Chapter 20

EP.20 Knee Pillow

 

“Huff.”

Breath came out in gasps.

My head is spinning.

No matter how many times I blink, my vision remains blurry.

The surroundings were dark, as if it were a dim night.

What happened?

I remember successfully finishing the practical exam and returning to my room feeling quite cheerful.

Unable to tolerate the stench of goblin corpses or the nauseating smell of the underground soil and moss, I took off my shirt first….

And then it cuts off there.

“Cough, cough.”

Coughing comes involuntarily.

I want to say something, but only the scratching sound of goblins heard during the day comes from my throat.

What’s going on? Why like this?

First, let’s check my status window.

————–

• Diagnosis D has ranked up to Diagnosis C.
• Medical E has ranked up to Medical D.
• Blood Test D skill has been unlocked.

————–

My Medicine skill rank has increased.

Thanks to using medicine enthusiastically in today’s practical exam.

Even if I didn’t like it, I must have gained experience from dealing with actual patients all day.

“A blood test skill. How far can it go?”

In hospitals, the test usually done by drawing blood in a fasting state is CBC.

It’s the most basic and universal test because it analyzes the components of blood such as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelet counts, etc., to determine what illness the patient has in a wide range.

With such a skill, I can understand the patient’s condition in more detail than diagnosis.

But why is my body like this?

Scrolling down, I could find out the reason.

————–

Talent has ranked up to Rank D.

• Debuff Health Decrease E (Growth Type, Irremovable) has ranked up to Health Decrease D.

————–

Ah, so the debuff grew along with the talent.

Ugh, this is frustrating.

“Ugh.”

The burning sensation in my stomach intensified.

It feels like the acid is corroding my insides.

I have about 4 Health left. The maximum is 11.

I used it quite a bit during the practical exam, and it seems to have been continuously decreasing due to the debuff.

“I’m just deteriorating easily, huh.”

I can’t even take care of my own body, and diagnosis is not available to myself.

Just by looking at the symptoms, it seems like gastric ulcer.

“The Health Decrease rate exceeds the candy’s recovery rate, so it turned out like this.”

Thanks to collapsing in a comfortable position, the decrease seemed minimal while sleeping.

Even now, my head is comfortably supported by a soft pillow.

…Huh? What’s supporting me on the floor?

I slowly turn my head.

Looking towards the ceiling, I see two golden eyes shining in the darkness, staring at me intently.

“Oh.”

It feels like I had a momentary cardiac arrest for about 2 seconds.

Fortunately, I’m still alive.

“You’re awake.”

Acella’s cold voice echoed in my ears.

“Your Highness, why are you here… cough, cough.”

I couldn’t finish my response and started coughing.

Fortunately, I managed to cover my mouth, so my saliva didn’t splash on Acella’s face.

But perhaps I upset Acella because she frowned.

“Lars, did you cough too?”

“I just cleared my throat for a moment.”

“You were lying on the floor.”

Is she suspecting that I’m not feeling well?

It wouldn’t be good if it’s known that even the royal physician can’t take care of his own body.

Especially when it comes to the patient himself.

It’s something that damages the trust in the profession.

“Me? No way. I just fell asleep because I was tired from the exam.”

“…On the floor?”

“I find it comfortable.”

“While changing clothes?”

“I was that tired.”

Acella narrowed her eyes, glaring at me as if seeing through me.

But wait, is Acella supporting my head right now?

Since when has she been in my room?

“Your Highness, why is my head…?”

“Don’t like it?”

Whether I like it or not? Of course, I don’t.

Judging by the sensation of support, it feels like it’s her knee, but her hand is also on my head.

It’s like putting my head between the jaws of a crocodile.

And it’s the same crocodile that has scratched my face several times before.

Before my anger escalated further, I wanted to get up from my seat, but I simply couldn’t muster the strength.

Acella spoke up when I didn’t respond.

“Lucy usually does this for me.”

“Who’s Lucy?”

“My maid.”

Ah, it was the name of the lady who had been supervising the exam with an expressionless face.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. It’s inappropriate for a princess like you to enter a man’s room alone in the first place.”

“We’re engaged.”

“Well, yes.”

“Did I misunderstand something?”

“Just as the sun shines brightly and strongly at noon but becomes sticky and orange in the afternoon.”

It was an analogy that meant you can’t grasp the essence just by what you see.

It conveyed that my body was fine.

“Why are you lying to me?”

“It’s not a lie. Even if it were, it’s not something the princess should worry about. It’s the physician’s job to reduce the worries of the patient in charge.”

“…Is that so?”

Although Acella seemed slightly suspicious of my answer, she seemed to understand and didn’t inquire further about my condition.

Fortunately.

…There was a moment of silence.

Then, suddenly, Acella placed her hand on my cheek and bowed her head.

Her cold hand felt pleasant.

From my lying position, her face appeared upside down to me.

“Lars, do you want to keep doing this?”

Acella asked a question that was difficult to understand the meaning of.

I had been quiet for too long, and she seemed to be getting bored.

