As Raymond welcomed them inside, he had a momentary thought.
"Are they members of the Shadowlands Guild, having a factional dispute?
It was a common occurrence.
"Ugh. I'm afraid of the Shadowlands Guild, but at least they have some money, right?
With that thought, my fear vanished.
His desire for money overpowered his fear.
"It won't be long before the Demon Lenders start charging me interest. I need to make money. What if my patient is a member of the Shadowlands Guild, and what if he isn't?
"What happened to you?"
Galman said on Auden's behalf.
"You've been poisoned. He's in bad shape, give him first aid."
"Okay, let me look at the wound for a moment."
Raymond looked at the wound on his arm and drooled.
It was worse than he thought.
"What kind of poison?
He needed to figure it out quickly.
"Do you have any other symptoms besides the wound on your arm? Do you have blurred vision, heart palpitations, dizziness, or headaches...."
"I'm feeling dizzy and have a slight headache. Your pulse seems to be beating a little fast, too."
Raymond scratched his head as he listened to the patient's answers.
She sounded very calm for someone who had been seriously poisoned.
No, more than that, the tone was vaguely familiar.
"I've never seen you before?
Raymond cleared his mind of unnecessary distractions and focused on assessing the patient's condition.
"His pulse is poor, and not just around the wound where the poison entered. The poison must be a combination of hemolytic toxin, which necrotizes the surrounding tissue, and neurotoxin, which disrupts the sympathetic nerves.
Knowing the identity of the venom can help guide treatment.
Raymond was guessing at the identity of the poison based on the patient's condition.
"Do you think you can cure him, and if not, give him first aid quickly!"
Galman naturally didn't expect Raymond to be able to cure the poison completely.
All he could hope for was a first aid treatment that would hold him over until they reached the castle. The real treatment would come from Helienne, a triple-A healer.
But Raymond had an unexpected answer.
"I can cure you."
"What?"
"This poison is a mixture of the poison of the Three Hundred Serpents and the extract of the Alpenrose, so it can be detoxified by administering the antidote of the Three Hundred Serpents. Luckily, we have the antidote in the healing center."
"...!"
Galman exclaimed in astonishment.
"You know the identity of the poison?
There are two ways to treat poison.
One is to identify the poison and administer an antidote. This was the cleanest, but also the most impractical.
How do you know what poison is in a patient that's dying and give them an antidote?
Normally, you'd use your heels to activate your life force to withstand the poison.
But Raymond was able to identify the poison at a glance.
It was amazing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, the symptoms match perfectly."
"How did you know?"
Galman asked, and Raymond thought to himself.
"Because it's a poison I studied as an apprentice.
It wasn't 'medical' knowledge.
It was a poison made by the Lepentaina, a poison that Raymond knew because he had studied it desperately in the past.
For reference, Raymond's herbalism rank was a whopping S-rank.
In the past, he had desperately studied many fields to make up for his lack of healing power, and he had become particularly knowledgeable in herbalism.
In terms of herbalism, Raymond is probably the most knowledgeable of the healers.
"You have an antidote here?"
"Yes, fortunately, we have some in stock."
But there was a problem.
In order to cure it, he had to overcome one difficult hurdle.
"Well, we have the antidote, but there's a problem."
"What?"
Raymond said cautiously.
"This poison has enhanced the toxicity of the Three Hundred Dead, so simply taking an antidote to the Three Hundred Dead poison won't work."
"Then what should we do?"
"You must use a method that maximizes the effectiveness of the antidote."
Galman made a puzzled face.
"Is there such a method?"
"Yes, but it may be difficult for the two of you to accept."
The two were puzzled.
What in the world is he talking about?
Raymond was silent for a moment, then spoke in a stronger tone.
"The antidote must be injected directly into your veins, not taken by mouth, otherwise this poison cannot be detoxified."
"...!"
He meant intravenous administration by injection.
By injecting the drug directly into the bloodstream, the absorption rate would be maximized compared to taking it by mouth.
But their reaction was negative, and rightly so.
"You can't be serious, you're going to stick a needle in my veins and put the antidote directly into my body, what kind of grotesque method is that?"
It was the most common method of administration on modern Earth, but here on Leipenthaina, it was unheard of and unseen.
Galman in particular was stunned.
Such a strange method could not be used on the king's jade body.
"What if something happens to him? He's...!"
Galman was about to reveal Auden's identity.
Auden, who had remained silent, stepped forward.
"Are you sure you're going to get better then?"
"...!"
Galman jerked his head in surprise.
Auden glared at him to stay still.
For some reason, Auden seemed reluctant to reveal his identity to Raymond.
