Chapter 003
“What’s with that expression? It seems you’re surprised to see me.”
Jin spoke. His voice was heavily raspy and lacked strength, yet even his voice was sexy.
What was with this elegant yet lethal aura? My heart began to thud wildly. Calm down, heart.
“Do you pity me? No, it seems a bit different from that. How should I put it? Regret? Are you thinking that my lack of flesh is the only flaw ruining my otherwise impeccable appearance?”
Huh? Wh-what…? Is he reading my mind right now? Is he psychic? I, who had been intoxicated by Jin’s beauty, was flustered by his attitude, which seemed to read my thoughts exactly.
“There’s no need to be flustered. My intuition is simply a bit faster than others; it’s not some suspicious magic. Observing others’ reactions is an old habit of mine.”
Again, again! He read my emotions perfectly. Of course, anyone could easily read signs of embarrassment, but how could he know them so thoroughly?
“By looking at a person’s expression, I can roughly tell what emotions they hold, and I fill in the remaining gaps through deduction. It’s not difficult.”
As if reading the question I held once more, Jin answered.
It was said that Jin—who was so sickly he seemed unable to protect even his own body—could lead a massive rebel army because he was exceptionally intelligent.
But no matter how smart one is, does it make sense to read thoughts so accurately just by looking at a face? Even now, behind those brilliantly sharp blue eyes, Jin’s brain was likely running at full capacity.
My dear man. Do you know how many calories you consume just by overthinking? Your body already has to fight a grueling battle against illness; what happens if you use all that energy on thinking? No wonder you’re so thin.
“Now you seem to think my brilliance is harming my health. Yes, you might not be wrong… cough, cough.”
Jin stopped mid-sentence and began to cough again.
While worrying that he might actually stop breathing at that rate, I felt a sense of dread at how well we were communicating despite me not having uttered a single word yet.
“……Phew. I apologize to the new doctor but……. It feels as though enough blood has already been drawn. And unfortunately, I feel like I might die if I lose any more. Can this frail body endure it?”
After coughing for a long while, Jin caught his breath and laboriously lifted his left arm. A blood-stained bandage was wrapped around his wrist.
At that moment, Astrid’s memories suddenly surfaced.
The doctors of this era believed that people fell ill because their bodily fluids were out of balance. To restore that balance, they would often create wounds to draw blood.
Making incisions in the body of a dying patient to drain bowls of blood. It was a medical practice known as ‘bloodletting.’
‘Are they insane? Drawing blood from a patient so thin and frail that he vomits blood every day? What if he dies of excessive bleeding?’
Furthermore, if that wound were to get infected…… he wouldn’t last three months; he’d be dead in a matter of days. What about tetanus or sepsis? Aaargh!
Then, another memory of Astrid’s came to mind. What her doctor father used to do to treat trauma patients: searing wounds with red-hot iron or pouring boiling oil over them before bandaging.
If my predecessor, who supposedly ran away after a few days, did something like that to Jin…… oh, no! I trembled and shouted.
“Bring some alcohol right now! The strongest kind! Hurry!”
Disinfection, disinfection! Without a second thought, I rushed to Jin’s side. Alcohol wouldn’t be a perfect disinfectant, but it was better than nothing. I had to unwrap the bandage and see the wound first.
“Alcohol…… you say?”
Richard asked blankly.
Yes! Alcohol! They said he had great combat power but wasn’t very bright in the original work; this man really is a bit slow.
“Yes, alcohol. The strongest kind possible.”
I gently took hold of Jin’s forearm, fearing it might break if I pulled too hard. Ah, wait…… I had to wash my hands first. Since I had just escaped from a filthy prison, my hands were crawling with bacteria.
If I unwrapped the bandage and touched Jin’s wound like this…… this fragile, sunfish-like man could die because of me. But could the soap of this era actually disinfect? Should I sanitize my hands with alcohol too?
“……Excuse me, is there somewhere I can wash my hands?”
I softly set Jin’s arm back down. Seeing even the brilliant Jin looking a bit bewildered, it seemed he didn’t understand the situation either.
“Follow me. I will have the alcohol brought to you shortly.”
Richard guided me to a small door in the corner. I followed him through the door immediately.
The scene inside the door was…… not much different from a modern bathroom.
“Turning it this way gives cold water, and this way gives warm water. The temperature is adjustable, so use it as you please.”
Pardon? What did you say? Are you saying warm water comes out if I turn the tap on this sink? I looked at Richard, wondering if I had heard correctly.
It was strange. Truly strange. No matter how much I recalled the memories etched into Astrid’s body, this world was not a place with such well-developed water and sewage systems or plumbing.
To get clean water, one had to walk a long way to find a well or a spring, and the streets reeked of human waste.
“The craftsmanship of the dwarves who built the Underground City is much more amazing than expected. It is not some devilish magic, so please use it freely. Ah, and the cleanser over there is a special product developed by our alchemists.”
Richard explained, perhaps misinterpreting my shocked expression. I was just surprised that modern-day technology existed here. Though, for someone without modern knowledge, it would indeed be something to flip out over.
In the direction Richard pointed, there was a small glass bottle with a little pump attached. It looked exactly like the hand wash from the modern world I had lived in.
Richard soon left the bathroom, leaving me behind. Thinking it just looked similar, I pressed the pump once. A round dollop of rose-scented soap foam fell into my hand.
What the heck is this? Is this modern day?
Looking into the mirror above the sink, I certainly had Astrid’s appearance. Seeing my confused face, it seemed certain that I was inside The Liberator of the Underground City, but…….
Of course, soap existed in this era too. It was an extreme luxury that not just anyone could use. Nevertheless, the soap foam in my hand looked no different from modern soap.
Lost in thought for a moment, I shook my head to snap out of it. No, no. Now isn’t the time to be lost in such thoughts.
I had to get out quickly and check the wound on that living corpse, Jin. If he had been burned by boiling oil or hot iron…… I had a feeling he would die before the wound could even heal. With a body that frail, a burn combined with an infection would be…….
Aaargh. I scrubbed my hands vigorously.
Then, fearing that bacteria from the bathroom door might transfer to my hands, I pushed the door open with my shoulder. Richard appeared, holding a bottle of alcohol.
The label on the bottle said vodka in the language of this world. Yes, that should be strong enough.
“May I take a look at the wound?”
I asked Jin cautiously. Jin was watching me as if he found me interesting.
Jin gave a slight nod. It was a sign of permission.
I carefully unwrapped Jin’s bandages. Please…… please let it not be a burn.
Fortunately, it seemed the previous doctor hadn’t poured boiling oil or used hot iron. There was only a cut from something sharp.
“It might sting a bit, so bear with me.”
I poured the vodka over the wound where the blood had dried into a sticky mess. As the liquid touched the wound, Jin grimaced slightly, as if feeling the pain.
……Even with a distorted expression, he was handsome. Was it Xishi from ancient times who they said was like that? They said she was so beautiful even when she frowned that people copied her expression.
No, focus on the treatment. If I stare blankly like this, Jin will tease me again for reading my thoughts.
“Hey, Doctor. Focus on the treatment, not my face. Though I know I am beautiful.”
Just like that.
