Chapter 80

"Goodness... I can't believe it!"

He let out an exclamation involuntarily as he stared at the liquid that had turned red.

"Could it be... you really made the vaccine?! That's impossible... No medicine has ever worked!"

There had never been a time like this.

"If only we had a microscope... but we don't have one."

He didn't know what a microscope was, but the important thing was...

"Antibodies... antibodies! All the renowned doctors who have delved into this field have given up on antibodies first!"

"It's not easy."

A sigh escaped Viscount Gorneo's lips at the sight of the man's smile.

The human body has a system that remembers a virus once it has invaded and prepares for the next time. This is the relationship between antigens and antibodies.

However, the vicious disease that Viscount Gorneo knew about could not produce antibodies.

Naturally, he was an excellent doctor and had tried several times, but all attempts ended in failure.

But what was this in front of him?

The result of the three years he had spent searching for a solution to this disease was right before his eyes.

"H... However, this can't be something that can be made so easily..."

"I use something that is not typically used in medicine. Viscount Gorneo, let me tell you something interesting."

David removed his hand from the girl's head and smiled.

He then applied the transparent liquid he had prepared to a thin needle and pierced it into the dark blue blood.

Then, something amazing began to happen.

The dark blue liquid started to gather in one place, as if trying to escape from the needle.

And as the dark blue color faded, what remained was the red liquid, the blood, that humans naturally have.

"Actually, this fusion-accelerating virus is..."

It's more accurate to see it as a biological entity that strategically attacks the human body with a will to survive.

Moreover, it's a very malicious parasite.

Viscount Gorneo's eyes trembled uncontrollably at this explanation.

"So, to do anything, we need to completely break the spirit of this damn parasite."

An unexpected direction.

What was needed were several herbs and a few types of toxic plants that were known to be impossible to use as medicine.

"Haha, at first, I had a hard time finding the herbs because their names were different."

Viscount Gorneo, along with Princess Winry and Yulius 5th, who were listening, all thought the same thing.

How did he find out about this?

* * *

How much do you know, and what else do you know?

Viscount Gorneo, who was about to ask, closed his mouth with a troubled expression.

This way, it would seem like he was interrogating him.

As if knowing everything, David calmly handed over the test tubes he had prepared.

"The dosage per person is one-fiftieth. Divide the medicine into 50 equal parts per bottle. There are markings, so I hope you can manage that."

"A, yes."

"It won't make them fly around immediately after one dose. They need to take it regularly. The prescription is written down, and I've brought the ingredients to the backyard, so use them freely."

After all, it's not my money; I've already billed the disease management team.

Even with his playful words, he couldn't laugh.

He was too calm.

Despite the fact that countless doctors had given up on this disease.

A young boy, still green, had solved it in just four days.

Viscount Gorneo felt dizzy.

On the contrary, he felt a long-forgotten enthusiasm as a medical student.

And, he bowed deeply, abandoning his original purpose and the pride he had as a doctor, which had become rigid over time.

"P... Please entrust it to me!"

That was all he could say.

Afterward, the news that Prince David had finally completed the treatment for this vicious disease spread throughout the territory like wildfire.

* * *

"Did you hear?"

"A, that news?"

The man, Linton, who was leisurely drinking wine, smiled.

"Yes, the commoners were so noisy. They called him a saint who drove away the devil. Haha, with a holy mark, it's not strange to call him a saint."

"..."

"Wasn't my judgment accurate? The prince of the Rawn Kingdom, whom I doubted, solved a problem that the disease management team had left unsolved for a long time."

And he did it in just three days.

Linton's face was full of interest as he muttered the last words.

"What will you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you saying it's fine to leave it as it is?"

There would be no problem, in principle. In the end, Prince David, through negotiations with Linton, regained his authority and successfully treated the disease.

Of course, he could have refused, but Linton was proud of having seen many people.

If he had continued to block him, he would have shown other ways and made bold choices.

"Thus, medicine will advance again."

"Hmm..."

"It was a problem that some of the continent's renowned doctors had struggled with. They couldn't find a solution. It was a vicious disease that could have remained unsolved forever."

