"One of my patients is a Master of the Blue Moon Guild. I'll ask him to drive him out."
Lance thought to himself.
"Be prepared, Raymond. I will definitely drive you out of this place.''
* * *
There were many underworld guilds in the Bay Area.
Some were malicious organizations that sucked the lifeblood out of the poor, while others were guilds that banded together to defend their rights against the bad guys.
The Blue Moon Guild was arguably the latter.
In exchange for a protection tax in the Bay Area's famous red-light district of Rantram, they didn't do anything bad that crossed the line.
Many people wanted to come under the protection of the Blue Moon Guild because it protected the people of the Red Light District from being robbed by the really bad guys, like the Dark Blade Guild.
As such, Master Kansir of the Blue Moon Guild had a righteous personality.
"You mean it's real? Raymond, he actually came here to the Bay Area with such a vicious purpose?"
Instead, his words were naive, deceitful, and simple.
It was such a simple maneuver that his eyes widened.
"Yes, that is correct, Master. Who am I? I was once a supervising therapist at the Belland Institute, teaching Raymond, the gnome."
Lance put on as sincere a face as he could, hiding his despicable heart.
"Raymond, the Gnome has apparently come here to experiment with his cures, using the people of the Bay Area as guinea pigs."
"...!"
Kansir, Master of the Blue Moon Guild, his face flushed red.
"Then, Raymond, why is he healing people for free?"
"It's all so he can use them as guinea pigs. The poor people here won't get away with anything."
Lance said pleadingly, thinking of the Jimjit patients.
"If left unchecked, the patients will suffer countless side effects. For the sake of the poor here in the Bay Area, Mr. Kansir, please stand up for them!"
Kansir scrambled to his feet.
At the sight of him, Lance inwardly cheered.
"That's it. Raymond, you're done for.
It was clear what would happen to Raymond now that he had managed to provoke Kansir, who would not back down once the spigot was turned.
Kansir's threats would get him kicked out of the Bay Area.
"I have no one to trust but you, Kansir, please!"
Kansir grunted and headed for Raymond's healing center.
* * *
[Detects True Power!]
[Opponent's True Power has been determined to be 'Medium'].
Raymond stiffened.
Slowly, he turned his head, and the rugged man came into view.
"Hmph. What's that scary-looking guy?
A bear.
No, that was the only word to describe the man's ferocious appearance.
A bear. He looked like a bald, battle-hardened brown bear with about five scars.
Raymond broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of him, the kind of look that would make the weak of heart pee themselves.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"Are you Raymond, the healer?"
Of course, the words "I'm a nobleman, where do you come from?" didn't come out.
Raymond was strong, strong, strong.
I said meekly.
"Yes, what's bothering you, patient?"
That was the moment I said it.
The message came to me.
[You've identified the other person as a 'real patient'].
[Skill: "Truthfulness" is activated!]
[Skill: 'Dealing with the Truth' synergizes with 'Heart of Steel'!]
An incredible miracle happened.
The trembling in my chest stopped, and the solution came to me naturally.
But that wasn't all.
A message like this also popped up.
[A bonus quest has occurred!]
[Heal the sick!]
(Ninjutsu Quest)
Prerequisite : Minor Physician
Difficulty: Easy
Quest Description : Patients of all kinds flock to the clinic. But they're all suffering too. If you treat them sincerely, they'll become your biggest fans and open up to you.
Conditions for completion: Treat a genuine patient
Reward: Bonus Level Up, 10 Skill Points
Perk: Enthusiastic Favor
"Yeah, he's a weirdo who came to the clinic, no matter how bad he is, and I just need to treat him like a patient.
Whether it's an underworld thug or the truth, I'm a healer!
As I made this resolve, I suddenly had this thought.
"Wait, if you're a member of the Underworld Guild, you must be quite wealthy here in the Bay Area, don't you have a lot of money?
My mouth suddenly watered at the thought.
Finally, a customer with money!
Kindness welled up in my heart.
I'll give him the best treatment I can and catch him!
"What is bothering you, Mr. Patient? This is a healing center, so don't be afraid to tell me about your symptoms."
Is it the desire for money?
Kind, kind, kind. The voice was warm, like a caress on the chest.
Kansir, who was about to snap, clamped his mouth shut.
"...what.
The voice was too soft.
He had never heard such a kind voice in his life.
"No, don't be fooled. It must be a mask.
But then.
Kansir's eyes caught a glimpse of the patients waiting in the clinic.
'The patients....'
They were all looking at Raymond with concern.
They were worried that Raymond might be harmed by Kansir.
"I... ka, Mr. Kansir. Raymond's therapist is a good man."
"Yes, he is."
The patient's cautious words suddenly brought Kansir to his senses.
"No way, Lance, did you lie to me?
