The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint - Chapter 56

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈

Chapter 56: The Ball of the Stars (2)

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* * *

A year had passed since I became engaged to House Hausen, Marquessate.

Since Charlotte and I became engaged, my daily life had changed...

Amazingly, not at all.

I still went to work in Limbus Pit and occasionally attended my master's lessons.

It was no different from before I became engaged to Charlotte.

In the end, I returned to Limbus Pit and spent my days seeing patients as usual.

“Next patient, please come in.”

“It has been a while, Doctor.”

“Wangcho. It has been a while.”

Wangcho entered the examination room carrying the smell of a slaughterhouse with him.

“How has your gout been lately?”

“I switched from beer to wine, and it seems to have gotten better.”

“Your finances must have improved.”

Tap. Tap.

Wangcho rhythmically patted his thigh as he hesitated for a moment.

The scar-covered hyena beastfolk pricked up his ears and looked around.

Then he lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Now that you mention it, Doctor, what exactly happened at the Smoke Den?”

Smoke Alley.

E Sector.

The district beside D Sector made its living by processing plant-based indulgences such as herbs, spices, and tobacco.

That was why my master had claimed to be from E Sector when he disguised himself as a tobacco craftsman.

“Well, Doctor. You told us to keep an eye on E Sector a year ago, didn't you?”

“I certainly did.”

“Then a month later, the bastard in charge of the place disappeared. Along with his whole crew. What happened?”

I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.

The reason E Sector's ruler had disappeared...

It was connected to the star anise incident.

After that incident, which had thoroughly shaken Prince Auguste's faction, the Investigative Bureau looked into how poisonous star anise had been mixed with regular star anise.

Their investigation revealed that E Sector, which processed star anise, had deliberately mixed in poisonous star anise.

This was what had happened.

The Smoke Den had originally supplied two grades of star anise.

Premium star anise for nobles.

Regular star anise for commoners.

They selected the good stock first and sent it to nobles, then mixed the leftovers half and half with poisonous star anise before passing it on to commoners.

This incident occurred because of a mistake in that process.

The mixed star anise meant for commoners had found its way into the premium line.

And that poisonous star anise had been used in tea for fragile newborns.

The result was, well, as you can see.

The organization that ruled E Sector vanished into mystery.

And before they vanished into mystery, I had contacted Wangcho in advance.

“Wangcho. Are you fighting with any organizations these days?”

“No. We're just doing what we always do, posturing at each other in our own territories.”

“What about E Sector?”

“That old bastard from the Smoke Den? Same as always. He keeps secretly selling drugs in our territory, then postures at us when he gets caught. That miserly old fool. We should have a proper clash one day and teach him some discipline.”

“I don't think that will be necessary. E Sector will become somewhat chaotic soon. I'd appreciate it if you cleaned things up then.”

“What do you mean, Doctor? Doctor?”

A few days later, the organization that ruled E Sector vanished overnight.

While the other organizations hesitated, wondering whether it was a trap or something to worry about...

Wangcho's organization, which had prepared beforehand, gobbled up E Sector.

And now, one year later.

“Doctor? Can you tell me what happened in E Sector now?”

Wangcho's organization ruled both D Sector and E Sector.

“Why are you curious about it now, Wangcho?”

“Well... I was wondering whether it was really all right for me to take it. Now that I have, I keep thinking it might come back to bite me...”

“Don't worry, Wangcho. It's a reward for honestly supplying meat all this time.”

There was only one reason I had given Wangcho that information in advance.

He had earned my trust.

Since I first met him when I was ten, Wangcho had never lied to me or tried to pull a trick.

He had never passed off dog meat as lamb, nor had he tampered with medicinal ingredients.

Sometimes, he had even protected our dealings at his own expense.

E Sector was his reward for that.

However, there was one point I needed to correct.

“But Wangcho, there is one thing you mustn't misunderstand. E Sector wasn't a gift I gave you myself.”

“Huh?”

“I merely gave you an opportunity. You were the one who seized it through your own strength.”

That was true.

All I had done was tell him beforehand that E Sector's ruler would disappear.

It was Wangcho's own ability that settled the chaos in E Sector and fully absorbed the district.

“So you don't need to doubt E Sector any longer. You cleaned it up yourself. It's rightfully yours.”

“...”

Wangcho stared at the ceiling for a moment.

The hyena beastfolk silently blinked his golden eyes, then muttered in a voice close to a sigh.

“That old bastard. I told him not to sell drugs to my people, at least... Yet he had to cross the line.”

“?”

What drugs all of a sudden?

It seemed Wangcho had come to another absurd misunderstanding.

By now, I could not even guess what kind of person he thought I was.

“Understood, Doctor. It may not be much in return, but I'll completely shut down the drug business within two years.”

“You don't have to go that far. You can convert it for medical use.”

I waved my hands at Wangcho, who wore a resolute expression as he declared war on drugs.

“From now on, only supply the drugs already in use to our trading company, and make sure they're strictly controlled so none reach the general public.”

“Huh? Drugs to the trading company? Could it be for important people...?”

