24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 55
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 55
Episode 55. The Arrow That Left the Bowstring (14)
I had briefly stepped away to handle the commission fee settlement between Babel Square and Bamanjang Store.
No, I had been away longer than expected.
There was the problem of Alessandro being clumsy with computer work, and I ended up spending more time than anticipated consoling Kang Yeon-hee who was crying about when I’d come back.
Still, since I had promised to have dinner together, I hurried toward the back of the clinic, worried that Remi might feel disappointed.
“Remi?”
Remi wasn’t there.
It seemed she had left in a hurry, as half-done laundry was still hanging in the washtub.
‘If she’s not here, she might be at the stable.’
But Remi wasn’t at the stable either, and Remi’s house that I had learned about through Anton was also empty.
I searched every corner of that small village, but no one knew the whereabouts of little Remi.
When I asked about Remi, they showed such disgust that I barely held back from hitting them.
I headed back to the clinic where Remi spent most of her time.
“Remi?”
I called Remi’s name as I lifted the clinic tent flap.
Among the many healers who showed no interest in me, one middle-aged male healer who had been grinding some unknown herbs turned around in surprise.
His greasy, shiny forehead was bright enough to illuminate the inside of the clinic.
“Remi’s not here?”
“Why are you looking for that kid?”
Oh my, look at how he talks.
I felt annoyed, but I’m an adult who knows how to control my emotions.
“I promised to have dinner with Remi, but I don’t see her.”
“Dinner with such a filthy brat… Anyway, cancel it for today. I sent the kid on an errand.”
“Where to?”
“Where else, the front lines.”
“Ah, the front lines… What did you say?”
He answered so casually that I almost just accepted it and moved on.
Remi is only 11 years old.
Even Anton, an archer positioned in the rear, says he feels the fear of death every time he goes to the front lines, and an 11-year-old goes to the front?
It was such an absurd story that I let out a hollow laugh and asked again.
“Why would Remi go to the front lines? She’s only 11 years old.”
“Emergency medical supply delivery. That’s how it always is. The front lines are dangerous, so we can’t go ourselves.”
What is this crazy bastard babbling about right now?
They can’t go themselves, but it’s okay for an 11-year-old kid to go?
‘These people are truly disgusting.’
I’m the same species, but rather than being associated with these creatures, I wanted to cleanly draw a line and pretend to be a different race.
‘Ah, if only I had Merchant’s Mark, I would have punched him and run away.’
But I’m currently in the position of an outsider.
Normally I should head straight to Kona, but both Anton and Remi keep weighing on my mind.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll end up staying here.
Especially since Casabli, who might be searching for me, is right around the corner, I need to remain as harmless a merchant as possible.
“You crazy bastard, so when will Remi come back?”
“Are you cursing at me right now?!”
“No? I was being self-deprecating? Oh my, I’m such a crazy bastard. I didn’t even know Remi went to the front lines and made a wasted trip, you idiot. That’s what I meant, you know?”
The man frowned as if he found my shameless explanation suspicious.
‘That forehead looks perfect for flicking…’
Having such rebellious thoughts, I soon smiled lightly.
Then, with the face of ‘Lee Hae-on, a handsome man who looks pure and pitiful when quiet,’ I asked innocently.
“So when will she come back?”
“I don’t know. If we’re lucky, today. If the front lines are in chaos, it could take several days. Ah, that Remi. She probably didn’t even finish the laundry before leaving.”
The man answered roughly and waved his hands as if telling me to leave quickly.
That’s when it happened.
“Multiple severely wounded coming in from the front lines!”
At the voice that rang out harshly from outside the tent, the man’s face immediately hardened seriously.
“Get out, right now!”
The man who shouted sharply at me, along with the healers who had been moving with tired faces, began busily preparing beds.
Strong alcohol for disinfecting wounds and cloth to use instead of bandages.
The potions and various herbs they had bought from me were loaded onto carts for immediate use.
And exactly one minute later, the clean green tent began to be stained with bloodstains.
I never thought I’d see so many wounds in my life.
No, it wasn’t even at a level that could be lumped together as ‘wounds.’
Missing limbs or twisted bones were common, and there were cases where large holes were pierced through bodies.
I knew that beastkin and humans were at war, but this was the first time I witnessed such direct damage, making my stomach churn.
It was a scene difficult to handle even with a strong mentality.
“This one’s hopeless. Take down the soldier’s name.”
“This wound doesn’t look like medicine alone will work. Where’s the priest? Are they coming?”
“What on earth happened? This doesn’t look like a sword wound.”
“An unexploded shell went off without warning. That’s why there was such heavy damage over there…”
While the healers and soldiers were having a serious conversation, someone entered through the tent flap.
A soldier with wounds all over his face, as if hit by fragments of something, put down what could barely be called a stretcher – a small stretcher – and said.
“This is the last one.”
A very small stretcher that one person could carry alone.
On it lay a child.
A child that none of the busy people in the clinic, driven by responsibility to save the wounded, paid attention to.
I couldn’t believe my eyes and muttered quietly.
“…Remi?”
The one I had promised to give tuna mayo rice balls for dinner tonight.
The one who had been excited, wondering what things other than sandwiches tasted like.
11-year-old Remi was lying on the stretcher, covered in blood.
* * *
Even to me, who had no medical knowledge, Remi’s wounds looked serious.
She wasn’t regaining consciousness at all, and looking closely, I wondered if she might already be dead.
