Before treating the Demon Disease of the Young Lady of the Keres Ducal Family, I took her Medical History through the Duke.
"First of all, what is the main Symptom?"
"She has a severe Cough, and experiences Dyspnea with even the slightest movement."
"Since when has it been like this?"
"It has been a while. Almost two years."
"Is it progressively Worsening?"
"It is."
A progressively worsening Cough and Dyspnea.
"By any chance, is there a Wheezing Sound when she breathes?"
"She does not."
"Has she ever woken up from her sleep at night?"
"She tends to wake up often."
What is this? Atypical Asthma?
Asthma is a Disease where the airways narrow, making it difficult to breathe.
In this case, 'Wheezing' is a typical characteristic.
However, rarely, there can be Asthma without Wheezing.
Asthma presenting in the form of a Cough is a prime example.
'I hope it is Asthma.'
If it is Asthma, the Treatment Method is not that difficult.
Because it can be corrected with a Steroid without having to resort to Black magic.
However, looking at the Evidence that followed, I ruled out the possibility of Asthma.
"What about cases where she has a Fever or her body shivers with chills?"
"There were times."
"Has she ever coughed up Phlegm?"
"I am not too sure about that, but I think there was hardly any."
Fever, chills, and a dry Cough without Phlegm.
It is a Symptom that is hard to see in Asthma.
In other words, the possibility of Asthma is ruled out.
"Do the symptoms tend to change throughout the day? For example, the symptoms worsening at night."
"That is also true. She would be fine in the Morning, but it would have a Flare-up and worsen at night."
In this case, the candidates are narrowed down a lot.
"Since you came to me for a Demon Disease, you must have tried casting Healing Magic, right?"
A Demon Disease is impossible to make a Diagnosis for until Divine Magic is cast.
At the Meyer Infirmary, I taught them not to cast Magic blindly before a Diagnosis is made, but
Before I provided this Education, the Field of Healing Arts usually just cast Magic right away when there was a sick person.
If their back hurt, they would roughly assume it was a Joint problem,
And if they couldn't breathe, they would assume it was a Lungs or heart problem.
They would just cast a Heal right away like that.
Then what if the Symptom got worse?
Oh dear, it was a Demon Disease.
What a pity.
Saying this, they would just set down a bowl of water and start praying.
So the fact that the Young Lady came due to a Demon Disease meant, in other words, that she had received a Heal for it before.
"That is right."
"What kind of Divine Magic was used at the time?"
"A Greater Heal was cast."
"Her Cough must have Worsened significantly."
"Correct Answer. We almost lost our daughter back then."
"Is that Healer here right now?"
"He followed us all the way from the Territory, saying he wanted to see the Miracle you invoke together."
With that, the Duke pointed his Jaw at a Low-rank Priest standing in the corner of the Dining Room.
"He is my daughter's Exclusive Healer. Do you have any Words for him?"
At the Duke's gesture, the Low-rank Priest standing in the corner flinched and bowed his head.
I said to that Healer.
"Judging by your attire, you are a High-rank Healer. I will skip the additional explanations and get straight to the point. Casting a Greater Heal without even knowing if it is a Demon Disease or not is too dangerous."
"I have realized that as well."
The Priest's Shoulders shrank back considerably as he said that.
"Because if by any chance it was a Demon Disease, the Patient could have died on the spot. Did that not actually almost happen."
"......I have no Face, Lord Saint."
"I am not rebuking you. There is just a part I want to inform you about."
While categorizing the Demon Diseases from countless casebooks over the past Ten years, there was something I realized.
It is that this world neglects the Diagnosis of a Disease.
Once the Healers of this world see a Disease, they first distinguish which Part of the body the disease started from.
And depending on the Part of the body that caused it, they send it to the corresponding specific Sect.
Looks like a Plague? To the Mencia Sect.
An Obstetrics problem? To the Lafavre Sect.
Looks like a Joint problem? To the Elbior Sect.
The problem is that the Diagnosis does not go any deeper than this.
If Pus forms, it is the Pus Plague.
If there is a Cough, it is the Cough Plague.
If the fingers rot, it is the Black Death.
And if Divine Magic works on them?
They do not bother digging any further.
Since it gets cured anyway, they do not feel the need to Triage it.
Right. I do understand.
You could say it is fine as long as it gets cured.
However, the problem is that sometimes, things like the Demon Disease are mixed in among them.
In other words, within this Diagnosis System, there was a blind spot where the Demon Disease is only discovered after Worsening it once.
'I realized this after treating Freya.'
It was the same for Freya.
