Chapter 2

Episode 2: Quitting the Royal Physician Gig (2)

***

The Imperial Princess looked down at me.

“I’ll have you confined within the Imperial Palace. No need to go to work anyway. Just imprison you so you can’t leave the palace grounds. Do your job or don’t, that’s on you.”

Huh? I should’ve just stayed quiet. I reviewed my word choices of the day. Where did it all go wrong? Looking back, it wasn’t just one or two things.

I opened my mouth for nothing and now I’m in trouble.

“Your Highness, please think of the Empire first. Wouldn’t it be better for me to treat more patients and teach more students?”

“Not really.”

Even I knew that was a weak argument.

The Princess isn’t the type to weigh her safety against the greater good. If anything, she’d choose her own well-being every time.

She’s not exactly malicious… more like a commoner at heart, though she’s certainly no commoner. Maybe it’s because she’s experienced illness herself.

Princess Mint shook her head.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s my decision. Let’s say you go off somewhere far away. What if my condition suddenly worsens?”

“Then I’ll come back.”

“Asterix, that’s exactly the problem. You need to stay near the royal family at all times. All of us depend on you. You’re the best healer in the land, and you belong here in the palace.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

The Princess paused briefly.

“Fine, explain yourself. Where are you going?”

“To the Academy’s Healer Department as a professor.”

I already had approval from the Academy and even a recommendation letter.

They were practically begging me to come teach there. Now I just needed the final okay from my immediate superior, the Princess…

Superior? More like my slave owner.

“Hey, did you get an official royal recommendation to go?”

“Um…”

A few days ago, I got it from the Crown Prince without the Princess knowing. It was supposed to be a secret, but of course, the Princess figured it out.

“You shameless guy! Going behind my back with a royal recommendation while defying my wishes as royalty, then using it to become a professor? What’s wrong with your brain?”

I bowed deeply.

“I apologize.”

“While I don’t like it much, you’ll eventually have to go to the Academy anyway. Since you’re going, I’m coming too.”

Huh? Wait a minute…

So she is giving her blessing after all. I quickly bowed before she could change her mind. Mint still looked somewhat displeased.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”

“Get out of here already. I don’t want to see your smug face now that you’ve gotten what you wanted.”

I practically ran out of the Audience Chamber.

This time I came prepared…

But I managed to survive. Though having the Princess coming along presents its own problems, going to the Academy doesn’t seem impossible anymore.

It’s only partial freedom, but freedom nonetheless!

“Finally free from this hellhole of a palace!”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

Of course, the royal family has sharp hearing. I thought the doors being closed would muffle my words, but no such luck.

***

The Empire’s First Prince, Manfred.

By the way, royals don’t use surnames. The country itself is their guarantee, so there’s no need for last names. Typically they’re referred to as “[Country Name] [Personal Name”. Essentially using the country name as a surname. Some high-ranking nobles follow this practice too.

“Hey, moron.”

“Is that you, Your Highness? Hello.”

The Prince calls me “moron”. While I can guess why, I honestly don’t know if I deserve it.

Frankly, I don’t think I do.

“What’s going on?”

Still, he’s the one who helped me get the recommendation letter to become a professor at the Academy. Technically, he signed the letter I wrote about myself.

The Prince was leaning casually against my office door, dressed in his knight uniform, probably getting ready to go out soon.

“I hear your shenanigans got my sister planning to go to the Academy. What nonsense did you feed her?”

Was he mad?

I shook my head.

“It wasn’t my persuasion. Honestly, I was just trying to escape from Your Highness’ sister. And besides, I had to go to the Academy eventually, right?”

“Hmph.”

Surprisingly indifferent.

Maybe it’s because he’s the only male heir, but he’s actually quite a decent person overall.

Unfortunately, his inherent attitude of superiority as someone above everyone else can’t be helped.

Regrettably, most people truly are beneath Prince Manfred. Calling subordinates as such isn’t necessarily wrong.

