Chapter 151: If We're Doing It, Might as Well Get the Others Too [2] "Come on, if anything hurts, then here…"
"I am Baek Kanghyeok."
"Right. Show your bodies to Physician Baek!"
Yoshitaka looked so healthy that no one would have believed he was the same man who had just collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage.
That in itself proved how swift and precise Kanghyeok's treatment had been.
On top of that, it also showed that Yoshitaka was exceptionally tough.
"Hmm."
Even so, his subordinates still could not bring themselves to approach Kanghyeok.
They were men who lived by the blade, so naturally they valued their bodies.
The thought of entrusting themselves to a physician they had never met before made them hesitate.
"Hmm."
While everyone wavered, Moritaka stepped forward.
He had missed the most important scene because he had been unconscious, but he had at least seen the suturing.
The spectacle unfolding right before his eyes still bewitched him like magic.
The hole in Yoshitaka's skull had closed, and the torn flesh had rejoined.
Even now, he could hardly believe it, and his gaze kept drifting back toward Yoshitaka's head.
No matter how he looked at it, it was flawless.
If Yoshitaka had even a little hair left, he probably would not even have realized he had been wounded.
There's Father's dignity to consider too…
If no one stepped forward like this, would that not put Yoshitaka in an awkward position after giving the order?
This was exactly the time when someone needed to lead by example.
"Let me ask first."
Moritaka stood proudly before Kanghyeok.
Until then, Kanghyeok had been busy thinking about how to make sure he could thoroughly dose them with steroids.
Dongpa's dosage was strong, but…
It still seemed a little insufficient if he wanted the effects to show clearly in just a day.
But if he made it any stronger than that, there would surely be people who immediately showed side effects.
Well… I'll just give them anti-inflammatories too while I'm at it.
These days, painkillers and anti-inflammatories were so effective that people said they had to be used even more carefully than before.
There had even been cases where someone took painkillers and anti-inflammatories that damaged the stomach, developed a hole in it, and never realized it.
That was because the pain from the perforated stomach itself had been suppressed by the medication.
So for these bastards, who obviously had never taken proper medicine even once in their lives, one dose of a painkiller might make them forget every worry in the world.
"Um, Physician Baek?"
Kanghyeok was, by nature, a man of extraordinary concentration.
That was why he could stand there with a person right in front of him and still be lost in completely different thoughts.
As a result, Moritaka had to clear his throat several times.
"Ahem."
Only after the fourth cough did Kanghyeok finally realize Moritaka was standing there.
"Ah. Moritaka…"
Kanghyeok nodded to himself for a moment.
He was uncertain what form of address he ought to use.
He was not a daimyō, but neither was he merely a vassal.
It was awkward, was it not?
Then Sayaga, standing behind him, quickly stepped forward and whispered in his ear.
"'Lord' would be the safest choice."
"Ah-ha."
'Lord,' huh.
It felt a little excessive for a mere pirate-born marauder, but it was still acceptable enough.
Especially since Kanghyeok intended to stuff him full of steroids in return.
"Very well then, Lord Moritaka. Let me have a look."
"Well… I wear a helmet all day, so my neck hurts terribly."
"I see."
"Now then…"
Kanghyeok deliberately put on a knowing expression as he felt around various parts of Moritaka's body.
Then he pressed hard on a spot that would hurt anyone if pushed.
"This seems like the sort of place that would hurt, wouldn't it?"
"Ugh."
With Kanghyeok's grip strength, anywhere he pressed would have hurt.
And since he had chosen the exact point where the muscle attached to the bone, there was no way it would not hurt.
As a result, Moritaka forgot all about dignity and let out a groan.
"Just as I thought. This is where it hurts."
If a doctor truly put his mind to it, crippling someone was easy work.
Especially if it was someone like Moritaka, who actually did have some real discomfort somewhere.
On top of that, had he not just witnessed Kanghyeok's near-miraculous skill?
Right now, he was ready to believe anything Kanghyeok said.