What was sad in the midst of this was the fact that no one in this tent was paying attention to Remi.
Yes, there were many soldiers more severely injured than Remi, so I could understand that with a hundred concessions, but.
‘This isn’t right.’
She’s really just a child.
Something deep in my chest felt like it was about to surge up.
I quickly opened my inventory.
If the healers won’t pay attention, then I’ll treat her myself.
I held an A-grade potion to Remi’s lips and poured it in while whispering.
“Remi, drink this. You have to drink it.”
However, the potion just flowed down along her lips, and unconscious Remi couldn’t swallow the potion.
In my desperation, I chose the method of taking the potion in my own mouth and feeding it to Remi directly.
One A-grade potion, thinking it wasn’t enough so two bottles, just in case so three bottles.
“……Remi?”
But Remi’s condition didn’t improve at all.
‘Damn it.’
The cold reality that even A-grade potions couldn’t save her hit me hard.
Then what other method was there?
S-grade potions with better effects.
‘Right, something like Hanromi’s potion…….’
Since the Dimensional Market had everything, there must surely be potions even better than Hanromi’s.
[> Available Items for Purchase
– Tears of the World Tree 68,200G
– Solar Vitality Water (Made by: Letorkinie) 30,719G
– Dawn Wind Star Flower Elixir (Made by: â– â– â– ) 15,400G]
‘This is ridiculous.’
I clenched my fist and stared blankly at that window.
Even when I asked to see only the cheapest among potions with S-grade effects, it was still this expensive.
I should have expected this from when it cost 1,000 gold just to appraise Hanromi’s potion.
The gold I had was 5,817 gold.
Currently, I didn’t have enough gold to buy an S-grade potion, and Kang Yeon-hee couldn’t make S-grade potions yet.
Remi’s face, still lying motionless, was deathly pale.
This couldn’t be happening.
I firmly grabbed the hem of a priest’s robe as he moved to see another patient.
“Please look at this child too. Please.”
However, the priest coldly knocked my arm away, and his robe easily slipped from my grasp with just that.
Was it because I was just an E-grade awakener that I couldn’t even properly hold onto someone’s robe in a situation like this?
Anger welled up at my own powerless appearance.
The priest glanced at Remi and replied coldly.
“Can’t treat her.”
“Please just look at her properly once. You never know.”
The priest let out an annoyed sigh and placed his hand on Remi’s stomach.
The warm golden energy flowing from the priest’s hand seemed to envelop Remi, but.
“See? It doesn’t work, right? This kid doesn’t respond to divine power.”
The divine power couldn’t penetrate into Remi’s body and just scattered uselessly.
Unable to believe this situation, I muttered blankly.
“Why…….”
The priest left me in my dazed state and went to find another patient.
Wasn’t divine power supposed to be like a cure-all?
If potions don’t work and divine power doesn’t work either…….
Was primitive treatment the only answer left?
But this wasn’t a situation where I could be picky.
I hurriedly moved my steps.
My target was the middle-aged healer who had yelled at me to get out earlier.
I grabbed the healer who was wrapping bandages and earnestly pleaded.
“Excuse me, please look at Remi.”
“Can’t you see? This person’s leg is severed right now.”
The patient I glanced down at really did have one leg blown off.
But Remi’s safety was more urgent to me.
It might be selfish, but to me, Remi who was dying neglected seemed like a more critical patient than this nameless soldier.
I stammered as I spoke.
“Remi is just a child. Even if you dislike her, she was a kid who worked here. You can’t just leave her like that.”
Perhaps feeling some pangs of conscience at my words, the healer’s hands stopped wrapping the bandage.
I urgently added.
“You’re a healer. You should save her first and see.”
Hearing those words, the healer glanced at me with complicated eyes.
Then he handed the bandage he was holding to another healer and gestured toward me.
“Let’s have a look.”
“Huh.”
A sigh of relief escaped me without realizing it.
Right, someone who had worked the front lines for years would be able to help Remi.
The healer pulled a cart and hurriedly headed to Remi’s side.
I followed behind him, tensely.
However, the healer who looked down at Remi muttered regretfully with eyes drained of all fighting spirit.
“It’s already too late.”
“……What did you say?”
I heard him.
I just asked again because I couldn’t believe it.
“She’s already…… gone.”
The man glanced at my face and pronounced the verdict once more in a calm tone.
Meanwhile, a voice calling for the healer came from the other side.
“Victor! I need you to look at this!”
The healer urgently left his spot, and I stood there dazed, placing my hand on Remi’s pale cheek.
I could still feel warmth.
“……Really?”
Just a few hours ago, she had been sitting next to me with a dignified expression.
I slowly raised my hand and stroked her disheveled hair.
Blood and dirt were stained between the bright ochre-colored strands, making it dirty, but.
‘Still soft.’
We had only faced each other for less than an hour.
We had only shared trivial conversation sitting by the washing area, a relationship too shallow to call close.
Just that kind of relationship, yet I didn’t even know what to call the emotion I was feeling now.
It wasn’t so sad that I felt like I would collapse.
Anger wasn’t welling up either.
Just…… just.
Remi was dead.
I couldn’t even give her the rice ball we were supposed to eat together, and so suddenly like this.
Suddenly I thought I might never be able to eat that rice ball again.
And perhaps…….
I thought I might not be able to keep my resolve to remain a spectator, standing one step back, forever.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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