I waited, spoon poised, for Jin to take just one bite.
You can read my mind perfectly, can’t you? Just try saying it tastes bad. I dare you. I won’t let it slide.
With that thought burning behind my eyes, I glared at him sharply.
“It’s delicious.”
Thankfully, Jin praised the dish that Betty and I had poured our hearts into. Betty and I exchanged a glance and let out matching sighs of relief.
For now, according to this quack doctor’s assessment, Jin’s long illness had weakened his stomach function considerably. The plan was to first rebuild his strength with easily digestible ingredients that would gently support and restore his stomach. Only once his digestion improved would we begin the serious business of fattening him up.
The problem was that no matter how delicious the food, Jin would take only a few spoonfuls before stopping.
This short-mouthed little brat.
“Why did you stop eating?”
Seriously—Betty and I worked so hard on this. How can you eat just a couple of spoonfuls and quit, you awful man?
“I’m full.”
Jin mumbled.
Full? What kind of stomach do you even have? How can a few spoonfuls of thin vegetable soup possibly fill you up?
I let out a long, heavy sigh and fixed him with a look.
“I’m not letting you do anything until you finish it all. You know how much Lordant is looking forward to his lesson with you, right? If you don’t eat everything, there will be no afternoon lesson with Lordant and no meeting with Richard today.”
This wasn’t coaxing a child to eat anymore; it felt downright exhausting. Jin’s face crumpled into a pout. Well, guess what—I feel like crying too, little Jin.
After a moment he gave another deep sigh and lifted a few more spoonfuls. I watched with quiet pride.
That’s right. Good boy. Eat properly.
But then—this man—after a few more bites, his hand stopped again.
“What’s wrong now?”
Every single mealtime turned into a battlefield. Was I nursing a patient or raising a toddler?
“My arm hurts.”
At those words I could only stare at him in disbelief. He tilted his head slightly, looking up at me with that infuriatingly pitiful expression, and I could practically hear his thoughts.
*Hmm? Doctor-nim. My arm hurts, you know? Hurry and feed me.*
Irritating. Absolutely shameless!
And yet… when he looks at me with those eyes, so prettily pleading, there’s no way I can hold out and refuse. Really, this is why men who know exactly how handsome they are should come with a warning label. They weaponize their faces far too effectively.
“So?”
I swallowed the urge to immediately scoop up another spoonful and replied curtly instead.
Jin lowered his lashes just a fraction, gaze drifting downward before slowly lifting again to meet mine. The entire sequence was so gracefully, heartbreakingly beautiful.
“Doctor-nim… feed me.”
I exhaled a long, defeated breath.
Just a few days ago he had insisted he didn’t want to treat people like servants! Am I not even human to him now?
The impulse to grab him by the collar and shake him was strong, but the moment I imagined this fragile sea-squish suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing, my hand went not to his collar but to the spoon instead.
“…Open wide. Ah.”
When I growled the words, Jin let out a soft chuckle and obediently parted his lips.
God, what a life.
Come to think of it—didn’t the original Astrid end up falling for him while nursing him exactly like this?
*Jin, you little shit. You did wrong. How can someone who might die any day pull stunts like this…*
Ah.
The thought slipped out unbidden: that Jin might die soon.
If he ever heard me think that, it would hurt him deeply. I stole a quick glance at his face.
But Jin was simply smiling softly, the corners of his mouth curved in quiet contentment.
Right—he’s not some mind-reader. He can’t know every single thought.
I sighed again and lifted another spoonful of soup to his lips.
And yet…
For the briefest instant, something bitter seemed to flicker through Jin’s eyes as he accepted the bite.
…Surely just my imagination.
★
Having finally gotten through Jin’s lunch, I returned to my room utterly drained.
That’s when Lordant came running—pat-pat-pat—straight into my arms.
“Doctor Ober!”
The sweet boy threw himself against me in a full-body hug. After a few days in a place with plenty of warm water and three proper meals a day, Lordant had become noticeably cuter. Maybe even a little rounder. Aigoo, my baby.
Outside of tutoring sessions with Jin, Lordant wandered freely, but his favorite spot was always glued to my side.
Probably because he liked Astrid, not me—but still.
“Brother Rick is looking for you! He says to come to the lab!”
Rick? Ah—finally. The medicines I requested must be ready.
