"We've made contact with the messenger bird service."
The next day, I started work with Bruno's report.
I also informed Tanya of my survival.
Unlike the Imperial Guard who would return via teleport, she had to walk back with the main force, so it would take a few more days.
Since she would surely be worried, I asked Bruno to send a messenger bird.
"Man, not even a moment's rest."
"There are rumors that the Wolgwang Palace will receive a medal for slaying the Celestial Dragon."
"Ah, medals are just a hassle to wear. No vacation time with that?"
"Hmm, should I disguise myself as you and work in your place?"
"Bruno, I can't tell when you're serious or joking, so stop with the straight face."
What nonsense is this guy talking about when he's twice my size?
I touched my Status Window and headed out to examine Asella.
[Medicine has ranked up to C rank. You can select two new skills to learn.]
Two new skills at once.
I want to continue down the [Diagnosis] route rather than the [Prescription] route I'd chosen before.
"Let's see, what skill comes after Blood Test."
When I confirmed the skill name, I couldn't hold back my exclamation of amazement.
The skill tree that opened with the medicine rank increase.
The skill that followed diagnosis and blood testing was none other than:
[X-Ray Imaging D]
There was no need to think about it. I touched the Status Window to complete the acquisition.
X-rays are the alpha and omega of diagnostics.
That's not a good expression. In terms of wavelength, it's closer to gamma.
With this, I can intuitively treat fractures that previously relied on touch, and clearly identify all kinds of diseases.
I'll have to experiment to understand how it works, but still.
Surely lasers won't shoot from my eyes, or suddenly make only bones visible in my vision.
"Let's see what else there is."
In the prescription route, [Prescription Writing] was available to acquire.
This route could be linked with alchemy, but it's not immediately necessary.
Next, something caught my eye in the emergency treatment route as well.
[Surgery(Basic) C: Perform basic difficulty surgeries without failure.]
"Oh."
Surgery, that's quite an interesting skill too.
I've observed surgeries but never practiced one myself.
I have some basic knowledge, but with my skills alone, surgery requiring an open incision would be absolutely impossible.
Though I am good at stitching.
Looking at the skill description, I think it would only apply to relatively low-difficulty surgeries.
"But no one would allow a knife to be brought to their body."
In this world where healing magic is common, putting a scalpel to someone's body would look like assassination.
I won't need to operate on myself either, so it seems like a skill I'd rarely use.
If the next skill tree included plastic surgery, that would be useful.
Just as Lauga went crazy over masks, there's a demand for beauty treatments everywhere.
Even if plastic surgery does become available later, I'd need to build up basic surgery experience first.
I decided to hold off on making a selection for now.
"Princess, it's time for your morning examination."
After such a major incident, I'm all the more determined to fulfill my duties as her physician according to schedule.
Checking Asella's condition, I noticed her blood pressure was lower than usual, suggesting her mana hadn't fully returned.
On the other hand, her heart rate was faster than before.
At this point, I should start suspecting arrhythmia. She's young too—I wonder if there's something she shouldn't be eating.
"I'm prohibiting magical activities today. You're not in proper condition yet. And I'd like your cooperation with a detailed examination."
"Detailed examination?"
"Yes. Nothing major, just a blood test along with taking a picture."
"What would you need a picture for?"
"To assess your condition, of course."
Asella looked suspicious.
"I won't record it in a crystal ball. Don't be so wary."
"Fine. Proceed."
Asella grumbled but obediently extended her arm with rolled-up sleeve to me.
She still flinched when I wiped the blood collection site with an alcohol swab.
I started some light conversation to distract her from the pain.
"What happened with the Recall magic?"
"It's been banned. For all the mages who were at the tournament arena. My teacher reverse-engineered my magic circle to create it."
"Including Queen Camilla?"
"Yes."
The syringe gradually filled with blood.
Asella was so focused on our conversation that she didn't even notice the needle going in.
"What about punishment for whoever summoned the Celestial Dragon? That's clearly treason."
"They caught a group of black magicians nearby. The narrative is that they used summoning magic."
"What?"
What is she talking about? Black magic out of nowhere?
"But they died from self-harm curses before they could properly confess. The investigation will continue, but I doubt we'll get the real answer."
Did Camilla prepare them with Recall too?
That's quite the improvisation. She's a woman whose mind works well for evil deeds.
"And knowing His Majesty's personality, he'll prioritize using the incident as a diplomatic and political tool rather than investigating the truth."
That means the search for the culprit will likely be swept under the rug.
"Princess, there was someone who disappeared from the Colosseum when the Celestial Dragon appeared."
"I know who you mean, but that testimony is useless. Georg will vouch for her identity."
"So that's how it's going to be."
Camilla has completely turned against Wolgwang Palace. Since the tournament, she's been staying at Georg's Tojin Palace.
Even Asella no longer seemed inclined to protect Camilla, perhaps because of the dragon incident.
"So there will be war with Tojin Palace."
"I would have had to wage it eventually to become Emperor. All imperial succession candidates are enemies."
"Are you really okay with that? Going to war with the Queen?"
"Ha."
Asella smiled wickedly.
"Who do you think I am?"
Hearing her confident voice reminded me of something she once said.
—Grudges are repaid tenfold. That is the Empire's way. I show no mercy to my enemies.
—What about returning favors tenfold? What nonsense. Be grateful I gave you the opportunity to earn merit in my service.
This is who Asella has always been.
I almost forgot.
But is it really okay for her to turn her head so boldly toward me?
"Princess, we're still drawing blood."
"Eek!"
