47 – Paradigm Shift

The royal physicians found themselves in a quandary.

They simply couldn’t define Rivian’s illness.

“It cannot simply be labeled a mana disease. Though the colored spots are unusual, even for mana disease… The Princess’s mana is circulating perfectly well.”

“She was out and about recently. The symptoms are similar to malaria or Noche. Perhaps it’s a disease of that nature. I believe it’s highly possible it’s an infectious disease, so she should be quarantined for the time being.”

“What medicine should we even use… Let’s try everything we can, for now.”

They rummaged through books and records, searching for a way to treat this peculiar illness with white spots, but found nothing recorded.

If this were a new kind of disease, one never seen before, then even the royal physicians would have no recourse.

Treating an illness wasn’t like a surgical procedure, where you could cut away the rotten part and be done with it.

You had to administer medicine and observe the progress, and if all the medicine failed, then all that was left was to offer a prayer to the heavens.

Although a method to somewhat cure malaria had been discovered using the sap of the cinchona tree, Noche was still a disease of death, with no answer once contracted.

Treating an existing disease was already incredibly difficult, so how much more difficult would it be to treat a new one?

They, as doctors, were earnestly trying to cure the Princess’s illness, but…

A weak heart, born from a hopeless situation, kept getting in the way.

“Sir Ester seems to have found a way,”

Art announced as he approached.

The physicians’ eyes widened at his words.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said. Sir Ester asked me to entrust the Princess’s illness to him. He said that no one should enter the room from now on, so I came to inform you.”

Ester’s fame was well known.

For a person living in the Kingdom of Justina, not knowing that name would be no different from being a demonkin.

But, did his achievements have anything to do with medicine?

Magic and medicine were completely separate disciplines.

Unless it was a special case like Erphs, a magician usually only possessed magical knowledge, and was generally ignorant of the human body and disease.

If one were a mage of the Life School, with its intimate connection to both the living and mana, perhaps there might be a chance, but…

He was but fifteen years.

No one disputed his genius, but to imagine him also versed in the healing arts stretched credulity.

Even they, having dedicated their lives to medicine, saw no path forward.

He could cure the Princess’s ailment?

“It’s preposterous. You truly believe this, Chief Court Physician?”

Even Elle, who until now had maintained a respectful silence, attending only to her duties, chimed in.

At twenty-two, she had garnered recognition for her remarkable skill in medicine, rising to this position at a relatively young age.

“I understand that Lord Esther possesses considerable talent, but medicine is far from simple.”

In Elle’s eyes, Esther appeared intoxicated by his own abilities.

The adulation of many easily breeds arrogance, and arrogance clouds one’s judgment.

Had she not, once, believed herself a physician capable of saving all, only to worsen a patient’s condition through flawed decisions?

She felt compelled to halt Esther’s reckless advance.

Before the arrogant genius irreversibly harmed Livian’s condition.

“His Majesty has personally granted permission…”

Art attempted to dissuade Elle, but she brushed off his hand.

“As the Princess’s primary physician, I have not granted permission.”

She strode forward with purpose.

Arriving before the Princess’s room, she rapped firmly on the locked door.

There was no response from within.

She knocked again, and Esther emerged, his eyes hollow and dark.

Dark circles ringed his eyes, and he reeked of exhaustion, as if he hadn’t slept.

However, Elle’s gaze was drawn to the crack in the opened door.

‘What on earth is that…?’

It was a form she had never seen before.

Livian’s room resembled a Life School mage’s laboratory more than a princess’s chamber.

Thick needles were embedded in the crook of Livian’s arm, connected by tubes to transparent pouches filled with a clear, water-like liquid.

A strong scent of disinfectant filled the air.

“I distinctly stated that no one was to be admitted. Were you not informed of this directive?”

“Just what exactly is going on here…”

Elle was aghast.

Never before had she witnessed a physician perform such an outlandish act upon a patient in the name of healing.

“This is treatment. Please leave, you’re interfering.”

“Treatment? Where is the treatment in this? Remove that needle immediately! I don’t know what liquid that is, but it will kill the Princess!”

Esther sighed.

“It’s physiological saline. It’s the same concentration as bodily fluids, so there’s no danger of water intoxication.”

Esther explained that he was replenishing Rivian’s fluids to combat dehydration.

At first, she couldn’t comprehend it and demanded he cease his treatment at once, her voice sharp with agitation. But he simply replied, calmly.

So logically and clearly that Elle found herself speechless.

“…”

It wasn’t an unreasonable explanation.

The needle was inserted precisely into what appeared to be a vein, and from their conversation, Esther seemed to possess considerable anatomical knowledge.

Furthermore, Esther seemed to be well-versed in the Princess’s ailment.

According to research conducted jointly by the mages of the Blue Tower and physicians, most diseases were caused by infections from incredibly tiny microorganisms called germs, which disrupted the body’s equilibrium.

He echoed this very sentiment, adding that he had already taken measures, and that the royal physicians need not concern themselves further.

‘Could it be… does he truly possess substantial medical knowledge?’

Indeed, the sleeping Princess’s expression seemed more serene than it had yesterday.

Elle cooled her overheated mind for a moment.

A moment later.

Having regained her customary composure, she spoke again.

“I heard you had found a solution.”

“That is correct.”

“May I inquire as to its nature?”

“Would you be able to understand, even if I explained it?”

