"Ah."
Literally, all I could say was "Ah."
Listening to him, it made sense.
He's right, after all.
Where else would he have pulled all those teeth from?
Surely he didn't pull healthy teeth just because he's a torture technician, right?
'No, no. There must have been people like that too.'
There probably were.
This is an era where the word "torture" is openly used by the police.
One detective told me that if he were allowed only his fists and water, he could extract any information.
Then an older detective next to him shook his head disapprovingly, and I thought, "Ah, so experience does make a difference," but what he said was completely different from what I expected.
-"Not letting them sleep and starving them is the best method."
Ha.
That's the textbook definition of torture, really.
So scary, honestly.
"How are you pulling those teeth?"
That aside, shouldn't I find out what kind of treatment these people are providing and how?
I didn't call him here because I wanted to be even more surprised, after all.
If I really wanted to be surprised, I could just go visit the East End.
It wasn't developed as a tourist attraction for nothing.
It's truly fascinating there.
I wonder how people can live in such a place like that…
"Ah… I have my own techniques. These fellows all learned from me."
Anyway, at my words, our necklace man placed the bag he was holding on the table.
A clattering sound followed, and the heavy smell of metal immediately hit me.
Looking at the tools he took out, each one was incredibly impressive in its grandeur.
It felt similar to seeing, what was it called, a Liston knife before.
It made me wonder if such large tools were really necessary for pulling tiny teeth.
"You pull teeth with this?"
"Yes. The patient tends to move around, you see."
"Don't you use anesthesia these days…?"
"Ah, aah. That's right. These days, yes. The world has become a better place. Haha. Back in my day, we'd have four people hold the patient down, another force the mouth open, and then pull with this. Haha."
Anyone, even the esteemed Guan Yu I admire, would probably feel their knees go weak and run away if someone came at them with this to pull a tooth.
But now, as you said, there's anesthesia, right?
Yet they're still using tools like this; it's unbelievable.
"But these days, there's no need for them to be this big… right?"
"Huh? Ah, you think so?"
As if he'd only just thought of that, the necklace man tilted his head.
He looked surprised, like Archimedes suddenly remembering how to measure the weight of gold while taking a bath.
Seeing his expression, it seemed he had never once considered such a thing before.
Well… I can't really blame him.
It's true that after anesthesia was introduced, surgery made explosive progress…
But even then, breaking away from traditional surgery took years, or even over a decade.
Humans are animals that find it difficult to break free from established ways of thinking and do something different—more so than one might think.
It's only natural.
In a safe world like the 21st century, innovation and change are good things. But in times like these, being too fond of that is a surefire way to get killed.
"Right. The patient will be still anyway, so why go through all this trouble?"
"Ah… As expected, Lord Pyung… I'd never thought of that before."
"Well, it happens."
"Whoa… So we really could use smaller tools…"
I felt good seeing him so amazed, but I couldn't just leave it at that.
So I asked more questions about this and that.
I wanted to explore treatments other than extraction.
I'm not a dentist, but common sense says extraction should be the last resort, right?
This isn't like 21st-century South Korea, where implants are readily available.
At best, they might make dentures, but with current technology, those dentures would be a complete mess.
"Huh? Ah… Well, there was one method that became popular. But I don't do it."
"Popular…?"
When I poked him in the side and asked if there was anything else, the necklace man, who from the start didn't seem to have any intention of hiding anything from me, hurriedly began sharing information.
But hearing the word "popular" made me a bit uneasy.
Hearing more, my unease was justified.
"If the teeth are black and all, it's a bit problematic, isn't it? These days, everyone, young and old, has rotten teeth, but in the past, high-ranking people were strangely particular about it."
"Shouldn't black teeth be a problem for anyone, not just high-ranking people?"
"That's true, it is. But folks like us don't have any reason to go to parties. However, it's different for the high and mighty, isn't it?"
"Ah… That's true."
Even I get invitations frequently.
In fact, if I wanted to, I could probably go to a party almost every day.
I'm busy too… and going just means having my energy drained by those social butterflies, which is painful…
-"Oh, so you're the Pyung-Sin person…?"
I don't know if some strange rumor spread or what, but the noblewomen showing excessive interest are the scariest part.
I mean, why on earth do they look at people and smack their lips?
Anyway, those who enjoy that sort of thing would attend such events relentlessly.
And if their teeth were black, it would probably be a problem.
Huh, now that I think about it, one of the noblewomen who flirted with me had a front tooth that was black.
"There's a way to make them white."
"Huh…? Isn't that a scam?"
"Ah, no. They definitely become white. I can make all these teeth white right now."
"Wow."
What is this?
Teeth whitening?
And that too… huh?
Isn't that difficult even in the 21st century?
Moreover, he's claiming he can whiten teeth that aren't just stained but have turned black from decay, which brings to mind either a scam or a horrifying procedure.