It was unaffected by divine power, and if ordinary medicine was misused, it would turn into a poison and kill the patient.

The process of dying was also horrific.

"Humanity has overcome such a great crisis at the hands of a boy not even 20 years old. The disease, which had been extremely rare, is now losing its power. Wasn't it called the fusion-accelerating virus?"

The problem was that a boy not even 20 years old had developed the cure.

If this fact became known, Lord Linton's image would plummet.

Was that all?

The image of everyone involved in this field would also plummet.

They hadn't done anything wrong, but in the end, it would look like an outsider had solved the problem in a short time.

Thud!!

"Who is it?!"

At that moment, a knight rushed in through the open door, and Lord Colliano roared.

"S... Sorry! It's an urgent report!"

"Come now, don't get so worked up. Lord Colliano. Yes, tell me. What is it?"

Lord Colliano's face frowned, perhaps disliking Linton's calm demeanor even in this situation.

"T... That... The patients who received the new medicine developed by Prince David..."

"Hmm? Did something go wrong?"

"No! They are showing rapid improvement..."

Swoosh... Swish!!!

The knight, wearing a hood with only eye holes, collapsed, splattering blood. Lord Colliano's sword had flashed.

"I don't like it."

At the same time, Linton, who had been smiling, muttered lowly.

"I am a doctor. A doctor who can fix both people and politics."

Saying this, Linton stood up.

He then leaned back and looked out the window, muttering softly.

"Let's do a little surgery. If we just let it go, the support we receive will be cut off, won't it?"

His eyes, filled with a mixture of madness and a sinister smile, flashed.

He had received considerable funding under the pretext of treating the fusion-accelerating virus, and part of it was used for his very precious other purpose.

Lord Colliano had also joined hands for the same purpose.

"So, quietly and secretly. Since it has come to this, let's take care of Viscount Gorneo, who was always investigating and guarding us. And the talented mages of the Magic Tower who have the holy mark, they are quite interesting subjects. Don't kill them."

The smile on his lips, as if in deep thought, became even more sinister.

"There will be resistance, but a Swordmaster should be able to handle it. Just suppress them. To the public, say that the Ordem territory was trampled by numerous monsters and completely destroyed."

We need to win-win, don't we?

Linton smiled and muttered as usual.

* * *

"Big brother, do you know what the people of the territory are calling you? They call you a saint, a saint!"

"That's right. I knew the prince was great, but I never thought he would be so knowledgeable in medicine."

Winry's bright smile, which made her eyes sparkle, was very cute, and I pinched her cheek, making her whimper.

Yulius, who had been staring at Winry, laughed.

"Prince David is a truly amazing person. But how did you know?"

"Know what?"

I asked, leisurely organizing the materials and dividing the liquid that would be used as medicine.

"T... The fusion-accelerating virus. It seemed like you already knew about the disease, Prince."

"First, that's true."

"Big brother! Then can you save Fortna too?"

"Of course. In fact, because it's the most severe case, it needs to be treated first."

Viscount Gorneo, who had left to administer the medicine.

He appeared to be a man with a strict personality and a high level of caution, but I respected his will.

'You rarely meet new people.'

-Will...

Lord Linton seemed to be a very broad-minded person on the surface.

If I hadn't noticed the sense of déjà vu hidden in his smile, I might not have suspected him.

But he felt more like a researcher than a doctor.

On the contrary, although Viscount Gorneo was rigid, I respected his dedication to medicine.

That's why...

I treated him relatively kindly, despite his rather harsh attitude.

-You rarely met new people, but now you need to meet and grow with new people.

The only person in this world who could understand me and whom I could understand.

A smile came to my face at Perseus's warm words.

"By the way, where has Baris gone? I heard he led the soldiers out of the territory."

"He has a lot to do too."

Winry pouted, seemingly unhappy with Baris's absence.

"By the way, Prince David, is there anything I can help with?"

"That's right, big brother! All I've done since I came here is watch. Please let me do something."

After thinking for a moment, I nodded.

"Can you help me adjust the temperature of the solutions being heated over there?"

"Temperature...?"

Since both of them knew the magic of the tower, this shouldn't be difficult.