The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint - Chapter 73

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈

Chapter 73: Good Healer (1)

──────

* * *

The day after I had an honest conversation with Freya.

“Freya, are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thanks to you and Eri.”

“You’ve been training with Eri every morning lately. Aren’t you tired?”

“I am, but Eri is waiting for me. I can’t sleep in.”

“If you say so. Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Fortunately, Freya recovered quickly.

It was still early, so even a little attention had helped her improve this much.

That was why rounds had been what I valued most when I was a trauma surgeon.

Making sure patients did not carry emotional scars once they came to.

That was what our department believed the role of trauma surgery should be.

‘I should check on the other students too, not just Freya.’

Come to think of it, I needed to keep counseling the other students as well.

I also had to check on Kal, who was hospitalized at the clinic.

There was still a mountain of work to do.

But today, there was something I needed to handle first.

“Master. It has been a while.”

“I heard something serious happened. Are you all right?”

I had come straight to my master’s laboratory.

There were several matters I needed to discuss above all else.

The first thing Master did upon seeing me was ask after my well-being.

“I’m fine. I wasn’t the one in danger this time.”

“Good. Then are your scholarship students and younger sisters all right?”

“One of them was in some danger, but I think we can handle it.”

“Good. That is all I needed to hear. You’ll find your way through it. But if it becomes too difficult, tell me.”

Master let out a relieved sigh and poured me some tea.

I accepted the cup and got to the point.

“Actually, I’d like to have a serious discussion related to that today.”

“What is it?”

“About concealing my identity.”

Master nodded calmly as he sipped his tea.

It was a gesture telling me to continue.

“Until now, the Inspectorate’s protective oversight has allowed us to keep Director Schun and Julian separate. But I don’t think that alone will be enough.”

The reason no link had been found between Director Schun and Julian Nihirit was largely due to the Inspectorate’s efforts.

Combined with the power of misunderstandings, Director Schun’s identity had remained well hidden even without any particular effort from me.

But this incident made me feel that it was not enough.

After my scholarship students were kidnapped, and Freya was caught up in it by chance, I could no longer rely solely on the Inspectorate and the power of misunderstandings.

So I wanted to learn from Master’s methods.

“I think I need to hide myself more thoroughly. I would like to learn from how you conceal your identity.”

Master quietly looked at me.

“I understand your question, but let us confirm one thing before I answer. Why do you think your identity has remained concealed until now?”

“Because the Inspectorate has controlled the information well... and because I’ve been lucky?”

A deep sigh escaped Master’s lips.

“You have done nothing but stay inside your laboratory and examination room. No wonder you do not know how the world works...”

He set down his teacup and muttered,

“I worry whether I should let you become independent at this rate.”

“...Master?”

Why was he saying exactly what my attending professor had once said to me?

Of course, it was true that I did not care much about worldly affairs.

Still, I considered myself reasonably aware of what was going on in the world.

“Brother. Name just three houses that are close to our family.”

“...”

It was purely a coincidence that Freya’s words came to mind.

“Julian. From now on, I will correct your misunderstandings one by one.”

Master placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Julian, if it were truly luck, have you never wondered why high-ranking nobles above even the Inspectorate do not know your identity?”

“Isn’t it because I’m insignificant to them?”

“You are a nobleman a prince offered a position as his contracted healer.”

“...”

Come to think of it, he was right.

If no one else, it was strange that Prince Edmund, who held real power in the military, did not know my secret.

Even if the Inspectorate was independent from the military.

As if answering my question, Master took a sip of tea and continued.

“The answer is the authority inherent in the information itself.”

“Authority?”

“Yes. Have you ever considered why imperial secrets are managed so strictly? Is it because the Inspectorate’s information control is perfect? No. Perfect information control does not exist.”

Master tapped the table with his finger.

“The true reason imperial secrets are protected is that the act of digging into them is itself irreverent. If you are caught probing into imperial information, that alone constitutes the crime of irreverence. Whether you obtained the information does not matter. The attempt itself is a crime.”

I knew that.

That was why, when an investigation showed even a hint of a connection to the Imperial Family, people hurriedly stopped digging.

Whether they meant to or not.

If someone crossed the line without realizing it, their entire house could disappear.

It was similar to why Wangcho had stopped investigating Director Schun in the past.

Getting tangled up with nobles over a needless investigation would make life difficult.

“Even members of the Imperial Family investigating each other’s information can be seen as a declaration of war. Not too long ago, there was bloodshed over the struggle for the throne. Naturally, they are sensitive about it.”

