The Phoenix and the Crow

After exchanging greetings with Charlotte, we stepped into the room. The Inspector and my father were deep in the midst of their investigation, listening to the Count’s account of the incident. Meanwhile, Charlotte had drifted away from her father’s side and was slowly circling the room. Her golden eyes scanned every object in the space, one by one. I sat in a chair, crossing my legs, and watched her investigate the scene in silence, recalling the introduction to this work for the first time in a long while.

‘The original story was probably about a guy who just treated people normally, only to be misunderstood and rise to the position of a saint.’

If that were the case, Julian must have used Charlotte to climb the social ladder in the original work. I could roughly guess the plot.

— “My god! You stopped the curse!”

Julian would have treated a convulsing baby at the clinic with anticonvulsants as usual,

— “How on earth did you do that?”

Only to be caught by Charlotte, who was tracking the neonatal sudden death serial cases, and interrogated by her,

— “Star anise…. I see. I didn’t know star anise had such dangers either.”

And he would have provided Charlotte with knowledge about star anise that she didn’t know. A few days later, Julian’s reputation, while he was just working as usual, would have skyrocketed. As the healer (doctor) who solved the neonatal serial death case alongside Charlotte Hausen, the daughter of the Inspector.

— “W-what is this, it’s scary….”

Julian, the small-fry protagonist of the misunderstanding genre, would have suffered from all that unwanted attention.

No wonder. I had been wondering why my debut into high society had to be a case where I couldn’t reveal the truth even if I knew it. It was because it wasn’t me, but Charlotte, who was meant to reveal the truth.

‘Unlike me, Charlotte has no problem revealing the truth.’

I know the truth. But I lack the authority to convince the parents of the victims. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It’s a natural story. Where would you find parents who could easily accept the truth that they had driven their own babies to death with their own hands? They probably wouldn’t accept it and would continue to seek the truth they wanted from the opposing faction. But unlike me, Charlotte, the young lady of the Inspector’s family, has undeniable authority. Therefore, if she revealed the truth, the parents would be highly likely to accept it. And with this case as a turning point, Charlotte and I would have debuted in high society at the same time.

‘Alright. Then what I need to do is clear.’

Even Charlotte can’t deduce things she doesn’t know. In a world where medicine and chemistry are underdeveloped, she would need a 21st-century doctor by her side. That must be why Julian took on the role of Watson in the original work.

‘Even Gordon Ramsay needs ingredients to cook.’

In other words, my role in this case was to provide the ingredients so she could make the right deductions. However, I had no intention of staying in the role of a sidekick.

‘If I wanted to just go with the flow of a misunderstanding story, I wouldn’t have made quinine in the first place.’

The original Julian was a small-fry, so he would have been pushed around by the flow. He would have wanted to run away when a case broke out, been flustered when he accidentally solved it, and suffered when his reputation rose. But my goal was different from the original Julian’s from the start. The original Julian might have dreamed of a peaceful doctor’s life, but my goal is to hit the peak within the flow of this misunderstanding.

There is no reason to refuse the incoming wealth and fame.

To do that, I must not stay within the original development.

‘I need to become more than just an assistant to Charlotte from the very beginning.’

Simply giving her clues by accident is not enough. I had to become an indispensable existence in her investigation.

‘Alright. I’ll go with a rival-like approach.’

The more I clash with her in this case, the more the image of Julian remembered in high society will change. From then on, the more she excels, the more my reputation will inevitably rise even if I just sit back and rest. The so-called ‘He was Charlotte’s rival’ operation.

Having finished my calculations, I modified my plan. Instead of informing my father, I would compete with her in making deductions.

Finished with my thoughts, I slowly stood up from my chair and approached Charlotte. She had stopped in front of a bookshelf in the corner of the room. Her golden eyes were scanning the books. I pointed to the book her gaze was lingering on and spoke.

“A bookshelf is a great way to quickly grasp the owner’s tendencies.”

The girl’s eyes widened slightly. She seemed surprised that I had accurately pinpointed the reason she was looking there.

“You know quite a bit?”

“I always look at the bookshelf first when I go on house calls.”

Of course, it was a bluff. I don’t have observation skills as sharp as Charlotte’s. It was just something I blurted out because it felt right. My cover might be blown later, but… wouldn’t the power of the misunderstanding genre take care of it somehow?

