Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 48
>Chapter Title: Ward (3)
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>“Researching food or medicinal ingredients and training physicians?”
Master repeated my words in summary, and I nodded as I replied.
“Yes.”
“Researching food or medicinal ingredients makes some sense at first glance, but is counseling something that requires research too?”
“There was the matter of Eldest Senior Brother’s enlightenment, and the incident with Third and Fourth Senior Brothers, wasn’t there?”
“You mean the conversations you had with Jin-hak, Wan-pyeong, and me?”
“That’s right. And I had completely different conversations with those two Senior Brothers. Even if it’s the same counseling, it seems better to conduct it in different ways depending on the symptoms of the side effects.”
“Hmm… I think I have a vague idea of what you mean.”
What’s commonly lumped together as mental illness comes in all sorts of varieties. And the counseling methods need to differ depending on the person or the symptoms.
Moreover.
“Even without considering the side effects of our demonic arts, what about the condition commonly called fire disease in the common folk? Isn’t it the illness that builds up from suppressing anger or resentment until it explodes? Just talking about their difficulties or anger somewhere would make it easier to manage those negative emotions.”
It was actually a story I’d heard from Officer Lee Ji-yeon, who had helped me recall my memories of coffee.
Thanks to a malicious complainer, she’d even been diagnosed with depression, but after fully turning dark, she became a brawler who’d charge at any complainer who acted up even a little—like the one who stabbed me that day, whom she’d gotten into a scuffle with.
And the darkened her said that counseling with a psychiatrist had led her to enlightenment.
Holding it in and enduring alone only hurts yourself. You have to fight back against those who hurt you to keep the resentment from building up inside.
There’s that folktale about the king with donkey ears, isn’t there? Just bottling things up can put you at risk of mental illness, and that mental illness can progress to the point of destroying the body.
Of course, I couldn’t voice that folktale aloud, as it might arouse unnecessary suspicion.
In any case, the key here was the act of “talking” itself.
“People feel much more at ease just by telling someone about the problems tormenting them. The problem is when it’s something ‘hard to casually tell just anyone.’”
Like that folktale about the king with donkey ears.
“That’s why the new physicians we train need to serve not only as doctors but also as a confidential outlet for secrets. A safe outlet that won’t spread their secrets anywhere.”
Unlike the bamboo grove in the folktale, we needed people who would protect those secrets.
“And based on the counseling and patient stories each physician hears and records, we improve the counseling methods and treatment plans. That information should be restricted so only the physicians of the new medical hall and the Cult Leader can access it.”
Master, who had been listening silently to my explanation, furrowed his brow as he replied.
“As you say, Il-mok, the common folk do have a term like fire disease. Those people might indeed need counseling or an outlet for secrets, as you suggest. But it doesn’t suit our Divine Cult’s warriors. Above all, relying on medicine because they can’t endure the side effects… I worry that would make our Cult’s warriors weak.”
It was the stubborn old man’s conclusion that one must overcome it with mental fortitude.
I pondered for a moment how to respond to Master’s conclusion, then decided to go all-in.
“…By sticking to the existing methods you mentioned, Master, what has our Divine Cult achieved? We were driven out of the Central Plains two hundred years ago and have been hiding here ever since, haven’t we?”
No sooner had my words ended than a horrific demonic energy poured out from Master.
It was completely different from during the sparring earlier.
It carried no forced murderous intent, yet its pressure was incomparably thick and viscous.
“What did you just say?”
Even without murderous intent, the dense aura made it hard to breathe.
My mind and body were already exhausted from the recent sparring, and I felt like I’d lose consciousness any second, but I couldn’t stop my mouth.
“If things don’t change after two hundred years of the same methods, there’s only one solution. We have to create change. Master.”
“So you’re saying that the change you propose will revive our Divine Cult?”
“I can’t guarantee revival, but if we increase the medicines and physicians that help with side effects, the number of warriors will grow accordingly. Wouldn’t that greatly aid our return to the Central Plains?”
“In martial arts, quality matters more than quantity. One peerless master who overcomes side effects is worth more than a hundred weak warriors who can’t.”
“Isn’t it obvious that the chance of producing one peerless master is higher among a thousand warriors than among a hundred?”
At my final words, Master offered no rebuttal, instead pressing me with his lethal aura unrelentingly.
Even as my head spun, on the verge of collapsing, I gritted my teeth and endured Master’s pressure and gaze.
And just before I could no longer hold out and faint—
Suddenly, the pressure bearing down on me vanished like a spring breeze.
“I understand your loyal heart wishing for our Divine Cult’s progress. And as you say, blindly following the past won’t bring development.”
Right after the horrific demonic energy tormenting me disappeared, I nearly let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
‘Loyal heart for the Divine Cult, my ass.’
It wasn’t out of pity for those suffering from side effects or an idea for the Cult’s development.
