This concludes Chapter 4.
"That's right. Tenma is the quickest learner and the most likely to help."
Grandpa pulled two books off the shelf and handed them to me.
"These are books written by Celia. One is a collection of notes from when she examined patients, and the other is a compilation of treatment methods she wrote up."
I started by looking through the treatment book for the page on Magic Power disorders.
The treatments were organized by punching holes in the pages, grouped by symptom, so I found the right page before long.
There, alongside the treatment I already knew about — forcing Magic Power through to cure it — was a method for treating patients whose condition had grown severe.
"Severe patient treatment. Step 1: Warm the patient's back to loosen the muscles. Step 2: Locate the stagnation in Magic Power and use a needle or similar tool to restore it to a normal state. Step 3: Once the Magic Power stagnation has normalized, gradually flow the healer's Magic Power into the patient. Step 4: Repeat over several sessions until the patient improves. The above method has been proven to cure most patients…"
Before I could finish reading, the Minister of Finance grabbed both my shoulders and shook me.
"She can be cured! Mizari can be cured!"
I felt bad for getting the excited minister's hopes up, but I hadn't finished reading the crucial part yet.
"W-wait! There's more… However, some patients exhibited a rejection response during Steps 2 and 3. Of eighteen patients treated with this method, twelve recovered. Of the six who did not, one passed away several days later. It should be noted, however, that whether the direct cause of death was the rejection response remains unclear…"
Even if the causal relationship was unclear, the fact that a death had occurred meant this could not be called a safe treatment.
"But there's no other treatment, is there… If we do nothing, Mizari's life is in danger…"
Watching the minister begin to agonize over what to do, Grandpa spoke up.
"It's true that searching for someone who knows another treatment method, or someone with a proven track record, is one option. However, I believe Tenma has a higher chance of saving the lady's life… no, I believe he is the one who can save her."
"And what exactly is your basis for that claim?"
The minister asked Grandpa, who had made such a definitive statement.
"Because it's likely that there is no one in this Royal Capital more skilled at manipulating Magic Power than Tenma."
"Then again, if that's the reason, couldn't Grandpa handle the treatment just fine?"
As for the Minister of Finance, I figured he'd probably feel more at ease having Grandpa do the treatment rather than me, so I snuck a glance at his face from the corner of my eye — and from his expression, it seemed my thinking wasn't off the mark.
"Well, that's not something I can do. I was never on par with Celia when it comes to delicate Magic Power manipulation, and Tenma here surpasses even her. Besides, whether it's my age or what, I've been struggling with fine work lately..."
When he heard it was due to age, the Minister of Finance seemed somewhat satisfied with the explanation.
"Well now, I'll be supporting Tenma, so it's not as though we'll be diving in blind. Starting right away, I'll sit down with Tenma and discuss whether there's a safer treatment method we can come up with."
Having said that, Grandpa sent the Minister of Finance on his way.
"Th-then, I'll be counting on you."
The Minister of Finance bowed his head before climbing into the carriage, though a faint trace of worry was still visible on his face.
"Well then, Tenma. Let's try out"
"all sorts of things"
"shall we?"
After that, Grandpa and I tried out various methods, and within just three days, we found a treatment we were satisfied with.
However, during those three days, we were holed up in the room the entire time save for trips to the bathroom and meals, and apparently Grandpa's cries could occasionally be heard from inside — so when we finally emerged, we found that the King and the others had come to the manor for some reason, and we got chewed out for making them worry sick.
The Grand Duke had even written out the arrangements for Grandpa's funeral on paper, which then escalated into our usual bickering.
Incidentally, from the signature on that paper, I learned that the Grand Duke's full name was "Ernest von Audrey."
As though using that as an excuse to get better acquainted, the Grand Duke told me to call him by name, so going forward, I'll try to address him as "Ernest."
"By the way, Merlin... don't you look like your skin has gotten more lustrous, and you seem livelier than before?"
