I felt like making Josef's luck run out starting today.
Honestly, I didn't even need Liston to step in.
A single word from me, and he'd be pig feed...
No, no!
Hah.
What should I do?
I'm not just becoming a 19th-century person, but a 19th-century gangster.
"Mr. Josef."
"It's Doctor Josef."
"Mr. Josef."
I reflected on it, but I still didn't want to call him 'Doctor'.
So I persistently called him 'Mister,' and Josef, perhaps having given up, just shook his head side to side.
"I saved two, and you killed two, didn't you?"
"It was just bad luck! Nose surgery is... a completely different matter!"
He's not wrong.
If you just take that statement alone, yes.
But...
"Woooooh!"
"Dr. Pyeong saves people with sorcery!"
"Hang that German bastard!"
"Pyeong! Stab that German's heart too!"
Whether it's sorcery or surgery, I save people.
That bastard?
I don't know what he did, but anyway, they died, right?
He took them away so quickly, who knows what happened.
Anyway, emboldened by the surrounding crowd, I spoke with a more confident face.
"You'll need that luck for nose surgery too, won't you, Mr. Josef?"
I didn't bother arguing with facts.
Not because it's cheap to beat someone with facts, but simply because I didn't know how to explain.
If I started talking about skin flaps and local flaps, would this bastard even understand?
What about the people around us?
"Ugh."
Above all, the most important person here right now is actually Colin's brother.
Well, originally the MP was the most important, but...
He was giving me a thumbs-up.
Even though someone died at an event hosted by Parliament...
If this were the 21st century,
it would be unbelievable.
Even if it's not the host's fault, if someone dies, you'd first determine who's responsible, right?
However, the MP and other Parliament officials were all just smiling cheerfully.
"Waaaah!"
"Pyeong!"
"Dr. Pyeong!"
"Did you see it earlier? He stabbed deep into the heart, and the bad blood just..."
"Is it bloodletting? Or is it sorcery?"
"Is that important? He brought a dead person back to life."
The surrounding crowd was also cheerful.
"This was better than any festival."
"Actually... it was a bit boring, wasn't it? Is that even surgery these days? The old days were better. The flash of the knife amidst screams... Blood... But today, from the middle onwards, it really quenched that thirst."
"That's right. It feels truly fulfilling after such a long time."
"Hahahaha!"
It wasn't just that; it was all praise.
It meant the citizens' happiness index had risen.
One might wonder how this could be when someone died...
But in 19th-century London, people die all the time, if you exaggerate a bit?
No one mourns except the person involved and their family.
Even the families move on quickly.
Death is so commonplace that there's no time to sink deep into sorrow.
Anyway, I returned the MP's thumbs-up and approached Colin's brother.
"Well, Sir."
"Ah... yes."
"What will you do? Will you go with Mr. Josef? Or will you go with our team?"
"Hmmm..."
Sir...
He's a damn racist.
It might sound strange, but these days, those who've been overseas are often more racist.
The locals, having no real knowledge, only know what they've heard.
But those who've gone out and seen for themselves...
They probably can't help but compare and think of others as inferior races, seeing London's splendid streets.
Well...
It's the point in history where Eastern hegemony, held for over a millennium, is shifting to the West, so maybe it's understandable.
But even after seeing this, is he still hesitating?
'No... he really is wrapped tightly in iron.'
The trauma patient was already dead and lying around... Ah, seems the suppliers took him away. A corpse from trauma probably drops in price, but it was still a healthy person.
And he just died.
So, unless it's a hospital like ours with an MOU with the police for a stable corpse supply, a regular hospital would be greedy for it.
Anyway, looking at the patient wrapped in iron... it was something.
In contrast, the patient I operated on was already fully awake from anesthesia, just sitting there blankly.
Maybe because Josef, taking responsibility, had compulsively disinfected and wrapped him in bandages, he looked the cleanest here.
"My apologies."
It wasn't just me looking back and forth.
Colin's brother was also alternating his gaze between the iron-wrapped patient and my patient.
Adding to that, the two trauma patients of Josef who had disappeared, leaving only bloodstains, and my two patients, who, though moaning in pain, were still perfectly alive.
Choosing Josef here...
Wouldn't that be an intelligence issue?
Perhaps Colin's brother isn't stupid either, as he immediately delivered the "you can't with us" line to Josef.
"What are you saying! Do you not know who I am?"
"I know, I know. But..."
"It was just bad luck today! Besides, nose surgery results need to be seen! That... that peculiar method has clear limits! Just wait and see. The skin rotated from the forehead will rot!"
"That remains to be seen, but today..."
"I said it was bad luck!"
"Anyway, please give me some time to think."
"What, how dare you say that to me?"
"It's a matter of the face, not just any issue. How can I do anything else but be a soldier like this?"
Colin's brother patted Josef on the shoulder and came over to my side.
Then, in a tone more respectful than before, he said:
"I've been quite rude before."
