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Episode 1. The Princess’ Doctor Gets Beaten Up (1)

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It was a few years ago, if I remember correctly.

I was a doctor in my previous life. To be exact, I was an emergency medicine doctor at a university hospital. That day, I was working in the emergency room as usual.

I was hit with a hammer and died in the emergency room of the hospital I was working on early morning duty. The culprit seemed to be someone who was dissatisfied with society. I didn’t hear the details because I was dead.

It was something that happened often in the emergency room at dawn.

Success is rare, but if the man’s hammer had been just a little slower, I would have heard the second sentence of the manifesto.

It was a sad thing.

You become a doctor and die in a hospital. But when your head is broken after being hit with a hammer several times, all you can do is pray. No, praying is difficult.

Born in a hospital, lived in a hospital, died in a hospital. A doctor who died young in a minor accident woke up as an imperial healer in another world.

A sudden reincarnation into another world.

I don’t know what world I’m in. It doesn’t seem completely realistic, so I think it might be some kind of creation.

A strangely powerful and leisurely noble group in a centralized empire. A decent standard of living for the Middle Ages. Perhaps a romance novel.

I don’t remember any work featuring Princess Mint, so I just guessed.

There’s nothing I can do. Fortunately, the healers of this world carry staffs, so I’m no longer afraid of hammer-wielding weirdos.

What is a staff? Isn’t it a hammer as tall as a person? If someone comes to me with a hammer in this life, I’ll smash their head with the staff.

‘… … .’

I didn’t come here to talk about hammers.

What were you talking about?

Anyway, that’s how I ended up working as a healer for the royal family. The royal healers had one thing in mind. It was the princess who was suffering from a mysterious tuberculosis.

Diagnosis and treatment were not difficult.

Paroxysmal dyspnea, coughing, shortness of breath during exercise, etc. These were typical symptoms of allergic asthma, and the substance thought to be the cause was obvious.

The palace burns 5,000 candles a day.

They are crazy.

It’s not like the palace is properly ventilated, and there are no fans installed. It’s only natural that you get lung disease when you breathe in candle smoke all day.

It’s a wonder that you don’t get tuberculosis in a place like this. I started coughing as soon as I entered the palace. I think the princess might have been allergic to paraffin or smoke.

Specifically, it was diagnosed as allergic asthma.

Asthma is a disease in which the airways constrict abnormally, making it difficult to exhale and causing shortness of breath.

Diagnosis of asthma can be made using methacholine challenge tests, spirometry, allergy blood tests, and skin patch tests.

All four of the methods listed above are impossible here. There was no way to confirm the diagnosis here. However, treatment was started based on the suspected diagnosis.

Since the princess was clearly suffering from asthma based on circumstantial evidence, treatment for the asthma was started.

First of all, that damn candle.

Actually, I didn’t like it either. Fire hazard aside, I felt like I was going to die from the smell of wax and candle smoke all day.

After replacing the candles that were hanging in the palace with luminous stone lights and using some of the medicine she had received as a privilege from her previous life, the princess became healthy.

– Thanks to the nameless healer, the curse placed on the princess has been lifted! It’s a miracle!

I explained to the royal family that this disease was not a curse, but no one really believed me. They just kept talking about it as a miracle.

Specifically, I used long-acting beta2 agonists, bronchodilators, for mild asthma. Oh. What do you mean by past life privileges?

I can summon potions as a past life privilege. It may seem like a minor privilege, but it’s not something I can choose.

Since I’ve already reincarnated, I’d rather be a great wizard or a warrior. Isn’t it ridiculous to have to come all the way to a fantasy world to continue doing what I was doing?

I succeeded in curing the princess’s asthma. After the princess became healthy, she was practically unemployed.

It was also nice to just rest and do nothing.

At one time, I even made that my life goal.

However, after spending about a year like that without any worries, my thoughts changed. If I continue like this, I will get bored to death – no, since ancient times, it was natural for a doctor to be by the patient’s side.

Let’s be serious for a moment. How do you know how many people are dying or suffering because of the backward medical standards of this world and this era?

He is not a nylon patient who keeps holding on because he is bored. That is why he is trying to leave the palace and leave the princess behind.

