The day of the Healers’ demonstration conference.
The team members headed towards the waiting room and behind the stage to prepare the makeshift operating room early.
I, on the other hand, stood with the escort knight behind the distinguished guests, as usual.
Of course, it was to gauge this person’s mood.
“Lars, you’re not planning to participate in the martial arts conference, are you?”
Acella breezed past me and asked.
“Of course not. Didn’t Princess give a royal command? Surely, I wouldn’t disregard an important mission just to break a rule.”
As I answered obediently, Acella seemed pleased, as she playfully tapped my cheek, as if observing a pet bird in a cage.
“Right. Just keep listening like you are now.”
“Of course.”
Acella flicked her blonde hair seductively and took her seat.
I had to leave the scene as naturally as possible, as if it were not my will. There were ways to do everything.
After a moment, everyone in the distinguished guests’ section rose to show respect; the Emperor had entered.
Sitting in a grand, ornate chair, the Emperor radiated authority.
I subtly leaned forward to catch his eye. However, since I still wasn’t getting his attention, I cast some divine power and bounced it towards Ambrosia.
When her gaze turned towards me, the Emperor finally turned his heavy head.
Seeing me, he displayed an expression of puzzlement.
Soon, Ambrosia bounced over to relay the royal summons.
“His Majesty requests to see you.”
Just as planned.
As I walked forward, I noticed unease spread across Acella’s face.
“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”
“Gothberg. Aren’t you participating in the martial arts conference?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hm. Will that be sufficient?”
I appreciated the overestimation.
“The decision for the stage and healer was made by the unanimous agreement of all attending physicians. We will show the capacity of the Imperial Inner Palace without holding back.”
“You seem confident.”
“I would like to explain the medical aspect myself, but I have a duty as the attending physician.”
The Emperor stroked his beard.
“This is a matter that concerns the nation’s prestige. Put aside your duties to the palace for a moment. If an explanation is needed, do it yourself.”
I had gained the justification to distance myself from Acella, even for a brief moment.
“I shall comply. Ah, since we’re on the topic, may I request a moment of your lady’s cooperation?”
“Do you need a girl?”
Ambrosia puffed her cheeks unexpectedly.
“No one in our Inner Palace possesses such magnificent divine power and powerful divine spells as your lady. I would like to ask for the same operation as last time. A duration of about 30 minutes should suffice.”
No one other than Ambrosia can use high-tier healing spells for post-surgical healing.
The Emperor snapped his fingers.
“Ambrosia, go along too.”
“I shall comply. Gothberg, let me know when you need the girl.”
“Understood.”
When I returned to my seat, Acella pouted.
“So, what are you up to?”
“Oh, I intend to explain today’s surgery to the audience. After all, it might be difficult for people from other nations to understand medicine.”
“You don’t have some other scheme, do you?”
“Nope. I’ll go up, present, and come right back.”
“Better not be lying.”
Acella shot me a fierce glare before turning her head sharply.
I don’t want to stand out either. It’s necessary for my surgery.
The foreign healing spell demonstrations weren’t bad, but that was about it.
Kingdoms such as the Demon Kingdom, the Water Kingdom, and the Holy Spirit Kingdom all remained at a mediocre level.
The noteworthy nation in this area was indeed the Kingdom of Law. As a religious nation with the Goddess religion as its state faith, they send priests throughout the continent.
–Introducing the proud priests of the Kingdom of Law!
The Pope himself stepped onto the stage to enliven the atmosphere, unleashing a barrage of high-tier blessings into the audience.
Receiving blessings temporarily increases vitality, strength, and magical power, so it certainly felt uplifting.
It felt akin to inhaling highly oxygenated air and overdosing on vitamins.
The public’s reaction was very good, and the Kingdom of Law took it up a notch.
The priests brought out a sealed chest from behind the stage. The Pope opened it and cautiously revealed something inside.
“What is that?”
“Looks precious… Just seeing it purifies the heart.”
“Is it… a leaf crown?”
The crown of a saint. An artifact of transcendent level.
‘It probably has a 15 percent boost in divine power.’
Even the Pope couldn’t touch the object, displaying it in a transparent case held high for the public to see.
Only those with perfect faith could even hope to touch it, let alone use it.
“The intention in bringing that artifact is quite obvious.”
Heike, who was watching the demonstration, remarked.
“Since the hero is already in our nation, do they plan to snatch a second piece? Ha ha, seems they’re in a hurry.”
George scoffed, but it truly was a situation that required caution for the Empire.
Anyone able to wield that artifact is likely to be chosen as a saint, and if that person exists within the Kingdom of Law, the allied forces could split the initiative between themselves and the Empire.
Sure enough, a woman affiliated with the Kingdom of Law stepped forth from behind the stage. Judging by her hat, she was a cardinal.
With her clear white hair, it seemed she possessed considerable divine power.
It felt as if she had been cast in the mold of a conventional saint.
As the woman reached for the crown, the audience fell silent and the tension heightened.
Slowly, the woman took the crown and placed it on her head.
A massive outpouring of divine power erupted, prompting awe from the audience.
“What a considerable talent.”
“This may be a bit dangerous.”
The foreign dignitaries whispered among themselves. The Emperor’s expression displayed wariness.
Someone capable of wielding that artifact undoubtedly had the highest degree of faith and divine power across the continent.
