Chapter 62: Annoying Clinic Hours

[Make sure to have a good check-up too, Mother!]

Artasha gently touched her face. The sweet sensation of her daughter’s lips lingered, warmly embracing her cheek.

Tina had fully believed that her mother was unwell and had come to the hospital with her. But to her daughter’s dismay, there wasn’t anything significantly wrong with Artasha’s body.

The headaches had been a long-standing issue, but she had never been bothered by them. Still, there was only one reason she had lied to her daughter and come to the hospital.

Tina’s condition had clearly worsened after visiting the Duchy, especially the symptoms she had shown that night, which had reached a critical level.

Although Tina denied it, it was not normal to resort to self-harm unless one was under severe mental stress.

“Tina…”

Artasha called her daughter’s name, running her hand over her face.

Outwardly, she pretended to maintain her composure, but inside, it felt as though her heart was being torn apart. Every time the thought crossed her mind that her daughter might have a serious illness, her heart sank.

If Tina were to suffer from an incurable disease, Artasha felt she would crumble on the spot.

“Baroness.”

A low, female voice came from behind her.

A woman with short black hair, appearing to be middle-aged, bowed respectfully before her.

Her name was Philsi Librium, the chief administrator of this Librium General Hospital.

She was a member of the prestigious Librium Count family, renowned for its medical technology in the empire. Normally, someone like Artasha, a mere baroness with little standing, would never have encountered someone of her stature so easily.

There was only one reason Philsi showed Artasha such courtesy.

[Viviana Merdellia.]

It was because of the powerful influence of Viviana Merdellia, from the Duke Merdellia family.

Artasha never wanted to speak with the woman again—the one who had driven her daughter to the point of self-harm. Even if her limbs were to be torn apart, she would never have contacted the Merdellia family.

But when it came to Tina, she couldn’t afford to be so principled.

How could she hesitate when her daughter was sick?

Upon hearing that Tina’s condition wasn’t good, Viviana had immediately reached out to Librium Hospital, ensuring that Tina received all possible assistance.

“…Thank you for helping our baron family.”

Artasha bowed deeply in gratitude, but Philsi waved her hand, urging her to rise.

“Healing patients is our job, so there’s no need to feel indebted.”

With those kind words, she led Artasha to her office. It was a grand and stately room, even more so than the office Artasha, head of the Blanc Baron family, occupied.

After settling into a luxurious black leather sofa, Philsi pulled out a document from her coat and placed it before Artasha.

“These are the results of your daughter’s examination.”

Artasha’s heart began to race.

The anxiety that had been quietly creeping up now raged uncontrollably. She swallowed nervously.

“Physically, there are no significant issues. Although she has a frail build compared to other women her age, it doesn’t pose a serious threat to her health. However…”

The next words made Artasha’s heart sink. As she tightly clasped her hands, Philsi continued with caution.

“There are faint scars on her wrists. They appear to be self-inflicted. Could you explain…?”

“Ah, that…”

It was far from a relief to know that her daughter had self-harmed, but at least it was something Artasha was already aware of, offering a small sense of reassurance.

“Some things happened. Is there any other issue?”

In response, Philsi turned to the next page of the report with a grave expression. Two photographs were attached to the paper.

“These are from the examination of her brain. We used magical tools, so there should be no lasting side effects.”

Artasha had heard of tools that could use mana to capture images of the brain’s shape, though she didn’t have any specialized medical knowledge.

Seeing it in person was fascinating, but her attention was solely on the shape of the brain in the photos.

It looked normal to her. Was there something different from a medical perspective?

“Baroness, this isn’t going to be good news.”

Philsi’s ominous expression caused the anxiety that had momentarily subsided to wash over Artasha again.

For someone as renowned as Philsi to say something like that meant there was definitely a problem.

“…Please, tell me.”

Closing her eyes, Artasha steeled herself.

She had to hear it. No matter how devastating the news might be, knowing Tina’s condition came first.

“Your daughter’s brain is far from ordinary.”

