The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

I realized that I had never heard Acella call my name before.

In the future, I thought it was meant to belittle me, and now, I thought it was due to her adherence to formalities. But the truth was, she simply didn’t know.

“I’m Lars. Lars Gothberg.”

“Lars.”

Acella chewed on my name for a moment before moving forward.

Her long hair brushed lightly against my face.

…What a peculiar scent.

“Prince, say what you want.”

“Out of the blue?”

Wait a second, she’s not calling me by my name. Then again, it would be odd to drop the formality suddenly.

“It’s a fair price for the rose. Since your mother received it, the flower has gained value.”

So, she didn’t plan to unilaterally plunder it after all?

I was truly touched by just that kindness.

“I’ll accept it. Please take it as a goodwill gesture.”

“No way.”

Acella sharply turned to look at me as she emphasized her point.

“I told you, it’s a price. If you gain something, you must give something in return. It’s the most important law in the world.”

She raised a finger and drew a simple magic circle. A small flame flickered up like a match and disappeared into the air.

“With a small amount of mana, you can’t activate powerful magic.”

She sure is stubborn in pointless matters.

Feeling too lazy to argue, I vaguely replied.

“Understood. I’ll think it over slowly.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Acella walked away from me lightly, like a puppet.

*

In the afternoon, I toured the mansion grounds with Cervus for a guide.

Even just the mansion grounds were quite vast, and beyond the walls guarded by knights, the estate was even more impressive.

To the south was a small city where the estate residents lived.
To the west flowed a large river, a bit chilly, but good farming land.

To the east was the Healing Academy, a sort of small academy with dormitory facilities. It plays a church-like role, but it’s not heavily religious.

Although I wasn’t a resident, it seemed that I was originally meant to take classes there. I barely remembered attending properly.

“Haha, I was really surprised to hear about your achievements, Young Master! Rumors are spreading all over the mansion about how everyone’s singing your praises!”

Cervus was raising his tone too much, so I waved my hand to lighten the mood.

“Who would believe such rumors? They’re probably gossiping behind my back.”

“Oh, that’s not true! I know you’ve really changed, Young Master. Now, over here….”

Following Cervus’s guidance, I checked my status window.

“Stats.”

―――――――――――

Strength: 6

Stamina: 6

Magic: 1

Mana: 12

Divine Power: 22

Faith: 100

―――――――――――

Wow, this is garbage.

Is this even human, or a paper doll?

‘At this rate, the attending physician exam is going to be tough.’

I asked Cervus while looking towards the northern forest.

“Is that an undeveloped area?”

“Indeed. It’s also the northwestern border of the Empire. Beyond the flood is unknown territory, so you must be careful. Strong demons lurk there.”

“The practical exam will be held in that forest then.”

“Indeed, Young Master. You’ll be fighting demons together with the knights to test the healers’ abilities.”

Demon hunting.

I was sick of it from being in the hero party.

The problem was my stats.

At least I had a decent amount of mana and divine power thanks to my lineage, but my magic stat? It’s a 1. I had no talent for magic whatsoever.

I should have trained my body, but this reckless fool only drank and played during his growth years.

I barely had enough stamina to run in the field.

My strength was nothing special either.

‘It’s just funny that my faith is a solid 100.’

Just like how training with the sword raises strength, faith also increases with healing spell training.

Studying theology or praying can also raise faith.

I was a special case of extremely high faith.

As a possessed soul, I knew all too well that there are no gods in this world.

Ironically, my perspective on faith in any god remains unwavering.

Even ten years later, my faith was always 100.

The problem is that my untrained divine power hindered me from casting even the strongest healing spells.

‘That guy Gis probably has divine power around 25.’

He was supposedly an ace of the academy.

‘For the exam, I’ll have to use my medical knowledge.’

I was an incompetent doctor with no license and only a few practice sessions under my belt.

‘But no matter how much knowledge I have, skills are ultimately needed in this world.’

There was one particular place that caught my eye.

A part of the status window that I had never seen before.

―――――――――――

Talent: ■■■ (S)
■■ (S)

―――――――――――

I couldn’t tell what it was; it was hidden.

It could be wizard, or knight.

If I had talent, I could open up skill trees.

One thing was certain: my talents would be incredible once opened.

Two S-ranks?

‘Normally, talent is one per person. It’s been weird from the start that I have two.’

I don’t know the reason, but if I don’t open it, it’ll ultimately remain an unfulfilled wish.