The biggest reason I thought of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult mental ward was one thing.
For my own mental health.
‘I saw with my own eyes what happened to Gwan Mu-yeol, whose side effects were similar to mine. How could I just let it slide?’
I didn’t want to grind poisonous mushrooms into powder, smoke them, and live mumbling incomprehensible alien nonsense in a daze.
Especially after my realm had skyrocketed again due to Elder Jang’s ambush, that worry had only grown.
I was afraid I might really get consumed by side effects and go mad.
So, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult mental ward plan was insurance for my future.
In case my side effects grew too strong to endure, I realized I needed to train physicians who could treat me and provide medicine for me to take.
Unaware of my true intentions, Master seemed to have made some internal decision and made an absurd proposal.
“Then, how about you take charge of that new medical hall? You have experience alleviating Jin-hak and Wan-pyeong’s side effects through counseling, and with the black beans this time too, you seem to have some knowledge of food and medicinal ingredients, so you’d be perfect.”
“What I could do for those two Senior Brothers was nothing but a one-in-ten-thousand coincidence. Besides, all I know is about black beans and a few teas and foods. I have virtually no knowledge of medicinal ingredients.”
This old man was spouting nonsense that made me break out in a cold sweat.
I only knew a few common-sense things because I came from the modern world. I was a civil servant, not a psychiatrist.
I was a complete layman in mental medicine, which was exactly why I was insisting on creating and developing a mental ward.
Because I had no knowledge to heal my future self.
Instead, having studied administration, this kind of work suited me better.
I couldn’t become a physician myself, but building a system to train them was something I could do.
“First, select a few physicians from the medical hall to research medicinal ingredients and counseling right away, and establish a system. I’ll share with them the conversations I had with Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother, as well as the information I know about teas and foods. Furthermore, we should gather medical texts from the Central Plains or beyond the borders, along with folk remedies, and test medicinal ingredients and foods that stabilize mind and body based on them.”
“By ‘test,’ you mean feeding those medicinal ingredients or foods to someone?”
“At first, start with small amounts and monitor the progress gradually, so there shouldn’t be major issues. Since it’s based on medical texts and folk remedies, problems from small doses will be rare. Plus, there’s Gwan Mu-yeol’s case, isn’t there?”
Gwan Mu-yeol had even secretly used poisonous mushrooms as a treatment.
From the perspective of someone planning a mental ward, it was an excellent success story.
“Hmm. Rather than that, assigning Gwan Mu-yeol from the Guard Office as one of those new physicians and having him try ‘various’ treatments doesn’t sound bad.”
“Th-that seems like a good plan too.”
Gwan Mu-yeol had instantly become the lab rat.
I felt a bit sorry for him, but also relieved.
Not that I was glad he was my lab rat—no, I wasn’t that much of a bastard.
‘He’s already almost completely consumed by side effects. Prioritizing treatment over training or duties would be best for a warrior like him. Yeah.’
Having rationalized it for myself in an instant, I quickly changed the subject.
“And for additional physician training, how about using those currently being educated in the provinces?”
“Hmm. Weren’t we planning to train the talented children as warriors? Those short on time to even learn martial arts won’t have enough for medicinal ingredients, food, or counseling education too. Plus, if they succumb to side effects from our demonic arts in the process, it could cause even bigger problems, no?”
If a psychiatrist suffered from mental illness, it’d be a disaster for the patients. From that viewpoint, Master’s point was valid.
But the ‘children’ I mentioned weren’t those children.
“During these two years of basic education, there will be children who are smart but lack talent in martial arts.”
“!!! You mean raise the martially talented ones as warriors and the smart ones as physicians!”
“We don’t have to make them all physicians. Divide them into two groups: one learning medicine, the other administrative duties.”
Master, who had been listening with an impressed expression, soon furrowed his brow again.
“If we entrust administrative duties to them too, won’t that weaken the position of our demonic art-trained warriors? Our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult worships ‘martial prowess’ according to doctrine. To execute villains, we ultimately need martial strength.”
My mind raced at Master’s point, quickly producing an answer.
“Couldn’t the heads of each office, hall, and council remain as they are now, held by those who have reached Transcending Demon? Let the experts hold the leadership positions, and have these ones handle the practical work below them.”
After that, Master and I endlessly discussed the draft for the mental ward without rest.
I had prepared some in advance, but my mind didn’t falter even at Master’s immediate questions.
It wasn’t because I was a genius.
—Still not enough!! Think of more specific plans!
—So? What’s your contingency if it goes wrong?
It was because the side effects, which had quieted somewhat from the grueling training, were surging back like a tidal wave.
‘Talk about the tail wagging the dog. Damn it.’
I’d thought of the mental ward to prepare for going mad from side effects, but now the side effects were helping me create an even more systematic mental ward plan.