“Is… is that bad…?”

Philsi pointed to one of the photos. It was an ordinary grayscale image, revealing the brain’s contours under the light.

“The physical structure shows no issues. There’s no damage, and the neural connections are more developed than the average person. Your daughter is likely very intelligent.”

“S-she is…?”

“But, this is the photo we need to focus on.”

Philsi pointed to the second image with an even graver expression. At first glance, it appeared ordinary, but unlike the first photo, faint glowing lines were intertwined.

“It’s mana.”

“…mana.”

I know what mana is.

It was described in books as an invisible flow of power, an energy encompassing the essence of living beings and nature.

They say that natural mana flows everywhere in everyday life.

Usually, it takes the form of an invisible, transparent thread, but the color can change depending on certain ‘mana users.’

However, those who can wield mana are extremely rare.

Out of tens of thousands, only about one in a hundred people can.

Neither I nor Tina would have any connection to mana.

Thus, I never really studied mana in-depth.

“Unless you’re a mana misfit, mana flows through everyone’s body.

In the muscles, and in the brain.”

Philsi continued explaining in a calm voice.

“And the flow of mana only ever moves in one direction.

Whether it’s from top to bottom, from right to left, or in a circular motion, it always flows in one direction.”

Philsi pointed his finger at the center of the photo.

“Do you see anything wrong, Baron?”

“…I can’t tell.”

To my eyes, the lines in the brain photo were just tangled lines.

Nothing looked particularly different…

“…Huh?”

Something strange started to appear.

Philsi had definitely said that mana only flows in one direction.

But, was it just my imagination?

The threads in the picture didn’t look consistent.

I couldn’t possibly be right, but still, in the photo I was seeing…

It felt like the threads flowing outward were protecting the smaller ones inside, like a fortress wall.

“It’s a dual flow.

The outer and inner mana are forming elliptical flows in opposite directions.”

“But didn’t you say it only flows in one direction…?”

“I’ve only seen this kind of case once in my entire medical career.”

With that, Philsi suddenly began explaining about a certain wizard from the past.

He was a crazy wizard who had studied forbidden sorcery in the Empire.

Believing in the existence of demons, he conducted a ritual using the blood of one hundred children and elderly people as a sacrifice, claiming that he succeeded in planting a demon within himself.

Naturally, the Empire couldn’t let him go unchecked, and he was eventually captured and publicly executed a few days later.

His claim of having a demon inside him was dismissed as the delusion of a madman.

“Why are you telling me about such a person?”

“Because that wizard’s brain had a dual flow, just like your daughter’s.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

I couldn’t even breathe.

I didn’t want to hear that my daughter was being compared to a madman who had sacrificed people to summon a demon.

“Before the Empire executed him, scholars who were curious whether demons really existed, as he claimed, dissected his body thoroughly.

By chance, I was in charge of examining his mental section.”

“And the structure I saw then matches this photo exactly.”

My mind went blank, and I felt like I was losing consciousness.

Philsi rushed over to support me, but the searing pain in my chest remained.

“Don’t worry too much, Baron.”

“…Don’t worry?”

“Nothing has been confirmed yet.

It could simply be a coincidence.

Just because something is unusual doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

“We have a specialist in mental magic on our team, so we will soon be able to assess your daughter’s mental state.”

“Mental… state…”

“Yes, she will be able to quickly determine if your daughter has any emotional issues.”

“…Who is she?”

In response to my question, Philsi raised a finger and answered.

“She is one of the most renowned hypnotists in the Empire.”

***

“You’ve done so well, my lady.

After this final examination, you can go home!”

With a mature smile, the red-haired woman stroked my head.

Her name was Reina Hildensborg.

I had forgotten her name at first, but fortunately, I had the chance to remember it during the examination.

This place for my final examination was rather simple.

A cozy space with a single comfortable-looking sofa.

It was hard to guess what would happen here.

Would they give me a shot or something?

Whatever it was, I didn’t really care.

