Electricus Magic>

- <Basic (grade-D) Terra Magic>

Raymond was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t even considered the possibility. “Magic? I can learn magic using skill points?”

As if answering his question, another message appeared.

[Magic is a tool with infinite possibilities! Use it to treat patients!]

Raymond nodded at the explanation. Magic wasn’t confined to just combat in its usage, but deeply entwined in many aspects of daily life. If well utilized, it could be a huge help when treating patients. But maybe... Could I maybe end up even more powerful than a regular mage? he pondered dazedly. After all, the skills had been labeled (D), suggesting that his proficiency could improve. If he was able to raise his grade high enough, he might even become better at that particular magic than mages who specialized in it.

Now’s not the time to worry about that. Raymond shelved the idea for now. Since skill points were in limited supply, he planned to learn magic skills only when he encountered patients who absolutely needed it. Open skills available for purchase.

[Skills Available for Purchase]

- <Become a Kind Doctor> (General)

- <Efficient Medical Record-keeping> (General)

- <Dealing with Rude Patients/Rudeness> (General)

Maybe it was because his level was still so low that there was nothing very impressive on offer. They seemed mainly related to the patient-doctor relationship, which was disappointing. There’s nothing really worth picking up. Of course, being kinder and keeping better records would be good, but he didn’t have any immediate need for those skills.

Hold on. Wouldn’t a skill for dealing with rude people be useful? The banquet hall would be filled with nobles. Wouldn’t there be a lot of difficult people among them? It seemed like this skill would definitely be of help.

Buy.

[<Dealing with Rude Patients/Rudeness> skill purchased!]

[30 skill points consumed!]

[<Dealing with Rude Patients/Rudeness>]

Category: Support Skill

Rank: General

Proficiency: D

• You become adept at dealing with difficult people!

Alright, let’s go. He nodded to himself, finished with his preparations.

A few days later, the founding festival arrived, and Raymond entered the royal palace for the first time in five years.

***

Raymond lived in the Kingdom of Huston, one of the ten members of the United Empire of the Cross, which split the continent in two along with the Iron Empire. The ten countries making up the United Empire of the Cross were categorized into three strong, three middling, and four weak nations, and of these the Kingdom of Huston belonged to the “weak” category. Though Huston had originally been a stronger nation considered one of the middling powers, it had weakened over time due to several unfortunate circumstances, but was now making a comeback under the exceptional leadership of the current monarch, the knight-king Odin.

“All hail our great king’s glorious name!”

“Long live the knight-king!”

“Knight-king” was the title used to refer to Oden, the king of Huston. Odin was an exceptional leader: an excellent knight and commander on the battlefield, a wise ruler who acted in his people’s interests, and a sovereign respected by the nobility. The Kingdom of Huston had achieved remarkable growth under his reign, and both the common folk and the nobility alike sang his praises. But although he was considered to be one of the finest kings in the nation’s history, he was not without flaw—namely, his bastard child Raymond.

“How could a king so great make such a mistake?”

In other countries, the existence of an illegitimate child might not have been such an issue. For instance, children born out of wedlock could even inherit in the Iron Empire. However, the United Empire of the Cross, and especially the Kingdom of Huston, had strict laws about such children. This was because the kingdom highly revered the code of chivalry, and an illegitimate child was considered disgraceful proof that one had been unable to hold to its principles. The fact that the king himself, the liege of all knights, had a bastard was a critical blow to his reputation. Moreover, unlike most nobles, Odin didn’t hide the existence of his illegitimate son.

“If only it weren’t for that bastard, His Majesty would be flawless.”

“I agree. I don’t know how such a child came to be born.”

People didn’t dare criticize the king, so they turned on Raymond instead, putting the blame on him for tarnishing the king’s flawless reputation. Every time people discussed the king’s greatness, they also harshly criticized his single flaw in Raymond’s very existence.

“It’s already been five years since that Shadow Prince left the palace.”

“What a relief that he left on his own.”

“I agree. They say he went off to become a healer, but apparently his healing abilities are so worthless that he’s still an apprentice after five years...”

Their conversation naturally led them to look toward the healers standing by in the corner of the banquet hall, and their eyes widened when they landed on a certain figure.

What?

Standing among them was a handsome young man of unassuming stature.

Is that young man…? It can’t be. The Shadow Prince? they thought in shock. His demeanor had changed completely from the last time they had seen him.

The calm, elegant young man emanated a gentle aura that set those around him at ease, his emerald eyes as tranquil as a lake conveying his unwavering resolve with a steady gaze.