Chapter 142
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Ryūgūin’s idea of treatment turns out to be surgery.
He simply thought they should excise Melissa’s affected areas.
After hearing Annabel’s explanation, Ryūgūin, who immediately came to this conclusion, also thinks, 「Well, talking about excising affected areas probably wouldn’t be understood by people in this world.」
That was an arrogant way of thinking.
Unbeknownst to Ryūgūin, or rather, because he had no intention of knowing, not only hygiene concepts but also surgical treatments had already been brought from Earth.
Moreover, with the existence of Heal magic and a world where physical recovery doesn’t rely solely on natural healing, this treatment method was very compatible.
However, even taking these points into account, excision of the affected areas was rarely chosen as a treatment method for 「Excessive Mana Production Organ Failure Disease.」
The main reason cited was the difficulty in grasping all of the affected areas.
Even for someone with considerable training, it was extremely difficult to grasp all the areas affected by this disease without missing any. If even a small part of the affected area remained after surgery, it would spread again from that spot, and symptoms would recur after a while.
And there was another troublesome characteristic of this disease—
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「I see. Even so, if I take care of it, your daughter—what was her name again? Well, it doesn’t matter—that girl will undoubtedly be completely cured.」
After hearing the explanation, Ryūgūin flashes a white-toothed smile at Annabel.
At this point, he already envisions himself being praised by everyone after successfully completing the treatment.
In addition to conquering the unprecedented seven 「Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons,」 he sees himself as a hero who, like a saint, imparts wisdom to raise the QOL of the ignorant otherworlders. Now, this hero is about to show his prowess in the medical field.
The hero, with his miraculous knowledge and intellect for the barbaric otherworlders, has helped a single girl suffering from a difficult disease.
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Ryūgūin’s breathing becomes ragged, and his pants visibly stiffen, obvious to anyone looking.
「Time is money! That’s my favorite saying!」
He completely ignores his own self-flattery and strides out of the shop with great enthusiasm.
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That night was late, and Ryūgūin shamelessly stayed at Annabel’s house. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he stayed there without permission.
The next morning, when Ryūgūin meets Melissa, he is disappointed.
Inwardly, he thinks, 「They said she was a beautiful girl, but what is this? Her skin is sickly pale, and her cheekbones are protruding from being too thin. She has no chest, and her arms are like withered branches. They might break if I even flick them. It would be better to stick it in a silent skeleton than this.」 However, he swallows these feelings and puts on a smile.
「It’s okay, I’ll help you.」
Ryūgūin had reconciled himself to this as preparation for demonstrating his competence in a different field than before, but Melissa, in the midst of the occasional state of confusion peculiar to her illness, couldn’t respond properly to his words.
In response to her reaction, Ryūgūin’s eyes bulge out in anger, thinking, 「I kindly spoke to her, and this is what I get?」
The Machiavelli couple, standing by Melissa’s bedside, gulp at the sight of the hero’s bloodshot eyes.
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「Halo, thank you again today.」
「Don’t mention it!」
「Take this and share it with everyone.」
「Really?! Yay!」
「Halo, why don’t you become our daughter?」
「Oh, auntie, you’re teasing me again! Even if you say that, Halo has nothing to offer!」
Halo, a girl living in the church of Lemone, is guileless and loved by everyone.
「Come on, Halo. If you act like that, Sister Margaret will scold you.」
Even the senior sister who cautioned her adored the always bright and cheerful Halo.
Furthermore, although Halo would soon be scolded by Margaret, the sisters’ coordinator, to 「straighten up」 as usual, Margaret, though she never said it out loud, also adored this lovable girl.
Now, Halo, who still hadn’t outgrown her childishness and often got scolded, was the most skilled user of Heal magic in Lemone, and she had healed many people in the town. Her fame was so great that there was hardly anyone in town who didn’t know her.
Even Cardinal Gilbert, who once visited Lemone on business, held her in high regard. He doted on her, saying things like, 「To think that a cynic like me would be captivated by such a girl,」 appreciating not only her qualities and abilities as a sister but also her hardworking and kind nature towards everyone.
However, on that day, Halo’s fate changes.
「Halo, Sister Margaret says, ‘You must not leave your room under any circumstances.’」
Although Halo is informed by her friend (colleague), worried about Sister Margaret who hasn’t returned from the reception room for a long time, she ends up leaving her room.
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In this world, there are practitioners who do jobs similar to what would be called doctors in Japan.
It’s an indispensable profession in people’s lives, prescribing appropriate medicines for symptoms, treating fractures like an orthopedic clinic, and even performing minor surgeries like appendix removal.
In the town of Lemone, there is a young man named Riku who works as a practitioner.
Although he has a straightforward and blunt personality that is often misunderstood by people, his work ethic is the epitome of sincerity, and he never turns away patients who come to him, even on holidays.
He, too, is beloved in the town of Lemone.
Just past the midday peak, as he finally catches his breath, he hangs a 「On Break」 sign on the front door and sits down with his female assistant for a slightly late lunch.
