EPISODE 1

<Veterinarian Druid Episode 1>

I thought it was a dream, a vivid dream.

I thought that when I woke up, everything would return to normal.

Either I was dead.

Or lying in a hospital with my whole body in a cast.

Or maybe I had dozed off for a moment after working for a week straight on duty.

I thought it would be something like that.

However, even after two weeks, I still had the unfamiliar appearance of a Westerner with blue eyes and yellow hair.

Moreover...

Chirp chirp chirp chirp.

Two birds sat on the windowsill, chirping cheerfully.

The clear sky, fresh air, and the cute birds with red and blue feathers glistening.

It was a scene I could only see on a beautiful vacation spot.

If it ended there, I would have exclaimed, 'Ah! Such a beautiful place.'

But are those birds? They look subtly different from the ones I know. And besides...

[Chirp chirp chirp. Didn't you hear what I said yesterday? I said I wanted to eat figs today. Did I or did I not say that eating too many rice grains gives me indigestion? Huh?]

The red bird was expressing dissatisfaction.

[I find it delicious, you know?]

The blue bird nodded and pecked at the rice grains.

"Hmm! What on earth is going on?"

I could hear the animals talking.

Compared to this shocking event, me turning into a young man with yellow hair was nothing.

[Chirp chirp chirp. In any case, don't be lazy. Tomorrow, it's figs, understood?]

[I like apples.]

"Sigh...alright."

[Hmph!]

The red bird with sharp feathers on its forehead gave me another glare before taking the rice grain into its mouth.

"Even though you said that, it tastes good."

Chirp. After giving me another glare, the red bird got distracted from eating.

How annoying. For such a small creature, it sure has a personality.

Then, I heard a human voice. It was my attendant, Seigan.

"Master, are you awake?"

"Yes."

"How are you feeling today? Any memories coming back?"

"Well, I'm not sure."

"Ah...Sir Lloyd said it might take some time for your memory to return, so don't worry too much."

Sir Lloyd, the one that Seigan spoke of, was the one who diagnosed me with short-term amnesia due to the accident.

I must have hit my head when I fell.

If even a young guy like me suddenly doesn't know who he is and can't recognize the people around him, that's the kind of diagnosis they would make.

Anyway, thanks to Sir Lloyd's diagnosis, I feel relieved.

No matter what I do or ask, no one would suspect anything about me.

"Yes. And while you're at it, bring some figs and apples."

"Why fruits?"

"They said they want them."

I pointed to the birds sitting on the windowsill pecking the rice grains.

"Ma-master!"

"Hurry back. I want them fresh."

A while later, Seigan brought a potion called Potion, which I drank. It was so bitter that it made my mind clear instantly.

"Ugh, it's bitter."

"What do you mean bitter? It's a precious potion that people like us rarely get to taste in a lifetime."

Precious?

Seigan handed me a candy, smiling at my disgusted expression.

"Sir Lloyd's skills are truly amazing. He managed to wake someone who couldn't even move in just a week."

"I find that amazing too."

I'm sure my rib must have been broken, but it recovered in less than a week.

"I can't even begin to explain how shocked I was when I heard that Master had amnesia."

"Hmm."

"Not being able to remember your own name, it must have made you feel like a complete idiot after the fall... Ahahaha. I mean, I'm just glad that you're getting better."

It seems like I've opened my eyes to a new world.

Should I call it reincarnation?

"So, what's my name then?"

"Uh, Master... Ahem. Your name is Marcus Ulysses. You're the third son of the prestigious Ulysses family who owns the Eagle Knights, the empire's top knight order."

"Hmm, and how old am I?"

"...You're the same age as me, 17 years old."

Oh! Just a fortnight ago, I was 37 years old, so I've traveled back in time by 20 years.

There's no trace of the tired old man.

"You mentioned an empire, right? Tell me about the country."

"Our empire is the Elarotus Empire. It's the most powerful nation on the Torinu continent. Well, there are two other empires, but they're no match for us, so there's no need to worry about them."

"There are three empires, and what about other countries?"

"There are ten kingdoms and too many city-states, so let's skip them."

"Fair enough. And what about Sir Lloyd? Is he a wizard?"

I can't help but think that he's not just a wizard. He even fixed broken bones effortlessly.

"He's a healer."

"A healer?"

"Yes, Healer Lloyd is much more remarkable than your average wizard."

From Seigan's expression, it seems like he holds doctors, or rather healers, in high regard.

Isn't it usually the case in these fantasy-like places that wizards are the most highly regarded?

"Healers are that impressive?"

"Of course. Master Alberburg, the head healer, is respected not only by His Majesty the Emperor but also by the citizens."

"Hmm... I see. Then what about the Eagle Knights? What's that all about?"

Seigan let out a short sigh at my question.

