NOVEL WEB Chapter 31
I grabbed both of the commander’s biceps and stretched them out.
_Oof!_
Bowing my head and pulling down all the way to his back, a scream that didn’t suit his burly frame escaped him.
“See? You skipped exercise and stretching, and now your whole body is stiff. Keep pulling!”
_Gah! My arm’s gonna snap!_
The effects of the Muscle Strength Enhancer were significant.
The commander, who looked like he could easily break goblins and ogres, couldn’t move an inch in my grasp.
From behind the commander, I grabbed his arms and pulled vigorously over his head.
I think this was a wrestling technique.
Was it the Cobra Twist?
“Don’t forget to stretch your latissimus dorsi!”
_Uagh! Wait, Teacher!_
The commander was pounding my knee and trembling all over.
He was trying to escape somehow, but my muscles wouldn’t let go of someone once I had them in my grip.
‘Quite an effect. How much did it go up?’
―――――――――――
Strength: 41 (+30)
Stamina: 12
Mana: 1
Mana: 18
Divine Power: 22
Faith: 100
―――――――――――
Even if it’s only short-term, a 30-point increase is impressive.
It surpassed ten years’ worth of training.
‘It’s about time for one minute.’
Letting go of the commander, he lost his balance and rolled on the ground, kicking up dirt.
When he gathered himself and looked at me, his expression was one of sheer terror.
“W-where in the world did that thin body get such strength…?”
I popped a candy into my mouth and answered.
“First time seeing someone from the North? It’s pretty normal in my hometown. Right, Tanya Commander?”
“You’re too weak, Young Master.”
“W-wait, am I weak? Do you really need a guard, Teacher?”
“If I duel Tanya, how long do you think I can hold out? Maybe three seconds? I wouldn’t land a single hit.”
As I pointed to Tanya, the commander and the guards gaped at her.
“W-with that kind of strength… it makes sense that all our knights lost.”
“C-Commander, what should we do?”
The commander immediately knocked the heads of the startled guards.
“You lot, if you’ve been rude to the attending physician, you should apologize right now!”
Sensing the mood, the guards quickly bowed to me and apologized.
“We’re sorry!”
“We apologize!”
The commander scratched the back of his head and bowed to me as well.
“I’ll make sure these goofballs are educated properly. Our knights’ conditions have been poor lately, so it’s likely they messed up. Please overlook this incident and let it not get out…”
If the Imperial Knights lost to the attending physician and the guards, it would be quite embarrassing.
The knights’ simplicity was the same whether they were from the North or the Imperial Family.
Because I found their attitude quite amusing, I decided to let it end here.
“Alright, just be careful from now on. Make sure to do the stretching I taught you and report back, okay?”
“Understood!”
I left the barracks with Tanya.
*
“So you didn’t purely request a duel but sought an unfair quarrel instead?”
Tanya only later, after hearing my explanation, gritted her teeth.
“I can’t forgive those who dishonored you, Teacher. Let’s go take revenge right now.”
“It’s fine; I already taught them a lesson. Plus, I gathered quite a bit of information, so it’s all good.”
“Information, you say?”
It was quite an enlightening incident.
First, I was able to test the effects of the Muscle Strength Enhancer.
I was worried I might turn into a green monster, muscles bulging and clothes ripping, but that worry was unfounded.
Another thing.
“Acella’s faction is still pretty weak compared to the Imperial Family.”
They were practically treated as subordinates of the second prince, living in a demeaning atmosphere.
If mere guards could act rudely to the attending physician, that says it all.
“Where do Acella’s guard knights stay?”
“They, Bruno, and I stay at the Moonlight Palace. There aren’t any dedicated training facilities, so we train in the back courtyard ourselves.”
“Sounds tough. The southern barracks looked way better.”
“Yeah. We can’t compare to the Marquis family. Indeed, it felt like a royal palace.”
“Sounds tempting.”
“The barracks?”
“Along with that, having a strong faction.”
Someday Acella would become the strongest faction among the heirs to the throne.
After all, she was to be the Empress.
But as long as I’m here, history will change little by little.
In fact, just recently, as I was erasing a bad ending, Acella’s and the Empress’s factions had effectively split apart.
In ordinary history, this event occurred much later.
Specifically, the Empress’s faction was eliminated.
“I can’t just sit around waiting for it to get strong.”
“Are you planning to participate in Imperial Family politics?”
“No way. Why would I jump directly into the fire?”
If I do something flashy, I might end up with a blade at my throat.
Getting too deeply involved would likely lead to assassination if I ever tried to leave the Imperial Family.
“Really?”
“It’s easier to utilize the ones already in place. Like the southern barracks I just saw.”
Knights are simple-minded.
The Imperial Knights weren’t officially affiliated with any faction but were subtly influenced by one heir.
So I just need to make them favor Acella.
“Indeed, their skills weren’t bad. The swordsmanship of the system was efficient.”
“Still, you lost to the commander.”
“Of course, I’m strong.”
“Maybe learn a bit of humility.”
“The subordinates learn from their lord’s attitude.”
Now it’s my fault?
