RHDWK 8

Chapter 8

At the sound of Sima Jin’s voice, I hurriedly ran inside while tightly clutching the medicine bottle.

Just as Sima Jin came outside after hearing the sound of the bottle dropping, I made it into the room.

“Phew, what a fright.”

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, I hurriedly opened the medicine bottle using my tail.

Barely opening the cap, I took one out and forced it into my mouth. Because my mouth was small, fitting even a single pill inside was a struggle.

‘Next time I make them, I should make them smaller.’

As I was chewing and thinking that, I heard a knocking sound.

At that sound, I quickly scanned the room.

Although I successfully returned to my human form, snakes don’t wear clothes, so I was completely naked.

The moment I snatched up the clothes hanging loosely on the bed and threw them on, the door slowly opened.

“Wait a moment!”

I hurriedly turned my back away from the door.

“Ah, I-I am sorry.”

The door closed along with Sima Jin’s flustered voice.

After getting dressed properly, I picked up the handheld mirror placed on the table.

“Hmm, good. A perfect human.”

Using the mirror, I checked if scales were coming up on my skin or if my hair had turned white.

After confirming that I was unmistakably a human, I adjusted my clothes.

When I slowly came out of the room, Sima Jin had his back turned.

Since the door was closed, he wouldn’t even be able to see inside anyway—he really is unnecessarily honest.

“D-Did you sleep well?”

When I cleared my throat and spoke while pretending nothing happened, only then did Sima Jin turn around.

He then busily rolled his eyes, examining my condition.

“I was worried. Where were you? When did you return?”

Sima Jin poured out worried questions without even giving me a chance to answer.

“Didn’t you fall off the cliff? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Sima Jin, who had been checking with only his eyes, stepped closer to me and examined me more actively.

I gently pressed against Sima Jin’s forehead as he drew close, pushing him back.

“I didn’t fall off the cliff; I just bumped my head against a rock and passed out for a moment.”

“…Ah, I-Is that so.”

Hearing my answer, Sima Jin stepped half a step back, dropped to his knees, and slammed his head onto the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“I am truly sorry, Master. In my panic, I pushed you too hard, causing you to pass out…”

Certainly, the arm that Sima Jin had pushed felt like it still hurt. If he gets panicked one more time, I’ll die of a bone fracture before I get eaten to death.

“It’s fine, so will you get up?”

Sima Jin hesitantly stood up from his spot.

Now that I looked, Sima Jin was still covered in dirt.

Since it hadn’t been long since he returned from the mountain, a faint scent of dirt and grass lingered on him.

And what about his appearance? His face was drenched in sweat, his hair was completely disheveled, and he was an overall mess.

‘W-Was he really that worried?’

Without even knowing if he himself was a mess, Sima Jin’s gaze was fixed solely on me. With a worried look in his eyes to boot.

It made me feel embarrassed for being so on guard against Sima Jin by myself.

“Your clothes are dirty. I think it would be good to change.”

“That may be true… but these are the only clothes I have.”

“Hmm…”

I approached Sima Jin and fiddled with the clothes he was wearing.

I didn’t know the exact details, but even at a glance, it was high-quality fabric.

As expected of a young master from a martial family, no matter how much he claims to be a vegetable grown in dirt, he can’t hide it.

“Ah, that’s right, the herbs! The ones we worked so hard to pick… I forgot.”

At that moment, I remembered the herbs I hadn’t thought of earlier.

It was something Sima Jin, who grew up precious, worked hard to pick while getting dirt on his face and even encountering unexpected bandits.

“Do not worry, I brought them with me.”

In the direction Sima Jin was pointing, a basket filled with herbs was placed.

I didn’t want to think of him as commendable, but he really was commendable.

“What a relief. Good job, Cheon-dol.”

Out of a commendable feeling, I raised my arm and tapped Sima Jin’s head as if stroking it.

Sima Jin, who bent his waist awkwardly under my touch, opened his eyes wide.

“…Uh.”

“Huh? Why?”

“This feels good. May I request it once more?”

When I lowered my hand, Sima Jin asked me with a disappointed face.

‘That guy is closer to a dog than a vegetable.’

Searching for his master until he finds her, and when stroked, looking up as if feeling good.

I looked at Sima Jin like that, then turned around and walked out into the medicine shop.

Not a chance—why would I?

After making the medicine ordered by the Baek Clan, I arrived at the Baek Clan’s mansion.

