Episode 23: The Underground Operating Room
Being an apothecary is my job, but the line between that and being a doctor is blurry. More importantly, in this violence-ridden land near the slums, you can’t get by without some surgical skills.
I didn’t have much experience with osteopathy or bone setting, but I learned through various means, and I relearned pharmacy from scratch using the materials of this world.
Fortunately, there are plenty of dummies willing to cooperate in clinical trials, like bandits and goblins. As long as I had a solid foundation in medicine from my previous life, becoming a first-rate doctor, combined with magical power, wasn’t too difficult…
“Okay, scalpel, please.”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to cut here like this, try it.”
“Like this…?”
“Yeah, well done.”
“Thank you.”
“This time, this is where the lesion is, so we’ll cut this part out. Then we’ll sew up the wound and close it with magic. Got it?”
“Yes!”
Yeah, so that’s why I’m doing surgery with Tris.
Today, we’re performing an exploratory laparotomy on a child who was brought in with appendicitis.
Well… it’s totally heretical, but they turn a blind eye because it actually works.
I mean, I cut open the Lord’s abdomen when treating his diverticulitis.
No, of course, I got proper informed consent. Agreement was obtained. I had it documented in writing.
And I also performed a thoracoscopic surgery on the Lord’s daughter, Rosalinde-sama. It was a malignant tumor resection.
That’s why my surgery, which is super-duper heretical medicine, is allowed… or rather, tolerated.
This patient this time seems to be from a pretty good family.
Apparently, the Lord-sama is gaining great power by having me perform operations on nobles and wealthy merchants.
In other words, he’s selling favors by having those in power receive my heretical but often curable surgeries, while at the same time holding the weakness of having received heretical treatment over them…
It’s a clever way to do things.
However, this Lord-sama himself has received heretical treatment, and since everything depends on me in the first place… he’s very considerate towards me.
He treats me as if I were a de facto direct retainer or guest, pays well, gave me citizenship, and even forced me into the city’s Guild.
In the first place, the fact that I’m allowed to speak so casually to Rosalinde-sama, who is the Lord’s daughter, even though she’s not the heir, shows that his consideration is beyond just consideration. It’s almost like treating me as family.
…Or rather, if I’m not mistaken, isn’t that old man trying to push Rosa-sama onto me?
Certainly, Rosa-sama hasn’t received much of a noble education, perhaps because she’s been bedridden for a long time, and what’s more, she’s frail and may not be able to have children…
So, he’s thinking, “At least I’ll marry my daughter to a man she likes!”? That old man would do that…?!
“Hmm, is the suturing done?”
“Yes.”
“…Alright, perfect! Now, let’s close the wound.”
“Yes… ‘לְתַקֵן (Repair)!’ “
Oh, I’ve taught Tris some magic too. Taught… well, I burned the formulas into her brain, but let’s count it as teaching.
But she’s talented, this girl. Is it because she’s Mazoku?
“Alright, good. ‘Repair’ is just a spell to ‘return to the original state.’ It doesn’t eliminate the lesion. That’s why it was necessary to resect the lesion with an exploratory laparotomy and sew up the wound.”
“Yes!”
She’s getting better at surgery too.
She can somehow resect an appendix, and I’ve taught her magic for surgery and pharmaceutics.
Really, if you take away the knowledge and just look at the technique, is she at the level of a resident?
If she can do surgery in my place, it would greatly reduce my workload, so I have to train her!
“Phew…”
So, I have Tris do the simple surgeries and sutures.
Normally, I have her practice suturing using pork, but recently she’s been handling actual cases…
The magic I forced into her head is good, and she’s doing reasonably well with surgery and academics. All that’s left is to gain experience.
“Good job, Tris. You did well!”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
Tris smiles.
It’s a smile without pretense.
A smile of trust and sincerity.
Ah, I’m glad I picked up this girl after all.
In her heart, she probably understands my intentions.
That I don’t want a family, but rather to play house.
That I don’t want the troublesome selfishness and clashes of opinions like a real family, but just want an obedient existence that suits me…
So she’s doing just that.
Tris doesn’t make a single selfish demand.
She has good manners.
She does all the cleaning and laundry.
She does everything she’s told with a smile and doesn’t ask for anything in return.
Ah, good.
A convenient toy.
…Even so, I’m feeding her much better than the commoners’ children in this city.
I’m giving her many beautiful clothes.
I taught her how to read and write.
Magic, surgery, and pharmaceutics too.
I give her expensive entertainment books and musical instruments, and give her plenty of free time.
I’m giving her a life on par with the nobility.
“Tris.”
“Yes?”
“…Do you like me?”
“Yes! I love Andrews-sama from the bottom of my heart!”
That’s good enough.
No, it’s not such a dark story.
I’m just saying it in a deliberately cynical way.
That’s normal in this world.
Because of the Demon Lairs… dungeons, and the diverse monsters, there are somewhat more social resources than in Medieval Europe on Earth.
In terms of wealth, it’s probably about the same as Japan in the Edo period? That’s just my guess or image.
In terms of food, even commoners can enjoy meat and sweets on special days, and eat delicious seasonal food.
Clothes are expensive, but if you buy used clothes, even the poor can afford them.
There’s a lot of traffic, so there are many inns, and there’s no problem finding a place to live…
In the first place, refugees and homeless people who have fled from wars settle in the city. You should be able to imagine the wealth, right?
See… if it were a country as poor as Medieval Europe, there would be no homeless people. They’d die.
In this world, I’m pampering Tris, a discriminated race, and giving her a life on par with the nobility, so Tris herself probably thinks she’s really happy.
Of course, it might be hard to keep me in a good mood, thinking, “I want to play house!” but if she’s given this level of life, that’s a natural obligation.
Overall, there’s no problem.
Even externally.
Rather, I sometimes get suggestions from acquaintances, like, “Aren’t you spoiling the Mazoku a little too much?”
This world is rich.
But it still doesn’t match modern Japan.
That’s about it.