“…………” Skadi gave a nod of her head. Climbing up the stairs, she headed toward the main bridge. Glenn assumed she would give some sort of address for the opening ceremony. From the start, Skadi’s power and influence had played many different roles in making the Waterways into what they now were. Just as Kunai had said, Skadi was surely happy to see the Waterways grow even livelier.
That was precisely why Glenn was curious about her tail dangling weakly on the ground.
“Well, then, let’s get to our seats, too. It looks like they’re offering drinks over there as well…” said Sapphee.
“Yeah…” Glenn replied.
“Doctor? …Doctor!”
“Huh? Oh… What?”
“Why are you standing there and spacing out for?” Sapphee said, pouting. “I’ve been trying to get your attention.”
“…You figured it out?”
“Of course,” Sapphee replied, as though the answer were obvious. Glenn didn’t think it was showing on his face that clearly. It was plain to see he couldn’t fool a childhood friend that had been with him for as long as she had. “Now, I wonder what in the world you could possibly be so concerned with. Arahnia? Miss Lulala? Miss Kunai, or Miss Skadi? Hmm which woman could it be, Doctor?”
“I-If you’re going to force it out of me, it’s Miss Skadi—but hold on a second, Sapphee, you’re really close,” Glenn replied.
“Even though you’re here with me, and even though we’re going shopping together after this, you’re staring off into space thinking about another woman! Hmph!”
“That’s not it.”
“Hmph.”
Glenn expected her to coil herself around him at this rate and lightly pushed Sapphee away from his face.
“There’s just something that’s got me curious… But you know, I’m sure it’s just my imagination running wild…” said Glenn.
“Ooh?” Sapphee replied with a blank look on her face, as though she had no idea what Glenn was talking about.
Glenn wasn’t knowledgeable enough about dragons to make a diagnosis of Skadi just from her tail looking unwell. As a doctor, he was supposed to be well versed in every type of monster, but dragons were different. He thought it would be good if he could get her permission to examine her just a little bit, but that was something that could be saved for another day. He wondered if a being as powerful as a dragon even felt sick or unwell to begin with. He was sure that nothing would happen to Skadi just from giving a small speech, anyway. He asked himself why he was even so worried.
“I understand that because of your job, even the slightest things can concern you, but…make sure to keep me in your thoughts, too,” said Sapphee.
“…Okay.”
Being spoken to by Sapphee like this made Glenn want to scold himself for getting lost in his own thoughts. He couldn’t hold back a strained smile as he looked at Sapphee’s embarrassed, innocent expression. Worrying about the smallest of things was a bad habit of his.
Glenn decided that since they were at a celebratory festival, he should try and enjoy it with Sapphee as much as he could.
***
The ceremony had begun. Glenn was right—Skadi stood on a stage built on the main bridge and was going to give an address. She looked dignified as she climbed up on the platform precariously built into the bridge’s handrail. Everyone was eager to hear what she had to say.
“Since it started last year, the great Waterways reconstruction project has had the support of each and every citizen of Lindworm, and has been able to end safely by this inauguration date. Along with my gratitude to the many individuals involved in this project, I, Skade Dragenfelt, offer a small fire dragon blessing to the newly-reborn Merrow Waterways…”
While Skadi was the person standing on the stage, Kunai was the one relaying her message. Glenn knew that, given the volume of Skadi’s voice, her words wouldn’t reach the ears of everyone gathered here. This wasn’t the first time Kunai had spoken for Skadi, but there were political opponents of Skadi who felt it very suspicious that the city council’s representative didn’t speak with her own words.
Glenn had also become curious—why was Skadi’s voice so quiet?
“They’ve invited a lot of people besides us, haven’t they?” Sapphee whispered in Glenn’s ear. They were sitting in seats that had been specially arranged for those with personal invitations. The area they were seated in resembled a sidewalk café and had a good view of the main bridge where Skadi stood. A large number of the other guests surrounded them.