I’m not sure if we can communicate well.

****

It didn’t work at all.

Arcana Empire. The throne room of the palace.

I was sitting on one knee on the floor of the audience chamber, while the princess sat on the throne in the center of the chamber, looking slightly displeased.

“A humble subject of the Empire… … . What was it, anyway, I greet the important princess.”

“Hey, you’re just going to leave. Now you’re tired of even remembering your lord’s title, right?”

This is Princess Minaretia, or Mint for short.

Until a year ago, she was known as a sickly princess, but now, she has become the epitome of an arrogant and stubborn noble lady.

Other people call her the most beautiful daughter of the empire. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? If you look closely, you’ll probably find one or two people prettier than Princess Mint.

As for the title… … . It was a bit annoying.

No, it feels like it changes about once a month. I have to say a short greeting every time I see you. How do you memorize it every time?

Lately, I’ve been just letting it slide.

It’s been a while since I’ve been criticized for that.

“You changed it recently. I forgot.”

“Anyway, resignation cannot be permitted.”

“How can you not resign?”

“Where is it? It’s my heart.”

Oh, my legs hurt.

I sat on the floor of the audience room and folded my arms. The princess looked down at me, resting her chin on her hand. There was a faint mockery on her face. It was an expression of interest.

“You crazy bastard. Why don’t you bring a pillow and lie down?”

“Princess. If you don’t accept my resignation, I won’t do my job. If you keep rejecting my resignation, I will do the same.”

The princess let out a cynical laugh.

“Mr. Asterix. Don’t work. What does it matter to me whether you work or not?”

“Yes?”

“If you really don’t like it, don’t work and just play. Leave the palace work to the other healers.”

Oh, this is not it.

It was an unexpected development.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Please allow me to resign.”

“No, why do you want to leave the royal family? There must be a good reason.”

“There are no patients in the royal family.”

“I’m here.”

I shook my head.

“Haven’t you been feeling better for a long time, Princess? I remember that just by turning off the candles in the palace, most of her asthma symptoms disappeared. She did take some medicine, though.”

I don’t know much about the royal family, but they seem to be superhuman. The princess’s tuberculosis is an exception, and I’ve never seen any other royal family member sick.

I have never seen him catch a common cold.

My current main job in the palace is to give aspirin to servants who come to the infirmary to ditch work or come to see my past life privileges.

I’m not the only healer in the palace. Right now, Byeongpung is busier than I am. Whenever I talk to the princess, she just twitches or scratches.

No, it’s just a matter of it not breaking.

“Asterix. I don’t know much about healing, but my illness was a curse that no healer in the empire could cure. Only you could cure it.”

I shook my head again.

“That’s not a curse, it’s a disease called asthma. It’s a disease in which the airways inside the lungs narrow in response to certain substances, but it can be easily managed by simply removing the causative substance and inhaling steroid drugs-”

The princess waved her hand.

“That’s not the point, you smart-alecked fool. I’m not saying you want to take a healing class. Why don’t you become the royal physician?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Is there anything that upset you?”

“There are more than one or two, but if you wait a few days, I will write them all down and upload them-”

“Oh my. It was my fault for asking.”

I kept my mouth shut and thought about what to say next.

“There are no patients in the royal family.”

“Healer. There are so many people in the royal family. Why do you say there are no patients?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m tired of giving headache medicine and cold medicine all day long. Since ancient times, doctors have to educate their juniors and see patients, right? Please allow me to resign.”

“Mr. Asterix. Since when have you been such a righteous person? You’re not just trying to run away from the palace, are you?”

“I am-”

The princess cut me off.

“You can’t stand taking care of the royal family because it’s boring. Even if you kill me, it won’t be enough. Asterix, you can’t resign until you die.”

“No, Your Majesty. Please.”

“Asterix. Who wants to do what to you? You can just stay still, or if you don’t like that, you can do the research you want in a corner of the palace. Is it too much to ask to remain as the royal physician?”

Princess Mint looked down at me.

“I won’t change my mind.”

I bowed my head.

The princess looked thoughtful for a moment as she checked her fingernails. Will she let me go this time?