I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 36. Heartbeat (2)

Episode 36. Heartbeat (2)

Princess Mint.

This time, she wasn’t dozing off in my chair but on the sofa at the front of the lab.

I carefully passed by Mint, feeling like a capybara passing by a crocodile-

Mint opened her eyes shortly after.

“Oh, hello.”

“Teacher. What are you doing today?”

“I’m a bit busy.”

Well.

It’s not like the princess doesn’t have ears, so she must have noticed me passing by. Mint’s eyes, looking down at me, stared at me.

“Is there no day you’re not busy?”

“Probably not.”

Well, almost never.

“Make a day for me.”

“Uh, excuse me?”

She doesn’t usually speak like that. Did she hit her head or something? I checked the princess’s expression for a moment, but there was nothing strange.

“Make some time for me, just for a day.”

“Uh, sure. I understand.”

What is she up to this time? I don’t know, but Mint looked a bit gloomy today. It reminded me more of her sickly appearance from before.

“Do you not have any friends, Princess?”

“Huh?”

“I understand that you might be a bit bored, Princess. But instead of always coming to see me, how about mingling with your classmates at the academy?”

Come to think of it, she might really not have any friends. I reconsidered my choice of words, and Mint’s expression became complicated before she answered after a moment.

“What are you talking about? I’m the face of the royal family and the moon of the empire. The entire academy is my friend.”

She really doesn’t have any friends.

It’s understandable. Meeting people requires effort and time, after all.

Whether it was because of her illness from a young age or her noble status, she probably never had the chance to interact with people similar to her.

Just because she came to the academy doesn’t mean she would suddenly change. There are things in this world that can’t be bought with money or power.

“Hey. Am I a bother to you?”

“Uh… If you ask me without your title, I’ll answer honestly.”

“Mr. Asterix. With that eloquence of yours, you could have made a fortune as a courtesan.”

“What does that even mean?”

A courtesan? That’s a bit too much.

I hesitated before answering.

“Let’s say the Princess is raising a puppy. You have to feed it every day, and sometimes it might be a bit bothersome. It’s not because you dislike the puppy or feeding it. It’s just that it can happen.”

“What are you talking about?”

Uh, now that I said it, the analogy seems a bit, no, very wrong. Mint’s expression slightly frowned after hearing my answer.

You just compared the princess to a dog. You won’t go to prison for something like treason against the royal family, right?

“Even you think it’s absurd, don’t you?”

“It was a slip of the tongue.”

This time, she might actually try to kill me.

Mint’s eyes turned cold.

“Die, you piece of trash. I know exactly what you think of me.”

Princess Mint let out a hollow laugh. Still, it seemed like her mood had lightened a bit?

In the end, the princess is just a child.

This fact won’t change for a while.

“What I meant to say is this. Isn’t the princess a student and a child? There are parts that can be forgiven even if she acts annoyingly.”

It seemed like this answer pleased the princess. Mint wasn’t usually very expressive, but this time she had a faint smile on her face.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

The princess hesitated for a moment before looking at me.

“Hey. Help me up.”

“You can get up by yourse-“

Never mind. There’s no need to say unnecessary things. I stood up and took the princess’s outstretched hand, helping her up.

Mint’s hand. A white hand with no calluses, never touched by dishwater or sunlight.

“Thank you.”

“It’s just my duty, my lord.”

“……”

The princess hurriedly left my laboratory.

Come to think of it, we didn’t set a time to meet.

Today is another outpatient day.

It’s the time to see the patients who came to the hospital. In my previous life, I used to see dozens of outpatients a day. It’s not like that now.

In this world, maybe because transportation isn’t developed, or for some other reason, only a few people came each day. Should I consider it fortunate?

In terms of having less work, it is fortunate.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Kylas. We removed your spleen last time, how are you feeling?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Surprisingly. Even though we removed his spleen in the field, he’s healthy. I thought there would be some side effects like nausea or fever.

“Most of the spleen’s functions can be replaced by other organs, but your immunity can drop after a splenectomy. If you catch even a cold, you should come to the hospital, that is, to me.”

