Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 597

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 597
Prince Han-bing asked.
[Persuade the garrison soldiers?]
[Yes. If it’s too difficult, at least bind their feet.]
Watching Jin Cheon-hee singing in a deranged state, the others exchanged glances thinking, ‘There he goes again. Ilgwang really lives up to his name. Looks like his madness has flared up again.’
Yet strangely, no one questioned Jin Cheon-hee’s instructions.
The sole heir of the Jegallim Family.
Though his master had not bestowed upon him the surname ‘Jegallim,’ everyone knew that all of the family’s secret techniques had been transmitted to him.
Others would have dismissed divination as nonsense, but Jin Cheon-hee’s technique of counting backward from ten—
When that calculation aligned perfectly, all doubt simply vanished, did it not?
Jin Cheon-hee pondered.
‘Strictly speaking, the North Sea Ice Palace belongs to the Aisha Kingdom, so these are the Aisha Kingdom’s garrison soldiers.’
Of course, even so, they would be martial artists who trained under the North Sea Ice Palace, which belongs to the Aisha Kingdom.
But that alone was sufficient.
Moreover, if they believed in the Shuho Sect, then the justification put forth by the Holy Maiden would carry that much more weight.
“Sister Gongseon Yeong will escort Prince Han-bing.”
At those words, Prince Han-bing spoke as if aggrieved.
[Really now, you don’t trust me?]
[It’s not that I don’t trust you, but if you were to be struck by a stray blade while helping out and end up returning in a coffin, that would be problematic in its own way.]
[Hmm. It’s strange—you act like a madman, yet you’re so thorough about these things.]
[Then I’ll assume you’re going together.]
As Prince Han-bing and Gongseon Yeong left, Yeo Ha-ryun sent a transmission.
[Brother. Your finger?]
[It’s fine.]
Yeo Ha-ryun gazed at Jin Cheon-hee’s missing finger and let out a small sigh.
The pinky finger.
Brother had said it was because of the Hyeolseon Sect’s curse.
Was that truly the case?
Yeo Ha-ryun did not understand curses well.
To him, a curse was merely a petty trick that blocked fortune and summoned misfortune—something that could be blown away entirely with enough mental discipline.
So why couldn’t he simply cast it aside?
‘But the Hyeolseon Sect is so bizarre.’
In the past, Yeo Ha-ryun had been willing to offer his own finger for his brother.
Yet now, it was his brother who had lost a finger.
Strangely, despite losing the finger, he felt no sense of grievance or resentment whatsoever.
‘So why do I feel relieved instead?’
He couldn’t even guess, and he knew his brother would not answer this question.
The martial artists around them were all split in half, fighting one another.
“The Gungju is a madman! A mad Gungju has no right to be Gungju! Follow the Holy Maiden!”
“Cut off the traitors’ heads! Uphold the Ice Palace’s laws!”
“You madmen! The Gungju has lost his mind! Brothers and sisters are imprisoned for crimes they never committed, and then they simply vanish without a trace!”
‘Hmm, this is the same as before my return.’
Thinking this to myself, I drew upon my inner energy.
I felt my internal injuries improve significantly through the power of the Precious Jade.
Pip pip ping!
An invisible energy projectile cut through the air.
Among those about to collide, the bodies of those who followed the Gungju stiffened rigidly.
[Holy Maiden. Now is the moment!]
At my transmission, the Holy Maiden stepped forward and cried out.
“Everyone, cease this fighting!”
“Holy Maiden!”
“Oh! The Holy Maiden has arrived!”
The Holy Maiden infused her voice with inner energy and spoke loudly.
“The North Sea Ice Palace Master, my father, has violated the laws of the Guardian Sect and pursued selfish desires!”
“Ooooh!”
Not only the martial artists but even the commoners focused on her words.
“Do you not all know that people are suddenly disappearing from our surroundings, and that the North Sea Ice Palace is falling into chaos?”
The Holy Maiden’s declaration.
She raised her stone staff high.
“I will go directly to the North Sea Ice Palace to stop the Gungju. I will not stand idle while plague spreads, people vanish, and others starve from famine!”
Her voice resonated among the martial artists.
In that moment, someone raised a sword toward the Holy Maiden.
“The Holy Maiden has fallen–!!”
Just as the sword was about to strike her brow.
Twang!
My Finger Flick of Heaven deflected the blade.
Remarkably, the Holy Maiden didn’t even blink as the sword came within inches of her forehead.
“Ooooh!”
The people gasped in admiration at her composure.
‘See? I told you she was strong.’
The Holy Maiden spoke.
“What comes next cannot be called peaceful. For we must restore the North Sea Ice Palace to its rightful state. There will be bloodshed and danger. We must defy the North Sea Ice Palace Master’s orders.”
Blood flowed from the Holy Maiden’s brow.
She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand and spoke.
“However, those of you who wish to see this through to the end, even amid such danger—come forward. ‘The victor protects all!'”
The Holy Maiden proclaimed the law.
‘The Holy Maiden spoke not a single lie. She even warned of the danger, that lives would be at stake.’
It would have been better if she had spoken honeyed words.
What she revealed was the harsh truth of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Whether the people would follow her remained uncertain.
Yet the Holy Maiden simply stood in place, holding her stone staff.
Soon, someone spoke.
“…The victor shall protect.”
Someone prostrated themselves.
Then, other Martial Artists who had resolved themselves began to prostrate in succession.
“The victor shall protect!”
“The victor shall protect!!”
“The victor shall protect!!”
It was a wave composed of Martial Artists.
No, it was not only Martial Artists. Even ordinary commoners chanted the doctrine of the Protection Sect and paid their respects to the Holy Maiden.
