What's the Problem?
"Prepare yourself. From now on, we're moving to the next lesson."
Enoch said that and turned his back. The man with the monocle, coat fluttering behind him. A massive mechanical serpent writhed like a guardian deity at his rear.
"Lesson 2 is survival. I'll teach you how to stay alive when facing an existence you cannot possibly oppose."
"...You want me to fight that thing right now?"
"I'm not telling you to fight. I'm telling you to run. Use your head."
Enoch activated his skill. Golden Fusion. And Chain Harmony. Blue flames and golden radiance seeped into the man's monocle.
Lakrina
Value Measurement Impossible
Once again, the world affirmed his actions. Enoch smiled faintly.
"I know you can do more."
"......"
"Let's begin."
Enoch lowered his finger. The two-headed mechanical serpent gazed down at Lakrina.
"...Haha."
Lakrina laughed hollowly. She fainted two hours later.
@
Enoch loaded the collapsed Lakrina into the car and drove her to the hospital. She had no serious injuries. It was simply a precaution.
The hospital they arrived at was the Infirmary in the northeast of the city, situated between the military district and the noble and bureaucratic districts. The name was somewhat distinctive; in this world, hospitals affiliated with universities, the military, or religious orders were commonly referred to that way.
The doctor on duty clicked his tongue openly the moment he saw Lakrina.
"Good heavens. The child's a complete wreck. What on earth did you do to her?"
"I'm planning to send her to the academy, so I put her through some training. Is her condition serious?"
Enoch asked, just in case. The doctor chuckled.
"Just kidding. It's merely fainting from exhaustion. If it were truly serious, I would have acted immediately."
The doctor scribbled "malnutrition" and "sleep deprivation" on the medical chart clipped to the board and handed it to Enoch.
"How much?"
"Well, it's just an IV drip, so eighty thousand Kro should suffice."
"Here. No need for change."
Enoch placed a bundle of fifty-thousand-Kro bills on the desk. The doctor laughed heartily and tucked the wad into his pocket.
"Isn't that change a bit excessive? Still, thank you. I'll put it to good use."
"Think nothing of it. I've been in your debt for some time."
"Debt... Now that you mention it, your manner of speaking has become completely natural, hasn't it?"
Enoch smiled quietly at the old doctor's words. It was exactly as he said.
"Quite some time has passed. As you predicted, Doctor, the awkward phase passes rather quickly."
Enoch's speech had not always been like this. What had made him adopt a heavy, stiff tone was largely thanks to the advice of Doctor Felton, the very man before him. His principle was simple: those with abundant wealth must not act lightly.
Enoch had found the reasoning sound. Thus he had deliberately maintained a weighty manner of speech. Thanks to that, the stiff tone now emerged naturally without conscious effort.
Enoch considered the doctor's advice invaluable in many respects.
"Anyway, I'll be going now. Your student will wake soon. It won't take long."
"Understood."
"Ah, right."
The doctor, about to leave, stopped. For some reason he turned back to Enoch, hesitating slightly before speaking.
"Enoch, sorry, but do you have a moment?"
"A moment? What's the matter?"
"Well... I have something I'd like to consult you about. If it's convenient, come find me later."
The doctor looked quite reluctant, as though even while speaking he was wondering whether this was the right thing to do.
"Understood. I'll stop by shortly."
"Thank you. I'll be waiting."
The doctor departed with an apologetic air. Enoch tilted his head, then sat back down in the chair.
Time passed. When Enoch finished his tea, Lakrina, who had been lying down, finally regained consciousness.
"Huh? Where...?"
"The hospital."
Enoch tapped Lakrina's head with the clipboard.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
Lakrina clutched her forehead with both hands, making a pained face. He hadn't hit her hard at all. Perhaps the training had been harsher than expected; she seemed to have developed a bit of trauma.
"Ow ow ow... More importantly, the hospital? Did I faint?"
"Yes. You were wailing like a newborn and then passed out like a frog."
"A-a frog...?"
Lakrina trailed off as if that couldn't possibly be true. Her tone carried a strong note of denial.
Well. On the contrary, Enoch pondered briefly. She really had been sprawled out like a frog.
Perhaps sensing the truth in her teacher's expression, Lakrina sat blankly and muttered to herself.
"Frog... frog... There was nothing I could do... A snake appeared... Snakes eat frogs... And it had two heads, three heads... eight heads..."
"Anyway, today's training wasn't bad. Remember what you learned. We'll continue next time."
"Snake... snake..."
