WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Plague Doctor in a Peaceful World ◈
Chapter 35: Sprout of Hope Guardian
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After agreeing, I spent the time feeling a little excited.
I even thought about where I should keep the payment for this healing prayer and how I could use it safely.
“...”
“Why are you suddenly smiling to yourself?”
It was the last lecture of the day.
Park Jaeyoon gave me a strange look.
“I’m wearing a mask. You can see that?”
“Your eyes get like this when you smile.”
“...”
I played innocent and pretended to yawn.
“The others asked us to go drinking earlier. You’re going, right?”
Before the lecture began, a few juniors had unexpectedly invited us first.
We had only exchanged awkward greetings before because we had not shown up at the semester-opening gathering or the freshman welcome party.
“I’m not going. I have an important appointment.”
“Walking your dog?”
“After walking my dog.”
I, Kang Bongsik.
A college student who could earn 20 million won in a single day.
I couldn’t deposit it in the bank because of all the risks involved, but still.
The moment the lecture ended, I shot to my feet.
“I’m leaving first.”
“Huh?”
Any guilt I had felt about possibly betraying the Black Wolves, the baseball team I had cheered for with my father since childhood, had disappeared long ago.
Ding.
Just as I happily left the lecture hall and headed toward the lobby, I received a DM from Lee Mun-yeong.
-[Plague Doctor. I think we’ll have to cancel this request.]
“...?!”
I froze in place.
My 20 million won...?!
-[The client changed his mind. He wants his pregnant wife, rather than himself, to receive the healing prayer.]
Murmur, murmur.
People came out of the other lecture halls too, so I put my phone in my pocket for now.
Only after I left the building did I check the rest of the DMs.
Shortly after the client returned from overseas training camp, he developed flu symptoms. Then his wife caught the flu as well.
-[Unlike Grandma Park Bokseon, I honestly don’t trust this client’s wife. I believe there’s a risk that information about the Plague Doctor could leak.]
-[I’ll vet and review future requests more thoroughly so that this doesn’t happen again. I’m sorry.]
It seemed Lee Mun-yeong had decided that trust between her and the client had already been broken, even though I could have treated the client as originally planned.
I slowly let out a breath.
“...”
It was unfortunate to lose 20 million won, but these things happened.
I was hiding my identity and performing suspicious healing prayers. It was more surprising that there had been no problems with my requests until now.
And she was pregnant.
No person or animal I had treated with Plague Treatment had shown any unusual effects so far, but a fetus...
Honestly, that scared me.
I would probably worry about whether everything was truly all right until the baby was safely born.
So this should be left to modern medicine.
That was the right thing to do.
[Yes, I am fine with that. I sincerely hope the client’s wife recovers quickly and that the child is unharmed.]
I trudged along listlessly.
I thought of the juniors who had invited me out for drinks, but I didn’t feel like going.
I would play with Arong until late tonight.
“...Ah.”
Then a thought occurred to me.
What about all the people I had treated in passing until now? One of them might have already been pregnant.
“Um...”
I clasped my hands tightly and prayed.
God, Buddha, System.
Please tell me there won’t be any problems.
Please.
* * *
Lee Mun-yeong let out a deep sigh.
Last month, the Plague Doctor’s healing prayer had failed for the first time.
The sight of the Plague Doctor standing there looking dejected had stayed on her mind, and she had wanted to bring a good request as soon as possible.
Had she let that feeling get ahead of her?
‘Whether the payment was high or not, I should’ve checked more carefully.’
This request had come from baseball player Jang Deok-il.
She had met Jang Deok-il when Kang-geon Pharmaceuticals signed an official sponsorship agreement with the Red Phantom. Jang was straightforward and discreet, so when she heard that the player had caught a terrible flu just before the professional baseball season began, she had cautiously made the suggestion.
“If the prayer has no effect, you don’t have to pay. Aside from travel expenses.”
Like the other clients, Jang Deok-il had initially been skeptical. Still, Jang soon nodded and made the request.
But only a few hours later, Jang changed his mind and said he wanted his wife to receive it instead.
‘Player Jang must think it’s just a prayer in name. But...’
The Plague Doctor’s healing prayer was real.
A mysterious power completely cured colds, flu, and more.
That was the problem.
‘I don’t want to doubt it, but I can’t guarantee that this mysterious power will be safe for a fetus. It would be difficult to examine that, too.’
A fetus could be affected by every little thing, including the medicine its mother took, the food she ate, and her lifestyle.
It was the most important subject, but also the hardest to study.
‘I feel sorry for Player Jang, but it’s best to avoid risks whenever possible.’
And as she had told the Plague Doctor, there was also a risk that his secret would leak.
Lee Mun-yeong sighed again and called Jang Deok-il.
When she said the request had been canceled, Jang Deok-il calmly said he understood. Jang firmly promised to forget everything he had heard about the healing prayer.
That night.
Just as Lee Mun-yeong was about to go to bed, her phone rang.
[Red Phantom Player Jang Deok-il]
Puzzled, Lee Mun-yeong answered.
“Yes, this is Lee Mun-yeong.”
-[I apologize for calling so late, Secretary Lee. Could you... ask the person who performs the healing prayer again?]
“Player Jang, as I told you earlier...”
-[If you can save my wife and child, I can give you everything I own...]
“Player Jang, did something happen?”
There was something seriously wrong with Jang Deok-il’s voice.
-[My wife wasn’t doing well, so we came to the emergency room... But she got worse. They’re saying something about a hypersensitivity reaction. Her blood pressure is dropping, and they say the baby’s heartbeat is abnormal...]
Jang Deok-il was sobbing.
-[I want to do something, anything... Then I remembered what you told me, Secretary Lee... I’m sorry...]
The explanation was incomplete, but Lee Mun-yeong could tell that both Jang’s wife and the fetus were in critical condition.
