To such a healer, Count Garinson said,
"... get out."
"What?"
"Get out!"
Count Garinson bellowed.
'Damn it.'
Seitil was angry this time.
"What is this, uncle, is not at all like what you said?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness, for there is another way."
"... Is that true?"
Seitil gave him a dubious look.
"Yes. If he doesn't have a blemish, you can create one."
Count Garinson made a mean face.
"Yes, if he's blameless, I can make one up."
"Dispose of that filthy bastard, it's no work."
"He is an abominable hypocrite. We'll just have to tear him to shreds, just enough to fool the Inspector General."
"How?"
"Simple."
Count Garinson told Seitil his plan. Seitil beamed.
"Indeed! Very good, a man I trust."
"I am flattered."
Garinson said in a pleasant voice.
"I'll drop him into the gutter and give him the maximum discipline from the Healing Tower."
Maximum discipline.
It means disbarment as a healer.
He twisted the corner of his mouth meanly.
"When this is over, he'll never be able to pretend to be a healer again."
***
A few days later, someone under Count Garinson's cover went to the Penin Clinic.
'You mean to bribe Baronet Penin?'
'Yes. You must get him to take the money at all costs.'
Count Garinson's idea of bribery!
'It is a felony under the Healing Tower Code of Laws to take money from a patient beyond the legitimate cost of treatment.'
It was a vague code.
What constitutes a bribe and what constitutes an expression of gratitude?
Anyway, it was written down, but it wasn't actually codified.
But the important thing is that it exists.
It was enough to get him off the hook.
'He was pretending to be hypocritical, so he'll be hit harder. It's a brilliant plot, if I do say so myself.'
Count Garinson reached for his champagne with pleasure. It tasted sweet today.
***
"I-it's an honor to meet the esteemed Baronet Penin. I'm Ronald, of Kent Street in the Lime District."
Raymond tilted his head.
He was a simple-looking man, but he was too frozen.
His eyes were rolling back and forth, and he looked very uneasy.
'Is he seriously ill?'
"Yes, is something bothering you?"
"I-I came to thank you."
"Gratitude?"
"I heard that you cured my relative, Mary, some time ago. I was unable to repay you for your kindness due to my circumstances, but now that I have money, I have come to repay you."
With that, the man pulled out his pouch.
A whopping 300 pence.
A staggeringly large sum for a commoner!
"No, this money is..."
"It's nothing compared to what you've done for me, Baronet. Please accept it as an expression of my family's gratitude."
With that, the man fled the clinic.
He was too fast for him to catch.
Raymond stared at the money bag in disbelief.
"I don't even know who Mary is..."
Strange. Very strange!
'He gave me the money anyway, so why don't I just keep it?'
Raymond swallowed hard.
Even though he had turned a profit, he was still poor.
Seeing this free money at such a moment was tempting.
'... No. I can tell by his demeanor that this money didn't come easy, and I'm not just going to take it.'
Raymond put the money down with a sigh of regret.
'This can't be some sort of conspiracy by the Healing Tower, can it?'
It was a fleeting thought.
Those despicable Tower of Healing bastards were capable of any conspiracy!
Just then, a message popped up.
[A sudden quest occurs!]
[You have received free money!]
(Medicine Quest)
[Prerequisite: Minor Physician
Difficulty: Easy
Quest Description: You have received free money, use it wisely!
Clear condition: Use it wisely.
Reward: Bonus Level Up, 20 Skill Points.]
"Hmm."
Raymond crossed his arms. He didn't know what it was, but.
"Digging a trap?"
If this was a plot by the Healing Tower, he was going to get caught, or.
"Let's just say I'm doing a good deed."
Raymond looked wistfully at his 300 pence.
He would hate to give it up!
But he was going to be rich soon, so he'd hold out for this one.
***
"So, you delivered the money?"
"Yes, yes. That's right."
Ronald, the man who had given Raymond the money, said, bending over at the waist.
'Keuk. I'm sorry, Baronet. To have done such a terrible thing.'
Ronald swallowed back tears.
He was a commoner who had always admired Raymond, but Count Garinson had asked him to join the plot for a large sum of money.
If he had simply offered him money, he would have refused, but he also threatened him.
'You don't think you can get away with refusing my favor, do you? You must think of your family.'
He couldn't resist the threat.
"Well done. That's good. Then I want you to testify at the Healing Tower immediately."
"..."
Ronald was led like a cow and 'testified' to the members of the Healing Tower.
"B-Baronet Penin demanded an unjustified payment from me."
"Huh! You mean that's true?!"
"What an injustice!"
"I'll never let him get away with it!"
Poker was already being played. The Healing Tower auditors rose to their feet.
"Let's go to the Penin Healing Center!"