I thought it was a light Cold or the Flu and cast a Heal, but what was this.
It was a Cytokine Storm.
After that Incident, I was not satisfied with just categorizing the Demon Disease.
'I need to fix the System.'
I should reduce the number of cases where a person dies from casting a Heal without thinking.
The first step of that was exactly the reorganization of the Diagnosis algorithm at the Meyer Clinic.
"From now on, no matter the Patient, follow the order. First, observe their reaction lightly with a Refresh, and if there are no abnormalities, a Minor Heal, and only then a Greater Heal. You increase it step by step like this."
It is the manual for the Meyer Clinic's Emergency Ward.
No matter what kind of Patient comes in, you must make a Diagnosis and then cast a Heal.
And even after making a Diagnosis, cast the Heal in a way that raises it step by step.
It was a manual meant to distinguish the Demon Disease at the Refresh stage, even if the Diagnosis ended in Failure.
The Healer, having heard the explanation, repeated blankly.
"Step by step...... you mean."
"That is right."
"However, Lord Saint, if we do that...... would it not consume too much Divine Power. If we use a Refresh and then layer a Heal on top to make a Diagnosis for one person......"
"Has the Era not changed."
If it were in the past, I would not have made this manual either.
Questioning where we would have the leeway to waste our already lacking Divine Power on something like that.
But the Era changed after Penicillin and countless auxiliary Treatment Methods were created.
"This method is the method we started at our Infirmary half a year ago. Because there have been many Demon Disease Patients we distinguished by doing this for the past half year, The Order has also decided to adopt it as the standard Treatment Method starting Next year."
A Crohn's Disease Patient was also filtered out using this method.
Thinking it was a simple Enteritis, I cast a Heal, and it got caught once during the Refresh stage.
Fortunately, the Refresh did not cause Worsening of the Demon Disease to a serious Level.
A Refresh has the Effect of Fatigue recovery and slight Hemostasis in a general Patient.
Thanks to this, for the Demon Disease, it ended at the Level where the Patient only felt a little pain and exhaustion.
'It is a relief that Refresh does not have a large Effect on the immune system.'
After this manual was created, the Accident rate caused by Demon Disease Patients at the Meyer Clinic plummeted to a decimal Level.
I was informing the Ducal Family's Exclusive Healer of that manual.
"From now on, you just need to cast it step by step in that manner."
The Textbook is also scheduled to be changed.
The contents Ayla will learn from Next year will also change like this.
If the Era has changed, shouldn't the Textbook also change.
There was no reason to drag the Common sense from the days when Divine Power was precious all the way into the Era where Divine Power has become abundant.
"......Ah."
The Priest's face, who was listening to my explanation, slowly brightened.
"I see. That is right. How could I not have thought of that...... I was so captivated only by the thought that Divine Power had to be conserved, that I completely failed to fathom that the Era has changed."
He looked up at me with a face full of Overwhelming Emotion.
"This humble one feels as if my eyes have opened only today. As expected of the Lord Saint. How could you see at a glance what this foolish one could not see even after holding onto it for Decades......"
"......"
It was starting again.
It was so embarrassing whenever they made a Fuss over such a simple Idea.
I appropriately let that Admiration slide past my ears, and turned my gaze back to the Duke.
I was sick and tired of hearing these kinds of praises.
I should finish up the Diagnosis.
"Duke. I will ask a few more things. Has there been anyone else in the family who suffered from this kind of Disease? For instance, your daughter's Mother, or among close Bloodlines."
It was a Question to check the Family History.
It is not like all Demon Diseases are like that, but since most Demon Diseases are Diseases where Family History is important, there was a need to check.
The Duke was lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Neither that child's Mother nor I have ever suffered from a Disease like this."
"It is fine even if they are not direct descendants. What about among distant relatives, or Retainers?"
"......Come to think of it."
The Duke's eyebrows twitched.
"They were not direct descendants, but among the Branch family or the Retainers who have served the family for generations...... occasionally there were those like this. About one person per Generation, there was someone who withered away panting for breath."
"About one person per Generation?"
"That is right."
There is no Family History, but it breaks out every Generation among the Branch family/Retainers who learned the same Military prowess.
If so, it meant it was a Disease where the hereditary trait was not that strong.
In other words......
'Is it the environment.'
I roughly got a grasp of it.
I would need to do an examination to know the details, but even so, this level was no different from a Confirmed diagnosis.
The Circumstantial Evidence was solidified enough.
Now the only thing left was to see that child in person and fit the final piece together.
"Thank you for your Words, Duke."
