I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 0. Hehe, You Can’t Go!

Episode 0. Hehe, You Can’t Go!

“I hereby resign as the imperial physician.”

“Denied.”

The princess’s eyes were as cold as frost in May… or not quite. It was more like the look of a child or a cat unwilling to let go of a toy.

“Why not?”

“Why do you think, you fool?”

I scratched my head.

To be honest, I didn’t really know.

The princess, as beautiful as she was, was also timid and narrow-minded. People who had never spoken to her called her the most beautiful in the empire.

My patient.

Still young, pale as snow due to a long illness, and with little experience in talking to people, she snapped at the end of every sentence…

She just felt like a child.

Episode 1. Quitting as the Princess’s Physician (1)

Episode 1. Quitting as the Princess’s Physician (1)

It was a few years ago, as I recall.

In my previous life, I was a doctor. Specifically, an emergency medicine doctor at a university hospital. That day, as always, I was working in the emergency room.

I was killed by a hammer in the hospital emergency room where I was on duty at dawn. The culprit seemed to be someone dissatisfied with society. I didn’t get to hear the details because I died.

It was something that often happened in the early morning emergency room.

Success was rare. If that person’s hammering had been just a little slower, they might have heard the second sentence of the manifesto.

It was pathetic.

To die in a hospital as a doctor. But when your head is smashed by a few blows from a hammer, all you can do is pray. No, even praying is difficult.

Born in a hospital, lived in a hospital, died in a hospital. The doctor who died young in a trivial accident woke up as a royal healer in another world.

A sudden reincarnation in another world.

I don’t know what kind of world I was possessed by. It didn’t seem perfectly realistic, so I thought it might be some kind of creation.

A strangely powerful and idle noble group in a centralized empire. A decent standard of living for the medieval times. Maybe it was a romance fantasy.

Since there was no work featuring Princess Mint in my memory, I just guessed so.

It couldn’t be helped. Fortunately, the healers in this world carried staffs, so I was no longer afraid of hammer-wielding assailants.

What is a staff, if not a hammer as tall as a person? In this life, if someone comes at me with a hammer, I’ll smash their head with my staff.

‘…….’

I didn’t come to talk about hammers.

What was I talking about?

Anyway. That’s how I became a royal healer. The royal healers had one concern. The princess who was suffering from a mysterious lung disease.

Diagnosis and treatment were not difficult.

Paroxysmal dyspnea, coughing, shortness of breath during exercise, etc. These were typical symptoms of allergic asthma, and the causative substance was obvious.

The palace burns 5,000 candles a day.

They’re insane.

And the palace isn’t properly ventilated, there are no exhaust fans. Breathing candle smoke all day, it’s no wonder they get lung disease.

It’s a wonder we don’t catch tuberculosis in a place like this. I started coughing as soon as I entered the palace. The princess probably had an allergy to paraffin or smoke.

Specifically, I thought it was allergic asthma.

Asthma is a disease where the bronchial tubes constrict abnormally, making it difficult to exhale and causing shortness of breath.

For diagnosing asthma, you can use methacholine challenge tests, spirometry, allergy blood tests, and skin patch tests.

But all four of these methods were impossible here. There was no way to confirm it, but we started treatment based on the suspected diagnosis.

Since the circumstantial evidence strongly suggested the princess had asthma, we began treating her for it.

First, those damned candles.

Honestly, I didn’t like them either. Aside from the fire hazard, I felt like I was going to die from inhaling wax fumes and candle smoke all day.

We replaced the thousands of candles in the palace with luminous stone lamps, and used some of the medicine I received as a perk from my previous life. The princess’s health improved.

– Thanks to the nameless healer, the curse on the princess has been lifted! It’s a miracle!

I explained to the royal family that this illness wasn’t a curse, but no one really believed me. They just made a fuss about it being a miracle.

Specifically, we used long-acting beta-agonists and bronchodilators for mild asthma. Oh, you’re wondering what I mean by perks from my previous life?

I can summon medicine as a perk from my previous life. It might seem trivial for a reincarnation perk, but I couldn’t choose it.

If I had to reincarnate, wouldn’t it be nice to be a great wizard or hero? It’s absurd that I have to continue my old job in a fantasy world.

I successfully treated the princess’s asthma. After she recovered, I lived almost like a bum.

Doing nothing and resting was nice.

At one point, I even made it my life’s goal.