The mistress of this house had a chronic illness, so she often ordered medicine from our shop.

Usually they sent a servant, but sometimes they asked for delivery.

At those times, they added a few extra coins, so I provided the delivery service without complaint.

“There is a guest inside right now. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, I will.”

Along with Sima Jin, who followed me saying he was worried about me passing out after hitting my head on a rock, I waited in the courtyard for the Master of the Baek Clan to come out.

Before long, people came out from the main building.

The Master of the Baek Clan, and next to him was a young man.

‘Oh, he’s handsome.’

As my gaze went toward the handsome man who had a different feel from Sima Jin, the Master of the Baek Clan spotted me.

“Oh, Doctor. You’ve arrived? By any chance, the person beside you is…”

The gaze of the Master of the Baek Clan shifted to Sima Jin, who had a striking appearance and a broad build.

“Ah, he’s an apprentice… someone like that.”

Before Sima Jin could introduce himself as a vegetable, I introduced him first.

Without any particular words, Sima Jin bowed his waist and greeted the Master.

“Ah, right. The practitioner I mentioned is this young lady.”

The Master of the Baek Clan pointed at me and introduced me to the handsome man next to him.

The handsome man’s gaze turned toward me.

The expression of the handsome man who spotted me brightened up completely, and he walked up to me.

“Nice to meet you, young lady. I am Namgung Do-hae.”

Namgung Do-hae?

I felt like I had heard that name somewhere.

I thought about the name Namgung Do-hae.

In the first place, it was a name that required no deep thought. It’s Namgung, Namgung. He must be a child of a prestigious family.

He was a man who overflowed with nobility no less than Sima Jin.

He is probably the older brother of the heroine, the precious only daughter of the family, right?

I stole a subtle glance at Sima Jin’s expression.

He was blankly following a butterfly flying through the sky with his eyes.

‘Because he’s acting like that, he really looks harmless and foolish.’

I never thought I would see someone from the Namgung Clan here.

If I had known, I obviously wouldn’t have brought Sima Jin along.

It was like bringing the Heavenly Demon, their greatest enemy, right in front of a prestigious family leading the Martial Alliance.

“I have heard about you from Master Baek, young lady.”

I shifted my gaze from Sima Jin back to Namgung Do-hae.

“About me?”

“Yes. There is someone I would truly like you to examine, young lady.”

“Examine… Are you referring to a patient?”

Namgung Do-hae nodded his head.

I don’t know who he wants me to examine, but don’t people usually ask a physician to examine a patient?

It seems Young Master Namgung Do-hae has mistaken me for a physician.

“I am not a physician, but a pharmacist…”

Before I could finish speaking, Namgung Do-hae grabbed and wrapped both of his hands around mine.

While I was flustered by his action, Sima Jin, who had been watching the butterfly, flinched.

“I earnestly request this of you, young lady.”

That desperate look in his eyes staring at me.

They were clear eyes as if someone had picked a star from the sky and placed it right inside them.

‘Wait, I feel a sense of déjà vu like I’ve experienced this somewhere.’

With my hand held by Namgung Do-hae, I tilted my head.

A few days ago, I felt like I experienced this on the first day I met that certified idiot, Sima Jin.

By the way, it seems I am extremely weak to handsome men. Seeing how I accepted Sima Jin, who would kill me, as a disciple to keep by my side, and now finding it hard to reject this request.

Ah, is Sima Jin an exception? Since it was out of fear rather than his face.

“P-Please calm down, Young Master.”

Coming to my senses, I pulled my hand away from Namgung Do-hae’s grip.

While I could recognize common symptoms from making medicine, it was hard to find the right treatment like a real physician.

Still, giving a look wasn’t a hard thing to do.

It’s just that I might not be able to solve it.

If it’s something that doesn’t require separate medical skills and can be resolved with medicine, I might be able to handle it on my end.

Since I have a special ability as well, I could also just explain the symptoms to a physician.

“Understood.”

Besides, if it’s the Namgung Clan, wouldn’t they pay a lot of money? The facial attack played a part, but the fact that the counterpart was the Namgung Clan was the biggest factor.

If it doesn’t work out, so be it; if it works, it’s a massive gain.

It’s not like I, an unskilled quack, insisted on examining them myself anyway.

Hearing my answer, Namgung Do-hae’s expression brightened up completely.