NOVEL WEB Chapter 41
Episode 41: Graduate Student Diary (1)
****
The first patient I saw at the Academy was the male student who broke his arm falling off a horse last time. His name was probably Benjamin. He came back for a follow-up today.
“Did we remove the stitches from your arm?”
“Yes.”
“Any discomfort when moving it?”
Benjamin carefully moved his arm.
“Hmm, it seems like the range of motion still has some issues. Is this normal?”
It could be normal under certain circumstances.
Then again, I’m not an orthopedic specialist, and the surgery might not have been perfect. It could’ve been unavoidable.
Without X-rays, it’s hard to say definitively. I pondered a bit.
“You should do some exercises.”
“Really?”
“After surgery, the tendons may stiffen. You’ll likely need some physical therapy to regain full function.”
“Ah, I see.”
“For now, focus on exercising your wrist since that’s what’s bothering you post-surgery.”
It’s tricky to give a definitive answer – results vary per person. The discomfort could be normal post-op sensation or maybe the metal plate is irritating the tendon.
Whichever it is…
Ah, there’s a way to check.
“Can you stretch out both arms? Move your fingers and wrists symmetrically.”
Up, down, left, right. And the fingers too.
Looks okay visually. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between the two hands’ functions. Without X-rays, I can’t be completely sure though.
“Does it hurt? Any burning sensation?”
“No.”
“It seems to be healing well.”
Benjamin hesitated a moment.
“Professor, there’s something I want to say…”
“What is it?”
He definitely had something on his mind. Did he have new symptoms?
“Thanks to you, many people survived the swordsmanship tournament, including me. I visited other healers, and they said if an arm bends that much, it’s usually unusable.”
“That’s true. I got lucky – if it had damaged the joint or blood vessels, even I couldn’t have done much.”
Benjamin nodded.
“I’ve been telling everyone how you saved lives. Thanks to you, my arm works again.”
****
This student’s name is Lizelrote.
An Academy female student. Of course, we shouldn’t dismiss symptoms as trivial just because she doesn’t look seriously ill.
She came in regarding her previous vertigo.
“Are you still feeling dizzy lately?”
“Eep, you remembered that?”
It’s called medical records. I write everything down.
“I remember every detail about every patient I’ve seen. That helps me diagnose faster and more accurately.”
“Wow, that’s impressive!”
She was genuinely amazed by my little white lie.
“Anyway, why did you come today?”
“I’m worried about the vertigo coming back. Also, my vision has been blurry lately. Is it another one of those ‘shake your head and it’ll get better’ conditions?”
“Hmm, recurrence is possible. If your balance system is off, dizziness or visual disturbances can occur… but are you feeling dizzy now?”
“No, not really.”
She shook her head.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Since yesterday.”
“Isn’t there an exam period at the academy right now?”
“Eep, how did you know?”
The imperial princess told me. She’s also going through exams.
When you’re tired, your vision can blur sometimes, right? Happens to me too.
“Is your vision completely gone?”
“No.”
“Can you read text?”
“Yes, I can see.”
“Hmm… There could be an issue, but it doesn’t seem serious. Get plenty of rest for a week. If it persists after exams, come back.”
She looked relieved. In cases like this, there’s not much I can do… Ah, but I can do this! I pulled out a small paper packet from my desk.
“Professor, am I wasting your time with such a minor issue?”
Honestly, it does feel a bit like that. But we shouldn’t dismiss it entirely.
“Hmm, healthy people don’t pretend to be sick. Dizziness and vision problems are serious matters, regardless of whether I understand the cause.”
She nodded.
“What is this medicine?”
“It’s smart brain pills. Take one in the morning.”
“It’s for my head?”
“It makes your brain work better.”
This is something I prepare for when I can’t really help, or when patients come unnecessarily. It’s just glucose candy.
Morning sugar can make you more alert sometimes. Let’s see if placebo effect works – surprisingly, it might.
“Thank you so much!”
“Yes, come anytime you’re sick.”
Lizelrote bowed and left the clinic.
Is that all for today? I checked the time. I wonder if I can head back to the research lab.
****
Meanwhile, at the research lab…
Istina was heading to the lab when she encountered the imperial princess going the same way.
Istina was flustered. Should she greet her? They pass each other often, but usually the princess just walks by while Istina keeps her head down.
“Your name is Eti, right? Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Eh…?”
Istina dropped the book she was carrying, then let out a yelp as it rolled away. The princess looked down at her pitifully.
Istina looked up at Mint.
The princess looked down at Istina.
Their gazes met.
“My name is Istina. I’m sorry, but what business does Her Imperial Highness have with me-”
“Is your foot okay?”
“Eh, probably…”
Even in the relatively egalitarian academy, Istina had faced prejudice due to her background. To her, the princess seemed like an untouchable ivory tower.
Not to mention…
She’s currently sitting on the floor looking up at the princess. Mint definitely exuded an overwhelming presence.
“If your foot hurts, just sit there.”
“Eh, thank you?”
The princess didn’t seem to notice the irony in her own words, but was clearly trying to be kind.
Mint continued speaking.
“How is the professor in private?”
“The professor? I don’t know. Wouldn’t Her Imperial Highness know better?”
Mint tilted her head.
“Why? Don’t you work together?”
“We barely exchange words even during ward shifts. He’s always busy.”
“Ah.”
“I’m just a graduate student. I think Her Imperial Highness understands the professor better than I do.”
“What does he do normally? Aren’t you close?”
Istina thought for a moment. Why is the princess asking this? Like they could ever be close…
“Could you even be close to the professor…”
“Aren’t you spending a lot of time together?”
“Her Imperial Highness, I think there’s some misunderstanding. I need to earn my salary, degree, co-author position, and take classes under the professor.”
“So, that means you like it?”
“No, it means it’s inconvenient…”
“Is that so?”
She looked genuinely surprised.
“Still, the professor seems nice enough.”
Istina opened her mouth to respond, then closed it.
The princess might repeat whatever she says about the professor, whether out of malice or simply being clueless. They are close after all.
“Yes, the professor is nice enough.”
“So you think the professor is good?”
“No.”
“Really?”
Apparently satisfied with that answer.
“Has the professor asked you to do anything strange?”
Again, that curious gaze. Strange things… There were a few incidents.
“Uh, last time, he said he was too busy to go to the execution grounds himself, so he told me to buy a corpse. We needed bone marrow for research…”
“So?”
Istina paused briefly. The largest bone with the most marrow is the femur.
“To buy human femurs. So I went to the execution grounds, but they don’t sell body parts individually. The guard gave me a saw instead.”
Mint frowned.
“What did you do?”
“I had to do it, right? I brought it back.”
“Wow, really?”
Istina vigorously nodded. The princess seemed momentarily speechless.
“Yes.”
“Are you hated by the professor?”
“Huh, I don’t know. If I get kicked out from Professor Asterix’s lab, I’ll really have nowhere else to go.”
That was completely serious. Her voice carried all the accumulated grievances.
“Okay, keep it up.”
A rather indifferent tone.
Istina stood up and dusted off her clothes. The princess silently watched her.
“Uh, I’ll be going now.”
Istina quickly disappeared.
****
The imperial princess, Mint, scratched her head.
“Hmm?”
I wondered if Istina liked the professor, or if the professor liked Istina…
Turns out Istina practically treated the professor as her worst enemy. Well, in a way, that’s reassuring.