{Well, we’ll stop the first information trade here. I was quite satisfied, but I don’t know about the Legion Commander.}
“......Sa for .”
{I’m fairly confident when it cos to research. I know far more information that the Legion Commander doesn’t know as well. And......}
“I also know information you don’t know.”
At those words.
It looked at , the corners of its mouth splitting wide.
{Like I said, my research had stagnated due to the extinction of my collaborators. But...... if a collaborator who shares my purpose appears, then I’ll be able to find out much more from here on.}
And.
That monster held out its crude, massive hand to and spoke.
{In my opinion, it seems we.}
I stared at that hand for a mont.
Then, with a small bitter smile, I gripped it and said—
“......Looks like we can make so good deals.”
*****
After that, too.
The treatnt continued.
The fact that I could exchange information about the system with it.
That alone was encouraging enough, but—
a joint research like that was sothing to discuss after the treatnt was finished.
{Try moving your body.}
“Mm. Yeah. It’s definitely better.”
But that conversation didn’t change nothing.
Up until then, not just during treatnt—every ti I talked with it, I’d been on guard to so extent.
But after realizing it had no intention of lying to —
“Thanks.”
{I’m glad there’s no problem.}
I could go through the treatnt a little more comfortably.
Even our back-and-forth conversation had clearly gotten gentler.
{For now, this treatnt ends here. It beca quite a long treatnt...... but I’ve almost finished everything I can do. Endure just a little more.}
“Yeah, so that ans.”
If the treatnt was almost done,
then—
“In just a little while, my body will be completely healed?”
{Completely healed.}
I thought it ant I wasn’t far from being fully healed, but—
at my words,
it shook its head.
{With my power alone, completely healing the Legion Commander right away...... will be a little difficult.}
“......Is that so?”
I knew my condition was serious, but—
to the point even this thing couldn’t treat it.
{Just so you know, it’s not because my dical skill is lacking.}
“Ah, yeah? Then why.”
{To be precise, it’s more accurate to say I lack the materials needed for treatnt.}
Right.
It had been treating without trouble up to now, but—
as the price, it had been asking to procure the materials needed for my treatnt myself.
Since it wasn’t a combat-type,
that ant it was having difficulty procuring the materials needed for treatnt on its own.
{If it’s damaged organs, I can treat them sohow with the materials the Legion Commander brought. But.}
Up to now,
bringing materials had solved the problem.
{Not [vital energy] that disappeared.}
“Vital energy.......”
At that, I opened my [Status Window] and checked.
[Penalty]
[Severe aftereffects]
[Vital energy loss]
After returning from Gyeonggi,
those words were always stuck at the very bottom of my [Status Window].
And now, after its treatnt had progressed—
[Minor aftereffects]
Severe aftereffects
had changed into minor aftereffects.
A lot of the creaking I felt in my body was gone, too.
Once the treatnt it was talking about ended, that aftereffects penalty would probably disappear completely.
On the other hand—
[Vital energy loss]
“.......”
That penalty
was still there, unchanged.
{Even if only my treatnt ends, you won’t feel discomfort in daily life. But in combat, you may still feel lacking. And...... that isn’t a domain a doctor can resolve alone.}
“Then?”
{It’s closer to sothing a pharmacist would handle.}
A pharmacist.
aning—
{The thod to resolve that problem is extrely simple. You consu an elixir—sothing that contains power strong enough to fill the vital energy you lost.}
An elixir.
{The Legion Commander’s vessel...... is larger than the Legion Commander knows. To , it’s puzzling how the native species can possess a vessel this large. And right now, most of that large vessel is empty.}
“Hm.”
{Unfortunately, I don’t have an elixir capable of filling the space the Legion Commander has emptied. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I’ve never had one....... I’m sorry.}
At that—
“Well, I’ve got a conscience too.”
With a snort of laughter, I rose to my feet.
“I’m not shaless enough to ask you to brew dicine too. I’m just grateful you got my body into this shape.”
{It’s not sothing to be grateful for. I did receive treatnt fees too.}
“Even so, it’s also true you gave a big discount on those fees, isn’t it?”
{Well...... that is true. It was, in any case, an intention to curry favor with the Legion Commander.}
“Then congratulations. It’s working exactly like you intended.”
{......Hah.}
That monster laughed again like its mouth was about to split.
At first it was a little...... no, a lot disgusting.
But once I realized that was its smiling expression, it was at least bearable now.
“Then I’ll see you at the next treatnt.”
{Have a safe trip.}
I let out a small laugh and left the hospital room.
Then—
“......Benefactor!”
The ones waiting outside the hospital room.
The soldiers assigned to my protection widened their eyes and rushed toward in a fluster.
“Legion Commander! Are you alright!”
“Did the treatnt go well? That monster didn’t do anything weird—”
They made a huge fuss while checking my condition.
“......Are you going to do this every ti? I’m fine again this ti.”
“Ah, ah......! Thank goodness, truly, truly!”
Every soldier looked relieved to an excessive degree.
At first, I thought, they really care about .
But since they did this every single ti after treatnt ended, it was getting ridiculous now.
{......It seems your guardians cherish the Legion Commander greatly.}
And.
The monster watching that scene slipped closer to and spoke.
{I understand your guardians’ worries as well. But I’m treating the patient with all I have.}
As if it was explaining sothing,
the monster tried to co closer to in a friendly way.
But—
{You don’t have to worry so mu—}
“Stop!”
