Sharti’s vision was suddenly blocked, causing her to flinch and step back as Ren simultaneously took a step toward the young man.
The turquoise eyes visible between his bandages flashed threateningly.
“If you’re from that village, you might be carrying the disease. Should you really be grabbing someone’s hand?”
Ren, who had already snatched Sharti’s hand away, growled at the young man.
Perhaps due to his size, just facing him created an overwhelming presence.
The young man was too frightened to answer immediately and gulped.
‘You’re no different, Ren!’
Push. Push push. A white hand could be seen pushing against Ren’s arm.
Sharti was busy communicating from behind Ren.
Haaah. Ren glanced at Sharti and let out a heavy sigh. Then he shot another displeased look at the young man.
“N-no! I’m not infected!”
The young man, finally coming to his senses, pleaded his innocence.
“When people in the village catch the disease, they develop spots, but I don’t have any! Not even during my journey here!”
The young man hurriedly rolled up his sleeves and showed his bare skin.
There were indeed no signs of any disease on his unblemished skin.
Sharti, who had been carefully examining his complexion and fingertips, exhaled in relief internally.
‘Still, just to be safe.’
Sharti turned and entered the bathroom.
Hearing the receding footsteps, the young man lowered his head with a startled expression. He bit his lip anxiously, worried he might have to return without help.
“…….”
Instead of closing the door, Ren waited for Sharti. She wouldn’t send away a patient like this. Sure enough, Sharti returned wearing gloves.
<Ren, wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth with this, and put on gloves too.>
After sending Ren to the bathroom, Sharti closed the door.
This was a matter that needed to be discussed outside rather than in the confined log cabin.
Moving a bit away from the old log cabin, Sharti took a note from her pocket.
<I’m sorry I can’t invite you in right away. Could you tell me about the disease first?>
The young man nodded repeatedly.
Believing that seeking out Sharti despite everyone’s opposition was the right choice, he began to speak.
“It started with an elder in the village. The elderly person you examined during your last visit. Beginning with them, various age groups in the village started falling ill.”
The young man explained in detail what had happened in his village.
Fortunately, there had been no deaths among the infected villagers.
According to him, all patients were unable to move or even eat, and the disease had spread throughout the entire village before they could identify how it was transmitted.
“The village doctor you met before has locked himself in his house and won’t come out. Some villagers even think the doctor has already fled…”
With no solutions left, what enveloped the village wasn’t despair but fear.
‘That’s why the village chief’s son came all the way here. Alone, at that.’
The bespectacled young man’s name was Ashu Bat.
He was the eldest son of the village chief from a mountain village beyond four peaks.
He had been the only person who was friendly to Sharti when she discovered his village long ago.
‘I gave him the location of this old log cabin because the village doctor seemed to be selective about patients.’
Naturally, it was foolish to reveal her residence to others.
Sharti, who lived in hiding, had been especially careful not to disclose her residence during her medical visits.
But when Ashu, who had welcomed her and provided her with various things, complained about the village’s closed policies, she had no good excuse to refuse.
‘A fluorescent blue spot, though.’
According to Ashu’s explanation, the mysterious disease caused blue spots to appear, like fireflies attaching themselves and emitting light.
It wasn’t a typical symptom of contagious diseases.
Sharti’s expression grew serious under her hood.
‘I don’t think I know this disease. From what I’m hearing, it seems to be contagious.’
Fortunately, her serious expression was hidden by her hood, out of Ashu’s sight.
<You’ve already considered food poisoning, correct?>
“Yes. But our village doesn’t import supplies from outside. Hunting, food, goods—everything is handled entirely by the villagers. So we quickly ruled out causes like food poisoning.”
As an unusually isolated village in the Great Empire of Neweiton, a different approach was needed to identify the cause of the disease.
Sharti calmly reviewed the medical knowledge stored in her mind.
‘…I don’t know.’
Sharti bit her lip firmly.
She wasn’t even sure if it was a regular infection or a contagious disease.
“Sha-.”
At that moment, Ren came out of the house and approached Sharti.
As Ren drew closer, Ashu glanced at him nervously and carefully spoke up.
“Um, doctor. I heard you lived alone last time, but…”
“Not anymore.”
“…!”
Startled by Ren’s sudden intrusion, disappointment soon settled on Ashu’s face.
Ren tilted his head at an angle and stared at Ashu.
Just then, Sharti handed Ashu a note.
<He’s my assistant whom I took in.>
“Your assistant?”
Ashu blinked, looking back and forth between Ren and Sharti.
When his eyes met Ren’s intimidating gaze, Ashu lowered his eyes.
“…I see.”
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Ashu soon broke into a small smile.
Watching this smile that didn’t fit the situation, Ren raised an eyebrow. He subtly inserted himself between Sharti and Ashu, blocking Ashu’s line of sight.
He didn’t like Ashu’s expressions or the way he looked at Sharti.
<I’m sorry. I’m afraid I can’t identify the disease without seeing it firsthand.>
“Ah…”
Ashu’s eyes trembled as he received Sharti’s note.
This was a situation he had prepared for before leaving his village.
But as his last hope faded, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by darkness.
“Please help us, doctor!”
Ashu took a step forward.
Ren immediately blocked him, but Ashu couldn’t back down.
“If an explanation isn’t enough, could you visit our village like before? Please, we need your help. It would be fine if you just came with me to the village. I’ll compensate you even if you only examine the patients!”
He looked ready to kneel at any moment.
Sharti quickly waved her hands to stop Ashu.
Ren, who had peeked at the note Sharti was writing, narrowed his eyes.
