IHBAVD CH 04

Whether it was divine intervention, my medical skill, or just sheer luck, I couldn’t tell—but Tomi gradually recovered.

Haa… thank goodness.

Tomi, who had been on the brink of death, had regained over half of his stamina—60 out of 100.

Only then did I finally feel relief.

I seriously thought I was going to lose it.

But after staying up for two nights straight, I was completely exhausted.

Seeing his condition, I figured the rest could be handled by his own strength and the help of the local physician. So I left Tomi’s house.

—or at least, I tried to.

A massive crowd blocked my way.

“No! Doctor Ailet! Doctooor!”

“Please don’t go!”

“You must stay in the village! This old chief begs you! Ugh! My blood pressure is so high I might drop dead!”

It was the village chief and his group.

What is this…? Ha.

I let out an incredulous laugh.

“Sob… I’ve been so frail lately, collapsing all the time…”

“Chief, don’t you carry your mother on your back every day?”

“…Ahem.”

At my words, he awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away.

The chief was tall, broad, and muscular—the kind of man who looked like he’d never suffer from something like high blood pressure.

“S-still, having a doctor like you in the village puts our minds at ease.”

“That’s right. It would be safer for you to stay here too.”

“But…”

I scratched my cheek as they all tried to persuade me in unison.

This is awkward.

Just because I had saved Tomi, they were all united in trying to keep me here.

Of course, living in a village—interacting with people, easily getting supplies—was far more comfortable than living alone in the mountains.

No.

But I felt uneasy.

Because of the original story.

If I settled in a place like this and opened a clinic, sooner or later I might catch the attention of that villainous Grand Duke’s subordinates—and end up becoming his personal physician.

That’s the only plausible path. How else would someone like me, living in a backwater like this, become the Grand Duke’s doctor?

So staying here wasn’t something I could decide lightly.

Even if I opened a clinic, it had to be somewhere crowded like the capital—where I could stay unnoticed.

Though it hurt, I firmly shook my head.

“If you’re sick, come to my house. I need to take care of it after being away, study a bit, and dry herbs.”

“But still, doctor, please—”

The chief grabbed my arm, his forearm muscles bulging.

Seriously, he’s perfectly healthy.

I shook my head firmly.

“My decision won’t change.”

“But your house is so hard to find! Every time we go up, we get lost!”

The old chief sounded like he might cry.

There it was again.

That complaint.

Why was my house so hard to find? Could it really be… magic?

If there’s a status window in this world, there’s no way magic doesn’t exist.

Determined to uncover the truth, I politely refused once more and insisted on returning to the mountains.

“Aileeeet~!”

“Ailet!”

“Ahhh!”

Only after promising to visit the village often did they finally let me go.

In return for saving Tomi, the villagers gave me bread, meat, and wine in abundance.

They’re good people.

Before heading back, I stopped by to check on Tomi. He spoke cautiously.

“Um… Doctor. I’m sorry for calling you stupid earlier.”

Cute. His face was bright red as he fidgeted.

“Call me noona. I’m young.”

Ailet was nineteen—definitely old enough for that.

I ruffled his hair, and he hesitated before asking,

“But… that thing you said before. Divine possession? Do you travel with ghosts? How did you know my name?”

His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I brushed it off casually.

“…I heard a rumor that you’d become the smartest kid in the village. Ghosts? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“R-really? I’m going to get smarter?”

His face turned bright red.

Cute.

Now, the status window above his head was gone. He was completely out of danger.

“Take care. See you again.”

I smiled and left.

The villagers saw me off as I climbed back up the mountain.

It’s so simple though.

Go straight up, turn right, and there’s my log cabin.

Why does everyone say it’s hard to find?

Back home, I sat at the table, resting my chin in my hand.

There’s definitely some kind of trick… or magic.

But I had no idea what it was.

It was probably something my late father, Rinken, had done—but the dead tell no tales.

He definitely wasn’t an ordinary man. Was he a mage? Why live in a place like this?

Well, whatever. It works in my favor.

If it keeps me out of sight, that’s a good thing.

I shrugged and went inside.

For a woman living alone, there couldn’t be a better setup.

Honestly, Ailet was a delicate beauty—with light beige hair almost like blonde, and violet eyes that stirred protective instincts.

If someone like that lived alone in the mountains without any protection, something would have happened already.

I’m lucky.

After cleaning the dust that had piled up, I went out to gather herbs to refill my storage.

On the way, I encountered a silver fox.

It wagged its tail.

“Yip yip!”

“Oh, hey.”

It licked my hand and chin affectionately.

Its fur wasn’t just silver—it shimmered.

A spirit beast, for sure.

If a hunter caught it, it would definitely be skinned.

“Hey, want to live at my place? I’m worried about you. I’ll protect you.”

“Kyung kyung!”

According to the status window, it had been twenty years old when injured—but with its small size and playful behavior, it looked like a two-year-old.

It nodded as if it understood me, wagging its tail.

That meant yes.

I smiled.

“Alright. Let’s go together. I’m out of herbs anyway.”

“Kyung!”

With a basket in hand, I set off with the fox.

I had run out of basic herbs, so if a patient showed up, I’d be in trouble.

Fortunately, there were plenty of Verita herbs nearby. I carefully gathered them.

It felt nice, not being alone.

Like I was being watched over.

Like family.

“The herbs are in great condition today. And my fingers are in good shape too—and, uh… huh?”