The one who blocked it
was—
the sa soldiers who had been worrying over my condition just a mont ago.
“Don’t co any closer, monster.”
{......Hm.}
{I wasn’t intending to do anything strange.}
“It doesn’t matter what you intended to do. This treatnt is over, so you won’t have any business with the Legion Commander anymore.”
{.......}
“Approaching this casually even after treatnt is over is uncomfortable.”
At the soldiers’ sharp words,
the “doctor” looked a little flustered, then—
{......You’re right.}
It carefully stepped back and said—
{I was rude. It seems I misjudged the distance between patient and doctor.}
From it,
I could taste the sa hurt feelings it had shown toward last ti.
*****
{......As the Legion Commander said, it seems the Legion Commander’s comrades also guard against a great deal.}
When the next treatnt ended,
it said that to .
“......I’m sorry about that last ti. I should’ve stopped them.”
{No, it isn’t sothing the Legion Commander needs to apologize for.}
It talked like that, but—
I could still feel the hurt.
“If it really bothers you, next ti I’ll issue an order so they can’t be rude to you. Since they’re my subordinates, even if they don’t like it, they’ll obey.”
{......No. I don’t want that kind of solution.}
Since I rembered how it had looked hurt because of last ti,
I thought I should respond sohow, but—
it shook its head.
{Like I said, I want to build a friendly relationship with the Legion.}
“You did.”
{I’m grateful the Legion Commander seems to understand to so extent, but if the solution is ordering the Legion Commander’s n to show courtesy...... then it will be difficult for my relationship with the other Legion mbers to improve.}
Yeah, just like it said.
If I ordered them not to be rude to it,
Jeong Sua and that group would obey my command.
But that’s all.
Even if they stopped acting rude on the outside,
they’d still keep hostility toward it on the inside.
{To be honest.......}
It glanced at , then spoke cautiously, as if it wanted to talk through a worry.
{As the Legion Commander did, so did the ones I t and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} traded with before. Most natives guarded against a great deal.}
“......Mm. Yeah, they would.”
{They would, huh......?}
At my offhand answer,
it tilted its head.
{Are the native species originally a species with such severe wariness?}
“.......”
{To be this guarded right away even though I haven’t shown any hostile behavior.}
And.
I stared blankly at it as it said that.
{Ah. Of course, this world is ruled by the law of the jungle. I understand guarding against soone who might be stronger than you, but.......}
KRRRRGH......!
{Even after a trade relationship with is established, displaying hostility like this is a little hard to understand.}
KWE-EEEHK.......
{Hah. If I at least knew the cause of that wariness, I could try to respond. Honestly, it’s a little stifling.}
“......You really don’t know?”
{Hm?}
Its voice was ringing directly inside my mind.
Since what it was saying was fairly rational and reasonable,
it was easy to forget, without thinking......
{What do you an?}
KWEEEERK.......
That terminal of its, where the voice was coming from......
that monster is truly horrifically ugly.
Like every kind of monster had been grotesquely stitched together.
Bizarre pus oozed from its entire body.
And it couldn’t even open its mouth properly, so drool mixed with green phlegm kept dripping down.
‘.......’
Looking at it, I hesitated for a mont.
Then I let out a sigh and opened my mouth.
“The reason humans guard against you is.......”
{Oh! As expected......! The Legion Commander knows the reason!}
It was honest with , without any lies.
Then—
“You’re...... ugly.”
I also
had to be honest with it.
{......Huh?}
Hearing , the doctor—
as if shocked by sothing it never expected, stumbled back.
*****
{My god.......}
After I told it the truth,
the “doctor” spoke, filled with despair.
{All that hostility was because of my appearance......?}
“......Yeah, it’s probably for sure.”
{But you wouldn’t have seen my true body.}
“Even if we haven’t seen your true body, the monsters we’ve seen were extrely hideous.”
{If it’s the monster the Legion Commander saw.......}
It
pointed at its own body and said—
{Do you an this child?}
“Yeah.”
{To ...... it looks like a beautiful body created from the culmination of all my research.}
“.......”
{Ah, of course, I admit there are sowhat inefficient and unsanitary parts. But...... this isn’t a child directly投入ed into surgery, it’s only a child for conversation. I didn’t think hygiene mattered. No, I don’t even know why I’m making excuses like this.}
As if it had a headache, it grabbed its head with both hands.
Then it said in a tone like it couldn’t believe it.
{Judging others by appearance...... isn’t that a bad thing?}
“.......”
I couldn’t even refute it.
It was far too correct.
‘That stings.’
But.
What can you do.
“That’s just how humans are. We try to grasp soone by their first impression first.”
{I see...... is this what you call a cultural difference.}
It looked utterly flustered by sothing it never expected.
But only for a mont.
{......Still, thank you for telling .}
“Thanks for what.”
It thanked .
“......You’re not hurt, are you?”
{Hm? No, not like that. I was just flustered because I didn’t expect it. This body isn’t my true body anyway.}
......Its true body.
I was a little curious where its true body was.
And what it actually looked like.
{Still, appearance....... appearance.}
And.
While I was wondering about its true body—
{Then it might actually be good news.}
“Huh?”
{I was worried there might be so serious reason they guard against like this, but to think it was such a trivial reason! Then.}
As if it had a realization,
it split its mouth wide—
and said, wearing what passed for a smile for it.
{I think I may have a solution.}
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