She could also tell that Jang had contacted her out of desperation, grasping at any straw.
Lee Mun-yeong hesitated for a moment before answering.
“...I’ll ask.”
Then she explained the situation to the Plague Doctor through DM.
The read receipt appeared immediately.
-[Where should I go?]
His reply came right away.
* * *
In front of a large hospital.
I hurriedly got out of the taxi.
I held the beaked mask in one hand. My face was hidden behind a mask and sunglasses.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Plague Doctor. The patient is currently in the ICU, but...”
I followed Lee Mun-yeong into the hospital.
“As long as you’re close enough, it’ll be all right?”
I nodded.
Last month, I had performed a healing prayer through a wall at a livestock barn too.
We got into the elevator.
Beep.
The elevator only began moving after Lee Mun-yeong scanned her access card.
Ding-dong.
We arrived at the floor where the client and his wife were.
The waiting client came out and bowed to Lee Mun-yeong and me. A green [Contagious Disease Patient] label floated over his head.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
[A Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 100)]
The client had said he had the flu too.
The nurses looked at us suspiciously.
“Excuse me, but only guardians are allowed...”
The client stepped forward and asked for their understanding.
“It’ll only take a moment. I apologize.”
“We won’t go inside. I apologize.”
“...”
I bowed repeatedly to the nurses as well, then quietly followed the client.
The client’s wife was lying in a shared ICU room, but we were not headed for its entrance.
After we turned the left corner, there was a corridor.
The beds were arranged with their headboards along that side.
With only one wall between us, familiar words greeted me.
[Contagious Disease Patient]
[Contagious Disease Patient]
Which one was she?
“My wife is lying here.”
A green [Contagious Disease Patient] label.
I raised my hand and placed it against the wall.
[A Contagious Disease Patient. Would you like to treat them?]
[(Expected MP Cost: 180)]
The label was green only because Plague Treatment was Level 3 now. Before, her condition would have been bad enough to be close to red.
But if I wore the beaked mask, I could treat her in one go.
As I started to take off my sunglasses, I looked back at Lee Mun-yeong.
Lee Mun-yeong nodded and gave the client’s arm a couple of taps.
Soon, the two of them stood some distance away from me, side by side with their backs turned.
A nurse in the distance warned us with a suspicious expression.
“You cannot perform religious activities here.”
“Yes, we’re sorry.”
The two bowed repeatedly.
I turned my back as well and slipped on the beaked mask instead of my sunglasses.
[System]
- Plague Doctor Mask equipped effect: Skill MP Cost -20%
I placed my hand against the wall again.
God, Buddha, System.
Please treat her without causing any harmful effects to the fetus.
Amen. Namu Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara.
“Treatment, yes.”
[System]
- Used Plague Treatment.
- Plague Treatment Proficiency +2
- Experience +7.78%
[MP 1/145]
Phew...
The [Contagious Disease Patient] label disappeared.
I needed to tell the client to check on their wife’s condition...
Then a system window suddenly appeared.
[You have achieved the ‘Sprout of Hope Guardian’ achievement!]
[System]
- Protected a sprout of hope for the first time.
- Achieved the ‘Sprout of Hope Guardian’ achievement.
- Sprout of Hope Guardian achievement effect: Immunity +1
- Sprout of Hope Guardian achievement effect: Beneficiary Immunity +3
“...?”
Sprout of Hope Guardian?
Had I achieved it because this was the first time I had treated a pregnant Contagious Disease Patient?
But Beneficiary Immunity... What did that mean?
No, this was not the time for that.
I had completely cured the contagious disease, so they needed to check her condition immediately.
They might have to change the medication being administered to the patient right away.
I tapped the client on the shoulder.
There wasn’t even time to write everything out.
“It’s finished. Ask the medical staff to check immediately, so that no unnecessary treatment continues.”
“...What?”
The client blinked his bloodshot eyes.
“Hurry. There’s no time.”
“Yes, yes...!”
The client hurried over to a nurse and asked for a check.
In the meantime, I turned away, took off the beaked mask, and put my sunglasses back on.
When I looked back, Lee Mun-yeong was smiling at me.
“Should we leave before more people notice us?”
I nodded.
We had just stepped outside when the client called.
-[My wife’s blood pressure and the baby’s heartbeat... They’re both back to normal...!]
Through Lee Mun-yeong’s phone, I could hear the client crying hard.
-[The other readings are, sob, all stable too...! Thank you...! Thank you so much...!!]
Hearing the client’s voice made my throat tighten for some reason.
I felt proud too, thinking that I had truly been a great help.
-[Thank you...!]
Lee Mun-yeong sniffled softly, her eyes reddening, then composed herself.
“Please contact me later once you’ve calmed down, Player Jang.”
Click.
“Phew. Then.”
She took a slow, steady breath.
“Let’s discuss the payment for this request.”
Tap tap.
Since I had rushed to the hospital without my sketchbook, I wrote in my phone’s notes app.
[Way to ruin the moment.]
Lee Mun-yeong burst out laughing.
“You were speaking so well earlier. I heard you from time to time while you prayed too. You have a nice voice.”
“...”
“Player Jang said he could give us everything he owns if only his wife and child could survive. But...”
I shook my head.
In reality, it would be hard for Jang to give it all away.
How would Jang raise his child if he gave away everything?
I would have a hard time accepting it too, morally speaking.
“Right? Still, I’ll squeeze as much as I can out of Jang.”
“...”
“Anyway, there’s something I wanted to ask you while we’re at it, Plague Doctor.”
Lee Mun-yeong’s expression turned serious.
“Isn’t it inconvenient to use the cash you receive as payment? It’s a large sum from an unclear source, so I imagine it would be difficult to deposit it in a bank.”
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