“Really?” Glenn asked.
“Yes. That over there is the representative of the Scythia Company… Miss Tisalia’s father. There’s also Aluloona from Aluloona Plantation. Even the boss of the Kuklo Workshop. That open seat… Oh, that must be Dr. Cthulhy’s seat. Skipping out again, I see.”
“Dr. Cthulhy’s very busy—that’s why,” Glenn chimed in.
“Over there is the head of the Lindworm branch of Loose Silk Sewing, it looks like. Oh, and Arahnia’s with her, too,” Sapphee continued. It seemed that all the representatives of the major businesses and organizations in Lindworm had been invited. Arahnia was the designer at Loose Silk Sewing and must have been attending along with her boss.
All of a sudden, Glenn felt nervous. He worried that a simple town doctor such as himself was out of place at such a ceremony. Unaware of Glenn’s unease, Sapphee calmly sipped the tea they had been served. She wasn’t the type to get nervous when surrounded by important people of great stature.
“Seven mermaids have graciously accepted my request to be here for today’s ceremony. As you all enjoy the beautiful voices of these merfolk, I ask that you enjoy the newly-rebuilt Waterways to your hearts’ content.” Skadi’s words resonated through the Waterways through Kunai’s voice.
The entire bridge was astir. Whistles and applause showered Skadi in praise. As the city council representative, she certainly had quite a few political rivals, but she was also very popular with the citizens of Lindworm. Glenn thought perhaps it was because of her frequent trips out into the city, where she walked around with Kunai in tow.
“Finally… This is something extremely, extremely personal, but it is also something I would definitely ask for those assembled to hear,” Kunai said. Continuing the speech, Skadi reached out her hand to the bridge handrail.
“Ten years ago I gave this former fortress town the name of Lindworm. The name Lindworm means ‘sky dragon.’ They are a species of dragon that fly through the air. Why did I give it a name like that? Gossipers will claim that since I, Skadi Dragenfelt, am a fire dragon, I gave it the name of a dragon because I intend to rule over this city. However, that it absolutely not the case.”
Even among dragons, there were a number of different species. Sky dragons. Fire dragons. Poison dragons. In Glenn’s home in the eastern edge of human territory, it was believed there were dragons there completely different from those found in the western monster territory. They were mysterious creatures that had a crocodilian head, a snake-like body, and could fly through the air without any wings.
Glenn wondered why there were so many different species of dragon. One explanation was that dragons were originally beings that existed close to the gods. When the dragons separated themselves from the gods and lived too long on the ground, they were corrupted by the earth, and their bodies greatly deteriorated. It was a satisfactory explanation, but Glenn still wondered.
To some extent, dragons remained mysterious creatures. There was much about them that was impossible to understand with his knowledge of biology.
“This city is…a place for humans and monsters to live. There may be problems. There may be disputes. There may be disasters. I’m sure there may be people from other places that say all sorts of things about our city’s way of life. However, I believed that by giving the city the name of a dragon, no matter what happened, the dragon would protect this town. And by dragon, I don’t mean myself. I believe in the divine protection of the founder of
our species, far up in the heavens.”
Skadi wasn’t the ruler of Lindworm, despite often being mistaken as such. The administration of Lindworm was decided on by a group of influential members of the city, including Skadi, conferring together on issues. Skadi was their representative, but that didn’t mean she had any authority to decide things on her own. Naturally there was a difference between the influence her voice held compared to the other voices in the city council, but that was entirely because of her own competence and ability. There wasn’t anyone who believed she was trying to take over the city for herself.
“Consequently, I… I will soon…”
Everyone waited for Skadi’s next words. Everyone imagined that she was about to say something important.
Yet, they didn’t come. Glenn wondered if she was unsure of what to say, but it was strange that the speech that had flowed so smoothly up until that moment had suddenly stopped.