“Anyway, take care of her. She’s not in great health. Don’t overwork her.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I have little trust in your words.”

“Apologies. I’ll do my best.”

“Well, she does have chronic conditions. Having you nearby might be safest.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

With that, Manfred left my office.

***

This is the Imperial Palace Infirmary. As usual, the healers were passing time playing card games. Today’s game appeared to be poker.

“Oh, Mr. Asterix.”

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving for the day, aren’t I?”

I glanced at their gambling setup.

“I’ve been appointed as a professor at the Academy. I plan to leave the Palace Infirmary soon.”

Though clearly more interested in their game than my announcement, they did react somewhat to the news about the Academy position.

“Do you have a recommendation letter?”

“I wrote it myself. The Prince signed it.”

Violet, the Deputy Chief Healer of the Royal Medical Team, looked at me. Judging by her hand I saw from behind, she had a full house. Ah, looks like I’ll make some money this round.

“Really?”

“Isn’t that difficult?”

“Won’t it be a lot of work?”

Well… I shrugged.

“We’ll see how it goes.”

“That’s the fastest way to heaven.”

“And you won’t even die when you get there. My former professor collapsed from overwork and was revived by colleagues three times.”

That sounds terrifying.

“Does this mean I’ll be the new Chief Healer when you leave, Mr. Asterix?”

“Yes.”

When I leave, Violet will be the chief.

“Wait, do you have to go? Dealing with the royal family is uncomfortable for me. At least you can communicate with them somewhat.”

“Handle it yourself.”

“Anyway, safe travels.”

What else do I need?

I rummaged through the infirmary cabinets. Old medicines I summoned but never used, early drafts of papers I started writing…

There’s more to pack than I thought.

“Let’s start betting.”

“Mr. Asterix, stop messing up the office and be quiet. We’re playing a game here.”

“Ms. Violet, you have a full house.”

Her astonished expression. Violet glared at me as she laid down her cards.

***

Time passed quickly.

The servants will handle the Princess’ travel preparations. Since I mostly lived simply within the palace, I didn’t have much luggage to prepare. We finished our preparations to leave for the Academy almost immediately after making the decision.

The carriage to the Academy.

Modern people might not fully appreciate how smooth asphalt roads are. Even concrete roads feel different. Especially compared to a carriage without suspension and wooden wheels – it bounces around much worse than you’d imagine.

Even the finest carriage in this world, belonging to the imperial family, moves more like an off-road ATV or tractor.

“The weather is nice, Your Highness.”

“Quiet! Be silent.”

The Princess pretends to be tough but is actually quite timid. Despite pretending to be lost in thought, her hands and feet betray her anxiety, moving restlessly.

She must be nervous about leaving the palace grounds.

“Are you feeling carsick?”

“No.”

“Put this patch behind your ear. It’s motion sickness medicine.”

“Oh?”

The Princess silently accepted the motion sickness patch without comment.

“It’s called scopolamine. It’s absorbed through the skin from the patch, blocking muscarinic receptors. This interrupts the connection between the inner ear’s balance organs and the brainstem’s vomiting center, reducing dizziness.”

Mint nodded.

“If I had any interest in listening to incomprehensible explanations, I would have hired foreign knights instead of you.”

“If you weren’t planning to listen, you would have taken a separate carriage. I’ll keep explaining anyway.”

It’s not really for the Princess to hear. I’m just confirming and remembering the information myself.

“Do you know what ‘Asterix’ means?”

“No idea.”

“It’s low-dose aspirin for antiplatelet effects. It also has mild pain-relieving properties and reduces cardiovascular disease risk.”

“Go on, keep talking.”

Then silence.

I looked out the carriage window. The Princess pretended to read but hadn’t turned a page in minutes.

Even with the motion sickness medicine, reading would be difficult with all the bouncing around.

“Your Highness, what’s the Academy like?”

“You seem unusually talkative today. Are you nervous?”

“A bit.”

Projection. She’s projecting her own nervousness onto me. Children will be children.

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