It was a spectacle so awe-inspiring that it sent shivers down one’s spine.
The Holy Maiden—she had achieved this result by diminishing her own name within the North Sea Ice Palace and offering herself.
Several Martial Artists lost their will to fight, discarded their swords, and surrendered.
‘The first move went reasonably well.’
I had worried it might end in failure, but fortunately it did not.
It showed just how great the Holy Maiden’s influence was within the North Sea Ice Palace.
Then an elderly grandfather, supported by his grandchildren, walked toward her.
“The timid white turtle has finally begun to extend its neck from its shell.”
“Village Chief….”
The Holy Maiden and the Village Chief appeared to know each other well.
He called the Holy Maiden the “white turtle”—I thought that might be her nickname or childhood name.
“This old village chief has waited for that for a long time. That the Holy Maiden, who had only endured in silence, changed her heart… it must have been because she met a noble person.”
Saying so, the grandfather looked at Jin Cheon-hee.
….
The Holy Maiden answered.
“Yes. The noble person did not even give me time to hesitate.”
“Please accept this.”
What the Village Chief handed over was another stone staff.
“This is…!”
“It is the stone staff that the previous Holy Maiden possessed. After my daughter died like that, I received the staff back, but it only added to this old man’s sorrow. I believe this much will be sufficient for one of the Holy Maiden’s arms.”
“…It is heavy.”
“The fate of the North Sea Ice Palace is contained within it, so of course it is heavy. When the Ice Palace Master’s daughter received a prophecy and became the next Holy Maiden, I cannot tell you how worried I was. But now I have decided to believe.”
It was a snow-white and semi-transparent stone staff.
I knew the material of that staff.
‘The same material as the Frost Sword…?’
Especially the way it continuously emitted frigid energy.
* * *
I got scolded for trying to stop not only Martial Artists but also ordinary commoners from joining.
‘Well, if this were like the French Revolution, everyone would have picked up a spear and gone at it one by one.’
But in the Gangho world, a Martial Artist is an individual heavy weapon, an individual tank, and an individual missile.
Dragging commoners from the fields here would only make them cannon fodder.
True equality in combat comes only when martial arts are stripped away—when both sides can thrust spears at each other, one strike for you, one for me.
But there was one group whose refusal was hardest to bear.
“So Ui-seon! Please let us help too!”
Young children in their early teens.
On Earth they would be considered minors, but in this world without child protection laws, they begin working from ages five or six—enough said.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“So Ui-seon!”
‘Oh, these kids.’
I ruffled their hair without restraint.
“Whatever So Ui-seon says, we will follow.”
Because they are children, they are pure, and because they are pure, they cast aside precious things without hesitation.
Life, love, human warmth.
These children especially were persistent—they had chased after our group of warriors several times already.
“Then let’s do it this way.”
I took a breath.
Either way, I had to prevent these children from joining our group.
But if they didn’t understand, they would stubbornly chase after us anyway, and they could end up as nothing but bloodstains.
‘Children may be young, but they’re not foolish.’
Anyone who’s raised children knows better, but they have their own logic.
They don’t blindly obey adults like characters in TV dramas.
And their stubbornness—how fierce it is. Their fearlessness—how boundless.
This is precisely why children throughout human history have always been the first to be exploited.
“Hwang-gu.”
Woof!
“Please take Hwang-gu to the location marked on this map.”
Woof woof!
“Where is that?”
“It’s the most crucial place in our plan. Hwang-gu doesn’t know the geography here, so if you just take him nearby, he’ll handle the rest on his own.”
“….”
The children looked at me with eyes that questioned whether I was deceiving them.
“I’m serious. It’s truly important work.”
“Really? You swear it on the honor of Baekrin Uiseon?”
“Hey! Don’t do that!”
“Hey hey! That’s too much!”
The other children stopped the suspicious one from speaking.
But if I backed down now, they truly wouldn’t believe me.
“I swear on the honor of Baekrin Uiseon that this is truly important work. Right, Hwang-gu?!”
Woof woof!
Only then did the children’s eyes show they believed me.
After sending the children off with Hwang-gu, Yeo Ha-ryun asked me.
“Hyeong, what’s so important that you’re doing this?”
Once I confirmed the children were far enough away, I sent a voice transmission with utmost secrecy.
[Yes. Finding the water vein in the hot spring area.]
[Is that really important enough to invoke Master’s name?]
[Do you think typhoid fever looks like water to you? And it’s true to some extent that Hwang-gu doesn’t know the geography here. There aren’t even any Gaebang dogs around.]
[He can find it by scent.]
[He can find it. But the point is that he needs to go there.]
Yeo Ha-ryun’s cold expression finally broke into a small laugh.
“Right. This is my hyeong. This is exactly my hyeong.”
I tapped Yeo Ha-ryun on the back.
[The children will notice. Use voice transmission. Control your expression.]
[The children are already far away.]
[No, no. From my experience, children have wild instincts and somehow notice everything.]
That was especially true when I consulted with pediatrics.
The doctor really doesn’t believe me.
[Besides, it’s a safe place too.]
[Right. The children need to stay away. Hwang-gu will protect them if anything happens.]
After sending the children to safety, I finally lit my pipe again and rose to my feet.
[Hyeong, is your heart demon okay?]
[Yeah. It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.]
Yeo Ha-ryun thought to himself.
‘Still, hyeong is planning to flip the board instead of climbing Cheonbing Mountain as the Holy Maiden suggested.’
Wherever hyeong passed, the martial artists of the North Sea Ice Palace began to gather under the Holy Maiden.
Like rolling a snowball, he gathered more and more forces as he advanced.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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