Episode 9

<Veterinarian Druid Episode 9>

The event was the same wherever it took place.

Starting with the prince’s speech, followed by the noble’s congratulatory remarks, and even the Count Ulyssess visit.

For about 30 minutes, the hall was filled with applause and cheers.

Finally, the banquet began.

“Wow, that guy is amazing. He stayed still for a full 30 minutes without moving a muscle despite his condition.”

During the long duration of the meal, the wolf stood tall next to the crown prince, keeping a close watch.

The sickly fellow is truly remarkable.

As the crown prince descended from the platform, he mingled with the people and exchanged greetings.

Although he was surrounded by those seeking to greet him, I made my way towards where the prince stood.

I wanted to wait a little longer and seize the opportunity, but…

[It hurts...]

I heard the sound of the wolf expressing pain. That's why I approached the crown prince's side and offered my greetings.

“Your Highness, I am here to pay my respects. Marcus, the third son of Count Ulysses, greets you.”

“Oh, it has been a while. How have you been?”

The crown prince, who visits every year, recognized me.

“Yes, Your Highness. Your majestic silver wolf is still as impressive as ever.”

He must have brought him along last year as well.

“He’s an impressive creature.”

The crown prince affectionately stroked the wolf with a pleased expression.

However, the wolf still maintained its composure.

“By the way, Your Highness. The silver wolf seems to be in pain.”

“How did you know?”

“Well, isn’t there a wrinkle between its eyebrows? And its tail is drooping as well.”

“Amazing. Even the healers had to examine him multiple times to notice, yet you figured it out at a glance.”

It has only been a few weeks since I last saw a sick animal.

“Well, this guy’s personal healer said he feels uncomfortable in his stomach. He's been given a potion to help with digestion, but there's no improvement."

I guess you could think that way.

The veterinarian's observational skills are decent. But maybe he didn't notice the slight twitching of the front leg. Or maybe he did notice but didn't think it was significant.

"Your Highness, may I ask the name of this Silver Wolf?"

"His name is Melik."

"Your Highness, may I take a closer look at Melik?"

"It's dangerous. Melik hates it when someone other than me touches him."

"It's okay. If I see any signs of discomfort, I'll stop immediately."

“Are you fearless because you come from a family that handles griffins? I permit it."

Reluctantly, the crown prince nodded his head.

* * *

As Marcus lowered himself and reached out his hand to Melik, the people near the terrace started whispering.

Just like Spica, the Silver Wolf dislikes being touched by anyone other than his chosen master, due to his similar nature of being a Cohord with strong loyalty.

“Ah, the third son of Count Ulysses is taking action.”

"He may be a scoundrel, but I didn't expect him to be so reckless."

“He's in trouble. He might lose one of his arms.”

With curious onlookers' attention, Melik felt uncomfortable.

Grrr!

Melik bared his teeth and growled, instantly silencing the banquet hall as if cold water had been poured over it.

In the silence, not even the sound of people's breath could be heard.

Marcus placed his hand on Melik's front paw and spoke softly.

"You're hurting here, aren't you?"

* * *

[How did you know?]

-Because I saw you limping. Show me your front leg.

Melik made a grimace and extended his left front paw.

As I suspected.

One of Melik's front toes was swollen.

"Your Highness, please take a look at this."

I showed the crown prince Melik's condition.

"Do you see this?"

"Oh my, it's swollen!"

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Just wait a moment, please."

I asked the attendant waiting outside to bring me a paper and a pen.

As soon as they were ready, I drew a picture and explained.

"This is Melik's current condition."

I drew a picture of the long toenail wrapped around and piercing through the flesh of the toe.

"Gasp!"

The sound of people gasping could be heard.

"Why is this happening?"

The crown prince asked with a frown.

"It's because of the living environment."

"What do you mean? We take such good care of him, feeding him well and making sure he's comfortable."

The crown prince's voice raised slightly.

"That's the problem."

"Problem?!"

Not only the prince, but also the people who were observing us, looked at me with strange eyes. The prince's gaze was especially intense.

"Wild animals usually step on the ground. They climb on rocks and sometimes even scratch trees. Haven't you ever seen the marks left by their claws on trees in the forest?"

"......?"

