Chapter 345 - What Kind Of Doctor Is This?
"Actually, I was not too confident if Brother Leonhardt is a skilled doctor or not, but seeing that Brother Leonhardt had not denied it really puts my heart at ease." Goldenrod rubbed his hands together and spoke with an embarrassed yet honest smile.
"If you were not confident, then why would you still bring me here? Aren't you just asking for trouble if I was not as skilled as you had hoped? The Shaman's son shouldn't be suffering from a normal illness, no?"
Leon was a bit speechless. Perhaps, he was giving Goldenrod too much credit.
"Brother Leonhardt might have already realized this, but the Venerable Shaman had been looking for skilled doctors to treat his son. Anyone who can cure his son will be entitled to take anything they fancy from the Venerable Shaman's store or make a single request of the Venerable Shaman."
"All the medical experts have already tried their luck, but not a single one of them had been successful in treating the Venerable Shaman's son in the past 2 years." Goldenrod quietly whispered to Leon.
There was a reason why he took Leon here. If Leon was able to cure the Venerable Shaman's son, the Venerable Shaman might also let him pick a few items as a reward.
Shortly after they entered the courtyard, the Old Shaman directed, "Wait here for a bit."
The Old Shaman did not provide any explanation and disappeared into his humble abode with Little Bone.
Goldenrod looked at the Venerable Shaman's disappearing back, before he continued to whisper to Leon in a lower voice, "What you don't know is that for the past 3 months, the same doctor has been attending the Venerable Shaman's son. The Venerable Shaman is also very respectful towards this new doctor."
"Oh? Sounds the Venerable Shaman met a capable doctor. If that is the case, what reason is there for me to come here?" Leon asked nonchalantly without a hint of emotion.
Obviously, he did not believe what he said. If the doctor was truly capable, it should not take more than 2 months to treat a patient.
That being said, the Infertile Plains lacked the environment needed to grow medicinal herbs, and Leon did not know anything about the local doctors' methods in treating their patients.
He was only speaking relatively due to the Old Shaman's respect for the person.
"Capable doctor? No, that person is a quack doctor. I have seen his methods, and I believe Brother Leonhardt has a better chance at curing the Venerable Shaman's son than that person." Goldenrod said as he tried to bootlick Leon.
What else could he say? If the quack doctor does manage to cure the Venerable Shaman's son, wouldn't he lose the opportunity to upgrade his equipment?
Naturally, Leon did not buy into Goldenrod's bootlicking. Nevertheless, he was curious about what kind of illness the Old Shaman's son had contracted to cause all the doctors in the tribe to be helpless.
"Since you have seen the quack—Ahem, that doctor's methods, surely you must have seen the condition of the Venerable Shaman's son as well. Exactly what is he suffering from?"
"Demon Possession."
The one who answered his question was not Goldenrod, but the Old Shaman.
After the Old Shaman exited his abode, he glanced at Leon and said, "Are you really here to treat my son? How can you not even know what he is suffering from? Such news should have spread to every corner of the tribe long ago."
'I haven't even seen your son. How would I know what he is suffering from until I diagnose him?' Leon's mouth twitched, but he chose to remain silent.
Demon Possession was not an illness exclusive to the Old Shaman's son. Although it was not common, it was not exactly rare for humans on the Infertile Plains to suffer from this illness.
No cure had been found for people who suffered Demon Possession, but the Old Shaman had never stopped hoping that a time would come when there will be one.
"Venerable Shaman, if I may speak freely." Goldenrod respectfully requested.
After the Old Shaman gave him an acknowledging nod, Goldenrod began to explain, "Brother Leonhardt is not someone from our tribe, and I had brought him here shortly after the battle ended. This is why he is unaware of your son's symptoms."
"Oh? I see I see. So, you're the Leonhardt." The Old Shaman stroked his grey beard with a look of understanding, and his impression of Leon completely changed.
"You've heard of me?" Leon smiled plainly.
"Of course, I have. Don't underestimate how fast rumors travel, kiddo. You are the talk of the town right now."
"Makes sense." Leon nodded in agreement.
The Old Shaman gave Goldenrod a look and said, "Leave us."
"Eh?" Goldenrod was taken aback, but he recovered quickly with a bow and said, "I pray for your son's successful treatment, Venerable Shaman."
Shortly after Goldenrod left the courtyard to give Leon and the Old Shaman some privacy, the Old Shaman calmly asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"
Leon was surprised by the sudden question, but he did not lose his composure. He responded calmly, "As Goldenrod had said, I do not come from this tribe."
"You know as well as I, that was not what I was asking, but don't worry. If you really cure my son, I can help you keep your secret." The Old Shaman stated.
It did not take an idiot to guess that the Old Shaman had figured out Leon was not someone from the Infertile Plains.
Leon's brows were furrowed. But after a moment, they were relaxed with a sigh.
"Can I ask how you found out?" He asked respectfully.
"A normal person would have at least shown some reaction at the mention of Demon Possession, but you did not. And neither did you have the look of respect that everyone should have towards Shamans. You were too calm in both instances, so calm that I found it strange." The Old Shaman explained.
"But if I am a Shaman and know how to treat Demon Possessions, wouldn't it make perfect sense for my calmness?" Leon refuted.
"Then, if I was to ask you what a Shaman is, and what a Demon Possession is, would you be able to answer them?" The Old Shaman chuckled as he stroke his beard.
Leon could only shake his head ruefully as he was silenced by the question the Old Shaman posed. The lack of information was his undoing.
"Alright, follow me. I will take you to my son. Be mindful of your steps, and don't interrupt the other doctor during his treatment." The Old Shaman said.
Leon nodded and followed the Old Shaman inside quietly. As they passed a few rooms and headed towards the furthest room from the entrance, he began to hear soft mumbles that grew more audibly as they drew closer.
"Demon Possession is deemed to be incurable, but I don't believe it. What do you think? Now that you have seen it, are you confident in curing him?" The Old Shaman asked shortly after they entered the room.
On the bed, Leon was able to see a sleeping middle-aged man tightly restrained by high-level bindings that are reinforced with runic enchantments.
The middle-aged man had a similar appearance to all the other male warriors he had seen. He was tanned, huge, and extremely muscular.
The only difference was that horns were growing on his forehead and scales partially formed on his arms. As for anything else, it could not be observed on the surface with his eyes.
"A half-demonized, huh?"
Leon rubbed his chin in thought as he observed the middle-aged man. He was not in a hurry to inspect with divine sense, lest he awakens the half-demonized man.
Demon Possession was exactly as it sounded like. It was the process of Demon Core germinated and demonizing its host.
It had become apparent to Leon that even though these humans were able to harness Darkness Profound Energy, they were not freed from the risk of demonizing themselves.
"There's a chance, but it won't be easy," Leon stated after some thought.
Although the demonizing process had already commenced, the situation was still salvageable if the victim's mind had yet to be devoured by the Demon Core.
"As long as there's a chance." The Old Shaman said with a rare smile. Every time a doctor diagnosed his son, he had always been left with a disappointing answer.
"However, I want to ask…" Leon slowly said as he shifted his attention towards the person sitting beside the half-demonized man.
This person must be the 'quack doctor' that Goldenrod was referring to.
He could hear the person continuously chanting lines like "go to sleep, get better, it's going to be okay, and begone demon."
These four lines were repeated with such seriousness and so oftenly that although he had just arrive and had not been around for long, he was already getting headaches from it. Simply said, he was sick of hearing it.
"…What kind of doctor is this?"
"A Witch Doctor." The Old Shaman answered with a hint of respect in his eyes.
Leon was immediately left speechless.