BOPE 97

Chapter 97 …

When the report came that the cart carrying the criminals had entered the castle, Dong-hee lifted her head from the notebook she had been studying.

“What’s their condition?”

The image of the two convicts writhing and groaning under the whip flickered in her mind. She believed they were simply receiving the punishment they deserved, but witnessing anyone being lashed until they bled was far from pleasant.

“As for the criminal Rose, she can still move, but her wounds are deep.”

“And Pig Dog?”

“Pig…? Ah! You mean Pig Dog. They said his life isn’t in danger, but he never regained consciousness the entire way here.”

“Treat both of them regularly, and make sure they’re given medicine.”

“You mean… you want us to give the criminals regular treatment?”

Red Bear couldn’t understand. It was common for convicts flogged in public to have their wounds fester and die miserably in prison. These were villains who had sucked the villagers dry, and even trafficked children into slavery for profit. To give them medical care seemed like an excessive kindness.

“They have to live. Only then can they keep paying for their crimes until the end. I won’t let them enjoy the luxury of wasting away and dying. Once they recover, make them work to repay every coin they stole—return all the money they embezzled back to the villagers.”

“But… won’t they think the flogging and ten years in prison is enough to pay for their sins?”

“What nonsense! That punishment was for deceiving me, the lord of Grace, and for tricking the villagers. The money is a separate matter. Of course they must work to repay it. Don’t you agree?”

“Indeed, my lady. You are absolutely right.”

Red Bear nodded with a deeply moved expression. Considering how much money Pig Dog had siphoned off, he might well spend the rest of his life in forced labor before the debt was cleared.

To the villagers, their lord was endlessly compassionate, but in front of criminals she was cold, as if not a drop of blood would spill even if pricked. This was exactly what Red Bear admired most—her philosophy of treating only the truly humane as humans aligned perfectly with his own beliefs.

“By the way, has Gallen arrived with his daughter?”

Talk of treatment reminded her of the hospital construction plans. She had been eager to see progress. It bothered her that so many people lived within the walls, yet there wasn’t even a proper hospital.

“Yes, and he brought along a young doctor as well. Would you like to meet them?”

“Excellent. Since we’re on the subject, also think of ways to invite more doctors to Grace.”

“Shall I send a request to the guild?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. And bring in more builders and skilled craftsmen too. Make sure they know that their families will be given generous benefits if they settle here permanently.”

“Yes, understood.”

Red Bear and Handsome listened intently, their eyes gleaming so as not to miss a single instruction.

Dong-hee, more interested in meeting Gallen and his daughter than in checking on the criminals, closed her notebook and rose from her seat.

“Will you not go see the prisoners?”

Red Bear assumed she would want to personally oversee their transfer, but—

“No. I’ll go meet Gallen. You can handle the prisoners well enough on your own, can’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Feeling the weight of responsibility grow heavier, Red Bear straightened his back and replied in a firm voice.

“And what of that drug peddler’s execution? Has it been prepared? No movement from Batre’s gang?”

“Nothing unusual so far. Shilo seems to be waiting for something, but he’s clearly growing anxious at the silence.”

Shilo was the name of the Batre underling currently imprisoned in the dungeon. Dong-hee nodded slowly. All that talk about loyalty and brotherhood—and yet it looked like he’d simply been abandoned.

“Even so, don’t let your guard down. They could suddenly attempt a rescue.”

“Yes.”

Though uneasy about Batre’s lack of movement, Dong-hee trusted Red Bear above anyone else. For now, she turned her focus to meeting Gallen.

The main building designated as the temporary hospital was a side residence within the castle. It wasn’t large, but the plan was to use the first floor for consultations, part of the first and second floors for wards, and the third floor as living quarters for the doctors.

The building was sturdy enough to serve as a hospital, but it was smaller than Dong-hee had envisioned, and inconveniently located. She believed hospitals should be easily accessible, so her ultimate goal was to build one near the walls, where people could reach it more quickly.