But our Ambrosia wasn’t the kind of person to lack specifications either.
“Lady, are you ready?”
“Oh, Teacher Gothberg. I’ve been waiting.”
“Having seen a demonstration of that caliber, you must be quite anxious.”
“Is it the girl? Haha, the shadows fell and I couldn’t see well. If the girl had put on the crown, it would have shone even brighter.”
Ambrosia extended her flat form with a nonchalant demeanor.
Behind the stage, healers from the Empire were waiting for their turn to participate.
“Next, get going! We must not lose to the Kingdom of Law!”
Alberich urged the faction healers, sending them out. The turn of the Moonlight Palace is after Mokhwi Palace.
“Teacher Gothberg!”
It was First Princess Persiya.
She had been tense until now, looking at me and finally breathing a sigh of relief, smoothing her chest.
“You came to find me! I thought I wouldn’t see you.”
“Would I ever not show up? We can’t perform surgery without a surgeon, right?”
“It’s right that you personally handle it. I thought you couldn’t come because of the Princess.”
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. I’ll take care of it.”
After reassuring the princess, I met the 3rd prince, who had already changed into surgical attire in the waiting room.
He looked quite tense in this unfamiliar environment.
“Your Highness, I am Gothberg, the doctor from the Empire in charge of your treatment today.”
The 3rd Prince, Gordon, bowed towards me. A well-mannered child.
“Do not worry, just sleep for a while. When you wake up, don’t be too startled.”
“…Why?”
I placed my hand on his leg.
He seemed unresponsive, perhaps due to the lack of sensation.
“Feelings will return here again.”
With a smile, the prince nodded vigorously. A naive child.
While I felt a bit guilty about performing a public surgery, this was an important operation for his entire life.
From now on, I would take this seriously.
I gathered the team and initiated the final checks with the displayed video.
“The patient’s condition involves paralysis of the lower body due to spinal cord damage. The 3rd lumbar nerve has been completely severed, previously treated with healing spells. The motor nerve fibers have not regenerated properly and are entangled. There are also phantom pain symptoms due to residual sensory nerves. Everyone confirmed multiple times, right?”
Everyone nodded.
“The surgery is simple. We’ll make an incision, connect the severed nerves with a bypass, and close it up. Done.”
“The post-surgical healing will be left to the lady. That’s reassuring.”
As Hugo commended, Ambrosia shrugged her shoulders.
“This is the substance to replace the dead nerve synapses. Handle with care.”
I placed a vial from my pocket. It would be the key to today’s surgery—the [Remote Control Potion].
It has the effect of moving exposed objects over a short distance with thought. I extended its duration through [Enhancement].
Applying this onto the ends of the severed nerves would allow signals from the brain to reach the lower body again.
A slight delay may occur, but based on experimental results, I deemed this manageable through rehabilitation.
“Then I will present the overview of today’s surgery and return. Prepare the operating room.”
I entrusted the final stages to my team and walked toward the light.
The demonstration from Alberich’s faction concluded. As I took the stage in his place, applause ceased, and all eyes focused on me.
My face even appeared on the screen.
Bowing grandly like a magician starting a performance, my white robe fluttered.
“Greetings to all of you from the Imperial Inner Palace. I am Lars Gothberg, the attending physician to Her Highness, the wise master of the Moonlight Palace, Acella von Württemberg.”
Snap! My fingers clicked, and the materials were displayed on the screen. The human bodily shape.
“Today, I am prepared to show you, of course, divine power and healing spells, but also something a bit unfamiliar. Has anyone here heard of medicine? Or at least, medical practices? Ah, there! Good.”
–Are you taking your medicine well!
Someone shouted from the audience.
“Are you not a citizen of the Kingdom? I’ve never seen this teacher before. Excellent! Come claim your candy later.”
Continuing my steps, I spoke.
“Healing spells, blessings. Naturally, these are indispensable to us. But don’t you ever wonder? How can we maintain our health? What is happening inside our bodies that causes us pain?”
–That’s quite intriguing.
–How would we know?
The crowd became interested.
I signaled to switch the screen.
A view of the spine located at the back was displayed.
Seeing this, the crowd murmured in confusion, not grasping the concept.
“This isn’t a snake. Touch the back of the person in front of you. Isn’t it fascinating how it feels like such a thing is contained within?”
The audience nodded in agreement with my words.
I picked up the bucket I had prepared and poured it out onto the floor with a swoosh.
“Simply put, this is the pathway for water. Our thoughts send signals from the brain throughout the entire body. But naturally….”
I placed a sandbag atop the flowing water.
“If something blocks it, the water cannot flow. The thought cannot be transmitted to the body.”
–What does that mean?
“It means that if the back is injured, the legs will stop moving.”
Reactions varied widely. Some were fascinated and accepted my claims, while others were skeptical, questioning whether the legs wouldn’t move simply from an injury.
–The Chief Physician of the Empire!
Thundering voice.
That was the Emperor.
–What will you show us?
A sharp, insightful question.
I clapped my hands, focusing attention.
“There is a patient here whose legs do not move.”
Rattle!
The pulleys rolled, and the curtain rose on stage.
The makeshift operating room that had been hidden revealed the 3rd prince.
–That person is!
–Isn’t he the prince of the kingdom!
–Wait, are you saying you’ll fix his legs?
I declared.
“I will now demonstrate the Imperial Inner Palace to you all.”
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