“It isn't that. Drugs can become excellent medicine when used properly. That's why they must be managed carefully.”

“I understand. If anyone lays a hand on the trading company's goods, I'll hang them up at the slaughterhouse.”

“There's no need to do that...”

The more I spoke, the deeper his misunderstanding seemed to become.

But he said it with the face of someone prepared to offer up his heart, so it was hard to say anything.

So I decided to leave him alone.

After all, Wangcho was most reliable when he was misunderstanding something.

* * *

“Ah, come to think of it.”

After finishing Wangcho's gout consultation, there were no more patients, so I chatted with him for the first time in a while.

“Wangcho, how has Eri been lately?”

“Her? Don't get me started.”

Wangcho stopped limping and turned halfway around.

“You know how we've been clashing with people from other districts lately. Once we took E Sector, people from other districts started testing us.”

“And?”

“I bring Eri along every time.”

Wangcho shuddered and clicked his tongue.

“That kid can use magic, but she's also skilled with battle aura. Every battle aura technique I teach her, she absorbs it all and turns it into her own. Honestly, if she weren't your guard, I would've made her second-in-command of my organization.”

Oh.

Wangcho thought even more highly of Eri than I had expected.

Wangcho was strong enough to defeat even Captain Shen, a spellcaster, if the conditions were right.

For him to assess her like that...

It was clear that there were only a handful of people in the Empire her age who could defeat Eri.

“Right. I heard that little one is learning things from Otto and that fire-using fellow we met before too?”

“She's learning martial arts from one and magic from the other.”

“What are you making, some kind of ultimate weapon?”

“I'm only helping her make the most of her talent.”

“Good for her. If I'd had even one good person like that around me when I was young, how nice would that have been?”

“You're that good adult, Wangcho. Thank you for looking after Eri.”

“...”

Wangcho narrowed his eyes.

Then he asked,

“Are you leaving Limbus Pit soon?”

“...You knew?”

“You suddenly sound like you're saying goodbye. How could I pretend not to notice?”

As expected, Wangcho was perceptive.

“Well. You're not someone who belongs in a place like this, Doctor. I always thought this day would come eventually.”

“I'm not leaving forever. I'll come back several times a year.”

“Yes... Still, I should tell the prostitutes and my people. These days, they rely on your treatment and don't take care of themselves. The clinic won't stay open all the time anymore, so they need to live as they used to.”

“Ah, there's no need for that.”

“Huh?”

I had prepared a surprise for exactly this reason.

“The clinic will remain open from now on. No, more clinics will open as well. You only need to guide people to the closest one.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Our trading company has hired healers to handle clinical trials.”

A few months ago, the results of the sildenafil clinical trial had finally come out.

Its performance as heart medicine was somewhat disappointing.

Compared to digitalis, the existing heart medicine, it was not overwhelmingly better.

However, an unintended side effect had been discovered during the clinical trial.

As expected of the trading company president. They had truly conducted proper clinical trials.

That side effect was enhanced male performance.

We had tried to save hearts, only for another part of the body to come alive instead.

“D-Director. One of the trial participants... Um... Says it just won't go down...”

“Uh... Why do patients keep refusing to stay in bed?”

“What? The trading company president wants to participate in the trial too? The other Directors as well? What?”

There had been several incidents at the trading company after that effect was discovered.

Still, after that clinical trial, our trading company began a new project.

“Our trading company will now conduct clinical trials on all medicines continuously. We'll test even medicines whose results have already come out.”

There might be side effects we did not know about.

Just as there had been with sildenafil.

With that hope in mind, the board of Directors unanimously approved the project.

However, there was one problem.

If we continued recruiting all trial participants as volunteers, costs would rise astronomically.

To solve that problem, the Merkuer Trading Company took a special measure.

“No way...”

“Our trading company's clinics are currently being established throughout Civitas Square. Clinics will soon be established in Limbus Pit as well. Healers under exclusive contract with our trading company will be assigned there.”

Those healers would test our trading company's various medicines on residents.

“Of course, we'll mainly test medicines that have already passed Phase 3 clinical trials. You don't need to worry about serious side effects.”

“...”

“Residents who consent to the trials will be able to receive treatment at lower prices. The trading company will obtain data on the medicines.”

It was a WIN-WIN arrangement for everyone.

Citizens burdened by the cost of divine magic could receive cheaper treatment in exchange for consenting to clinical trials.

The company could obtain clinical trial data without spending much money.

Finally, the healers benefited as well.

The divine magic they could use each day was limited anyway, so they could earn a substantial amount through these clinics.

This was all the positive influence of sildenafil, or Viagra.

Still... It would have been nice if the medicine were not a virility booster.

“So you don't need to worry too much just because I'm gone. If you miss me, you can send me a letter through your people now and then.”

“...”

Sniff.

“?”

I quickly turned my head at the sound from Wangcho's direction.

What was that? Was he crying?

A Mafia boss who hung people from hooks, sliced up their meat, and ate it was crying over something like this?

“Doctor... Thank you very much.”