I stood up from my seat.
"Now, let us see your daughter."
Should I pay some attention to the Dramatization for the first time in a while.
*
Don't they say a schoolyard dog can recite poetry after three years.
It is the same for me.
Perhaps it is thanks to having a Deduction Confrontation with Shallot whenever I was bored.
Now, even if not to her extent, mimicking it has become possible.
It seemed like such a Dramatization would be possible this time around as well.
So while heading towards the Young Lady's room under the Duke's Guidance, I thought of appropriate Deduction Dramatizations in my head.
"This way."
During that time, the Duke took the lead and led me deep inside the ship.
As we passed through the hallway, the air subtly changed.
I am not talking about the atmosphere, the actual air changed.
Since I do not have a Mage's Talent, it is hard to express, but.
Should I say it roughly felt like the air's constituent elements in the atmosphere had changed?
You know that feeling of the air changing when you go from a City to the countryside.
It was roughly that kind of feeling.
And this did not seem to be an illusion.
Gregor, who was following behind, cautiously asked the Duke a Question.
"Your Excellency Keres. There are many Barriers. By any chance, that Demon Disease you spoke of is......"
"Since you are a Holy Knight, you must be able to feel it. My daughter is weak to Sickness, so I have wrapped a Divine Barrier tenfold. Ah, do not misunderstand. It is not that a Demon has possessed her."
It seems the air had become clearer due to the 10-layer Barrier that wards off evil things.
With this much, I thought even the City's Smog would not be able to come anywhere near her.
'The Duke is also overprotective.'
He set up the facilities of the Demon-Sealing Prison where I was locked up in 10 layers.
Just for the room of a single daughter.
He probably had to pay quite a bit of Donation money to The Order for this.
I did not seem to be the only one interested in the cost of this Barrier.
Perisia also muttered to herself in Admiration.
"It is at a similar level to the Barriers of the Merkur Vaccine Factory and Penicillin Factory."
It was exactly as she said.
A 10-layer Barrier like this could only be seen at the factories of the Merkur Trading Company.
If there was a difference, it was that while here was a structure meant to block things from coming in from the outside,
The Penicillin Factory was a structure that isolated both the outside and inside.
Because if Germs or a Virus escapes from there, it would be a major disaster.
Since I had no thoughts of reviving the Magic Tower of the 13th Month, our factories had those kinds of Barriers placed anywhere from 15 to as many as 30 layers.
Thanks to that, The Order did smilingly extort a massive amount of Donation money, though.
Anyway.
We passed through those strict Barriers and stopped in front of the Young Lady's room.
"Then I will introduce my daughter."
The Duke opened the door that acted as the final Barrier.
The inside of the room that opened up like that was a completely different world from the outside.
Inside the room without a single window, as if not giving a single gap for the outside air to enter.
Under the faint Mana Stone Lamp.
A damp air wafted out heavily from the direction of the room.
In the middle of that room.
A girl with Black hair hanging long from her Shoulders welcomed us with her two hands politely clasped.
As if she had heard in advance that guests were coming, she was not in undergarments even inside the room.
Over a fluttering white inner garment, she stood with a single black robe draped like a Cape.
Pale blue lips and a bloodless face could be seen.
Every time she breathed, her frail Shoulders rose and fell precariously.
'Cyanosis and the use of the Accessory Respiratory Muscle confirmed.'
The possibility of it being the Disease I was thinking of went up a notch.
The girl straightened her attire and bowed toward this side.
"I am called Gretel Keres. To think I get to meet the highly rumored Black Saint in person. For this humble girl to meet such an honored guest before passing away, I do not know what to do with myself."
"Dear child, do not make such introductions in front of your Father, even as a joke."
Duke Keres pointed out in appall.
The Young Lady only gave a soft smile.
With just that short Exchange, an Impression of her was deeply embedded into my head.
She was clearly showing signs of illness, but was a Heroine who did not succumb to her sickness.
Taking after her Father, she was a woman who stood out with a somewhat old-fashioned aspect.
I greeted her briefly.
"I am Yulian Nihilrit Schnabel."
"It is an Honor to meet you."
I approached her side.
I had her sit on the edge of the bed just like that, and began the treatment.
"Excuse me."
"By all means. This Body is already halfway into the afterlife, so please examine it to your heart's content."
"Ahem......"
The Duke let out a Dry Cough, perhaps Uncomfortable with his Daughter's joke.
Be that as it may.
I focused on her Physical Examination.
First, I grabbed her wrist and checked her Pulse.
She looked on as if amazed.