"Y-yes. That's right. Ah…"
"The area I'm touching here… this is called the cervical spine."
"The cervical spine…"
"Because your helmet is heavy, it is pressing down on this area and causing inflammation in the surrounding muscles."
From a textbook standpoint, it was utter nonsense, but it sounded plausible enough.
That was how it worked: combine unfamiliar terms in the right way, and even nonsense could come out sounding impressive.
"I see. Is it serious?"
"It is serious."
Serious.
It was a magical word that made anyone feel bad the moment they heard it.
And when it came out of a doctor's mouth, its power was beyond description.
His gloomy tone and darkened expression only made it more effective.
"Hah."
Moritaka's face darkened at once.
That, in turn, made the subordinates, who had initially been indifferent, start gathering in small groups.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Well, his helmet is pretty heavy."
"If he goes around without one, though, he'll end up like that bastard."
They laughed boisterously while pointing at the one-eyed man.
From Kanghyeok's perspective, he had gotten exactly the reaction he wanted.
Good. I've baited them properly.
If he just got rid of the symptoms here, everything would be fine.
Giving a proper diagnosis and carrying out actual treatment would have been extremely difficult.
Chronic pain, by its very nature, took a long time to treat because it had lasted so long.
But making them forget the pain was not difficult at all.
When Kanghyeok remained silent for a moment, the increasingly anxious Moritaka asked urgently, "Is there no way?"
He kept rubbing the place Kanghyeok had pointed out earlier.
Just a moment ago, it had not seemed all that painful, but now it was bothering him so much he felt like he could die from it.
If it could not be treated, it almost felt as though his lifespan would be shortened.
"A way…"
"A way?"
"Ordinarily, there is none."
"Hah."
Moritaka looked as if the sky had just collapsed.
Watching him, Kanghyeok smiled faintly.
It probably hadn't been all that uncomfortable before…
Sometimes pain worsened simply because it had been called to mind.
That was not the sort of thing one learned from a textbook.
It was something one naturally came to understand after seeing patients for many long years.
All I have to do is say the things I'd normally never be allowed to say.
Things like telling him it would get worse, or that treatment was difficult.
The sort of things that were no help whatsoever in curing a patient.
Kanghyeok let Moritaka sit in despair for a moment before finally speaking.
"Ordinarily, yes, but…"
"But?"
"Did you think I came along with the diplomatic mission for nothing?"
"Then…"
"If it is me, I can fix it."
"Hah, thank goodness. I thought…"
Kanghyeok handed the relieved Moritaka a decoction loaded with anti-inflammatory painkillers, steroids, and an antacid.
Knowing it would obviously wreck his stomach if he gave him only the first two, he had added the antacid as well.
"Here, drink this first."
Kanghyeok passed him the medicine with a generous smile.
Moritaka had no reason to refuse.
So he gulped it down.
By tomorrow, he'll probably feel vigor surging through him.
That was only natural, considering a young man had just swallowed that much steroid.
He might even have trouble sleeping.
An excessive dose of steroids could cause insomnia, after all.
When the symptoms of increased energy and sleeplessness overlapped, patients often deluded themselves.
Ah, I really am becoming stronger.
"How is it?"
"It already feels a little better…"
"Well then, is there anyone else who wants treatment?"
Kanghyeok called out hopefully, but surprisingly few people raised their hands.
Only one or two more came forward for prescriptions.
Well, once they see how their symptoms are tomorrow, that'll change.
In any case, Kanghyeok would be staying here on Tsushima for over a month.
That had been the original schedule.
Yoshitaka's group was supposed to leave much sooner, but that would now be difficult.
Their leader, Yoshitaka, had had his skull opened and was recuperating.
No matter how tough he was, would he really be able to endure a harsh sea voyage?
"You will need to remain here at least ten more days."
"Ten days…"
Yoshitaka stroked his chin with a somewhat troubled expression.
It was a very simple gesture, but for him it was far from easy.
He had to work hard just to hide the trembling in his fingertips, enough that cold sweat began to run down him.
The Kanpaku… will understand, won't he?
