Drug Abuse (2)

I grabbed the company commander's biceps on both sides and stretched them out straight. "Aigoo!" As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I bowed his head and yanked down all the way to his back, a scream utterly mismatched to his hulking frame burst out involuntarily.

"See? Skipping workouts and stretches has left your whole body stiff as a board. Stretch it all the way out."

"Gah! My arms are gonna rip off!"

The muscle enhancer's effects were impressive. The company commander—built like he could cleave goblins and ogres in half—was utterly helpless in my grip.

From behind, I seized his arms, yanked them over his head, and pulled hard. This felt like a wrestling move. Cobra twist, maybe?

"Don't forget to stretch those lats too!"

"Gaaah! Hold on, Doctor!"

The company commander slapped at my knee frantically, his whole body shuddering. He thrashed to break free, but once my muscles locked on, there was no escape.

Impressive effect. How much did it boost?

A thirty-point jump, even if temporary. That was beyond a decade of training.

About a minute now.

I released him, and he lost his balance, tumbling awkwardly to the ground in a cloud of dust. Shaking it off and staggering to his feet, the company commander stared at me with wide-eyed terror.

"Wh-what the hell... Where's that kind of power coming from in your scrawny body...?"

I popped a candy into my mouth and replied casually. "First northerner you've met? It's normal back home. Right, Commander Tanya?"

"Young master, you're the frail one here."

"Th-this is frail? Does the doctor really need a guard?"

"Think you could last three seconds against Commander Tanya? You couldn't even land a hit on her."

I pointed at Tanya, and the company commander and sentries gaped at her, mouths hanging open.

"If it's that level... No wonder our knights lost across the board."

"C-Commander, what do we do?"

The company commander immediately smacked the frozen sentries on their heads. "You idiots! Insult the chief physician like that and you don't apologize right away?!"

Reading the mood, the sentries bowed deeply to me at once.

"Sorry!"

"We're sorry!"

The company commander scratched the back of his head and bowed too. "I'll drill proper manners into these fools. The knights have been off lately—must've slipped up. Please be generous and keep this quiet outside..."

The imperial knights losing in raw strength to the chief physician and his guard? That'd bruise their pride plenty. Northerners and imperials alike, knights had simple heads.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Their reactions were amusing enough, so I decided to wrap it up. "Fine, be more careful from now on. Do those stretches I showed you regularly and report back."

"Yes, sir!"

I left the barracks with Tanya.

"So they weren't challenging me purely to spar—they were picking a fight unfairly?"

Tanya ground her teeth once she heard my explanation later.

"Even if I didn't know, I can't forgive them shaming you, Doctor. I'll go retaliate right now."

"I already disciplined them. Plus, I got plenty of intel, so we're good."

"Intel?"

It had been quite useful. First, I tested the muscle enhancer's effects. I'd worried about turning into a green monster, all bulked up and ripping my clothes—but no need for that concern.

And another thing.

"Asella's faction is still pretty weak in the palace."

They were treated like the Second Prince's underlings, talked down to. If mere sentries dared bark at the chief physician, that said it all.

"Where do Asella's guard knights stay?"

"Lady Asella, Bruno, and I reside in the Moonlight Palace. No dedicated training grounds, so we drill in the rear garden ourselves."

"That's rough. The southern barracks looked top-notch."

"Yes. Nothing compared to our marquisate's facilities. Very imperial."

"Tempting."

"The barracks?"

"Including them—and the strong factions."

Asella would eventually lead the strongest faction among the heirs. She was going to be empress, after all. But with me around, history would shift bit by bit.

In fact, just recently while averting bad endings, Asella's and the empress's factions had effectively split. In the original history, that happened later—and the empress's faction got wiped out entirely.

"No telling when that'll happen, and waiting around isn't my style."

"Getting into imperial politics?"

"Nah. Why jump into the fire pit myself?"

Standing out too much would just get a knife to the throat. Get too entangled, and I'd get assassinated trying to leave the palace later.

"Then?"

"Easier to use the ones already there. Like that southern barracks."