Kylas nodded.

“Thinking about it now, it’s chilling.”

“What is?”

“Before the surgery. I felt drowsy, almost forgot the pain, and wanted to sleep.”

That’s the feeling of dying from excessive bleeding. As the blood stops reaching the brain, you start to feel sleepy, the pain weakens, and consciousness becomes hazy.

I have to wake him up somehow.

“That shouldn’t happen.”

“But then, when I was doused with water, I woke up instantly. The dull pain became sharp again, and I was wide awake-“

It’s a natural reaction. I poured the water on him as quickly as possible to wake him up.

“It hurt so much I thought I was going to die. I know you tried to use anesthesia. The feeling of the knife touching my body, the feeling of the hand entering my body, everything.”

You felt it, huh. No wonder you were responding and seemed so conscious. It seems the patient’s adrenaline overcame the anesthesia we used.

“I didn’t know it would hurt that much.”

“Did you scream at that time?”

I think you might have.

“Anyway. Rest well for a few days and eat good food. We will remove the stitches in about a week.”

“Understood.”

I’m glad it ended better than I thought.

I thought there would be more bleeding, or it would be too painful to move, or there would be a deep infection. Surprisingly, nothing happened.

“When will I be able to fully recover? Will it be difficult to do intense exercise in the future?”

I pondered a bit. Is there any reason why you can’t exercise without a spleen? I’m not sure.

As long as it doesn’t burst, it should be fine.

“Once the wound is completely healed and you don’t feel any discomfort, you can return to your daily life. Including intense exercise.”

Kailas hesitated a bit before speaking.

“The surgery was painful, but I don’t know how to repay this kindness. Should I compensate you with money? How much do you need?”

Well.

“You’ve already paid the hospital bill. I’m not sure if I can accept any other money.”

“It’s just that I feel sorry.”

“I’m afraid I can’t accept money.”

I don’t know how the laws of this world work, but institutionally or morally, it would be difficult to accept a bribe.

“Hmm.”

“If that’s the case, please donate to the academy in my name. That seems acceptable.”

“Understood, Professor Asterix.”

The consultation ended there. Kailas greeted me and then stood up.

The next patient was Aires.

Another person injured during swordsmanship training. A patient who came in with a ruptured Achilles tendon. There is one problem with this patient’s case.

In the case of an Achilles tendon rupture, it is difficult to expect a complete functional recovery.

How do I explain this?

“Hello.”

“Is your leg okay?”

“Well, I can walk.”

This patient’s foot was wrapped in a plaster cast. He was using crutches under his arms. Still, it’s a relief that he can walk.

“So, what happens now? When can I take off the cast?”

“The tendon will heal on its own if left as it is. I plan to remove the plaster cast in about a month. You might even be able to run.”

“No side effects?”

I hesitated at this question. How do I convey this delicately?

“Even after the tendon heals, it will be difficult to expect a complete functional recovery.”

Aires sighed.

“Difficult to expect a complete functional recovery?”

“Yeah.”

Silence. A thick silence that could cut like a knife filled the consultation room. The patient pondered.

“I wish it were better news.”

“Well. How can one be called a knight without a single medal of honor? It can’t be helped.”

“We’ll have to see.”

Much more of a tough guy than expected.

“If we use healing magic and other means well from now on, the injury might heal better and faster than I expect.”

“Right.”

Aires scratched his head.

“I heard that student Benjamin recovered well after surgery when his arm was broken. Can’t I just have surgery too?”

No.

“It would be hard to expect a better outcome than not having surgery. And if the surgical wound gets infected, there’s no solution.”

I might be able to succeed in surgery with my own hands. How do you sew ligaments? It shouldn’t be harder than nailing bones.

The knight looked at me.

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors. They say Professor Asterix is the best healer in the empire. There’s no point in asking anyone else, right?”

“Is that so?”

Have the rumors already spread that much? Still, I’m glad the patients I saw that day look healthy.