“Should I open it?”

After all, I’d only live once, so I should live as a genius rather than as an average talent.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

*

It was dinner time.

This was the official venue to discuss the cooperation between the Third Empress and the Gothberg family.

To the nobility, etiquette and procedure were of utmost importance. They truly lived such stiff lives.

My engagement with Acella was one of the items included in the agenda.

“How splendid! If it were a ball, all the young ladies from every house would have been coming to ask for a dance! Hahaha.”

As I finished preparing to step into the central hall, Cervus straightened my collar and chuckled loudly.

As I was about to exit the annex, a basket of candy on the table caught my eye.

“Oh, this was a snack I meant to give to the princess, but she refused.”

“Why would she refuse something as good as candy?”

I thought I’d grab a handful to munch on one by one if I got bored later and pocketed a few.

I made my way to the designated location.

“Father, we’ve arrived.”

“Lars, you arrived early.”

Upon entering the central hall, my father looked at me with delight.

“I can’t express how happy I am that you’re showing a diligent attitude unlike before.”

“As the eldest son of the family, it’s only natural.”

“Don’t worry about the family. As long as you prepare just like this, I’ll support you so you can expand your ambitions as much as you want.”

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

Father is a person so lovable that he can be a bit naive.

If he trusts a little, he’d quickly stamp a guarantee like it’s nothing.

Thus, he fell completely for the Empress, who was full of thoughts on how to use him.

“Lars, I had forgotten that I promised your mother to do my best for you. Looking back, I think it’s mostly my fault to have prioritized work over you. Yet, I’m grateful for your maturity. You truly are my son.”

“Haha, there’s no doubt about that.”

“That’s reassuring. From now on, I’ll reduce my work and focus more on you all.”

The mention of “you all” caught my attention.

The Gothberg family has one more young lady besides me.

“But is the princess’s attending physician exam going to be alright? That was decided so suddenly.”

“Honestly, I’m a bit worried. While entering the royal family is certainly an honor, being engaged to her looks good too.”

“Hmm, I have no doubt you’ll do well, being my son. I’ll be cheering for you.”

Looking into my father’s innocent eyes, I sensed that it would be hard to use him for underhanded tactics.

It was only natural for him to be oblivious to the political games, having never accepted a bribe in his life.

‘No matter how I think about it, the Third Empress’s faction seems like a rotten rope.’

That’s why our family was falsely accused of plotting a rebellion and annihilated in that incident.

If I must fly, it should be with Acella, not the Empress, Father.

She’d be more comfortable riding with her.

As we chatted, a maid entered the reception room with someone.

“Father, I’m here to greet you for dinner.”

“Oh, come in, Neria.”

The small girl politely greeted my father.

‘Neria Gothberg.’

She is my half-sister.

It was evident at first glance that we were family; all three of our hair colors were white.

That’s a characteristic of those born with strong divine power.

My father had ash-gray hair, Neria had gray, and I was nearly white-haired.

Neria was just around ten years old but had a remarkably mature demeanor.

“Hello, Neria.”

I smiled naturally and warmly greeted my sister.

However, Neria seemed a bit scared of me.

“Uh, Brother… How have you been?”

She avoided my gaze.

I was accustomed to that attitude from ten years later.

‘Neria is the healing saint of the hero party.’

Right now, she was just an ordinary girl. Being chosen as a saint would come after the hero appeared, after our family was annihilated.

Being chosen as a healer in the hero party likely had something to do with being my sister.

I don’t hold any particularly bad feelings towards Neria.

Perhaps since she’s a saint, she has been one of the few who treated me kindly.

Although she was always scared due to past grievances.

Since we’ll be seeing each other frequently in the future, it’d be best to get along well.

“You look great in that dress. It makes you look taller.”

“R-really…?”

Neria looked down at her skirt after my comment and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

She has always been self-conscious about her short height, so she appreciated that compliment.

“Now that everyone’s gathered, let’s head to the banquet hall.”

We followed my father as we moved.

Walking down the spacious corridor, Neria next to me was slightly slumped over.

‘She’s nervous because the royal family is here.’

I tapped Neria lightly on the shoulder.

“Whoa, what?!”

I pulled out a candy that I had just put in my pocket and placed it in Neria’s hand.

“Don’t be tense. I just met with the Empress and the princess; they were quite ordinary.”

“R-really…?”

