Three weeks since leaving the Elf’s Forest.
We managed to return to the Empire without any trouble and were able to come back to the Imperial Palace through the Teleport Gate.
“Wow, what the hell is this?”
As soon as we entered the palace, Valen’s jaw dropped as he busily turned his head this way and that. It was understandable since it was his first time seeing the lavishly decorated tall buildings and spacious plaza.
“Look at him. He’s completely spaced out.”
Acella chuckled. Despite the long journey, she showed no signs of fatigue.
“No, I mean… how does a house look like this? Where do they find such perfect stones? And what’s that delicious smell coming from earlier? Hey, Doctor!”
Valen, stunned by culture shock, strode up to me.
“Do you think all this is some kind of illusion magic? I mean, the way they’ve turned us into primitive archers, Elf.”
“You’re quite sensitive to the flow of mana. Haha, I understand. There’s no trickery here, so don’t worry. Bruno, show him around.”
Bruno, familiar with the Thunder Tribe, would surely handle the Elves well. I left him with Valen and returned to the Moonlight Palace with Acella.
“What are the princess’s plans now?”
“We have a meeting at Mokhwi Palace. In the evening, she will have personal time.”
The Head Maid replied to me. Acella usually spends her free time practicing magic, so it seems she’s planning to get right back into it upon returning.
“Your Highness.”
I handed Acella a vial.
“It’s a mana supplement. You just got back from traveling, so don’t overdo it.”
It wasn’t an energy drink, but a beverage that helps mana production with taurine and vitamins. I made it to enhance my alchemy experience whenever I felt bored.
Acella received the vial with her gloved hand and smiled lightly at me. Leaning closer, she whispered in my ear.
“I’ll see you at night.”
Riche was out on a dungeon raid with the Knights and said she would return in a few days. Since I was back in the palace for the first time in a while, I headed to the Inner Palace.
“Ah, Gothberg-sensei! You’ve returned.”
I first received a report from Falkenhayn. Thanks to him and Hugo, the faction had operated without issues for about a month and a half.
“Speaking of which, Georg has returned. Are you okay staying here?”
Falkenhayn was Georg’s attending physician. It seems his position was revoked upon leaving the palace, but it wouldn’t be easy for him to remain in the Moonlight Palace faction.
“I’ve actually been encouraged to be reinstated.”
“Just as I thought.”
“I’d also like to discuss that with you.”
Falkenhayn smiled bitterly.
“I’m starting to consider retirement.”
I nodded.
“Considering your age, you’ve already passed the timing. You’ve contributed enough to the Inner Palace.”
“I’m willing to take responsibility for any urgent matters. Above all, the Inner Palace has been noisy regarding the selection of Healers for the martial arts conference.”
“The martial arts conference, huh? Haven’t we mostly completed our selections?”
“We have, but the news got out, and various factions have intruded. Princess Agasar and Prince Gebard’s factions, for instance; there are already more than five.”
They mainly comprise the Emperor’s siblings and their children, who have built their own nobility. Their attending physicians also have some say in the Inner Palace.
Of course, succession rights holders like Acella and Heike will participate, but they’re relatively weak royalty. Just the fact that their faction entered the martial arts conference boosts their status among the nobility. If by chance they get a good result and are selected as final candidates, it would be a significant honor. They must be desperately clinging to this opportunity.
“Alberich also requested five spots. We might have to negotiate even that.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Healers from various countries will compete in the martial arts conference, so our Empire’s healers need to work as one team.”
“Hmmm.”
Other factions have predefined spots, so even if Acella negotiates with Heike, the selection of healers is decided internally by the Inner Palace.
“It’s a matter of national face. It’s one thing for the Kingdom, but it would be embarrassing to fall behind the Kingdom of Law.”
“That’s true.”
“There’s still time, so let’s negotiate calmly. We need physicians, especially since our faction is being called to the martial arts conference. Since last year, various factions in the Inner Palace have been expanding their personnel. What’s the current status?”
Falkenhayn promptly provided the data.
“We’ve been using the graduates from training centers according to the program you established as interns. The number of personnel has increased significantly. However, as I mentioned, other factions are focused on creating spots for the martial arts conference…”
“Creating spots for what?”
At my question, Falkenhayn shook his head.
“They focused solely on performance and ended up neglecting the interns by piling them into specific areas.”
“Performance is derived from regular medical care. If it’s a place that doesn’t count….”
I immediately grasped what he meant.
“The emergency room?”
“Correct.”
“No way.”
I quickly headed down to the general medical area to find Chloe. Fortunately, her patient consultations had just ended, and there was a gap.
“Chloe, have you been to the emergency room lately?”
“Seriously, Sensei! Uh, the emergency room…”
Chloe, sweating profusely, briefly explained the situation. The general medical area and the emergency room had been classified for patient stability. The location was outside the castle, not within the Inner Palace.
In contrast to the usual appointment-based general medical care, the emergency room had become a 24-hour rush place since anyone with a critical condition could enter.
The healers were already hesitant about taking shifts, and now it seemed only interns remained.
“Oh dear.”
I could imagine how things were going without even seeing it.
I immediately left the Inner Palace and headed for the emergency room. It was located in another building at the south castle wall.
