I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 2. I Quit Being the Princess’s Physician (2)

Episode 2. I Quit Being the Royal Physician (2)

The princess looked down at me.

“I’ll confine you to the palace. You won’t need to go to work. I’ll just imprison you so you can’t leave the palace. Do your work or not, it’s up to you.”

Huh? I should have just kept quiet. I reflected on my choice of words today. What did I do wrong? It wasn’t just one or two things.

I opened my mouth for no reason and now I can’t even get my money’s worth.

“Your Highness, shouldn’t you prioritize the empire? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for the world if I saw more patients and taught more students?”

“Not really.”

Even I thought this argument was weak.

The princess isn’t the type to weigh her safety against that of an unspecified number of people. For the record, she would choose her safety.

Not that she’s a bad person… more like she has a small-town mindset, though she’s not a commoner. Maybe it’s because she’s experienced pain.

Princess Mint shook her head.

“How many times do I have to say it? It’s just my decision. What if you went somewhere far away and my condition suddenly worsened?”

“Then I will return.”

“Asterix. That’s the problem. You must stay near the palace no matter what. The same goes for other royals. You are the best healer in the country, and you must be in the palace.”

“Your Highness, please.”

“……”

Princess Mint fell silent for a moment.

“Let’s hear it. Where are you going?”

“To the Academy’s Healing Department. I’m going as a professor.”

I had already received word from the Academy that I was welcome. I had also received a recommendation letter.

The Academy had even said they would be very grateful if I came. Now, I just needed permission from my direct superior, the Princess…

Direct superior, my foot.

She’s practically my slave master.

“Hey. Are you going with a royal recommendation letter?”

“Uh…”

I had received it from the Prince a few days ago. Secretly, without the Princess knowing. I had decided to keep it a secret from her, but the problem was that the Princess was too smart.

“You shameless fool. You plan to run away against my wishes, and yet you want to become a professor with a royal recommendation letter? Are you out of your mind?”

I quickly bowed my head.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t like it, but… Since you have to go to the Academy eventually, I’ll follow you if you go.”

Wait, hold on.

Isn’t she basically saying she’ll let me go? I quickly bowed my head before she could change her mind. Mint still had a sullen expression.

“Thank you for your grace, Princess.”

“Get out of here quickly. I don’t want to see your smug face after achieving your goal.”

I ran out of the audience chamber as if fleeing.

This time, I had steeled myself before going in.

I managed to get out alive. Although there was the issue of the princess following me, it didn’t seem impossible to head to the academy.

Halfway there, but still. It’s liberation.

“Finally, I’m free from that wretched palace!”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

The answer came immediately from behind me.

It seems that the royal family has sharp ears. I thought they wouldn’t hear since the audience room door was closed.

The first prince of the empire, Manfred.

By the way, the royal family and nobility do not use surnames. I remember it was because the country guarantees them, so there was no reason to use a surname.

Usually, they are referred to as ‘Name of the Country’ and ‘Person’s Name’, in that order. Essentially using the country’s name as their surname. Some high-ranking nobles do the same.

“Hey, you brat.”

“Prince, have you arrived? Hello.”

The prince calls me a brat. I can guess why, but I’m not sure if I did something that wrong.

Honestly, I don’t think so.

“What brings you here?”

Still, he is the one who wrote the recommendation letter that allowed me to be appointed as a professor at the academy. To be precise, the prince signed the recommendation letter I wrote.

The prince, no, the prince was leaning crookedly against the door of my office. He was wearing his knight’s uniform, probably because he had to go out later.

“I heard my sister is going to the academy because of you. What nonsense did you fill her head with?”

Is he angry?

I shook my head for now.

“It wasn’t me who persuaded you. My goal from the beginning was to escape from the princess. And the academy is a place I have to go anyway, isn’t it?”

“Is that so.”

He was surprisingly indifferent.

Maybe it was because there was only one male child in the imperial family, but he was a good person without any rough edges.

Although it couldn’t be helped that he had an arrogant attitude as if the whole world was beneath him.

Unfortunately, most people in the world are indeed beneath Prince Manfred. It’s not wrong to call a subordinate a subordinate.

