God of Assassination, Become the Strongest Healer - chapter 6

It’s 3:30 in the afternoon. The sun isn’t as bright now, so that little guy has probably finished enjoying the sunlight, come inside through the window, and is rubbing against my bed or desk. He’s probably complaining, “Hey! Why aren’t you here? I’m bored!” just like he always does.

When we first met, he was loud; last winter, he was noisy; last month, he was a whirlwind; last week, he was full of energy; and even last night, he wouldn’t stop talking. Just thinking about him makes me frown a little. Even though he’s annoying, I have to admit he can be helpful in many ways. I wouldn’t say that to him, though—he’s already too full of himself, and if I gave him more reason to be, he would be even worse.

Rattle. My eyes drift to the cookie box in Nanny’s hands, making a delicious sound. I think, Maybe I should save a few and bring them to him. He’d probably appreciate some tasty cookies more than a few nice words from me.

Swoosh. Huh. There’s a lot of sea fog today. At the sound of waves in the distance, I turn to see the dense fog rolling over the far-off ocean. A regular person wouldn’t even be able to see it from here, but I’m not exactly regular.

That’s Arka—the other “weapon” that’s been running through my veins for seven years now. Thanks to it, I’ve gotten used to this new body, and I can easily overcome the limits of ordinary humans. It hasn’t just been Angelus that’s improved over these past six years, after all.

Actually, if I’m being honest, Arka’s probably come farther than Angelus, considering that it’s been my priority this whole time. I mean, my dad still thinks I’m putting my heart and soul into mastering Angelus—and I feel a bit guilty for that—but Angelus has always been second to me. My instincts, honed to a razor’s edge over countless lives, have always told me to focus on sharpening the “Hidden Blade” over “Claudius’ Armor.” And for the past six years, I’ve followed that whisper to the letter.

If I had focused all the time I spent learning Arka on training for Angelus instead, people would be calling me an amazing talent—one of the best ever. Dad and the retainers would probably compare me not just to past family heads but to the very first head of the Claudius family, Orpheus Claudius. 

Suddenly, I feel a little finger poking my cheek, pulling me out of my thoughts. I look down and see my adorable little sister, Lana, looking up at me.

If I’d put all the effort I used for mastering Arka into training for Angelus instead, people would be calling me a talent unlike anything they’d ever seen—not just among the greats, but the greatest of all time. And if that were the case, then Dad and the retainers would probably start comparing me not with previous family heads but with the first head of the Claudius family himself, Orpheus Claudius.

“Brother! What are you so lost in thought about?”

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by a chubby little finger poking at my cheek with surprising boldness. With that adorable force, I can’t help but break from my musings and meet the eyes of my sweet little chick, Lana.

“Should I try and guess what you were thinking about?” she asks.

“Hm, do you really think you can guess it, Lana?”

“Of course I can! It’s you, after all, Brother!”

With her arms around my neck, she adds confidently, “You were thinking about the spirit beast you’ll meet next week, weren’t you?”

“A spirit beast? Does my little squirt even know what a spirit beast is?”

“Of course I know! This is about my most respected Brother Pagan, after all! How could Lana Claudius not know?” she says, puffing out her chest with pride. Our nanny, who was walking ahead, bursts out laughing at how adorable she looks.

“Ahem! Sir, young lady, please sit here. I’ll pour the tea.”

We take a seat at a cozy tea table, set beautifully in a garden in full bloom.

“Hm hm hm, tea time with Brother! Brother, I want to sit on your lap. Come on, Nanny, join us too!” Lana ignores the empty chair and hops right onto my lap, waving her cookie in the air and urging us to get started.

Clink! Like grown-ups clinking glasses, the edges of our cookies touch and break apart.After our little tea party ritual, we enjoyed sweet cookies together. 

Lana kept talking excitedly. She asked me which spirit beast I thought I would meet. She believed it would be either Protedas, a beautiful white tiger, or Agla, a big, impressive eagle.

 Lana thought I was special, so she felt my spirit beast should be special too. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she shared her favorite choices for the spirit beast I might meet next week in the Forest of Eternity.

“Hmmm… Protedas and Agla sound great, but I wouldn’t mind Esanti either. Esanti has super fluffy fur, so wouldn’t it be amazing to take a nap on it?”

“No way! Esanti’s fat and has a huge butt! It wouldn’t suit you at all!” Lana made a face, shaking her head as she imagined Esanti, a spirit beast resembling a massive, fuzzy elephant.

“No! It has to be Protedas or Agla! Not Esanti. Esanti looks like Father! So make him be Father’s friend instead!”

“Haha, Lana. Father already has ‘Veldorush,’ remember?”

“Exactly! Veldorush and Esanti suit Father perfectly! Mother even said that a Claudius always gets a spirit beast that resembles them. So, Brother, your spirit beast has to be super cool. Okay? Protedas or Agla, alright?”

“Haha, Lana, I appreciate how you see me, but make sure not to say that in front of Father. He might feel… really hurt.”