Kansir may have been simple-minded, but he was no fool.
Lance had lied to him!
"How dare you!
Then Raymond spoke again.
"It's all right, Mr. Patient, tell me what's bothering you. I will treat it."
His warm emerald eyes met Kanshi's.
They were so soothing, Kansir couldn't find the words to respond.
"I'm...."
When Kansir didn't speak, Raymond tilted his head.
"Whatever the case, we can't let him go home empty-handed, so let's add some meat to the soup today!
By the way, Raymond was still stuck on vegetable soup these days!
He spoke up with an even kinder voice.
"It's okay, any little thing is fine, I'll cure you of anything, so tell me everything."
At those trusting words, Kansir was torn.
"Tell him anything?
The truth was, he had an ailment that no one else knew about.
It was the reason he had accepted Lance's request.
"Shall I tell you?
But the words didn't come easily.
It was ridiculous to come to a doctor to be treated, and most of all, it was embarrassing.
"Uhm. No, I'm...."
When Kansir didn't move over and continued to hesitate, Raymond's stomach sank.
"Oh no. He's just going to turn his back on me and go home, and I can't let him go home like this, not when he's such a rich customer!
Raymond led Kansir to the door to see if he would run away.
His initial fear was gone, thanks to his 'coping skills' and 'heart of steel'.
"Please come in this way for a moment."
Once we were alone in the small examination room, Raymond spoke soothingly.
"It's just the two of us, so you can talk to me in peace and not worry about anyone else."
When Kansir still didn't speak, Raymond said promisingly.
"Don't worry. I'm a therapist. I don't divulge my patients' secrets to others."
Finally, Kansir bit his lip.
"I have a recurring pain in my asshole... no, in my anus. There's blood coming out all the time, and sometimes something pops out, like beads."
Saying that, Kansir clenched his fist.
Butthole disease!
This was the disease he was suffering from. It was the one thing that kept him coming back to Lance for treatment.
He, a master of the prestigious Blue Moon Guild, was suffering from an asshole disease!
Kansir was so embarrassed that he wanted to stick his nose in a dishtowel and die.
"Damn it, I'm talking out of my ass!
Red-faced, Kansir turned to leave the room.
But at that moment!
Raymond grabbed Kansir's hand, sounding a little urgent for some reason.
"Where are you going, customer... Oh, no, patient."
"You can't cure it anyway, can you?"
Butthole disease.
It was an incurable disease.
I'd been to several therapists in my life, but each time they could only relieve the pain, not cure it.
But.
"It can be cured."
"It's ...?"
He sounded so nonchalant that for a moment Kansir wondered if he'd misheard.
He hadn't.
"So, asshole disease... is an ancient term for hemorrhoids. Anyway, it sounds like you have a bad case of hemorrhoids, but it can be cured with a simple surgery. Would you like me to treat you right now?"
"...!"
Kansir's eyes widened.
This horrible, incurable disease could be cured? He couldn't believe it.
"Are you sure it can be cured?"
"Yes, but there is a condition."
"What is it?"
Raymond went a little small. His voice sounded timid.
"You'll have to pay for the treatment. You have money... , don't you?"
* * *
Raymond went straight to work.
"It's a grade three internal hemorrhoid.
Internal hemorrhoids.
It's what we call hemorrhoids.
It's usually just a little uncomfortable, but if it's severe enough, surgery is necessary.
The surgery was simple.
We just cut out the hemorrhoidal tissue.
Luckily, it was a procedure he could perform at his level.
'Of course, it's not always easy.
If the anal sphincter was injured during the resection, he could be incontinent afterward. Conversely, anal stenosis could occur.
Contrary to the common belief that it is a simple treatment, it is a surgery that is prone to complications.
Therefore, it was necessary to resect exactly what was needed and exactly the right amount.
'Use. Dexterity.
[I've used the Skill of Thrust!]
[Senses temporarily increase!]
[Senses: 18 → 28]
After numbing the pain with an anesthetic herb, Raymond cut out the protruding hemorrhoid.
It was a simple operation, but he didn't let his guard down.
His mistake was the patient's pain.
So you have to strive for perfection.
"With the utmost care.
Raymond swallowed hard and moved his hands delicately.
'Precise, careful not to cause unnecessary damage.
Once he had achieved a certain degree of excision, he tied the roots of the vessels with thread. The top of the thread was then cut off in one swift motion, and the wound was sutured.
"Good, it's working!
Luckily, Seo Jeon's dexterity prevented me from fumbling.
After cutting out the most severe hemorrhoids at the 3 o'clock position, she excised the hemorrhoids at the 7 and 11 o'clock positions.
It was a simple operation, but I broke out in a cold sweat just in case I made a mistake.
And then.
[The treatment was successful!]