"Ugh!"
Dominic gasped for air as he regained consciousness.
Am I chained up? Surely it must be a damp underground dungeon. With such thoughts, he opened his eyes, but what was this?
"Hmm, hmm. You've finally co to your senses."
It was a room filled with warm sunlight.
Dominic was not tied to any wooden chair or anything of the sort. On the contrary, he was lying on high-end bedding, the likes of which he had never experienced in either this life or the last.
"It seems my subordinates misunderstood my instructions. I didn't expect them to bring you so roughly. I apologize."
A middle-aged man, scratching his cheek as if sowhat embarrassed, ca forward with an apology.
"Oh, it's alright. People make mistakes."
Dominic carefully got down from the bed and replied in a sowhat groveling manner, rolling his eyes.
'Oh, crap. One wrong move and I'm really dead! They're all carrying real swords!'
Both the middle-aged man and the two knights, who had clearly been the ones to knock him out and bring him here, were ard with longswords and daggers.
No, even without weapons, fighting them would be impossible.
The knights guarding the door, and the middle-aged man in casual clothes who was chuckling, had muscles much larger than those of Calron, the village strongman. They were clearly human weapons.
Sweat trickled down his spine.
"But what should I call your honor?"
"How dare you!"
"Tsk-!"
At Dominic's words, one of the knights, standing like a screen, burst out angrily. However, the middle-aged man made a clicking sound with his tongue, and the knight returned to his position with a startled look on his face.
"I apologize for the late introduction. I am Theodore Sinclair."
Sinclair? Theodore?
"I've heard that na before... Eek!"
Dominic quickly knelt and bowed deeply.
"Lord!"
"Hehe, what Lord? I'm just an old man in the back room."
"Please, spare my life!"
Not knowing exactly what wrong he had done to be dragged and treated so uniquely by the Lord, Dominic knew this was no small matter.
'Did they notice my irreverent thoughts when the village chief changed? Calron, this bald-headed man, really! It's not fine, it's not fine at all!'
He could think of no other wrong he had committed.
The village chief was the person who led the villagers on behalf of the lord. Changing the na on docunts because 'he did not want to study' could be considered a blasphemous act.
'But why would a high lord care about such things?'
Though he had so doubts, his first priority was to get out of this room safely.
"Spare , er... spare my life!"
Trying to plead in an archaic tone like from historical dramas, his tongue got twisted as he was not used to speaking that way.
"Do you think I'm going to eat you?"
"...Pardon?"
"I heard you were saying sothing strange in the dining room; is that true?"
The expression on Lord Theodore's face didn't indicate any intention to dole out punishnt. He appeared rely curious.
"My knights inford that you claim to know of an illness that afflicts those who eat at. Is that true?"
"Ah...! Gout!"
Dominic imdiately regretted his words. Accused of deception by a high-ranking noble, the repercussions could be severe. It might even compound the charges of blasphemy, putting his life in jeopardy.
When uncertain, the safest course of action was to deny everything.
"Is it genuinely an illness triggered by the consumption of at?"
"Well, you see, that was a fabrication I concocted..."
"You're not now suggesting that you were speaking nonsense, are you?"
"...No, absolutely not!"
Curses. He was in deep trouble.
It was too late to retract his statent. Just one look at those bloodshot eyes confird it: gout.
'No? If they genuinely believed I was a charlatan deceiving the populace, they would have hauled off to a courtroom or a prison, not brought to this luxurious chamber.'
After a prolonged silence, his mind raced.
'Could it really be gout? That gentleman?'
Otherwise, Lord Theodore wouldn't have inquired so discreetly.
The more Dominic contemplated it, the more it seed like the correct answer.
Indeed, now that he thought about it, if this nobleman was a devotee of protein, indulging in fatty at dishes thrice daily, along with alcohol, it didn't seem like an incorrect assumption.
"Pardon , my Lord."
"Speak."
"Do you happen to know of anyone in your vicinity who suddenly experiences a burning sensation and begins to feel pain in their toes or ankles?"
"...Be more specific."
As Dominic continued to speak, feigning ignorance, Lord Theodore's expression subtly altered.
