Chapter 81
A week later, Donghee had completely gotten back on his feet. There wasn’t a single spot on his body that hadn’t been injured, but somehow he felt sturdier now than before. He was stronger, and his steps were quicker. It was strange, considering he had spent nearly a month bedridden.
“Surely, the Lord is under God’s protection,”
said Gallon, the physician who had continued staying at Grace Castle. He could not hide his amazement at how the lord now stood as if he had never been wounded at all.
“It’s all thanks to your hard work. Would you consider staying here permanently and becoming Grace’s physician?”
For Grace to keep developing, a skilled doctor was indispensable. Donghee was even planning to build a hospital, and Gallon would be the first cornerstone of it. Since Fran was much more advanced than Grace, Donghee thought he might refuse. After all, even he himself would not so easily quit a job in Seoul to move to the countryside.
“If you will have me, I will do my utmost to serve you, my lord,”
Gallon answered promptly, much to Donghee’s relief.
“Thank you. But I do have one condition.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
Gallon, who had vaguely imagined putting down roots here, grew a little nervous about what sort of condition the lord might set. As long as he could freely treat patients and live with his beloved daughter without worrying about making ends meet, he was prepared to accept almost anything. Fran had no shortage of doctors anyway.
“I want you to treat not only me, but everyone else as well.”
Gallon blinked, not quite grasping what the lord meant.
“I intend to build a hospital here in Grace. A place where not only nobles, but anyone who is sick in our domain can come for treatment. Would that be acceptable to you?”
Before coming here, Gallon had always rushed to treat the sick, whether noble, commoner, or slave. But nobles disliked being treated in the same clinic as commoners, so they gradually stopped coming to him. Naturally, his income dwindled as well. Gallon had been using what money he did earn from nobles to buy medicine for the poor, and he felt as if he were walking a path that could only end in ruin. So the lord’s “condition” was actually exactly what Gallon had long dreamed of.
“Yes, of course. But I do have one request of my own.”
“And what would that be?”
“I would like to bring my daughter here from Fran. She has studied medicine since she was young and is capable of simple treatments and prescriptions.”
Gallon spoke earnestly, trying to present Sella’s abilities in the best light, worried the lord might refuse. But Donghee’s face brightened.
“Of course. What I want is for more physicians to come to our lands. Whether patients come or not, you’ll still receive a fixed monthly salary. And if something big happens, like last time, where many must be treated at once, you’ll be given additional compensation.”
Again, Gallon was taken aback. He could understand treating everyone equally, but why would the lord himself pay the doctor’s fee instead of the patient?
“The townsfolk will only have to pay part of the cost. I, as lord, will pay you a fixed monthly wage, like a salary. Naturally, I will also provide funds for any medicine or equipment you need. All you’ll have to worry about is treating the sick.”
The more Gallon listened, the wider his eyes grew. He had never once imagined that the dreams he had vaguely cherished might come true here in Grace. His heart pounded so wildly he thought everyone in the room might hear it.
“Treasurer.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Find a suitable plot in Condal to build the hospital. Gallon and his daughter should live within the hospital itself. Prepare plenty of wards so patients can be admitted for treatment. Also, work with Gallon to draw up a list of necessary medicines and equipment, and purchase twice the amount he asks for.”
Scribbling furiously into his notebook, Scrooge’s hand moved so fast it was almost invisible.
Even as he listened, Gallon could not tell if this was a dream or reality.
“Provide Gallon with a carriage so he can bring back his daughter safely. And tell Red Bear to assemble an escort team, to ensure our esteemed physician travels in complete safety.”
The lord gave his orders without hesitation, as if he had been planning this all along. Everyone in the office was so astonished that they hardly dared breathe.
As soon as the orders were given, Handsome and Scrooge hurried away to begin their work. Even with two assistants each, twenty-four hours a day hardly seemed enough.
“My lord, please rest. You’re still not fully recovered. You shouldn’t overwork yourself like this.”
Delma was fretting. She could not forget the sight of the lord being carried in, covered in blood. She never wanted to see that again.
“I’m fine now. Look—I’m perfectly all right.”
“But still—!”
As she spoke with a worried face, Donghee gently leaned against her. Delma always smelled like sun-dried laundry—warm and comforting. That scent always put him at ease.
