I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 169

169

The meeting after Seonghyun left proceeded very harmoniously and smoothly.

“Then, we will proceed with the academy in this way.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The future plans were summarized very simply.

It was something that all three would work together on, but they would not cooperate in the process of laying the foundation.

Each would only do their own work.

Everyone who had come for the meeting left, and Seonghyun looked at Inhwan, who was sighing in relief, and said,

“You did better than I thought?”

“I have to. I’m a big shot in the guild.”

“Haha, a big shot.”

“So, when are you leaving?”

“I have to go now.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

What was most needed to gain people’s support was rumors.

No matter what you did, it was meaningless if rumors about your accomplishments didn’t spread.

“I should go to the most neglected place first.”

No matter what intentions Seonghyun had, people would only see what they wanted to see.

In the current situation, if Seonghyun went to a remote area where no one cared and did good deeds?

If a few more elements that people would like were added here, the rumors would spread like crazy.

“Be careful. You never know what might happen.”

In reality, Seonghyun wasn’t in a position to be worried about, so he was about to give a formal answer, but Inhwan stopped Seonghyun and said,

“I’m not saying this because I’m worried about you. You have no mercy when someone targets you, right?”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Well, I’m not telling you to show mercy, but there’s no point in having more blood on your hands.”

“That’s right. There won’t be any problems if they don’t provoke me first.”

Inhwan didn’t say anything more at the firm answer.

From the beginning, it wasn’t that he didn’t like the way Seonghyun handled things, so there was no need to say more.

“I hope everything goes the way you want and plan.”

“Me too.”

Seonghyun smiled faintly at Inhwan, then went outside.

“Now, where should I go first?”

——————————————–

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Huff, huff…”

There was no answer to the voice urging someone on.

All that came back were sounds of heavy breathing.

Katman, who was now eight years old, was a young head of household responsible for his five younger siblings and his mother.

All he could do for a day’s income was mining placer gold [gold particles found in a deposit of sand or gravel].

There was one more thing he could do, but this was the only place that gave food while working.

‘This is not enough.’

Even just to make a living, the money he was receiving now was far from enough.

All he got was enough money to feed his sick mother and siblings one meal.

It was from the moment he realized that fact.

He had been smuggling out small amounts of placer gold little by little.

It was the same today.

At the time when work was almost finished, in that moment when surveillance became a little lax because he was excited about the fact that he was off work, Katman, as usual, stuffed a very small amount of placer gold into the deepest part of his clothes.

“I, I’m done.”

“Okay. Good work.”

Two coins fell onto his politely outstretched hands.

It was such insignificant money that he wondered if it wouldn’t be more valuable to sell scrap iron of the same weight as these coins.

“Thank you.”

But if he didn’t have even this, everyone would starve.

It didn’t matter if he starved, but he couldn’t bear to see his siblings, who were just starting to walk, and his mother, who was on the verge of death, starve.

As he turned around with the coins he had received, a rough hand snatched Katman’s hand.

“Wh, why are you doing this?”

“You, turn your pockets inside out.”

“Why are you…”

What came back to the second question was not an answer.

The rough hand that had just snatched his hand slapped Katman’s cheek.

Katman was about to fall, his mind fading to the point where he couldn’t even scream, but even that, this rough hand didn’t allow.

“Tell me the truth. Placer gold. You stole it, didn’t you?”

Katman’s fading mind quickly returned at the question.

If this fact was discovered, it wouldn’t end with punishment.

He wouldn’t be able to work anywhere near here in the future.

In other words, the whole family would starve to death.

“N, no!”

“Huh, if you tell me honestly, I’ll just fire you.”

“I really, really didn’t steal it!”

“…”

The rough hand began to rummage through Katman’s pockets.

“Hmm…”

“Oh, it’s not there, right? I’ll be on my way…”

“Take off your pants.”

“Ye, yes?”

“Those pants. Take them off before I tear them.”

The man’s eyes looked like he was really going to tear his pants.

“Th, that…I can’t…”

Not only his hands but Katman’s whole body began to tremble.

Fear.

What was he afraid of?

Being punished, being fired from his job, his family starving to death.

All of these gathered into one emotion called fear and began to consume Katman.

“I, I…well…that’s…”

“This bastard…”

The man frowned and tore Katman’s pants as they were.

Then, a few grains fell to the floor, emitting a unique light.

“Ha…I gave you work thinking about your sick mother, and you stab me in the back like this?”

“N, no. Really, it’s not!”

Katman denied it, almost crying, but as expected, they wouldn’t listen to him.

“What do you mean it’s not? The evidence is right here, isn’t it?”

“Th, that’s…because my mother is sick…I, I was going to pay it all back later! Once my mother gets better…”

The man scoffed at Katman’s mention of his mother.

“Hey! Come over here.”

At the man’s call, others who were cleaning up began to gather.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s this situation?”

“Take a look at this. See what came out of this kid’s pants.”

The yellow powder in the man’s hand was gold to anyone who saw it.

It wasn’t shining perfectly yet because it hadn’t been processed, but those who managed this place knew very well what it was.

