Chapter 82: The Damned Urge to Win
Duru Medical Hall.
Under the illumination of the crystal chandelier, a little girl with fair skin was sipping milk from a small cup. She had a pair of golden deer antlers on her head, and despite looking a bit thin, she was still cute and fair.
Roland sat across from her, with a gentle smile on his lips. The little girl was picked up last night and, although she had been as black as coal, she turned out to be quite adorable after being cleaned up.
When the girl finished her milk, Roland spoke in a warm voice, "Dora, where is your mother?"
Dora looked up, with a milk mustache still on her lips, and her eyes immediately turned red. She whispered, "She's dead. She died when she gave birth to me."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
Roland quickly apologized, feeling like he had committed a crime with his previous question.
"It's okay, Brother Roland saved me and my father. You're our savior." Dora held back her tears, shook her head resolutely, and asked with concern, "Is my father... okay?"
Looking at the sensible child, Roland's heart softened. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the milk mustache from her lips, smiling as he patted her head. "Don't worry, I'm the most skilled doctor in the Abyss. I'll cure him."
"But..." Dora hesitated and pointed her finger, "Father said that the best doctor in the Abyss is Doctor Charlotte."
Roland's expression stiffened. It was Charlotte again...
Even such a young child knew about Charlotte?
The damned urge to win.
"Well, Charlotte is indeed a good doctor." Roland smiled and nodded, telling himself not to be jealous. It was just a child's opinion, and she would change her mind soon.
"Let's go. I'll take you to see your father. He should be awake now." Roland took Dora's little hand and walked towards the door.
Ivan had been seriously injured last night, receiving five or six stabs in a fight with someone. If it hadn't been for his luck to encounter Roland, he wouldn't even have had time to be taken to a clinic.
The injuries had been treated, but what truly worried Roland was his severe addiction to magic drugs. His body had been depleted, indicating that he had been taking the drugs for at least six months. It would be difficult to endure the drug withdrawal when the addiction flared up.
"Where is my daughter? Dora... Where is Dora?" As soon as they reached the door, Ivan's weak and anxious voice could be heard.
"Father! Father, I'm here!" Dora let go of Roland's hand and quickly ran into the room.
Roland glanced at his hand and felt a slight sense of loss. If he had a daughter as adorable as her, it would be wonderful.
But he hadn't even gotten married, so where would a daughter come from?
"Dora." Ivan tightly embraced his daughter, tears streaming down his face when he saw that she had been cleaned up and dressed in a beautiful little dress.
Last night, he thought he would surely die, gambling on the people in the carriage taking pity on Dora and taking her away.
But he didn't expect that he would survive and that Dora would be taken care of so well.
After waiting at the door for a while, Roland finally entered the room.
"You must be Lord Roland. Thank you for saving me and Dora." Ivan quickly held onto Dora and was about to kneel in front of Roland.
The servants had informed him of who had saved him when they delivered breakfast this morning.
Lord Roland of the Duru family, the head of the Duru Medical Hall.
The true power in the Abyss.
Roland reached out and supported Ivan, preventing him from kneeling, and smiled, "No need for that. I just did what I could."
He helped Ivan back to sit on the edge of the bed and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort in your body now?"
"Other than feeling weak all over, I have no other discomfort." Ivan shook his head.
He was well aware of how many stabs he received from those guys yesterday.
He thought he would surely die, but when he woke up today, he couldn't find a single wound on his body.
Only a few shallow pink scars remained, which were hardly noticeable unless one looked closely.
Roland truly lived up to his reputation as the head of the Duru Medical Hall. His medical skills were truly remarkable.
"That's good." Roland nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He thought Ivan's drug addiction would have flared up, but based on his words and actions, he didn't seem to be forcibly suppressing the addiction.
Could it be that he took magic drugs yesterday? And he is still in the excited phase?
But that didn't make sense either. As the head of the Duru Medical Hall, Roland had seen many patients addicted to magic drugs.
After taking the drugs, their emotions would become extremely excited, and their behavior and speech would become abnormal.
Ivan's current state didn't resemble the behavior after taking the drugs.
"The package you were carrying last night is placed at the foot of the bed," Roland casually mentioned.
Ivan, upon hearing this, looked a little nervous at the package for a moment but quickly averted his gaze and replied, "Thank you."
"What is he so nervous about?" Roland narrowed his eyes. He had inspected the package last night in the carriage.
Inside were two bottles of ordinary stamina potions and two bottles of unknown potions, but it was certain that they were not magic drugs.
Worried that Ivan's addiction might flare up and harm Dora, Roland directly asked, "You have been taking magic drugs, haven't you?"
Ivan's face showed a look of shame upon hearing this. He lowered his head and replied softly, "Yes, because of the magic drugs, I lost my family fortune and ended up in this sorry state. I have failed at life."
At that moment, a small hand reached out and tightly held Ivan's hand. Proudly, the little girl said, "Father has stopped using magic drugs now. He is the most amazing tailor in the Abyss, and he can make beautiful dresses."
Ivan's desolate heart trembled as he looked at the little figure standing in front of him, the soft hand in his palm injecting him with immense energy, making his heart warm and tender once again.
Roland felt a pang of sourness. Even though he had fallen into such a wretched state, in his daughter's heart, he was still the best tailor, a towering father figure.
But he also keenly grasped an important piece of information.
"You have quit using magic drugs?" Roland cautiously asked.
Logic told him that this was impossible.
For someone like Ivan, a severe magic drug addict, had reached the end of his life and could only wait for death. It was impossible for him to successfully quit using magic drugs.
However, his current physical condition truly seemed like he had completely overcome the drugs, as there were no signs of magic drug addiction.
This was beyond his understanding.
"Yes... yes." Ivan nodded, his gaze is evasive, not daring to meet Roland's eyes.
Upon hearing Ivan's admission, Roland's eyes widened, but he managed to restrain his outburst and maintained his composure in front of the child. He asked, "How did you manage to quit?"
He had participated in several treatments for mild magic drug addicts, but there was only one successful case, which left severe aftereffects.
The addiction would still flare up every half month, and the patient had to be tied up by family members to endure it.
Other patients either couldn't bear the pain of the addiction and committed suicide, or they couldn't resist the temptation and started using magic drugs again, giving up completely.
For someone like Ivan, a severe addict, to successfully quit using magic drugs was simply impossible!