Using ‘The Great Dictionary of Medicinal Herbs’ and ‘Types and Uses of Alchemical Reagents’ as references, I had come up with a long list of concoctions that might help Jin. Of course, they were basically traditional herbal decoctions—mixtures of ingredients with similar effects measured according to the books—but still.
First, an antitussive and expectorant. Essential for Jin, who struggled to breathe because of constant coughing and phlegm. A fever reducer was also a must for this fragile man who ran hot at the drop of a hat. Painkillers. Digestive aids.
The scars from bloodletting on Jin’s left arm were healing far more slowly than I liked. Thankfully, my obsessive disinfecting and daily bandage changes had prevented infection, but I had still commissioned an ointment specifically for it.
“I should go see Rick. Is it time for your lesson now, Lordant?”
When I smiled gently and asked, Lordant nodded vigorously. Ahhh, seriously adorable. Bratty behavior is only cute when it comes from an actual child.
The moment I remembered Jin—five years older than me yet still throwing tantrums—my face involuntarily twisted into something ferocious.
Thank goodness I hadn’t taken off my mask yet after leaving Jin’s room. At least Lordant didn’t have to see that scary expression.
“Yes, Doctor! I’ll be back!”
Lordant waved enthusiastically, then pulled a mask from his pocket. It was the same ear-loop style I had designed, modern-mask-like.
When I first insisted everyone wear a mask before entering Jin’s room, most people simply tied cloth over their mouth and nose like bandits.
It looked so uncomfortable that I experimented and made proper masks. Soon everyone who frequently visited Jin’s room started carrying the same style.
*Such a good boy, our Lordant. Following the rules perfectly so he doesn’t pass germs to Jin.*
I stroked his head with genuine pride. Lordant’s eyes crinkled into little crescents of joy. Even behind the mask, I knew his mouth was smiling wide.
After parting with Lordant, I hurried to Rick and Louis’s laboratory. Rick was a genius; I had full confidence he had prepared everything exactly as requested.
“Rick, I’m here!”
I pushed open the lab door and called out loudly. Rick, who had been bent over the table working intently, straightened up.
“You’re here, Doctor.”
His greeting was clipped, as always. But with Rick, that curt tone was his version of “welcome.” I was about to return a warm smile when Louis’s aggrieved voice cut in.
“Doctor Ober! I’m here too!”
I couldn’t help bursting into laughter. Never in either of my lives had I been greeted so enthusiastically by so many people. It was all thanks to the flawless “Angel of Aube Street” image Astrid had cultivated.
I gave Louis a bright smile in return, then turned to Rick.
“You were looking for me, Rick? Are the ordered medicines finished?”
“Yes, Doctor. Would you like to see?”
Rick led me to the table. Rows of small bottles in various colors sat neatly labeled.
“This is the antitussive expectorant. I flavored it with strawberry, just like you asked. This one’s the fever reducer—orange flavor.”
Rick pointed to each in turn, explaining. My request had been to make them taste like fruit. Jin’s picky palate would make plain medicine torture to administer.
“And this is the ointment. The previous one worked decently, but like you said, mixing in tarandrus fat instead of egg yolk seems much better for recovery.”
Rick’s eyes sparkled as he showed me the jar. Normally so aloof, he became positively animated the moment alchemy entered the conversation.
Tarandrus—a monster the size of a bull whose fur changed color like a chameleon. Its fat was renowned for wound healing. When I mentioned it to Richard, he bought an entire stockpile. Now it sat frozen with ice-attribute mana stones, ready to be thawed as needed.
“Thank you, Rick. You’re seriously a genius.”
When I ruffled his hair in praise, Rick’s ears turned scarlet, practically glowing.
Only seven years younger than me, yet why did he feel so childlike? He grumbled that he wasn’t a kid, but still.
“I finished everything you asked for too. Praise me too.”
Louis pouted, arms crossed.
My face lit up. I hurried over to him. The humidifier I had requested was apparently complete.
Convinced Jin’s illness was respiratory, I had felt the urgent need to control humidity in his living space. A state-of-the-art model was impossible, but I had asked for even a simple steam-based one.
The finished humidifier hissed softly the moment Louis pressed the button, releasing a gentle cloud of vapor.
“Louis, this is incredible!”
To produce something like this in just a few days—truly astonishing. Louis scratched the back of his head, bashful.
“Is there anything else you need?”
At his question, one thing immediately sprang to mind.
A stethoscope.