As we bickered as usual, the Grand Duke — or rather, Ernest — picked up on Grandpa's changes and asked with a tilt of his head, and I noticed the words "lustrous skin" had caught the attention of all the women.
"Ho ho ho... jealous, are you! This is the result of my experiments with Tenma!"
The moment Grandpa said that, the gazes of the women — Aura, Aina, and Chris — pierced right through me.
"Lord Tenma, we've got some nice, young, and fresh test subjects right here — please, help yourself!"
"W-Wait, Aura! You're trying to cut in line! Lord Tenma, I think I'd make a much better test subject than her!"
"Tenma-kun... Just ignore those two noisy women and use me as your test subject, okay?"
While the three of them were busy vying for position, the King suddenly stood up.
"Tenma. Would you be willing to try it on me?"
At his sudden proposal, I assumed he was just fooling around as usual, but the serious expression on the King's face — one I had never seen before — left me stunned.
"My
adopted daughter
was suffering, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. To put it bluntly, I want to verify with my own body whether this is truly safe. Judging from how Merlin looks, it seems to have been a success."
The King's resolve was ironclad — no one in the room could sway it, no matter what they said.
Realizing that nothing would change his mind, Ernest decided to impose a condition.
"I understand your resolve, but let Kurif and me try it first. If there's nothing wrong with us old folks who are older than you, then you can go ahead and verify it yourself... That is the minimum condition,
Your Majesty.
..."
"...Very well, Uncle."
With the King finally persuaded, Ernest and Kurif agreed to experience the treatment.
This treatment was designed to normalize the magic circuits in the body, so it shouldn't pose any problems even for a healthy person... At least, Grandpa got better after it, so I figured it should be fine... probably.
"Then let's do it in this room."
I led the two of them to a room with a bed and prepared to carry out the treatment.
Since this was, after all, a medical procedure, everyone except the two patients and Grandpa — who would be providing support — was told not to enter the room.
"Then, since preparations are complete, we'll begin. It may sting a little, but please try to stay as still as possible."
Treatment begins!
"It's gotten quite stiff in some areas..."
"Ngh..."
"Nghh..."
"Here too, I see..."
"Not there!"
"Mmggh..."
"............"
"Mmmgh..."
"Mgh..."
•
•
•
Thirty minutes later
"There weren't any problems at all!"
"No. However, I'd say the fact that it felt rather too pleasant is its own kind of problem."
The two people saying this had skin that was noticeably more lustrous, and they even looked somewhat younger than before.
"Th-then, it seems there were no issues after all... In that case, perhaps I should give it a try as well..."
The King judged that there were no problems, but — whether it was just his imagination — he seemed more hesitant than before.
I glanced over at the women's group, and all of them had slightly flushed faces.
"Here I go..."
"Fuoh!"
"There!"
"Heeey!"
"Chesuto!"
"Nwoah!"
"Over there!"
"Ah..."
·
·
·
·
·
Thirty minutes later
"...I feel like I can see a whole new world!"
Standing there was the King, brimming with vitality.
"...Tenma. What were those chants just now?"
"Well, I figured they had a lot of built-up fatigue, so I was planning to put some extra energy into the procedure — but I may have gotten a little too carried away."
He had gotten a bit carried away, but the procedure was a success, and all three of them looked noticeably more youthful.
The King, having determined there were no issues with the procedure so far, had instructed Kurif to head to the Finance Minister's residence — but Aina and Jeanne threw a wrench in those plans.
"Your Majesty, I hate to say this, but there's a problem with Lord Tenma's procedure!"
"Aina is right. Well, with Lady Mizari... rather, I have reservations about having a woman undergo Tenma's treatment."
While the men exchanged confused looks, Aina spoke plainly and without hesitation.
"If people found out, someone might even suspect an affair between Lady Mizari and Lord Tenma... Your Majesties'... well... moaning was *that* loud."
