Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

In a clinic in the new city, Venetinova, Hilde stared speechless at her own hands, a beastman woman laid out on the examination table in front of her.

The woman had been deathly pale when she was brought in, but now that the procedure was complete, she was sleeping with a relatively peaceful look on her face. Hilde was the one who was pale now.

B... Brad... Brad! Coming back to her senses, she called her husbands name. Hearing her cries, Brad, who had been in the bedroom with their one-year-old daughter, rushed over.

Wh-Whats wrong, Hil

Brad! Hilde jumped at Brad as he arrived. Seizing his white coat, she buried her face in his chest.

Normally Hilde was so good spirited and strong-willed that you might have called her manly. In all of their long time together, Brad had never seen this weak side of her.

Wh-What?! What in the world is going on?

Brad... I may have done something terrible.

Terrible?

Hilde looked up at him, her face still pale. Though she didnt seem to be crying, she did look frightened of something. Brad gently rubbed Hildes back to try to calm her.

What exactly happened? Did you botch the treatment? Even as he asked, Brad was sure that couldnt be it. If she had been about to make an irreversible mistake, she would have called him then, not now.

Brad looked at the beastman woman on the table. Her eyes were closed, but her chest gently rose and fell. Her breathing didnt seem labored, either. ...As far as I can see, shes just sleeping.

This wasnt like surgery, where a botched procedure could directly result in the death of the patient. This woman had come in feeling unwell, and Hilde asked questions, examined her, and then decided whether or not to provide medicine. Brad, who had nothing to do, had been left to take care of Ludia.

Having finally calmed herself, Hilde began to tell him what had transpired, Brad. I...

Hilde related the events to Brad in minute detail. As Brad listened, first his eyes widened, then he cocked his head to the side as he failed to understand what Hilde was worried about... then, when he eventually comprehended what it was that she was concerned about, he frowned.

What should I do, Brad? Should I go into hiding...?

Hold on! Youre getting way ahead of yourself! Brad clapped his hands down on her shoulders. The first thing we need to do is calm down. Both of us... Also, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side. Ludia will, too.

Ah! Ludia! Hilde brushed off Brads arms and took off running. When Brad recovered from his surprise and chased after her, Hilde was looking at their sleeping daughter.

When Brad approached, Hilde leaned against him with tears in her eyes.

...If it were just me, I might have fled the country and gone into hiding.

...Yeah. I would have gone with you, too.

But... I dont want this child to be caught up in it, too. I couldnt make her suffer like that.

I know. Brad gently embraced Hilde as he came to a decision. Lets talk to the king about this.

Huh?! But what if...?

Its okay, Brad said, looking a hesitant Hilde straight in the eye. If this were any other country, I wouldnt be saying this. But that king, he wouldnt mistreat you, no matter whats happened. That king treasures family. He couldnt abandon you after you helped his wife to give birth.

Having received a message from Brad and Hilde saying, We wish to meet with you in secret to discuss something important, I set aside time to meet with the two of them in a room at the castle.

They had indicated that the fewer people present the better, so only Hakuya and Liscia were in attendance, with Aisha outside the door standing guard and keeping others away.

Incidentally, their daughter, Ludia, was being looked after by Elisha and Carla.

Its not everyday you come to the castle, huh, Brad? The looks on their faces were dark, so I decided to open with some lighthearted banter. Maybe you dont want to come to the den of the powerful, hmm?

I tried teasing him for the way he acted like he had a bad case of middle school syndrome, but...

...The situation left me with no alternative, Brad responded with a grim look on his face. ...This was apparently going to be a serious talk. Liscia elbowed me in the ribs, as if to say, You shouldnt be teasing him. It kind of hurt.

Brad stood up, and bowed his head deeply. Please. Lend us your power for Hildes sake.

Please. Hilde stood up as well and bowed her head, and my eyes went wide.

No, lift your heads, please. I had them sit back down, then started over by asking them, Please, tell me. What in the world happened?

...There was a woman who visited our clinic the other day. Hilde slowly began to explain the situation. I will keep her name a secret, but she was a beastman woman, thirty years old. She complained about stomach pains, and after examining her, I realized it was the work of bugs.

By bugs you mean... parasites, huh?

Anisakis, or the like. Hilde nodded.

It seems she ate some fish that spoils quickly raw. Because Venetinova is on the sea, it happens on rare occasions. The usual treatment involves using a deworming medicine to kill the bugs, followed by medical supervision. And, in serious cases, I will have Brad perform an abdominal incision and remove them.

Hm...

I had this woman drink the deworming medicine and stay in the clinic so I could watch her, but... she was quite weak-willed. She begged me, Please, use recovery magic on me.

Recovery magic? But I heard light magic like that can only heal external wounds?

The story Id heard was, indeed, that light magic was not effective in treating illness. That was why I had worked to increase the number of people like Brad and Hilde, who could treat people with the power of medicine, in our country.

Yes, thats right. Hilde nodded. The symptoms brought on by parasites are an infection, and magic has no effect on it, just like with bacteria. I explained that to the patient, but she wouldnt accept it.

When youre suffering from illness, youll cling to any straw, after all...

I think so, too. It was only going to make her feel better about it emotionally, but if it satisfied the patient, I didnt see the harm. I cast the spell on her, and when I did...

Hilde paused for a moment, then, seeming to resolve herself, she confessed.

Her illness... got better.

That figures... The Lunarian Orthodox Papal State was going to want her more than anything. If she was a saint they couldnt have for themselves, they would have to publicly condemn her. The same way they had criticized Maria and others.

Me, a saint? Spare me. Hilde hugged herself and went pale.

Oh, I saw what this was about now. Was this why they had come to me? To have the country protect her, so she wasnt caught up in the machinations of some religion?

...Who was the patient? Does she know it was Hildes light magic that cured her?

When she realized something was wrong, Hilde put her under with drugs immediately. When she awoke, we explained the medicine had run its course, so I dont think she realizes... Lying to a patient may disqualify us as doctors, though, Brad said as he held Hildes shoulders.

So the only ones who know are the five of us here, then. Well...

As I was pondering what to do about this, Liscia tugged on my sleeve.

Hm? What?

...I know, normally, I shouldnt let personal feelings come into this. But, please, Souma. Help Dr. Hilde. She looked after me the whole time I was pregnant. I dont even know if Cian and Kazuya would have been born safely without her.

Liscia...

So, please. Lend the two of them your strength.

...I know. I gently stroked the back of Liscias head. Its already decided that Im going to help them. If anything happened to Hilde, Brad wouldnt stay quiet about it. It would be to the countrys detriment if we were to lose their rare gifts. More than that, do you think I could abandon the people who did so much for our family? I dont want to see such a sad look on my wifes face.

I looked to everyone present.