“Even if I don’t, I will endeavor to understand.”

Elle nodded slowly.

What mattered now was the Princess’s life, more than her own pride.

As the attending physician, she needed to know what method this genius had discovered.

Esther stated that the germs afflicting Rivian’s body were mana-germs, capable of absorbing the host’s mana and using it as their own power.

And what could kill those mana-germs was…

“Antibiotics and mana suppressants.”

In nature, when two types of microorganisms coexist, a substance secreted by one hinders the growth of the other; this, they say, is called antibiosis.

Microorganisms create antibiotics for survival.

Antibiotics are medicines that utilize this “antibiotic substance” to kill bacteria within the body.

The downside is that even beneficial intestinal flora are destroyed, but bacteria thrive until the host dies or they themselves perish, so despite various side effects, it was a price they had to pay for a complete cure.

Furthermore, he calmly told Elle to wait, as the suppressants used to treat Haniel’s illness would also be administered, ensuring the complete eradication of the mana bacteria.

Ester waved his hand dismissively at her, who stood there with a blank expression.

“This is why I told them not to let anyone in.”

“……”

“It’s exhausting to explain everything, and if you were a more impulsive person, things could have escalated. Besides, you don’t have the means to cure the Princess. Even if you don’t believe me, just wait. That’s how you’ll save her.”

Ester told her not to interfere any further and ushered her out of the room.

Elle couldn’t say a word.

Not because she was angry.

Not because she couldn’t believe it.

Her heart pounded, and goosebumps prickled her skin.

If what Ester said was true, then a medicine capable of curing the countless diseases that had plagued people for so long had finally been developed.

If they only had the means to mass-produce it and distribute it to the people, they could drastically reduce deaths from illness and infection.

It was an unbelievable tale, but his accomplishments so far lent credibility and persuasiveness.

The certainty in his eyes reinforced that his words were not lies.

Based on their conversation, she realized with certainty that Ester wasn’t someone trying to inflate his ego by using the Princess’s life.

He wasn’t just an arrogant genius.

He was someone who saw much further than others.

If the Princess recovered and rose from her sickbed…

The Kingdom of Justina would experience a paradigm shift in medicine.

The conversation with Ester had shocked Elle so deeply that she couldn’t bring herself to leave the door for a long time.

*

Livian opened her eyes.

The headache had subsided, and the dizziness was less intense than yesterday.

The patient is always the best judge of their own symptoms.

Slowly, surely, she was improving.

Had Esther’s unorthodox treatment worked after all?

The shame and pain, stubbornly endured, had been worth it.

A needle pierced his forearm, yet it brought no ache.

Only a dull throb remained.

The white blemish blooming on his chest faded further, and a return of sensation brought with it the thirst.

“Water…”

“You’re awake.”

Esther, who had been reading, rose and offered a glass.

He sipped carefully, a soft *ho-ro-rok*.

Judging by her weary face, she hadn’t slept a wink, and a needless guilt pricked him.

Livian returned the glass to Esther and settled back into the bed.

“Did you sleep…?”

“No, not yet.”

“You couldn’t sleep because of me…?”

“One could say that.”

He continued the conversation, his mind still swirling.

“I’m sorry. But it really hurt…”

“I know. I wasn’t seeking an apology.”

Esther reopened her book.

“How can someone be so clever?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“I still can’t believe you’re only fifteen… You’re a year younger than me, yet magic, and now even medicine… If you’re so good at everything… how are other people supposed to earn a living…”

These were not the words Livian, ever polite, would utter in his usual state, but perhaps dazed as he was, anything slipped out.

“Indeed.”

“At first, you seemed like a prodigy… but when you came to my room yesterday, you seemed like a sinister eccentric… Now you’re starting to look like a prodigy again…”

“That’s fortunate.”

Livian wasn’t thrilled with Esther’s response, but to expect her to be a companion when she was so weary would be an unreasonable demand.

Casting a sidelong glance at the sulky Livian, Esther abruptly spoke.

“Yesterday morning, I saw you carrying a book in the garden, did you happen to read it?”

“I did…”

It was only natural, seeing as the author was Rivian.

Why was she asking about that all of a sudden?

“I read it as well.”

“And what did you think?”

“I found it interesting.”

“A lie….”

“Would I have reason to lie to you, Princess?”

*He had a point.*

Ester likely didn’t know that Rivian was the novel’s author.

“And what did you think, Princess?”

“I think of her as a daughter I bore in my heart. Heehee….”

“Quite the compliment, indeed.”

Ester closed the book.

Come to think of it, it was Rivian’s novel she’d bought at the bookstore yesterday.

Although she’d been in a hazy, painful state, a joy had welled up in her chest, making her forget about it for a moment.

For an author, the best feeling comes when their own work is read by another, after all.

“I was sure you only read books on magic or philosophy….”

“Me?”

“Yes….”

“I am but a person. Isn’t it only natural that I would find a novel more entertaining than such tiresome books?”

He watched Ester, who had gone silent.

The corners of her lips were faintly lifted.

She almost seemed to be holding back a smile.

Rivian felt as though he understood Ester a little better.

“…….”

The boy that people praised as a genius, in the end, he’s just the same as me, I suppose.

That was the feeling.

Consciousness began to fade once more.

“Good… …bye.”

Livienne drifted into slumber.

Ester’s comforting voice, a lullaby, filled the pleasant afternoon.