After all, had he not nearly died and lived?
Hideyoshi might have been cruel by nature, but he was not the sort to casually cast aside people who were still useful.
In Yoshitaka's own mind, he was still someone with plenty of use.
He was also confident he would not be killed over a mere delay of a few days in the schedule.
The diplomatic mission will be staying here much longer anyway.
That meant there would be more than enough time to carry out the business at hand.
Once his thoughts reached that point, Yoshitaka nodded.
"Very well. I shall do that."
"You have made the right decision."
Kanghyeok also smiled amiably.
It was not a false smile. He was genuinely pleased.
Ten days is more than enough time to turn all of you into addicts.
That was also plenty of time to show them another effect of steroids.
"Then… shall we meet tomorrow at the domain lord's residence?"
"Hmm. That would be a bit…"
Yoshitoshi, the lord of the domain, did not know Yoshitaka had come to visit.
That was an extraordinary breach of etiquette.
So it seemed Yoshitaka was reluctant to meet him face-to-face.
"Then where shall we meet?"
"I will send word to an appropriate place. It is too far for us to come all the way here."
Kanghyeok looked around at the samurai surrounding them.
There were quite a lot of them, and no matter how powerful Yoshitaka was, it did not seem likely he could bring all of them out into the market.
Then I won't be able to lure them in.
Did he not need to cripple as many of them as possible to win the war?
Of course, the Imjin War was still years away, but Kanghyeok already felt as though it had begun.
Feeling impatient, he quickly spoke.
"No, it's fine. There was plenty to see on the way here, and I liked it."
At that, Yoshitaka burst into hearty laughter.
Because the only thing worth seeing on the road there was the Red-Light District.
From ancient times, bad men had liked bad men.
And lechers were drawn to lechers.
So this fellow is rather lustful too.
Completely misunderstanding him, Yoshitaka nodded as though he understood everything.
"Very well. Then I shall see you tomorrow. You will be welcome anytime."
"Understood."
With that, Kanghyeok parted ways with Yoshitaka's party and headed for the domain lord's estate.
They had only just left the Red-Light District when Makbong muttered regretfully, "We went all the way there and couldn't do a thing… then just came back out."
Come to think of it, that was true.
Kanghyeok did not particularly care, but Sayaga, who had introduced them, did not feel at ease about it.
"My goodness. I ended up troubling you for nothing and only made things inconvenient…"
"Mm. No, no. It's fine for me. I got to meet someone important here."
Crippling one important man was more efficient than crippling ten ordinary soldiers.
Having no way of knowing what Kanghyeok really meant, Sayaga only looked flustered.
"I will definitely arrange a proper place for you next time."
"Sure, whatever. Anyway, let's go. The night is… Makbong?"
"I'm too bitter to let this go. I'm going back there at least."
"Hey, hey! Do you even know the way?"
"Dolseok probably does."
"Huh."
Makbong vanished into the Red-Light District, practically kidnapping Dolseok along with him.
Kanghyeok thought about stopping them, but then let it go.
Let them feel a burning sting in their crotches once. Maybe that'll knock some sense into them. Go ahead and do whatever you want, you little bastards.
The two who had run off in such a rush did not return until morning broke.
Did something happen?
He was briefly worried, but soon shook his head.
It was not as though Makbong had gone alone.
Most thugs would not even be worth a single punch from him.
"Kids, let's have breakfast."
"Yes, Young Master. They say it will be brought right away."
Yeoni bowed and pointed toward the doorway.
Just as she had said, several maids soon came hurrying in with a breakfast table.
It was a breakfast with all the proper dishes, which made it seem the domain lord was putting in quite an effort.
"Hmm, they're doing a pretty respectable job of receiving guests."
While Kanghyeok leisurely ate breakfast in comfort, a major uproar was breaking out at the Kurushima Family estate.
"Are you really all right?"
"It doesn't hurt at all. Look at this."
Moritaka, his face flushed red, had started performing the bizarre feat of placing a boulder on top of his head.
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