I put on gloves and pulled a thick, leather-bound book from the shelf. Her golden hair brushed against my sleeve. Charlotte stiffened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. What I pulled out was a thick book with a gold-leaf title.

《Imperial Western Noble Directory, 7th Edition》

“The latest edition is the 9th, but here, the 7th is on the shelf.”

I brushed my finger over the book. Dust clung to my fingertips.

“The dust is evenly layered. It hasn’t been opened for at least half a year.”

I opened the book. There were no bookmarks, no folded pages, no underlines. “Buying a noble directory and not reading it. And an outdated edition at that…. The Count is either uninterested in high society, or he’s someone who has already memorized all the necessary information.”

Charlotte nodded. “It’s the latter. You can tell by the letters on the fireplace mantel. They all have signs of being opened, but no signs of replies being written. He’s the type who reads the letters he receives carefully but doesn’t write back.”

“Then we should view him as a type who collects information but doesn’t maintain relationships.”

Charlotte’s eyebrows twitched. She must have felt a competitive spirit since I was matching her deductions blow for blow. Confident that things were flowing as intended, I said while sliding the book back into place.

“What kind of books do you usually read, Lady Hausen?”

“Old documents. I especially like researching grimoires.”

It was a straightforward answer. If it were an ordinary noble lady, she would have answered with something like flower arranging or reading poetry. Charlotte seemed quite different from the typical noble lady.

‘Well, it’s very Charlotte-like, I suppose.’

“If it’s grimoires, are you researching the principles of magic?”

“Rather than principles, I’m exploring the recorded knowledge. Even for the same magic, the records change with the era, and the knowledge used changes too. Tracking those changes helps in acquiring the knowledge needed for deduction.”

“That’s certainly true. Then do you not read literature or history books?”

“Of course I do. If I only look at grimoires, my perspective narrows. Understanding people also helps with deduction, so I read literature from time to time.”

She took her eyes off the bookshelf and looked up at me. “Then, do you have any hobbies, Mr. Nihilit?”

“I’m similar to you, Lady Charlotte.”

“Similar, you say?”

“I like researching the scriptures of healers. If you study the incantations they use to trigger divine magic, you can get a glimpse of the knowledge they’ve accumulated. It’s also fun to see how it changes with each era.”

“That’s a good hobby.”

Even while we were talking, her scanning of the scene didn’t stop. Having finished scanning the room, she moved her gaze to the baby sleeping in the bed. The baby in the bed was sleeping peacefully with soft breathing sounds. Charlotte’s gaze started from the baby’s face and slowly moved downward.

“May I ask what state the baby was in originally? When I arrived, it was already asleep.”

“It was having convulsions. Regarding this, I first administered an anticonvulsant to stop the convulsions, and supplied fluids to prevent dehydration.”

Of course, there was another reason I supplied the fluids. The baby was currently poisoned by star anise. Therefore, I had administered the fluids so that the star anise components remaining in the body could be excreted through urine as quickly as possible. However, if I revealed that fact, it would become the answer rather than a hint, so I deliberately didn’t disclose it.

Hearing the explanation, her gaze scanned the baby’s surroundings. The IV line fixed to the wrist, the IV bottle connected to that line, and the doctor’s bag placed on the bedside table. I had left the bag open. So that the syringe and thin rubber tube were visible inside.

Charlotte pointed to the contents of the bag and said, “So you categorize the tools you’ve used in different pockets like that.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Because it shouldn’t be confusing when washing them later.”

“Then may I also ask about the medicine you used?”

“Is that knowledge necessary for your deduction?”

I could have told her right away, but I played hard to get for a moment. With the nuance of, ‘Why should I tell you this, my competitor?’ As if that intention was conveyed, her smile deepened.

“I won’t know until I hear it.”

I nodded. Well, even if she didn’t know the medicine I used, it wouldn’t be a problem for her to reach the truth about the star anise. But it was also an opportunity to appeal my knowledge to her, so I didn’t refuse.

“It’s a medicine called chloral hydrate.”

“Chloral hydrate?”

“Yes. It’s said to be a medicine created while the Merkur Guild was trying to make an anesthetic.”

“Certainly. Anesthetics are the dream of all healers.”