“However, overall, I felt the knights weren’t showcasing their skills. Everyone seemed a bit weak.”
“Weak?”
Now that I think about it, the commander did mention that the knights’ condition was poor.
When I touched the commander’s body, it felt warm as well.
Temperature can vary from person to person, so I let it slide.
“It is the changing of seasons.”
Perhaps an epidemic is spreading.
I immediately used Diagnosis on Tanya.
[Diagnosis activated]
[Injury Status: None]
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Oh, I just remembered a saying that fools don’t catch colds.”
Is there even a cold going around the barracks?
A cold is such a bothersome illness. It shows up at any time, torturing and leaving people feeling dumb.
The reason it’s incurable is that new strains constantly arise, breaking through the immune system we develop.
“Most colds are directly taken care of by aspirin.”
It’s a popular medication known as a fever reducer.
Then I can make it, aspirin.
“I’ve already made willow painkillers. Aspirin is a sub-type of that medication.”
With Extraction, I can extract salicylic acid from willows and change it to acetylsalicylic acid through Property Change. That’s how aspirin is made.
“This could be mass-produced.”
Sounds fun.
I couldn’t help but let a smile slip.
But just then, I lost my balance and fell.
“T-teacher.”
Luckily, before my face could meet the ground, Tanya caught me.
A text popped up in my Status Window.
[Side Effects: Muscles will be paralyzed for 10 minutes.]
“Oh, so that’s what it was.”
The side effects of the Muscle Strength Enhancer.
“I suspected you were overdoing it earlier. You used some strange techniques with medicine, didn’t you?”
“Exactly. Just carry me to the Moonlight Palace.”
“With this, our debts are clear.”
Tanya firmly lifted me up.
*
As expected, two days later, a cold pandemic began spreading throughout the Imperial Palace.
_Cough, cough!_
More healers wandered around the Inner Palace, coughing.
Of course, there were no masks at all. With no concepts like pathogens or infections, they just didn’t have the basic knowledge that washing hands was essential.
For those in serious condition, healers would attempt to heal them, but it was ineffective.
For illnesses like colds, where pathogens infect the entire body, healing one specific area doesn’t mean complete recovery, so no matter how many spells they cast, they wouldn’t get better.
On top of that, with many patients around, they would quickly be exposed to the mutated strains again.
Especially this cold was quite virulent and had a fast mutation rate.
“The entire Imperial Family is in chaos from the contagion.”
“It’s not deadly, but everyone’s feeling weak. I wonder if the Martial Arts Tournament can be conducted properly like this.”
“Somehow, it’ll happen. It’s an event the Emperor values highly.”
While I walked around the Inner Palace, I heard discussions among the healers.
They were all showing great interest in the Martial Arts Tournament, coming up in just ten days.
It was an obvious issue since most healers in the Inner Palace would be participating.
“Indeed, the Martial Arts Tournament is important.”
I gazed at the mountain of aspirin tablets piled up on my office desk.
I had asked Neria for willow bark to make painkillers, and now I had put it to good use.
With lower difficulty compared to painkillers, I produced them almost instantly.
“Teacher, it’s work time.”
In the evening, I headed to the Moonlight Palace with Tanya.
Entering the palace, I found Acella, who had finished her training, watching the knights in the back courtyard.
I approached her, paid my respects, and said,
“Your Royal Highness, I’ll check your blood pressure before you sleep.”
“Maybe later.”
Acella’s voice was sharp.
Now, I could somewhat distinguish her usually expressionless face; she looked slightly anxious.
_Cough, cough!_
Knights exchanging swords were coughing.
One knight waiting to take their turn looked dizzy and was swaying on their feet.
“The knights look weak.”
“I can see it. An epidemic is spreading. There are no healers left in the Inner Palace, and as the Moonlight Palace is low priority, they don’t come. What were you doing until now…”
Only then did Acella turn around to look at me, slightly surprised, and lean back.
“Ah, this?”
I was wearing a mask.
Given the times, I didn’t make the crow mask worn by plague doctors; instead, I created a modern-style mask by layering cloth.
“What’s that? No wonder your voice sounded muffled…”
“It’s armor that lowers the probability of catching a contagion to less than half.”
“And you’re the only one wearing it?”
“I just finished making it.”
“You made this yourself? Hm.”
Acella seemed intrigued and observed my mask closely.
What’s so interesting about it?
Is she asking to see it?
“Of course, I made one for you too. Your health is the most crucial thing, after all.”
I took out the mask I had prepared from my pocket.
As I pulled on the ear loops and reached toward Acella’s face, she suddenly jerked her head back.
“Wait a minute, what are you doing?”
“You need to wear it wherever you interact with others. Not necessary during sleep, though.”
“I’ll put it on myself.”
“I’ll help you this time. If you put it on wrong, it won’t work as well.”
Acella bit her lips inward with a tight expression.
Then she slowly straightened up her body.
I unfolded the mask and gently placed it over her nose, securing it behind her ears.
The same for the other side.
During the process, my fingers lightly touched her earlobe.
_Eek!_
At that moment, Acella squinted one eye and shrank her shoulders, making a strange sound.
…Is her ear sensitive?