The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 12: Street Inspection (2)

Bad Ending: [Crime of the Commoners]

The Demon King’s army attacked, contaminating wheat fields throughout the Empire with a deadly plague, causing an unprecedented famine.

Asella allocated the remaining wheat supplies exclusively to the Demon King’s expedition forces, ignoring the commoners who were starving to death.

When the starving masses gathered outside the palace, pleading for bread, Asella mocked them.

But instead of the typical, “Let them eat cake,” she said something even worse:

“In truth, it was I who cursed the wheat fields. Wretched commoners like you deserve to starve and die.”

The commoners, too weak to revolt, withered away, and the Empire collapsed.

Only later did we learn the full extent of it. The despairing Hero abandoned the expedition, and darkness engulfed the world.

As that ending clearly showed, Asella harbored no good will toward commoners.

‘So, her resentment toward commoners is built up through small incidents like this street inspection?’

I could understand it to some extent.

If I were enjoying a peaceful moment and some thug tried to shake me down, I’d probably start feeling pretty hostile too.

And right now, I was just as pissed off as Asella.

These bastards had ruined a rare moment of peace for me.

Worse yet, they weren’t even my subjects.

If these merchant scum were bullying people in my territory, it meant they’d probably been doing this to my people too.

I stepped forward, standing between Asella and the thugs.

When dealing with provocations, the loudest one wins.

Attack first, win first.

Etiquette? Forget it. Acting like a brute would be more effective here.

“I come out for a stroll after a long time, and some gutter rats are running a business in my front yard without permission. What the hell are you clowns doing here?”

The leader of the group was a massive man.

He puffed out his chest, pushing it toward me as if to intimidate.

“Watch your mouth, you little pimp. Chasing after some airheaded lady in broad daylight, hoping to snatch a few coins?”

“Hah.”

This guy had some nerve.

Did he just mistake me for some gigolo trying to swindle Asella?

He must have a death wish.

“Are you deaf or something? Didn’t you hear me say this is my front yard?”

“What do you think this is?”

The man pointed to the emblem on his chest.

“All of the Empire’s land is the Supre Trading Company’s front yard. Know your place, runt.”

“Yeah! Get lost! Look at this poser with his floppy hat and pathetic pretty-boy look!”

The other thugs were ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) getting cocky too.

I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Calling yourselves a ‘trading company’ when all you do is scrape fees off deliveries. And this? It’s just a vest.”

I slapped the man’s vest, sending a puff of dust flying.

“And who the hell do you think you are? You look like some filthy errand boy hauling crates. Ugh, you stink.”

Whack! I swatted his vest aside.

“And what the hell does that have to do with anything? Why are a bunch of merchant punks trying to extort people in my territory, huh?”

“We were just asking for a legitimate loan. With a name like Supre Trading Company, we could easily borrow a gold coin or two, right?”

“Yeah, and you’re just some dockhand who floated in for a quick delivery. When the hell are you paying it back? And look at you, a nobody throwing around your company’s name.”

The man’s eyebrow twitched at my words. I could see his temper flaring.

“You little shit...!”

If I provoked them any further, this would definitely turn into a brawl.

Should I just reveal my identity now?

Too late.

The thug’s fist was already flying toward me.

Tsk. Impatient bastard.

The guy was big, and if he landed a hit, I’d be seriously injured.

But I wasn’t a pushover either.

I easily dodged by turning my head to the side. freewebnøvel.coɱ

“Huh?!”

The thug’s eyes widened in surprise.

Didn’t expect me to dodge, did he?

You throw a punch, I throw one back.

I clenched my fist, ready to counter.

...But wait.

I’m not exactly strong.

In fact, I’m pretty damn weak.

Could I even do any damage with this punch?

[Diagnosis D Activated]

A message appeared in the status window, instantly providing crucial information.

[Injury Status: Fracture]

[Injury Location: Right Arm]

So, the guy’s right arm was already fractured.

That’s why he swung with his left.

Smash!

Without hesitation, I threw a straight punch at the highlighted area.

“Aaargh!”