They said I could go home after this, so the sooner I got it over with, the better.

The nurse had diligently handled many of the previous checkups, and though the initial exams felt bothersome, Reina began following the instructions quite seriously midway through.

Vision, hearing, physical checkup, blood pressure, urine tests, and countless others.

The method was quite novel compared to how it was done in the modern times I lived before.

Since this was the last checkup, the results should be out by now.

“So, how is it, nurse? Everything’s normal, right?”

I straightened my shoulders confidently and faced Reina. At my display of confidence, Reina gave a strange smile and took my hand, guiding me to sit on the sofa.

“We won’t know until the last exam is done. It’ll be over soon, so just relax.”

“Okay~.”

Really, she’s so rigid. I don’t understand why she’s so passionate about something no one will even appreciate, no matter how hard she works.

Still, there was no need to argue, so I sat comfortably on the sofa as she suggested and waited for her next instruction.

“Now, would you look over here, my lady?”

Out of nowhere, she suddenly held up a pendulum in front of me.

The pendulum, hanging by a string from the nurse’s thin fingers, swayed slowly left and right in front of me.

“…What is this?”

“Just focus on it.”

Following her words, I stared at the swinging pendulum for a while, and suddenly, a familiar feeling washed over me, making me widen my eyes in confusion.

Wait, I think I’ve seen this somewhere before.

Hmm…

Oh, right.

This is usually what they do when they perform hypno—.

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***

Softly breathing in her sleep on the sofa was a lovely young girl. Reina gently stroked the girl’s cheek, a faint smile forming on her lips.

“Hehe, truly a perfect pet lady. I want to take her home and keep her.”

There was no mistaking who this girl was. After all, anyone who moved in social circles couldn’t possibly not know.

Indeed, just as the rumors said, this girl was brimming with lively and charming energy.

Honestly, if this place weren’t a hospital, I’d be tempted to play some nasty tricks on this pet lady’s body right here and now, as she has a talent for captivating people.

“Work comes first, work.”

But that couldn’t happen.

This checkup was specifically requested by none other than the Duke of Merdellia’s family. If I took it lightly and caught the attention of the Merdellia family, my career at this hospital would be over.

“Now, let’s slowly wake you up.”

Reina lightly tapped the girl’s shoulder, whispering softly in her ear. The girl’s gentle breathing stopped, and only a quiet exhale followed.

Then, slowly.

The girl’s eyes, which had been closed, began to open.

Her gaze was somewhat blank, her expression clouded with confusion.

Seeing this, Reina nodded in satisfaction.

‘The hypnosis worked perfectly.’

From now on, she would have to probe into the girl’s mental state, one step at a time.

It wouldn’t be difficult.

After all, it was something she had done countless times before.

Like reaching out to branches, she would explore the girl’s subconscious, asking questions and uncovering her state bit by bit.

“Can you see me?”

She whispered softly in the girl’s ear.

Someone under hypnosis would respond only by nodding or shaking their head. With just simple yes or no answers, Reina would be able to grasp the girl’s mental condition.

“If you can see me, please respond~.”

When she asked again, the girl’s eyes shifted to focus on her.

Clear, ocean-like blue eyes.

But was it just her imagination?

Within those clear, blue eyes, there seemed to be a faint, ominous black cross.

‘Were her eyes always like that?’

Reina’s moment of bewilderment didn’t last long, as the girl beamed a bright smile at her.

The sight of that smile sent an inexplicable chill down Reina’s spine.

“…Huh?”

Something was wrong.

While under hypnosis, all the girl should be able to do was move her head.

Smiling wasn’t something she had ever seen before.

As Reina stood there, dazed.

The tightly closed lips of the girl parted.

“Wow~ What a pretty lady.”

The dreamy voice pierced Reina’s ears.

With just that one, otherworldly phrase in the girl’s peculiar voice.

Reina’s eyes lost focus.

As though she had fallen under a spell herself.

In her crimson eyes, no trace of intelligence remained.