I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 10 The condition worsens
After one hour.

DuPont groggily opened his eyes and subconsciously touched his rumbling stomach.

He woke up from hunger.

As the saying goes, a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. DuPont was already quite big at his age, and missing lunch made his stomach rumble in protest.

However, besides the unbearable hunger, DuPont also felt that his vision was somewhat dark, and occasionally he could see stars.

The darkness startled DuPont; had this divine magic failed? "Teacher, why can't I see anything?"

"You're awake? Don't worry, brain trauma is no small matter. You'll be fine after a rest."

The doctor's voice rang in his ears, then his head was lifted, his lips were pried open, and warm, sweet liquid slid into his mouth, which he swallowed in large gulps.

This tastes...like milk, but the flavor seems quite different. It also has a faint, refreshing aroma.
After resting for a few more minutes, DuPont's vision slowly returned to normal, and he saw the female doctor's face right in front of him.

Strands of his hair fell naturally, brushing against his cheeks and tickling him slightly.

Seeing that DuPont's eyes had regained their sparkle, the female doctor helped him sit up: "Your head injury has been healed by the priest, so there's no need to worry anymore. Your bodily functions should have recovered quite a bit as well. The only problem now is malnutrition. There's nothing that can be done with magic. The best way to recover is to eat well from now on. You need to eat milk, bread, meat, and vegetables. It will heal on its own in a few weeks."

This is naturally a good thing, but DuPont felt a lot of pressure: "Does that mean I now owe the church 50 gold coins?"

“50 gold? 100 gold is the correct price for this divine spell. If you were out and about and suffered this kind of injury, even if you paid, the priests of other temples might not be willing to treat you.”

After the female doctor finished speaking, she looked at the heartbroken expression on the young man's face, which resembled that of someone who had lost their wallet, and a smile flashed across her lips: "However, after learning about your situation, Pastor Dorothy has decided to waive this fee for you. You only need to volunteer for 4 hours every Sunday at church this month."

DuPont finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

I initially thought I was being forced into this, but I was surprised to find that the pastor actually had a conscience. She truly is a woman with a heart as vast as the ocean.

As for volunteering, this should mean that he will volunteer for free during Sunday services, accumulating 16 hours a month in exchange for a divine spell worth 50 gold coins. It seems like a good deal no matter how you look at it.

If he has the ability to generate hourly wages, paying off 1000 gold coins wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Thank you, doctor. I'm going back to eat now."

"I've saved a special meal for you. It's on that table over there, but it might be a little cold. Just grab a bite if you like. I'm a bit busy right now. Help yourself after you're done eating."

After Sophie finished speaking, she went into the next room. DuPont breathed a sigh of relief that no one was watching over her and looked at the food on the table.

The juicy roasted pork chops sprinkled with plenty of spices, the cheesy baked bread with the center hollowed out and filled with cheese, ham, eggs and bread, the refreshing fruit salad and seafood clam chowder—it's all incredibly luxurious.

I don’t know if it was because it didn’t cost any money, but DuPont ate this meal with extra relish, even though it was cold, and it tasted much better than yesterday’s dinner.

Having successfully finished his lunch, DuPont, feeling a little dizzy from the food, stretched happily and said, "Thank you, doctor. I cleaned this with the dust removal technique. Should I put it in the kitchen?"

"I'll have the skeleton servant deliver it later. It's still early, it's past 12 o'clock, so you can go about your business."

"By the way, remember to eat well from now on. Come back for a follow-up check-up next week when you have time, so I can check on your recovery."

After expressing his gratitude again, DuPont left the infirmary feeling refreshed, wondering if his spell class would be any better. He glanced at the system; sure enough, the marker for his head injury had disappeared, leaving only the "malnutrition" label.

The divine arts of this world are truly amazing; it is indeed a world with a true god.

However, just as DuPont was about to close the door, he noticed a changed label.

Constitution 13 (-3)

Physical condition: Malnutrition (Constitution -3)

Hey, I saw it was -2 to Constitution before, how come it's -3 now?
Didn't you say that all your illnesses were cured? Why am I even weaker now?

What happened during the hour he was asleep? Could that wicked female doctor have conducted some evil experiment on his body?
Is there a detailed record of me personally?

Soon the information he needed appeared before him.

At 11:05:54 Harua time, you were hit by the first-circle divine spell: Charm.
At 11:06:10, you were hit by the second-level divine spell: Detect Consciousness.
At 11:07, you were hit by a first-circle spell, Sleep, and your consciousness was interrupted.

At 11:20, you received the second-circle divine spell: Lesser Restoration. The divine healing power nourished your body, your head injury healed, your muscles began to radiate new vitality, and your constitution recovered to 14.
At 12:01, your body is even weaker (Constitution -3).

At 12:07:10, you woke up.

Looking at this list of records, DuPont was first speechless, then furious.

Damn it, I'm just a 14-year-old kid who came to see a doctor. How come these two people used so many random and irrelevant spells on me and secretly kept it from me?

Even though her body had been cured, she was weak again. What did they do to her in the 40 minutes after they finished treating her?
Thinking about his handsome face and recalling how the female doctor seemed to have softened her attitude after he woke up, DuPont had a vague answer in his heart about what he had encountered.

Damn it, did I get ripped off?

It was that kind of despicable tactic of just inviting him to a meal, then secretly drugging him to make him lose consciousness and taking advantage of him.

Thinking about this, DuPont was furious.

You said it was just for treating the illness!

If you had said something, I might not have disagreed. But isn't it a bit shameless of you to do it to me while I was unconscious?
I haven't had my fun yet!

Thinking of this, DuPont felt truly indignant and furious.

It's outrageous! How can this Feren disregard even the most basic human rights? Does power give him the right to drug her? Can a few small favors conceal the truth? Why are these powerful people always so arrogant? I'm just a lowly apprentice wanting medical treatment, and I'm being kept in the dark and manipulated. When will this oppression of apprentices stop? When will we men be able to stand up for ourselves?
Wait a minute, it seems that Harua, where he is, is already considered the beacon of civilization in Faerûn. In the northern mage kingdom of Sel, the red-robed mages all have their own abnormalities when it comes to advancement. For example, one branch requires becoming a lich to gain power.

In some small towns, monks still practice the old-fashioned private apprenticeship system. It's not uncommon for them to use their disciples as guinea pigs, and even if someone dies, they don't have to compensate the family.
Ugh, this damn Middle Ages, it's so boring without status and position.

After mentally punching himself, DuPont went to the finance department to submit his leave request. But just as he was leaving, his eyes lit up, and he looked at the impatient-looking middle-aged employee and asked, "Sir, can I pick up next week's scroll now?"

(End of this chapter)