The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

My office isn’t some exclusive restaurant with limited menus, yet knights surged in like the tide, all clamoring noisily.

“Teacher, we absolutely can’t recover from this epidemic. Please, you have to help us.”

“Our unit has already had training halted for five days. The commander is going to blow a gasket!”

Everyone seemed frantically urgent.

A few of them were mumbling words all jumbled up or had flushed faces, indicating they were suffering from a cold.

“Close your mouths! Anyone who comes within ten meters of me will be ignored!”

“We’re in urgent need too. Please, hear us out. Yesterday, the sick knights couldn’t even manage to clean the barracks…”

One particularly chatty individual stood out. Bruno lumbered in front of him, blocking his way silently.

“Step back.”

“But, I wanted to talk to the teacher…”

“Step back.”

Bruno, a hulking figure, looked down from above, and the knights drooped their shoulders, retreating to the office entrance.

It was Tanya’s shift, and Bruno was quite useful in situations like this.

“First, let me ask you this. Who told you that you received aspirin from me?”

“Oh, so it’s called aspirin!”

“Was it referred to as medication? Is it made by solidifying divine power?”

“I heard it from the commander of the Gurt unit.”

He’s the commander with whom I signed a contract.

What a loose-lipped guy. I should have clamped down on him more tightly.

“Well, still…”

Medicine isn’t the property of any individual.

It’s only right that it spreads widely and that many benefit from it; that’s the essence of its existence.

The spirit of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, aligns with that.

Seeing more people come to seek medicine is quite a positive development.

Spreading medicine will naturally elevate my achievements, and it’ll raise the probability of a good ending.

“Alright, first things first. Aspirin is a medicinal herb that alleviates the symptoms of the currently trending epidemic. It was born out of the field of medicine and… ouch, my mouth hurts.”

I can’t keep explaining to everyone who asks.

If I have the time, I should write a book.

No, that would be a hassle, so I should have an assistant do it.

Ah, but I don’t have an assistant or a nurse.

Other attending physicians paraded around with dozens of their own factions, but why am I stuck doing everything myself?

I should really post a recruitment ad soon.

“First, the conclusion. I’m not handing over the aspirin.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Why not?! It’s the inner palace!”

The knights gasped in shock, as if they hadn’t anticipated my answer.

The reason was simple.

I have no stock.

With about a week until the martial arts tournament, it would be tight to make enough for the personnel of the Moonlight Palace and the 2nd regiment’s 1st unit by then.

However, there’s no need to lay my cards on the table.
It’s already hard enough for my faction without giving them more fodder.

I leaned back in my chair and spoke.

“Looking at your armor, you’re from the 1st regiment, 1st Royal Princess faction. The 3rd regiment is from the 1st Prince faction. Why should I be nice to you guys who come to take and just wipe their mouths clean?”

“But we never wiped our mouths…!”

“I understand it’s urgent, but there’s a proper order. You can’t just barge into the office during work hours. And you should bring a proper price in return.”

“I—I’m sorry about that.”

The knights flusteredly glanced at me.

Since some of them couldn’t move due to fevers, I understood their urgency.

“I can’t give any medicine, but I can share a few coping methods. They’ll be much more effective than healing spells.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, can you see me using it?”

The knights nodded.

“I was wondering what that was since earlier.”
“I thought it was a new trending fashion.”
“It looks kinda handsome on you?”

I pulled out an extra mask from my drawer and showed them the structure.

“Just make something out of fabric that’s similar to this to cover your mouth and nose. It won’t cure the illness you already have, but it will at least reduce the chance of spreading it by about 90%.”

“Just that thing?”

“The knights from the Moonlight Palace have all been wearing them, and they look completely fine.”

“So that was the secret! Thank you, Teacher!”

The knights bowed and rushed out of my office in a flurry.

Next, they’d probably target the royal tailor. Such simple-minded behavior.

“Easy to handle.”

At least they seemed to be the only honest ones in the royal family, without ulterior motives.

I don’t understand politics, but it feels like they just follow whoever feeds them well.
Tanya has that same nature.

The knights from the Moonlight Palace are quite unique, resembling Acella. They have a sensitive political nose.

No, the Moonlight Palace is just a standout in the entire imperial family.

“But Bruno, will it be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no way to recover from a cold naturally, so it’ll take over a week to fully recover. Even if they start wearing masks now, the other faction knights at the martial arts tournament won’t be fine.”

“Well, if they’re fine, that’s good.”

“That’s bad. If I help the other faction and we lose, I’ll face magical torment from Acella.”

“Teacher, you have that sort of hobby?”

Bruno asked me very seriously.
I chuckled and leaned back in my chair.

“Thanks for the confirmation.”

Right, knights.

*

The next day, my office was again stormed by an external faction member.

“Doctor Gothberg! So, you’re the new attending physician of Acella!”

It’s rare to get spoken to informally in the imperial palace, so it was quite refreshing.

I could even call Acella by her first name.
Her status was evident.

“I am honored to meet you, Your Royal Highness.”

