Chapter 61: To You Without a Name (1)

I Was Mistaken for a Saint in a Dark Fantasy

*

After the Founding Festival, on the way back home.

Inside the carriage.

When I lifted my head, I saw Erika sleeping in the seat across from me.

Erika, sound asleep, using my knee as a footrest and Freya's shoulder as a pillow.

“Mmm. Hehe.”

Patting her slightly swollen belly from the feast with one hand, Erika soaked Freya's dress with drool.

The usual Freya would have scolded Erika for her lack of etiquette.

But today, perhaps because she was tired or because it was a special day.

And right next to me.

Charlotte, who had removed all her uncomfortable accessories, murmured.

“You have a truly rude bodyguard.”

“They say geniuses don't concern themselves with what others think.”

“Indeed. Someone on Miss Erika's level would have few rivals her age, so there's no reason to be bound by norms.”

Is it because they're both geniuses?

Charlotte didn't seem to mind Erika's rudeness.

Besides, Charlotte herself has a personality that would readily ignore norms if necessary.

“By the way, Young Master Nihilrit... no, Yulian.”

“Go on.”

“The promise we made at the party venue is still valid, right?”

A promise?

Ah, right.

Charlotte and I had certainly made a promise.

In exchange for her help with the Imperial Princess Consort's diagnosis, I promised to tell her about my diagnosis process.

She said its logical structure would help improve her deduction skills.

“I understand. We have time until we get home, so I'll tell you one by one.”

I immediately recounted the process of diagnosing the Imperial Princess Consort's disease.

From first looking into her medical history through rumors, then performing a visual inspection of her entire body, and finally, confirming it at her fingertips with Charlotte's help.

After synthesizing the series of clues, I reached the conclusion that the Imperial Princess Consort was suffering from Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome.

While listening to the explanation, Charlotte showed interest in Raynaud's phenomenon.

“What exactly is Raynaud's phenomenon?”

“The blood vessels of patients like Her Highness, the Imperial Princess Consort, become vulnerable to external stimuli due to internal attacks. Because of this, even slight cold can cause the blood vessels to contract abnormally. This lack of blood flow is what makes the fingertips turn pale.”

“So that's why Her Highness's fingers turned white when I handed her the cold glass.”

“You observed well, Miss Charlotte.”

Charlotte slowly nodded.

Then, as if she suddenly thought of something, she took a notebook out from her bosom.

As she flipped through the pages, she snapped her fingers.

“I thought the principle sounded familiar. It’s similar to what you taught me before, ‘livor mortis’.”

“Precisely. In the end, both livor mortis and Raynaud's phenomenon are areas that require an understanding of blood vessels.”

Livor mortis.

The first piece of forensic medical knowledge I taught Charlotte.

In forensic medicine, it's no exaggeration to say that this concept of livor mortis accounts for more than half the field.

Livor mortis is the phenomenon where, after death, blood settles in the lower parts of the body due to gravity, causing discoloration of the skin.

A forensic scientist can learn a lot from this livor mortis.

Purple livor mortis has formed on the back? Then they died lying on their back.

It turns white when pressed with a finger? It means they haven't been dead for long.

The color of the livor mortis is pink or green? Then it's poisoning.

I passed all this knowledge on to Charlotte.

It was to delude her into thinking I was still her superior rival.

And now.

She was connecting Raynaud's phenomenon with livor mortis.

It was quite an amazing insight.

Because I was, in fact, about to tell her about a related symptom.

“As it happens, there was a special symptom I could explain by linking Raynaud's phenomenon and livor mortis.”

“Really?”

Because among types of livor mortis, there is one with a principle similar to Raynaud's phenomenon.

Charlotte's eyes sparkled.

“What symptom is it?”

“There are spots called Wischnevsky's spots.”

“Wischnevsky's spots...?”

“They are special spots found only in victims of freezing.”

To put it simply, people who die from death by freezing develop special spots in their stomach.

With this, one can determine if they froze to death, or if they were murdered and then thrown out into the cold.

Here, in this world, it could also be used to narrow down the suspects to an Ice Magic User.

“I'll organize the details and send them to you in an academic paper, like last time.”

