I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 62

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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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62

 

Medical Chart 4. People Who Come After Hearing Rumors (7)

 

Jake lingered around the hospital from a distance.

 

‘I want to go see Lili… but what should I do?’

 

The hospital door was open. Since no one was guarding it, anyone could enter, but Jake felt uneasy.

 

‘They said Lili is fine now so it’s okay to leave her alone, but…’

 

How could he believe that?

 

Two boys had suddenly barged in and practically kidnapped Lili. The ones who brought those boys were the very human children Jake had trusted.

 

Jake was furious. He had been foolish to trust the children and reveal his hideout. Lili had been right when she said humans shouldn’t be trusted.

 

The children had apologized, but Jake wouldn’t listen.

 

“You said yourself that she would die if things continued like this!”

 

“That didn’t mean I wanted her to be dragged away by humans!”

 

“Those kids said they would treat her!”

 

“How can you trust humans?!”

 

After shouting in anger, Jake hesitated. His words had been harsh. But he didn’t stop. Lili had been dragged somewhere unknown, and it was horrifying that it was back into the hands of humans she had desperately tried to escape from.

 

Lili would rather die than be captured by humans again.

 

“Traitors! I was a fool to trust humans. If Lili dies, I’ll never forgive you!”

 

“That’s too harsh! We did it for your sake…”

 

“You sold us out to humans for our sake?”

 

Jake poured out accusations, asking how much they had received in exchange for handing over Lili. Ben, who usually cried at the drop of a hat, didn’t shed a single tear while Jake hurled his accusations, just listened silently before turning around and leaving.

 

Jake had first met Lili on a winter day last year.

 

Finding Lili collapsed in an alley covered in blood, Jake hurriedly took her to his hideout. Lili’s condition was terrible.

 

Her wings, with feathers roughly cut off, hung tattered from her shoulder blades, and blood and pus constantly flowed from inside her mouth. Her yellow hair, which must have been beautiful, was cut in patches and matted with blood and dirt.

 

She had risked her life to escape from human hands but couldn’t go far and collapsed in the alley.

 

Though he brought her to his dwelling first, it was clear she would die soon if left as she was.

 

Jake was a rat beastman, and thanks to that, he could survive alone even in the narrow, dirty alleys of the city center.

 

When hungry, he could transform into a rat and rummage through garbage piles to survive somehow. But Lili was different. Lili was a fragile canary, and she was severely injured. Jake alone couldn’t possibly take care of Lili.

 

The children who helped him then were those kids.

 

Crybaby Ben, leader Bill, and youngest Aria. They lived in the same house and called the same person Mother, but weren’t particularly blood-related.

 

The brazen children said they knew several other beastman children too and approached Jake.

 

Jake had no parents or guardians, so he couldn’t learn magic to hide his tail and ears. Humans generally feared or disliked beastmen, but among them, rats were especially despised. They were disgusting and dirty, neither cute nor cool.

 

But the children didn’t mind and helped Jake. They bought medicine and food with money they pickpocketed and secretly brought it to him. Jake thought these children could be trusted.

 

He had thought so.

 

But he ended up suffering an unthinkable betrayal. If he had known this would happen, he should have risked his life to carry Lili to the gray wolf’s alpha. Even if someone spotted them and threw stones, even if Lili hated it…

 

He felt hopeless about how to find Lili, whose whereabouts were unknown.

 

The children said the boys would treat Lili. But there was no proof of that. They said she was alone in an elegant building, but he couldn’t enter inside.

 

Then Lili appeared.

 

Lili looked very healthy. Her coughing had stopped and her ashen complexion had become clear and transparent. The sunken flesh under her eyes had filled out a little, and her hair had a lustrous shine. She mumbled awkwardly before speaking.

 

“I thought you might be worried…”

 

“Thank goodness… Thank goodness, Lili. *sob*, *sob*, I thought you’d been dragged away by humans and died…”

 

“…I thought so too.”

 

“Where were you? Doesn’t it hurt anymore? Are you okay?”

 

“…I’m fine. I was at the hospital.”

 

“That place was really a hospital?”

 

“…For now.”

 

Lili answered with a reluctant expression. Jake shed thick tears while muttering “Thank goodness… thank goodness…” into his mouth. Lili said.

 

“I came to tell you I won’t be able to return for a while. I have to repay the medical fees, so I decided to work at that hospital.”

 

“…You’re going to stay with humans…?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“That’s dangerous! You were the one who said not to trust humans, Lili!”

 

“…Those people are okay. …Probably.”

 

It was unbelievable that such words came from Lili, who had found even the shadow of humans terrifying.

 

Lili had never even trusted Jake, who had taken her in.

 

Though she eventually accepted the medicine and food Jake obtained or stole from the children, even while saying thank you, she couldn’t shake off a trace of wariness and suspicion.

 

But Jake was still happy about that. He was glad that Lili was gradually letting him stay by her side.

 

She never once told him to go away because he was dirty or ugly.

 

And she had come back to see him.