“I’ll rest if I feel unwell. I’m just so glad you’re here, Delma. Thank you.”
Delma looked down at the young lord clinging to her like a child and patted his back softly. It felt like just yesterday she was changing his diapers, and now here he was, fully performing the duties of a lord.
“Promise me that if you feel tired or sick, you’ll tell me.”
“Yes, I promise.”
Donghee buried his face against Delma’s warm chest, mumbling like a child. Delma had become his friend, his comrade, and even something like a mother.
Not long after, Gold Rich returned to Grace. With a nervous face, he entered the lord’s office. Rumors had spread—some said the lord of Grace had been crippled after being attacked by monsters, others that his face had been horribly disfigured, even that an entire village had been destroyed. On the other hand, there were also wild rumors that the lord had single-handedly defeated the monsters and saved his soldiers, that he was under divine protection, perhaps even a saint.
Whatever the truth, Gold Rich could not help being tense. If the rumors of serious injury were true, his lucrative gemstone dealings with Grace might end. But if the rumors of divine favor were true, that was frightening in a different way.
He waited nervously in the office until the door opened. Resolving not to show shock no matter what state the lord’s face was in, he listened for approaching footsteps.
“It’s been a while, Gold Rich.”
The voice was the same as ever. Gold Rich bowed deeply.
“I heard there was a grave incident in Grace, and that you yourself were injured, my lord. Are you—”
But when he looked up, he saw the lord whole and unharmed. His words caught in his throat. So all the rumors were nonsense? Surely the lord had not truly fought the monsters himself.
“I was injured, but the physician was excellent. I’m completely healed.”
Donghee deliberately praised Gallon’s skill.
“Thank heavens. I congratulate you on your recovery, my lord.”
Gold Rich then presented a wooden box, about the size of a shoebox.
“What is this?”
“A gift to celebrate your recovery.”
“Celebrate? It’s not my birthday. What for?”
“To celebrate your safe recovery, of course.”
Red Bear, uncharacteristically, smiled with his eyes.
Inside the box were silver tableware, the handles set with finely cut gemstones.
“You want me to dine with these?”
“Yes. They are pure silver. Even trace amounts of poison will be detected.”
“Ohh!”
Gold Rich was perceptive. Perhaps he even knew that someone like Patrasche might be plotting against Donghee’s life.
Donghee admired the gleaming silver utensils with satisfaction, then closed the box.
“Thank you. I’ll use them well.”
Seeing the lord pleased with his gift, Gold Rich relaxed a little and cautiously asked,
“I hear the markets are full of rumors that you single-handedly drove off the monsters, my lord.”
“Would you believe that? Of course the knights and soldiers fought hard.”
“…I see.”
So the lord had indeed taken part in the battle, though perhaps not alone. Still, the rumor that someone with no training in the sword had fought monsters was ridiculous. Gold Rich clicked his tongue inwardly.
But before he could think further, Donghee abruptly changed the subject.
“You brought plenty of money, I hope?”
“Yes. As requested, I’ve brought every coin I could gather.”
When he first received Grace’s summons, Gold Rich wasn’t sure what to believe.
“Let’s see it, then.”
Gold Rich signaled his men, who brought in a chest as large as a coffin. At Donghee’s nod, he opened it.
“Ohh!”
Scrooge, standing at Donghee’s side, couldn’t stop himself from letting out a short exclamation before quickly shutting his mouth. A glance at Gold Rich showed he hadn’t noticed, and Scrooge sighed in relief.
The chest was packed full of gold coins.
‘That should be enough to pay the compensation and still have plenty left,’ Donghee thought.
He and Scrooge stepped closer to inspect the chest, checking carefully that nothing else was mixed in.
For Scrooge, this was the first time he had seen so much money in one place. But he didn’t want to show surprise in front of Gold Rich, a mere merchant. So instead, he frowned and examined the coins with exaggerated seriousness, trying to look as if such things were routine.
Donghee left Scrooge to it and gave Handsome a meaningful glance. At once, Handsome had armed knights bring in another chest.
Gold Rich’s eyes went wide. Until now, the gems Grace’s lord offered were at most a few dozen at a time. But the size of this chest suggested a number far greater.
Donghee gestured toward him.
“Come here and see for yourself—just how short you’ve fallen in the money you’ve brought.”
The lord spoke arrogantly as he opened the lid of the chest.