As he nods along to his assistant’s casual chatter, he hears a loud knock-knock-knock on the door.
Riku sighs, thinking, 「Can’t they see the sign? I hate rudeness,」 and opens the door.
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Riku’s treatment room is chosen as the place for the surgery.
Both Halo and Riku are forced by Ryūgūin, without room for objection, to assist in Melissa’s treatment.
In a situation where failure could result in the loss of a young life, the two desperately try to refuse Ryūgūin’s invitation to this unknown job that exceeds their abilities, but their efforts are in vain.
Halo is glared at and told, 『You’re refusing the request of me, the hero beloved by the Saint? Does that mean you’re denying the Saint? Then I guess this town doesn’t need a church or sisters.』
Using her beloved colleagues and the church, their place of belonging, as shields, she has no choice but to nod her head, tears in her eyes.
Riku is thrown threatening words: 『Tomorrow, the clinic might be gone, you know. The air is dry, after all. It might be troublesome for people if this place disappears… but I guess it can’t be helped.』
Melissa’s affected areas, due to the progression of her condition, can be roughly identified. So Ryūgūin thinks,
『If we can identify the affected areas, we should just remove them all.
Even if we remove everything, we can use Heal magic strong enough to regenerate the organs.』
On the very day Ryūgūin approached them, the two suddenly find themselves performing the procedure. It is completely rushed. The two, suddenly burdened with a young girl’s life, face the girl with trembling bodies, not even given time to prepare themselves mentally.
And as Ryūgūin says, 『It’ll definitely be okay』 and 『Let’s help the girl suffering from illness,』 they are forced to perform the procedure on the girl lying ill before their eyes.
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To state the result, the procedure fails.
There are two main reasons for this.
First, some of the abnormal cells had already metastasized to other organs.
And second, 「strong Heal magic was cast, enough to regenerate organs.」
The latter cause was the more fatal mistake.
In treating 「Excessive Mana Production Organ Failure Disease,」 the treatment method Ryūgūin came up with already existed in this world. However, it was rarely used due to its flaws.
If it were Yamada, the Holy Knight from another world, he might have thought, 「Maybe someone has already thought of this, I should check,」 and would have gone to consult with experts, but Ryūgūin, being a hero, completely lacked such humility and diligence.
Ryūgūin’s shallow actions led to a tragedy involving all concerned parties.
This is because the abnormal cells of this disease have a property of being promoted to grow by Heal magic.
Due to Halo’s powerful Heal magic, Melissa’s symptoms progress explosively, and her life, which would have lasted for several more months, is suddenly shortened, leaving her with only days to live.
「Because of your immature Heal magic, her death has been brought closer. What should we do… A young girl’s life… No, it won’t end with just that! When I think about Melissa’s family, my heart feels like it’s being torn apart! How will you atone for this?!」
Halo, forced to be complicit in further tormenting a girl already suffering from illness, turns paper-white, collapses in tears, and vomits on the spot, unable to escape her sense of guilt.
「You too, you. Practitioner is such a grand and impressive title, but all you could do was cut up a fragile young girl’s body. If you hadn’t recklessly meddled with Miss Melissa’s body, no one would have been unhappy!」
The young man who wanted to save people like his father and had finally become a practitioner, clutches his head and crumples to the ground.
「Well, what’s done is done. I’ll talk to them. So, Halo was it? In exchange, you’ll come to my room.」
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Two days later, Gilbert Rasmus happens to visit Lemone on business.
What he learns is after everything has ended.
He immediately does as much damage control as possible, and a few days later, it is decided that the 「Terrarium Project,」 led by Gilbert, will be implemented.
The hero’s designation in this project is 「Ein」—a name derived from the Earth word 「Schwein.」
「Schwein,」 that is, means 「pig」 in German. The intention behind the naming was 「Live like a pig.」
For Gilbert, Ryūgūin is already simply an enemy.
The hero, based on half-baked knowledge, continues to act arrogantly, without remorse or reflection, doing as he pleases.
As if thinking this world is his plaything, he tramples on his surroundings with a smile.
Gilbert understands.
As long as he’s around, these actions will continue.
Unconsciously, insensitively, and without restraint, as long as he lives, he will continue to cause nothing but harm to this world.
It has been so until now.
He goes through the numerous reports he had compiled.
This time, under the guise of medical treatment, he has plunged many innocent people into misery.
But this is not the end.
For example, if he were to carelessly spread half-baked knowledge about modern weapons used on Earth. If something similar to this incident were to happen, the number of victims would be unimaginable.
If that’s the case, if that’s so—
Gilbert embraces the girl before him.
She was a guileless girl with a becoming smile.
But now she continues to cry like an empty shell, sometimes becoming deranged from guilt.
「’Time is money,’ was it? It’s a good phrase, really.
Just as the hero boy said, I’ll quickly manage all of your fun and enjoyable life for you. And in the end, I’ll use you up in a fun and enjoyable way. 」
He lets out a voice that resonates to the ground.
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