Chief Nurse (3)
"How many times do I have to tell you? That's not the vein. Your angle's off."
"Eek! Eek!"
I'd recruited Chloe as my head nurse and spent the remaining week training her. The girl was diligent, had some prior experience, and a solid foundation. Her timid personality was the only issue.
"You gonna poke me multiple times? If you can't see it, slap the arm a few times."
"H-how could I hit you, Teacher...!"
"One day you'll have to do it to Her Highness's arm too."
"Gyaak!"
Venipuncture was tricky, sure. I'd planned to teach it since it's essential, but it could wait. The blood analysis tools were still in development, so only I could do it for now. I started with basics like blood pressure measurement and core medical theory.
She picked up scientific explanations quickly, probably thanks to her folk remedy knowledge—no need for hand-holding. Just cover basics like viruses or human anatomy, and she lit up like a baby bird. Hilarious. Healers brainwashed by religion struggled with medicine, but Chloe was perfect for nursing.
"Hurry and finish the practicals. You've got a lot on your plate. Gotta make medicine ingredients too."
"I-It's fine. I u-usually sleep five hours anyway..."
"Days off?"
"Uh... once a month?"
She'd been an exploited workaholic. No surprise—I barely rested once I started as chief physician. At least I checked on Asella daily. Didn't the scriptures mention a sabbath? Where's my five-day workweek?
"From now on, sleep seven hours and thirty minutes. Sleep deprivation tanks brain efficiency."
"R-really? I can do that?"
"Yeah. Sync it to your REM cycles. I'll explain later."
Once Chloe's up to speed, I can slack off a bit. Healthcare's always work-life imbalance hell. Time for some vacation. I miss Neria.
"But be meticulous with tasks. We're writing medical texts too—gonna get busy."
"B-books?!"
"Yeah, books."
Explaining verbally gets tedious, and to spread my medicine wider, textbooks are key. Boosts my achievements too.
"Alright, back to practicals. Quick venipuncture and done."
"F-for real? With the needle? Poke?!"
"What, fake it? Straighten my arm."
"Hiyaaak!"
Screaming but eyes wide, Chloe didn't look away. She's got guts.
Then—thud—my door flew open.
"Young master, I have a message to..."
Asella stormed in with her escorts. She treats my room like her own back at the marquessate, and now here too. Moonlight Palace is hers, after all.
"Hwaaak! Y-Your Highness! Th-the Imperial Presence!"
Spotting Asella, Chloe stiffened like a startled cat, fur standing on end, then face-planted into a full bow.
Asella didn't acknowledge it—like it was expected. Instead, she glared at me with clear displeasure since entering.
What's her deal now?
"Young master."
"You wanted me, Your Highness?"
"What's this?"
Asella jerked her chin at Chloe.
"My head nurse. She'll assist me and dedicate herself to Your Highness's health."
"You were holding hands just now."
"Were we?"
"You jumped apart when I came in."
"She's timid, but skilled. I'll train her properly."
"That's your whole excuse?"
"Excuse for what?"
"You've been delusional since the tournament. Your arrogance is off the charts."
Asella's icy voice pierced my eardrums.
No. 077: Jealousy Incarnate 14% → 86%
Ah, screwed up again.
Maybe she saw letting a former Heike-faction healer into Moonlight Palace without permission as betrayal. I called her here since I don't take vital tools to the Medical Office, but bad call.
"Your Highness, if I may speak out of turn."
Tanya, who'd been silently background scenery in her armor, stepped forward with a clank.
Asella shot her a glance.
"Lady Tanya, speak."
Lady? Asella just showed Tanya respect. Why not call me Teacher?
"Teacher was training the new nurse he recruited to serve Your Highness. What you saw was inevitable for venipuncture practice—no other intent."
"Hmph."
Asella eyed me discontentedly after Tanya's words.
"Lady Tanya, how long have you served the Gotberg family?"
"Seven years."
"Come to my tea time later."
"Yes."
It escalated in seconds.
"Your Highness, Captain Tanya's my escort. Without her, my safety..."
Asella's sharp glare shut me up.
No. 077: Jealousy Incarnate 86% → 22%
Probability dropped, so I zipped it. Wait, not quite back to normal—ticked up slightly.
"Young master."
"Yes."
"Do future training with gloves."
