Chapter 151 – The Young Lady (3)
Chivalry (騎士道).
The way of the knight.
The virtues, codes of conduct, or sense of propriety that knights—often called the tanks of medieval Europe—were supposed to uphold.
It may sound noble when dressed up in pretty words, but the Chivalry of the Olympics is essentially proxy warfare between nations disguised as “jousting tournaments.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
After hearing my plan, Song Sun-young openly showed her discomfort.
“It’ll be fine.”
“I’m not fine!”
“…I know how to ride a horse properly, I’ve used swords a lot in my dreams, and I’ve only skipped the practical training for lance charges.”
“What about archery?”
“Uh… I’ll have to practice that one.”
In the world of the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, I had the chance to learn from an expert, but I skipped it to save time.
“And overall, it’s dangerous. Even this time, when you suddenly jumped out of the car—I was really shocked.”
“I’m reflecting on it. Ahem!”
I had been way too faithful to my instincts back then.
“Forget Chivalry. How about we just strengthen your security and protection instead?”
“It’s already been strengthened.”
After the government’s previous complacency got tightened up, quite a bit of tax money and manpower is now being poured into my security detail.
“Then isn’t that enough?”
“…I want to catch them.”
I really, really want to cut off the wrist of the bastard who took out his anger on an athlete just because he lost big on sports toto.
“No.”
“Please…!”
When I was alone, I never needed anyone’s permission for my plans.
But now that I have a girlfriend?
Without Song Sun-young’s permission, I can’t just do whatever I want with my own body. It feels absurd, yet somehow this restraint feels strangely good—I don’t even know why.
“Then I have a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Give me absolute belief that you will never get hurt.”
“…You’re telling me to find a way to plant that belief in you?”
“Yes.”
“……”
It was an extremely difficult condition.
“If you can’t even do this, then give up on Chivalry cleanly.”
“I’ll find a way.”
For now, let’s first raise my abilities for Chivalry to an ‘overwhelming’ level and think about it later.
***
I can’t arbitrarily change the dreams of Ranuvel patients. The format is me intruding into the ideal world they desire.
But selection?
That’s the work I have to do starting now.
“When you asked me to find Ranuvel patients dreaming of a medieval setting, I thought you were joking.”
“I’m completely serious.”
“Are you planning to film a real-life 1-vs-30 movie scene by entering Chivalry?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh… Here, take a look.”
Swish—
Vice Director Seo Hye-joo laid out six sheets of paper with patient personal information side by side in front of me.
“Hmm… All the patients are women.”
“Men, even when they’re adults, tend to prefer more intense combat because they’re still boys at heart. Magic, superpowers, martial arts, that kind of thing…”
“Ah-ha!”
The novels and comics men read leave no room for knights. In worlds where a single magic spell can wipe out thousands, knights are just money-wasting trash—just like how the introduction of firearms led to the downfall of the knight class.
‘That checks out.’
Looking back at the dreams of the male patients I’ve handled so far, it was exactly like that.
Magic Boy Choi Kang-min, Supreme Martial Artist Mao Zhai, SSS-Class Hunter Park Hyo-man.
Nam Hae-soo was the only exception because he focused on economic activities after returning to the past. All the other male patients had dream worlds with special powers.
On the other hand, what about the women?
My girlfriend Song Sun-young, the youngest daughter of a count’s family Kim Eun-jung, palace maid Yoon So-ra.
Their dreams were clean zones with almost no strange powers.
“I understand.”
“But I can’t guarantee anything. I didn’t peek into the patients’ dreams and pick them myself.”
“I understand that too.”
Flip flip~
From here on, I have no choice but to rely on my intuition and experience while looking at the Ranuvel patients’ personal information.
Just looking at the titles of the works they loved most in reality…
<The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>
<I Became the Great-Granddaughter of the Iron-Blooded Archduke.>
<I’m the Emperor’s Daughter-in-Law?!>
<Prince! Please Take My Hand!>
<The Emperor’s Adopted Daughter>
<The Young Lady Has Decided to Run Away!>
“…They’re all similar.”