At Aina's words, the King and the others all choked at once.
"Well... if someone who didn't know what was going on heard those sounds, I think it would be perfectly understandable for them to mistake it for Tenma doing something indecent inside..."
Jeanne's words, delivered with a flushed face, served as the final straw. The King and the others all wore awkward expressions.
As a result, an indescribably strange atmosphere settled over the room, creating the illusion that time itself had stopped.
"Um, sorry, but this is kind of awkward to say — normally, people don't react like that..."
Unable to bear the tension any longer, I blurted that out.
"What do you mean, Tenma?"
"Actually, under normal circumstances, during the initial massage, I apply a numbing cream to the skin that dulls pain and sensation. Without it, depending on the person, expanding the magic power circuit can be quite painful... This time, in order to make the effects more obvious,
I deliberately
chose not to use the cream."
My confession left the King and the others gaping like fish, looking rather foolish.
"So, under normal circumstances, it wouldn't feel like
that
much of anything."
Sorry about that — I bowed my head and offered a halfhearted apology.
Sensing
Around that point, Aura and Chris let out soft chuckles. Aina was holding back too, though the corners of her mouth trembled ever so slightly. As for Jeanne, she had turned even redder, too embarrassed to find any humor in the situation.
Some time passed before the King and the others finally regained their composure, and it was decided that they would head to the Minister of Finance's residence after all.
Originally, Aina had planned to stay behind at Grandpa's residence for more training with Jeanne and Aura, but because of my little stunt, she had apparently developed a distrust toward the treatment procedure. "There's no telling what might happen, so the more women around, the better" — and so she ended up coming along.
The rest of the group headed to the Minister of Finance's residence with just the members who had been there, and the Minister himself was already waiting outside the gate, having been informed of their arrival.
After a brief greeting, we were led to Mizari's room and immediately set about preparing for the procedure.
First, I explained the treatment process and steps to the Minister of Finance and Mizari. When I mentioned that Mizari would need to lie face down in a state that was practically nude, the Minister of Finance was flustered to a rather comical degree.
The one who actually mattered, Mizari, simply smiled and said, "Oh my, how embarrassing," which only made the Minister's reaction stand out even more.
In the end, the Minister of Finance and I stepped out while Aina took over for the first step — the massage — and the other men were asked to leave as well.
I gave Aina a rough explanation of how to perform the massage and handed her the lotion to be used during the process.
While Aina carried out the massage, I took the bundle of hair I had previously asked Mizari for, cut it to an appropriate length, sterilized it, and soaked it in an extract made from medicinal herbs and the like.
This method wasn't found in any book — it was entirely my own original technique. To reduce the strain on the body as much as possible, I reinforced the hair strands, which were thinner than needles, with a hardening magic spell and used them in place of needles.
I didn't know exactly how effective it would be, but at the very least, since I was using her own hair, there shouldn't be any concerns about allergic reactions.
After roughly twenty minutes, Aina finished the massage, and finally, it was my turn.
I took a deep breath and focused my gaze intently on Mizari.
Then, gradually, I began to sense something like an irregularity emanating from various points along her back.
There was no visible discoloration, but the image that formed in my mind was something dark — as though the flow of a river had grown stagnant in those spots.
I picked up a single strand of Mizari's hair that had been soaked in the medicinal solution, reinforced it with a hardening spell, and began piercing through those areas of stagnation.
Mizari didn't seem to feel any pain — she hadn't moved a muscle since earlier.
I continued the treatment, focusing primarily on her back, waist, and legs.
After an hour, I finally finished inserting hair strands into all of the stagnation points, and decided to observe her condition for a while.
Mizari had a total of roughly seventy stagnation points. Given that the kings treated in my experiments had five or six, and that even severe cases were said to have around a dozen, it was clear just how serious Mizari's condition had been.