"He broke the code left by the first saint! We must disqualify him as a healer immediately!"
"Then let's go condemn him!"
With that, the members of the Healing Tower rushed to the Penin Healing Center.
***
<We are closed today for a special event. Emergency patients, please come to Kent Street in the Lyme District.>
It was a plaque on the door of the Penin Treatment Center.
"What?"
"Did he run away?"
The auditors frowned.
"Let's go to Kent Street. It's not far from here."
Arriving at Kent Street, the auditors' eyes widened.
They were in for an unexpected surprise.
"Come on, come on, get in line and get checked out, it's all free today!"
"Yes, thank you!"
Raymond, Hanson, and Lyndon were practicing on the street! Above them hung a placard that read
<Ronald's Treatment Service.>
"What is this?"
Raymond frowned as he looked at the crowd of Tower of Healing healers.
'It was a plot by the Tower of Healing, you bastards!'
He'd laid a trap, just in case, and it hadn't worked, but this was an opportunity.
He had to use it to fight back.
'I can't stay down forever.'
Luckily, he was in the middle of a patient appointment, so his heart of steel was working.
Also,
["Jerks" are here!]
[Skill, "Jerk Coping Mechanism" is activated!]
[Synergizes with 'Heart of Steel'!]
I was able to face them without trembling and with determination.
'Let's do well, fighting!'
[Silver Tongue skill is manifested!]
Raymond cleared his throat and opened his mouth according to the 'script' he had prepared for this situation.
"A nice man named Ronald donated a large sum of money, and I was going to give it back to him. But I couldn't find him, so I'm doing this in his neighborhood because it's not my money."
"...!"
The committee members, including Count Garinson, realized something was amiss.
Count Garinson turned to Ronald.
"What is that supposed to mean? Didn't you say that Baronet Penin was extorting money?"
"That's..."
When Ronald hesitated, Count Garinson's eyes narrowed.
-Talk straight!
Ronald clenched his fists.
'I-I'm sorry, Baronet!'
It was that moment!
Raymond pulled a girl toward him. Ronald's eyes fluttered open, just as Raymond had intended.
'Sarah!'
It was Sarah, his next-door neighbor, who had been suffering from an illness that hadn't been treated properly and had always left her pale, but today her face was radiant.
Raymond had helped her.
'God, what have I done?'
Guilt clutched at his heart.
"What are you doing? Tell them right now!"
"I, I am..."
His clenched fist rattled for a moment.
Raymond waved back.
"Mr. Ronald, the money you donated back then is being put to good use!"
He said with sincere gratitude.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am that thanks to you, Mr. Ronald, we have such a great opportunity to help patients, and everyone is thanking you."
"Me, I'm..."
"Alright, everyone. A round of applause for Mr. Ronald, please!"
"Wow!"
"Ronald, man! What the hell, thank you!"
Under the baptism of applause, Ronald stammered, feeling even more guilty.
Count Garinson frowned.
"How loud are you all! Ronald, I will ask you a question. Did Baronet Penin extort money from you?"
The applause died down at that.
The people looked dumbfounded.
"What does that mean, our healer extorted money from him?"
"That can't be right, something's not right, isn't this a plot by the Healing Tower guys to undermine our prince?"
"No way! Hey, Ronald, did the prince really do that?!"
Ronald blushed and said nothing.
Count Garinson frowned and exclaimed.
"It's already been established! Baronet Pennin, I'm sending you to the Tower of Healing under the Code of...!"
But then.
Something unexpected happened.
The surrounding commoners came to Raymond's defense.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Our prince could not have done that!"
"This is a conspiracy! Ronald, say something!"
Count Garinson frowned.
"How dare you speak of lowly things in front of me! You will be silent!"
He shouted, but something amazing happened.
The commoners, who would normally have hung their heads in shame, held their heads high and shouted,
[The effect of the title, "Beloved of the Commoners" is activated!]
[Supported by the commoners (limited to the capital)!]
"It must be wrong! The Baronet couldn't have done that!"
"You're right, it's impossible!"
This was when the healers, including Count Garinson, hesitated, because of an unexpected situation: an unexpected figure had appeared!
"Oh no, oh no. I don't know if I've seen it, but since I 'accidentally' saw it, I can't let it pass. I'm Rao, a high-ranking official of the kingdom."
"So am I. I was just 'accidentally' passing by, and what a sight. I'm Christine of Duke Laverne."
It was Rao and Christine!
Rao adjusted his one-eyed glasses and spoke sharply.
"I'm getting the feeling that there's some sort of conspiracy going on here, and this isn't something that can be resolved at the Healing Tower, but something that should be investigated by the Kingdom Investigation Squad."
Christine beside him said coldly.