The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 18: Personal Physician Examination (4)
“Phew, how many of these damn things are crammed into this narrow cave, anyway.”
Boris wiped sweat from beneath his clunky helmet and grumbled.
That was already the third goblin group we’d wiped out.
Even with Father’s Blessing of Vigor in effect, people were starting to tire.
“Any knights injured in the last fight, report immediately to the healers for treatment.”
Tanya issued the order.
Just as one knight started heading toward Gis, Boris patted him on the shoulder and suggested:
“Hey, go see the Young Master instead.”
“The Young Master?”
“Yeah. He put something on my shoulder earlier—it worked like a charm. Cold as ice. Just stings a little when applied.”
“Is that so? Might as well give it a try.”
Following Boris’s recommendation, the knight came over to me. I used Diagnosis on him immediately.
...No response.
Not even an abrasion. Just a few goblin splatters. What a drama queen.
There’s always one of these guys trying to act like they’ve earned a medal with a “noble wound.”
Still, fake patients are a perfect match for a quack doctor.
Welcome, dear customer.
“You there. Lift your shirt.”
“Like this?”
I slathered red potion all over his stomach with a brush. The orange glow flared to life, signaling healing.
Minimal recovery, but it works.
“Whoa, that’s actually cold. Thanks, sir.”
“See? The Young Master knows his stuff.”
“Heh, didn’t expect that from him.”
“Didn’t expect? That’s rude, you punk.”
Boris gave the knight a light smack on the back of the head. I slipped the red potion back into my coat and turned to him.
“Boris, you weren’t exactly thrilled to see me before. What’s with the sudden friendliness?”
“Ah, well, I’ve seen you and the Captain training every morning. I’ve been on overnight watch this week.”
Boris laughed heartily, his shoulder shaking from the motion.
“Anyone could tell you’re dead serious about this exam, Young Master. And you’re the Gotberg heir—gotta be some talent there.”
“Smooth, Boris. Real smooth.”
I like him. I’ll remember his name.
“Hah! Nothing of the sort. But now I get why you’re so invested in this exam.”
“Why’s that?”
Boris grinned and leaned in conspiratorially.
“I saw Her Highness for the first time yesterday. Even now, she’s so dignified—imagine what a beauty she’ll become with age.”
Why is he suddenly bringing up Asella?
“If I had a wife like that, I’d want to be her personal physician too. I’d stake my life on it!”
“Don’t go around saying stuff like that so casually.”
You have no idea how many times I’ve staked my life already.
One or two don’t even begin to cover it.
“Don’t be shy now. I’ve got a fiancée too, actually. Childhood friend—bit of a hellcat, though. Nothing like the Princess’s elegance.”
Boris started rambling happily about things I didn’t ask to hear.
“Actually, once we get back from this subjugation, we’re holding a small ceremony. Can you believe it? We already ended up having a kid!”
Wait—hold it. Stop right there.
“We’d planned to save up and get married after five more years of knighting. Total surprise.”
Buddy, you just triggered a death flag.
“Take care, Young Master. Babies are like Fenrirs. They strike when you least expect them—pop out of nowhere.”
“Tanya, what’s with the Gotberg knights’ discipline?”
I groaned, and Tanya, who had been quietly watching us, gave me a light nod.
“We’re not in the capital or the Imperial palace—just a local province’s order. They’re competent, so please be forgiving.”
“Are you serious right now?”
I gave an incredulous laugh.
Right, most of these guys were just farm boys who could swing a sword. I'd forgotten since Tanya was so polished.
Most knights were rough around the edges.
“But Boris—keep the chatter down during operations.”
“What, am I gonna get court-martialed?”
“No, but I can dock your pay.”
“...Understood.”
Boris shut his mouth and adjusted his helmet.
Tanya knew well how to manage unruly men, just as a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) proper commander should.
“Proceed to the next area. Stay alert.”
At Tanya’s order, the squad began moving again.
—
The cave grew deeper and darker.
The air thinned, and it was getting hard to breathe.
“Can’t believe they actually live in a place like this. I just want to wrap this up and get out of here.”
Boris complained openly. He was just about to say more when—
“Stop!”
Tanya barked and raised a clenched fist.
Boom!
A burst of flame exploded above our heads, raining fire down on us.
“Retreat! All units fall back!”
The squads in the rear began pulling back the way we came.
But up front—our path was blocked.
“Magic? So there is a goblin shaman!”
“My Lord, please fall back!”
“Ngh...!”
The knights closed in around Father, forming a defensive ring.
If the enemy had spellcasting monsters, even the healers in the back weren’t safe.
“We must eliminate the shaman immediately!”
“We can’t see a thing through this smoke...!”
The knights hesitated, unable to swing blindly for fear of hitting allies.
“Cough, cough.”
Oxygen was dropping, and hot smoke filled my lungs. Not good for the bronchial tubes.
Guess they lured us in and pulled the trigger once we were deep inside.
Classic low-IQ monster tactics.
“Time to burn a little divine power.”
I popped a candy into my mouth and bit down.
