Episode 36: Pounding Heartbeats (2)
****
Imperial Princess Mint.
Even so, this time she wasn’t dozing off in my chair but on the sofa near the lab entrance. I tiptoed past her like a capybara sneaking by a crocodile—
Until Mint opened her eyes moments later.
“Ah, good afternoon.”
“Teacher. What’s up today?”
“I’m busy.”
Of course. If the Imperial Princess has ears, there’s no way she didn’t notice me walking by. Mint’s gaze pierced down at me.
“Aren’t you ever free?”
“Not really.”
Hmm… almost never, right?
“Give me one day.”
“Eh? Did I hear that wrong?”
She doesn’t usually talk like this. Did she bump her head or something? I checked her expression, but nothing seemed off.
“Can you spare just one day?”
“Sure, understood.”
What’s her plan this time? Though I don’t know, Mint seems unusually gloomy today—like her old frail self from before.
“Do you not have any friends, Your Highness?”
“Huh?”
“You seem bored, but instead of always coming to me, why don’t you hang out with classmates from the Academy?”
Thinking about it, she might genuinely have no friends. I reconsidered my word choice, and Mint’s face turned conflicted before answering.
“What are you talking about? I’m the face of the palace and the moon of the empire—I already have all of the Academy as my companions!”
So, she really has no friends.
Makes sense. Meeting people takes effort and time, doesn’t it? Between her childhood illness and royal upbringing, she probably hasn’t encountered many people like herself.
Attending the academy won’t suddenly change who she is either. Some things can’t be bought with money or power.
“Hey, am I annoying to you?”
“Uh… if you asked without that rank badge, I’d answer honestly.”
“Mr. Asterix, with your silver tongue, you could’ve made a fortune as a courtesan.”
“Courtesan?! That’s going too far!”
I hesitated over how to respond.
“What if you had a puppy? You’d need to feed it every day, and sometimes it might feel bothersome. But it’s not because you dislike the puppy or feeding—it’s just part of the deal.”
“What does that even mean?”
Oh no, now that I think about it, maybe that analogy was a bit… extremely bad. Mint’s expression soured slightly.
I just compared the princess to a dog. Hopefully, I won’t end up in jail for insulting royalty.
“Isn’t that ridiculous even to you?”
“It was a slip of the tongue.”
Maybe now she’ll try to kill me.
Mint’s eyes turned icy.
“Die, you trash! Now I know exactly what you think of me.”
Mint chuckled bitterly, though her mood seemed to lighten a little.
In the end, she’s still a kid.
And that fact isn’t changing anytime soon.
“What I meant to say is this: Aren’t you still a student? Even if you’re irritating sometimes, there should be some leeway, right?”
This answer seemed to please her. Though Mint isn’t particularly expressive, she gave a faint smile this time.
“If that’s true, then I’m relieved.”
After pondering for a moment, Mint looked at me again.
“Hey, help me stand up.”
“I can stand alone-”
Never mind. No point wasting breath on unnecessary words. I stood up and pulled her up gently by the hand she extended.
Mint’s hand—soft, untouched by dishwater or sunlight, completely smooth and white.
“Thank you.”
“Just doing my duty, my lord.”
“…”
The princess hurriedly left my lab.
Wait… we didn’t set a meeting time yet.
****
It’s outpatient consultation time again today.
This is when I see patients visiting the hospital. In my previous life, I once saw dozens of outpatients in a single day. Not so much now.
Is it because transportation isn’t advanced enough here? Or maybe there’s another reason, but only a few patients come each day. Should I consider myself lucky?
Less work is definitely a blessing.
“Ah, Mr. Kailas! Last time we removed your spleen, how’s your health holding up?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Surprisingly, he seems okay despite having his spleen removed on the battlefield. I expected nausea, fever, or some side effects.
“The spleen’s functions can mostly be taken over by other organs, but after removal, immunity may drop. If you catch a cold, make sure to visit the hospital—or me.”
Kailas nodded.
“Thinking back, it’s scary.”
“What is?”
“Before the surgery. I felt so lethargic, sleepy, and almost forgot the pain.”
That’s the feeling of dying from excessive blood loss. As the brain lacks oxygen, sleepiness sets in, pain diminishes, and consciousness fades.
We must wake him up somehow.
“That wouldn’t have been good.”
“In fact, when the water hit me, I snapped back to reality instantly. The dull pain sharpened again, and I woke up immediately-”
A natural reaction. We intentionally poured water to wake him up as quickly as possible.
“It hurt so much I thought I would die. Even though I knew you were trying anesthesia, I could feel everything—the knife cutting into me, hands entering my body.”
So you were aware. No wonder you responded clearly and stayed conscious. Looks like the patient’s adrenaline overpowered our anesthetics.
“I didn’t know it would hurt that much.”
“Did you scream then?”
Probably…
“In any case, rest well for a few days and eat nutritious food. I’ll remove the stitches in about a week.”
“Understood.”
Lucky it went better than expected.
I anticipated complications like renewed bleeding, difficulty moving, or deep infections—but surprisingly, none happened.
“When will I fully recover? Will intense exercise be impossible?”
Hmm… there’s no real reason not to exercise without a spleen, but I’m unsure.
As long as it doesn’t rupture, you should be fine.
“When the wound heals and you feel no discomfort, you can resume daily activities—including strenuous exercise.”
Kailas hesitated briefly before speaking.
“The surgery was painful, but I’m unsure how to repay such a favor. Would monetary compensation suffice? How much do you need?”
Well…
“The hospital bill has already been paid. I’m uncertain whether accepting additional money is appropriate.”
“I just feel indebted.”
“Money might be difficult to accept.”
I’m unclear about the laws here, but both institutionally and ethically, accepting bribes seems tricky.
“Hmm…”
“If you insist, consider donating to the Academy under my name. That should be acceptable.”
“Understood, Professor Asterix.”
That concluded the consultation. Kailas bowed politely, stood up, and left.
****
Next patient: Iraes.
Predictably, he injured himself during sword training. This case involves an Achilles tendon rupture—a problematic situation.
With tendon ruptures, full functional recovery is often unlikely.
How do I explain this delicately?
“Good afternoon.”
“Is your leg alright, patient?”
“Well, I can walk.”
The patient’s foot was wrapped in plaster, leaning on crutches beneath his arms. Still, being able to walk is fortunate.
“So, what happens next? When can the bandage come off?”
“The tendon should heal naturally. I plan to remove the plaster in about a month. You should be able to run afterward.”
“Will there be side effects?”
I pondered this question carefully. How can I convey this tactfully?
“After the tendon heals, achieving complete functionality may be challenging.”
Iraes sighed deeply.
“You’re saying full recovery is unlikely?”
“Yes.”
Silence filled the room like a blade slicing through the air. The patient reflected.
“I wish the news was better.”
“True. What kind of knight would you be without a scar or two? It can’t be helped.”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Much more manly than expected.
“Using healing magic and other methods effectively from now on might result in faster and better recovery than I anticipate.”
“Right.”
Iraes scratched his head.
“I heard Benjamín recovered well after surgery following a broken arm. Can’t I just go through surgery too?”
Not advisable.
“Surgery might not yield better results than leaving it untreated. Plus, if the incision gets infected, there’s no solution.”
I might be able to perform successful surgery, but how do you suture tendons? It probably isn’t harder than setting bones with pins.
The knight stared at me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say Professor Asterix is the best healer in the empire. There’s no point asking anyone else, right?”
“Guess so.”
Already gaining such a reputation? Still, seeing those previous patients healthy makes me glad.