NOVEL WEB Book 1: Chapter 9-1: Village Doctor
The day after we returned to the village.
I saw Lucy off as she went to work in the fields and I fired myself up.
I had been given 5 days to complete the weapon I had promised. For those 5 days I was exempt from working in the fields. However, using all of my time to develop the weapon would be horribly dull.
I decided to begin gaining the villager’s trust while I was in development.
In fact I had already begun the activity I had thought of to achieve this.
「Oi Cyril. You can really heal illnesses and injuries right?」
A muscular young man, Roleau, asked highhandedly.
「I can’t heal everything, but I can heal most things.」
I’d begun to play the role of doctor.
This village didn’t have a doctor. For illnesses and injuries, even elves that are said to be wise would resort to superstitions and strange treatments as they had worked in the past.
Thanks to that there were many elves who were suffering.
However, I had both knowledge and experience. I couldn’t say I knew everything, but I could confidently claim to be able to cure the vast majority of things. The best plan to gain trust was to save lives just like this.
「Actions speak louder than words. I’ll let you judge whether or not I’ve healed you Roleau-san.」
I said with a smile.
Near our home I had set up a tent and there were about 10 men and women of all ages lined up outside of it.
Yesterday I had gone and healed my childhood friend Rick who’d been stabbed in the back by the soldier’s knife. I had him spread the news around town that I could act as a doctor and naturally my patients gathered.
Rick had persuasive power as I had healed him so it wasn’t an issue.
「Okay then, I want you to heal my right arm. I broke it last year, but it healed incorrectly. It’s bent out of shape and causing trouble with my movements. I thought I might have to live with my arm like this for the rest of my life…..」
Roleau said seriously as his expression warped.
Roleau was the strongest man in the village. He was in the later half of his twenties. Certainly having his arm partially disabled was a severe impediment. Thankfully, I could heal this degree of injury.
「I can imagine how this came to be…it seems like I’ll be able to help. Show me.」
I said and touched my first patient’s arm.
He was the head of the village’s vigilance corps so getting him to owe me would be a good start.
I let my magic flow through his body and checked his state. Roleau’s body was in the state I imagined.
「Did you find anything out?」
「Yes, your arm bones deformed and fused together. It’s causing trouble with your joints as well.」
「What do you mean?」
「What I mean is that when your bones healed they didn’t return to the form they used to be in. They stuck to the nearest and easiest bone there. That’s why even if your bone healed it doesn’t mean that everything is fine. If we leave it as it is then it will start to affect your daily life.」
「Aren’t you just saying that I’ll never go back to normal?」
「If we just let it heal normally that is the case. Between a treatment that’ll hurt immensely or continue to live like this?」
「Oioi, you’re saying some scary stuff…」
「You’re making the next patient wait so hurry up and choose.」
「……the incredible pain is better than continuing to live like this.」
「Okay then, bite down on this as hard as you can. If you scream you’ll give me a headache and might bite your tongue.」
I said and stuffed a bolt of cloth into Roleau’s mouth.
I made sure it was in there good and summoned water mana.
I imagined the blood flow through Roleau’s body.
I was going to use water magic to manipulate his blood-flow since blood was mostly water.
「Shake oh spirit of water.」
Along with my words the blood next to Roleau’s bone violently vibrated transmitting a shock to his bones. It was an application of magic that strongly resembled Chinese kenpou.
It was a technique that would re-break his malformed bones without harming the rest of him.
「Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu」
Roleau stifled the screams that threatened to spill from his mouth.
Since the bone was already warped, there was no choice but to break it once more and set it properly.
I used slight external shocks to move the bone fragments into place before covering the injured area with magic power like a cast. This should fix him.
「Roleau try to move your arm as hard as you can.」
Roleau did as I asked but the magic cast remained in place without moving an inch. That cast should ensure that his arm heals properly.
Finally his arm would be nearly back to normal.
「【Healing】」
I used my internal magic to strengthen Roleau’s recovery power. It was a complex spell but nothing too difficult for me.
【Healing】 was a spell that strengthened self-recovery powers so it would only heal injuries that your body could.
That’s why there was a need to arrange things properly before using it.
「Auuu, auauuuu」
The discomfort and pain at having his bones reconnect at high speed assaulted Roleau.
However, the spell turned out well.
After confirming that the bones were connected properly I ended 【Healing】. I scanned him one more time to make sure. Now he should be alright.
「Okay, good job. Now your arm shouldn’t be broken anymore. You can go now.」
「Oi! How can you say it’s over so simply! If it was so easy I would’ve…….It bends! My arm can finally bend again!」
After I removed the cloth from his mouth he started to complain before suddenly his voice overflowed with true happiness.
「I told you it was fine didn’t I?」
「Sorry for doubting you Cyril. What would you like in return? I can give you any fur, meat, or anything I have.」
「I don’t need any of that. Just help me when I’m in trouble and we’ll be even.」
「Is that really okay?」
「Of course. If I asked for something from each villager my house would overflow.」
「Thanks. I won’t forget this debt.」
I just smiled.
It wasn’t out of kindness that I didn’t ask for anything. I needed them to owe me. I’d be troubled if they simply gave me some common junk I didn’t need and thought we were even.
A favor given yet unpaid was heavy. They would feel the need to repay me.
Roleau would leave this tent with the will and desire to repay me.