I had a bad feeling about this.
"Although I'm not sure if the player system can predict future patients.
Then Lance asked again.
"What are you going to do? I don't want you to say no...."
"I will."
"...!"
Lance's eyes widened at the unexpectedly meek agreement.
"But I have a condition."
"What are they?"
Raymond thought to himself.
"More than just the quest reward.
At this point, Raymond decided to take what he could get.
"I want you to qualify me to take the exam to become a licensed healer, which will be held some time after the banquet."
"...!"
The formal healer's exam!
This is a test that only those who have proven themselves among the apprentices can take.
Only those who have proven themselves worthy will be allowed to take it.
It's the reason Raymond stuck around at Belland Healing Center, even though it was filthy and deadly.
"I'm not even an F-grade healer, what kind of qualifying exam...."
"Didn't the chief healer just tell me to go on a royal dispatch? I'm qualified enough."
Lance's face reddened.
He had said that.
Caught in his own words, Lance could only nod.
"I see," he said, "but only after I've done my part at this banquet."
He was going to do that without saying it.
Having gotten the nod anyway, Raymond pumped his fist inwardly.
"I'm finally qualified to take the therapist exam! This is the beginning.
A licensed healer!
It was a far cry from being an apprentice.
There was a difference between a squire and a knight.
"As soon as I qualify as a healer, I'll leave the Belland Healing Center.
He had no choice but to stay, but he had no intention of staying long.
"Before.
Raymond glared at Lance.
'When you qualify as a healer.
Lance, I'm going to take him out of your sight, give him a good beating, and then I'm going to leave.
* * *
Raymond had made up his mind, but when it came time to go to the palace, he had a sinking feeling.
It wasn't the healers who had despised and bullied him the most.
Compared to what he'd faced at the palace, the healers' harassment was cute.
They may have been lousy and pathetic, but at least they treated him like a person.
At the palace, Raymond was filth, nothing more, nothing less.
The nobles. Even the hired help, the maids and servants, all despised him.
Most overwhelming were the other royals.
The glorious and noble royal children, who had the same father but were nothing like Raymond, tormented him so cruelly.
He would surely see them again when he attended the royal banquet.
"Should I bite now?
For a moment, he genuinely wondered, for the trauma of the past was too great.
'As an apprentice, no one will blame me if I don't go, though Lance will try to bully me more.'
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to avoid it.
But.
I thought to myself.
"What if I don't go and something serious happens? There are healers, but there are a lot of emergencies where heels don't work.
There are several healers at the banquet.
But as we've seen, heels have a number of limitations.
What if there's an emergency where the heal doesn't work? Then the patient dies.
"What then?
Raymond bit his lip in thought.
Suddenly, it hit him.
"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I avoid it?
For countless times in his life, Raymond had asked himself this question.
Why should I suffer?
I didn't do anything wrong.
This time was no different.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
He wasn't born a 'filthy filth' because he wanted to be.
To put it bluntly, his father, the king, did the wrong. He's just a victim.
Let's not avoid it.
So, as scared as he was, he decided to face it.
The timid Raymond of the past would never have made this decision.
But Raymond was different.
His newfound abilities gave him confidence and strength.
It was at this moment that he made a commitment.
["I'm going to face my fears for my patient!"]
[Heart of Steel responds to the player's heart for the patient!]
[Temporarily increases Heart of Steel's proficiency to A!]
[Heart of Steel].
Category : Attribute Skill
Rank: Legendary
Skill Level: D → A
-Always maintain a will of steel and a strong heart.
-The skill increase will be maintained until the end of the banquet period!
Surprisingly, at that moment, Raymond's heart calmly sank.
At the same time, a strong will and a firm heart took over.
"This is the effect of Proficiency A?
This was no longer the imperfect heart of steel he had experienced before.
There was no sign of fear.
Raymond's eyes shone with intense determination for his patient.
"Okay, you haven't done anything wrong, but don't be discouraged. You can do this!
Raymond decided to stop thinking about the bad and start thinking about the good.
'If I can save a high-ranking noble at the banquet, I might get a big reward. If you think about it, it's a great opportunity!
Money!
Raymond clenched his fists at the sweet sound of the word.
'I will save the patient, and I will get a great reward.
"I'll do it.
On a whim, Raymond decided to purchase another skill.
Surely there were skills that would come in handy at the banquet.
'View Skill Market.
A message popped up.
[You can buy any skill you want with Skill Points!]
[Due to your low class rank, you are limited in the skills you can purchase!]
[The following skills are currently available for purchase!]
[5 secondary skills]
[3 Attribute Skills]]
"Check available secondary skills.
