The next day, Raymond grilled some meat to celebrate his big win.
"Hanson, eat up."
"Yes, sir. I'll eat hard to build up my immunity."
By the way, Hanson still believed Raymond's story.
"...Well, there's nothing wrong with saying that meat builds immunity.
After all, meat is always right.
It was always delicious.
'Mmm. Juicy. So good. I'm glad I became a healer.
It was a peaceful moment, dipping the freshly grilled sirloin in salt.
Suddenly, a dark storm rolled in.
"Are you inside?!"
"Open the door!"
A ferocious voice banged on the door of the clinic.
"Senior?"
"What is it?"
Squeaked.
Opening the door, Raymond's eyes widened.
Rough-looking men were standing there, their faces harsh.
There were a lot of them.
Almost ten, it seemed.
"The Shadowlands Guild? Why?
Raymond's body stiffened.
It didn't look like he was in pain.
The men were all glaring at him ferociously. As if they were going to beat him up at any moment.
"Moo, what's going on?"
Raymond asked cautiously, swallowing hard.
"Are you Raymond?"
"...Yes, I am, but what can I do for you?"
Raymond rolled his eyes desperately.
"Did I do something wrong with my cure, why is he doing this?
His heart shrank like a mouse as his cowardly instincts kicked in.
But then!
From the back of the group came a raucous, boisterous laugh. It was a jovial laugh that seemed out of place.
"Boys," he said, "you frighten Sir Raymond when you talk like that, so forgive me. My name is Thames, and I run a small business in Lantram."
Raymond's eyes widened.
"Tams!
"Tyrant of the Red Light District!
The master of the Dark Blades Guild, said to be the most powerful and vicious of the Bay Area's underworld guilds!
The tyrant who practically ruled the nights of the Red Light District.
"What is it?"
"I've come to speak to you about something. May I come inside for a moment?"
Who could say no?
The group trudged inside, and a stern air settled over the healing center.
"I see you've been eating."
"Yes, yes."
Mockery flashed in Thames's eyes.
"Meat fit for dogs. You're doing good work, and I don't think you should have to eat such poor quality meat. Take it away."
He didn't stop at words.
He snapped his fingers playfully, and with a loud crack, the plate shattered.
Boom!
The meat was mangled in the shards, but Raymond didn't say a word.
He was completely frozen.
"What, what's going on? What's wrong with me?
He couldn't imagine why.
Either way, it was a crisis.
Tams is the Bay Area's toughest tyrant.
Whatever the reason, if he snapped his fingers, Raymond would be squashed like a bug before he could rebel.
Raymond's head went white with fear, and he couldn't think.
Then a message popped into his head.
[The healing center has been invaded by rogues!]
[The 'Heart of Steel' is manifesting!]
[The opponent has been confirmed to be 'True'!]
[Your opponent's Truthfulness has been confirmed to be 'Very High'!]
['Dealing with the Truth' is activated!]
As the two skills activated, Raymond regained his composure.
'I can't just sit there trembling like this!'
The Shadows have a habit of being even more cruel to the weak.
He didn't know why they were doing this, but he had to make a stand.
Raymond gritted his teeth and opened his mouth.
"What brings you here? If you are unwell, please tell me. I'll take care of you."
Thump. Thud.
My heart pounded, but Raymond didn't look away.
"Hmm."
A glimmer of amusement flashed in Tams's eyes at the sight of Raymond, and then it was gone.
"Oh, I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm only here to say hello to the healer. I hear you're doing a lot for our Bay Area."
"...."
"As if that weren't enough, I also brought a case of gratitude. Guys."
One of the men handed over a pouch, and Raymond gasped.
It was a gold coin!
A gold coin worth a whopping 1,000 pesos!
"...Why this money?"
"On behalf of the Bay Area, please consider it a small thank you."
Raymond clenched his jaw.
There was no way that was his intention.
"Please be honest with me."
"Hmm."
"Otherwise, I'll decline the money."
Tams gave a strange laugh, then cut to the chase.
"Okay, now that you put it that way, I'll be honest with you, too. I'm here to ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"In the future, I ask that you refrain from healing those who are enemies of our Dark Blades Guild."
"...!"
Raymond looked surprised.
"I don't care what you healers do in the Bay Area, I don't care about anything else, but don't heal anyone we've touched."
Tams said, still smiling, but in a stern tone.
"To be honest, I can't tell you how much trouble you've gotten us into lately with your healers. At best, we've seen your hands, and you've cured our jaws. If you keep doing that, you're going to put us in an awkward position, aren't you?"
Tams left a final, eerie warning.
"You have a promising future, and if you want to keep working as a healer, you'd better take my words to heart."
"...!"