"Haa, you've completely forgotten everything. The Eagle Knights are the top knight order on the continent."

"Oh? They're that impressive?"

"Naturally. They're truly remarkable. Just joining the Eagle Knights brings honor to the family, you know?"

So it's a prestigious household.

A family of a wealthy and high-ranking official household, with no need for the youngest to take responsibility.

That's fortunate.

But the problem is that I, Marcus, was reborn as a troublemaker.

I didn't study, didn't exert myself physically, and even engaged in gambling.

In the first place, I was already considered an unwanted child in my family, and now I found myself in a situation where I added fuel to the fire.

As I stepped out of the room, Seigan followed and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Just taking a walk around."

"Please, Master, just this once, hold back. I'm afraid I might break my leg trying to keep up with you."

"Lead the way."

"No, it's not right. It's not just me who will be in trouble, but you as well, Master. You could even be banished to the North."

Seigan retorted with a frown.

"We're just going for a stroll, alright? Perhaps if I move my body, my memories might come back."

"That's what it was about?" Seigan hesitated and then guided me outside the building.

"Whew. The estate is really big."

Even from the second-floor room, I had an inkling, but now that I looked around, the mansion was truly vast.

After walking for about 20 minutes from the building, I still couldn't see the main gate.

Is this really a proper noble household?

I muttered to myself as I observed my surroundings.

"Greetings, my lord."

"I am pleased to see you in good health, my lord."

When the employees saw me, they either avoided eye contact or greeted me with bowed heads and trembling voices, as if they had committed a crime.

"Tsk, I feel like I've become a neighborhood thug."

"Hey, what's a thug?"

"A gangster. Troublemakers."

"Oh! Is that how you usually are, Master Marcus?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

As Seigan trembled while speaking, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

Then, in the distance, I heard the barking of a dog.

-Woof woof woof!

"Oh! Is that a dog?"

"It's Spica."

"Spica?"

Just then, I saw a black dog running towards us.

Huh?

"Yongnyeo?"

It looked exactly like the patient I had recently treated and discharged not too long ago.

[Woof woof woof. Master!]

"Oh my goodness!"

[Master! I was worried about you.]

As the dog, who looked like Yongnyeo, suddenly ran towards me, I instinctively stepped back and stumbled. But my lips were lifted all the way to my ears.

"Wahahaha. I can hear it, I can hear it,"

Not only the birds, but I could also hear what this dog was saying. I could hear it!

***

I brushed my face as I walked.

"Unbelievable, such a thing happened."

I've always been curious about what animals think and what they say.

Especially during medical treatment, communication with animals was crucial.

I wanted to ask them where and how it hurts, and during treatment, I wanted to reassure them that I'm not causing harm, but rather helping.

And for the animals in the hospital, I wanted to let them know that they were not being abandoned but receiving treatment.

When one thing is lost, another is gained.

"In exchange for losing Kim Min-Hyuk, I gained the ability to communicate with animals."

Muttering to myself, I gently stroked Spica's long ears.

Spica wasn't Yongnyeo.

Although it looked like Yongnyeo, it was much bigger. This creature seemed to be one and a half times larger than Yongnyeo.

Anyway, seeing this creature that resembled Yongnyeo made me feel good. It eased my mind a little.

Spica, seemingly in a good mood, walked while swaying its long tail.

With its long ears and tail, and without any cropping or docking (the practice of cutting off or shortening an animal's tail or ears for aesthetic or preventive reasons, now discouraged due to animal cruelty), it looked naturally beautiful, and without realizing it, my lips curled up.

"It's nice."

That's when it happened.

[Ohohoh! The grass, yesterday, today, delicious!]

[Hmph, the grass that was tasteless, now delicious. Those humans have come to their senses!]

[Ohohoh, the human we disliked, now like! The grass, delicious tomorrow too. Humans, good!]

"What on earth are they saying?"

I turned my head towards the sound, and the horses in the stable were having a conversation while eating hay from the trough.

Sigh. It's not even surprising anymore.

My footsteps naturally led me toward the stable.

"Master, those horses are carriage horses. You shouldn't ride on their backs. Don't you know why you need to behave? So never ride on them, understood?"

Seigan nagged at me as he followed me.

Spica, walking beside me, spoke.

[Should I scold that noisy guy?]

"Nah, forget it. By the way, why are those horses talking like that?"

[Hmm... Last week, a carriage came with hay, could it be because of that?]

"Hay?"

[Yes, the carriage carried a strong smell of hay. Normally, it just smells like grass. Maybe the horses are in a good mood because they're eating tasty grass.]

While I listened to Spica, I walked towards the stable.

The horses were nodding their heads in the trough.

Suddenly, a loud voice exploded from inside the stable.

"Hey! How did you manage to let things get like this? I thought you put on some weight...."