I haven’t read the plots yet, but the starting premise is the same: born as the daughter of a wealthy family and living a comfortable life.
It’s not particularly important, but maybe because I suffered a lot since childhood, I don’t really like protagonists who have smooth, easy lives.
“Can’t decide?”
“They’re all too far removed from war. It feels like the knights would carry bouquets of flowers instead of swords.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure I fully understand the kind of work you’re looking for. Can you give me an example?”
“Just a moment.”
After searching the internet for a long while, I finally found one.
<I Became the Princess of a Defeated Nation!>
Just from the title, it screams that the protagonist’s suffering will never end!
“This one looks like it would have zero popularity.”
“Why?”
“No reader wants to read about a protagonist struggling with constipation. People are curious about which guy she ends up with.”
“Hmm…”
“I get that your tastes are quite far from mainstream, but Ranuvel patients pursue extremely comfortable lives.”
“What about Yoon So-ra-ssi?”
A palace maid’s life doesn’t exactly sound comfortable…
“That child is a workaholic. If she doesn’t clean on her days off, she gets so anxious she can’t sleep. She’s gotten a bit better lately, though.”
“Ah-ha!”
While personal preferences vary, I agree that Ranuvel patients seek comfortable lives in their dreams.
Grandchild of a conglomerate, magic boy, disciple of the Heavenly Demon, youngest daughter of a count’s family, SSS-Class Hunter…
From the very start, the protagonist is given powerful privileges.
“Should we look for more patients?”
“No.”
“…You’re clearly scheming something.”
“Haha! No way.”
If it’s a world where knights carry flower bouquets instead of swords?
I’ll just start a war myself.
***
There are hundreds of confirmed Ranuvel patients worldwide. Meanwhile, there is only one shaman who can treat them: ‘Kang Moon-soo.’
Moreover, since treatment requires an irreplaceable amount of time that money can’t buy, I can’t accept every patient indiscriminately.
The conclusion?
Age, status, wealth, appearance, personality…
I have no choice but to carefully select patients based on various criteria.
“The government is extremely negative about you leaving the country.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a chance you might go abroad and never come back. The country hasn’t exactly given you enough reasons to feel patriotic, has it?”
“Exactly.”
I don’t care about racial discrimination—as long as the language barrier isn’t an issue, I’d be fine living in any country.
“I overheard the excuses from the National Security Agency people. It was quite a spectacle.”
“What did they say?”
“They were more worried about you leaving the country than about your safety. The fact that they even called that an excuse makes me think their aptitude tests aren’t perfect either.”
“So?”
“Any Ranuvel patient who wants treatment from you must enter the country unconditionally. The government strongly demanded it under the pretext of providing security.”
“Geez…”
That filters out most Ranuvel patients right there.
To enter the country?
The patient has to be healthy enough to endure a long flight, the guardian has to handle language barriers and accommodation, and they still have to pass the strict immigration screening.
“It’s really strict.”
“Is this country always like this?”
“No. It’s strict because of you. There are many countries that want to take you away. They’re extremely wary of guardians entering under the guise of accompanying the patient just to lure you out.”
“…What a tiring life.”
“That’s politics for you. That’s why politicians exist. They’re the kind of people who actually feel happiness in that exhausting life.”
“Oh…”
That’s actually a pretty cool line. I should remember it for later.
“Any of the six patients I showed you earlier will do. They’re the survivors who already passed all those picky conditions.”
“Hmm…”
Since the patient’s appearance, nationality, name, and so on aren’t particularly important, I looked at the titles of the works once again.
<The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>
<I Became the Great-Granddaughter of the Iron-Blooded Archduke.>
<I’m the Emperor’s Daughter-in-Law?!>
<Prince! Please Take My Hand!>
<The Emperor’s Adopted Daughter>
<The Young Lady Has Decided to Run Away!>
I also read the neatly summarized plot summaries below and organized my thoughts.
‘My goal.’