Humanity’s efforts to create anesthetics began in the BC era. This world was no different. So I had been working tirelessly to introduce 20th-century anesthetics to this world. I am a trauma surgeon, after all, and I need anesthetics to perform surgeries. Among them, I first challenged chloroform, which has the lowest difficulty. But unfortunately, I failed. I hadn’t been able to make an anesthetic yet. Chloral hydrate was an anticonvulsant accidentally created in that process. I hadn’t intended to make it, either. But after it was made, I tried it on a rat just in case, and it had an anticonvulsant effect. So, now that it’s made, I’m using it quite usefully.

“Many babies are born in the D-Sector of Limbus Pit. When babies have convulsions, using this medicine makes their condition much better.”

“What is the principle behind it?”

“According to the guild, it’s a medicine that was accidentally created while trying to make an anesthetic. It’s a guess, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if convulsions occur because the brain is causing excessive stimulation, I think this incomplete anesthetic might be effective by numbing that stimulation.”

Ugh. My head hurts trying to give hints without using expressions like the principle of convulsions or GABA receptors. It feels like playing a forbidden word game. But I didn’t let it show and smiled brightly at her.

“Did my explanation help with your deduction?”

“Yes.”

Huh? What did she figure out from that?

“If what you said is true, Mr. Nihilit, the fact that divine magic didn’t work on this baby but the medicine did means the cause wasn’t a curse.”

“I see.”

“Did you not know that when you did it?”

“I just did what I could. It was similar to the patients I’ve seen, so I just did what I usually do.”

“But it is an undeniable fact that that choice created a stepping stone toward the truth.”

She turned her body toward the door. “Assuming it’s not a curse, then we can speculate that the problems the babies have been having so far were caused by some kind of poison.”

“And the adults are fine, but only the babies were affected.”

I said, as if cutting her off. Charlotte also continued her deduction competitively.

“If it were food that the whole family ate, the adults should have been affected too. But only the babies. And in all six families.”

“…I yield. Please continue.”

“It must mean that what was fed only to the babies was the problem.”

Oh. That was quite an impressive deduction. As for me, I’m already armed with 21st-century diagnostic algorithms and medical knowledge, so I’m just laying out what I already knew. But even though she is stuck with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the knowledge of this era, she was approaching the truth with pure deductive reasoning alone. Before she could speak, I headed for the door first.

“You’re going to the kitchen, right?”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “…Have you already been there?”

“I went down earlier to check the baby’s diet. You have to be careful about what you feed them right after a convulsion.”

It’s not a lie. I just didn’t say everything. Charlotte glared at me without a word. Soon, she walked out the door I had opened and led the way toward the kitchen. I followed her down to the kitchen. As soon as we entered the kitchen, Charlotte’s eyes became busy. Barley flour. Honey. Distilled water. Chamomile. The ingredients I had confirmed with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the head maid earlier were still on the counter.

“This is?”

“These are the ingredients fed to the babies. I asked them to confirm it earlier for dietary guidance.”

Charlotte checked the ingredients one by one. “Is this all?”

“There is one more.”

As if waiting, I pointed to the shelf. On the upper shelf, there was a wooden box. It was the box the head maid had brought out earlier. Charlotte deduced quickly as soon as she saw the box.

“There is dust on the shelf, but there is no dust around that box. It means someone has been taking it out and putting it back frequently recently.”

“An excellent deduction.”

“Shall we check inside, Mr. Nihilit?”

“Even if I answer, won’t you check it with me anyway?”

“That’s true too.”

Charlotte chuckled and headed for the shelf. She stood on her tiptoes and reached for the box. But she couldn’t reach it. So I took the box down for her.

“Thank you.”

Charlotte opened the lid. Star-shaped dried fruits were neatly packed inside.

“It’s star anise.”

The girl muttered as she picked up one of the fruits. “In the western region, there is a custom of boiling this and feeding it to babies for stomachaches. This Count’s family must be from the western region.”

She said that and looked toward me. “You said there are many babies having convulsions in the D-Sector?”

“Yes. I did.”

“Could you tell me for what reason they have convulsions?”

Okay. Now is the perfect timing to naturally give her a hint.

“The causes are varied. Malnutrition, infection, trauma, fever. Babies in the slums are full of risk factors from the moment they are born.”

“What is the most common cause among them?”

“Well. Surprisingly, it often comes from what they eat.”

Charlotte’s pen stopped. “What they eat?”

