Chapter 135

As expected, the man named Rodney’s gaze gleamed coldly behind his glasses.

Eyes filled with suspicion toward Chris.

“But forgive me, I don’t recall ever seeing you at the sacred grounds of the House of Medical Saints. How would you explain that?”

Evan glanced at Chris, as if asking what he was going to do, but Chris answered calmly.

“I received private instruction from a distant branch master, so I’ve never visited the sacred grounds. However, I’ve heard much about the beauty of Mount Taebong. Someday, if I get the chance, I’d also love to see the Pond of Minus with my own eyes.”

“!!”

Mount Taebong. The Pond of Minus.

Names only someone from the House of Medical Saints would know.

Rodney’s expression relaxed.

“Ha ha, I’m sure there will be an opportunity. No, in fact—if you assist in treating the patients here, I’ll personally request my master to invite you.”

“Your words alone are thanks enough.”

“Then please, this way.”

Rodney led Chris along.

They left the mansion and walked toward a large building that looked like a warehouse, standing at a distance.

“This is where the patients are.”

Creeaak. As the door opened, a horrific scene came into view.

“Ughhh…”

“Cough, ack. I-I don’t want to die…”

“Please save me…”

Easily over a few hundred people were lying on the floor, writhing in agony and groaning in pain.

Yet, there wasn’t a single doctor attending to them.

“There used to be doctors helping, but they were all infected with the plague and passed away. For now, I’ve only been able to distribute medicine I prepared through a few assisting servants.”

Rodney sighed deeply with a look of pity.

“Thank you so much for coming during such a difficult time. I entrust these patients to you.”

Leaving those words behind, Rodney closed the creaking door and disappeared.

Saying he would search for the source of the plague and find a way to eradicate it.

“What are you going to do?”

Left alone, Evan asked.

“First, we treat the patients.”

“…What’s the point of that? Isn’t that just a waste of time?”

Evan asked coldly.

Even if they treated the patients, unless the root cause of the plague was eliminated, it would be like pouring water into a broken pot.

“To resolve the situation.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know why this plague occurred?”

“…Wasn’t it due to a curse or dark magic?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Then why would the culprit use such dark magic? These people are sacrifices. To achieve some goal.”

“!!”

Chris turned his gaze away.

Toward the people dying in pain.

A sight he had witnessed countless times in the past.

“They're offering up these lives as sacrifices to fulfill some horrific greed.”

In truth, even for Chris, resolving this situation wasn’t going to be easy.

Track down the source and eliminate it?

A cursed magician had intervened—how was he supposed to find any trace of that?

It was impossible.

Even if he did somehow find a clue, it would take a long, grueling effort.

So instead, Chris changed his way of thinking.

‘If I can’t find them, then I’ll make them come out.’

“I won’t let a single patient die from now on. If there aren’t enough deaths, then the one behind this plague won’t have the sacrifices they need to complete their goal—they’ll have no choice but to reveal themselves.”

That’s when he planned to strike and capture them.

* * *

Chris’s idea was simple.

Stop all deaths caused by the plague.

If there were no deaths, then no sacrifices—causing the one behind the scenes to fail in reaching their objective.

The problem was whether it was even possible.

“You’re going to treat this many patients? By yourself?”

Evan asked, clearly thinking it was absurd, but Chris nodded.

“Yes, it’s possible. This is a Display Plague—meaning it’s a curse spread through dark magic.”

If it had been a normal plague, then it wouldn’t be possible.

How could he treat all those rapidly worsening patients alone?

But the Display Plague was different.

‘The symptoms are similar to the regular plague, but the way it spreads is completely different. It’s not transmitted by rats, but by a curse.’

In other words—

The number of new patients each day is fixed.

‘Roughly around 200 to 300 people, I’d estimate.’

That’s not a small number.

But with Chris’s capabilities, he could handle it.

‘Especially since there’s a miracle cure for the Display Plague.’

The Display Plague, if left untreated, had a far deadlier mortality rate than the regular plague.

But according to the knowledge Chris gained from the House of Medical Saints, there was a miraculous remedy that could completely cure the Display Plague.

‘If you mix the herbs in a specific way, you can interfere with the curse.’

Chris moved without delay.

First, he examined the medicine Rodney had made.

‘This isn’t real medicine.’

Chris’s gaze turned cold.

‘It’s basically poison.’

It wasn’t just that the medicine lacked effectiveness.

It subtly worsened the symptoms and drastically increased the fatality rate.

‘Why would a disciple of the House of Medical Saints make something like this?’

There’s no way he didn’t know what he was doing.

And that wasn’t the only suspicious thing.

‘It’s also strange that there’s not a single doctor here.’

The Display Plague doesn’t spread simply through contact with patients.

As mentioned earlier, it’s part of a curse.

So the claim that all the doctors died after being infected doesn’t add up.

‘They didn’t die from infection—there must be another reason.’

Chris shook his head.

For now, saving the patients in front of him was the priority.

Once the death rate drops drastically, and the culprits behind this can’t meet their intended goals, they’ll show themselves and confess the truth.

“All right, let’s begin.”

Just like that—

In the midst of despair, salvation descended.