Seigan and I made eye contact.

"What is this..."

Then, I heard a voice.

[Terry, is dying!]

Dying? Who?

Without realizing it, my footsteps quickened, and I heard someone lamenting.

[Terry is hurting. Poor thing.]

[Tsk, my friend is in pain. It feels awful.]

Those were the horses that were happily munching on hay earlier.

As I entered, the sound of horses became even louder.

This time, it was the voice of a person.

"Tsk, it's a shame, but there's nothing we can do. Get rid of it."

"But, everything else is fine..."

"Then, are you going to take care of that sick horse? Even just feeding it costs more than your wages?"

This won't do. I have to go and see. The horses here must be the same.

"What's going on?"

"Y-young master."

Behind the two people, a horse was lying on the ground.

"I'm asking you about what's going on?"

"Well, you see... the horse suddenly collapsed... It was fine until yesterday, but... yo-young master."

"Young master, I will take care of it myself. So..."

"Step aside."

"Ah, young master-nim. You shouldn't..."

Leaving the trembling stable workers behind, I knelt down and gently stroked the horse's mane.

"His ears are drooping."

It's the expression horses make when they're in pain.

"Could it be colic? Judging by its hunched posture, it could be laminitis."

Laminitis is one of the most deadly diseases for horses.

There is a sensitive tissue called the laminae inside the horse's hooves, and when inflammation occurs in this area, it's called laminitis.

Naturally, it's extremely painful. And it also causes fever.

I touched the horse's hoof.

And then...

[It hurts so much, why are you pressing?]

As I started applying pressure, the horse became irritated.

"Seems like this is where it hurts."

I pressed gently, trying to locate the exact area of pain.

[Is your ear blocked? I said it hurts!]

The horse turned its head to look at me, there were wrinkles above its eyes.

"I hear you. I know it hurts. But in order to properly identify where it hurts, I need to press a bit more."

I felt sorry, but without proper examination equipment, pressing on the painful area was the only way to go. Fortunately, this horse was able to give me some indication of where it hurt, albeit with some grumpiness. It allowed me to quickly identify the affected area.

Understanding animal speech was much more impressive than I had thought.

[I can hear you even without you making sounds. So just communicate with your mind.]

Oh! Is this one more intelligent than other horses? Its speech flows smoothly and naturally without any interruptions.

"Really?"

[Yes, it's true. I can't understand spoken words, so just communicate with your thoughts. What do you think those people over there will think if they hear you mumbling to yourself?]

- Does your hoof hurt?

[Yeah, how did you know? Those humans kept hitting me even though I tried to tell them multiple times.]

Oh, it's true. I was just thinking in my mind, but we can actually communicate. It's fascinating.

[Yeah, it's excruciatingly painful.]

- It seems like this pain has been going on for a while, hasn't it?

[Yeah. I sent signals that I was in so much pain, but those humans didn't even flinch.]

- You must have suffered.

[...]

Instead of responding, the horse looked at me silently and then turned its head away.

[Well, yeah, I guess.]

There are various causes of laminitis, but I decided to think about it later.

Treatment is a priority.

If the symptoms are severe, euthanasia might be the only option. With such a hoof, it cannot support a body that weighs well over 500kg.

Knowing that, the horse looked at me and spoke.

[...If possible, please put me down without pain. I'm begging you.]

The sharp glare it had given me just a moment ago was now replaced with an empty expression.

It seems to know what happened to its fellow horses in similar situations.

And the sound that echoed in my ears.

[I want to live...]

The wish of Terry, the horse lying in front of me.

In that case...

-I can treat you at this level. Just hold on for a few days.

[Damn it. Don't bother and just let me go peacefully. Don't torment me.]

-Oh! Who do you think I am? Just wait.

I don't have any antibiotics, but if I at least had some betadine...

As I rolled my head, a thought flashed in my mind.

Ah! That's it.

Without teeth, use the gums. I can't just pass by when there's a suffering animal in front of me.

When I turned my body and looked back, instead of three people, there were about ten people watching me.

It seemed like all the people working here had gathered.

"Seigan, go into the kitchen and bring some sugar."

"Sugar?"

"Yes."

"No, Master-nim, what kind of accident are you going to cause this time?"

"It's not an accident. Just bring it."

"Yes, yes, should I check if it's available? I'll follow your instructions."

"While you're at it, if there are bandages, bring those too."

"What are bandages?"

Ah, is this a world without bandages too? I corrected my words.

"If there are towels or clean cloth, bring those. And some strings."

"S-s-strings?"

"Yes, plenty. A lot of clean towels and water too."

--///

Note: The phrase "Without teeth, use the gums" means that when faced with a situation where tools or resources are not available, one should make use of alternative methods or resources to achieve their goal.