“Oh crummy Pingcheng Goddess, hear me now.”
I mumbled whatever came to mind. It didn’t matter.
Prayer wasn’t about eloquence—it was about channeling faith into divine power.
“Protect us from these blazing flames.”
I made sure to clearly define my intention.
The divine skills under the healing tree relied on faith and used divine power as a resource.
The stronger your faith, the stronger your spells. But like mana for mages, if you didn’t have enough divine power, you couldn’t cast anything at all.
With only 22 divine power, I’ve got one shot at this.
Just one use would drain me.
But one was enough.
Good thing I’d saved it for a moment like this.
“Blessing of Flame Protection.”
—Fwoosh!
A wave of divine energy burst from me, enveloping the entire unit.
A gentle pulse spread outward.
Our fire resistance stats shot up.
The heat dulled. Breathing became easier.
“Wait, what is this?!”
“The Young Master can cast blessings?!”
Knights shielding their mouths and noses recoiled in shock, then quickly resumed their battle stance.
When fighting the Demon King’s army, it was the Dark Resistance Blessing that proved most useful...
Unlike magic, divine spells didn’t require ritual circles.
If you had the will and the divine power, the spell drew its own sigils automatically.
“The heat’s fading!”
“We can charge!”
“Let’s bash that goblin bastard’s skull in!”
The heat sparked their spirits more than it scalded their skin.
The knights roared forward, eyes blazing.
“A blessing—how can you use such an advanced spell?!”
Gis asked, stunned.
“Isn’t this basic toolkit stuff for a royal physician?”
“Hah... I won’t lose to you!”
Gis, rattled, charged after the knights, furiously casting healing spells.
I didn’t actually have blessings in my current skill tree.
But I’d cast them so many times before regressing that my body remembered on instinct.
Like riding a bike—you don’t think about the pedals, you just move.
Ugh. Dizzy now.
Naturally, there were side effects.
My current divine power pool wasn’t nearly enough to properly support a high-tier spell.
The memory of my awful time in the Hero Party made my stomach churn.
“There he is!”
Boris yelled, charging ahead.
I saw it too.
A massive goblin among the crowd, waving a crude wooden staff—clearly the shaman.
“What, wear a rag and suddenly you think you’re a mage? Filthy beast.”
Boris pushed through the smaller goblins, charging straight for the shaman and swinging his sword wide.
—Grrraagh!!
Shwoop—THUD!
But with a wave of his arm, the shaman smashed Boris aside and sent him crashing into the wall.
“Aghh!”
Boris crumpled to the floor with a wretched cry.
In his other hand, the shaman gripped a vicious club, swinging it lazily.
Boris had charged in like it was just another goblin.
But a shaman, while capable of casting spells, was also the leader of the pack—its body and strength were in a whole different league.
At best, it was a low-tier ogre.
“Boris!”
Tanya entered the fray, sword flashing.
“Aim for the staff!”
I shouted. Tanya responded instantly.
She smashed the staff aside with the flat of her blade, broke the shaman’s stance, and carved diagonally through his body in a single, fluid strike.
—Grgkkk!!
The other knights followed, slashing mercilessly.
Unable to cast again or defend, the shaman was finally slain.
“Subjugation complete!”
“We’ve succeeded!”
The knights cleared out the stragglers.
Time for me to do my part.
“Boris.”
I rushed over to him.
“Grrghh... sss...!”
He was writhing in pain, biting down to suppress a scream.
No need for Diagnosis.
His left shin was broken—the bone bulged visibly beneath the skin.
“Y-Young Master... If I don’t make it, please tell Ney I... I loved her—”
“Shut it, dumbass. Who told you to raise a death flag?”
I flicked his forehead to shut him up. A gentle hit, just enough to snap him back.
The angle he’d hit the wall was terrible. Not a fatal wound, but serious enough.
“I’ll heal him!”
Gis rushed in and wedged between us.
Big injury—big points. No way he was passing up the chance.
His healing spell activated immediately. Light particles gathered around Boris’s leg.
But—
“AAARGH!!”
Boris began howling in agony.
Even at a glance, I saw the problem.
The broken bone had begun healing in the wrong direction.
The shattered edge was stabbing from the inside—it had to be excruciating.
“I—I can’t, I can’t take it! Stop, just stop!!”
Unable to bear it, Boris shoved Gis aside. I caught him before he collapsed.
He was panting, forehead drenched in sweat.
“The Goddess’s blessing comes with pain! Bear it, even just a little longer!”
Gis scolded him instead.
Thwack. I stuck a candy stick to Gis’s forehead.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Just the stick from the candy I’d been sucking on.
“I’ll take it from here. Patients have the right to refuse treatment, remember?”
“Wha—what difference does it make if you do it? That red potion hurts too—”
“I’ve got something even better.”
I pulled another vial from my coat.
―――――――――――
+2 Enhanced Willow Bark Painkiller
Effect: Eliminates nearly all pain for five minutes.
―――――――――――
A top-shelf painkiller I’d spent hours preparing in advance.