"That's right. Animals walk on rocks, trees, and dirt. That's the difference between Melik and animals living in the wild. Melik only walks on expensive carpets and marble floors."

"Of course."

The prince straightened his shoulders and proudly replied.

I almost blurted out, 'It's something to be proud of.'

"Melik used to spend a lot of time in hunting grounds or in the mountains. But at some point, he started living only within the palace grounds."

"Nowadays, he mainly lives indoors. I've been busy with work."

"There are many things that need to be changed, but right now, treatment is the priority."

"Just a moment."

The crown prince called for a healer. They appeared in less than two minutes, as if they were on standby for 24 hours.

As I explained, the healer displayed surprise, astonishment, and concern. They showed these three expressions in sequence.

"We need to change the potions."

"What kind of potions?"

"We will try giving him a healing potion and a potion to reduce the swelling."

"Just those?"

"What else..."

I pointed to Melik's front toe.

"We need to extract the broken claw. We also have to treat the inflammation. If we leave it like this, he may never be able to use his leg again."

"That's not possible. Absolutely not."

"It cannot happen.”

The healer let out a sigh with an astonished expression, and the crown prince glared at me with anger in his eyes.

"But, who, how, no, perhaps, was it me?"

Suddenly, the healer began to babble. His face was already red up to his ears.

The crown prince spoke to the healer.

"Well then, if not you, who else should do it?"

"That’s right, it should be me. It's my job, after all. My job!"

The healer's face sank as he answered. It seemed like he had never performed such a procedure before.

I drew a picture on the paper and handed it to the healer.

"Do you have this tool?"

"What is this..."

"It doesn't have to be exactly the same. As long as it's similar, it'll be fine."

"I-I think we might have something like it, but we don't have it right now. If we go to the palace..."

The healer hesitated, so I wrote down the necessary items on the paper and asked the attendant to deliver it to the healer.

No, is it possible that they don't even know about something this simple?

They can mend broken bones, but they don't know about this?

It seems like they have incredible abilities, but when you look closely, they lack basic knowledge.

The same goes for their previous discussion horses, same as the griffins, and now Melik.

If I combine my knowledge with the knowledge here, something amazing might be born.

***

One of the purposes of the banquet is information exchange.

While chatting in groups here and there at the banquet hall, someone suddenly brought up a topic.

"Hehe, whether to believe this or not, I'm not sure."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, they say someone touched His Highness the Crown Prince's Silver Wolf."

"Ah, why would you say such a thing? Who would dare to do that? Maybe someone is just spreading rumors."

"Hehe, it's not somewhere else, but in the hometown of Eagle Knights.”

The nobles didn't pay much attention. There were more than a few nobles and their descendants who liked to show off their power like this.

"That's true. I saw it myself."

"What did you say?"

"Is that really true?"

"Yes. His Highness is over there on the terrace, and I saw the third master Ulysses petting the Silver Wolf."

"The third master? Are you talking about the infamous scoundrel, Marcus Ulysses?”

People's eyes widened.

"Why would I have a reason to lie?"

"Hmm, if it were at least the eldest son, it would be easier to believe. He is the one who rides a fierce griffin and soars through the sky after all."

"If you find it hard to believe, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

"Hmm, then let's go and see."

The main hall of the banquet hall emptied as the nobles rushed to the terrace.

Among them, there was one person running particularly frantically. It was the healer, Dan.

* * *

Surprisingly, Healer Dan appeared quickly.

As they checked the necessary items, I said.

"You came quickly."

"I came as soon as I received the message. I couldn't help but be curious."

The look in Healer Dan's eyes as he replied was sparkling, almost shimmering.

I wrote on the paper.

"Sedative, hemostatic agent, disinfectant, and powdered sugar are needed. They will be used on His Highness the Crown Prince's Silver Wolf."

Since I couldn't find a suitable translation for "sugar therapy," I named it "powdered sugar therapy."

And I changed "sugar" to "powdered sugar."

Healer Dan seemed pleased to see that there was something for him to do, and Terry was happy that his name is included in the treatment method.

If Healer Dan, who was currently immersed in the Terry method, I thought he would come personally instead of just sending the necessary items, but I didn't expect such an excessive reaction.

"Your Highness, I will begin."