<Give me some time.>
“Pardon?”
<I need to prepare for a house call. I’ll get ready and depart as soon as possible.>
Ren turned his head to the other side and pressed his forehead.
Sharti must have intended to visit Ashu’s village from the beginning.
Ren gritted his teeth at Sharti’s decision, which didn’t surprise him at all.
Meanwhile, Ashu clenched his fist with renewed hope.
“Yes, yes! I’ll wait as long as needed.”
“…You’ll wait?”
To Ren, who had naturally assumed Ashu would return to his village, his words sounded dubious.
“The distance is far, and you’ll need someone to carry your belongings. Since you’re coming at my request, I’ll serve as your guide.”
Ren’s face showed disbelief at Ashu’s intention to wait here and depart together rather than return home.
Soon, Ren’s expression became blank. This time, he wasn’t sure whether Sharti would refuse or accept. So, preparing for the worst, he needed to act rationally even if he objected to her decision.
He needed to be careful not to make Sharti appear to have hired an insolent assistant in Ashu’s eyes.
<No. Please return first.>
“…P-pardon?”
“……”
Sharti firmly refused.
Seeing Ashu’s confusion, Ren felt a strange sense of relief. And somehow, his shoulders seemed to tense up.
Ren rubbed his lips to hide his twitching corners.
‘If an unknown disease has spread and he came all the way here to find me, it means the situation inside the village is pretty bad.’
Sharti calmly and coolly assessed the situation.
Ashu’s village was hidden in the northeastern mountain valley.
‘And the northeast has excellent medical facilities due to the presence of the Academy.’
Even in the village at the foot of the mountain, several doctors could be found.
Yet, in a situation where potentially all villagers could become infected, Ashu didn’t go to the village at the foot of the mountain but specifically sought out Sharti from another region.
In other words, Ashu’s village didn’t want outside help, and Ashu had independently sought Sharti’s assistance out of desperation.
<Would the village chief welcome my visit?>
“……”
When Sharti pointed this out, Ashu visibly stiffened.
<Even if I came just to examine the patients, would the village let me in?>
Sharti remembered the hostile village atmosphere where they had even brandished weapons.
Ashu, seemingly skeptical, swallowed hard.
Seeing Ashu hesitate, Sharti approached him first.
This time, even Ren didn’t stop her.
<Are you worried I might change my mind? I promise I’ll come.>
“No, that’s not it! I just wanted to be with you…”
<Then please go ahead and persuade the village chief and the villagers. At least ensure I won’t be driven away from the village entrance.>
“……”
Ashu seemed intent on clearing up the misunderstanding, but Sharti was resolute.
Eventually, Ashu nodded in understanding, and with a face full of lingering attachment, he kept glancing back as he returned to his village. Ren felt a small sense of satisfaction watching his retreating figure.
However, this momentary pleasure quickly faded.
“I object.”
“…?”
Sharti, who was removing her gloves as she returned to the house, looked back at Ren.
Ren’s bare face was revealed as he removed the covering from his nose and mouth.
Sharti looked around in surprise.
“If disease is spreading in the village, it’s a serious situation, and the fact that he ran all that distance to find you, Sha, means it’s urgent.”
Ren strode up to face Sharti.
“No matter how skilled a doctor you are, going to such a village is dangerous. Sometimes, people backed into a corner are more dangerous than the disease itself.”
“I know.”
Why wouldn’t she? There had been many instances where patients or their guardians became violent when no improvement was seen.
Some even distrusted and protested Sharti’s examinations.
Since becoming an unlicensed doctor, she had rarely been welcomed.
“I’m still going. I have to go.”
She might not have a license, but she was a doctor.
Sharti became a doctor to help people, to heal their wounds.
“If it’s a disease spreading in a mountain village, it might eventually spread to Grandmother Vireta’s village too. Books are records of the past, and for current records, I have no choice but to investigate and study them myself.”
“……”
“The real danger is complacency that prioritizes safety over others’ and my own lives. That’s the most inappropriate attitude for a doctor.”
Her voice was confident.
Ren wanted to remove the hood right now and see Sharti’s smiling face. More precisely, he wanted to see those crimson eyes that burned steadfastly and unyieldingly.
Of course, Ren kept this thought to himself and clenched his fist to hide his trembling fingers.
“…Alright. I knew you’d insist on going even if I tried to stop you.”
His tone suggested he hadn’t expected otherwise, making Sharti awkwardly avert her gaze.
“But I want to go with you.”
“Where?”
“Wherever you’re going, Sha. To that village.”
“No!”
Sharti unconsciously raised her voice.
Ren crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“Think about it, Sha.”
In a calm voice, Ren began to explain his reasons.
“Would you be at ease leaving me here alone?”
“…?”
“I think you’d be more comfortable taking me with you.”
Without needing a logical persuasion, Sharti began to consider this as her imagination was stimulated with anxiety.
Even before Ashu’s arrival, there seemed to have been a strange misunderstanding, so there was no need to add more words.
Naturally, Ren had no intention of staying alone in the old log cabin for an indefinite period, not knowing when Sharti would return.
“S-still, to bring you to that village too…”
It seemed his point hadn’t fully gotten through.
As Ren was about to click his tongue internally:
“Doctor!”
Ren quickly turned at the clear voice coming from afar.
“Oh, Ren’s not wearing his bandages! You need to cover your face!”
Ren smiled as his eyes met Tein’s.
An ally had appeared who could strengthen his argument.
Tein, who had been running quickly, slowed down upon seeing Ren’s intense gaze.
“…That look resembles a bear eyeing its prey.”