Of course I wouldn’t be able to interpret wheezes, crackles, or rales the way doctors did in medical dramas—but it would still be helpful.
“Do you have paper and something to draw with?”
Excited, Louis fetched paper and charcoal. Feeling unreasonably fond of his eagerness, I smiled and began sketching a stethoscope.
Astrid really could draw beautifully. In my previous life my sketches were basically stick figures.
“So… you place this part against the chest… and the sound travels through here to the ears. Think you can make it?”
I didn’t actually understand the precise mechanics, so I simply drew and gave a vague explanation. But Louis was a genius—he’d figure it out.
“Wow, Doctor, where do you even get ideas like this? Amazing! I’ll make it right away. Anything else?”
Louis stared at my sketch in open admiration.
Ah… well, in my old world this was an ancient invention, so the praise felt strangely embarrassing.
And as for anything else…
There actually was one thing I had always secretly wanted. Whether it had any practical use in this world, I wasn’t sure.
A penlight. The diagnostic kind—used to check pupillary light reflex, to shine into eyes and assess consciousness. The slim, pen-shaped one.
I know it’s pathetic to admit, but ever since watching medical dramas as a kid I had thought, *I want one of those so badly.*
“Um… there is one thing, but…”
My neck felt hot. I hesitated.
“Tell me, Doctor!”
Unable to withstand Louis’s insistent urging, I finally confessed my embarrassing little dream.
“It’s like this… you press a button here, and light comes out from this end. But not too bright—too much could damage the eyes.”
I mumbled my explanation. Louis’s eyes widened; he nodded furiously.
“Hmm… if we use a tiny fragment of light-attribute mana stone, it should work. Won’t take long at all. I’ll make it soon!”
I nearly squealed with joy.
My long-cherished fantasy was becoming reality. Finally—a penlight of my very own!
In the real world I could have just bought one, of course, but what use would a non-doctor have for it?
Here, though—even if I was a quack—I was still technically a doctor.
“Louis, Rick… thank you so much.”
My voice trembled with genuine emotion. These two were irreplaceable talents. My level was barely “playing hospital,” yet they were turning my childish play into something real.
“It’s embarrassing to hear that from you, Doctor.”
Louis laughed shyly, scratching the back of his head. Ahh—too cute. I want him as a little brother.
“By the way, Louis… how long have you been with the Liberators?”
I knew Rick had left Aube Street five years ago to settle in the underground city, so he had been with the group about that long. But Louis—I knew almost nothing.
“Sister Louis is a founding member.”
Rick interjected coolly.
Founding member? I stared at Louis in shock.
“Uh… I don’t remember it very well. I was five. When the Leader and Richard left our village to start the Liberators, they took me with them.”
I blankly counted on my fingers as I listened.
If Louis was five… then Jin and Richard were sixteen?
In this world women came of age at eighteen, men at nineteen. That meant Jin and Richard had founded the Liberators long before they were adults.
Incredible.
“I was the daughter of the blacksmith in the village where the Leader and Richard lived. When they ran away, they brought me along.”
The more I heard, the stiffer my expression became.
…Isn’t that child abduction? Why kidnap a perfectly happy child with living parents?
“Louis… do you ever miss your parents?”
I asked carefully.
At that, Louis gasped and clamped a hand over his mouth before grabbing mine tightly.
“No—no! Doctor, please don’t misunderstand! They didn’t kidnap a normal, happy child. My father… he was a very bad person.”
Louis pleaded earnestly.
But my mind only grew more confused. Stockholm syndrome? Had she been captive so long she identified with her captors?
“I don’t remember much, but whenever I think of that time, it’s only painful memories. I don’t recall ever eating a proper meal my father gave me. I either begged on the street or stole scraps from the kitchen while he slept.”
Louis spoke calmly. The more I listened, the more I fidgeted, unsure what to do with myself. Had I just reopened an old wound?
“And… he hit us a lot.”
I felt like crying.
Don’t tell me such horrible things so matter-of-factly, Louis. I wanted to ask about her mother too, but I was afraid of hurting her more, so I kept silent.
“That’s why the Leader and Richard are my benefactors. Please don’t misunderstand.”
I nodded frantically.
Even as my heart ached for Louis, Jin and Richard seemed even more admirable. Founding the Liberators at such a young age—and rescuing a pitiful village girl along the way.
They really were righteous people.
That’s what I thought.
★