“Thank you, Yulian. You’re really the only one.”

Charlotte smiled sweetly and leaned on my shoulder.

A fiancée who's happy when I gift her forensic medical knowledge.

Can this really be called a normal relationship?

I had that thought for a moment, but it didn't last long.

There are so many different kinds of relationships in the world.

A relationship like this can exist, too.

“We'll be arriving soon.”

When I came to my senses, the carriage had already arrived on the street where our mansion is.

Unaware we had arrived, Erika wriggled her feet on my lap.

Another drool mark appearing on Freya's dress was a bonus.

“Thank you for taking us home, Miss Charlotte.”

“Today was very fun as well, Yulian.”

“Unnie, wake up. We’re here.”

“Ngh? Already?”

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion.

Erika, Freya, and I got out of the carriage in order.

I gave an eye greeting to Charlotte, who had poked her head out the window.

Charlotte returned the eye greeting.

The carriage that dropped us off disappeared into the city's darkness.

“It's cold. Let's go inside.”

“Yawn. I'm going in to sleep, Teacher.”

I parted ways with Erika, whose room is in the annex.

Freya and I headed for the main building.

When we went to the living room of the main building, my parents, who had returned from the Founding Festival, greeted us.

“How was the banquet today?”

“Ah, as it happens, there's a lot to tell you!”

Freya recounted the day's events.

Declaring that I would gift the princely couple a baby.

Being separately summoned to the reception room.

Refusing the proposal to be their Exclusive Healer.

And even the Imperial Prince patting my shoulder.

As Freya's story progressed, Father's teacup, which he had been sipping from, slowed down and eventually stopped.

Mother almost dropped her teacup at one point.

“An... An offer to be the Exclusive Healer? From His Highness Edmund??”

Father's reaction was particularly dramatic.

It seems His Highness Edmund is famous for many reasons.

I don't know much about that, nor do I intend to.

Instead, I smiled brightly at them.

“Oh, and a carriage will come from the Imperial Castle tomorrow morning. Don't be too surprised if there's a carriage with the Imperial Crest parked in front of the door.”

“W-What did you say?”

“Well then, I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I will go ahead. Good night.”

I bowed to my parents and went up the stairs.

As I went up to my room, the living room area became a little noisy.

— “Wake all the servants! We must make thorough preparations so as not to show any discourtesy to the Imperial Court tomorrow!”

The mansion grew noisy for various reasons.

Be that as it may.

Back in my room, I took out my doctor's bag for tomorrow's examination.

'Blood collection tool. Test tube. Wassermann test reagent. Alcohol lamp for the urine test. And the medicine extracted from willow bark... also...'

And the most important thing, the secret weapon for the Imperial Prince.

I packed all the necessary medicine and tools.

Finally, after reviewing the necessary knowledge for tomorrow's examination one more time, I fell onto my bed as if collapsing.

*

The next morning.

After waking up and grooming myself as usual, I saw the imperial carriage had arrived outside the window.

The imperial carriage stood at the mansion entrance.

Two Imperial Guard Knights stood in formation on either side of it.

The knights made no movement.

They neither knocked on the front door nor shouted the imperial message toward the mansion.

They were just waiting quietly for me to come out.

This meant that Imperial Prince Edmund was giving me that much status.

Of course, for the head of a baronial family, the weakest of the nobility, such treatment seemed quite burdensome.

Early in the morning.

Father clutched his stomach as if it were aching.

“Yulian. You can do it. Don't be too nervous.”

I received encouragement from my father before leaving the house.

Though it seemed he was the one who needed encouragement, not me.

Anyway.

I was seen off by my mother, Freya, and my youngest sibling as I boarded the carriage.

The knight in the coachman's seat spoke to me.

“Lord Nihilrit. Is that you?”

“Yes. It is.”

“I'm concerned you may have woken up too early because of us. You could have come out slowly.”

“No. I always go to work at this time.”

The Imperial Guard Knight's head briefly turned toward the clock tower.

The hour hand was pointing to 6.

“At 6 in the morning?”

“My clinic originally opens at 6:30.”

“Even morning training doesn't start at that hour...”