Asella, suddenly noticing the blood being drawn from her arm, flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
Now that I'd treated her wound, it was time to try out my new skill.
X-ray, I wonder how it works.
"I'd like to conduct the imaging in a closed space if possible."
Asella, who had been licking the honey candy I gave her as a reward for the blood test, frowned.
"Young Lord, what does that mean?"
"It means exactly what I said. I need to take pictures of your insides."
"What?"
My expression wasn't good.
Even if I explained about light that penetrates the body, she wouldn't understand.
"Just follow my instructions. Do you have any metal in your clothes?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"If you do, please remove it."
"It's not designed to be removed!"
Asella burst out angrily.
"You know exactly what you're asking."
"What?"
"The only clothes without metal are nightgowns. Are you telling me to come out in my nightgown?"
"That would work. Since you need to skip magic lessons today anyway, you might as well take a good nap. Sleep is the best way to recover from poor condition."
Asella opened her mouth slightly in disbelief and let out an empty sigh.
"You're serious, Young Lord."
"Always. Your health is my top priority."
After quite a bit of arguing, Asella finally agreed.
"Sigh... Fine. Lucy, prepare it."
I was kicked out of the room while the maids helped Asella change.
"The Princess is ready."
When the head maid signaled me, I entered to find the room with curtains drawn. The low light conditions were good for imaging.
Asella was wearing a puffy pink nightdress. The sleeves with lace fluttered, suggesting it might be a bit large for her.
One thing that caught my eye was that she was hugging a teddy bear from somewhere.
"What are you looking at?"
"You'll need to put down the bear."
"Ah."
Asella seemed unaware she was holding it and threw the teddy bear onto the bed.
The bear landed with its head under the pillow, stuck in an immobile position.
The head maid whispered to me.
'The Princess can't sleep without her attachment toy.'
Hmm, that's information I didn't know.
'What about when it's being washed?'
'She rarely allows it to be washed, but when she does, she sleeps hugging Max.'
It's fortunate Max has a gentle temperament, Asella.
I confirmed with her once more. Metal materials during imaging can cause errors.
"There's no metal in that outfit, right?"
"I told you I'm not wearing any!"
No need to shout.
I positioned Asella in front of the wall and prepared my skill.
X-rays are radiation, so exposure time should be minimized.
First, I want to use it once to check if additional tools are needed.
"I'll begin imaging now."
"What are you using to take pictures?"
"Ah, right."
I pulled out a pen from my pocket.
"This. It's a newly developed artifact."
Looking at Asella, I activated the skill.
'Oh.'
The next moment, the result image appeared directly in my Status Window.
Is it really working by shooting lasers from my eyes? No film needed?
No, that can't be right. Let's assume the Status Window recognizes my field of vision.
'It's blurry.'
I could see Asella's internal structure roughly, but the image quality wasn't good.
'Asella has a small, thin build, and the exposure was about 0.1 seconds, so assuming a current of about 200mA should work.'
Since there's no actual device or gauge, I have to calculate by eye.
It's inconvenient, but better than nothing.
I continue with the imaging.
I adjust the exposure time and change Asella's posture several times.
I paid special attention to her abdomen, which she often complained about.
"We're done."
"It's over? ...Did I look pretty?"
"Yes. Your 8th and 9th ribs are quite lovely."
"What on earth does that mean?"
"If you're curious, I'll record it in a crystal ball for you later. Today's examination ends here. The result analysis will take some time, so please be patient."
At my declaration, Asella shook her head as if dumbfounded.
"That's it? After making me change into nightclothes and taking pictures?"
"The examination is over, so what else would there be?"
"Get out."
"I was about to. No need to rush me."
As I packed my medical bag, Asella casually asked:
"Young Lord, how is your body? You were coughing blood and in terrible shape."
"That's to be expected after being hit by a Celestial Dragon's curse. You might not understand, but ordinary people don't have as much magical power as you, Princess, so they can't resist such spells."
"I should have left you to suffer a bit longer."
"My, if that pleases you, Princess."
"You're so shameless, like you've got an iron plate for a face."
"I hope you're not planning to grill me on an iron plate?"
"What do you think?"
There was a similar ending too.
Of course I would proceed with it.
Enough idle talk.
Anyway, this matter is this matter.
I said to Asella, who was crossing her arms and grinding her teeth:
"Thanks to you, my life was saved. I apologize for the delayed gratitude, Princess."
Asella looked at me with displeasure and sighed.
"I'm going to sleep."
A patient's rest is precious. Of course I should leave.
I left Asella's room.
***
"What is this?"
Asella's body examined by X-ray.
No problems with the bones, which was expected.
But as anticipated, her internal organs were in disarray.
I invert the colors to make it easier to see and examine the image.
On the left side where the spine connects to the pelvis, there are dark masses everywhere.
"Is this what Georg mentioned?"
Some kind of soul or curse injected into Asella through black magic.
"This is the source of the price."
It was the first time I directly confirmed the reality of the debuff that comes with talent.
"But this doesn't help me identify the exact location or diagnosis."
I unconsciously pressed my temple.
A more detailed examination is needed.
A higher-level skill.
But whatever this is.
"It needs to be removed."
What needs to be done was clear.
I checked Asella's Status Window.
I opened my Status Window and acquired the [Surgery] skill without hesitation.
"This surgery is impossible to do alone."
It's not just a simple operation but a complex situation involving black magic.
Many supplies will be needed too.
I'll know the exact diagnosis when I raise my medical skill further.
Until then, what I need to prepare is:
"I need to create a medical team."
Starting with nurses.
I headed toward the royal medical office.