“Since it’s mealtime, you probably didn’t eat anything? Take this; eating something sweet can lift your spirits quickly.”

“Ah, thank you….”

Neria popped the small candy into her mouth.

A sparkling smile quickly spread across her face.

“It’s sweet!”

Sugar turns into energy quickly, so it’s natural that her mood improves fast.

During growth periods, it’s always best to eat more of everything.

“I really feel relaxed now. Brother, you’re quite knowledgeable.”

For a ten-year-old, using such a difficult word actually means she’s more knowledgeable than anyone.

“If you want more, just say the word any time.”

As I lightly patted Neria’s head, she shrank like a small animal before relaxing again.

I walked into the banquet hall while receiving Neria’s gaze.

The dinner banquet was lavishly covered in gourmet food.
Only five of us were present at the dinner: my father, Neria, the Empress, Acella, and myself, but the attendants were bustling about with food and wine.

I exchanged simple formal greetings with Acella.

After that, my father and the Empress continued their stiff conversations.

I couldn’t help but yawn. My jaw might get stuck in this position.

Most of it was political talk that would quickly become useless.

The Empress seemed eager to drag my father into the royal family’s power struggles.

My father, however, was weighing the pros and cons, so the conversation remained on parallel lines.

Father had the initiative, but since the other was of a higher rank, he must also maintain etiquette.

Seriously, how long do I have to listen to this?

The Empress incessantly jabbered on to my father.

Even if she was a wizard, I’d believe she was a clown instead.

“In the royal court, establishing a deck is of utmost importance. For example, let’s say that ten years from now, a Demon King invades as prophesied. What weapon would every faction desire?”

“A hero, of course. The faction with a hero would gain significant influence in the royal family.”

“The best choice is certainly a hero. But wouldn’t the Gothberg family be able to obtain an equivalent second option?”

“You mean the Saint? Indeed, there was a saint among the ancestors of the Gothberg family.”

Father nodded in affirmation to the Empress.

“Without a saint, even a hero cannot defeat the Demon King. What do you think? Does the Gothberg family have anyone with the potential to be a saint?”

“We still don’t know yet.”

“If there isn’t, we can create one, right? There’s a reason they call it a candidate for a saint, after all. We’re now in the same boat with the Gothberg family. Since our children are engaged.”

“That’s true.”

The Empress was intent on finding some useful card from our family.

She’s clearly a rotten rope.

How low of a baseline that she’s that eager?

My father’s biggest mistake in life was to engage me to Acella.

“Since you mentioned there’s a saint among your ancestors, what about it? Wouldn’t it be reasonable for your esteemed daughter to inherit that power?”

The Empress sneaked a look at Neria.

Neria flinched.

Even my father seemed to be uncomfortable around that time.

But the Empress, being Acella’s mother, was unyielding.

She signaled to one of the attendants, who brought out something.

‘Here it comes.’

A single object was placed on the table.

It was a brown wine goblet but exuded a sense of grandeur.

“This is an artifact that brings forth the hidden talents of its user. It’s an extremely rare item.”

‘Rare? It only appears once a year in this world, after all.’

I knew she had it.

I had heard from Neria; the Empress had unlocked her talents with the chalice she brought.

And if I use it…

‘I should be able to unlock both of my talents.’

That lady really is an Empress.
No matter how you look at it, to put it on the dining table without warning.

“Neria, my lady, what do you think?”

“Huh?”

Neria’s eyes widened in surprise as she shrank into herself.

“Have you ever thought that you might become a saint?”

“T-that…”

She lowered her gaze.

As her trembling lips slowly formed a sentence.

“A saint has to fight the Demon King, right…? There would be many demons and monsters….”

“It’s a noble duty for the continent.”

At the Empress’s firm words, Neria was frightened and hiccupped.

Neria glanced up at my father, seemingly asking for help.
However, my father waited for her response, signaling that he would respect her will.

Neria seemed to misunderstand that waiting as coercion and finally answered in a timid voice.

“…If it’s for the family.”

“Wait a moment.”

Before Neria’s response could end, I immediately intervened.

I watched the Empress glare sharply at me, anticipating what kind of words might disrupt her plans again.

Even Acella, who had been bored until now, was watching me with newfound interest.

“Isn’t it possible for a saint to be born as a Messiah instead?”

If this precious artifact is so valuable, I want a taste too.
No, give me it all.

“It sounds fun.”

Acella smiled with narrowed eyes.

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