Is it because this is a Western-based cultural sphere?

They were surprised that I wake up at this time.

It's a matter of course in the Republic of Korea.

“My private talk has been too long. We have orders from His Highness. You may decide when you wish to return, Lord. After the examination is finished, you are free to use our services for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you.”

Even while chatting with the knight in the coachman's seat, the dawn street flashed past the window.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the annex palace.

In front of the annex palace, it wasn't the Chamberlain, but the Imperial Prince himself who came out to greet me.

“Welcome, Lord Yulian.”

He looked distinctly different from how he appeared at the banquet hall yesterday.

Yesterday he was an imperial prince in a military uniform adorned with medals, but now he was a young nobleman in a comfortable shirt with his sleeves rolled up.

I was guided cordially by the Imperial Prince to the reception room.

Upon arriving at the reception room, I saw the Imperial Princess Consort sitting demurely on the sofa.

“You've come, Lord Yulian.”

The Imperial Princess Consort bowed her head.

The Imperial Princess Consort was also dressed in comfortable loungewear.

Above her collarbone, without a lace collar, the net-like blood spots were clearly visible.

The Imperial Prince naturally took a seat beside her.

“Shall we begin the medical examination right away?”

“Yes. Let's begin at once.”

I placed my doctor's bag on the table and opened it.

I drew blood by inserting a needle into a vein, and collected a urine sample with the help of the maids.

The collected blood was divided into two test tubes.

They were labeled [Coagulation time] and [Wassermann] respectively.

Next, I borrowed a small room and heated the urine inside.

Since no foam formed even when heated, I could rule out proteinuria.

'Fortunately, the kidneys aren't affected.'

Patients with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome often have Lupus as well.

That's why I checked for proteinuria.

Thankfully, the probability of Lupus was much lower.

Of course, even if it were Lupus, I could treat it well enough with the medicines I have, so it didn't matter.

I returned to the couple.

“I will return in a week to tell you the blood test results. Of course, there is a medicine you must start taking before then.”

I took a small medicine bottle from my bag.

It was a crude glass medicine bottle painted an opaque color.

Normally, as a medicine presented to the imperial family, I would have wanted a more luxurious bottle.

But I had to pack the medicine as soon as I got home yesterday, so there was no time to decorate the bottle.

“It's a medicine extracted from willow bark. The Merkur Trading Company sells it under the name Aspirin.”

“Hmm? Isn't the name different from the medicine I heard about yesterday?”

“Heparin is a medicine you take 'after pregnancy' to prevent problems. 'Before pregnancy,' you must take Aspirin in advance.”

“I see. I apologize for doubting you.”

“Not at all. It is the patient's justifiable right.”

Afterwards, I explained the dosage instructions for the medicine to the couple.

After hearing the explanation, the Imperial Princess Consort carefully accepted the medicine bottle.

The Imperial Princess Consort, clutching it as if she had received a precious treasure.

“Thank you, Lord Nihilrit.”

“Please inform me as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed. From that point on, I will give you the additional medicine I mentioned yesterday.”

“I understand.”

And with that, the medical examination was over.

At the annex palace, I was invited to have breakfast with the princely couple.

“At this hour, you probably haven't had breakfast. What do you say?”

“It would be an honor, Your Highness.”

Of course, I did have a lunch box in my bag.

But I couldn't possibly refuse a meal invitation from the Imperial Family, so I just accepted.

I was also curious to see the level of the Imperial Court's cooking.

“Then let's talk a little before the meal. We can also discuss the reward I can give you.”

Imperial Prince Edmund naturally led me to his office.

Click.

As soon as we entered, the Imperial Prince locked the office door and looked around.

Soon, he spoke in a small, whisper-like voice.

“Lord Yulian.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“That... did you bring it?”

“Yes. I brought it.”

I took a small box from the false bottom of my bag.

Edmund's eyes sparkled.

When I opened the small box, dozens of blue diamond-shaped pills were revealed.

Sildenafil.

Product name: Viagra.

It was the elixir that resurrected a man's pride.

“Ooh... is this the thing I've only heard about in rumors...!”

“Your Highness. May I ask how that rumor is spreading?”