"Quite rude? Who do you think you're facing? Disposing of insignificant nobles is barely even work."
Of course, by Liston's standards, it wasn't respectful.
He's a bit strict.
Because anyone automatically adjusts their rudeness in front of Liston.
Even those Dukes aren't rude to Liston, are they?
Commoners are practically bowing and scraping.
"Ah... Sword Saint... I understand. My apologies. Dr. Pyeong. I have been very rude."
"Right, that's more like it. Now it seems you're ready to have a proper conversation."
Even if not to that extent, Colin's brother also changed his tone and attitude to be more respectful.
As for me...
I didn't really care one way or the other.
It's not like I'm some incredibly prestigious figure.
It's just...
'Our Colin...'
At first, yes, honestly, he was annoying.
But it was only to the level of a brat's annoyance, not enough to make me want to kill him.
But then, remembering the devotion Colin has shown since...
Well, since he was chosen regardless of me, even if I just let it slide, drinking that filthy water or urine...
Plus, he's here today doing unpaid volunteer work just because he's a student, right?
Well, the same goes for Alfred and Josef, but...
'Atonement surgery, here we go.'
For various reasons, I intended to do my best for the kids here.
They're pitiful.
I also feel sorry for them.
And they're basically decent guys.
At this point, the thought of finding other students and re-teaching those vaguely taught concepts makes me feel like it'd be better to die and start over.
"Not at all, it's fine. Colin is an excellent fellow."
"Ah, is that so?"
As I spoke and looked back at Colin, he had a touched expression on his face.
In contrast, his brother's face...
Although it was covered with something like a mask, making it hard to see clearly, I could still feel distinct antipathy, enough to know he disagreed.
'The kid wasn't warped for no reason from the start.'
Well, just look at the things he does, claiming he'll leave his name in medical history.
It's all because he gets no recognition at home.
"Yes, yes. Colin has very skilled hands. I plan to promote him to chief assistant soon. Anyway, regarding the surgery... let's decide after seeing some nose surgery results. We need to see the wound more accurately to plan the surgery anyway."
"Ah, is that so? I thought all nose surgeries were the same..."
"They can't be. How can the human body be like something made in a factory?"
"That is... Hmm, certainly true. Very well. Then I shall take my leave now. Being in front of others in this state is a bit..."
"Yes. Shall I contact you at home then?"
"Yes, please do so through that younger brother of mine."
"Yes, I will do that."
Since the term "the brother's surgery" came up, I kept thinking of it as atonement surgery. Also, since I'm originally a 21st-century doctor and quite friendly, I was able to end the conversation very smoothly.
Anyway, after seeing the brother off, Blundell and Liston were looking at me with very surprised expressions.
"Why... are you looking at me like that?"
"No, I didn't know you could have such a normal conversation," said Liston.
Liston. Not Blundell.
Is he crazy?
I always...
"He said there is good blood! The person who used to just shout like that... Heh, the saying 'you have to know someone a long time' really exists for a reason," said Blundell this time.
Hearing that...
I admit I have been a bit forceful lately.
But I didn't feel like reflecting on it.
What choice do I have...?
I clearly know people are dying; how can I just stand by?
And explaining things at these bastards' level every time is impossible.
'It's comfortable though...'
I don't think I'll change my attitude going forward.
Once you try it, you can't go back.
During my fellowship days, I wondered why that professor acted like such a lunatic, but after trying it myself, I understood immediately.
Being a lunatic might be inconvenient for others, but it's convenient for me.
If I'm comfortable, isn't that what matters?
Right?
Think of all the things I have to do in the future.
'Right, let's be unpredictable.'
Sometimes kind.
Sometimes a complete asshole!
"Phew. Anyway, the patients have been transferred to the wards."
Before I knew it, while having those thoughts, we were back at the hospital.
The events at the square weren't completely over.
There... a huge commotion had broken out.
Perhaps because the festive atmosphere hadn't faded, people weren't thinking of leaving.
Our gang seemed to be doing some business with them, pickpocketing, beating people up for extortion...
Anyway, the Director, who had heard the rumors and showed up, patted Blundell on the shoulder—the one who had just spoken—and interjected.
"By the way, your fame is spreading even more because of this."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"Of course. With diabetes treatment attracting nobles, and this kind of treatment gaining popular appeal... truly, no one will dare treat you lightly just because you're Asian anymore?"
"That's good."
Well... it is a good thing.
It's a bit much that surgery is a form of entertainment, but the road ahead is long, too long.
"So I tried to help a bit more."
"Huh?"
It's good to have someone like the Director.
Although he's probably doing this because the hospital is doing well thanks to me...
But even so, if he were a fucking racist, would he go this far?
"I heard in Joseon, 'Sin' means God? Is that right?"
"Ah... yes, it does."
"I used that to create a nickname and spread it."
"What nickname?"
"I added 'Sin' to your name."
Added 'Sin' to my name?
Why does that sound ominous?
"Pyeongsin."
Holy shit...