The thug, who had been speaking in a deep, intimidating voice, let out a high-pitched scream and collapsed, clutching his arm.

Oh, so it hurt that much?

Judging by his reaction, it was probably a compound fracture. Those really hurt.

He was a laborer, so he must have sustained the injury recently while working.

I didn’t waste the opportunity.

I pressed my knee into his back, pinning him to the ground.

“Boss!”

“You bastard!”

The other two thugs lunged at me, but I pulled a dagger from my back pocket.

“Hey, hey. If you don’t want to get seriously hurt, stay the hell back.”

The glint of the blade made them freeze in their tracks.

“Wh-What the hell...”

“This guy’s a maniac! Someone call the guards!”

A crowd was beginning to gather, drawn by the commotion.

That was fine.

My focus was solely on one person — Asella.

[No. 021: Crime of the Commoners 25% → 23%]

She was watching me intently.

Did she feel threatened by these merchant thugs? Disgusted, maybe?

If Asella’s resentment toward commoners was what triggered this bad ending, then...

‘What’s done is done. Let’s redirect that resentment somewhere else.’

I raised my voice, loud enough for the crowd to hear.

“Call the guards? Go ahead! Let’s see who the guards of this estate are really working for!”

I ripped off my hat and threw it aside.

My silver hair, the symbol of the Gotberg family, caught the sunlight and gleamed.

“That... That guy!”

“It’s Lass! The Marquis’s scoundrel son!”

“The infamous Gotberg brat!”

The bystanders recognized me instantly and started shouting.

Not a single one of them addressed me as “Young Master” — just “brat” or “scoundrel.”

That was my reputation around here.

The thugs’ faces paled as they finally realized who they were dealing with.

They had lifted a rock to catch a crab, only to find a venomous spider.

I sheathed the dagger and leaned down, lowering my voice so only the leader could hear.

“Hey, why do you need the money?”

“W-What? Uh... Well...”

“Answer me quickly before I decide to slit your throat.”

The man squirmed under my knee, his face contorted in pain as he spoke.

“T-The thing is... the head of our trading company is here, and I accidentally broke a crate of premium goods we were supposed to deliver to him. I need the money to pay him back....”

“Oh, so it’s the head’s fault then?”

“N-No! It was my fault...!”

“I’ll ask you one more time. And give me the right answer.”

“What?”

“If you don’t, you’re dead.”

I cleared my throat and shouted for everyone to hear.

“The Supre Trading Company! Always intimidating my people and extorting them for money! Well, not today!”

Some of the bystanders started murmuring in agreement.

“Yeah!”

“Those bastards are always causing trouble!”

“Young Master! Just beat the hell out of them!”

This might be the first time these thugs showed up in my territory.

They probably hadn’t been here long.

But trading company lackeys were always rough around the edges.

Since they spent most of their time on ships, they were naturally used to brawling.

I had anticipated the bystanders siding with me.

I grabbed the leader by the hair, lifting his head, and shouted loudly again.

“Speak up! You’re a commoner too, so why were you trying to extort other commoners?”

“The- The boss ordered it!!”

The leader shouted at the top of his lungs.

Good. He said exactly what I wanted him to.

“Oh, so I figured there was a noble pulling the strings! It’s always the nobles exploiting the clueless commoners.

Looks like the Gotberg family will have to settle the score directly with the Supre Trading Company!”

I released the leader and stood up.

The crowd started murmuring among themselves.

“Hey, the Gotberg brat is going up against the trading company for his territory’s sake?”

“I thought he was just a spoiled scoundrel, but turns out he actually cares about his people.”

“Young Master! You’re so cool!”

“I like how fiery he is!”

Fiery? My face was burning with embarrassment.

I felt like I was in some low-budget street play, shouting lines in an exaggerated tone.

Acting was never my strong suit, but what choice did I have?

I glanced at Asella, who was quietly observing me while sipping her coffee.

It was as if she were watching a live show, thoroughly enjoying herself.

[No. 021: Crime of the Commoners 23% → 5%]

The bad ending probability had not only dropped but fell even lower than it initially was.

That was a success.

“What are you all staring at? A free show? Move along!”