Kunai also glanced over at Skadi. The fact that her voice-by-proxy, Kunai, was suspicious meant that Skadi’s words had indeed faltered. The audience waited with bated breath for Skadi’s next words.
The next moment it happened. Skadi looked as if she were taking a bow.
“Miss Kunai!” Glenn reflexively called out, and stood up. The bridge was a ways off, but he was sure his voice had reached it. Pushing his way through the audience, Glenn began to run.
What had looked like a bow had been Skadi falling forward. Her balance faltering, Skadi was held up by Kunai next to her. Kunai’s anguished cry reached Glenn as he ran to the bridge. Glenn wondered—had she fainted? Was it some kind of spasm? Was it just a slight fit of dizziness?
No, he thought, it wasn’t that. No matter how many times Kunai called out to Skadi, there was no answer.
Skadi had completely lost consciousness. It was imperative that he give her first aid.
However, the problem was that there were so many people. To make matters worse, both ends of the bridge were overflowing with audience members trying to hear Skadi’s speech. There was a limit to how many people he could push aside with his slender arms. Not only that, there wasn’t anyone in the crowd who knew what was going on, and he found himself in the middle of mass chaos.
Glenn was desperate to get through, but at this rate, he thought he might arrive at Skadi’s side too late. A delay in the initial response was often fatal when it came to emergency medical treatment.
“Hngh… Miss Skadi!” Glenn yelled as he writhed through the crowd, trying to move forward, when—
“Doctor, this way.” Sapphee said, seizing Glenn by the hand. Sapphee slithered her way through the gaps in the crowd in a way Glenn thought was perhaps expected of a lamia like her. Even when it looked like they wouldn’t be able to get through at first glance, using her lamia body, she was able to forcibly squeeze herself through. Times like these made Glenn realize just how reliable she was.
“Please hurry,” said Sapphee.
“I know,” Glenn replied.
Under the lamia’s guidance, Glenn was able to slip through the crowd. After getting through the mass of people, he saw Skadi’s collapsed figure in front of him. At her side, Kunai held Skadi’s arms and desperately called out to her. With her master in a critical state, Kunai’s already fair complexion grew even paler.
“Please don’t move her. Somebody! Get me a stretcher!” said Glenn, firing off instructions.
“Oh! You came! Thank goodness…” Kunai replied, a look of relief spreading across her face. “She suddenly fell forward. She doesn’t respond when I try calling out to her…”
“It could be trouble with her heart or brain. Does Miss Skadi suffer from any chronic diseases?”
“Well…” Kunai looked around, worried. It seemed to Glenn that she happened to know of some chronic disease, but it wasn’t like Kunai to be at a loss for an answer. Glenn thought he saw her glance toward the crowd and realized it might be something she couldn’t talk about in such a public place.
“I understand. In any event, I’m going to begin emergency first aid,” said Glenn, bringing his face close to Skadi’s veil. She was breathing. He immediately went to take her pulse. Since she had scales around her wrist, Glenn put his hand through the side of her robe and took her pulse from her neck.
It was then that Glenn realized Skadi wasn’t wearing anything else underneath her robe. He was startled, but he knew now wasn’t the time to comment on it.
Her pulse was weak, but still there.
“I’ve confirmed she’s breathing and that she still has a pulse. Let’s transport her immediately. Miss Skadi’s regular doctor is…Dr. Cthulhy, correct?” asked Glenn.
“Y-yeah,” Kunai replied.
Glenn had been able to confirm that she was breathing and that her blood was flowing properly, in which case, there wasn’t much else he could do on the bridge. He determined that they needed to head for the Lindworm Central Hospital and treat Skadi there, together with Cthulhy. He was sure that even she would be surprised at the circumstances of their long-awaited reunion.
It was well past the time for the ceremony. Just like Kunai, many of the people gathered there watched intently as Glenn examined Skadi.
***
The rumor soon ran through all of Lindworm. It quickly took on a life of its own. Embellishments and exaggerations were added to the story until it had become a monster, with little left of the truth.