“Whoa.”
Upon entering through the front door, I was astonished.
“Why are the doctors not coming out!”
“I’ve been waiting for ten hours, ten hours!”
“I’m in agony, why won’t you listen?”
The situation was worse than I had imagined.
The emergency room system I had set up had long since broken down and stopped functioning.
Inside the building was a scene akin to a bustling market. People were crammed in, shouting loudly.
The beds were already full, and there were patients lying on the floor.
While some were in dire conditions, most didn’t seem to be in critical danger to the point where they should be here. At least, if they were standing and shouting, it was bearable.
There were about fifty visible intern healers. A few from our faction were among them.
They were bustling around, but the number of patients far exceeded their count. Without specialists or senior healers, they didn’t even seem to know what they should be doing.
“Hey, you in the white coat! Are you a doctor too?”
A guy approached with a grim expression and leaned his face in.
“I’ve been waiting here for six hours! What the hell are you doing inside? Wasting busy people’s time. Please, explain!”
Starting with that man, others began to pour out their grievances towards me. I crossed my arms and replied to them.
“Don’t you know how to read?”
“What?”
I pointed at the sign outside and the precautions visible in the emergency room.
“Emergency Room: For critical emergency patients only. Please use general medical care for regular patients. Don’t you see?”
Despite me pointing it out explicitly, they responded defiantly.
“Hey, who do you think you are? I’m dying here, you know?”
“Don’t you understand what ‘critical’ means? This is for patients who would collapse without immediate treatment. Stop causing a scene and get lost.”
“What? Are you refusing to treat me? I know everything. You’re not officially a doctor yet. I could report you to the Inner Palace, you know?”
I had expected this.
With nothing but interns on duty, chaos ensued.
Regular medical appointments were delayed for months, so impatient characters used this to push into the emergency room.
“Dying? What are you talking about? When I examine you, it’s just muscle pain. You have a cold, and you’ve just got a scrape. Are you kidding? Blocking the entrance like this means real urgent patients can’t get in.”
As I accurately diagnosed their conditions, the protesters were momentarily taken aback.
However, they didn’t back down. By now, it seemed it had become a matter of pride for them.
“Hey, you’re still…!”
As he stepped closer to me, a shadow blocked his path.
It was Tanya.
“If you come any closer, I won’t guarantee your safety.”
Seeing her fierce demeanor, the man hesitated and stepped back.
“Why is a knight here…?”
At that moment, an intern who had been treating a patient rushed up to me, panic-stricken.
“Your Majesty, what brings you here?!”
His words froze the expressions of the protesters.
They seemed to finally recognize who I was with the title of attending physician and the knight beside me.
“Attending physician… You’re serious?!”
“What’s an attending physician?”
“Hey, be quiet!”
They began to back away slowly, bending over in submission.
Goodness, what a mess.
The intern must have been part of our faction, as he recognized me. I asked him.
“Is there not a single specialist on the scene?”
“There is a specialist from the Moonlight Palace, but they’re short-handed. They’re treating a critical patient inside.”
“With things going like this, it’s no wonder they’re short. Hang tight for a moment. I’ll wrangle up some help by tapping into other factions.”
“Thank you!”
Just as I turned to head back to the Inner Palace.
—BANG!
The emergency room door swung open, and transporters hurriedly carried in a patient on a stretcher.
“Emergency patient!”
This one was serious just by looking at them. The crowd gasped in horror, and the knights were bloodied and looked ghastly.
“Hey, show me.”
I rushed over and used my diagnosis.
This one was also a knight. It seemed there had been an accident during training.
―――――――――――
· Name: Fabian
· Health: 1 / 35
· Condition: Critical injury
· Injury: Stab wound, massive blood loss, unconscious
· Location: Chest and right lung
※ Warning: 12 seconds until cardiac arrest
―――――――――――
“Damn.”
I quickly assessed the situation. With the crowd blocking the way, it was clear that it would take at least 10 more seconds to get to the proper equipment inside.
“Intern, bring the defibrillator and blood packs, all of them!”
“Y-Yes!”
The intern dashed off. I took out a syringe in one hand while channeling my divine power with the other.
“Lay him down. I’ll take care of it.”
The knights gently placed the patient on the ground. With oxygen cut off, I injected a forced respiration potion and cast a healing spell to keep his health from plummeting.
[ · Emergency Treatment B activated! ]
“Don’t die.”
Is health dropping to 0 or recovering?
At the very last second, I held my breath.
“Blood packs!”
The intern brought the packs, and I immediately jabbed it roughly into the vein. Checked the blood type.
Blood oozed out from the initial pressure applied to charge, splashing onto my face.
[ · Health: 2 / 35 ]
Thanks to the emergency treatment, I managed to stave off cardiac arrest. After confirming that his health was stabilizing, I moved the patient to the operating room inside.
*
I came out of the operating room an hour later.
After the initial treatment, I passed the baton to the healers who had arrived later.
Unlike when I entered, the emergency room had quieted down significantly. The crowd fell silent at the sight of my blood-soaked white coat.
I addressed them.
“Only critical patients should come in.”
After wiping my face with a towel, I returned to the Inner Palace.
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