I growled at the onlookers, and they quickly scattered, resuming their paths.

I turned to the thug leader still sprawled out on the ground.

“You. You’re done here. Get lost. And don’t cause any more trouble.”

“A-Are you sure? I deeply apologize for what happened today. If you could just overlook this incident...”

“Shut up. Oh, by the way, what was that stuff meant for your boss?”

If it was a high-value item they planned to buy from my territory, I could pretty much guess what it was.

“It was premium holy water. About twenty bottles, but...”

Since he said they broke it, it was definitely just the holy water.

Twenty bottles was a significant quantity.

So, the trading company boss must have some kind of illness that needs curing.

That was useful information.

I decided to let them go.

“Alright, now get out of here. And don’t go around flaunting that broken arm. Wrap it up with something.”

“Huh? How did you know it was broken? And what do you mean, wrap it up with what...?”

Why are they always so dense?

Honestly, he deserved a few more punches, but his stupidity was starting to annoy me.

I grabbed the wooden rod he had been carrying and used it as a splint.

I wrapped the rope tightly around his arm, securing it in place.

“You’re gonna keep that on for at least two weeks. If you can’t afford a healer, deal with it.”

“Oh! Wow, it actually feels a lot better. Thank you, sir. And again, I’m really sorry for causing trouble!”

The thugs bowed to Asella and me before scampering off like scared rats.

Ah, the convenience of having authority.

‘Hmm?’

―――――――――――

· Your skill rank has increased.

· First Aid Mastery E → D

You can now perform first aid slightly faster.

The effectiveness of first aid has slightly increased.

―――――――――――

I gained some skill experience, and my rank increased.

‘That was fast. Probably because I already have medical knowledge.’

Because of that, the overall experience of [Medicine] also increased.

‘I might unlock a new skill soon.’

I returned to Asella.

“There was a bit of a scuffle, Your Highness. I hope you weren’t too displeased.”

“I was extremely displeased.”

Asella lifted the coffee cup to her lips, took a small sip, and continued.

“But it was a pretty good show to enjoy with my coffee.”

So, my little clown act entertained her enough to forget about the commoners and everything else.

Yeah, that was the same in the original timeline.

Ten years later, the Hero Party and I felt like circus clowns performing for her amusement.

Well, as long as the result was good.

“You don’t have your cup anymore.”

“I didn’t reorder.”

“You didn’t?”

“You told me not to hand out gold coins.”

“Well done. Let’s go back and drink some water.”

I shook my head and sat back down.

But just then, the café owner returned with a new coffee cup.

“Here is your coffee, sir.”

Wait, she ordered another one anyway?

I was reaching for some silver coins to pay when the owner waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh no, no need. The young lady here already paid for it.”

“She did? With what?”

I glanced at Asella, suspicious.

She only had gold coins. There’s no way she could’ve paid with those.

The owner smiled, clearly pleased.

“With flowers. They were fresh and lovely, perfect for decoration. It more than covered the cost of the broken cup. Now, please enjoy your conversation, Young Master.”

The owner left, leaving a steaming cup of butter coffee in front of me.

“Conversation? What conversation?”

I turned to Asella. She was avoiding my gaze.

“Flowers?”

“They were cumbersome to carry around.”

She had used the flowers she bought from the kids to barter for coffee.

It was a smart move.

If she’d paid with gold or tried to get it for free using the Gotberg name, it would have damaged our reputation.

Asella set down her cup and spoke.

“Lass.”

“Yes?”

“If something like that happens again, will you step in front of me like that again?”

“Of course.”

I answered without hesitation.

If those red numbers started climbing again, my body would move before I even thought about it.

Asella’s lips curled up slightly at my response.

At that moment, a bit of butter foam clung to her cheek, just above her still chubby, childlike cheeks.

“You have something here.”

I reached out and wiped it off with my thumb.

Had to maintain the Princess’s dignity, after all.

“If you’re done, shall we head back?”

No response.

I looked at Asella. She was biting her lower lip, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.

Why was she angry again?

“Lass.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t do that.”

“What do you mean?”