Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Leap of Faith
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Even after all that, I didn’t expect the man to believe me instantly.
‘Just look at him, still staring at me with those distrustful eyes.’
Then again, if some random man suddenly appeared and said, ‘I’m your father,’ even I would’ve said, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’
“Am I supposed to believe something that can be fabricated?”
See? There it is.
‘It’s not like this is my first time seeing someone call an apothecary a fraud.’
I remained composed in the face of his distrust. I never expected to succeed on the first try, anyway.
‘I guess this is it for now.’
I stopped looking at the man and dropped my gaze.
“It’s not a lie. You can go outside and see if this method is real. Want some of my blood?”
Do you want to go try it yourself, Father?
“The way you treat your own body so recklessly… I suppose that’s proof enough you’re my flesh and blood. Is that it?”
Oh, look at that sneer. Still, I had to say what I came to say.
“That’s not what I came to say. I came to cure you, Daddy.”
I said, enunciating each word.
“I’ll cure your illness, Daddy!”
A bargain, a real bargain. Get treated by the continent’s greatest genius physician.
I’ve crossed three lifetimes to come and heal you, you know?
Interest-free, no extra charges.
Just provide the manpower!
But first, I needed to prove myself.
I quickly opened the water container, stuck my hand inside, and showed him how I could heal it.
“See?! Not a lie!”
The man’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. The faint smile that touched his lips was closer to a sneer.
“So you’re even using your ability, is that it….”
He muttered to himself before striding closer.
Whoa, you scared me. He brought his face so close I could see his long eyelashes.
“You. Diagnose me.”
A diagnosis? So suddenly?
‘I was planning on it, of course.’
I’d made some big claims, but I never thought he’d just quietly let me examine him.
I figured it would be impossible today. I don’t know what changed his mind… but I wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
I summoned the water.
Like a cresting wave, the water surged forward and enveloped the man’s tall, lean frame.
I had never treated an illness like my father’s before.
‘I’ve treated illnesses with memory-related symptoms before. I wonder if that experience will help.’
Just like with my uncle and eldest uncle, I would probably only be able to identify the ingredients and their combinations. It was going to be a long journey.
‘Okay, now for the ingredients…’
I froze.
No. Not a single ingredient or combination came to mind.
This was… the second time this had ever happened.
‘This usually only happens when diagnosing the dead.’
The dead cannot be cured.
Therefore, nothing comes to mind.
And I had felt this very sensation when I encountered the only other incurable disease for which I could find no cure.
‘I… can’t cure him?’
The conclusion surfaced in my mind with stark clarity.
Startled by this sudden realization, my shock was plain on my face.
Oops.
But it was already too late.
Father’s lips twisted into a smirk. It was a handsome smile, but it felt chilling.
“No answer. You can’t see one, can you?”
I had plenty of experience treating so-called incurable diseases. But this was only the second time I had encountered one I couldn’t cure.
Faced with this undeniable fact, my mouth fell open.
“So you’re no different after all.”
A strange feeling washed over me. It was the same expression I had seen on my eldest uncle and my other uncle.
But the depth of his resignation was different.
“Now that you know there’s no cure, go home. I won’t hold it against you for lying about being my daughter.”
“I wasn’t lying about that.”
I clenched my fists.
“Even after seeing the test results? Or did you forget that, too? That’s why I showed you I’m an apothecary and a physician!”
I dropped my gentle demeanor and put on a defiant expression.
“I’m your daughter. Why would I lie about that? It’s not like it’s some great thing.”
I pouted.
“You think I came looking for you because I wanted you as a daddy? I came because you *are* my daddy.”
I have to get to the market.
There were too many reasons I had to go there at this specific time.
And the fastest, easiest way was to convince this man.
‘I know you didn’t ask to be sick.’
I sighed softly.
“You’re a really bad daddy. I hope you realize that someday.”
I said with all sincerity, then pointed. I smiled cheekily.
“Throw me in there.”
I was pointing at the pond.
“Who says I can’t cure you? You’re worse at jumping to conclusions than my uncle and eldest uncle.”
“…What are you scheming?”
“Why are you so obsessed with schemes?”
Is it going to put food on the table?
It didn’t seem like he was going to throw me, so I asked him to put me down. He complied more easily than I expected.
“I don’t need any of this. Just go home.”
I nodded and pretended to leave.
‘It’s a feint, Father!’
Then I spun around and dashed toward the pond.
Was the water clean? I had no idea, but I had to check! I dipped my fingertips in and was surprised.
‘What is this? Why is it so clean? I can use my ability!’
An ordinary pond shouldn’t be like this.
The water was impossibly clean. It was a gamble I had expected to lose.
But this was no time to dwell on that. Without hesitation, I leaped into the pond.
“I’ll show you just how incredible I am!”
Splash!
When I slowly opened my eyes, I was underwater.
‘Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve opened my eyes underwater.’
My weak body screamed, unable to withstand the pressure. It was agonizing.
Damn it, I never wanted to do this again.
I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and was about to gulp down water.
Splash!
Just before I exhaled a stream of bubbles, I saw long, shimmering hair.
It was Father.
He’s handsome even underwater, I thought placidly.
Our eyes met, and I wanted to smile, but…
Whoosh!
…a hand grabbed the scruff of my neck and hauled me upward.
“Gasp! Cough, cough!”
Seriously, what is it with this man and grabbing me by the scruff of my neck?
“What do you think you’re doing? It may look like a shallow puddle, but it’s…”
“Thank you!”
It certainly seemed that way. I knew it would be over my head, but it was far deeper than I’d expected.
Soaked to the bone and dangling from his grip, I beamed.
“I take it back!”
“…”
“Back at the main house, no one would’ve helped me even if I’d been slapped.”
After all, I’d been a genius without a guardian for my entire past life.
“You’re nice! Thanks for saving me!”
“So you jumped in on purpose.”
The man irritably swept back his wet hair.
Ooh, he’s mad. He’s mad.
“I had a reason!”
I glanced down.
“Can you lower me a little, just enough to touch the water?”
“…”
The man looked annoyed.
And yet, as if curious to see just how far I would take this, he obediently lowered me into the water.
…He dipped me like he was dipping a chip in sauce.
‘Well, as long as my feet are in the water, it’s fine.’
Me, the patient, in clean water. With that, all the conditions were met.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve used this.’
I focused energy into my toes, and the surface of the pond began to ripple.
“This is…”
Light erupted from the water, which then shot upward, taking a form that was part small bird, part small dragon.
I just call it a winged dragon.
“This is…”
Soon, the water that had risen like a tidal wave enveloped both me and my father.
We were trapped underwater, but unlike before, I wasn’t suffocating.
This was, after all, my ability.
I reached out to my father, who was staring at me in astonishment.
Then, I smiled.
‘Alright, shall we begin the treatment?’
I don’t do this for just anyone, you know.
My tiny hand touched my father’s forehead. An immense amount of information flooded my mind.
‘This illness is…’
I had used this method once before to treat that other incurable disease, the one for which I could find no medicine, but it was a last resort I avoided at all costs.
It was a method of treatment completely different from a simple diagnosis.
‘It’s been a while. I wonder how this will turn out.’
Even I didn’t know what would happen next as I stared into the water.
The incurable disease I treated before was different from my father’s, so the method of treatment would be different from what I remembered.
‘Perhaps a treatment related to memory.’
My father and I saw the same vision.