“What on earth is going on…”
As the villagers looked at the groaning girl lying on the bed, grief enveloped them all.
Penny was a good child. Even though it was part of the Empire, it was a small rural village. She was a ray of sunshine who would run around the quiet countryside, laughing out loud.
“Of all people, why does Penny have to be struck with a fever?”
“Even the heavens are being heartless.”
In a village that had neither healers nor decent folk remedies, when an injury occurred, all the villagers could do was pray together as they did now.
Sometimes, they could heal with their meager divine powers, but in cases like this where the illness was severe, there was no hope.
“Let’s start preparing ourselves mentally.”
As the village chief gently persuaded the girl’s parents, a villager burst in, panting heavily.
“Everyone, come out!”
“What’s all the fuss about?”
“The doctor has arrived, the doctor! And he’s brought along a mighty adventurer!”
“If it’s a doctor, then surely he must be like a healer, right?”
“Exactly. It’s said that only doctors, not healers, can heal the Emperor.”
The villagers rushed out of the community center to greet the visitors.
Their first impression was quite suspicious.
Wearing a long coat that covered his whole body and a mask with a long nose, he looked quite bizarre.
Even the big adventurer who seemed to be his bodyguard wore a full helm.
It’s hard to trust someone whose face you can’t see.
“Y-you are the doctor?”
The village chief carefully spoke to him.
In contrast to the heavy atmosphere, the plague doctor boldly walked up and grabbed the chief’s hand for a handshake.
“Ha ha, pleased to meet you. I was passing through from the next village. Measles are on the rise, so I figured there might be infections here too.”
“M-measles? You mean a fever?”
“Let’s see the patient first. Oh, and if you have any leftover bread, please share it with my escort; he’s been whining since earlier, and it’s driving me insane.”
“I’m not whining; I’m mumbling!”
“Fine, fine. Just stay quiet and wait, Bruno.”
Ignoring the villagers’ stunned expressions, the plague doctor confidently entered the community center and examined the girl immediately.
“Diagnosis… the symptoms are identical.”
As he prescribed the medicine, the girl’s fever suddenly subsided, and her breathing eased, causing the villagers to gasp in amazement.
“Wow, what incredible skills!”
“Thank you so much!”
“You said you’re a doctor, right? Did you come from the Imperial Academy?”
Amid the villagers’ enthusiastic welcome, the plague doctor waved his hands dismissively, chuckling.
“We are known as the ‘Non-National Medical Society.’”
“Medical society?”
“Not just me, but many doctors travel across the continent to offer examinations. It’s been around for over three hundred years now. Haven’t you heard of it?”
“Is it really that old?”
“Ah, you better remember and spread the word! I’ll leave a folk medicine book here for everyone to read.”
“Sure! I’ll let other villages know too!”
“Then, since I’ve treated the patient, may I ask for just one thing in return?”
At the mention of ‘payment,’ the villagers gulped nervously.
They knew very well that healers charged exorbitantly.
The plague doctor pulled out a drawing.
“I need a flower that looks like this. It should be around here somewhere.”
“Hmm? Isn’t this just a weed? You want this?”
“Ha ha, yes. Just bring me a sack of it.”
“Is that really enough? What about payment…”
“Not needed. This flower will be enough.”
The villagers’ faces lit up. The flower he requested was merely a common weed that would hinder farming in the area.
To treat the patient and receive practically nothing in return, what a blessing! They believed a benefactor had come down to them.
The plague doctor sighed as he left the community center.
“Ugh, this boring speech is driving me insane. How does Falkenhayn or Ambrosia manage to act like this all the time?”
The plague doctor, Lars, complained to himself while stealing a glance at his pocket watch.
“I have to get back before my working hours end.”
He scratched his itchy temple due to the mask.
He had traveled quite far to spread the medical book and find the poppy.
Having used his vacation and recruited an adventurer sorcerer for the teleportation spell, he barely got his schedule aligned. Other healers from Moonlight Palace were executing the same operation in secret.
“So this is how a non-tangible medical society is born.”
Once the Inner Palace meeting passes, producing doctors becomes easier, so dispatched doctors would actually come into being.
It was just a matter of order; he was simply doing his job in advance. Lars shrugged.
A month had passed since the start of the medical society’s activities, and they had spread word across over half of the noble territories in the Empire at least once.
As rumors spread and altered, it would become impossible to ascertain the origin or timing.
An event from a week ago could easily sound like something that happened years ago.
“When the Inner Palace comes to visit, the medical society will appear to be an actual organization.”
Lars had tracked the Inner Palace’s routes and was already one step ahead.
The operation was a success.
*
“Here’s the flower you mentioned.”
“I’ve definitely received it. Now, I’ll be on my way, Bruno.”
I approached Bruno, who was waiting outside the village, checking the sack full of poppies.
“……”
Bruno, disguised as an adventurer to guard me, was too busy shoving potatoes he’d obtained from the villagers into his mouth to respond.
He was really enjoying himself.
“Stay hidden, man.”
“……Y-yes.”
Bruno lifted his helm’s visor, hiding his bushy beard.