"This condition typically worsens during the night or early morning. The pain usually originates in the toes or ankles, though at tis, it can begin in the elbow or finger joints. Once the pain sets in, even a gentle breeze can be excruciating, yet one day, it may inexplicably subside as if it were never there."
"...So, what is this ailnt called?"
"It's known as gout, though it's not a definitive term. I learned of it during my travels..."
Dominic realized that he hadn't co across the term "gout" in this lifeti. In his previous life, in 21st-century South Korea, it had been a relatively common ailnt.
'Well, it wasn't a world where one could consu enough fatty foods to accumulate uric acid, that's for sure.'
At monts like these, he keenly felt the disconnect between his past and present lives.
However, there was no ti to dwell on such matters. He stood before soone who possessed the authority to end his life with a single gesture.
"Gout, huh? I've never heard of it. So, what causes it?"
"The primary cause is dietary habits."
"Dietary habits?"
"Yes. Foods rich in a substance called purine, such as fatty fish, seafood, at, ah! Especially organ ats are problematic. Alcohol is also detrintal, as it hinders the excretion of uric acid, leading to attacks."
"Purine... Uric acid... Hmm, I'm not familiar with those terms."
Lord Theodore shook his head, but he found Dominic's words quite logical. The symptoms and dietary patterns Dominic had ntioned seed to align with his own experiences.
"In simple terms, so of the nutrients in fatty foods don't get properly expelled from the body and accumulate, leading to problems starting from the tips of your toes."
"Aha."
Lord Theodore nodded in agreent.
"So, you're saying that the at is the issue."
"Yes."
"But I've been eating like this my entire life. I was fine until recently, so can this problem suddenly arise?"
Now, Lord Theodore was not concealing the fact that he was afflicted with this 'gout.'
"Your digestive system could have weakened as you aged. Or, it might be that what has been accumulating until now has recently beco a problem. I can't say for sure since I'm not a healer; it's just a guess..."
Dominic trailed off, cautious not to make any incorrect claims.
'I'd be in trouble if they ask for a treatnt thod. I was a nutritionist, not a doctor.'
It was ti to step back.
"You're not a healer? Then how do you know so much about this rare disease? Ah, I'm not threatening you. I'm just curious. Even healers with great skills couldn't diagnose my condition."
"One of the masters I served during my travels told that if you use ingredients wisely, they can beco dicine. It's a limited knowledge I acquired at that ti."
"Hmm. Ingredients can beco dicine? That's an intriguing concept."
"Yes. My master believed that the source of dicine and food is the sa. There are five types of energy in the world. If you eat in harmony with these energies, without any imbalances, you will achieve unity with nature and live a long, healthy life."
"Five types of energies, you say... Are you referring to the five elents that constitute mana?"
While Dominic was freely explaining Eastern concepts of yin-yang and the five elents, he figured that as long as his listener didn't consider it a scam, it should be acceptable.
'As long as I'm not caught, it's all good.'
The more he fabricated, the more adept he felt.
"What's your master's na?"
"His na is Heo Jun."
"Hey John? That's an unusual na. Your master might have inherited the blood of an ancient elf, you know."
Lord Theodore was making assumptions on his own.
However, Dominic still had a wistful expression on his face, as if reminiscing about his master.
"Alright. Since you're not a healer, I can't ask you to cure my illness."
"I apologize, my Lord."
"But since you seem to have learned about ingredients from your master and have identified that my dietary habits may be the issue, let's see... Yes, that's a good idea!"
Lord Theodore muttered to himself, then clapped his hands as if he had a great idea.
"You will be in charge of my als."
"...Pardon?"
"I need to see if you deceived with your smooth talk or if you've genuinely inherited knowledge from the ancient elves. If my pain disappears by changing my als as you suggested, I'll reward you generously. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my Lord!"
"Provide him with a guest room and attend to him day and night."
"Yes!"
"Inform the kitchen as well. He will be responsible for my als. Ensure they understand this clearly and make no excuses."
"Understood!"
Despite being told that he would be taken care of, Dominic, whose arms were gripped by two knights, was being ushered out, and he thought to himself,
'Ah, I'm in trouble.'
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