Chapter 133

133. The Sacred Maiden of the Empire (2)

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A disease that primarily affects young women, can be triggered by trauma, gives reason to cover one eye, and may interfere with walking.

I have an idea what this might be. I lifted the Sacred Maiden’s eye patch, and she squinted her eyes.

“Huh?”

As expected.

One of the Sacred Maiden’s eyes was drooping downward. Conditions that cause such asymmetrical eyelid drooping include optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis.

Of these three, the one most likely to be triggered by trauma is myasthenia gravis, which involves peripheral nervous system lesions rather than central ones.

Myasthenia gravis predominantly affects female patients under 40 years old.

It makes more sense that a 20-something patient who didn’t break any bones became unable to walk due to trauma triggering myasthenia gravis…

Or perhaps a similar symptom caused her fall from the horse. Luckily, there’s an easy way to verify myasthenia gravis.

“Sacred Maiden, could you let me have your arm for a moment?”

“What do you need my arm for?”

I injected a needle into the Sacred Maiden’s arm, causing her to squint. Since explaining the test might alter the results…

Let’s see.

Edrophonium injection is used to diagnose myasthenia gravis—commonly known as the Tensilon test. When administered to a myasthenia gravis patient, Edrophonium will…

You’ll see soon enough.

“What is going on-”

I pulled the Sacred Maiden up from her wheelchair, and she stood up with a deeply irritated expression, crossing her arms while glaring at me.

“I don’t understand what you’ve been doing since we got here-”

Unbeknownst to herself, the Sacred Maiden had risen from her wheelchair exactly as I’d pulled her. The Tensilon test was positive; her muscle weakness had temporarily disappeared.

Now realizing the height difference, she paused mid-sentence, looking around before exclaiming:

“Eh?”

She stared down at the floor in shock.

A perfectly natural reaction.

After all, it’s not every day someone regains their ability to walk without knowing why. It’s only natural that the Sacred Maiden would panic. She couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“What is happening?”

Upon hearing her scream, priests rushed into the research lab. The Sacred Maiden remained silent, standing still, leaving the priests confused for a moment.

“What the hell is going on?”

One priest covered his mouth in surprise, while another quietly cursed under his breath.

The Sacred Maiden simply gazed at me blankly, still processing the situation. Shock kept her from speaking.

“Please calm down.”

After a long pause, the Sacred Maiden finally spoke.

“What… What did you do?”

“I administered a drug that reverses the effects of severe myasthenia gravis. It seems like myasthenia gravis is confirmed, and it’s treatable.”

A thousand expressions flickered across the Sacred Maiden’s face before she fell silent, staring at me speechlessly, unable to close her mouth.

She removed her eye patch. Her previously asymmetrical eyes, half-closed due to ptosis, were now fully open and normal. The priests accompanying her also silently stared at me.

“That… My legs are back to normal! How did you do this? Was it Professor? Is this a miracle? After falling off the horse, I thought my inability to move was because of that…”

The Sacred Maiden rambled on for a while before I guided her back to sit on the sofa.

This was just for testing purposes. The drug’s effect will wear off in a few minutes, so it would be inconvenient if she collapses afterward.

“But seriously, how did you know?”

“Please sit back down.”

“Yes!”

The Sacred Maiden pushed her wheelchair aside and sat on the lab’s sofa instead. She smiled brightly, almost eerily.

“First, about your eye patch. Ptosis is one of the symptoms of myasthenia gravis, so you were wearing it because your eyes were uneven, right?”

“Gasp, yes, that’s correct!”

“So that’s why I checked underneath your eye patch.”

Honestly, I secretly hoped for a dramatic moment when the Edrophonium test worked effectively, but the intense stares made me uncomfortable.

I didn’t expect *this* much attention. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it.

It’s not really about making grand revelations, right? Regardless of how I explained it, her reaction would probably have been the same. There was no need to create unnecessary psychological drama.

Spilled milk.

The Sacred Maiden and two priests continued to stare at me intently, making me feel awkward. Her sparkling eyes were especially unsettling.

“So…”

“Yes!”

