When I mentioned Asella's debuff, her expression clearly showed wariness.
Perhaps she didn't want others to find out.
But as her physician, I couldn't ignore it, so I continued my questioning.
"Your Highness, do you ever experience stomach pain or nausea?"
"No."
How resolute.
I expected as much from Asella, who had already claimed she had no ailments.
I wasn't sure if she was putting on a brave face or if she'd grown accustomed to the pain after enduring it for so long.
"Are there times when it gets worse?"
"...I wonder?"
Judging by her feigned ignorance, it seems like she's just being stubborn.
There's no need to press the issue and upset her.
"If that happens, please take this."
I handed Asella a vial of pain reliever. I'd placed it in a finger-sized glass vial typically used for storing small mana stones. It's quite sturdy.
"What is this?"
"It's a pain reliever. When your pain becomes severe, this should provide significant relief."
"Is that true?"
When Asella made a skeptical face, Lady Lucy, the head maid, interjected.
"Your Highness, if I may speak?"
"Go ahead."
"During the physician's examination, I saw the doctor give this medicine to a knight with a serious injury, and he reported that his pain disappeared."
"...Hmm."
Asella tilted the glass vial with her fingertip, making the pain reliever rattle inside.
"Young Lord, if you're making strange assumptions on your own, you're wrong, so stop it."
"Your Highness."
I leaned in toward Asella with a slightly serious expression.
"You shouldn't lie to me as your physician. It's my duty to accurately assess your condition."
Even as a quack, I had to insist a little as a medical professional.
Asella seemed to consider my words, maintaining her expressionless face for a moment before pocketing the vial.
"I'll keep this for now. But, Young Lord."
"Yes."
"There should be no unfounded rumors about me circulating in the imperial palace."
A command with a hint of seriousness.
She wanted me to keep her condition secret.
For Asella, who sincerely aspired to be the next Emperor, illness was a fatal weakness.
If that was why she was putting on a brave face, I could understand.
"Of course. It's a physician's duty to protect patient information with absolute confidentiality, even at knifepoint."
Asella seemed satisfied with my answer and nodded.
"I'll conclude the morning examination now. If your blood pressure is normal, we can assume your mana circulation is also fine. You may resume your activities."
I disposed of Asella's remaining blood by mixing it with the mercury I had prepared in advance.
As I packed my bag and stood up, Asella called out to me.
"Young Lord, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
"In what regard? Of course not."
"Did you figure it out because of your talent?"
Her piercing golden eyes bore into me.
She was asking if I could infer her pain because I too had received an affliction in exchange for talent.
"I don't know what you mean. Though I did prepare that medicine using alchemy."
Her gaze lingered in the silence.
"You may go."
I bowed formally before turning to leave Asella's room.
"Phew."
I gently rubbed my queasy stomach after that tense exchange with the Princess.
The lie I just told wasn't as her physician, but as Lars Gotberg, Asella's fiancé.
That much should be acceptable.
***
Several days had passed since I began working as a court physician.
"Reporting for guard duty rotation."
Tanya, now accustomed to her duties, reported at the medical office.
"Teacher, do you need me to clean up?"
"I know where everything is."
The office was already quite cluttered with medical instruments I had created.
Tanya seemed displeased with the floor, which had little space to step in case of an emergency.
Tanya guards me during the day, Bruno at night. They said they would periodically switch between day and night shifts.
Working in two shifts means no weekends and long hours. I told them to rest while in the palace, but they just won't listen.
Tanya insisted on staying by my side, claiming it was her duty.
"Today, Asella shows no abnormalities again."
I continue recording on the sheet I created.
Her blood pressure and general health remain consistently good.
I checked her diet and noticed an imbalance in nutrition, so I'm considering suggesting a menu change.
However, this would require consulting with the imperial kitchen, which will take some time.
Above all, Asella eats very little.
It's remarkable how she managed to grow so much in ten years with such nibbling habits.
She's not an elf, and I doubt she grows by consuming mana.
"It must be because her stomach hurts."
Putting on a brave face.
While it suits her, now that she's my patient, I can't help but worry.
I found myself imagining.
A young princess born in the imperial family.
Four years old, or maybe three. Perhaps even from infancy.
She unlocked her magical talent and gained an affliction.
One that comes with considerable pain.
In an environment where dignity and proper etiquette must be maintained, showing weakness for minor pain is unacceptable.
If a member of the imperial family appears weak, the prestige of the entire imperial household suffers.
Moreover, despite belonging to the weakest faction, she's still a legitimate successor.
In fact, Asella is destined to become the next Emperor, so she doesn't seem weak to me at all.
And Empress Camilla, Asella's birth mother, has strong political ambitions.
In such circumstances, Asella probably felt she couldn't show signs of pain.
Or perhaps she came to accept the pain as natural.