Knights were simple. The imperial knight order wasn't officially tied to any faction, but one heir always dominated the vibe unofficially. Make them like Asella, and done.

"Their skills weren't bad, for sure. Capital swordsmanship is efficient."

"They all lost to you."

"Of course I'm strong."

"Learn some humility."

"Subordinates learn poise from their lord."

Now it was my fault.

"But overall, the knights didn't measure up to my level. They all seemed kinda sickly."

"Sickly?"

Come to think of it, the company commander had mentioned the knights being off. His body felt feverish when I touched it—though I chalked it up to personal differences in baseline temp.

"It's flu season, after all."

Might be an epidemic. I immediately used Diagnosis on Tanya.

"Why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you staring like that?"

"Nothing. Just remembered the saying: fools don't catch colds."

Was a cold going around the barracks? Colds were a pain. They hit anytime, leaving you miserable and foggy-headed. Incurable because they mutate endlessly, slipping past immunity.

"Most colds respond great to aspirin."

The classic fever-reducer. Guess I'd make some.

"Already made willow bark painkillers. Aspirin's a derivative."

With Extraction, pull ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠salicylic acid from willow bark, then Property Change to acetylsalicylic acid—aspirin.

"This'll mass-produce easy."

Fun. I couldn't help grinning.

But moments later, my legs buckled, and I lost balance, tumbling over.

"Doctor."

Tanya caught me before my face hit the ground. A status text popped up.

"Ah, that's it."

The muscle enhancer's side effect.

"Figured you were pushing too hard earlier. Some weird medical technique?"

"Yep. Carry me back to the Moonlight Palace."

"Debt paid."

Tanya hoisted me up effortlessly onto her back.

Sure enough, two days later, colds swept the entire palace.

"Cough, cough."

Even the Imperial Medical Office was full of hacking healers. No masks, of course. No concept of pathogens or infection control—not even basic handwashing.

Severe cases got healing spells, but they were inefficient. For systemic infections like colds, healing one spot didn't cure it. Spells barely helped, and with patients everywhere, reinfection was instant.

This strain was nasty, mutating fast.

"The whole palace in pandemic chaos."

"Not deadly, but everyone's drained. Not sure the tournament can even proceed properly."

"They'll push it through. His Majesty's pet event."

Wandering the office, I overheard healers buzzing about the tournament—just ten days away. Most office healers were competing, so natural hot topic.

"The tournament—important."

I eyed the aspirin mountain piled on my desk. I'd asked Neria for willow bark for painkillers; now it paid off. Easier than painkillers, whipped up in no time.

"Doctor, it's work hours."

Evening, heading to the Moonlight Palace with Tanya. Inside, Asella watched her knights' post-lesson training in the rear garden.

I approached, bowed, and said, "Princess, blood pressure check before bed."

"Later."

Asella's voice was sharp. I could read her blank face now—she was a bit anxious.

"Cough, cough!"

Sparring knights coughed; even standbys wobbled, dizzy.

"Knights look beat."

"I can see that. Epidemic's raging. No spare healers from the office, and Moonlight Palace is low priority anyway. What have you been—"

She finally turned, tilting her head back in mild surprise.

"Oh, this?"

I was wearing a mask. No plague doctor beak—just layered cloth for a modern one.

"What's that? Your voice sounds muffled..."

"Cuts infection risk by over half."

"Just you wearing it?"

"Finished making them."

"You made it? Hmm."

Interest piqued, she studied my mask intently. Staring that hard—probably wants it.

"Of course I have one for you, Princess. Your health comes first."

I pulled out the prepared mask, hooked the ear loops, and reached for her face. She jerked back.

"Hold on, what're you doing."

"Wear it around others from now on. Not needed for sleep."

"I'll do it."

"First time—let me. Wrong fit reduces effect."

Asella bit her lip, then slowly straightened. I unfolded the mask, pressed it gently to her nose, and looped over her ears. Same for the other side. My finger brushed her earlobe midway.

"Eek."

Asella squinted one eye, shrugged her shoulder, and made a weird noise.

...Sensitive ears?