"That should do it for now. After waiting a little while, I'll remove the hair strands and have her rest. She should gradually recover once she starts rehabilitation tomorrow."
Mizari had been quiet for some time, and it turned out she had fallen asleep almost immediately after the hair needles were inserted. I spoke to the financial minister.
The financial minister nodded and said he would stay here until Mizaria woke up, so the rest of us moved to the room where the kings were waiting, leaving the two of them alone.
"Are you done already, Tenma?"
As soon as I entered the room, the King was the first to react and called out to me. It seemed I had been quite a bit faster than expected.
"Yes. The treatment itself was straightforward... though it did take quite a toll on my nerves."
More than physical exhaustion, it was my nerves that felt drained.
While we were chatting about such things, the King suddenly fell quiet, as though something had occurred to him.
After that, we let the financial minister know we were leaving, and everyone dispersed.
The financial minister and the King expressed their deep gratitude, and the topic of payment came up. However, we agreed to put that discussion on hold until Mizari had recovered.
"Oh, that reminds me, Tenma. The tournament is coming up soon, isn't it? Are you ready?"
Grandpa asked, as if suddenly remembering. I told him that intense special training at this point would actually be counterproductive, and that I planned to spend the remaining time focusing on adjusting my physical condition and fine-tuning my techniques.
Honestly, since Din wasn't going to participate in this tournament, the only person I really needed to worry about was the Bandit King. When I had gone to register, there were several other people who looked like tournament participants, but none of them seemed particularly strong.
Just because I hadn't seen anyone on Din's level didn't mean no such powerful individuals existed among the participants. Still, as long as I stayed focused and didn't let my guard down, I should be able to advance without any problems.
While having that conversation, the four of us headed back to Grandpa's mansion.
Meanwhile, at that same time, the King and the financial minister were sitting face to face in the financial minister's mansion.
Currently, the only two people in the room were the King and the financial minister.
"First of all, I'm relieved that Mizaria's illness seems to be curable. To be honest, I was beginning to worry she might not survive, given how far the symptoms had progressed. It looks like things will work out thanks to Tenma."
Some might consider it rude, but the Financial Minister appeared accustomed to his father's way of speaking and let nothing show on his face. If anything, he seemed to agree with the sentiment.
"Yes, I can say I'm quite relieved as well. Mizari is still sleeping, but when I looked in on her earlier, her complexion had improved considerably. I don't think it will get any worse than this."
The Financial Minister composed his relieved expression and straightened his posture.
"Your Majesty, I have a proposal."
"Let's hear it."
Matching the sudden shift in the Financial Minister's tone, the atmosphere in the room transformed entirely. The King now radiated the dignity befitting a true sovereign.
"This incident has made me keenly aware of how thoroughly modern people rely on magic — myself included. According to what I've heard, the treatment for Magic Power obstruction isn't particularly difficult. And yet, because no one knows how to perform it, people like Mizari fall gravely ill, and some may even lose their lives."
"That may well be true."
"Therefore, I propose the establishment of a National Medical Academy for Training Doctors."
The King fixed the Financial Minister with a sharp gaze.
"If you bring this proposal up now, people will surely accuse you of doing it solely for your wife's sake."
The Financial Minister's expression did not change in the slightest.
"I don't mind. At the very least, if not for Mizari, I never would have made this proposal. However, I believe the academy should be established regardless — it is the right thing to do."
"And your reasoning?"
"First and foremost, the advancement of medicine and medical practice is directly tied to the lives of this nation's people. Being able to ensure a reliable number of trained doctors in times of need would be a tremendous strength for the kingdom. Furthermore, it would also serve as a tool to keep the other factions in check."
"Oh? Do tell."
The King leaned forward, eager to hear more.
"The school would be established under royal initiative. Graduates would be assigned to work in a clinic attached to the academy for several years. As a condition, they would sign a contract upon enrollment, and in return receive partial waivers on tuition. Treatment fees would be set as low as possible, so that the common people could visit the clinic without hesitation."
