Chapter 23

Episode 23. This Class Is Ours to Dominate (1)

***

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the clinic.

So peaceful and nice. The clinic in Lord of Lapis’s domain had turned into hell because of the plague, but here… there’s no line, and it feels so much more relaxed.

No patients on the brink of death in sight either.

Ms. Istina is busy with other tasks, so she’s not here, and most of the people coming in for check-ups don’t seem to have serious illnesses.

Let’s see what we’ve got. Tap tap tap. After a brief knock, today’s first patient appeared.

“Good day, Professor. I heard you’re the best doctor on the continent—could that be true?”

“Maybe.”

The patient who just walked in was an Academy male student who didn’t look sick at all.

“Can you also heal ailments of the heart?”

Mystery solved quicker than expected.

Ailments of the heart—might get better, might not. But I don’t have the knowledge or temperament to offer counseling.

I could whip up some antidepressants, but whether they’d help is questionable.

“Take a seat and tell me about it. You mentioned heart troubles. What’s your name?”

“My name is Lailas. I’m a second-year student in the Knighthood Department at the Academy.”

Not revealing their background suggests they might be from a lower noble family or even commoner stock? Just a guess though. The reason I need this info is to fill out the chart with their name and social standing.

Social factors often play into diagnoses, like endemic diseases tied to certain regions. Though, I’m not sure how useful this will be.

“Alright. Where does it hurt?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Hmm. Everything said in the clinic is confidential. Feel free to speak openly.”

“It might sound embarrassing, but I miss her so much. I really care about her.”

A romantic drama? Or just a love problem.

I wondered what exactly he wanted me to do about it…

But based on his exaggerated tone and behavior, bipolar disorder or manic episode could be considered, albeit a bit far-fetched.

We should talk more to figure it out.

“This must be troubling for you emotionally. Does this situation make you feel mentally strained?”

“Oh yes, it truly does.”

So, it was a psychological issue after all?

“Have you ever felt depressed, stayed awake for days, or attempted suicide?”

“No?”

Why are you even here then? Still, we can’t rule out serious issues yet. Let’s keep going.

“Then why did you come to the hospital?”

This answer will be key.

If someone else told them to go, the likelihood of a psychiatric condition increases. If they came due to physical symptoms, we’ll consider other illnesses.

In a modern university hospital, I’d consider hormonal imbalances and such, but given the lack of facilities here, I’ll have to think harder.

The patient replied…

“My heart hurts too much. When I don’t see her, my chest feels so tight, I can’t stand it.”

Hurts too much, huh?

While it could be psychosomatic, the more probable cause for stress-induced chest pain is…

“Gastroesophageal reflux disease caused by stress.”

“What did you say?”

(That was me talking to myself.)

I jotted down a few possible diagnoses.

Unfortunately, GERD diagnosis requires endoscopy, which isn’t available here.

“Do you drink alcohol regularly?”

“Yes.”

“Let me ask about your symptoms. Does your heart feel like it’s fluttering, burning, or heavy?”

“It burns and feels tight.”

The first would indicate arrhythmia, the second GERD, the third myocardial infarction. Thankfully, it seems to be the mildest of the three.

Burning sensation points to GERD.

“First off, confess your feelings to her.”

“Ah, so this hole in my heart won’t close until I express my feelings to her?”

“Uh… That’s a stretch.”

I never said that!

Despite disliking his tone, given his height and status as an Academy student, things might work out for him.

The questioning went on for a few minutes.

“I’ll prescribe something. It seems like GERD. Avoid stressful situations, quit drinking, and sleep lying on your left side.”

“Will my heart stop hurting then?”

Even though it sounds absurd, the patient seems genuinely pure and good-hearted, making it hard to criticize.

“It should hurt less. If it still feels severe after a week, come back.”

“Unburdening myself feels so relieving! Now I can tell everyone that the empire’s top healer lives up to the hype!”

“Yeah, sure.”

What a rollercoaster of a consultation. Started as a mental illness, turned into heart disease, swung back to mental illness, and ended as GERD.

Since avoiding stress might resolve it, no need to prescribe meds.

***

Clinic hours ended without major incidents. No peculiar patients except for the lovesick knight, mostly just colds.

I returned to the research lab. In one corner, Ms. Istina was working hard with maps and compasses. What’s she up to?

“I checked the wards.”

“Hm, alright. What are you doing?”

“Remember that paper on epidemic dysentery? I submitted it for cross-verification. They said if it passes, they’ll publish it.”

Thinking back, when I submitted the paper under Professor Klaus’s name, the cross-verification passed quickly and easily.

Guess reputation matters after all?

No matter. If the academic community rejects this paper, I’ll submit it directly to the imperial government using the princess’s name.

Why fight against progress? In real history, once Snow’s theory was proven policy-wise, it couldn’t be ignored anymore.

“It’ll be fine, right?”

“Should be. Don’t worry about it.”

Istina scratched her head.

“Did you prepare for class?”

“Yeah, I prepared thoroughly.”

Soon, I’ll head to class.

Had to skip a few sessions since I went to Lapis’s fiefdom, so I’m behind.

***

Finally, it’s lecture time again.

“Alright, today’s topic is-”

Hmm? I furrowed my brow and looked around the lecture hall. Not only are there unfamiliar students, but there are a bunch of professors present too.

They must be professors.

I paused the lecture and glanced around.

“Um, what brings everyone here?”

When trouble arises, first call the grad students.

I looked at Istina, who was closest to the podium, and she rushed over. There’s always a solution.

“We submitted the cross-verification for the epidemic dysentery paper last time. Looks like professors and grad students came to attend the lecture because of that…”

Ah.

“Yes. We came to discuss recent research with Professor Asterix, specifically the study subject of the cross-verification.”

I looked around.

This is chaos.

Grad students armed with tons of paper and pens, professors sitting with determined expressions, undergraduates quietly slipping away.

I felt a bit sorry for them. Came here for a lecture, but now professors and grad students have taken over. How awkward must that feel? Wait, I find it awkward too. Why are they protesting in someone else’s lecture? What a bunch of strange folks-

No, wait.

It means they want to do research that badly.

It shows how impressive the manuscript Istina submitted was, and how remarkable our work in Lapis’s domain was.

“You’re referring to the response to epidemic dysentery and related research topics, correct?”

Murmuring. Looks like the undergrads are starting to understand the situation now.

Professor Klaus raised his hand from the back.

“Professor Asterix. Forget the lecture, can you tell us more about epidemic dysentery?”

Like high schoolers asking their homeroom teacher about their first love.

I sighed. Coming immediately after submitting cross-verification probably indicates intent to run off with the paper, quite overtly. This is troublesome…

But it also means rapid progress.

“Alright. Ask anything you’d like.”

Secretly, I’m feeling conflicted. This is basically no different from a symposium. What’s a symposium anyway? A gathering of scholars is a symposium.

“Then, I’ll briefly explain what I observed and hypothesized regarding epidemic dysentery for about ten minutes, followed by Q&A.”

Oliver raised his hand from the middle row.

“Oliver, what is it?”

“What about the undergraduate lecture?”

“Want me to include it in the exam?”

Oliver closed his mouth.

“For those who don’t know, I was recently dispatched to the Lordship of Lapis, where I contributed significantly to the treatment and prevention of epidemic dysentery. This research was co-published with Ms. Istina.”

Istina nodded beside me.

“First, let’s cover the nature of epidemic dysentery, primary prevention, secondary prevention, and finally, my experiences in Lapis territory.”

I didn’t prepare separately for this, but…

“Let’s start with the first point.”

---