But after living idly for about a year, my thoughts changed. I was going to die of boredom—no, a doctor should naturally be by their patient’s side.

To be serious for a moment. How many people might be dying or suffering due to the outdated medical practices of this world and era?

Not the hypochondriacs who keep me around because they’re bored. That’s why I’m leaving the palace and the princess behind.

I wonder if we can communicate well.

Not at all.

The Arcana Empire. The audience chamber of the imperial palace.

I was kneeling on one knee on the floor of the audience chamber, and the princess was sitting on the throne at the center of the chamber. She had a slightly displeased expression.

“A humble servant greets the… um, the important Princess of the Empire.”

“Wow, you’re really going for it. Now you’re too lazy to even remember your lord’s title?”

This is Princess Minaretia. Mint for short.

Until a year ago, she was famous as a sickly princess, but now. She has become the epitome of an arrogant and stiff-necked noble lady.

Others call her the Empire’s finest daughter. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? If you look closely, you might find one or two people prettier than Princess Mint.

As for the titles… it was a bit annoying.

I mean, they seemed to change about once a month. Having to say a lengthy greeting every time I saw her. How could I remember it every time?

Lately, I had been glossing over it.

It had been a while since I was reprimanded for it.

“You changed it recently. I forgot.”

“Anyway, I can’t allow you to resign.”

“Where is the law that says I can’t resign?”

“Where? It’s my will.”

Ugh, my leg hurts.

I sat down on the floor of the audience chamber with my arms crossed. The princess looked down at me, resting her chin on her hand. There was a faint sneer on her face. She looked amused.

“You crazy fool. Why don’t you bring a pillow and lie down too?”

“Your Highness. If you don’t accept my resignation, I won’t work. If you keep refusing, that’s what I’ll do.”

The princess let out a cynical laugh.

“Mr. Asterix. Either work or don’t. What does it matter to me whether you work or not?”

“Excuse me?”

“If you really hate it, then don’t work and just play around. Leave the palace work to the other healers.”

Oh no, this isn’t right.

This was an unexpected turn of events.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Please grant me permission to resign.”

“No, why are you so eager to leave the royal family? There must be a proper reason.”

“There are no patients in the royal family.”

“But I’m here.”

I shook my head.

“Your Highness, didn’t you recover a long time ago? I remember that most of your asthma symptoms disappeared just by extinguishing the candles in the palace. Although we did use some medicine.”

As far as I know, the royal family seems to be superhuman. The princess’s lung disease was an exception, and I’ve never seen any other members of the royal family get sick.

I’ve never even seen them catch a common cold.

My main job in the royal palace is to give aspirin or something to the servants who come to the infirmary to slack off or to see my past life’s perks.

I’m not the only healer in the royal family. Right now, the screen is busier than I am. Talking to the princess always ends up with her snapping or scratching.

No, it’s a relief if it doesn’t break.

“Asterix. I don’t know much about healing arts. But my illness was a curse that no healer in the empire could cure. Only you could.”

I shook my head again.

“That’s not a curse, it’s a disease called asthma. It’s a condition where the bronchial tubes inside the lungs narrow in response to certain substances. By removing the causative substances and inhaling steroid-based medications, it can be easily managed-“

The princess waved her hand dismissively.

“That’s not what’s important, you fool. It’s not about attending a healing lecture. Why don’t you want to be the royal physician?”

“I apologize.”

“Is there something you’re upset about?”

“There are more than a few things, but if you give me a few days, I’ll write them all down and bring them-“

“Oh. It’s my fault for asking.”

I closed my mouth and pondered my next words.

“There are no patients in the royal family.”

“Healer. There are so many people in the royal family. Why do you say there are no patients?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m tired of dispensing headache and cold medicine all day. Shouldn’t a doctor train successors and see patients? Please allow me to resign.”

“Master Asterix. Since when did you become someone who cares so much about principles? Are you just trying to run away from the royal family?”

“I-“

The princess cut me off.

“Saying you’re bored of treating the royal family, you deserve to be killed. Asterix, you cannot resign until you die.”

“No, Princess. Please.”

“Asterix. Who’s telling you to do anything? You can just stay still, or if you don’t like that, do your research in a corner of the palace. Is it such a difficult request to remain as the royal physician?”

Princess Mint looked down at me.

“I will not change my mind.”

I bowed my head.

The princess briefly examined her nails with a thoughtful expression. Will she let me go this time?