46 – Antibiotics

I busied myself searching for places to live with my precious people.

Fortunately, there was a land manager, something akin to a real estate broker, who was able to assist me.

As expected, finding a house itself that met all my requirements proved impossible, but acquiring empty plots of land was easy enough.

Land outside the fortress walls was generally less desirable than that within, and as the land manager pointed out, those who sought homes on the outskirts were mostly farmers tilling the surrounding fields.

Alright.

Following the land manager, I went to inspect the property.

“Judging by your voice, you don’t seem to be of age yet, and your attire… Do you even have the funds?”

He eyed me with suspicion.

Persuading a land manager is simple: demonstrate the difference in rank.

I removed my robe.

“H-ho…”

I knew this would happen, so I came dressed like a proper nobleman.

Do I look like I have money now, *human*?

“From now on, I shall present you with only S-tier properties, milord.”

“So, you weren’t doing that before?”

“Haha, of course not.”

The land manager introduced the properties with twice as much courtesy as before.

It was absurd how he kept adding “milord” to every sentence, but I was glad that I didn’t have to worry about him swindling me.

Back in my previous life, I was told repeatedly to be careful of real estate scams.

This guy’s a civil servant; surely, he wouldn’t have the audacity to scam a noble.

The property I chose was a 200 *pyeong* vacant lot located approximately thirty minutes by foot from the metropolis.

Quiet, secluded, with clean air, I found it quite pleasing.

I paid the deposit.

I promised to pay the remaining amount when I came to the capital again, planning to sell the Hell Tank and provide it.

‘Securing a place to move to: complete.’

I started walking with the certificate.

And before returning to the royal palace, I stopped by a bookstore to browse. There I discovered a novel by the author Tia that wasn’t available in the estate’s library, and promptly purchased it.

I’ll read this on the way back.

After finishing my tasks, I looked around for gifts for my sister and Dalpi before returning to the palace.

It was almost time for the banquet, so I left the book and certificate in my room and walked down the corridor, but the atmosphere was rather chaotic.

‘Was it always this quiet?’

Art was alone in the banquet hall, waiting for me.

It was supposed to start in ten minutes, but seeing that no one else was here, I sensed something was amiss.

“You’ve arrived. I was expecting you.”

“Has some sort of incident occurred? There’s no one here?”

“Actually…”

Art explained the situation.

The news that the banquet had been cancelled arrived about 30 minutes ago.

The reason being.

“The Princess collapsed suddenly. She was normally in good health, but all of a sudden…”

‘The Princess collapsed?’

She seemed a little uneasy when I met her yesterday, so her condition must have been quite poor.

I pressed Art, who was trailing off, to explain in more detail.

“She suddenly coughed violently at the banquet, and then collapsed, coughing up blood. The Royal Physician said there were white spots on her chest…”

‘White spots, eh…’

As an introvert, the fact that I didn’t have to go to the banquet was good news, but.

The fact that it was cancelled because someone collapsed made me feel uneasy.

Frankly, as someone with a sick sister, I couldn’t help but feel that way even more.

It felt like it could be my own family.

“Understood, for now.”

With that, I returned to my room.

“……”

I tried to fall asleep in bed, but I couldn’t because I was too concerned.

My body and mind were tired, but my consciousness was still alive, you could say.

About 30 minutes passed like that.

“Haa…”

I eventually got up from the bed.

Honestly, I don’t think the Royal Physicians will be able to solve this.

If they could have treated it, they would have done so by now.

Perhaps it was in order to adapt to the substance called mana.

The human beings of this world have a different physical structure than the humans of my previous life.

A mana circuit is built into the body, and the heart has evolved into an organ that not only circulates blood, but also generates and circulates mana.

The medicine of this world has evolved to match the structure of these evolved humans.

I know the royal physicians aren’t *that* backward.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Biologist mages, they at least grasp the concepts of germs and hygiene.

At the very least, their papers aren’t filled with that nonsense about miasma in the air infecting the respiratory system.

In the first place, the reason Haniel’s condition could be alleviated was because I fed them the information from my world.

But, it couldn’t compare to modern medicine, built on the blood and sweat of countless humans.

This world hadn’t even conceived of antibiotics yet.

I found Art and asked him where Livienne was.

“The Princess’ chambers are that way, but why?”

“I’d like to examine her.”

“Examine her…?”

Art blinked.

The idea of me, not a physician, examining her probably sounded ludicrous.

I didn’t have time for explanations.

I left him behind and moved on.

The Princess’ door was ajar.

Sounds leaked into the corridor.

“Cough, cough… it hurts…”

“Livienne, it’s alright. I’m here.”

“Just bear with it. I’ve prescribed some medicine, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and you’ll feel better.”

A childhood memory flickered in my mind.

The me in my memories, holding Haniel’s hand tightly, spoke in a voice just as unsteady.

Despairing at the helplessness of not being able to do anything, even as I heard my sister’s moans of pain.

Yes, my heart felt uneasy.

