Doctor Hailey

Hethos’ face turned from red to blue and then quickly reddened.

Veins bulged in his neck and he snorted roughly through his nose.

“You want me to make a sword?”

Hailey hesitated and stepped back. No, not that kind of sword.

“Miss! No matter how much the nobles demand the family’s famous sword!”

She held her breath at Hethos’ harsh voice. She swallowed softly.

“Sir, that’s not what I…”

“Do you know what happened because of the sword I made?”

Hethos’ voice softened.

She couldn’t say anything under his intense gaze.

“Just because you asked for a sword, a war broke out.”

Hailey covered her gaping mouth with her hand.

A war? Even if it’s a famous sword, should wars be fought just to possess it?

“If I had known a little earlier, I would have stopped making swords altogether.”

Hethos looked down at his hands.

“I made ten swords, known as the Continent Ten Swords, and countless people died fighting just to possess one.”

If it was the Continent Ten Swords, Hailey knew about it too.

The first rumor she heard about Hethos was that he was the blacksmith who created the Continent Ten Swords.

“So I decided to put down the hammer.”

Hethos looked at the lying Faello and sighed deeply.

She too instinctively looked at Faello’s face and followed his gaze.

“But I couldn’t bring myself to put down the hammer. All I know is blacksmithing. I had to swing the hammer to make a living.”

“Is that so?”

“I will not make swords again.”

Hethos said firmly.

“Then you will only make farming tools?”

“Yes. Making farming tools alone is enough to survive.”

“The best selling items in a blacksmith’s shop are farm tools. With Hethos’ skills, there should be no problem settling down with your brother.”

Hailey nodded.

She supported Hethos’ decision.

It wasn’t his fault what happened because of the swords he made.

She understood his guilt.

Even after she had done her best in the operation,

Even after treating with all her heart,

There were still patients she couldn’t save.

It wasn’t just one or two patients who died on the operating table.

She couldn’t forget the patients she couldn’t save even after her life as Kim Hyejin ended.

Had her surgical skills been better?

Maybe those patients could have returned to their families instead of dying.

There were patients who were only twenty years old.

There were patients who had dedicated their lives to serving others.

There were patients who had just become parents.

The guilt of losing such patients multiplied.

But…

“I’ll overlook what you said without knowing it, Miss. Besides, Faello helped me… I seem to have gotten carried away for a moment.”

Hethos spoke calmly.

“I am a doctor.”

Hailey’s voice lowered as well.

“The guilt of knowing that someone died because of me… those who haven’t experienced it can never understand. Most people don’t go through experiences like that.”

“Miss…”

Hethos’ eyes brightened subtly.

Hailey smiled faintly.

“I understand Hethos’ heart. I also support your decision to stop making swords.”

“Thank you. I wanted to help you, but… I will repay the kindness you’ve shown me by making farming tools for the citizens of Salisbury.”

He is indeed an impatient man. She shrugged.

“Do you know what kind of sword they wanted me to make?”

Hethos shrugged.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Everyone who asked me to make a sword for them said they would only use it to defend and protect, to lend strength for justice. But.”

Hethos’ voice grew louder.

This time she did not avoid his intense gaze.

“No matter what the purpose, once you have a sword in your hand, bloodshed is inevitable.”

“That is true. I want a sword to shed blood.”

“Miss!”

Hethos stood abruptly.

“Hethos.”

Hailey rose with him and looked him straight in the eye.

“Listen to me. You will not be disappointed.”

“No matter how much you try to convince me…”

“What I need is a surgical knife.”

“…A surgical knife?”

Hethos’ pupils dilated.

Hailey pointed at Faello.

“If Faello is to get better, surgery may be necessary.”

“Surgery? What in the world are you talking about?”

She sighed inwardly at Hethos’ confused voice.

He was probably just an ordinary citizen who, when sick or afflicted, went to the Temple of the Sun Religion to donate and pray to the priests.

Or perhaps someone like Hethos had enough money to buy holy water.

Most citizens went to the gods, not the doctors, when they were sick or ailing.

So they couldn’t be expected to know anything about surgery.

“Simply put, surgery involves cutting, removing, and sewing. It’s about connecting severed parts of the body, removing foreign objects, and more.”

Hailey decided to explain surgery to Hethos slowly.

“If Faello’s epilepsy requires surgery, it might mean opening the skull to remove a part of the brain. And that requires a surgical knife.”

Hethos said nothing.

“Was my explanation too complicated?”

“Oh, no. It’s just… I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”

“Faello is not possessed by a demon. Do you understand why I need a surgical knife?”

“That’s…”

He still didn’t understand. She took a deep breath.

The various blacksmiths she had visited flashed through her mind.

-“It’s impossible to make it that thin.”

-“Oh, this should be sharp enough.”

-“It’s thin, so it bends easily.”

But if it was Hethos who created the Continent Ten Swords, then it might be possible.

Hailey couldn’t afford to lose Hethos.

“There are many kinds of surgical knives. I tried to make the simplest one, but they all failed. However, I believe Hethos can make it possible.”

She held his hand. It was thick and rough.

“Oh, Miss…”

“I know you are tormented by the countless deaths caused by the swords you made. But now the knife you make with these hands will not take lives, but save them.”

Hethos’ gaze wavered.

“Promise me. As long as I have the knife you make, I will save as many patients as possible.”

Maybe that’s why I started to think of myself as Kim Hyejin again.

“A knife… that saves lives…”

Hethos murmured.

“I have been searching for Hethos for a long time. We desperately needed a skilled smith.”

At that moment,

“Ugh…”

Hailey turned quickly.

“Faello!”

Hethos called to the groaning Faello.