"Alright."

With permission granted, I explained the upcoming treatment process to Melik.

-It might hurt.

[I can endure it.]

In truth, it was a very simple procedure.

Trim the long, curled nails and treat the area where the nails had pierced.

That was all.

Everyone listened attentively.

The nails of large animals were very strong, to the point were they couldn’t even be cut or filed with ordinary tools, but luckily the nail came off in one go.

As expected, the nail was deeply embedded in the flesh, and even now, after cutting the nail, it was still stuck in the flesh.

"Now I will remove this. Don't be alarmed even if blood splatters."

After that, I spoke to Melik.

-It will be over soon. It won't hurt anymore.

I pulled with force to remove the embedded nail and blood gushed out with a 'fwoosh'.

The amount of pus that burst out through the hole showed just how deeply it had been embedded.

"Uh…"

Usually, people get excited when they see blood, and the people present in this room were the same.

The Crown Prince who witnessed blood gushing like a fountain from Melik's toe shouted.

"W-What's happening... G-Get the hemostatic agent. Hurry."

"We can't use it now. This is not just blood, it's pus. It needs to be drained."

Judging by the length of the embedded nail and the amount of pus flowing out, it was definitely pierced through the muscular layer.

It would heal quickly if we installed a drainage tube.

However, I quickly dismissed the thought. It was because I knew there was no one else who could perform the treatment.

The speed at which the pus was flowing out was gradually decreasing.

-Are you able to endure it?

[It feels refreshing.]

Melik's response was a relaxed expression.

-It must have hurt a lot. You'll be fine now.

Instead of answering, Melik looked at me with a meaningful glance.

His gray eyes turned golden.

[Thank you, Druid.]

At the same time as Melik gave his thanks, golden letters appeared in the air.

[You have gained 1 experience point for treating the Silver Wolf]

<Vigor: 10/50>

[You have treated a Half-Being and accumulated 1 mana]

<Mana Accumulation: 2/∞>

[The Silver Wolf is grateful to you.]

..[Condition not met]

[There are currently no skills available to unlock.]

Hmm, now mana is accumulating as well. Quite cost-effective, isn't it?

By the way, what is the condition that keeps triggering these messages? At first, I didn't know what it meant, but now it's starting to bother me.

"Marcus!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Well done. You handled Melik as gently as a lamb. I can't believe it even though I was there myself."

"It's too kind of you to say so."

"If there is ever a time when I need your help, will you assist me?"

"Please feel free to contact me anytime."

"I appreciate it. I will definitely repay you for your help today."

You're welcome, it's an honor to have helped the future Emperor and touched his face. (NOTE: This sentence implies that Marcus feels privileged and proud to have assisted someone of great importance and had a personal interaction with them.)

And as for repayment, I'll receive it ten times over in the future.

After the treatment was over, the healer approached me.

"May I ask what that white powder was earlier?"

"Ah, that? You should ask him."

Now it's Healer Dan’s time to shine.

I excuse myself and went to the banquet hall.

As I entered, people glanced at me and whispered among themselves.

I could hear the praise from those who used to belittle me.

Being able to hear conversations from this far away is all thanks to the Terry therapy they were talking about.

With the Terry Therapy (SN:Sugar Therapy), I can earn money and improve my hearing.

I ignored such comments and focused on the conversations floating around the banquet hall.

With the crown prince and other high-ranking nobles gathered here, it is truly a haven of information.

“You were confident in yourself, weren’t you? This time, you will never…say you couldn’t do it.”

“I am ashamed. I didn’t expect they would improve in just one day… The training method seems more effective than I thought.”

"Hmm, that makes me even more interested. You won't be shaken no matter what happens, right? ... That kind of stability... is appealing."

"...."

".... But will that guy eat grass?"

"Don't worry... He won't have anything to graze on right now. I gave him only one chicken today, and he almost went insane."

"...He can't even do the simplest tasks... just as I expected."

"Yes, that's right. ...They're planning to feed oleander to the piglets... just swallow it whole."

What did they say? Feed oleander to the piglets?

Although the conversation was fragmented, I understood one thing for sure.

Those bastards are scheming to feed oleander to someone.

I began to survey the banquet hall.

I need to find out who they are.