As I politely bent at the Emperor’s question, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of his vast benevolence.
“I’ve merely fulfilled my duty as a medical professional, but I am exceedingly grateful for Your Majesty’s boundless compassion.”
I lifted my head and answered with a calm demeanor.
“There is but one request that only Your Majesty can grant.”
“Speak. I shall grant you whatever you desire.”
“Please allow medicine to be officially recognized as a formal discipline within the Inner Palace.”
That was my request.
Excluding my faction, most healers at the Inner Palace still focus solely on healing arts.
If medicine is adopted as a treatment on par with healing arts, the quality of care would improve vastly.
Once the Emperor formally recognizes medicine, it will spread throughout the entire Empire before long.
With more medical practitioners, my workload decreases, giving me ample time.
If I eventually retire from the Inner Palace and open a private clinic in my hometown, the pool of patients will also widen.
It’s good for me in terms of money and achievements.
“To officially adopt medicine as a discipline,”
Upon reflection, it wasn’t a simple request.
It would require significant costs to partially overhaul the already established Inner Palace system.
Above all, he must realize that each word and action of his could send shockwaves throughout the entire Empire.
Given that the Emperor isn’t well-versed in medicine, he must consider risks like unverified side effects.
Yet, he seemed to brush aside such concerns and promptly made a refreshing decision.
“Very well. Ambrosia, prepare the announcement.”
“With pleasure.”
Ambrosia replied, then casually glanced back at me.
Her expression seemed to say, ‘You’ve made quite the big request, haven’t you?’
“I’m grateful.”
After checking the princess’s condition a little more, I exited the hospital room.
Upon entering the hospital room one floor up to check the next patient, I heard the thud thud of a chair as someone stood up.
“G-Gothberg-sensei!”
Alberich hurriedly approached, grabbing my hand and bowing deeply.
It seemed he had been tending to his wife all this time.
“I-I’m grateful. Thank you… I will pay this debt without fail. I’m sorry for the past.”
He kept bowing, which was a bit overwhelming.
“Let’s see the patient first.”
Mrs. Alberich was sleeping peacefully, but she had two broken legs, part of her internal organs ruptured from impact, and was in a state of severe blood loss.
The surgery would be easier than that for Princess Wanda, despite the blood loss.
“Hard work, Chloe.”
“I’m… accustomed to night shifts…”
Chloe happened to be the one in charge and was checking the IV.
She had also worked hard today.
Giving her a pat on the shoulder for her efforts elicited a squelch from her.
“I heard it was a traffic accident in the mountains. The driver and the attending physicians of the prince were okay. Thankfully, there were no fatalities.”
“Yes, yes. It seems the princess’s driver fell asleep on a narrow road, which is a busy shortcut to the downtown area. My wife was probably on her way to the market…”
Alberich clenched his mouth shut.
“Gothberg-sensei, I would like to apologize.”
“For what?”
“I ignored your medical skills while thinking only about gaining power in the Inner Palace. I should have readily accepted the new techniques necessary for my patients. I’ve been blind up till now.”
Alberich knelt before me.
“I forgot what’s important, thinking you were unworthy because of your youth. As the attending physician, I should never have doubted your abilities. I apologize for my rudeness!”
He bowed so deeply his nose nearly touched the ground.
Since I didn’t harbor any bad feelings towards him, I figured this was enough.
“Please rise, Your Grace.”
“…Mmm.”
He stood before me like a sinner.
“Anything else is fine, but I wonder about refusing treatment…”
“…I was blind. I promise it won’t happen again.”
According to Inner Palace rules, the attending physician must provide treatment to injured royals first, and only when requested can another healer take over.
However, in emergencies like this, protocols need not be strictly followed.
By principle, Alberich has no obligation to treat the princess. He refused on my request, not as the princess’s attending physician, so the responsibility is not too severe.
Well, he might get grilled by the Emperor. Even if there were no issues, he disrupted the surgery in the middle.
If the Emperor is in a bad mood, he might end up behind bars for a few years.
Yet, Alberich showed no sign of worrying about that at all.
Before me stood a simple husband who had set aside all his ambitions and politics, solely concerned about his wife.
“Well then, Your Grace.”
I suggested to him.
“From now on, when I need assistance, may I count on your absolute cooperation?”
“Of course. Of course!”
Alberich nodded vigorously.
He is currently the attending physician of the strongest faction, Heike, and his skills are among the best, only second to Livio, so there’s plenty of room for collaboration.
“I shall trust you, Your Grace.”
“You may indeed. I swear to the Goddess.”
Alberich pulled out a rosary, gripping it tightly in his hand.