Raymond shook his head at the odd vibe between them.
"I hope you're not suggesting the wrong way, and if you are, I will not forgive you."
A subtle energy radiated from Auden's body.
Although he had controlled it, it was still the power of a Sword Master.
Raymond's face was about to go white.
Fortunately, a message popped up.
[Heart of Steel manifests!]
[Withstand the pressure!]
As Raymond's complexion stabilized, Auden's eyes flashed with a glow.
It radiated as weakly as possible, but it wasn't something a normal person could easily withstand.
But to take it so casually?
That wasn't all.
[The patient put undue pressure on the therapist who was working hard!]
[Confirmation that the opponent is 'real'!]
[The opponent's 'Truthfulness' is 'Low'!]
[Skill: 'Dealing with the truth' is manifested!]
...King Auden had been categorized as a 'real patient'.
This allowed Raymond to deal with them more comfortably.
With the combination of Heart of Steel and Truthfulness, Raymond's courage will be as strong as that of a valiant knight.
"It's bad luck to have an arrogant attitude, but my big heart puts up with it. Later, when I'm done with my treatment, I'll give him a good whack.
He is a man with a tail.
I vowed to myself.
"You'll have to pay for it later.
With that in mind, Raymond opened his mouth.
"I understand that you and your parents are worried. It's a new way of doing things."
Slowly, Raymond convinced the patient.
"But my method is an ancient one. It was standard practice in ancient and glorious civilizations, you can trust me."
By now, Raymond had some experience treating patients.
He knew how to make his words sound sincere and how to convince them.
"I swear by my surname, Pennin, which I inherited from my mother, that I cannot cure your poison except in this way, so please trust me and follow me."
As if to drive a wedge, he said the last word.
"I want to cure you."
What did he sense in Raymond's words?
Auden was silent for a moment.
After a short pause,
"Yes, I will do as you say."
"Me...! No, me, you!"
Galman exclaimed angrily.
He couldn't believe he was going to undergo such a bizarre treatment, and what if it went wrong?
Of course, Galman owed Raymond a great favor.
But this was a different matter. This was the King's Jade Body, and he couldn't afford to use unproven treatments.
"Give me a moment. I need to speak with the king."
Once they were alone, away from Raymond's gaze, Galman raised his voice.
"Absolutely not, I would rather go to the royal castle right now and seek treatment from Count Helien!"
"And if you do, and the wound worsens as Raymond says it will?"
Galman was silent.
Surely Auden's wound was getting worse by the minute.
"At this rate, we might actually have to amputate his arm, and we might as well take a chance."
"But still...."
"You seemed to favor Raymond earlier, but now you don't seem to trust him."
"Isn't he your Majesty's Jadeite?!"
Galman shouted.
"Now that I've met him in person, I can tell you one thing."
"...what do you mean?"
"That the praise they gave you in the tavern wasn't entirely untrue."
"...."
Auden shook his head.
"All that aside, it's clear he's a healer who cares about his patients, don't you think?"
"...Yes, I do."
Galman couldn't deny it.
He remembered the look in Raymond's eyes.
"I'd like to cure you.
It was a short conversation, but it was enough for Galman to sense Raymond's genuine concern for his patient.
He wasn't like other healers.
That much was certain.
"Anyway, I don't have any other options right now. It's an unconventional way of doing things, but sometimes in life you have to take risks."
In the end, Mr. Galman could argue no more.
Auden stood in front of Raymond and said.
"Then do me a favor."
And with that, the treatment began.
The process was uncomplicated.
"Please hold your uninjured arm out in front of you."
As the straps bound his forearm tightly, the veins in his arm bulged tautly.
Raymond then mixed the antidote into a liquid and placed it in a vial with a thin needle attached.
"What is that?"
"It's something called a syringe, commissioned from a dwarven workshop."
At first glance, it looked like the kind assassins use. No, it wasn't just similar, it actually looked like it could be used as a mnemonic.
And it cost a lot of money to make it happen.
"It stings. Don't be alarmed."
Poof.
The sharp needle pierced my skin and penetrated a blood vessel.
It didn't hurt much. Just a sting, just like Raymond had said.
He pressed a specially designed button on top of the vial, and a liquid mixed with the antidote flowed through the needle and into his veins.
Auden watched the process in silence, unmoved.
Only Galman beside him fidgeted impatiently.
"Are you all right, my lord? Are you having any adverse reactions or whatnot...."
"I'm fine, sir. No unusual reactions. No, wait."
Auden looked stunned as he answered, and Galman's heart sank.
"What is it?! Are there any side effects...?!"
"Dizziness and headaches have improved."
"That's ...?"