SSS-Ranked Surgeon In Another World: The Healer Is Actually OP! - Chapter 206: A Seed Of Doubt

Chapter 206: A Seed Of Doubt

The room felt different after Code left.

The sharp tension that had been hanging in the air seemed to drain away along with the purple haze, leaving only the soft crackle of the lamps and the steady sound of James’s breathing.

Bruce turned back to him.

“For now, rest,” he said calmly. “Your body just purged Violetbane. That doesn’t mean you’re fully healed yet. Your nerves were suppressed, your circulation disrupted. It’ll take time for everything to stabilize.”

James nodded slowly, easing back against the mat as the exhaustion finally caught up to him. The adrenaline that had kept him awake was fading fast.

“Yeah… I can feel that,” he said with a weak chuckle. “Everything feels heavy. Like I ran for days straight.”

“That’s normal,” Bruce replied. “Sleep if you can. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

James let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since he’d been carried in. His gaze drifted to his hands again, opening and closing them slowly, as if he still couldn’t quite believe they belonged to him.

“You don’t know how happy I am right now,” he said quietly. “I really thought that was it for me.”

He turned his head slightly to look at Bruce. “The Village Chief really had good eyes. To think the person he recommended to everyone could actually cure Violetbane poison…”

His voice cracked just a little at the end.

Bruce didn’t respond right away.

He simply nodded once.

“The antidote only stops the poison from spreading,” he said. “Your body is doing the rest. If you push yourself now, you’ll regret it later.”

“I won’t,” James said quickly. “I swear. I’m not moving anywhere.”

A faint smile crossed Bruce’s face.

“Good.”

James hesitated, then laughed softly. “I owe you my life, don’t I?”

Bruce shook his head. “You owe me money for stuff’s after this. That’s enough.”

James closed his eyes, still smiling.

“Deal.”

The lamplight flickered gently as silence settled between them. No longer heavy, no longer sharp. Just quiet. Earned.

And Bruce stayed where he was, watching, waiting.

His gaze drifted briefly to the doorway the two villagers had left through.

’Code.’

The name surfaced again in his mind.

The timing. The certainty. The way his shock had come too fast, too raw. The fleeting spike of killing intent, thin, but unmistakable. Most people didn’t even realize when they leaked something like that.

Bruce exhaled slowly.

There was something wrong there. Not enough to act on yet. But enough to remember.

After a while, he glanced back at James.

Despite his eyes being closed, Bruce could tell he wasn’t asleep. His breathing was too controlled. Too aware.

“James,” Bruce said quietly.

“Hm?” came the tired response.

“What do you think of Code?” Bruce asked. “Don’t you think he was acting a bit… strange?”

James frowned slightly, eyes still shut as he searched his memory.

“Strange…?” he murmured. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s just how he is.” He paused, then added, “Whatever the case, he’s a good friend.”

Bruce didn’t argue right away.

“You might be blinded by friendship,” he said calmly, “so you don’t notice it. But that Code guy is suspicious. Be careful around him.”

James’s brow creased. “Suspicious… how?”

“He’s not trustworthy,” Bruce replied evenly. “Be very careful.”

The words hung in the air.

James opened his eyes this time. “Why?”

Bruce’s gaze remained steady. “Because I suspect he’s the one who poisoned you.”

Silence fell.

James’s breathing slowed.

Unbidden, a memory surfaced. Code’s hand brushing against his wound earlier, fingers lingering just a little too long. At the time, he’d thought nothing of it. Pain did that. It blurred details.

Now, the memory felt different.

Bruce continued, his voice low. “You said there was no Violetbane where you fought the feral wolf. No traces. No reason for it to be there.”

James didn’t respond.

“The wolf is a variable,” Bruce added. “But not the most likely one.”

The room grew still.

James lay there, eyes unfocused, thoughts clearly churning beneath the surface. He didn’t deny it. Didn’t agree either.

He said nothing.

After a while, his breathing deepened. The tension in his face eased. Whatever thoughts had been spinning finally loosened their grip.

Sleep claimed James not long after.

His breathing evened out, chest rising and falling steadily now, no longer strained. The tension in his body slowly unwound, limbs slackening as exhaustion finally dragged him under.

Bruce watched for a few moments longer.

Only when he was certain James was truly asleep did he turn away.

He stood up and moved back toward the worktable, rolling his shoulders once as if loosening stiff joints. The events of the past hours didn’t linger in his expression. Whatever suspicions he held, he tucked them away neatly, filed for later.

Right now, there was work to be done.

Bruce resumed his research.

He reorganized the remaining herbs, discarding what had proven ineffective and setting aside what showed promise. Some were crushed, others steeped in water or alcohol, their properties tested in isolation. He adjusted ratios, altered preparation methods, changed the order of application.

Not everything had to succeed.

Failure was information.

He observed how Violetbane residue reacted when exposed to heat, to cold, to prolonged circulation stimulants. He tested diluted mixtures on restrained mutant tissue, watching how the poison’s spread slowed, twisted, or resisted.

Every result refined his understanding.

At one point, he paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“So it’s not just the nerves,” he muttered. “It’s how the body panics afterward.”

Time passed quietly.

The room smelled faintly of crushed leaves and antiseptic sap. Outside, the village had grown still.

Only then did Bruce return to James.

He crouched beside him and checked his pulse. Steady. Stronger than before. His skin was warm, color returning properly now instead of that sickly pallor.

’Good.’

Bruce took out a clean cloth, freshly boiled and dried, along with a mild antiseptic extract. He cleaned the wound carefully, his movements precise but gentle, making sure no residue remained before wrapping it properly.

James stirred slightly, brow furrowing, but didn’t wake.

’He’ll live,’ Bruce sighed.

He finished bandaging, secured it firmly, then adjusted James’s position so he’d be more comfortable when he woke.

But then, Bruce sensed something….