Veldorush is a giant spirit beast resembling a black bear with strikingly beautiful eyes.

I couldn’t help but think about how my father would react if he heard me say he looks like a black bear or an elephant. Honestly, it kind of fits him—big size, lots of… hair? To stop myself from laughing at the idea, I popped a chocolate cookie into my mouth, enjoying the sweet taste as it disappeared—just like that thought. 

Then, a tall, thin guy named Hans found me after searching everywhere. He showed up right as we had eaten about half of the snacks.

The head of the household recently ordered that anyone who might benefit from acupuncture should be reported. 

There’s a patient at the outside clinic who seems like a good fit, and Doctor Almon wants you to come quickly because he thinks acupuncture could be more effective than medicine or magic. 

Okay, I’ll go there now. I chewed the tasty cookie I had and stood up. Almon runs the general clinic outside the estate, and Hans is the guard assigned to it.

Wow! Is Brother going to treat a patient? That’s so exciting! Brother! Do you have your tools with you? If they’re in your room, I can get them!

“No, I’ve got them here,” I said.

Lana gasped, covering her cheeks with her little hands, clearly thrilled at the idea of me treating an actual patient.

“I always carry them with me,” I added, showing her the silk pouch tucked neatly inside my shirt.

“As expected, Brother! Always prepared!” she cheered again.

“Oh, and I’ll just grab a couple of these cookies, just in case I get hungry later tonight.”

I was ready to head to the clinic, just after packing a snack for my housemate—or rather, my house beast—who’d be waiting for my return. Smiling, I looked over at Hans, who was grinning at me and Lana, and said,

“Alright, let’s go. 

Where’s our patient?””Since you’ve already reviewed the patient’s details and diagnosis before coming here, I’ll skip the introductions. Young Master, shall we begin?”
“Yes, let’s do that, Doctor.”

We reached the clinic in quick strides. Taking a deep breath, I absorbed the atmosphere of the treatment room. I’d treated people in the household plenty of times, but this was my first time seeing someone from outside.

If I were treating someone from the estate like usual, I might have asked Almon to “guide and correct me if you see anything lacking.” But this wasn’t the time for that.

“Um… Doctor, is this young doctor here going to be treating our child?”
“What, are you worried?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… he doesn’t look much older than our child, and he’ll be the one handling the treatment…”

The young couple in front of me already looked uneasy about having someone my age treat their son. Saying something about needing guidance would only add to their anxiety.

“There’s no need to worry. This is Lord Faegen, the eldest son of the current head of the family.”
“Huh? The lord’s son himself is treating our child?”

Almon spoke, and the young couple looked shocked. Unlike my father, who was well-known in Esfetara, most of the islanders didn’t know me. Almon said not to worry and told them to watch how I would take care of their child. The couple was amazed that the lord’s son was helping them and expressed their gratitude. They begged me to look after their child well.

Even though Almon looked serious, he was actually very thoughtful, and his calmness helped the couple feel less worried. Being the oldest son of the Claudius family made it okay that a twelve-year-old was treating their child. 

“Okay, let’s see. Your name is Dan, right? How old are you?” 

“Um, I’m seven, sir. Should I call you doctor or my lord?” 

“Just call me whatever you want; it’s fine.” 

I gave a small nod to the couple, who bowed respectfully, and then I walked over to the child I was going to help today.

You’re a little troublemaker, huh? I heard you fell out of a tree. You need to listen to your mom. Why were you climbing trees? That’s how you broke your arm. 

My little sister wanted a flower from the branch. I thought it would look nice in her hair. 

You have a younger sister? 

Yeah. 

Dan looked even more upset, like he thought he was being scolded by someone important. 

Okay, usually I would make you face some consequences for climbing a tree when your mom told you not to, but since you were just trying to do something nice for your sister, I’ll let you go this time. 

Let me go…easy

“I like how well you get along with your little sister, so I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt at all this time.”
“Really? Thank you, sir! Mom! Dad! Did you hear that? He said he’s going to treat me without it hurting at all!”

At the mention of “not hurting at all,” Dan’s round face lit up, and I took that chance to carefully examine his broken arm and the area around it.

‘Thankfully, the bone’s not too damaged. Just some torn muscle and a bit of damage to the blood vessels—not too complicated.’

Even though I already knew from the notes how he’d gotten hurt, I’d asked again to get Dan to make that face. To treat him properly, I needed him to relax, instead of being on the verge of tears and completely tense.

“Alright, let’s get started, okay? I’ll take care of it super quickly, and it won’t hurt at all, so be brave, alright?”
“Yes!”

Dan answered confidently.

Dan looked worried and was about to cry. The needle pouch opened quietly, showing sharp iron needles that made Dan’s eyes go wide. I focused on Dan’s expression and lifted my arm. The needles floated up, vibrating and glowing gold as they rose. Dan whispered, “Wow.”

Almon quietly admired me as I used Angelus for the first time. I noted his reaction while I placed my hand on Dan’s head and saw that his expression had dropped again. I said, “Okay, show me your arm. Stretch it out.”