"Hygiene's crucial. Excellent idea."
Asella whipped around, showing me her back. Her skirt lace fluttered.
"Lucy, relay the message."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Then why not send the head maid first? She stormed out, leaving my room in chaos.
I finally relaxed once Asella left.
"Such a nuisance. Tanya, don't you think that's too much?"
"You're the one in the wrong this time, young master."
"Me? And why 'young master' again?"
"Who knows. I need to prep tea with Her Highness."
"You just bail like that? Hey, that's dereliction of duty!"
"Her Highness outranks me, so orders first. Stay put in Moonlight Palace and don't trip."
Tanya's shamelessness overflowed into kindness.
"Ugh. Chloe, don't learn weird stuff from her. Got it...?"
"Aga-gak, ga-gak."
Chloe, overwhelmed by Asella's presence, writhed on the floor.
"Chloe, no time to flop. Thanks to Her Highness, practicals end here. Go continue the culture experiments."
"Eup, yesss."
"Process okay? Need materials soon."
Chloe staggered up and fetched her binder.
"Blue mold culturing. Like this."
Neat, round handwriting with detailed sketches—easy to follow. I'd told her to snag discarded bread and cheese from the palace kitchens for mass mold culturing.
"Antibiotic ingredients, right?"
"Yeah. Aspirin's for symptom relief in epidemics. Antibiotics prevent reinfection."
If Chloe's mold's good quality, penicillin time. Current epidemic's viral flu-like. Patients weaken near recovery, prone to bacterial secondary infections. Prescribe antibiotics to symptomatic knights.
Chloe hesitantly asked.
"C-can I watch you make it, Teacher...?"
"You'll see it plenty soon enough."
"St-still."
Chloe drooled, eyes sparkling. Progress should yield usable samples now.
"Let's test it."
I headed to the Medical Office with Chloe.
A tidy office with angular wooden furniture. Heike von Württemberg, the empire's First Princess, was buried in backlog from the tournament.
"Hm, barracks utilization's way down. Bring the surplus budget ledger."
"Yes."
No flaws in her charismatic quillwork. The First Prince Kwunter, tacitly tapped as heir for being male, was too frail. Second Prince Georg overflowed with ambition, but excess zeal led astray. Rauga and Asella were out of succession running.
Among royals, most would pick Heike as fitting empress. She'd led knights against barbarians pre-adulthood, still charging into battlefields. Admirers swelled her faction into a Georg rival, dominating court.
"All training canceled? Even post-tournament, that's excessive."
Her secretary presented reports.
"The epidemic. Knights' long-term injuries spiked over 60% after."
"Epidemic."
Even Heike couldn't brush off everything. The palace-wide plague had plagued two months. Imperial citizens flooded Medical Office bookings.
"Knights pushed hard in the tournament."
"Yes. Classified docs show severe Imperial Knights combat drop."
"Enemy invasion would be crisis."
Empire had troops aplenty: border Imperial Knights, capital patrols, palace elites. Layered defenses left no gaps, but Heike wasn't complacent.
"Flower-viewing extravagance? Even monster attacks."
"Black mage work."
"If it were me, I'd have beheaded them before summoning that serpent dragon."
Heike scanned epidemic files.
"What's this? Barracks training grounds to Moonlight Palace?"
"That's..."
Learning details, Heike pondered.
"Moonlight Palace knights all fine. No Medical Office healers assigned. No new cases even now."
Heike turned to her secretary.
"Cause?"
"Rumor has it..."
"They developed a reinfection-proof drug for Moonlight Palace knights."
"Heard of it. Aspirin?"
"Aspirin and a new one. Penicillin."
"Penicillin."
Heike mulled the unfamiliar name.
"Pro-king faction sought it on rumor—flatly refused."
"Worth monopolizing. Asella's got a capable chief physician."
"Actually..."
"What?"
Heike pressed her hesitant secretary.
"Penicillin's developer isn't Third Princess's chief."
"Then who?"
"A low-rank healer, now Gotberg chief's disciple..."
"Now? Before?"
"...Our faction."
Heike's face froze cold.
"Why defect?"
"Rumor: Bishop fired him; Gotberg rehired instantly..."
Secretary halted, gulping like a blade at his throat.
Heike commanded lowly.
"Summon Bishop Alverich."