“…Mmm, however, healing arts may not be that helpful anymore.”
He frowned and glared resentfully at the rosary.
“The truth is… I’ve felt my healing spells weakening since yesterday. I have an idea why.”
“Your faith has waned, I see.”
Like a wizard losing their magic power and unable to cast high-level spells.
Alberich hung his head low.
“It’s shameful. However…”
He clenched his fists.
“To be honest, I feel a bit betrayed by the Goddess I’ve devoted my life to. Even if it’s a test, there’s a limit; how could she allow my wife to be so injured that I can’t heal her with my healing arts?”
Alberich glanced between his wife and me.
“Falkenhayn even acknowledged this. You, who primarily use medical techniques, still have deep faith, correct?”
“Indeed.”
“What’s your secret?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t deny healing arts. I’ve just grown somewhat sick of them. I still use them when necessary.”
“Sick of them?”
“That’s one reason. The fact that techniques are utilized to prevent medicine from spreading leads to a slight aversion.”
“Are you saying healing arts hinder the spread of medicine? What do you mean by that?”
Alberich tilted his head.
“If we had researched and validated folk remedies, they might have developed into medicine. Yet some factions spread the notion that you must treat injuries solely through healing arts.”
“Who did such a thing, and why?”
“It’s a bit sensitive for you, Your Grace—are you sure you want to hear it?”
Alberich nodded.
“Your medicine saved my wife’s life. I trust you now.”
If he felt this strongly, I might as well share a little.
“It’s a common belief that spread with the founding of the Kingdom of Law. For a theocratic nation to maintain its status, it benefits from a high level of faith among the populace.”
“The Kingdom of Law suppressed medicine?”
“Yes. The ideology that folk remedies are primitive has been prevalent on the continent for hundreds of years. Thanks to that, the Kingdom of Law has maintained its stronghold.”
Currently, the Empire is in a dominant position thanks to the Emperor’s successful wars of conquest.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing, being a bishop myself… but it certainly makes sense.”
“If you’d become a cardinal, you would have likely heard it.”
“Ah. No wonder I felt as if the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Law were recommending my exile to the Empire. Was I sent to promote healing arts?”
Alberich looked shocked.
“How do you know all these things?”
I had dug through various information while seeking strategies for my own purposes.
“My mentor informed me.”
“You have a mentor?”
“Yes. A person who has continued and developed the thread of medicine. Who witnessed history with their own two eyes for several hundred years.”
For the time being, keeping it vague would add some credibility.
The facts about reincarnation are obviously unbelievable, and it’s absurd that a freshly turned adult could have developed medicine.
I have countless mentors, after all.
Hippocrates, William Osler, Rudolph Virchow – all great physicians have contributed to who I am today.
“That’s even more fascinating. You have no fondness for the Goddess of Faith, yet how do you maintain such strong faith?”
“Oh, that’s simple. I believe there is no Goddess.”
“W-What? Is that for real?!”
Alberich’s mouth fell open. I smirked.
“Didn’t you think it was strange using healing spells? Even though they’re meant to heal people, there’s not an ounce of humanity in them. It feels like fixing a puppet in a factory.”
“Y-You’re right…it certainly does seem somewhat harsh. I thought it was a trial bestowed as a miracle by the Goddess…”
“Honestly, if the Goddess truly looked over us, wouldn’t there be any need for additional pain? The image of the Goddess we commonly think of doesn’t exist, and I believe a force that understands nothing about humans controls the healing arts.”
That’s just my belief. I added.
Alberich, who had just swallowed a huge dose of revelation, was swayed and horrified, yet seemed to be processing it.
“If that’s truly the case… then your strong faith in the absence of the Goddess makes sense.”
“Well, I’m busy enough as it is to investigate useless truths. Whether it’s healing arts or medicine, my priority is to heal patients; I will use whatever works.”
“Exactly. That’s our duty as healers.”
Alberich nodded in agreement with me.
*
A few days later, when I reported to the Inner Palace, Chloe brought good news.
“Ah, Sensei! Last night, Princess Wanda regained consciousness. Mrs. Alberich is also recovering well.”
“If that’s the case, she should be discharged soon. Let’s go check on them.”
“Oh, um, I’ve heard that the other princess has also awakened around the same time.”
Presumably due to being twins, the two patients seemed to be recovering around the same time.
Since Livio is in charge of the other side, I have no authority to check on their condition.
“That’s great.”
“Um, b-but there’s a rumor going around…”
“A rumor?”
Chloe looked around cautiously and whispered to me.
“They say Geda has… serious aftereffects.”
“Aftereffects? What kind?”
Chloe cautiously spoke.
“Amnesia.”
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.