The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 19

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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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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (19)
“Bellirao! Bellirao! Stay with me! We’re almost home—you can’t die now!”
After issuing a grave warning to Baron Jabedra, Jang Ga-in returned to his party and was startled by the sound of weeping from inside the carriage.
He hurried inside to find Ingram clutching Bellirao, her voice breaking with desperation.
Extending his Qi Sensing, Jang Ga-in detected Bellirao’s breathing and pulse growing dangerously weak.
“Did you give him the Potion I provided?” Jang Ga-in asked Ingram.
“Yes, we used the Potion, but his condition keeps worsening.”
Jang Ga-in approached Bellirao and checked his pulse, realizing his state was far more critical than he’d anticipated.
‘At this rate, he’ll die before we reach town.’
They needed a superior Potion or someone with Healing ability—someone like Syran.
“Captain of the Guard.”
“Yes? Yes!”
“Fetch a Healer. Now.”
“A Healer? Where would I even—”
“If Bellirao dies, you and your men will answer for it.”
Krudawan recoiled at the killing intent radiating from Jang Ga-in and scrambled onto his horse.
“I’ll bring a Healer at once, I swear it!”
“Don’t even think about fleeing once you’re mounted.”
“Where would I run in such a small fiefdom? I’ll bring the Healer. Just wait.”
After Krudawan had ridden off, Jang Ga-in glanced toward the Baron’s castle.
It occurred to him that if he asked the Baron for a Healer, the man might move even faster than the captain of the guard.
“We can’t just sit idle while the captain searches,” Jang Ga-in said to Ingram. “I’ll go to the castle and appeal to the Baron.”
“Please hurry. Not only is Bellirao in grave condition—Muranguti is also failing fast.”
“Understood.”
Jang Ga-in leaped from the carriage and scrambled back up the inner castle wall.
Upon reaching the ramparts, he found the Baron nowhere in sight—but a Healer was tending to the escort commander Morson.
‘No need to search far—there’s a Healer right here.’
The Healer’s hands rested on Morson’s chest, radiating an energy identical to what Jang Ga-in had sensed when Syran healed Eldom.
As Jang Ga-in approached, the soldiers surrounding them hesitated and stepped aside.
“Are you a Healer?” he asked.
The Healer, eyes closed in concentration, opened them with an irritated expression.
“Don’t speak to me during treatment.”
“I apologize, but I have a more critical patient. Would you please treat him first?”
Jang Ga-in spoke with deference, careful not to coerce as he had with the Baron.
“How dare you? If treatment is urgent, find another Healer or wait your turn. You don’t demand priority!”
“It’s truly dire,” Jang Ga-in pressed gently.
“No matter how urgent, there is always an order to these things.”
Just then, a young girl squeezed between them, planted her hands on her hips, and glared up at him.
“Mister, don’t you realize you’re interrupting Father’s work? If Father came with you and treated that urgent patient, and then someone else arrived saying they had an even more critical case and demanded Father leave—would you tell him to go?”
Jang Ga-in found her argument uncomfortably sound and offered an awkward laugh.
“Ah… well, you see, I really am in quite desperate straits.”
“Even so, rushing in and interrupting treatment like this is wrong,” the girl said firmly.
“You’re… you’re right. I apologize. I was out of line. Healer, once you’ve finished with him, would you tend to my companions as well?”
“Very well.”
Jang Ga-in stepped back and watched the Healer work.
“Mister, I have to ask—just how important are you that all these soldiers don’t stop someone as rude as you?”
“Well, they’re probably afraid of me.”
“Afraid? Why?”
“Because I’m the one who left the escort commander in the state your father is treating him.”
“You did that to Commander Morson?! And the soldiers still just let you be?”
“They do.”
The girl’s expression shifted to bewilderment. After a moment, she leaned close to her father and whispered in his ear.
“Father, I think that mister might be more frightening than I thought.”
“Frightening or not, there is an order to these things. We’re nearly done—be patient.”
“I’m waiting.”
The girl glanced anxiously between Jang Ga-in and her father, and when her father finally withdrew his hands from the patient, she released a short breath of relief.
“Father, is treatment finished?”
“Yes. Commander, you’ve weathered the worst, but you must rest for at least a week. You can return home or stay at the Treatment Room—which would you prefer?”
“I’ll stay at the Treatment Room.”
“Very good. Arin.”
“Yes.”
“Take the guard captain to the Treatment Room.”
“What about Father?”
“I’ll treat this terrifying man’s colleague and come back.”
“Understood.”
A moment later, as the guard captain was led away by his subordinates, following Arin, the Healer approached Jang Ga-in.
“Where is the injured companion?”
“In the carriage down below.”
“I see. It’s not far.”
“Allow me to guide you there.”
“Very well. Please lead the way.”
“When I say ‘guide you,’ I don’t mean we’ll walk down the castle wall. I mean I’ll carry you and leap down directly. The patient’s condition is urgent, so please forgive me.”
“Why are you suddenly grabbing my waist—what are you doing—aaagh! You madman—nooo! Somebody help!”
The Healer had looked puzzled when Jang Ga-in seized his waist, then alarmed as he bolted toward the edge of the castle wall with him in his arms, and finally screamed as they plummeted downward.
“Hey! You lunatic! If you want to die, die alone—why drag me into it—wait, what—how is this even—are you a mage?”