“Haha! There are still guys like this?”

“He’s got guts.”

“Yeah, he’s got guts. The result won’t be good, though.”

“Pl, please listen to me…”

Their eyes didn’t see Katman as a child.

They just saw him as a thief who stole their things.

They only saw him as a very bad thief.

“Kuaaak!”

Katman’s screams began to echo.

He was screaming with desperate strength, asking anyone to help him.

Asking them not to turn a blind eye, but his screams were not heard by anyone.

In fact, it was closer to not listening than not being heard.

“Hoo…don’t come out here again. If I see you near here, your family won’t be safe either.”

The man shook off the blood on his hands, spat on Katman, who had lost consciousness, and left.

How much time had passed? Katman slowly opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything.

“Hic…”

He was sad and resentful.

He was in pain and full of resentment.

If he had special powers like those called Hunters, wouldn’t his family at least not starve?

Maybe he could have earned money to treat his mother’s illness?

Katman was sad that he couldn’t do anything for his family, and he was resentful of his own incompetence.

The wounds he received from them hurt, and he resented the god who created him in this environment.

“Hic…Mom…”

He couldn’t even remember what color his mother’s eyes were now.

Was her embrace warm? Was her voice low? Was it high?

He felt like he was going to lose consciousness again, but he couldn’t.

If he lost consciousness again and it was morning tomorrow, he could be beaten even more than he was today.

“Kueueuk…”

Katman, who barely got up, grabbed his knees with both hands and slowly moved his feet.

By now, his siblings, who were still enduring hunger, would be waiting at home.

“Hey, kid.”

At that moment, Katman was startled by the voice coming from right behind his back and swung the hand that had been supporting his knees.

“Wh, who is it!!”

“Oh, you have to be careful. You don’t seem to be in good shape.”

“Wh, who…are you?”

Judging from his clumsy vocabulary, he wasn’t from this place.

However, looking at the way he was wearing a hood and covering his face, he didn’t look very trustworthy.

“More than that, are you okay?”

“…Do I look okay?”

“Haha, I asked a pointless question.”

As he answered brusquely and supported his wobbly knees again with both hands, the hand of a strange and suspicious man came up on his head.

“Wh, what are you doing…!”

He shook it off as roughly and quickly as possible, but his body, which had already been battered, wasn’t that fast.

“If, if you keep doing that, I’ll report you to the village guards…”

Katman, who was speaking in a somewhat threatening voice, paused.

“Huh?”

It felt like his head was completely emptied for a moment.

All distracting thoughts disappeared, and even the pain seemed to disappear.

No, the pain disappeared.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yo, you…no, who are you…”

“Me?”

The suspicious man, who had been contemplating for a moment at Katman’s question, replied in a voice that seemed to be smiling.

“Yeah. A pilgrim would be appropriate.”

“P, pilgrim?”

Katman had never heard the word pilgrim itself, but he was soon able to infer its meaning.

“What’s your name?”

“K, Katman.”

“Katman. That’s a good name. What about your parents?”

“…My father ran away, and my mother is not well, so…”

“I see. It must have been hard.”

“…”

It wasn’t any word of comfort.

Just one word, it must have been hard.

Even though it was a word from a suspicious man he didn’t even know the face of, for some reason, the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Hic…sob…”

Katman didn’t cry even when he was beaten so badly by those men.

The man just watched Katman.

He didn’t offer a warm hand, nor did he say anything else.

For a long time.

“Are you done crying now?”

“…Yes.”

“But what’s wrong with your mother?”

“I don’t really know either. She suddenly collapsed a few days after my father disappeared.”

“Do you trust me, Katman?”

“…Yes.”

It was Katman who was surprised by the answer that came out faster and more clearly than he thought.

Because so far, except for his family.

Even Katman, who didn’t trust his father.

“Then can I take a look at your mother’s condition?”

“…Yes!”

Katman didn’t think this suspicious man would cure his mother.

He knew better than anyone that expectations were poison, so he was just satisfied that there was someone who could sympathize with his situation.

“Okay. Let’s go then.”

This suspicious man bent down and held out his hand to Katman, and Katman looked at the hand and soon raised his chapped hand.

“Yes!”

Dilapidated houses.

Among those houses, a house with walls and a roof made of cloth.

The man, who arrived at what was more like a hut than a house, went inside with Katman.

Judging from the sounds of wheezing coming from here and there, there seemed to be quite a few young children.

“They’re all sleeping now.”

Katman lowered his voice in case they woke up, and the man also lowered his voice to match.

“Even better. I can just look at your mother’s condition and leave.”

“Yes! She’s in the far corner.”

The place Katman pointed to was only two steps away from the man’s feet.

A place so close that its shape could be seen even without a ray of light.

The man, who carefully moved his steps so as not to wake the sleeping children, stood in front of Katman’s mother and looked down.

“I can’t say that you won’t have a hard time in the future, but at least you’ll have a place to lean on.”

“…Yes?”

At the same time as the man’s words ended, a small light began to fill the hut.