The man looked down at the cheerful Tein and swallowed hard.
‘How did it come to this?’
Tein had found the old log cabin not long after Sharti went down the mountain.
As he secretly peered outside through the bedroom window, he made eye contact with Tein who was running toward the log cabin.
-[Bear, it’s a bear!]
Tein shouted, startled by the shadow that crossed the window, and at the same time, the man moved far away from the window.
-[I must run away!]
Until then, the clever child seemed to be turning around to flee immediately.
-[Hmm…]
Tein, who was about to return to the forest, stopped for some reason. The look in his eyes as he glanced back at the log cabin was solemn.
Having seemingly made up his mind, Tein bit his lip firmly and crept toward the house.
-[Ex-excuse me, are you the patient mister?]
The child’s frightened voice was heard as he knocked on the wooden door with his cotton-like fists.
Of course, the man didn’t give any answer.
-[Doctor, isn’t the doctor with you?]
The child persistently kept speaking in his frightened voice.
He believed Tein would obediently leave. From what the man had observed in the cave, the child was smart.
But there was something he overlooked.
-[I must save the doctor! I’ll go get grandmother!]
-[…!]
In the end, the man opened the door first.
In front of the door that flung open stood Tein, clutching his bundle tightly. It was as if he had been waiting for the man to come out.
The child looked up at the man with round eyes.
-[…You…]
-[It is the patient mister! You’ve opened your eyes!]
-[Wait, kid. Get in here.]
The child had come to the log cabin alone.
‘That’s a relief, at least.’
The man looked at the child, who stared up at him with clear eyes, with a sour expression.
“Patient mister!”
“What.”
“Why are you here, patient mister?”
Seven was an age full of curiosity.
The man pondered how to explain at the child’s level.
“Your doctor brought me here.”
Tein shook his head.
At the disbelieving gesture, one of the man’s eyebrows raised.
“I made a promise with the doctor. When the patient mister wakes up, we must run away.”
“……”
A silent laugh burst from the man’s mouth.
If he had made one mistake, he might have really been abandoned in that small cave.
“It’s true. Ask your doctor.”
“Alright.”
Tein nodded his head.
The small head bobbing up and down was quite adorable.
‘Run away, huh.’
He was already anxious because Sharti seemed to be late returning.
Since she had been taken by soldiers who had threatened that he was such a fearsome being, things might have gone wrong, and she might have revealed the man’s whereabouts.
‘I must have been someone who had a hard time trusting people.’
Sharti was his benefactor.
Nevertheless, the man strangely couldn’t abandon a shred of distrust toward others.
‘What kind of man was I to end up like this?’
He was a despicable person who felt both gratitude and wariness toward the benefactor who had saved his life, treated him, and risked danger, as well as having the personality to use words like “wanted” or “witness” to threaten.
‘If I’ve lost my memory but I’m this bad, how much of a trash was I originally?’
While wishing his memory would return, he was also afraid, assuming the worst.
Suddenly, he thought of Sharti.
If she realized his true intentions of pretending to be submissive just to gain sympathy, the kindness shown by that innocent woman would undoubtedly turn to contempt.
“That’s fortunate.”
“What is?”
“The patient mister’s wounds aren’t all healed yet. You need a caretaker.”
“Is that so?”
“Unhealed wounds can become infected or open up. If a wound becomes infected, it’s serious.”
Tein explained how severe his condition had been when they first met, his body even trembling as he spoke.
The sincere concern in his voice made the man’s shoulders relax. He responded to Tein’s words in a comfortable posture.
“But how did the patient mister get so badly injured? It’s dangerous to lose a lot of blood.”
Tein said with a serious expression.
“If it weren’t for the doctor, you would have died.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I called the doctor. Only the doctor could save the patient mister.”
Indeed, without Sharti, he would have lost his life several times by now.
“Why?”
“Injured people must be saved.”
“What if that injured person is a bad person?”
Tein’s small mouth closed firmly. He seemed to be pondering quite seriously.
The child’s varied expressions were quite an interesting observation for the memory-less man.
“Even if they’re a bad person, they must be saved first.”
“What if it becomes dangerous?”
“Grandmother said that when someone asks for help, we must help them.”
“Grandmother, huh. Do you have a large family?”
“……”
The chattering mouth closed firmly again.
His wariness about concealing personal information was admirable. Teacher and student were the same.
Perhaps because his guard was lowered by the child’s innocence, a smile crossed the man’s face.
“I don’t remember anything about my family.”
At the unexpected remark, Tein’s ears perked up.
The man tapped his head.
“It seems my head is broken.”
“People aren’t machines. They don’t break.”
“Really? But I can’t remember anything. Where I lived, what I did for a living, how old I am, whether I had family… I don’t remember anything.”
Tein’s mouth opened wide in shock.
“I even forgot my name.”
“…That’s, that’s too sad.”
Tein’s voice mixed with the sound of crying.
Unlike Sharti, he had a face that showed complete belief.
“That’s why your doctor agreed to look after me.”
“Doctor is a good person.”
Tein nodded without a trace of doubt.
Then, looking at the man’s attire, he smiled brightly.
“That’s why the doctor lent the patient mister the doctor’s pajamas!”
Pajamas? Whose?
He followed Tein’s gaze to check his own clothes.
Even when the buttons had been torn off and the front was open, he had just thought the clothes were too small. He never thought they would be a woman’s, let alone Sharti’s pajamas.
The man rubbed his throbbing forehead.
“So I wasn’t scared!”
Though his build was like a bear and his face looked fierce, he was wearing Sharti’s clothes, which seemed to have reduced the child’s fear.
“…Well, sure.”
The child’s innocence, not laughing at his ridiculous appearance, calmed his troubled mind.