It morphed into a completely groundless rumor that someone had plotted an assassination attempt on Skadi. Was it the farmer Aluloona, recognized as next in line to become the city council representative? Or was it the branch manager of Loose Silk Sewing, who always enjoyed scheming and plotting something or another? No, maybe it was the hospital director Cthulhy who poisoned her. These and other such irresponsible rumors ran rampant. Ignoring that she had only collapsed, some even jumped to the conclusion that Skadi was already dead, and managed to crowd into the central assembly hall and cause a scene.
That day, the only thing anyone in the town talked about was Skadi. But the disturbance, to look on the positive side, clearly demonstrated just how much she was loved and how important a person she was to the city.
And thus there came an unprecedented treatment, one which would shake the entire town of the dragon to its core. A major dragon surgery was about to begin.
CASE 01:
The Fatigued Scylla
Lindworm. Whe n one spoke the name of this city, they spoke about a former fortress town. During the previous war, it had been a stronghold, built on the front lines of the human forces. The fortress had barely any facilities that weren’t expressively dedicated to combat. However, when Skadi came, she gave the fortress town the name of Lindworm and remade it to be suitable for civilians to live in.
The arena had formerly been a place where prisoners were forced to fight for entertainment. The central city council building had been used for the leading generals to gather and hold war councils. Though these various buildings and facilities were rebuilt and remodeled, their general shape remained as it had been during the war. It had been decided that the buildings were so massive that it was better to use them than destroy them.
The Central Hospital had also been repurposed from one of the military facilities. It had formerly been a military hospital, but was heavily remodeled after the war and changed into one for the citizens of the city. It had been a long and difficult process to court a doctor of monster medicine to come to the hospital, but in the end Cthulhy Squele was named director and the Central Hospital was given its current structure.
As almost a sort of bonus, Glenn also opened up his own clinic, but that wasn’t a necessary detail to add.
Cthulhy’s shrewdness was plain for anybody to see. There wasn’t another hospital on the entire continent that could compete with the Central Hospital when it came to practicing monster medicine. With its state-of-the-art equipment and Cthulhy’s brilliant pupils, the hospital had a proven track record of treating and healing monsters with
both rare and life-threatening diseases.
It would be appropriate to say that, as a town doctor, Glenn’s intended role was completely different. This was the first time in a very long while that Glenn had come to the Central Hospital. For a short period of time before opening his own practice, he had actually been a resident working there.
“We haven’t really come here since opening up the clinic, have we?” said Glenn.
“That’s because we’ve been busy. Besides, all the things we’ve been doing were forced on us by Miss Cthulhy. We haven’t asked for any help from the Central Hospital, after all,” Sapphee replied, clearly displeased with the unreasonable tasks that occasionally came to them from Cthulhy. The two women had never gotten along to begin with, even when Glenn and Sapphee were in the Academy together.
They continued through the enormous entrance. As to be expected, the monsters there were the first to catch Glenn’s eye. At the Central Hospital, there were a large number of beds prepared for patients. Both the patients and those working to treat them were all monsters. It was proof that Glenn was about the only praiseworthy human who had aspired to master monster medicine.
There wasn’t another single human to be found, but Glenn was used to such an environment and didn’t really pay it any mind. Ever since he enrolled at the Monster Academy, he had grown used to feeling the odd-species-out in a crowded room.
A nurse passing by bowed her head. Glenn remembered that she had been a senior pupil of Cthulhy’s when he had been a resident here. They hadn’t been particularly close, but she waved toward Sapphee with a smile on her face. If anything, the nurse had been better friends with Sapphee.
“I guess since everyone knows our faces, we don’t even need to go through reception,” Sapphee said with a carefree tone to her voice. Normally, it would be difficult just to meet with the hospital director, but as Cthulhy’s personal pupils, no one questioned Glenn and Sapphee.
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