I want to move too.

I want to move, but I have no strength.

“Your Highness, may I ask for one thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Could you bring me some candy?”

“And what’s the price?”

After all, the princess doesn’t give anything for free.

“…I’ll give you one.”

Acella slightly raised the corner of her mouth at my response.

“Where is it?”

“Oh, it’s inside the shirt I took off. Right behind on the bed.”

“Where… there are quite a few. One won’t be enough.”

“It’s just one. That was the deal, right?”

There was a rustling sound.

Acella took out two candies and threw one onto my chest.

“Do you expect me to unwrap it for you?”

“I wouldn’t expect that.”

I can’t imagine what I should pay for this exchange.

I unwrap the candy and put it in my mouth.

The text stating that my health increases along with the sweet scent of honey came to mind.

Although it offset the decrease, I still need to find another way to recover health more quickly.

“So, this is the taste.”

Before I knew it, Acella was also chewing on a candy.

The sound of the candy rolling between her teeth echoed.

“Do you like it?”

“I don’t like sweet food.”

I used to be the same way.

“But still, this is somewhat delicious. It has a special taste because it’s something taken from you.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

Indeed, her perspective is different.

How much does the greatest villainess enjoy plundering, looting, and reveling in others’ suffering?

Acella stopped rolling the candy in her mouth, took it out, and shook it in front of me.

“If I take something precious and don’t eat it all, you would feel a great loss, wouldn’t you think?”

“Of course.”

So, if you’re happy.

It seemed my response pleased her, as she tried to suppress a smile.

“So, what should we do with this?”

“If you’re going to throw it away, please give it to me. It would be a waste otherwise.”

At my answer, Acella was momentarily surprised, then leaned back slightly.

“…Are you going to eat what I was eating again?”

“It’s my favorite candy.”

“No.”

Acella firmly refused and swiftly took the candy into her lap.

She might throw it away, but she won’t give it to me.

Well, that’s how it goes. Do as you please.

…Why is there that rustling sound again?

Acella carefully placed the candy back into its wrapper.

What’s she up to now?

“Lars.”

“Yes?”

“How did the exam go?”

“I made it to the final candidates.”

“Of course you did.”

Acella calmly said and tucked the candy into the folds of her dress.

“Ugh.”

Feeling a bit stronger thanks to the sugar, I decided it was time to get up.

“Your Highness, it’s dinner time. Shouldn’t you go for a meal?”

Despite my polite suggestion, Acella showed no intention of moving from her spot.

“Your Highness?”

“Wait.”

Acella extends her palm towards me.

If she says wait, I guess I have to wait like a loyal dog.

Well, at least for the time being.

“Why aren’t you getting up?”

“I told you to wait.”

Upon closer inspection, I noticed Acella was fidgeting her legs.

She was fidgeting her tiny toe tips, unable to find a comfortable position.

Her leg must be itchy.

“Your Highness, when that happens, massaging the area above the thigh can alleviate the symptoms more quickly. Here, try following my posture. Slowly straighten your knees and bend forward…”

“Lars, get out of the room.”

“It’s my room.”

“Then at least put on some clothes!”

Acella snapped her head around and shouted.

Uh-oh. We’ve reached the point of irritation.

I don’t know what’s going on, but it meant I had seriously messed up.

If I aggravated her further, I might lose my head, so I immediately grabbed my shirt and fled the room as if my life depended on it.

====

***

====

I sent Acella to dinner first.

Meanwhile, I examined the rose candies overall.

Currently, even with enhancement, the recovery amount does not increase.

Thinking it might be due to weak ingredients, I used [Property Change] to transform some of the rose medicine components after enhancing.

Since the outcome depends on probability, I repeated the process several times.

Then, bingo.

————–

Special Rose Honey Candy (Modified, Synthesized)

Effect when consumed: Restores 0.6 of depleted health over 6 hours due to hemorrhage.

It’s incredibly sweet!

————–

Finally, I’ve created a candy that can cover my Health Decrease.

Thanks to that, I’ve wasted twenty precious candies, but I can always make more, right?

In the future, my Health Decrease will likely continue to increase.

“It’s not a big deal as long as I keep recovering health.”

It’s good to replenish sugar levels regularly, isn’t it?

I should be careful not to get diabetes.

While treating myself, I suddenly became curious about one thing.

“What is Acella’s debuff?”

It would be simple to use diagnosis, but since I’m not a physician yet, I can’t casually use skills on her.

As Acella is sensitive to magic, she would immediately notice if I used a skill on her.

And since my diagnosis rank is still low, there’s no guarantee I’ll accurately understand.

“A price is essential for talent. If I remove the debuff as a price…”

The talent would disappear too.

Considering the debuff is a terminal illness in my condition, it seems like a very slim possibility.

But if that were to happen, it would be possible to delete multiple bad endings at once.

If Acella’s magic weakens, the number of incidents she can cause would significantly decrease.

“But first, I need to become a physician.”

The final exam is tomorrow.

For tomorrow’s sake, I’ve decided to get some rest for today.