"What?"
Raymond smirked.
"Because that way I can rip them off even more."
For the record, spreading rumors within the military is a felony.
So is insulting a nobleman, libel.
'If we send them to jail, we won't have enough hands to treat the patients, so we'll just have to get a bunch of money out of him in a settlement, heh. This is my chance to make a killing.'
Even if he didn't, he would still need a lot of money to procure the herbs and treatment materials.
'I've stocked up, but I'm going to run out soon, and I need more money.'
He was trying to figure out how to get the money.
What a great opportunity!
Raymond decided to take this opportunity to extort money from the healers to cover the shortfall.
"Rao, there are some bad guys, can you court martial them?"
"If you say so, they must be really bad, and in the spirit of national loyalty, I'll hold them accountable."
The court martial was organized with Rao's help.
By virtue of his position as a high-ranking military official, Rao was also in charge of investigating and trying misconduct in the armed forces.
In modern Earth terms, he was a prosecutor and a judge, and he was in the perfect position to punish them.
With Rao and Christine working together, they were able to bring them to trial in no time.
"Do you admit to these crimes, Viscount?"
"Y-Your Highness, they were just lighthearted remarks between colleagues..."
"So you admit them."
Christine's cold words turned Viscount Rand and the other senior healers into honeyed dumbfounds.
They were deliberately spreading malicious rumors.
When Christine accused them in the name of the Duke of Laverne, they could not refuse.
To refuse, when the evidence is so clear, would be to dishonor the Duke.
"Honorable Judge Rao, I am Raymond, the accused. May I speak?"
"Permission granted."
Raymond opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Let me say this: spreading rumors in the military is a felony. Under military law, it is a crime punishable by death. Furthermore, you have committed malicious slander. You will be punished severely. What exactly is the punishment, Your Honor?"
Rao replied.
"Life imprisonment will be added to their sentence."
"...!"
The healers' eyes widened.
A life sentence, a prison sentence, plus a stoning?
It was a punishment they could hardly have imagined in their refined upbringing.
Raymond shook his head, feigning indulgence.
"But don't worry too much. I have a big heart, and I don't want you to be punished, even though you have spread malicious, ugly, pathetic rumors in your ugly inferiority complex towards me."
"I-is that true?"
"Yes, just."
Raymond smiled wryly.
"Given the severity of the court martial, I can't just let you off the hook. So, a settlement. Is that possible, your honor?"
Rao nodded.
"If the injured party wishes, yes."
The senior healers looked at each other.
"Uh, what's the settlement, a thousand pence?"
Raymond shook his head.
What's wrong with you?
The players looked like they were playing together.
"Thirty thousand pena per person."
"...!"
"No less. Oh, and by the way, nobles, including Viscount Rand, get double here. Show me your Noblesse Oblige, will you?"
The healers jumped to their feet.
"Hey, that's ridiculous! What do you mean 30,000 pena! That's a ridiculous settlement!"
"Thirty-two thousand pena."
"... what?"
"It goes up two thousand pena a second."
'Where are you coming from? You must have made a fortune by now.'
For the record, all the high-level healers are rich.
When the healers realized Raymond was serious, they panicked.
"This, this...!"
"Thirty-four thousand pena."
"That's too expensive...!"
"Thirty-six thousand pena."
"No! Wait!"
Five seconds passed, and then.
"Forty thousand pena. I'll raise it."
"Oh, okay, we'll do that!"
Finally, the healers surrendered. Raymond cheered.
'Great!'
He'd made a ton of money in one fell swoop.
'With this much money, I won't have to worry about anything for a while.'
Raymond grinned from ear to ear, and the healers, who had just been robbed of 40,000 pence, stared at him in disbelief.
They all looked like they'd met the devil.
***
'Wow. How much is this?'
Raymond cheered as he looked at the stack of notes in front of him; he had made over half a million pena in one fell swoop!
It was only a few days ago that he trembled at ten pence.
He couldn't believe he was making such a big profit.
'I'll pay off some of my debts.'
Of course, he only paid off part of it.
He needed to stock up on herbs and healing materials.
He couldn't help it.
It was faster than he thought.
'It's still only an outpost. If the two armies start clashing violently, there will be countless casualties. I need to stock up on more healing materials.'
Raymond decided to think big like a future super-rich.
'Think of it as an investment. I'll account for every cent I spend and claim it as credit later. The money I spend today will come back to my yolk estate as a golden egg tomorrow!'
Instead, it would be a shame to spend it all on the soldiers, so he decided to indulge in a few personal luxuries.
"Do you mean to tell me to order some beef as well, master?"
"Yes, I have to eat too..."
'I don't want vegetable soup, let's have some beef!'
Hanson said in an excited tone.