"And then?"
"If we make this initiative a policy centered around Prince Tida or Princess Luna, it will surely earn the public's support. That would serve as a counterbalance to the Reformist Faction. And should anyone oppose it, we simply need to let rumors circulate among the people — their influence will naturally erode."
"If it's framed as a Reformist Faction initiative, then agreeing would mean strengthening the Royalist Faction's power, while opposing it would only diminish their own — is that what you're saying... Interesting! Draft that proposal by tomorrow and present it at the meeting the day after!"
"Yes, sir!"
As a side note, this plan would bear fruit in later years, and its proposer, Zain von Blumeil Crustin, would go down in history.
While the Royalist Faction was working to solidify its footing like this, the other factions began to make their own moves.
The reason was that Tenma had started showing sympathy toward the Royalist Faction, and the Royalists in turn had begun making moves to gradually bring him into their fold. Granted, as far as Tenma was concerned, he had no intention of joining any faction for the time being, but since his family had maintained ties with the King since his parents' generation, the other factions viewed it as a matter of when, not if, he would end up on the Royalists' side.
In light of this, members within the Neutral Faction began emerging who wanted to somehow establish a relationship with Tenma — keeping things as they had always been, where he neither opposed the Royalist Faction nor became an explicit ally.
However, there were also those who were far from pleased about the Royalist Faction bringing Tenma into their ranks. That would be the Reformist Faction.
At first, they had dismissed Tenma as merely a child — an adventurer who happened to be on good terms with the royals. But after seeing him train alongside the Royal Guard and the Knights, they began to panic. What's more, a handful of them learned through recent rumors that Tenma was the one who had accomplished the feat of "Dragon Slayer," and furthermore was a "Dragon Tamer" whose name would be remembered in history. That was when they started to truly fear his influence.
At this rate, the Reformist Faction — which had been growing powerful enough to rival the Royalist Faction — could be brought down by a single child named Tenma.
The best-case scenario would be to win Tenma over as an ally, but given how close he was to the royal family, that was nearly impossible.
The second-best scenario would be to prevent Tenma from joining the Royalist Faction, but that too was just as difficult as the first.
If that was the case, the simplest solution that came to mind was to eliminate Tenma — but going up against a Dragon Slayer like Tenma would be a tall order. In the worst-case scenario, the Reformist Faction itself could be the one destroyed.
They didn't think Tenma alone could crush the Reformist Faction, but if he joined forces with the Royalist Faction — or another faction that harbored ill will toward the Reformists — and furthermore won the support of the people, it would be far from impossible.
Tenma's background was such that once the public learned of it, his popularity was virtually guaranteed.
If he had been merely a "Dragon Slayer" or a "Dragon Tamer," there would have been ways to handle him — but Tenma possessed both titles at once.
Moreover, the Dragon Slayer feat had been accomplished when he was barely ten years old — done to rescue his companions who had been cast aside by the nobles and to avenge his murdered parents. In the process, he had single-handedly felled what the annals of history remembered as the "Ancient
Dragon
" — saving the Kingdom itself in the process. To put it bluntly, he had even forgiven a King who could be called the mastermind — or at least half the blame — behind the tragedy at Kukuri Village.
On top of all that, he had tamed an intermediate-class dragon — something previously thought to be impossible.
It was the stuff of fairy tales, and in truth, anyone who heard this story would likely never think to oppose Tenma — unless they were directly affected by the matter or truly and utterly foolish.
However, the Reformist Faction was a gathering of people with direct stakes in the matter, and among them were plenty who could truly be called fools.
After all, they were a faction of people who, in a sense, intended to oppose the very lord they had sworn loyalty to. There was no way a group like that wouldn't have its share of fools.
Eventually, it was only natural that those fools would take center stage and stir up a commotion — but at this time, no one could have foreseen just how large that commotion would become.