An unexpected list popped up.
[Available Secondary Skills]
-Basic (Rank D) Fire Magic
-Basic (Rank D) Water Magic
-Basic (Rank D) Wind Magic
-Basic (Rank D) Lightning Magic
-Basic (Rank D) Earth Magic
"...."
Raymond was stunned for a moment. He hadn't thought of that at all.
"Magic? You can learn magic with skill points?"
As if to answer his question, a message popped up.
[Magic is a tool of mankind with unlimited possibilities! Learn magic and use it as a tool to heal your patients!]
Raymond nodded at the explanation.
The uses of magic were not limited to combat; it had many real-life applications.
If applied well, it could be a great help in healing patients.
'...But if you do it wrong(?), you could become stronger than a normal mage, right?
Raymond wondered.
The word proficiency (D) meant that you could increase your proficiency in the future.
A higher level of proficiency might allow him to use the magic better than a mage who specialized in that area.
"That's not the point right now.
Raymond put the magic aside.
He would learn it when he encountered a patient who needed it. Skill points were limited.
'View available skills.
[Available Skills]
-Become a Kind Doctor! (General)
-How to Keep Efficient Medical Records (General)
-How to Deal with a Trauma (General)
Perhaps because of the low level, there weren't any amazing skills. I was disappointed with the skills that were mainly related to the patient-doctor relationship.
'I can't do anything special.
Sure, it would be nice to be friendly and take good notes. But they weren't skills I needed right away.
"Wait a minute. Wouldn't it be useful to know how to deal with the truth?
A banquet hall is where nobles gather.
How much truth could there be?
It would certainly be useful to learn.
"Buy.
[You have purchased the skill "How to deal with the truth!"]
[30 skill points have been spent!]
[How to deal with the truth].
Classification : Support Skill
Rank: Normal
Skill Level: D
-You will be able to skillfully face the truth!
"Alright, let's go.
After finishing his preparations, Raymond nodded.
A few days later, the day of the Tanshin Banquet arrived, and Raymond entered the royal palace for the first time in five years.
* * *
The Kingdom of Houston was one of the ten members of the Crusader Empire, which, along with the Iron Empire, bisected the continent.
The ten countries that comprised the Crusader Empire were categorized into three major powers, three medium powers, and four minor powers, and the Kingdom of Houston was one of the four minor powers.
Originally, it was a medium-sized power, but its power was weakened due to various bad things that happened.
However, thanks to the efforts of the outstanding king of the time, the knight king Auden, the kingdom was once again on the rise.
"In the name of the great King!"
"Long live the Knight King!"
Knight King.
These were the words of honor for King Auden of the Kingdom of Houston.
Oden was an exceptional king.
He was a great knight and commander on the battlefield, a ruler who cared about his people, and a monarch who commanded the respect of his nobles.
He was such a great king that under his reign the Kingdom of Houston made great strides, and his name was held in high regard by his subjects and nobles.
Despite being considered one of the greatest kings since the founding of the nation, he had one flaw.
His illegitimate son, Raymond.
"How could such a great king make such a mistake?
In any other country, the existence of an illegitimate child wouldn't be such a blemish. In the case of the Iron Empire, children born out of wedlock were allowed to inherit.
However, the Crusader Empire, especially the Kingdom of Huston, was strict on the existence of illegitimate children.
This was because the Hustonian Empire revered chivalry, and illegitimate children were seen as an unholy disgrace, a failure to uphold chivalry.
It was a fatal blemish, especially for the king, the lord of all knights, to have a child out of wedlock.
Moreover, unlike other nobles, Auden did not hide the existence of his illegitimate child.
"If it weren't for that bastard, you'd be perfect, without a single blemish."
"Indeed. I don't know how such an illegitimate child was born."
No one dared to criticize the king.
So the people turned the blame on Raymond.
An unnecessary, unclean child was born, tarnishing the king's integrity.
And so, whenever they spoke of the king's greatness, they spoke of Raymond's existence as the only stain on it.
"It's been five years since that shadowy prince left the palace."
"It's a good thing he left on his own."
"You're right. I heard he went out to become a healer somewhere... but from what I hear, his healing skills are terrible, so he's already been an apprentice for five years....."
The conversation naturally turned to the healers in the corner of the ballroom.
Their eyes widened at the sight of a figure.
"Huh?
It was a young man with a dwarf build.
"Who is he?
"The Shadow Prince?
The people were confused.
The reason for their puzzlement was simple.
The atmosphere was completely different from before.
The young man had a clear aura. His emerald eyes were as calm as a lake.
There was a softness about him that made people feel good, and an unshakable core in his calm eyes.