"Indeed, master. You're trying to comfort the wounded soldiers with beef, aren't you?"
"... Eh?"
"Yes. Beef not only promotes recovery from illness, but it also has the effect of comforting the wounded in the heart. I'm always amazed at your compassion for the sick."
Hanson glanced at Lyndon and the rookie healers.
"You know what I'm trying to say, don't you?"
Lyndon, who had been so well trained, immediately recited.
"Yes, Master, I will imitate you!"
"...I hate Senior Hanson."
Lyndon grumbled, but he would let it slide.
The beef was then airlifted in, and, since he was not inclined to eat it himself, he shared it with the wounded.
"What is this, beef?"
"A comforting gift from the master to you."
Hanson sliced the beef with an impassive face and handed each of the wounded soldiers a chunk.
"Master hopes that you will eat this beef and recover both in body and mind. You must have been through a lot."
No wonder the wounded soldiers were impressed!
"Heuk."
They all shed tears of gratitude as they ate the juicy beef, which was really a chocola... no, sirloin roast.
"Thank you so much."
"I can't believe there's a man like that in the world."
"My religious friends were right when they said he was an angel from heaven."
These were the same exclamations that had been uttered countless times by those who had met Raymond before.
There was no one who hadn't seen him, but there was no one who hadn't been touched by him.
The barracks echoed with praise for Raymond, and the Penin Clinic truly became a "healing" place for the soldiers.
[Soldiers are comforted once again!]
[Gained a bonus level up!]
[Gained 30 skill points!]
[Gained the favor of the soldiers!]
[Increased your reputation in the army!]
[Increased your reputation in the army!]
Raymond saw the message and thought.
'... I don't even know. Idiots.'
He just wanted to eat beef, and now he had a reputation thanks to idiots.
Anyway, it was the first beef he'd had in a long time.
Yum yum.
***
That wasn't the only good thing that happened.
The healing of Lord Carpenter inspired knights and nobles to visit the Penin Healing Center.
'Maybe medicine is better than heals.'
'Who cares what the orthodox cure is now? I want to live.'
Some nobles and knights who felt the same way came to visit Raymond, and the Penin Clinic became more and more crowded.
Meanwhile, there were those who saw it all and walked away.
'Son of a bitch.'
It was Seitil!
He glared at the Penin Clinic with a murderous intent.
The spigot turned at the sight of the ugly bastard doing so well.
'Don't smile so casually. This is a battlefield. I will make sure I bury your bones here.'
The battlefield was his domain as a swordsmanship genius.
He would take the opportunity to decapitate him.
'I will kill you.'
Seitil gritted his teeth.
It was more than spite, it was venom, and he couldn't help it.
He'd been humiliated by Raymond at the Founding Banquet, and he hadn't been able to face anyone since.
His dastardly attack had left him with a broken nose and one of his front teeth knocked out.
He was able to rebuild his nose under Count Helien's concentrated heels, but his front tooth was lost and there was no way to get it back.
'Damn it! When will I get my chance! And why won't the old man listen to me!'
Seitil asked his uncle, Duke Leif, to dig a trap to get rid of him.
But he was only scolded.
'You think the battlefield is your playground?
'Shit. If only he could get out of the barracks, I could do something about it.'
At that moment, an idea flashed through Seitil's mind.
If he doesn't come out of the barracks, the solution is simple.
He could just walk into the barracks himself!
'There's a way, I'll find a way.'
He was a noble prince.
There were many ways to punish a lowly bastard like him.
'I'll challenge him to a duel, and I'll avenge my humiliation.'
Seitil made a vicious face.
He considered his defeat at the Founders' Banquet to be the result of laxity.
This time, he would crush him.
***
Raymond opened the status window after a long time.
[Player Status]
[Name: Raymond
Class: Surgeon (SSS)
Profession Rank: Chief
Level: 95
Experience : 340/750
Skill Points: 370p
Title : King's Bastard, Savior of the Poor, Beloved of the Commoners
Secondary Profession: Not active]
[Stats]
[Stamina: 39
Senses: 34
Intellect: 37
Mana: 9]
His level is now up to 95.
He had seen so many patients that his experience has exploded.
'There are more skills I can learn in the marketplace.'
In particular, the following skills caught his eye.
[War Skills]
[-You are now a military healer!
-You can learn 'War Skills' to help you on the battlefield!
-Conditions are not met, so skill acquisition is limited!]
'Restricted? Do I have to fulfill some kind of special condition to master these war skills?'
He guessed so.
'Anyway, there's a lot of them, huh?'
Raymond looked at the list of skills and was surprised.
'Do they have any self-defense skills, since I'm going to be in a dangerous situation during the war?'
He looked at the list of skills one by one.