“When you say not too long ago... when do you mean?”

“Roughly two hundred years ago.”

“...”

Setting aside whether an event two hundred years ago qualified as not too long ago.

“You are the same. Your identity is being tightly controlled so that even the Imperial Family cannot investigate it easily.”

“Is it because I am your disciple?”

My connection with Prince Edmund was recent, so that did not fit the timeline.

And none of my family or acquaintances were part of the Imperial Family.

By process of elimination, my connection to Master had to be the reason.

“Do you not receive treatment equivalent to that of the Imperial Family, Master?”

The Great Sage’s standing was comparable to that of the Emperor.

After all, he was the one who had raised an ordinary boy into the founding Emperor.

The Merlin of Arthurian legend, in other words.

“Well... that is not entirely unrelated.”

Apparently, my answer was not quite correct.

Master’s response was distinctly awkward.

“Hmm... For now, it is enough for you to know that you have some connection to the Imperial Family.”

In any case, I understood.

That explained why Prince Edmund did not know my identity either.

Only then did I realize that luck and the power of misunderstandings were not what had protected my secret.

Still, there was one part I could not understand.

“But, Master. My scholarship students were kidnapped this time. If the wall protecting me is so solid, why are the students not included within it?”

“Are they as precious to you as your family?”

I shook my head.

Of course, the scholarship students were precious because they were children I had raised.

But were they as precious as my family? Not quite.

“Then if someone took them hostage and demanded that you trade yourself or your family for them, would you willingly do so?”

I shook my head again.

Honestly, I would not go that far either.

“Then why should the Inspectorate protect them?”

“...”

“Of course, if something happened to them, you would be hurt. If they were offered as sacrifices, someone might even be able to place a troublesome curse upon you. But that is all. They could not threaten your life or safety.”

“...”

Come to think of it, that was true.

The strength of a curse depended on how close the sacrifice was to the target.

Even if the students were used as sacrifices, it would not create a curse directly threatening my life.

That was why the Inspectorate had decided there was no value in protecting the students’ secrets.

“It cannot be helped. If the Inspectorate protected every connection, it would have to protect all humanity. There must be a line.”

It was a very realistic reason.

And I found myself accepting it after hearing it.

“And one more thing.”

Master raised a finger.

“The Inspectorate protects your secrets. It does not protect you directly.”

“...”

“Its boundary is controlling information and ensuring that your identity does not leak. They are not bodyguards.”

“...”

Master looked at me.

“Do you understand now why I once told you to protect those around you yourself?”

“I understand clearly, Master.”

“It is enough that you understand now. Then let us return to your original question. You asked how to conceal your identity. Are you still curious about that?”

I shook my head.

“I want to know how I can protect my people.”

“Yes. That is a good question.”

Master nodded with a pleased expression.

* * *

Great Sage Louis nodded as he looked at the boy before him.

He had always been that kind of child.

A child who viewed the world with uncomplicated optimism.

A child who believed everything would work out.

Of course, that was not a bad thing.

Thanks to that outlook, Julian was never discouraged by failure and could continue achieving genius feats.

But at the same time, Louis felt a sadness welling up inside him.

‘Poor child. You want to remain pure, but the world will not leave you alone.’

Louis hated this reality too.

A reality where he could not freely meet his family, and his disciples had to hide themselves so thoroughly.

But this was reality.

As a master, he could not speak only of ideals forever.

So he needed to be careful when explaining reality without breaking Julian’s optimism.

“As for your scholarship students, there is only one way.”

Louis pointed to his own chest.

“Do you know why all my disciples are mage tower masters?”

Julian shook his head.

“Because I do not take in mediocre children who cannot reach that level.”

Louis recalled an imperial brother and sister.

They possessed an exceptional sense for time, enough that the Great Sage himself had offered to become their guardian.

Yet he had not accepted them as disciples.

Their talent and imagination would not have been enough to bear that connection.

And he had accepted Julian as his disciple because Julian possessed talent more than sufficient to bear it.

This was what the Great Sage wanted to say.

“The best method is to raise all those connected to you until they can protect themselves.”

The Great Sage had one iron rule.

Unless someone possessed at least the talent to become a mage tower master, he would not take them in from the beginning.

Put differently, if he did take them in, he would take responsibility until they became the equal of a mage tower master.

“Your scholarship students are no different. If they are so precious to you despite not being protected by the state, then you must raise them until they can at least protect themselves.”

“...”

“Does that seem impossible?”

Julian shook his head.

