Chapter 235
Evan thought to himself.
“Everything Christian does is based on good intentions.”
It was hard to believe, but it was true.
He possessed a kind of “insight” that allowed him to see through people’s hearts.
Christian could sense what others were really thinking beneath their outward appearances.
“Even now, his goal is genuinely to save the head of the Uiseon family.”
And that wasn’t all.
His efforts to resolve the Uiseon family’s troubles and to stop the unrest in the Kalburn Kingdom were all rooted in a greater desire to prevent more bloodshed.
“I don’t know Christian’s ultimate goal, but I can tell through his insight—it must be something noble.”
In Evan’s eyes, it was clear.
Christian was dedicating himself to some grand, lofty purpose.
No one else could shine with such a noble light.
…Of course, it was a complete misunderstanding.
“Evan, is he acting like this because of his insight? Looks like a side effect made his eyes go wonky.”
Christian noticed Evan’s thoughts and cleared his throat awkwardly.
Insight wasn’t all-powerful.
It allowed one to see into another’s heart, but only roughly. It wasn’t mind-reading that could grasp every subtle feeling.
That’s why such a ridiculous misunderstanding had occurred.
Because, roughly speaking, it was true that Christian was striving to save the world.
“…Actually, I’m just after wealth and fame. If the world ends, I die too, so I’m stuck struggling.”
Ella, unaware of the real situation, stammered.
“B-But I can’t believe it. That rude demon could harbor such a noble light?”
Of course, as the next head of the Uiseon family, she knew it was wrong to judge someone by appearances alone.
But still, there had to be limits. Didn’t he look like he had a wicked heart to anyone?
“He’s always been misunderstood because of his unpleasant looks and attitude,” Ruina said nearby, wearing a very uncomfortable expression.
Her face clearly said, “Misunderstood? What nonsense!” but Evan didn’t care.
From the perspective of insight, Ruina’s greed far outmatched Christian’s character.
“…I see.”
Ella still didn’t believe it, and Christian cleared his throat again and stepped forward.
“My intention to heal the family head is sincere.”
“……”
“If you don’t trust me, test me with the ‘Pond of Minus.’”
Everyone flinched.
The Pond of Minus.
A famous relic of the Uiseon family.
“It responds to the will of a healer.”
The stronger the healer’s will, the more the pond glows with a sacred white light.
“The pond is currently closed due to the family head’s illness.”
“With your authority, you could probably open it briefly without attracting attention.”
After some hesitation, Ella nodded.
“Very well. If you possess a healer’s will of grade five or higher, I will believe you.”
The pond’s reaction classifies a healer’s will from grade one to ten.
“Grade five is about the level of an advanced disciple of the Uiseon family.”
She had set a fairly strict standard.
For reference, the highest disciples, the Ten Saints, are said to have a healer’s will around grade seven.
“What grade are you?”
“Grade eight.”
An impressive level.
The current family head is also known to be grade eight.
This explained why Ella was chosen as the next head.
But Christian said something absurd.
“You’re the next head but not grade nine? Has the Uiseon family’s level dropped?”
Ella looked shocked.
“I don’t know how much you know about the healer’s will, but no one has reached grade nine in nearly a hundred years.”
“No one?”
“That’s right. Grade ten is practically impossible.”
“Hmm. That can’t be. According to records, all the past Medical Saints of the Uiseon family had grade ten healer’s wills.”
“…That’s just old history.”
“So the level really has declined.”
Ella scowled deeply.
“How annoying. Are all demons like this?”
In fact, Christian wasn’t wrong.
In the past, there were quite a few saints with grade nine wills. And once per generation, someone with a legendary grade ten will would appear.
But for some reason, such high-level disciples have vanished recently.
A decline in standards.
An undeniable fact.
“No wonder the Medical Saint is trying to join the war out of vanity.”
The recent Uiseon family was in trouble.
Ella knew this, but she was too powerless to fix it.
“If this is how it is now, what will happen when the master passes away?”
Ella sighed.
“This is the place.”
Deep within the Uiseon family’s secret chambers lay a pond so beautiful it looked like it belonged in a painting.
“If you put your hand in the water, the Pond of Minus will respond. If more than half glows white, that means grade five or higher.”
Christian stepped up to the pond.
Before dipping his hand in, he glanced at Ella.
“Did you just say grade ten is impossible?”
“……”
Christian smirked.
“I’ll show you what a true healer’s will looks like.”
Splash.
He plunged his hand into the water.
A moment of silence followed.
Ella shook her head as the pond showed no change.
“Of course, no demon could have a healer’s will.”
But then.
Something strange began to happen.
Twinkle.
A cluster of jewel-like lights appeared on the pond’s surface.