 

Jake had actually thought Lili was dead, and even if she wasn’t dead, he thought she would never return to him again.

 

However, Lili had come to find Jake and thanked him. Jake was so happy about that.

 

“Jake?”

 

“Ah!”

 

Jake jumped in surprise and pulled his hood down even further to cover his face and ears. He checked to make sure his tail wrapped around his waist hadn’t come loose.

 

“It really is Jake.”

 

“Be, Ben.”

 

It was crybaby Ben. Jake didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t understand why Ben was casually talking to him.

 

He had definitely said harsh things at the end.

 

“You came to check out the hospital? Want to go in?”

 

“What?!”

 

“Lili’s inside too!”

 

“….”

 

“I was really worried, but I’m glad she got healthy. Lili doesn’t know me at all so I couldn’t even talk to her, but when Aria spoke to her, she answered kindly.”

 

“…I can’t go….”

 

“Why?”

 

Ben tilted his head. Jake cried out tearfully.

 

“I know Lili’s there. She came to me too. …She said she was really at the hospital and got healthy, told me not to worry….”

 

“That’s a relief. You knew!”

 

Ben clapped his hands and smiled brightly.

 

“Yesterday Mother said she saw an angel and went in like she was enchanted. Then she got all excited saying she decided to go again tomorrow. I was worried it might be human traffickers, so we all followed her. Then Lili told us to come in! The twins who kidnapped Lili were there too! Aria got really angry at them!”

 

“…Sorry, Ben….”

 

“What are you sorry for?”

 

“I said harsh things. I thought you guys sold Lili to humans….”

 

Ben wrinkled his nose.

 

“Bill was really angry…. You’ll have to take a hit or two.”

 

“…You’re forgiving me?”

 

“We were also flustered when those kids suddenly took Lili away…. It’s unfair but it was understandable to misunderstand!”

 

Ben grinned.

 

“Let’s go! The adults say that place is a total pushover. They sell medicine for just one copper coin, but the medicine bottles must be worth at least a few silver coins. They say just selling the bottles would be profitable, and since they’re sponsored by the Wentworth Ducal House, wouldn’t it be okay to take advantage a little? They’re excited. Mother gets furious by herself saying how can we do that to our benefactor who saved us, but anyway if it’s an angel, she probably won’t get angry if we keep a little extra….”

 

Ben shrugged his shoulders. His mother had been ecstatic all day, but actually Ben had never seen the face of that famous rumored angel.

 

From what he heard, the hospital’s healer was the angel’s nanny.

 

‘She must be really lucky to have a healer as her personal nanny.’

 

How much money must she have…. Ben thought cynically.

 

But if they could profit from just a whim, it didn’t matter either way. Even if criticized for having beggar mentality, he didn’t care. They had no shame about begging in the first place.

 

An angel, how ridiculous.

 

This loud and embarrassing nickname had spread when others mockingly agreed with words spoken as if enchanted by some who were truly smitten. They were grateful, but what they wanted was another act of charity.

 

A child who smiled brightly and willingly held the hands of the sick probably wouldn’t ignore those who revered her.

 

Perhaps his mother was the first to call her an angel. Ben shook his head.

 

Even if they liked her that much, that child would soon realize reality and start ignoring them. And she would use it as a story to elevate her character, saying she did such things when she was young.

 

“Mother gave me some money, so let’s buy medicine with this and sell it to the adults!”

 

Jake pretended to give in and followed Ben’s lead.

 

“Welcome. Please come this way to register and fill out the medical questionnaire. For those who can’t read, we’ve also drawn pictures….”

 

“Lili….”

 

“Jake?”

 

Lili’s eyes widened. It must have been an unexpected visit, so it was natural for her to be surprised. Jake smiled awkwardly and pulled his arm free from Ben’s grip. He didn’t want to make Lili uncomfortable. Now that he’d confirmed she was safe, he should go back.

 

“Oh, Mother! Mother!”

 

“Ben! Where did you go? Who’s that child?”

 

“My friend!”

 

Jake’s shoulders hunched even more at Ben’s voice. If they found out he was a beastman, they’d try to drive him away.

 

‘So many people….’

 

It was his first time ever being among so many people. He wanted to run away immediately, but wasn’t Lili, who also disliked people, enduring it? Jake squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.

 

That’s when it happened. The clinic door burst open and a small-framed woman with brown hair and glasses came out.

 

“Treatment will be on break for the next hour and a half! Buy fatigue recovery medicine from the twins here!”

 

“Eh, us? We weren’t told about that!”

 

“Lady Maria, what’s wrong?”

 

The woman called Maria scanned the surroundings through her glasses. Though she had a round impression, Jake felt a chilling sensation as if his skin was being thinly cut the moment her gaze touched him.

 

‘What’s with that person. Is she really a healer?’

 

She kept her gaze on Jake a little longer, but perhaps judging he wasn’t dangerous, she soon bent down and whispered to Lili.

 

“The Wentworth couple has arrived.”

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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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