Instead of falling straight down from the castle wall, they soared through the air on the wind toward the carriage below, and the Healer’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’m not a mage, but I’ve been learning Spirit Arts lately, and thanks to that I can ride the wind a little.”
“Spirit Arts? Incredible! It’s like watching a bird take flight.”
The Healer remained visibly astonished until they touched down on the ground before the carriage.
“There are two critically injured patients in this carriage. Please examine them at once.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Healer entered the carriage and looked at Bellirao and Muranguti, both lying pale and motionless.
After examining Bellirao’s condition first, his expression darkened considerably.
“What on earth did you do to reduce a person to this state?”
“I’ll explain how it happened later—please, just save them first.”
“All right! While I treat these two, fetch warm water and broth.”
“Warm water and broth?”
“Their wounds have only been given emergency treatment with potions and bandages, and their vitality is severely depleted. They haven’t consumed any fluids or food while being left unattended for a long time.”
Hearing the Healer’s words, Jang Ga-in realized he had been so focused on escaping the city that he’d neglected to check on their condition.
“I understand. I’ll go fetch water and broth right away.”
Jang Ga-in rushed to a nearby restaurant, paid for the items, and returned with warm water and broth.
When he got back to the carriage, the Healer that Krudawan had brought was treating Bellirao and Muranguti alongside the first Healer.
“I’ve brought the warm water and broth.”
“Leave the broth there and bring the water here.”
“Yes.”
The Healer unwound the bandages, cleansed the wounds with hot water, applied what looked like ointment, and wrapped them with fresh bandages.
The other Healer then mixed something into hot water and fed it to both men, and Jang Ga-in could feel their vitality gradually returning.
“You can give them the broth in about ten minutes.”
“Understood.”
Gulp.
Jang Ga-in noticed the children swallowing hard as they watched the broth.
‘Come to think of it, these children must not have eaten properly all this time either.’
“Guard captain.”
When Jang Ga-in added the honorific, the guard captain’s eyes widened.
“Pardon? Yes?”
“The children haven’t eaten properly since they were captured by the mercenaries. I think we should take them to the restaurant first and feed them.”
“Ah! Yes, of course we should.”
“I’m thinking of taking the children to the same restaurant where I bought the water and broth just now. Have you eaten?”
“Pardon? Oh, yes. I had breakfast, but I haven’t eaten lunch yet.”
“Then shall we eat together?”
“Pardon? Ah, well, yes. I suppose we should.”
The guard captain gazed at Jang Ga-in with a bewildered expression, still disconcerted.
Just an hour ago, this same man had threatened him as if ready to kill, yet now his manner had shifted like a warm spring breeze, and the guard captain couldn’t quite adjust.
“There’s no need to look so uneasy. I attacked you only to save the children.”
“Right, of course.”
“And since you’ve been helping me by bringing the Healer and all—well, I’m simply treating you accordingly.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Healer, if you haven’t eaten, would you join us for a meal as well?”
“That won’t be necessary. We have other patients to attend to, so we must return to the Treatment Room now.”
“I see. How much do I owe you for the treatment?”
“That’s ten Silver including the medicine.”
“Since I only provided the treatment, it’s seven Silver.”
“Here you are. Thank you both for your efforts.”
“Yes. And these two patients must maintain absolute rest for the time being, so it’s best they don’t move around if possible.”
“Ah, I see. What about traveling by carriage?”
“Carriage travel is fine. But anything that puts strain on the body—riding horses, climbing steep hills—is out of the question.”
“Ah! Really? That’s going to be difficult then…… When do you think they’ll be able to ride?”
“At least three days must pass before they can ride horses. And even then, they can only ride gently—no galloping.”
“I see. Understood.”
Jang Ga-in paid the two healers and led the group to the Restaurant.
* * *
‘Hmm. If they can’t ride for four days, we’ll have to stay here a while.’
The original plan had been to take the carriage for about a day to the forest’s edge, return it to the Mercenary Band, and have the rest ride horses back to Houwan Village.
‘Since we’re forced to stay a few days anyway, I can use that time to procure grain and supplies for the forest tribes. And we still have the money we took from the Maximus Mercenary Band.’
Buying directly here would be far cheaper than purchasing through merchants who came to the forest.
“Captain of the guard.”
Jang Ga-in called to the guard captain just as he was finishing his meal.
“Yes?”
“Do you know where I can buy grain?”
“I know several places.”
“Good. I’ll be buying grain and supplies with the money from the mercenary captain’s vault, so please show me the way.”
“What? If it’s money from the mercenary captain’s vault, that’s ill-gotten gains and would naturally be subject to seizure…… Ah, no. I understand.”
The guard captain had spoken with conviction, but when Jang Ga-in frowned, he awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Cain.”
Just then, Ingram approached and called out to Jang Ga-in.
“Yes, Ingram? Are you finished eating?”
“Yes. Have you finished as well, Cain?”
“Yes.”
“Um, Cain—when you searched the captain’s vault, did you happen to see a Communication Crystal? It’s a crystal orb about the size of a fist.”
“A Communication Crystal? I didn’t see one.”
“Those Maximus Mercenary Band scoundrels definitely stole it, but I can’t find it anywhere. If we had the Communication Crystal, I could inform my father of the situation here so the villagers wouldn’t have to wait.”

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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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