Stress would inevitably accumulate.
"...So what?"
That doesn't justify the evil deeds Asella committed.
Though I wouldn't go so far as to call myself her greatest victim.
"Right now, I'm just fulfilling my duty as her physician."
I've been given a rare opportunity to live as a doctor.
I don't want to ruin it by letting emotions get in the way.
Whether I dislike Asella or feel a bit sorry for her—such trivial emotions can wait.
"Let's say the pain is the price for her talent."
This could be an incurable condition like my debuff.
But if it's not.
If it's a disease or symptom I can cure.
If I use medicine to eliminate the pain debuff, her magical talent would disappear along with it, as I had thought before.
I could completely ruin her, preventing the Golden Witch from ever emerging.
"That would be far beyond blasphemy."
What could Asella's diagnosis be?
Since my diagnostic skill isn't working, I can't know for certain yet, so I need to observe Asella more.
That's why I've been watching her every move during her daily routine.
Asella accepted this, understanding it was necessary for me as her physician.
"For now, she's my patient."
Making patients comfortable is a physician's duty.
"Maybe I'll get a skill more powerful than diagnosis."
I check my status window.
―――――――――――
○ Medicine D
A skill based on modern medical knowledge to treat subjects.
· Diagnosis C
Partially understand a patient's condition.
· Prescription C
Slightly improves the condition of diagnosed patients.
· Emergency Treatment Mastery D
Perform emergency treatment somewhat more quickly.
· Blood Test D
Check detailed information from a patient's blood.
―――――――――――
Diagnosis and Prescription have risen to rank C.
It's about time for new skills to unlock.
"Now I need to choose a skill tree."
Touching the details opens the skill map.
The first three basic skills were [Diagnosis], [Prescription], and [Emergency Treatment].
From these three, similar skills branch out like tree limbs, waiting to be unlocked.
[Blood Test] is a skill from the [Diagnosis] branch route.
When the next skill unlocks, I can choose between the [Diagnosis] route and the Emergency Treatment route.
Two unopened slots are flashing there, making it easy to understand.
"[Prescription] seems like a pharmacist-type skill, and [Emergency Treatment] might improve dexterity."
Since I already have alchemy for prescriptions, I'm giving that lower priority.
"It makes sense to unlock the [Diagnosis] tree first."
I need to accurately understand Asella's condition to formulate a plan.
"Blood Test was CBC, right? A skill that requires modern medical equipment."
If I'm looking for the most versatile diagnostic technique...
"X-ray imaging would be ideal."
Will lasers shoot from my eyes?
That would make me a monster. I couldn't help but laugh.
Well, X-rays have shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet light, so they're invisible anyway.
"Teacher, it's almost time for the daily routine."
At Tanya's reminder, I got up from my seat.
***
The imperial palace is truly a place where high-quality personnel are wastefully squandered.
When Asella takes a single step, dozens of people move with her in a clanking procession.
I'm attached to Asella's side like a guard knight, but Asella has her own guards, and Tanya is attached to me as my guard, creating a strange picture.
Come to think of it, it's not completely useless. Job creation is important.
"Asella, straighten your shoulders more. Put maximum strength in your eyes! Your concentration is wavering."
But Asella's daily life was so boring it was hard to suppress a yawn.
After breakfast, Empress Camilla educates Asella.
The education continues after lunch.
And after dinner? Education, of course.
Imperial studies, politics, etiquette, dance, horseback riding, and more.
I'm not sure what it's all for, but her educational fervor puts even the most ambitious mothers to shame.
Gangnam, or was it Gangbuk?
It's been so long I can't remember clearly.
It's quite Spartan, with barely any time to rest.
After the evening lesson, the instructor showed Asella's test answers to the Empress.
The Empress's eyebrow twitched as she approached Asella, who had finished her daily routine.
"Your achievement today is terrible. It seems your vacation at the Marquis's estate was too long."
How terrible could it be?
I glanced at Asella's test paper and saw she had missed only two questions out of thirty.
...Isn't that excellent?
Asella maintained her expressionless face while standing rigidly before the Empress, but the momentary twitch of her throat suggested she had gulped.
Come to think of it, Empress Camilla was the only person the otherwise imperious Asella couldn't properly exert power over.
Both ten years in the future and now, I've never seen Asella take a submissive stance, except before the Empress, where she always seems particularly tense.
Seeing this side of her for the first time is quite refreshing.
"Everyone out. I'll take Asella to the workshop."
At Camilla's command, the servants and knights immediately turned and began leaving the room.
Only Tanya and I remained standing there, not understanding the situation.
And then.
[No. 058: Magic Torture 48% → 62%]
[Changing]
The probability of one bad ending was increasing.
"There it is."
Somehow, I've come to welcome these numbers.
Yes, I would have been disappointed if it hadn't appeared.