Disrespecting her would be serious, so I immediately sprang up and paid my respects.

A woman with similar blonde hair to Acella, dressed in a dress recalling luxurious jade, with turquoise eyes, approached.

“Oh my! They call you a notorious hoodlum in the social circle, but it looks like you’ve got your act together? The rumors were just trash spread by jealous people, weren’t they?”

The 2nd Royal Princess of the Empire, Lau von Württemberg, giggled while patting my arm.

Such an approachable princess.

“I heard Acella brought her unemployed fiancé to the palace, so I thought he was definitely a house husband. But hey, you knights seem to be quite the tough bunch?”

She enjoys gossip and speaks casually.

She matched the expectations based on what I heard from Acella and the information I found indirectly.

Lau is the fourth in the ranking and shares the same mother as the 2nd Prince George.

But as can be seen, she’s in line for succession, yet appears quite distant from becoming the next emperor.

“Haha, I’m honored that Your Royal Highness knows my name. I had the opportunity to get to know the knights well, but it seems word has spread all the way to your Chester Palace.”

“You even know the name of my room, and you’ve checked out the royal ladies already? You look quite charming; I imagine Acella fell head over heels!”

Lau teased me with a smirk.

“You have misunderstandings. The skills I can boast of are not about charm but rather medicine and healing techniques.”

“Oh, come on, stop taking it seriously. I’m just joking.”

Lau continued to chuckle gleefully.

This carefree princess seems to live in a world colored entirely in cheerful pink.
She can’t be unaware of the political arrangement between Acella and me.

“May I ask what brings Your Royal Highness all the way to this humble place?”

Lau reached out her hand towards my chin.

Her frivolous hand movements bothered me, so I pulled my chin back, and she gave me wide open eyes.

Is she offended? I hope she won’t get upset and complain about disrespect.

“How come you’re acting just like Acella during moments like this?”

Isn’t it natural for anyone? If someone suddenly reaches out their hand to you, who would just remain still?

“I’m not asking for anything, but this mask, I hear you’re the one who made it?”

“That’s correct.”

“I saw the knights from the Moonlight Palace passing by, and they were all wearing it. I tried to ask Acella about it, but she chased me away mercilessly. Isn’t that a bit much? I’m your closest sister in age, and yet she’s so distant.”

Why did the conversation divert to masks?

Talking with Lau consumed a lot of mental energy. I was struggling to keep track of the flow.

“What’s your interest in the mask?”

“Oh, right. Just make one for me too.”

That was her aim.

“This mask is a gift I presented to Princess Acella. Distributing it without her consent would be rude.”

“Ah, I’ll handle that; don’t worry.”

“For preventing the spread of the epidemic, just making something similar would work fine. I have my duties as an attending physician, so I can’t make enough for all your knights or attendants…”

“Huh? No, no. Just make one for me.”

Lau waved her hands, giving a response I didn’t expect.

“Just for Your Royal Highness?”

“Uh-huh. Why? Acella has quite rounded cheeks, you know. But with a mask on, she looks like she has a defined jawline! She’s my sister, but I get the feeling she’s destined to become a beauty.”

Lau seems quite discerning.

The mask has one additional function; it’s a beauty boost.

Lau was saying she wanted to wear a mask to become a so-called magical beauty.

“What do you think? You can make that much, right?”

“Hmm, I could manage one.”

Still, there’s no reason to go out of my way to make it for her.
Unless there’s a proper compensation.

I subtly gauged her reaction, and Lau immediately caught on. She must have a lot of experience from attending social parties.

“Such greed. You’re the daughter of the Marquis, and you’re an attending physician, so you probably don’t need gold coins.”

No, I do need them.
Money is always more is better.

My father is an unusually honest nobleman.
He turns all his wealth into public funds, so Gothberg’s family assets aren’t enormous.

Moreover, I can’t use any private assets.
As it stands, I’m just a salaried worker.

“Is there any important news from the royal family that I could see you sewing with those hands?”

Lau looked at me with alluring eyes.
While the nobles from the party may have been entranced by her gaze and offered all sorts of gifts, it doesn’t work on me.

After all, she’s Acella’s sister.
The vibe she gives off is just reminiscent of Acella, creating no allure for me.

The immediate task at hand is showing our faction’s prowess somehow at the martial arts tournament.
If our faction gains a good reputation, my treatment from the royal family will surely improve. Then I can move offices.

“It seems you’re not too worried about the martial arts tournament, Your Royal Highness. What are your thoughts?”

“The martial arts tournament? Isn’t it just a festival of swords and magic held on the Flower Viewing Day? Watching it is fun.”

“Isn’t your knight order participating as well?”

“Those kids can handle it themselves. They’re all young and enjoying their time sweating together.”

“If you’re not concerned about them performing, could I request a few strategies if it comes to competing against other prince or princess factions?”

“What strategies?”

Lau tilted her head.
I casually replied,

“It’s a strategy called trolling.”

It’s more efficient to take out enemies as enemies.
Let’s disrupt the game!

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