Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Heart Pounding (2)
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Princess Mint.
This time, at least, she wasn't lounging in my chair but dozing off on the sofa near the front of the lab.
I slipped past her cautiously, feeling like a capybara sidestepping an alligator—
And a moment later, Mint opened her eyes.
"Ah, hello."
"Teacher. What are you up to today?"
"I'm a bit busy."
Well, yeah.
She was a princess, after all—no way she wouldn't notice someone walking right by. Her eyes, looking up at me, fixed their gaze.
"Don't you ever have a free day?"
"Probably not."
Hmm, almost never, I'd say.
"Make me one."
"Huh? Did I hear that right?"
This wasn't like her usual speech at all. Had she bumped her head or something? I glanced at her face for any odd signs, but she seemed fine.
"Clear some time for me. Just one day."
"Uh, sure. Got it."
What was she scheming this time? I had no idea, but Mint looked a little down today—more like her frail self from back then.
"Doesn't Your Highness have any friends?"
"Huh?"
"I get that you're bored, but instead of coming to me every time, why not hang out with your classmates at the Academy?"
Come to think of it, she might really not have any. I second-guessed my word choice, and Mint's expression grew complicated before she finally replied.
"What are you talking about? I'm the face of the imperial family, the moon of the empire—the whole Academy is my friend."
Yeah, no friends at all.
Makes sense, though. Meeting people takes effort and time, after all.
Whether it was her childhood illnesses or her background, she'd probably never had much chance to interact with kids like herself.
Coming to the Academy wouldn't change that overnight. Some things in the world can't be bought with money or power.
"Hey. Do I annoy you?"
"Well... if you set aside the rank for a second, I could give you an honest answer."
"Professor Asterix. With that silver tongue of yours, you'd have made a fortune as a courtesan."
"What the—"
Courtesan? That's a bit much.
I pondered my response.
"Say Your Highness had a puppy. You'd have to feed it every day, and sometimes it might feel like a chore. But that doesn't mean you hate the puppy or hate feeding it—it's just how it is sometimes."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Uh... looking back, that analogy was a little—okay, a lot—off. Mint's face soured a bit as she heard it.
I'd just compared the princess to a dog. Hope that doesn't land me in prison for insulting the imperial family.
"Even you think it's ridiculous, don't you, teacher?"
"My apologies for the poor choice of words."
This time she might actually kill me.
Mint's eyes turned icy.
"Die, you trash. I get exactly what you think of me now."
Princess Mint let out a hollow laugh. But her mood seemed a tad lighter?
In the end, even a princess is just a kid.
That much wouldn't change anytime soon.
"What I meant was this: Your Highness is a student—a child, right? Don't you get some leeway for being a nuisance?"
This answer seemed to land better. Mint wasn't one for expressive faces usually, but now she wore a faint smile.
"Good. Glad to hear it."
The princess hesitated a moment, then looked at me.
"Hey. Help me up."
"You can stand on your own—"
Never mind. No point saying it. I stood, took the hand she offered, and pulled her up.
Mint's hand. Pale and soft, untouched by dishwater or sunlight, without a single callus.
"Thanks."
"Just doing my duty, my liege."
"……."
The princess hurried out of my lab.
Come to think of it, we hadn't set a time.
Today's outpatient hours again.
Time to see the patients who came to the hospital. In my past life, I'd handled dozens in a single clinic day. Not so here.
Maybe because interworld transport isn't advanced—or some other reason—only a few showed up daily. A blessing, I suppose?
Less work is a good thing.
"Ah, Mr. Kailas. We removed your spleen last time—how's the body holding up?"
"Fine. Doing well."
Surprising. Healthy after spleen removal in the field. I'd expected complications—fever, infection, something.
"Most spleen functions can be taken over by other organs, but post-splenectomy, your immunity drops. If you catch a cold or anything, come straight to the hospital—to me."
Kailas nodded.
"Thinking back now, it's chilling."
"What is?"
"Before the surgery. I felt so drowsy, like I wanted to sleep, and the pain almost faded away."
That's the sensation of dying from blood loss. Brain starved of blood, drowsiness sets in, pain dulls, consciousness fades.
Had to snap him out of it somehow.
"Can't have that."
"But then the water hit, and I woke right up. The numbing pain sharpened, sleep vanished—"
Natural reaction. I'd dumped the water to jolt him awake fast.
"It hurt like hell. I know you were trying to anesthetize me, but I felt it all—the knife cutting in, the hand inside me, everything."
He felt it? No wonder he responded and stayed so alert. His adrenaline must've overpowered our anesthetics.
"Didn't realize it'd hurt that much."
"I screamed, didn't I?"
Maybe he did.
"Anyway, rest up a few days, eat well. We'll remove the stitches in about a week."
"Got it."
Ended better than expected. I'd braced for bleeding, pain limiting movement, deep infection—nothing like that.
"When can I expect full function back? Will intense exercise be an issue from now on?"
I pondered. No spleen shouldn't stop exercise, right? Not sure.
As long as it doesn't rupture again.
"Once the wound heals fully and you're comfortable, you can return to daily life—including intense workouts."
Kailas thought it over before speaking.
"The surgery hurt, but I don't know how to repay this kindness. Money? How much do you need?"
Hmm.
"You've already paid the hospital fees. Not sure about taking extra."
"I-I just feel bad."
"Can't take money."
I didn't know the laws here, but institutionally or ethically, bribes are tricky.
"Hm."
"If you insist, donate to the Academy in my name. That'd be fine."
"Understood, Professor Asterix."
The consultation wrapped up. Kailas bowed and stood.
Next patient: Aires.
Another injury from sword practice. Achilles tendon rupture. One issue with this case:
Full functional recovery is tough for Achilles ruptures.
How to break it to him.
"Hello."
"How's the leg, patient?"
"Eh, I can walk."
His foot was wrapped in a plaster cast, crutches under his arms. Good he could still get around.
"S-So, what's next? When can I ditch the cast?"
"The tendon will heal on its own like this. Planning to remove the cast in a month. You should be able to run by then."
"No side effects?"
Tough question. How to soften this?
"Even after it heals, full recovery might be hard to expect."
Aires sighed.
"Full recovery's off the table?"
"Yes."
Silence. Heavy, blade-sharp silence filled the room. The patient pondered.
"Wish it were better news."
"Well, what knight doesn't have a medal of honor or two? Can't be helped."
"We'll see."
Tougher guy than expected.
"Using healing magic and such from now on might heal it better and faster than I expect."
"Right."
Aires scratched his head.
"I heard that Benjamin kid broke his arm, got surgery, and recovered fine. Can't I just get surgery too?"
No.
"Hard to expect better results than non-surgical. And if the surgical wound infects, no fix."
I might pull off surgery, but how do you stitch a tendon? Trickier than pinning bone.
The knight eyed me.
"Heard the rumors. Professor Asterix, top healer in the empire. No point asking anyone else, right?"
"Is that so?"
Rumors spreading already? Good to know the patients from that day looked healthy.