“Anyway. Take good care of him. The kid isn’t in good health. Don’t make him suffer unnecessarily.”

“Of course.”

“I can’t trust your words at all.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best.”

“Well. The child has a severe chronic illness, so it might be safer for him to be around you.”

“Thank you.”

Manfred left the office.

This is the imperial palace’s infirmary. As always, the palace healers were passing the time playing cards. Today’s game seemed to be poker.

“Oh, Mr. Asterix.”

“Where are you going?”

“Aren’t you leaving work?”

I looked at the gambling table.

“I’ve been appointed as a professor at the academy this time. I’m planning to leave the palace infirmary soon.”

The healers at the gambling den seemed far more interested in their own gambling than in me. But they did react a bit when I mentioned leaving for the academy as a professor.

“Recommendation letter?”

“I just wrote it myself. The prince signed it.”

Violet, the deputy head of the royal medical corps, looked at me. From behind, I could see Violet’s hand was a four of a kind. Wow, this time she might actually win some money.

“Huh. Really?”

“That must have been tough.”

“Won’t there be a lot of work?”

Well. I shrugged my shoulders.

“We’ll see once I try.”

“It’s the fastest way to heaven.”

“You can’t even die there. My professor collapses from overwork, and his colleagues almost revive him every time. I’ve seen it happen three times.”

That’s a bit scary.

“If Asterix goes this time, does that mean I’ll be the chief healer of the royal palace?”

“That’s right.”

If I go, Violet becomes the chief.

“No, can’t you not go? I’m uncomfortable dealing with the royals, but Asterix, you talk to them well.”

“Handle it yourself.”

“Anyway. Have a good trip.”

Is there anything I might need?

I rummaged through the cabinets in the infirmary. Old medicines that had been summoned long ago and never used, old drafts of papers I had written, and so on.

There was more to pack than I thought.

“Betting starts now.”

“Mr. Asterix. Please don’t make a mess in the office and keep quiet. We’re playing a game.”

“Miss Violet, you have a four of a kind.”

A look of disbelief. Violet glared at me as she placed her cards on the floor.

Time passed quickly.

The servants would prepare for the princess’s move. I didn’t have much luggage either, having lived rather simply in the royal palace. We were ready to head to the academy almost as soon as the decision was made.

The carriage heading to the academy.

Modern people probably can’t appreciate how smooth asphalt roads are. They wouldn’t have many opportunities to feel it.

Even concrete roads are different. Let alone a carriage without suspension and wooden wheels. It rattles more than you can imagine.

A royal palace carriage would be the highest quality item in this world. Yet it moves like an off-road ATV or a tractor, rattling along.

“The weather is nice, Your Highness.”

“Be quiet. Stay silent.”

The princess pretends to be strong, but she’s quite timid. Even now, she pretends to be lost in thought, but her hands and feet keep moving anxiously.

Is she nervous about leaving the palace?

“Are you feeling nauseous?”

“No.”

“Here, put this behind your ear. It’s for motion sickness.”

“Really?”

The princess accepted the motion sickness patch without a word.

“This is a medication called scopolamine. It is absorbed through the skin via the patch. It blocks muscarinic receptors, which helps reduce dizziness by blocking the connection between the balance organs in the inner ear and the vomiting center in the brainstem.”

Mint nodded.

“Asterix. If I had a hobby of listening to incomprehensible words, I would have hired a foreign bodyguard.”

“If you didn’t intend to listen to me, you would have taken a separate carriage. I will speak.”

It’s not really meant for the princess to hear. It’s something I’m saying to confirm and remember.

“Do you know what Asterix means?”

“I don’t know.”

“It is a low-dose aspirin for antiplatelet action. It also has a slight analgesic effect and helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.”

“Sure. Talk all you want.”

And then silence.

I looked out the carriage window. The princess was pretending to read a book, but the pages hadn’t turned for several minutes.

Even though she used the motion sickness patch, the ride was too bumpy to read a book comfortably.

“Your Highness. What kind of place is the academy?”

“You seem talkative today. Are you nervous?”

“A little.”

It’s projection. She’s nervous, so she’s asking if I’m nervous. After all, a child is a child.