“No. If it is them, they can do it.”

“Yes. Then take responsibility for them until the end.”

It might be quite a heavy burden for Julian.

But this child could bear it.

In fact, every child Julian had taken in possessed unusual talent.

Especially the two daughters of a certain priestess whom Louis had recommended.

‘Those children had rather interesting talents.’

Had Julian noticed those talents as well?

From the looks of it, he seemed to have.

With that thought, the Great Sage continued.

“Since we are on the subject, you need to conceal your identity more properly. May I take a look at the mask and fedora you have been using?”

“I brought them.”

Julian handed over the hat and mask.

The Great Sage turned the mask over in his hands, then nodded.

“A fairly strong perception-obscuring effect has been applied. Unless someone has seen you remove the hat, they will not recognize you even if they hear your voice. There is no need to alter this part in particular.”

“That is a relief.”

“It would be best if as few people as possible know your secret. Besides your family, that imposing trading company president, and that hyena friend from Limbus Pit, is there anyone else who knows?”

“My assistant and my private soldiers do.”

“Anyone else? Do your scholarship students know?”

“I do not believe they do.”

“Then that will do.”

The Great Sage returned the mask and fedora.

“So you intend to begin operating in earnest under the name Julian as well?”

“Yes. I will use Julian Schnabel for my work as an expert in black magic and forensic medicine, while medicine and alchemy will remain Director Schun’s fields. I intend to separate the two men’s specialties completely.”

“A good idea. If their areas of expertise do not overlap, there will be no reason to suspect they are the same person.”

There was no telling how effective it would be, but it was a hundred times better than doing nothing.

The Great Sage nodded in satisfaction.

“Protecting your people and concealing your identity both ultimately depend on how strong you become.”

“I will need to work harder.”

“Good.”

The Great Sage took a sip of tea and changed the subject.

“Then let us discuss something else.”

His tone became much lighter.

“I hear you will be teaching a course on defense against black magic under your own name?”

“Has the rumor already spread?”

“The prince came to ask my permission before anyone else.”

“Ah.”

“You will need a paper if you are to teach.”

“Yes. At the very least, it must be recognized at the Arcane Olympiad.”

The Arcane Olympiad.

It was commonly called the Autumn Symposium.

It was also an annual event where Great Sage Louis served as chief judge.

To become a professor at the Empire’s Imperial Academy, one had to present at least one paper there.

Not even a prince’s recommendation could change that.

Of course, Julian would not find it difficult to pass its review.

“Then I must not involve myself, for the sake of fairness.”

“Yes. I intend to conduct this research on my own as well.”

“I see.”

Louis rubbed his chin for a moment.

“...Could you at least tell me the subject of your research?”

Giving feedback on the research would clearly be unfair.

But simply hearing the topic would not compromise fairness.

That was what the Great Sage thought as he asked.

Julian nodded.

“I already have something in mind.”

“Oh...”

What sort of research would he use to surprise Louis this time?

The Great Sage waited eagerly for the topic.

“Since I will be teaching a course on defense against black magic, it would be best to submit a related paper.”

“Just in case, you are forbidden from presenting a treatment for demon disease.”

“I have not organized everything yet, and I have not found a method of mass-producing the catalyst.”

That was right.

There was not just one disease called demon disease. He had said it was too much work to organize in only a few years.

And the catalyst was a problem as well.

The catalyst used to treat demon disease that day, steroids, had been made only after grinding thousands of pig adrenal glands.

With such abysmal yield, research was progressing even more slowly.

Presenting anything about demon disease was still a matter for the distant future.

“Then what will you present about black magic? Are you thinking of presenting the vaccine?”

“Wouldn’t that be too cliché?”

The more Julian spoke, the more excited the Great Sage became.

Then did Julian have a discovery even greater than that?

A discovery that would make his heart race as it had when Julian created the vaccine?

At last, after pausing for effect, Julian spoke.

“Since I will be teaching Hero Studies Department students, would it not be best to submit a paper related to scenarios that black mages could exploit?”

“That... would make sense?”

It was a course related to defending against black magic, after all.

It was certainly reasonable.

“Then I plan to write about scenarios involving lead.”

“...?”

“I cannot tell you the details, but I intend to write a paper on scenarios where black mages could exploit the lead used by spellcasters.”

“...”

At that moment, a scene flashed through the Great Sage’s mind.

The distant past.

Julian’s face from another world, glimpsed through his dreams.

“I think it could cause quite a stir in magical academia.”

Julian smiled brightly.