I need to master overwhelming mounted combat skills—enough to put Song Sun-young at ease.
The conditions?
An excellent mentor who can teach me.
An environment where I can gain real combat (war) experience.
I’ve always chased after money and profit, but this time, the treatment is purely for improving my own abilities.
“…I’ll go with this patient.”
Flip flip~
I waved the sheet of paper.
<The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>
The story of a young lady who never has a boring day thanks to the constant barrage of gifts from handsome men, letting out happy screams of delight.
It feels weird choosing based on the work rather than the person, but since the dream world is far more important than the patient herself, it can’t be helped.
“I’m curious why you chose this one.”
“Because there are no variables.”
“Variables?”
“There doesn’t seem to be any chance the patient will become anyone other than the protagonist.”
Nobody hates free stuff, right?
It’s hard to imagine the patient turning down gifts from handsome men and choosing someone else instead. This work has literally nothing going for it except the fun of unboxing presents!
In other words, the protagonist is the patient.
It’s certain!
“Looks like finding the right patient is the most exhausting part.”
“Yes. Extremely.”
In the world of the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, I wasted so much time because I mistook the patient for ‘Deok-chun.’
And besides,
‘It seems like waking her up will be easy too.’
If the handsome men who were delivering gifts to the beautiful protagonist get caught up in a ‘war’ and wiped out, she’ll wake up from the dream immediately.
Perfect!
“I’ll prepare right away. Even if I contact them now, it’ll take some time for her to enter the country.”
“That’s fine. Take your time. I need time to analyze <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything> as well.”
Let’s research the most effective way to start a war!
***
No matter how much the patient is secondary, I can’t be completely indifferent.
“For someone who’s been on an IV drip for over five years, she looks surprisingly fine.”
Even if they said she fell asleep just a few days ago, I’d believe it—her condition was that good.
“She’s emaciated.”
“This much?”
“They said her weight right before collapsing was in the triple digits.”
“…She’s incredibly thin now!”
“That’s why at first they mistakenly thought it was high blood pressure and diabetes. For a young patient who was in critical health due to extreme obesity, this might actually be a blessing in disguise.”
“What if she just opens her eyes?”
“Exactly. If she opens her eyes now, she can start a healthy new life.”
“That’s great. I should take a photo of her current state to show the patient inside the dream.”
Showing it when I want to wake her up would probably have a strong effect.
Maybe Vice Director Seo Hye-joo had the same thought.
“You sure make this look easy, huh?”
She looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression.
“Please say I’ve gained some skill.”
“Then how about speeding up the treatment pace a little for Ranuvel patients around the world?”
“And in the process, you get promoted too? You’re only one step away now.”
“You know me well.”
The second-in-command of Elmolance University Hospital skillfully inserted the IV into the patient’s arm.
“What about Yoon So-ra-ssi?”
Why is she doing it herself when there’s a nurse whose aptitude is ‘doctor’?
“She went to the rehabilitation center to see her parents.”
“Ah…”
Her parents had been diagnosed with virtual reality game addiction and were admitted to the rehab center. Refusing admission would turn it into a “malicious crime” rather than a mental illness, resulting in heavier punishment—so they had no choice.
“Still, isn’t it a bit sudden?”
“Yeah. I feel bad saying this myself, but it’s because they like me.”
“Sun-young didn’t come either.”
“Huh… Wait, really?”
Now that I think about it—true?!
I’m slightly shocked.
“So-ra apparently had a meltdown last night because the pet her parents were raising in the game was about to starve to death.”
“…Yeah, that’s a good reason not to come.”
“Shall we get started?”
“Yes.”
I lay straight down on the bed next to the patient.
My senior could probably take control of my body and wake me up quickly if needed, but there’s no harm in being careful.
“……”
I took one last look at the peacefully sleeping patient ‘Vienna Susan’ to memorize her face,
Tap.
I touched the back of the Ranuvel patient’s hand and infiltrated the world of her dream.
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TL Note:
The novel is fully completed (231 chapters)
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