I continued to use the [Enhance] skill, which helped me understand the skill mechanism better.
When using alchemy to enhance a material, it strengthens one characteristic by one level.
For example, iron is hard. Enhance it once, and it becomes harder. Enhance it twice, and it becomes extremely durable.
If the first enhancement takes one hour to cast, the second stage might take ten hours.
Higher-level enhancements inherently require longer casting times.
'Also, it's affected by the material itself.'
The rose medicine with health recovery properties couldn't be enhanced to the second stage.
I believe this is due to the material's inherent limitations.
The willow, having more potential as a medicinal ingredient, could be enhanced to the second stage.
However, it required an extremely long casting time.
This pain-blocking medicine is what I created experimentally, even sacrificing sleep.
Medicines that reduce patient pain are categorized from weakest to strongest as mild painkillers, analgesics, pain-blockers, and anesthetics.
Pain-blockers, while not as strong as anesthetics, are still quite effective.
To create anesthetics, I'd need different ingredients or a higher alchemy skill rank.
This is the highest level medicine I can currently produce.
I held the pain-blocker in my right hand and opened Boris's mouth with my left.
"Boris, this is precious stuff, so don't spill any—swallow it down."
"Urgh, gulp... yes...!"
Boris's fractured leg looked grotesque even at a glance, clearly causing him immense pain.
Gis's healing magic had already disturbed it once, making it even worse.
I poured the pain-blocker into Boris's mouth and helped him wash it down with water, which he barely managed to swallow.
"Huff, huff."
Boris struggled to steady his breathing.
By now, other healers, knights, and even my father had gathered around us.
It made sense, as Boris had suffered the most severe injury in this battle.
"Huff, huff... uh, Young Lord?"
"Yes, Boris. Are you feeling more alert?"
"Yes... though I feel somewhat dazed."
"Your leg? Is it still painful?"
"Well... somehow the pain has decreased significantly. Actually, I can't feel much of anything..."
"The medicine is working. I'm going to touch it."
I lifted Boris's leg to examine the angle of the broken bone.
The healers stirred at my bold handling, but Boris didn't cry out in pain.
"How strange."
"What did the Young Lord just give him?"
Boris's tibia was broken in the middle, with the lower part twisted in the opposite direction.
"Bear with me for a moment."
"Y-yes..."
Boris responded hazily.
I positioned myself with my back to the patient so he couldn't see the injury, tucked his thigh under my armpit for leverage.
'If the angle remains wrong any longer, blood clots will form.'
That would be disastrous for a knight whose job requires running.
Even if it's a bit rough, I need to realign it first.
I pressed down on the lower part of his shin with all my strength in one motion.
—Crack!
Not the most pleasant sound.
But it looked properly aligned now.
"Splint. You there, bring me two sticks."
"Me? What kind of sticks?"
One of the healers tilted his head in confusion.
Tsk, no one useful here.
Just as I was feeling the need for a competent nurse, Tanya brought over the staff and club that the goblin shaman had been carrying.
"Will these work?"
"Perfect size."
I disinfected the area with red medicine, though there were no visible external wounds.
[Emergency Treatment has been activated.]
I placed the staff and club on either side of Boris's leg and wrapped them tightly with linen bandages.
My hands moved quickly with the proficiency of Emergency Treatment.
When the treatment was complete, particles of white light gently emanated from the treated area.
This indicated that Emergency Treatment was working to restore health.
"My part is done. I've realigned the bone and prevented additional infection. Other healers, please complete the recovery with healing spells."
"Then I'll finish the healing."
Gis began casting healing magic. Unlike before, Boris's leg recovered naturally.
"Phew."
I finally straightened up and stood.
"The leg returned to normal so quickly... With the usual method, it would take at least an hour of spellcasting for reconstruction. Remarkable."
The senior healers examined Boris's leg with great interest.
Boris, now drowsy, was blinking with half-closed eyes.
"Young Lord, thank you."
"If you're grateful, bring me a gift."
"Haha, I have some special liquor..."
"Not alcohol—something tasty. A doctor with alcohol addiction and shaky hands is the worst possible scenario."
Absolutely not.
A doctor with trembling hands is the worst.
"With this, we conclude the goblin subjugation and court physician practical exam."
My father announced quietly. The knights and healers responded with cheers and applause.
"Everyone has worked hard. Stay alert until we return to prevent any injuries."
With the test over, my father returned to his gentle demeanor and comforted the knights and healers.
As I followed the slowly moving troops, Tanya came to my side.
"Young Lord, you've worked hard."
"It's nothing. The captain did the hard work."
"The way you healed Boris..."