“The effect of the shot will fade in a few minutes. Moving forward, I’ll prescribe oral medication. If you take it in the morning, you’ll be able to function normally on days you take it.”

Like a child, the Sacred Maiden nodded enthusiastically.

“Hehe.”

I avoided the gaze of the three clerics. The roles had reversed. The Sacred Maiden and the priests seemed more interested in staring at me than listening to my explanation. They looked drugged.

The Sacred Maiden and her group kept smiling and nodding. While understandable, it was admittedly a bit frightening.

“If things get too complicated, we can talk later.”

“No, I’m fine!”

No, *I’m* not fine. Leaving the glowing Sacred Maiden behind, I fled the research lab.

****

To briefly explain again:

Myasthenia gravis is a type of autoimmune disorder where antibodies attack the neuromuscular junction receptors, making it difficult for nerves to command muscles, leading to muscle weakness.

That’s why it’s called myasthenia gravis.

There’s no known specific cause, though there may be familial tendencies. It can suddenly occur after surgery, trauma, or infection.

While it may appear similar to multiple sclerosis or optic neuritis, degenerative changes in the central nervous system aren’t observed.

Anyway…

Without an MRI, diagnosing optic neuritis or multiple sclerosis isn’t possible, and frankly, those conditions lack clear treatments, so they weren’t relevant here.

Anyway, this is exhausting.

I leaned against the Academy café counter.

“You… Aren’t you going to order anything?”

“Oh, right.”

Yeah, I should place an order.

Let’s go with something random.

“Two coffees, please.”

****

About five minutes later.

I returned to the lab with coffee in hand. The three clerics were still seated exactly as I left them, and I worried nothing had changed.

What else could I do?

I placed the coffee in front of the Sacred Maiden.

“Ah, thank you.”

The Sacred Maiden sipped the coffee I brought back.

“Well then, let’s continue our earlier conversation. You mentioned you’d help with research, right?”

“Anything you need…”

“Yes.”

Oh dear.

Judging by her current state, she’s still in the whirlwind of emotions I witnessed earlier. I sighed softly, unsure where to begin.

“I was very curious. I heard rumors about why the Imperial Princess chose you, Professor. Now I understand why.”

“Yes…”

Hmm. As I suspected, the Sacred Maiden hasn’t fully recovered her composure yet. I stepped back slightly. She covered her mouth and giggled softly.

Let’s change the topic.

“Did you attend the autumn symposium?”

She nodded.

“Yes, we attended. There were quite a few interesting studies. With so many recent discoveries, there’s plenty of new material to research.”

“We’re currently experimenting with two newly developed drugs. One is penicillin, which kills bacteria, and the other is a painkiller.”

I scratched my head. The Sacred Maiden giggled absentmindedly before shaking her head and continuing.

“Yes. The Church is also researching these drugs thanks to the production methods you disclosed. Though, we couldn’t produce penicillin ourselves despite trying.”

True. While I did reveal a lot, producing penicillin on a commercial scale is beyond my knowledge. It’s a complex process handled by the company’s alchemists.

“Yes. Even if it might sound dull, research and investment in these new drugs seem necessary. We ultimately need to verify their efficacy and side effects. Not just the components but also the manufacturing processes.”

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, what turned Dr. Jekyll into a monster was ultimately impurities in the materials. While the drug’s composition matters, the end result is what truly counts.

She nodded.

“We’ll assist as much as possible. We’ve heard you’ve developed a new painkiller. We hope it can replace opium.”

“That would be ideal.”

Though still somewhat dazed, she seemed eager to discuss this.

“Lately, the increasing cost of opium suggests some people might be diverting or overusing it.”

“That’s a serious issue. When narcotics are readily available, addiction becomes inevitable.”

I once had a patient dealing with such an issue, though I kept that thought to myself.

“In short, we’ll purchase as much of your medicine as possible to thoroughly verify its effects. The temple will actively invest in new drugs. Hopefully, they’ll prove effective.”

I bowed to the Sacred Maiden.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. All the good I do comes from the grace of the gods.”

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