* * *

“……”

Evan gulped.

Two days had passed.

Unbelievably, Christian had done exactly what he said he would.

He treated every patient.

Since he began, not a single person had died.

‘How in the world…’

Even having witnessed it all with his own eyes, Evan still couldn’t believe what Christian had achieved.

‘Even if he had a miracle cure…’

Just taking a miracle cure doesn’t guarantee survival for everyone.

But Christian, using his medical knowledge, saved every last person on the brink of death.

‘What’s even more shocking is something else entirely.’

It was already known that Christian was a genius.

So even a miracle like this could be forced into some kind of rational explanation.

But what Evan paid attention to was something different.

‘His heart while treating the patients…?’

Evan possessed the ability of “Heart’s Eye.”

A power to glimpse into a person’s true feelings.

It’s a blessing granted by the constellations so the chosen hero can distinguish good from evil.

‘…Wasn’t that the heart of a true saint?’

From Christian, as he treated patients, Evan couldn’t sense a trace of malice or greed.

Only one thing was clear.

A heart that cared for the patients.

A desire to save them.

Who could possibly call someone with a heart like that a demon?

‘Even when a patient’s condition worsened, his worry was completely genuine.’

Of course, Christian didn’t show it on the surface.

Outwardly—

“If a patient dies because I can’t treat them, I won’t be able to interfere with their plan. That’s the only reason I’m trying so hard.”

He said it with a cold expression and harsh tone.

But that didn’t fool Evan, who had the Heart’s Eye.

It was sincere concern.

And not just Evan—those who had been treated seemed to feel the same from Christian.

“He’s truly a saint. He came to save us.”

“He’s the one who saved our lives.”

The patients, overcome with emotion, looked toward Christian who was sleeping in a corner.

Christian, after treating patients for two days straight without sleep, had finally dozed off for a brief moment.

Just then, sunlight streamed in, scattering across his hair.

Wrapped in glittering light as he slept peacefully.

‘If he were awake, he’d probably be wearing that annoying smug look again. But seeing him asleep… he really does look like a saint.’

It was at that moment, as Evan shook his head—

[What are you doing? Strike his neck this instant.]

Evan’s chest sank heavily.

Ever since reuniting with Christian, the voice of the Constellation had echoed in his mind without end.

[Did I not tell you? That man could one day become the seed of a great catastrophe.]

He had heard similar things before.

‘Christian might bring about the end of the world?’

It was hard to believe.

But he couldn’t ignore it either.

Because it was the combined voice of the 9-star transcendent “Prophet” and a Constellation.

[You are the Hero chosen by the Celestial Realm to stop the coming ruin. Slaying him now is the path that serves the world. Take up your sword immediately.]

“……”

If he truly was a Hero, then perhaps taking Christian’s life really was the right thing to do.

And now, with Christian defenseless in sleep, it wouldn’t even be difficult.

However—

‘I can’t do it.’

He recalled the sight of Christian treating the patients.

The faint, reluctant smiles Christian made whenever a patient pulled through—those smiles were genuine.

And also—

[Don’t you want revenge?]

The concern that had filled Christian’s heart when he saved him.

Now he was certain.

That man is a good person.

If Christian is darkness, then it’s a darkness brighter than light.

With the Heart’s Eye, Evan could see that truth clearly.

Step.

Evan walked toward the spot where Christian was sleeping.

Mistaking Evan’s movement as a sign of resolve, the Constellation spoke in a joyful voice.

[Yes, you’ve made the right choice. Now, cut off his head—!]

“Shut up.”

[…What?]

Evan turned off the “channel” connected to the Constellation.

He did worry a little about the consequences.

‘…If I’m truly a Hero chosen by the Celestial Realm, they won’t ruin me over something like this.’

Evan already knew.

Even the Celestial Realm had its own goals—that’s why they’d made a contract with him.

So, they wouldn’t be able to unilaterally disadvantage him or cast him aside.

Above all, he wasn’t a puppet of the Constellation. If he was going to become a will-less doll, then it would be better to break off such a contract altogether.

Therefore, Evan made his own judgment and decision.

He chose not to kill Chris.

Evan casually took out a heated magic tool and tossed it onto Christian’s body, who was sleeping and shivering slightly from the cold.

* * *

Another day passed.

Incredibly, Chris maintained zero deaths for three consecutive days.

As a result—

The target took the bait.

“Unbelievable. Not a single patient has died.”

It was Rodney, the physician in charge.

Contrary to his words of admiration, the look in Rodney’s eyes beyond his glasses was icy cold.

“With such incredible skill… Were you, by any chance, a senior disciple of a renowned medical clan?”

“Of course not. If I were a senior disciple, I would have used the secret Medical Energy Technique. I just happened to know the formulation of the plague remedy for the Black Death that is passed only to direct disciples.”

“…I see.”

Rodney nodded.

“In any case, thanks to you, we were able to save many patients. I’d like to offer a token of gratitude—could you spare me a moment?”

“Understood. But only a moment, since there are still patients.”

“Haha, you truly are a genuine doctor.”

Rodney ended his sentence in a tone that somehow felt sunken and subdued.

“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”