“Ahem. Well... a subordinate of mine participated in the Merkur Trading Company's clinical trial. A friend whose pelvis was shattered after falling from the castle wall.”

Right after an effect other than the heart improvement effect was discovered in Sildenafil.

The clinical trial subjects began to include not only young and healthy men, but also men with erectile dysfunction.

It was to check just how much of an erection was possible.

And the result was...

“That friend, who said it was difficult to even be with his wife once after injuring his pelvis, after taking that medicine... ahem.”

As you can see.

It's not a drug that spread like a legend among men in my previous life for nothing.

And its status in this world doesn't seem much different.

“I understand the circumstances of how you came to know about it.”

“Ah, you said you're one of the clinical trial supervisors? I'm worried that friend might face a disadvantage. Could you perhaps take care of it?”

“That will be fine, Your Highness. The trading company doesn't much care for a leak of this extent.”

“Really?”

“Now that the drug's efficacy has been proven, it's actually a natural process for rumors to spread. Clinical trials are originally conducted with that in mind. No disadvantage will come to him.”

“That is a relief.”

The relieved Imperial Prince.

But there was a fact he was unaware of.

'That's not originally allowed, though.'

The word 'embargo' doesn't exist for nothing.

But I decided to turn a blind eye this time.

Was it called viral marketing?

Sometimes, naturally leaked rumors like this are more effective than direct advertisement.

Rather, to use the Imperial Prince for promotion, I needed to utilize such leaks more actively.

So I decided to leave this Sildenafil leak alone without taking any special measures.

“By the way, Your Highness. Have you heard about the precautions from him?”

“Hmm? Are there precautions?”

“Yes. Very important precautions.”

“Speak.”

“You must not take more than two pills a day. No matter what.”

The Imperial Prince nodded, saying he understood.

But I didn't trust the Imperial Prince.

Human greed knows no bounds.

Wherever you go, there are always humans driven by excessive greed.

Especially after taking this medicine, many people get drunk on a sense of omnipotence and abuse the drug.

Therefore, I spoke to Imperial Prince Edmund as if giving a stern warning.

“If you take several pills, that part will go beyond not subsiding and begin to rot. Depending on the case, it may need to be cut off.”

Of course, even if it's cut, it can be reattached.

It wouldn't be difficult for someone from the Imperial Family to receive high-level Healing Magic.

And with good surgery, it can be reattached well enough with a potion.

However, there is one fact we must know.

That this world's anesthesia is still 'under'developed.

“...”

“Do you understand, Your Highness? When that time comes, even I will have no way to help.”

“Have you... ever seen such a case yourself?”

I smiled meaningfully.

“Must you see it? If you truly wish, I can show you the records.”

“...I will take only one pill, no matter what.”

“A wise decision, Your Highness.”

*

A week passed after that.

The Wassermann test result was positive.

It was evidence that the Imperial Princess Consort's illness was just as I had predicted.

I visited the annex palace again to inform them of the results, and asked them to contact me immediately once the pregnancy was confirmed.

Another week after that.

I was leaving work after finishing Erika's regular blood transfusion at the clinic.

“Yulian. A letter has arrived from the Imperial Court.”

Father handed me an envelope stamped with the Imperial Crest.

I took the letter to my room and carefully opened it.

A short message was written in slender handwriting.

=============

To Lord Nihilrit.

A week has already passed since Lord Nihilrit visited the annex palace.

As the Young Master requested, I am conveying the small change in my body to you first.

My menstruation has not come, though the scheduled date has passed.

To confess honestly, fear precedes joy.

But as much as you are making an effort for us, Lord, we too want to hold on to hope this time.

I pray that this news is the beginning of the miracle we have been waiting for so long.

I will end this letter here.

============

It seems the Imperial Princess Consort has successfully become pregnant.

It was news that could be called an auspicious event.

However, there was one doubt.

'Wait. It was exactly fifteen days ago that the Imperial Prince received the medicine from me. But ovulation day is also about fifteen days before menstruation.'

In that case, the time the Imperial Princess Consort got pregnant was...

'She got pregnant as soon as he got the medicine?'

Well, damn.

Damn, that's fast.