At first, she thought it was just a reflection.
But no.
The entire pond began to shine like a gem.
Beyond white.
A sacred radiance.
“What?!”
Ella’s eyes widened as if they might burst.
“Even my master’s healer’s will never made the pond react like this. Could this demon’s will be grade eight or higher?”
The pond’s color began to turn white with the sparkling lights.
In an instant, more than half of it was glowing.
Then seventy percent, eighty percent, approaching ninety.
“N-No way. Grade nine?”
But it didn’t stop there.
Even after surpassing ninety percent, the pond’s glow continued to intensify.
One hundred percent.
The pond was filled with perfect light.
“Ah.”
Ella breathed out in awe.
It wasn’t just beautiful.
It radiated a sacredness born of compassion for the patient.
Moved by its profound beauty, tears slipped down Ella’s cheeks without her realizing it.
After more than a hundred years, the Pond of Minus was finally filled with perfect sacredness.
Grade ten.
The healer’s will only a Medical Saint could possess.
“Well, it’s not like I actually have such a noble heart. I just have a strong healer’s will.”
It’s easy to misunderstand, but having a strong healer’s will doesn’t mean you have a noble character.
There are two ways to strengthen a healer’s will.
One, to be born with a strong, noble compassion for patients.
Christian was not one of those.
“I became a doctor for the money.”
So how could he have such a high healer’s will?
“Well, no matter what, no one has treated as many patients as I have.”
You don’t need grand ideals to strengthen your healer’s will—you just need to save lives.
Christian had treated countless patients during the era of destruction.
Probably no one in the current Uiseon family had saved as many lives as he had.
No wonder he was called the “Saint of the Mud.”
“The environment was different from this peaceful era. Back then, everywhere you looked, people were dying. The number of patients saved was on a whole different scale.”
Ella, shocked, stammered.
“Ho-How can you have such a healer’s will?”
Unable to tell her about his past life, Christian tried to dodge the question, but Evan suddenly interrupted.
“Didn’t I tell you? Despite his wicked appearance, Duke Christian harbors a nobility no one can guess. Do you believe me now?”
Ella looked at Christian for a moment.
He still looked wicked.
“Y-Yes, I believe you.”
She nodded firmly.
“The Pond of Minus only speaks the truth. But…”
Ella swallowed hard.
“That demon has a healer’s will at the Medical Saint level.”
That was a troubling problem.
According to Uiseon family rules, anyone with a grade ten healer’s will must be recognized as a Medical Saint.
In other words, by rights, they should acknowledge Christian as a Medical Saint.
Christian knew the rule and shook his head.
“No need to worry about that. I have no intention of becoming a disciple of the Uiseon family.”
“…Understood.”
“Then, there’s no time to waste. Let’s begin treating your family head. Follow me.”
In the family head’s quarters lay a gaunt old man, unconscious.
“So this is the current family head.”
“What are his symptoms exactly?”
“He’s unconscious and suffering from a high fever. No matter how much Uiseon qi is used, it has no effect.”
“Don’t you know the illness?”
“No one in the main family has been able to identify it.”
When Ella met the 26th family head in her past life, she also didn’t know the cause of the previous head’s death.
For a family of doctors to lose their head without knowing the illness was the greatest shame, but they never uncovered the truth.
“I have a guess.”
Ella had heard about the previous head’s symptoms before.
A certain illness suddenly came to mind.
“If I’m wrong, it’ll be a problem. There’s no way to save him then.”
Christian carefully examined the family head.
Checking vital signs, searching for clues over the whole body, drawing blood for alchemical analysis.
His examination was so thorough it looked like that of a master physician, and Ella was surprised.
“Where did you learn such medical knowledge?”
Chris answered casually.
“I picked it up as a hobby to pass the time. Even in the Dark Mage world, there are medical texts.”
“A hobby? There’s no way you could master medical skills at that level, right?”
“I can. But I need to focus, so could you stop talking and be quiet for a bit?”
Chris’s words silenced Ella, and he fell into deep thought.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Everyone’s eyes were on Chris.
The fate of the Eui-Seon family would hinge on whether Chris could find the answer or not.
Ella clenched her fists tightly.
“Can he really do it?”
She desperately wanted to heal her master.
But she still doubted whether Chris could truly find the solution.
Not because she underestimated him.
No one in the Eui-Seon family had been able to figure it out.
No matter how powerful that demon mage was, could he really pull it off?
Then—
“I’ve identified the illness.”
“!!”
Ella’s eyes widened as if they might burst.
“R-Really?”
“Yes. But it’s not actually a disease.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a complication caused by Eui-Seon Qi cultivation.”
“You’re saying your sect’s own techniques caused this condition.”
“!!”