"You apply nitric acid."
"Ah."
My thoughts were correct.
Well, if you remove the blackened exterior, they will become whiter.
But acid?
I've heard even cola can dissolve teeth.
And they're treating it with real, concentrated acid, and that method was popular?
"But although they become white, too many cases end up requiring extraction later. Haha… It's quite something. So I just stick to extractions."
Despite his appearance and demeanor, it seems he was a somewhat conscientious guy.
After all, he said he didn't use nitric acid.
Digging deeper, it seemed that even in dentistry, cavity treatment basically meant extraction and nothing more.
They don't seem to do other treatments.
As an alternative, if it can be called that, there seems to be some progress compared to before, like attempts at dentures or bridges…
"Hmm…"
"It seems… my answers weren't satisfactory."
"They weren't, but still. It's good to know the reality."
"That's a relief. So does that mean you'll spare me?"
"Huh? Of course. Have I ever killed anyone or something?"
"Ah, yes. Th-that's right."
At my sigh, the necklace man in front of me flinched, scared, and then hurriedly began nodding.
His discolored black teeth clacked together, but apart from that, I kept thinking of His Majesty the King's teeth.
'The inner molars are all rotten.'
I don't know how he managed to save his front teeth, but he did.
But the inner ones…
The inner ones are a mess.
Honestly, someone like me uses dental floss and, huh? brushes their teeth, but in this era, oral care is almost like something from another world.
'But… I hear they do brush their teeth…?'
So do they not brush at all? That's not it either.
Well… they use something very different from the toothbrushes and toothpaste we know.
Toothbrushes are just made from animal hair, so they're primitive, but toothpaste…
Here, it's considered "medicine," right?
For 19th-century medicine, hardly anything is proper, so it's pretty much all a mess.
From things of unknown origin to using soot or bone powder, I heard some madman even uses diluted nitric acid.
I heard this from none other than our necklace man, the dentistry mogul, so there's no room for doubt.
'No matter how bad it is, he probably takes better care than the average person. Of course. It's only natural…'
Actually, if you ask whether toothpaste is absolutely necessary, you could say it's not.
Well, in a modern society full of sweet and sticky things, it would be necessary, but here…
Here is 19th-century Britain.
It's a place where everyone gathers to ponder how to make food even more tasteless.
Not that they seem to be making healthy food either.
'Now that I think about it, the professors said that even Burger King in Britain tastes bland.'
Is it because they committed an unforgivable sin in world history?
I don't know the reason, but anyway, the food is almost like a punishment.
Uh, what was I talking about?
Ah, right.
The food probably won't cause more decay.
"Ah, sir! Please, I'm begging you, cut down on the desserts!"
"Then what am I supposed to eat? There's nothing else!"
"It's diabetes! I mean, Duke. I worked my ass off to save you, why are you like this? Seriously?"
"How dare you look me straight in the eye and… You're Pyung-Sin's student, not Pyung-Sin himself, right? Huh?"
Just then, a commotion broke out in the next room.
It's a regular occurrence.
Diabetes treatment is actually a sluggish process, you know.
It's not like taking insulin alone cures it.
Moreover, at this point, there aren't any suitable辅助 drugs, and we can't provide a properly balanced diet from a nutritional standpoint.
Honestly, we're not doing blood tests; we're running a human sommelier, so…
Thus, what we can do is limited, and the most important thing is restricting desserts.
Desserts, well, everyone knows what they are, but during this period, dessert literally means sugar…
"Ah."
Sugar.
Sugar is the culprit.
Swing.
I opened the door and rushed out, heading toward Duke Jamie's room.
Swing.
I swung the door open and entered, and there were a very annoyed-looking Jamie and my beloved student, John Snow.
"Uh, Pyung-Sin?"
No matter how annoyed he was, it's me.
From Jamie's perspective, huh?
I'm someone even more important than a lifesaver.
So, he even got up from his seat to greet me.
"Uh, uh."
I made him sit back down.
"Duke."
"Yes?"
"Open your mouth, please."
"Wh-what is it?"
I then examined his oral cavity.
"Oh dear."
"Wh-what is it?"
I knew it.
His teeth are all rotten.
The molars, especially those aside from the front teeth, are in terrible condition.
No wonder it sometimes smells like shit in the meeting room.
"It's not polite to peer into someone's mouth and then pinch your nose."
Seeing my displeased expression, Lord Jamie scolded me with feigned sternness, but someone who castrated themselves finds it hard to maintain dignity, whether they become a duke or anything else.
Especially when meeting in a hospital under a doctor-patient relationship.
"Never mind that. You'll need to come here more often from now on."
"Wh-why?"
"For the health of His Majesty the King."
"Huh?"
It's probably better to practice on a duke than on the king.
Ah, I'm not saying we should do it right away.
I issued a prisoner summons for the first time in a while.