"Not healing—treatment. It's different, though the explanation is complicated."
"I see. Understood."
Tanya nodded.
"Your treatment of Boris was quite impressive. Healers are essential when we knights fight, but they can also cause additional pain."
"The healing process is painful depending on the severity of the injury."
For example, imagine being impaled by an ice spear from a demon that leaves a hole in your abdomen.
Some organs are partially destroyed. What happens when powerful healing magic is used on such an injury?
The answer is that it removes the damaged organ and reconstructs a new one in its place.
Creating body parts with divine power is truly miraculous, but the problem is there's no consideration for the pain involved.
In that case, the patient might die from shock due to the pain during the healing spell.
Even with continuous healing spells, there's no guarantee of sequential recovery.
For instance, after creating an organ, the spell might suddenly shift to healing limbs, causing death from blood loss.
"With ordinary healing magic, Boris would have needed extensive training to recover and return to duty. Your treatment is clearly different."
"Captain Tanya, you have a good eye."
"Of course. I'm not in this position with mediocre skills."
Tanya had unshakable confidence in her abilities.
Coming out of the cave, we could breathe fresh air again.
The knights opened their water containers to wet their heads.
"Make sure to collapse the goblin den. Senior healers, please submit your evaluation scores."
After organizing the situation, my father gathered opinions. After checking the scores, he announced to the healers:
"The results are in. I will now announce the final candidates for the Imperial Court Physician."
The healers tensed again. Few had focused on performance, being preoccupied with the actual battle.
"There are three final candidates. In two days, a Second-Rank Court Physician from the Imperial Medical Institute will visit. That person will select one from the final candidates. The candidates were determined by scores from myself and five senior healers from the training center, excluding the highest and lowest scores."
My father finally called the names.
"The final candidates are Sebram, Gis, and Lars. That is all."
Sighs rippled through the healers. Most had been eliminated, so it was a natural reaction.
My father turned to Gis and asked:
"Gis, you were in the same group as Lars. Do you have any objections to the results?"
Gis flinched slightly and glanced at me before slowly answering.
"...No, sir."
It would be strange if he did.
He had witnessed a completely new treatment mechanism that was culturally shocking.
"Everyone has worked hard. Return and rest."
And so the practical exam ended successfully.
***
"...Mmm."
Asella, who had spent a restless night due to abdominal pain, finally woke up late that day.
With the head maid gone to supervise the court physician exam, there was no one to wake her.
"How unseemly."
This wasn't the Imperial Palace, but her betrothed's home.
No, such behavior wouldn't be acceptable even at the palace.
Asella immediately had her maids help her dress properly.
Even that process took over an hour.
After leaving her bedroom, she summoned her guard knights in the marquis's garden.
"Where shall we escort you, Princess?"
"To the annex."
"As you command."
Asella already had her knights completely under her control.
Her knights were loyal to Asella, not the Empress.
Even the Empress's knights and maids instinctively sensed where the Third Empress faction's influence was flowing.
Asella's natural aura and powerful mana.
Anyone who had witnessed the high-circle magic she cast couldn't help but be captivated.
All servants recognized that real power was shifting within this faction.
With only one concern:
The fact that Asella was still a young girl.
"My lord will grow to become a truly great person."
The knights serving Asella held this unwavering belief.
Yet none of them knew what thoughts truly occupied the girl's mind.
"I'll go up alone."
Upon reaching the annex, Asella sought out Lars's room.
She wanted to hear the results of the court physician exam directly from him.
While climbing the stairs, she spotted a maid carrying laundry.
The maid recognized Asella and respectfully bowed, pausing her work.
Asella's eyes were drawn to the large item the maid was carrying.
"What are you holding?"
"Pardon? Ah, that's..."
The maid's voice trembled, surprised that the princess would address her.
"It's the Young Lord's bedding. I'm taking it to be washed..."
Snap!
Asella grabbed Lars's bedding and spread it out.
Dark red stains scattered across the high-quality white cotton.
Blood stains.
"What are these marks?"
"Well, that... I'm not sure. The Young Lord's bedding always comes out like this..."
"Always? Since when?"
"Not always... for about a week now."
Asella eyed the bedding suspiciously, then turned abruptly toward Lars's room.
Thump, thump—her footsteps lost all grace.
"Young Lord."
She knocked on the door roughly.
The practical exam should be over by now. He should have returned to his room.
...No answer.
"Lars?"
Asella instinctively touched the doorknob with a click.
The door opened without resistance.
Golden, curious eyes peered through the gap into the room.
And there on the floor.
"...!"
Lars lay collapsed, having coughed up blood.,
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