"It's not my job to break one of you under the guise of a freak accident, and don't think your status as the king's bastard will protect you in the Bay Area."
Tams grinned, baring his teeth.
"I'll take my leave then, and hopefully we'll meet again with a smile."
After Tams had disappeared, Raymond could only stand there for a moment.
* * *
After Tams left, Raymond was at a loss.
"What am I going to do?
Tams's words were clear.
If he didn't heed the warning, he'd have to stop being a healer.
He wasn't just talking.
He was the worst villain in the Bay Area.
More than a few people had been killed or maimed by him.
He would get his revenge.
"Would it help if I learned some self-defense skills?
Suddenly, I remembered the message I had heard earlier.
[Self-defense skills]
Doctors working in harsh environments often face threats to their lives. These skills are designed to help you defend yourself and your patients.
You must have a Health stat of 15 or higher to learn it.
But I soon shook my head.
"Not enough stamina.
For reference, his stats currently looked like this.
[Stats]
Stamina: 13
Senses: 20
Intellect: 18
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
Even if he did learn the skill, it was unlikely to work on Tams.
"Tams is a knight, a powerful mana user of the highest order.
There was a reason why Tams judged the slums.
He was a powerful knight of the mana user class.
For reference, a knight's skill is usually divided into five levels.
-Squire.
-Full knight.
-Mana User.
-Sword Expert.
-Sword Master.
A full knight is powerful enough, but a mana user?
What's more, Thames wasn't just any Mana User, he was a Mana User of the highest order. Almost to the point of being an Expert.
There's no way that a mere self-defense skill would be able to match him as a healer.
"That doesn't mean I can't treat patients.
Raymond racked his brain.
Then a message popped up.
[A quest is coming!]
[Overcome Unfair Pressure!]
(Ninjutsu Quest)
Prerequisite: Minor Physician
Difficulty: Easy
Quest Description: You're under unfair pressure to treat your patients. But it's not a healer's place to turn away patients. Overcome the injustice.
Conditions: Treating patients under pressure
Reward: Bonus Level Up, 10 Skill Points
Note: Additional 'Hidden Bonus' reward for completing the quest.
"Damn it! Overcoming unjustified pressure? Easier said than done. You don't know what you'd get yourself into if you did! You want me to just die!
Raymond snapped at the quest description.
He didn't know what the hidden bonus was, but that didn't matter now.
His life was on the line.
"Ugh. All I want is to live a life of riches, so why won't you leave me alone?
I had no answers.
As I've learned, it's really hard to be a therapist.
For a while, at least, the Dark Blade Guild's victims stopped coming in.
But a few days later.
The fateful moment arrived.
A patient was brought in who had been attacked by the Dark Blades.
He was severely injured and would die if not treated immediately.
* * *
BANG! BANG!
"Healer! Healer!"
Someone knocked urgently on the healer's door.
It was obviously a patient in distress, so Raymond quickly opened the door.
"What's going on?"
"There's a patient down here!"
Raymond's face hardened.
The patient was blue and bruised all over.
It was clear that someone had beaten him to a pulp.
"What if?
A cheap feeling of anxiety flashed through me.
Yes, indeed.
"The Dark Blades," he said, "they're merciless like that, killing people for not paying their bills on time! Ugh!"
The guardian sobbed.
"These devilish bastards.
Raymond clenched his fists tightly.
It wasn't the first time this had happened.
They were the cruel tyrants of the red-light district, merciless in their violence against the helpless poor.
If only they were gone, the slums would be a better place to live.
"Please, help me, Healer!"
Raymond looked at the patient with a hard face.
His entire body was covered in bruises, but the most serious were in his chest.
His ribs were broken and poking at his lungs.
"Shit, what am I going to do?
"If you want to stay a healer, you'd better take my word for it.
I remembered Tams's warning.
You'll get what you deserve.
Just then, the patient gasped in pain.
"Ha, ha, ka, ka."
Soon, he would die of respiratory distress.
"Damn it! I don't know!
Raymond gritted his teeth.
"Hanson, get him inside."
"Sir?"
"Oh, I don't know. Shit, we'll figure it out later. We'll figure it out somehow."
The patient was dying in front of me, and I couldn't pretend not to see it.
I laid him down on the bed and watched him closely.
Thud. Thud.
Raymond tapped the lungs with his fingers.
Percussion is a way to gauge the condition of the lungs by listening to their internal sounds.
'The sound is dull. It must be full of blood. We need to drain it!
"Hanson, get the surgical knife and the lake!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hanson brought the tools, and after anesthetizing and disinfecting Raymond, he made an incision under the chest wall with the knife.
[Skill: The dexterity of the sword is manifested!]
[Sensory levels temporarily increase!]
With a whoosh, black blood poured out.