Episode 40: People of the Back Alleys
Now then, who could it be…?
Thinking that, I turned around.
…Who the hell is this guy?
Well, judging by his appearance, I can tell he’s a thug.
“I’m ‘No Face’ from the Genoa Family. You were the one who fixed my leg bone, Doc.”
“Sorry, don’t remember.”
I replied organically and immediately.
Because I really don’t remember…
“No, no! You’ve treated so many people in the slums, Doc, haven’t you? It’s only natural you’d forget! …Besides, I change my face a lot.”
Well, that’s true.
He seems like a swindler, the type who changes his appearance and clothes.
Even if that weren’t the case, I probably still wouldn’t remember.
But just in case, I do keep records of my patients, so I could check and compare.
“Are you free right now? If you’d like, why not have a drink at our place? Of course, we’ll serve you undiluted liquor, Doc!”
Ehh…
Does that mean they usually serve diluted liquor to their customers? Not even just with water?
I don’t want to go, the quality sounds scary.
“Ara? Doctor Arne!”
Hmm, this time it’s a continental accent from behind.
Xiaolin… no, it’s not her.
Who is this?
She’s an Asian-looking woman with narrow eyes, similar to Xiaolin, but… somehow… gaudy.
What’s with that risqué slit in her qipao? I heard people from China don’t even wear qipaos like that?
And what’s with that fluffy scarf made of some animal’s fur?
What’s with the small round glasses? She’s suspicious as hell.
Seriously… are there really people who walk around dressed like this? It’s really shocking.
“Doctor, what’s wrong? Why are you here…? Did you come to see me?”
Saying that, the woman leaned in and hugged me.
“Who are you?”
“Fei Long from Lanpan, you know? You’ve helped my subordinates many times.”
“Liar! There’s no way a woman would be named ‘Flying Dragon’!”
Ah.
“…Hmm. So, you do know the language of the continent, huh? Ah, my name is actually Mingsha.”
Hmm.
Well, it doesn’t really matter if they know…
Eh? Did she just say Lanpan?
Lanpan… the Lanpang?
Is that like… the Green Gang?
So she’s a thug too, after all. Well, her appearance already gave that away…
“You should have a drink at our place. We have better liquor than those foreign devils, you know?”
“Yeah, yeah, later.”
Just as I was about to brush her off, the next moment.
“Yaho, konnnichiwaaa~”
A lanky man with a katana at his waist and wearing a kimono.
“Oh, Doc! You were here! I could tell by the smell!”
A muscular giant with wolf ears and a tail.
Appeared from behind.
“…What is it this time?”
“I’m Takaomi from the Dodomeki Gang~. The gang members~, wanted to thank you~… for taking care of them~”
“Oi oi! Have you forgotten? It’s Ivan from the Frostvine Brigade! Come on, come to our place! We’ll welcome you!”
Hmm…
“Aren’t all of you… not exactly upstanding citizens?”
“Yes.”
That’s not a yes I wanted.
“I don’t want to! It’s a pain! Do that power struggle stuff somewhere else~!”
No, really, I’m begging you.
“Ehh…? But you treat our family members for next to nothing, right?”
“That’s because it’s my job? As long as they pay, I’ll treat prostitutes, thugs, and beggars. And if they don’t pay, I won’t treat kings or nobles.”
“Heh… that’s quite a noble conviction.”
“Sounds like a yakuza’s way of thinking~?”
“Well, we’re grateful since you’re helping us.”
“Still, how can you manage with such a pittance…”
Even though it’s a pittance, it’s still an amount that the truly poor can’t afford, you know?
Well, in Japanese yen, it’s about 5,000 yen for a consultation.
If I prescribe cold medicine, it’s about 10,000 yen, and an appendectomy is about 100,000 yen…?
Well, it’s cheap compared to the market price in this world, and I’m more humble than most doctors.
In this world, surgeons also work as barbers, and physicians are elites, so they’re incredibly arrogant and charge exorbitant fees.
Compared to them, I might seem like a saint.
“…But it’s not like I’m afraid of you guys, or that I want to side with you. If I had to say, I’m doing it for the sake of being known as someone who treats anyone as long as they pay… for the sake of my reputation.”
“Ah, I see.”
The thugs’ understanding increased dramatically when I mentioned reputation. I don’t like these guys.
“If that’s the case… then we also have our reputations to uphold. Insult for insult, favor for favor. That’s the law of the ‘underworld’.”
“Even if you say that, I don’t want to get involved… Besides, I’m on the Lord’s side… the side of public authority, you know?”
“We get along with the Lord to some extent.”
No way, you’re lying.
…No, Count Missgancia might actually do that.
He has quite a few connections to underground organizations and the dark side…
In any case, he’s not a general, even though he’s a regional governor, so he doesn’t have that much military power or executive ability, I think.
Because he’s a faction of newly emerging nobles, holding onto unnecessary military force would draw unnecessary suspicion from the central government.
So instead, he has his own spies, assassins, adventurers as subordinates, and has invited three magicians as retainers… in short, he has a lot of combat power other than soldiers.
So these guys are probably being used as part of that force in some way.
Of course, these guys aren’t stupid either, so they’re probably rebelling against orders and outsmarting him in a good way.
But in the end, when it comes to skill, it’s probably all in Count Missgancia’s hands. That guy is something else.
Ugh, what a pain…
“Ah, later! Later! I’m meeting with Hookclaw now!”
Saying that, I ran away…