Just as we were planning to return toward the adventurers’ meeting point after receiving the villagers’ warm welcome…
“I’ve heard there’s a doctor here!”
With a booming voice, armored knights appeared.
‘What are knights doing in this backwater village?’
Bruno immediately dropped into a defensive stance.
I stopped him, as one of the knights was carrying an injured person.
“Are you the doctor? We need treatment!”
I wasn’t pleased with the commanding knight’s attitude, but I thought he might not know my identity.
“I am the doctor. What’s the patient’s condition?”
“He was attacked by a demon. Can you save him?”
The knight looked desperate.
The brown-haired injured person had a beard covering his entire face and was caked with dirt.
Given how he was being called, he might actually be a noble?
“I can’t tell unless I see him. Chief, is there an extra house?”
“Yes, you can use mine.”
I jumped right into the diagnosis.
There was some bleeding, but it had stopped. The wounds were already healing. No signs of tetanus or infection…
No traces of being attacked by a demon…
He seems fine?
The reason the man had lost consciousness was something different.
‘Lack of nutrition.’
He simply hadn’t eaten for a few days.
Looking closely at the knights, they appeared to be in similar attire, implying they too hadn’t eaten recently. They must have endured through sheer will.
They picked the wrong master.
First, I softly cast a healing spell for a bit of energy recovery.
“Haah!”
The man opened his bloodshot eyes, grimacing, and clutched his wounded abdomen.
It shouldn’t hurt that much; he’s just acting. He must be some pampered noble.
“Stay still for a moment.”
I applied ointment and red ointment, finishing up with a large bandage.
“You’re lacking nutrition. The symptoms you’re experiencing are likely due to a lack of vitamins, like scurvy. Here, eat this.”
“Y-you, who are you?”
“I’m from the Non-National Medical Society.”
“Y-you mean, you’ve saved my life?”
“Indeed.”
“Ha ha… to think there was a doctor other than Gothberg, and I owe my life to you.”
The man laughed in disbelief.
Wait, did he just mention my surname?
I examined the patient’s face carefully.
For a moment, it seemed as though the dirt was merely covering his blond hair.
The sharp features reminded me of the familiar Royal Princess…
It was George.
What is he doing here?
“May I ask your noble name?”
“Heh… Faust.”
“Doctor Faust! When I return to the Imperial Palace, I will surely find you to repay this debt.”
This just got frustrating.
I instinctively shut my eyes tightly.
“Are there many doctors on this continent besides you, Lord Faust?”
“…there are.”
“I see. Do you happen to know a doctor named Gothberg?”
“…he is my pupil.”
“Oh, what a coincidence! Lord Faust, never be surprised. I have a very deep connection with Gothberg as well.”
George rambled on excitedly.
“I was expelled from the Imperial Family after losing to Acella, but I was fully confident I could make a comeback. All I had to do was seek out some noble family and run a business for three years before returning. But therein lay the problem. I had no money to go searching for nobility.”
I regretted not letting him starve to death.
“I got on a carriage out of nowhere and was chased away as a trespasser, and when I tried to start a business, I couldn’t write a contract without a seal. I thought about who had dropped me down here. At first, I suspected Acella.”
George clenched his fist tightly.
“But as I thought about it some more, the one who set the conditions for the duel trial was Gothberg, that attending physician. A highly capable guy. He even knocked me out directly in the duel arena. At first, I was enraged, furious.”
George nodded.
“Through the struggle of survival, I realized many things. It was my own arrogance that had led to my defeat. My insistence that I would surely become the next Emperor and looking down on others with that title of mine. If it weren’t for Gothberg, I would have never grasped that truth. I will express my gratitude when I meet him again.”
What kinda nonsense is this?
Now that I think about it, it has been over two years since George was expelled.
I completely forgot about it, and it seems he had been on a passionate survival adventure in the meantime.
Togin Palace was left in ruins due to Camilla’s black magic and Acella’s freezing magic.
It had to be demolished as they couldn’t leave such an eyesore in the Imperial Palace, and George would probably be thrilled to see it upon his return.
“Lord Faust, upon meeting your kind self, I now understand how Gothberg became so excellent. What luck Acella has to have such a talented student.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Ha ha ha! Just dismiss my words as the ramblings of a passing vagrant. Just the other day, I fell victim to bandits and lost everything once again. If it weren’t for my loyal knights, I would’ve lost my life.”
“We merely did our duty.”
“I will follow you for a lifetime.”
“Your Highness!”
George and the knights were holding hands, performing their own emotional drama.
Hmm… okay.
I was late, and frankly, I had little interest in the scene of manly friendship, so I decided to take my leave quickly.
When George returns, I must avoid any chance encounter.
*
Medicine was officially employed in the Inner Palace.
With a royal decree, medicine was adopted into the Empire concurrently.
Thanks to that, Neira had sent a letter saying investors were lining up for the family.
She told me not to submit any patents. Having merely staked my claim was sufficient. The priority was for medicine to spread widely.
“Teacher.”
Around that time, Hugo urgently called me.
“What is it?”
It was rare for Hugo to be smiling.
“I’ve figured it out.”
He had finalized the analysis of Princess Acella’s curse.
I got up immediately to receive the briefing.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.