As if trying to hide his tears, the hyena beastfolk removed his hat and lowered his head.

“Until you leave, I'll somehow get Eri to Rank 1. Even if I have to pass on everything I possess.”

“You don't need to push yourself too hard...”

“No. Compared to what you have done for us, I'm ashamed that this is all I can offer.”

Wangcho put his hat back on and wiped away the moisture around his eyes.

“Once again, as the representative of our streets, thank you, Doctor.”

* * *

When I returned to the estate after parting with Wangcho, the house was in an uproar.

Servants hurried through the corridors, storage room doors that were normally closed stood open, and something smelled burnt.

For the record, it was the smell of something burnt while ironing.

The servant responsible was being scolded by the head maid in a corner.

I stopped a busy maid passing by.

“What is going on?”

“Ah, you've returned, young master. Preparations for the Founding Festival are in full swing. Dinner may be a little late today.”

I was cooking dinner anyway, so it had nothing to do with the servants being busy.

Still, I understood the reason.

The Founding Festival.

It was roughly the Empire's version of the First Full Moon Festival.

Once at New Year, and once at the Founding Festival.

The Empire had two major holidays each year.

The moment I heard that, I understood why the servants were so busy.

When the Founding Festival came, my parents had many places to visit.

Freya also became busy going out to meet her friends.

That was why the servants were busy as well.

They had to prepare the clothes the household members would wear and get ready to receive the guests they would bring home.

It was an event that kept the entire household busy in many ways.

It had nothing to do with me.

Usually, only my parents were busy during the Founding Festival, while I stayed home and conducted research.

This year, I had planned to stay home and research ways to advertise Viagra.

With that in mind, I was heading absentmindedly toward the kitchen's back door when...

“Ah, young master. You've returned from work. Your timing is perfect.”

Wilhelm, the head butler, approached from the end of the corridor.

The old butler with silver hair walked toward me with his back perfectly straight.

“This year, young master and Miss Eri will both attend the Founding Festival, so starting today, we'll have your clothes fitted and go over etiquette.”

“Me?”

“You're seventeen this year, are you not?”

Ah, right.

The Founding Festival was not simply a festival.

It held special meaning for noble children turning seventeen.

If sixteen was the time to make a name for oneself in high society, seventeen was when one began seriously searching for a fiancé or fiancée.

The Founding Festival also marked that beginning.

In wuxia terms, sixteen was when one entered the martial arts world, while seventeen was when one attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

For reference, the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was like a youth tournament where rising talents gathered to show off whose skills were greater.

However, one thing about the butler's words puzzled me.

“I already have a fiancée. What happens in that case?”

In short, the Founding Festival was an event where people went looking for fiancés or fiancées.

I did not understand why I needed to attend when I had already found one.

“Indeed. That is why this Founding Festival will be the occasion to officially announce your engagement to House Hausen, Marquessate.”

“I see.”

“How unexpected. I can't believe there's something even the young master doesn't know.”

“I didn't look into that part in detail.”

I had thought there was no reason for me to attend.

I could hardly know something I had not studied separately.

The butler then spoke to Eri, who stood beside me.

“Miss Eri will also begin having her clothes fitted today.”

“Me too?”

Eri mumbled around a mouthful of bread behind me.

I did not ask where she had found it.

She had probably raided the storeroom on her way in.

“Why am I going?”

“Miss Eri is now no different from someone who bears the seal of House Nihirit on her back. Therefore, our house will also manage Miss Eri's social activities.”

That was what he said, but there was also a more practical reason.

Mages recruited by noble houses usually did not understand the rules of noble society.

So the house managed the areas the mage did not understand.

When the mage later rose to prominence, the house might end up managing some of the rights they obtained.

Of course, seeing how Mother treated Eri these days, she probably did it simply because she saw her as another daughter.

“There's no need to feel pressured. This Founding Festival is also an occasion to let other houses know that the baronial House Nihirit has recruited a retained mage. Miss Eri may also form a good connection at the Founding Festival.”

“A good connection?”

“Yes. Miss Eri is at that age now as well, is she not?”

Something about the butler's words seemed to displease Eri.

She stopped chewing her bread and began thinking deeply about something.

Soon, she answered with an oddly uneasy expression.

“I'll think about that. More importantly, will there be lots of delicious food there?”

“The Empire's finest chefs will gather to prepare the food.”

“Okay. I'll skip lunch that day.”

The butler nodded with a bitter smile.

Then he smiled again and turned his gaze toward me.

“And young master. During the Founding Festival, gifts are also presented to members of the Imperial family. The head of the house will prepare most of them, but I would appreciate it if you gave it some thought as well.”

“Understood.”

“Then I will take my leave. Please tell the servants if you need anything.”

The butler left after saying that.

I stood in the corridor, deep in thought for a moment.

A gift.

It would be good to offer something that showed the characteristics of our house.

However, House Nihirit was not distinctive enough for that.

Hmm.

If the Imperial family member is male...

Could unreleased sildenafil be a gift too?

That is probably not a good idea, right?

Even with the benefits of being in a misunderstanding story, that did not seem right.