When the young lord appeared at the residence, Gallen and the two youths quickly jumped up from unpacking their luggage.

“My lady!”

Gallen, hair streaked with gray, bowed deeply to the young lord.

To Sella, his daughter, the sight was shocking. Her father—who had never once bowed servilely even before high nobles—was bowing to someone who looked even younger than herself.

He had persuaded her to come to Grace, insisting that the lord here was different from other nobles. Though she trusted her father’s word, she still thought, A noble is a noble. They all pretend to be kind and caring, but in truth, they see commoners as less than human, blinded by privilege.

She expected the young lord to stand stiffly, accept their bow, say a few arrogant words, and leave. But instead—

“Gallen! Thank you for making the journey. And this must be your daughter, Sella?”

The lord strode forward warmly, grasped her father’s hand in a hearty handshake, then turned to her with a bright smile, extending a hand. The outfit she wore was also shockingly different from other nobles.

Pants?

They were wide-legged, almost resembling a skirt, but unmistakably pants. And there were no ostentatious jewels—only a simple necklace. Sella’s thoughts spun in confusion.

She instinctively clasped the lord’s hand and bowed her head.

“Gallen speaks highly of you. My hopes for you are great. Become the finest doctor in Grace, known throughout the land.”

“Th-thank you, my lady.”

No one had ever told her that before. Not even her father. At most, she’d been expected to assist him or play the role of a nurse. To be told directly that she could be a doctor—it felt surreal.

Unaware of her turmoil, the lord continued smiling warmly and turned to the young man beside her.

“And you are a doctor as well?”

“Yes. I studied under Master Gallen. I’ve only recently earned my license, but I will do my utmost to care for the patients.”

“I see. What’s your name?”

Dong-hee glanced at Gallen with satisfaction, then looked back at the young man.

“You may call me Medic.”

“Medic. An excellent name. Gallen, Sella, Medic—you three will build a wonderful hospital together. I’ll give you my full support. For today, rest and recover from your travels. Then join me at the castle this evening for dinner, and we can speak more. I must see to other matters now—will that be alright?”

“Of course, my lady,” Gallen answered in place of the two still too stunned to speak.

Even after the lord departed, Sella and Medic stood dazed, as though a whirlwind had just swept through.

“Father… that really was the lord?”

“Yes. Well? Didn’t I tell you? She’s not like the others.”

“She’s… really not. She’s so different, it’s almost unbelievable.”

Sella’s voice was distant with disbelief.

Dragged from the dungeon for his execution, Shilo looked far worse than the day he was first captured.

Starved, filthy, more ragged than a vagrant, and with his eyes stripped of spirit, he trembled before the shadow of death. Still, some desperate part of him clung to the hope that Batre would rescue him. His eyes darted frantically across the crowd.

But the people gathered in the square to witness his hanging were not his longed-for comrades. They were the bereaved families of those killed in the battle with Qulen, and the villagers of Grace.

The gallows loomed larger and more terrifying than he had imagined. Shilo tried not to tremble, but his body betrayed him.

“Move.”

The executioner seized his arm. Shilo stumbled, crashing to the ground at the foot of the stairs, unable to break his fall with his hands bound behind him. His knees and face smacked the wood hard, but he barely felt the pain anymore.

He was hauled upright, his legs quivering uncontrollably as he was forced up the wooden steps.

Still, there was no sign of Captain Batre. Shilo remembered his promise clearly: that as long as he remained loyal, he would be rescued no matter the cost. But now he realized—there was no hope.

At last he reached the top of the gallows, designed to hang three at once. Alone and shaking, he shuffled forward step by step.

The crowd fell silent, staring intently at him, as though to etch his last moments into memory.

When Shilo reached the center, Red Bear began reading his crimes in a loud voice.

“Criminal Shilo knowingly created drugs that would claim countless lives, yet—”

His booming words carried across the square. Only then did the weeping of the bereaved begin to ripple through the crowd.

And then—

“I—I know where the contract is!”

Facing the noose dangling before him, Shilo suddenly shouted.