Lakrina's eyes sank instantly. To react this way after just one session—her dramatics were quite advanced.
"Rest well today. Once the IV finishes, we'll leave. Keep that in mind."
"Ah, yes."
"Do you want anything to eat?"
"Something to eat?"
Lakrina's eyes lit up for a moment. Enoch thought she was remarkably easy to read.
"Yes. Since you worked hard, there should be some reward."
"Anything to eat... is fine?"
"Yes."
"Hah...! Then I heard there's a delicious waffle shop in Block 4 of the commercial district. I want to go there."
Enoch knew exactly where she meant. He had visited once before. The price was 3,500 Kro.
"And... I also want to try the tiramisu in Block 6. And the éclairs from the blue-roofed shop across the street... And also..."
Lakrina continued listing desserts. The prices were 4,000 Kro and 3,500 Kro respectively. Altogether, roughly 11,000 Kro. Did this child even understand the concept of luxury? He should have simply offered to take her somewhere he already knew was good.
Enoch inwardly regretted asking. Of course, he showed none of it on his face.
"Understood. We'll go in a bit."
"Yes!!!"
Lakrina beamed. The sweet snacks pushed the nightmare of the three-headed serpent far from her mind.
@
Enoch left Lakrina in the hospital room and moved elsewhere. The place he sought was the director's office—currently called the Physician's Office.
Knock knock
Enoch knocked and entered. Doctor Felton was waiting for him.
"Welcome. You came quite early. Has your student woken up?"
"She started talking about desserts the moment she opened her eyes. Seems she wants something sweet."
"Children that age are all the same. If you like, say the word. I'll send some hospital chocolate."
Hospital chocolate. People in this world called it "idiot chocolate." The reasons were complex. First, it tasted terrible. To exaggerate slightly, it was only marginally better than boiled potatoes. No one but an idiot would deliberately seek it out.
Yet demand for hospital chocolate never waned. When supplying nutrients to patients who had collapsed from severe injuries, nothing was as suitable as melted hospital chocolate. It wasn't too sweet, appropriately bitter, and contained ground vegetables or meat, providing decent nutrition. That was the second reason.
When your body becomes an idiot, for a while—whether you like it or not—you have to live on just this. Hence the somewhat cynical nickname, given with a measure of respect and affection.
'Still, it sounds rather appealing.'
However, Enoch found himself strangely tempted. Rather than spending a mere 11,000 Kro on desserts, wouldn't this be better? After all, Lakrina was already lying in the hospital.
It wasn't something the one who had beaten her should say, but Enoch felt this was fate in its own way—like Greek fate rushing toward a predetermined tragedy.
Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!
'No. That's too cruel.'
Before he knew it, his mind conjured an image of Lakrina receiving idiot chocolate and thrashing about while screaming.
Enoch shook his head to dispel the stray thoughts. Chocolate was not the important matter now. How had the conversation drifted here?
"The chocolate is fine. I'd like to hear the main point right away."
"Hmm... Very well. First, take a look at this."
Doctor Felton handed Enoch several sheets of paper. Enoch received the clipboard and immediately flipped through them.
'Felton's apprentice Clarena's new drug clinical trial... Result: failure. Insufficient experimental samples and below-standard test personnel. Also—'
Apprentice meant intern, disciple, student researcher, or assistant. In analogy, it would be like a resident without a medical license.
"This is the result of the new drug clinical trial for someone named Clarena. Why are you showing this to me?"
"As it says there, that child is my disciple. She's quite talented and intelligent. However, her family background is humble, so she's been undervalued compared to her abilities. The people in the capital are unnecessarily obsessed with things like background."
Enoch listened quietly to the doctor's words. He had guessed the main point would follow the personal remarks.
His prediction was correct. Felton pondered with his head slightly lowered, then finally spoke with difficulty.
"Since it's come to this, I'll speak honestly."
At that moment, the doctor bowed his head deeply, as though about to prostrate himself.
"Please. Help my disciple."
"First, please rise. I'm afraid it might damage your reputation if others see."
"Even so, it doesn't matter. What use is that damned honor when I can't even help one disciple?"
Felton's attitude was firm. Enoch newly realized that one could remain dignified even while bowing their head.
"First, please finish explaining. What exactly do you need that requires this?"
"Well..."
As if his mouth refused to open, Felton spoke with difficulty once more.
"...Money."
"Pardon?"
"I need money. More precisely, a budget. They need to conduct the new drug trial again, but the budget ran out and things are stuck midway..."
Enoch paused. For a moment, he was confused about what the problem was.