“Yes. The D-Sector is an eastern cultural sphere with many beastmen, so they eat a lot of strange things. Things that aren’t harmful to beastmen are harmful to ordinary humans, and vice versa. So mixed-blood babies often suffer because of that difference—”

Before I could even finish, Charlotte’s gaze changed. The lethargy vanished from those golden eyes, and raw curiosity was revealed. And the girl put the fruit she was holding in her hand into her mouth.

Crunch.

The sound of chewing star anise echoed in the kitchen.

“—What are you doing?!”

I reflexively grabbed her wrist. Charlotte swallowed the star anise with a calm face and said, “If star anise is the problem, it’s faster if I prove it.”

“Even so. Isn’t it too dangerous to eat that?”

“It’s fine.”

Charlotte said while rinsing her mouth with water. “I’ve been experimenting with small amounts of various poisonous plants and medicinal herbs on my body since I was young. Thanks to that, I’ve developed a tolerance to most poisonous plants. I’ve also learned detoxification magic for emergencies, so I’ll be fine.”

The girl showed me the inside of her wrist. A faint magic crest was engraved on her skin. It looked like a type of incantation that automatically activates if toxicity above a certain level is detected.

“If it really feels dangerous, I can just press my throat.”

“…Do you do this often?”

“Occasionally.”

“Haa.”

I let out a sigh. Whether she was prepared or not, watching a person put poison in their mouth right in front of me was bad for my heart.

“From now on, if you do that in front of me, I’ll perform a gastric lavage myself.”

“Gastric lavage?”

“It means it will be a much more unpleasant experience than vomiting.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Let’s call it a doctor’s advice.”

Charlotte chuckled. And she spat out the residue in her mouth and said, “Anyway, I’ve confirmed it now.”

The girl pointed to the half-chewed fruit on the plate. Her fingertips were trembling slightly.

“My strength is draining. If this gets worse, it could certainly look like a convulsion. Considering that babies have less tolerance than I do, it’s entirely possible.”

“You don’t have the awareness that you’ve eaten rat poison.”

“If push comes to shove, I have a healer by my side to treat me like a baby, don’t I?”

At those words, I let out a sigh. No wonder Watson was depicted in various works as being in a position of suffering from Sherlock’s eccentricities. It didn’t seem any different in this world. I’ll probably have more sighs to let out in the future if I work with this girl.

“First, let me see your hand.”

I took Charlotte’s hand and checked her pulse. It was a bit fast, but not irregular. Her pupils were normal too. It seemed the detoxification incantation was doing its job.

“There’s no major problem. But you might have tremors in your fingertips for a while, so don’t overdo it.”

“Thank you.”

“Still, just in case, it would be good to administer some fluids….”

Charlotte’s hand flinched. It was a subtle reaction, but since I was touching her, I could be certain.

“…Fluids are fine.”

“What do you mean fine. You just drank poison.”

“The detoxification incantation is working, so I’m fine.”

“Are you ignoring the words of a skilled healer?”

“….”

Charlotte’s eyes avoided me ever so slightly. I could realize it from that reaction. Charlotte is afraid of syringes. Hmm. This is unexpected. I thought she would be injecting herself in the arm alone in her room all day long.

“Are you afraid of needles?”

“No way. Needles are no problem at all?”

“I heard that a method of administering fluids without using needles was recently developed by the Merkur Guild.”

“Is that true?!”

“As if such a thing exists.”

“….”

Charlotte shut her mouth tight. The tips of her ears turned red. The face looking up at me while biting her lip finally looked like a 16-year-old girl. I chuckled and put back the syringe I was about to take out of my doctor’s bag.

“I understand. If you hate it that much, I won’t administer it until I judge it necessary. Because other parts are important right now.”

As the syringe disappeared into the bag, I could see the tension leaving the girl’s shoulders. And she said she wasn’t afraid.

“So, did you find the culprit?”

“Ahem. Yes. Thanks to you.”

She tried to lift the star anise box with her trembling hands. I picked up the box first. The girl looked up at me for a moment, but turned her head without a word. And as she walked toward the kitchen door, she said over her shoulder,

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. This case is the same.”

The girl turned around and smiled. It was a purely joyful smile.

“Let’s go up, Mr. Nihilit. The people who need to hear the truth are waiting.”