“By the way, what’s that?”
Tein was clutching a bundle tightly in his arms. He was holding it much more preciously than the bag on his back.
“Ah! These are cookies made by Sister Virena.”
His excited small hands put down the bundle in front of the man and showed him the contents.
“…These are cookies?”
“Yes!”
The man’s expression became sour.
Inside the bundle wrapped in layers of cloth were 10 pieces of blackish cookies.
“Grand—I mean, Sister Virena told me to give them to the doctor.”
“…Is your sister perhaps…”
The man trailed off and closed his mouth.
The cookies looked as strange as if a child had made them out of mud.
Either she had no cooking skills or she disliked Sharti, it was one of the two.
“They’re cookies with chocolate powder. I helped too.”
“I see.”
Instead of cookie cutters, those small hands must have shaped them.
When he silently stared at the cookies, Tein picked one up and held it out to the man.
The cookies seemed to use cheap chocolate powder; the color was dark but the aroma was faint.
“Weren’t you going to give these to your doctor? Is it okay to give one to me?”
“It’s fine. Just that one is for the patient mister.”
“Ah, I see.”
One out of ten. He was even resolute about not giving any more.
The man immediately ate the cookie. It was bite-sized.
Crunch. Crunch.
“Is it delicious?”
Tein’s eyes sparkled, firmly believing in his sister’s cooking skills.
The man chewed and chewed the cookie, pretending to savor it as much as possible.
Unfortunately, it didn’t suit the man’s taste. To be precise, he could taste all the cheap ingredients of the cookie so much that it was embarrassing.
“Doctor likes chocolate cookies the most.”
The man quickly swallowed the cookie. The bitter taste tickled his throat.
“It’s delicious.”
“Hehe.”
Pleased that his sister’s cooking skills were acknowledged, Tein beamed with a broad smile. Yet at the same time, he pushed the bundle away, as if afraid the man might ask for more cookies.
He was indeed Sharti’s disciple.
“Tell me more.”
Talking with Tein reminded him of Sharti.
More precisely, his curiosity grew about the being in his first newly-etched memory, about whom he knew nothing.
“For example….name.”
“I’m Tein! I’m 7 years old!”
Tein politely introduced himself. The man, who had slipped up, composed his expression again.
“I see. Then, your doctor?”
When Tein blinked and closed his mouth, the man added:
“We’ll be living together, so it would be uncomfortable not knowing each other’s names.”
“I call the doctor ‘doctor’. There’s absolutely no problem. Doctor is the only doctor in the village.”
The clever little one innocently hit the mark. He resembled her in making him speechless too.
The man didn’t give up.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
“It is.”
Tein put strength in his eyes as if it were true. The man chuckled and pointed at Tein.
“There’s another doctor here.”
The child’s eyes widened.
“There were two people who treated me. There was a doctor who worried about me, shared food with me, and even spoke to me while I was asleep.”
“T-that’s…”
That’s me…
The small head drooped as his words trailed off.
“But I’m not a doctor. I’m inexperienced, and I’m 7 years old.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, Doctor praised me as having the makings of an excellent doctor.”
“I see.”
The man’s large hand enveloped Tein’s head.
His soft cheeks turned red.
“B-but to become a doctor, I need to attend the academy. And get a completion certificate. And be issued a license. I… can’t become a doctor.”
“Did your doctor say so?”
Tein quickly shook his head.
Even Sharti was a doctor without a license.
The academy was a place only nobles could attend. It was a place Sharti or Tein, who had no money and were commoners, couldn’t even dream of.
“I want to be a doctor who can earn a lot of money. For that, I need a license. So…”
“You will.”
With a slightly softer gaze, the man rubbed Tein’s head vigorously.
“Even with my broken head, I can see that you’re already a smart and excellent doctor.”
“…!”
“It’s true.”
Tein slowly raised his head.
“I made a promise with your doctor, so I can’t lie.”
The child’s eyes, with his lips firmly closed, sparkled with hope and joy.
The sensation of pure innocence transmitted so vividly made the man withdraw his hand.
Tein, who had been fidgeting with his fingers, stood up and placed his hand on the man’s forearm. The small hand patted the hard skin.
“The patient mister is a kind and excellent patient.”
“I see.”
“The patient mister’s body is as big as a bear, but there’s nothing in his head. But that’s okay. Since the patient mister speaks well, he’ll learn quickly. You can find your memories quickly.”
Is that a compliment? Is it really consolation?
Seeing Tein with his innocent face beaming with a broad smile, the man was at a loss for words.
‘It seems correct, but…’
Though it seemed correct, there was an ambiguous yet significant difference that made it hard to admit.
‘Well, it means he’s opened his heart to me that much.’
Either way, it was certain that he had made a good impression.
The young child was the perfect collaborator for approaching Sharti. It was an opportunity to cajole Tein into giving information.
But suddenly, Tein sprang to his feet.
“I’ll go study and come back! I must fix the patient mister’s head!”
“…What?”
“I need to read more books. And gain experience by helping the doctor! As the patient mister’s doctor, I will definitely heal your head.”
Tein clenched his fist with a determined face. He showed burning enthusiasm as if a button had been pressed.
Before the man could say anything to stop him, Tein turned around and hurried toward the table. As he placed the bundle on the table, Tein looked back at the man.
“The cookies are for the doctor. Don’t eat them.”
“……”
“I’ll be going now! Patient mister!”
After politely bowing at the waist, Tein closed the door and left.
“……”
The house became quiet again.
Left all alone, the man twisted his lips.
“…Thanks to the two doctors, complete recovery might not be far away.”
It was a grateful thing, but he couldn’t understand why he felt so uneasy.