I bowed to the guards standing before the room and entered.

“Esther….”

“What brings you here….”

Vymark and Troville were human beings, before they were royalty.

A strange sense of kinship rose within me, seeing their faces etched with worry as they looked at Livienne.

I politely asked if they could give me a moment alone.

“I would like to examine her.”

Bimark’s gaze shifted with deliberate slowness.

“You are not a physician, are you?”

I shook my head.

“My sister was ill in the past, so I studied medicine. Entrust it to me.”

“Is that truly so… But.”

Trowill regarded me.

Our eyes met.

He seemed to read something in my eyes, and persuaded Bimark that in a situation where even the royal physicians had offered no viable alternative, what was there to hide?

“Father. Let us trust Esther, just once.”

Bimark let out a low groan, then nodded.

“I beg you. If the Princess can only recover, I will grant you anything you desire.”

Oh, really?

Welcome news indeed, but this was no time for rejoicing.

“Then, everyone, please leave.”

It pained me to say it to these people, but their presence would only hinder the examination, so I politely asked them to depart.

They obeyed me without question.

As the royals withdrew, I closed the door.

I questioned Livian.

“Princess. Can you hear my voice?”

“Yes….”

Livian managed the word with difficulty.

Her fever was considerable, and her entire body was drenched in sweat.

I wiped her face with a towel.

“Everything I do from this point forward is for the sake of Your Highness’s recovery. You may find it unfamiliar, awkward, or even strange, but you must trust me completely.”

She nodded weakly.

Good, permission granted.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure if I should do what I was about to do.

It would be a shocking demand, especially for Livian, who had grown up like a hothouse flower as a princess of the kingdom.

But all of this was for a greater cause.

Let us find the courage.

“Here…”

I extended the sterilized cup to Rivian.

*

Ester’s request was outlandish.

Rivian stared blankly at the disinfected cup.

‘What is this all of a sudden…’

Ester, so casually uttering words too shameful to even voice, was a far cry from the image she’d initially held.

It was surely disrespectful to think this of the hero who saved the kingdom, but for a moment, she appeared like a mad eccentric.

‘He really wants me to do this…?’

He was serious.

Spouting incomprehensible medical jargon, he explained it was a necessary procedure for diagnosing the precise ailment.

Though she was utterly clueless on the subject.

No doctor had ever made such a bizarre request of her before.

However.

She had no choice.

Already in so much pain she felt like dying, she had no option but to trust him.

Suppressing her shame, she did as he instructed.

He put down the cup.

And then.

“Do not move.”

Next, he swabbed at Rivian’s nose.

It truly felt as though he were piercing her brain, bringing tears to her eyes unbidden.

“Ugh…”

For a moment, Ester looked like a torturer, so awful was the pain.

“Now, I will draw blood.”

“Bl-blood…?”

“Yes. It will sting a little.”

‘Is this some quack…?’

Rivian couldn’t resist.

Not only did she lack the strength, but Ester’s actions were so unrestrained, filled with a confidence that brooked no argument.

He went outside for a moment, then returned.

In his hands, a peculiar vial; he daubed the liquid within onto gauze and rubbed it onto the skin.

A cool sensation bloomed.

“It will sting. If you are afraid, do not look.”

“Ayyat…”

Esther bound Livian’s right arm with a silken cord, and with a mana needle, drew blood.

“You have endured much.”

“……”

He had no strength left to reply.

From the beginning, he was a mage.

Medicine and magic were, he believed, wholly separate domains.

Even if there were those amongst the Erfs or Life School mages who possessed medical knowledge, Esther’s accomplishments until now were worlds removed from medicine.

No matter how much of a prodigy he was, could he, not being a physician, offer any meaningful assistance to his condition?

It was a night he longed for the gentle touch of the royal physician.

After the flurry subsided, a drowsiness crept in.

The pain was intense, but still, he felt as though he could drift off to sleep.

Before sleep took him, he looked once more at Esther.

He had not left the room.

He seemed to be manipulating something with magic, but precisely what, he couldn’t quite fathom.

“…Sweet dreams…”

Livian drifted off, feeling him adjust the cool cloth upon his brow.

*

『Liver values are rather high. There seems to be a genetic component.』

『There are no irregularities in the urinary organs.』

『Red blood cell count…』

Nob AI, manipulating my body, performed various examinations for Livian’s sake.

Apparently, by utilizing the Life School’s most useful spells, one could analyze and assess components, taking the place of precision instruments.

After spending hours, it seemed he had reached a conclusion regarding Livian’s condition.

『A bacterial infection.』

『……』

To put Nob AI’s words in simple terms: there’s a bacteria that enters through the respiratory system, lies dormant in the circuits, and then, after absorbing the infected’s mana, multiplies and wrecks the lungs. That’s the germ making the Princess ill.

“It’s not a super bacteria, so it can be easily killed with antibiotics.”

“Nob AI can definitely handle it.”

“(˶˙ᵕ˙ )ﾉﾞ”

Right.

I’m counting on you again today.