"Are you taking my pulse to see the flow of blood?"
"I am only checking your Pulse."
'Do I look like Hua Tuo to you.'
To be able to tell what kind of Energy is flowing just by taking a pulse.
If something like that were possible, I would not have performed Surgery every single time, but instead just placed acupuncture needles and Freeloaded.
'She has Acrocyanosis and Clubbing too.'
While checking her Pulse, I also checked her Fingertips.
The tips of her fingers were dyed blue and slightly swollen bluntly.
However, there was no problem with the Pulse itself.
'The possibility of it being a heart problem should be low.'
Next, I went around to her back and placed the Stethoscope.
When she inhaled, fine sounds leaked out from the bottom of her Lungs.
A sound like rubbing dry leaves, or like tearing an old leather strap.
'......Crackles.'
It was not a Wheezing Sound caused by a narrowed airway.
It was a completely different sound made as the deep alveoli hardened.
With this, it became certain that it was not Asthma, at least.
At the same time, I was certain that the Disease I had guessed was correct.
I raised my body and sat facing Gretel.
'Shall I slowly begin now.'
I could tell them the Diagnosis name as it is, but,
For the sake of Dramatization, there was an even better Dramatization.
That was exactly a bottom-line-first Deduction show.
A Dramatization that skipped the process and let them hear the Conclusion first, making it look as if I was a genius.
'Originally, first impressions are important for people.'
Once the first Impression is cemented as a genius, there is no need to care about the Dramatization after that.
Because even if I show a somewhat clumsy side or make a mistake afterwards, they would think of me as a genius.
Erika and Shallot are prime examples of that.
The day I first met them, I intentionally Engraved an Impression on them that I was a genius.
Perhaps it is thanks to that Engraving being properly embedded back then.
From then on, even without paying special attention, they considered me to be superior to them.
Even now, Shallot probably thinks I am on the level of a Rival to her, right?
'Since this happens to be the first Demon Disease Diagnosis I am making after my identities as Yulian and a Saint have been integrated.'
To that extent, the Impression was far more important.
So I intentionally intended a little Dramatization.
"The Duke stated that the Disease started 2 years ago. However, my thought is different. The Young Lady must have had a lingering Cough starting from 5 years ago when she boarded a ship following her Father. And the duties she was in charge of at that time must have been managing the grain and supplies in the Cargo Hold."
"That is correct. How did you know?"
"It is a simple Deduction."
Her hands are the Evidence.
If her role was fighting directly with Demonic Beasts on the deck, she would have had many Scars on her body.
The Duke's hands are the example of that.
The marks of anchor ropes left clearly on every knuckle.
Those marks told how fierce the fights with the Demonic Beasts were.
On the contrary, her hands were clean.
There was a high possibility she took on duties far from rough sea labor.
Of course, she could be a Navigator.
But the reason I saw it as Cargo Hold Management was due to the Disease.
Because the Disease she is suffering from is a Disease that frequently breaks out in such an environment.
When I let them hear those Deductions, the Duke, who had been watching silently, forgot his Face and asked me urgently.
"Then does that mean you figured out about the Disease, Sir?"
"Of course I did. I can even treat it right now."
"Then what Disease is it?"
"It is exactly Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis."
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.
You can roughly view it as an Allergy version of Pneumonia.
To be exact, it is a Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction, which is different from an Allergy, but I could not go as far as explaining that to these people who were not even medical students.
It is just a Disease where Pneumonia occurs like an Allergy when a certain substance is inhaled.
It mainly occurs due to an Organic Antigen, meaning powder originating from a Living organism like rice flour, Mushroom Spores, or wood Dust.
Naturally, it is a Disease frequently caught by Profession groups often exposed to such substances,
And occasionally appears in anyone from farmers to Carpenters, and even Wine Artisans.
The interesting point is that it also frequently appears in sea people.
It is because a Cargo Hold filled with moisture and Mold is exactly that kind of environment.
The treatment Medication for this Disease is simple.
Steroid.
Right.
It was the kind of Disease that I could treat.
"For now, I can treat you right away with Medication and Magic. However, there is something that needs to be done before that."
However, Medication alone is not enough.
Just as I used an Allergy as a Metaphor, this Disease also required a Management method fitting for it.
I took out the items I had kept an eye on during the Diagnosis from the corner of the room.
"First of all, there will be a need to clear these items out of the room. There is no need to go as far as quitting your hobby of calligraphy, but at the very least, I do not recommend keeping the items in this room."
"Did my Father tell you about my hobby?"
"No. The Young Lady's clothes and Fingertips told me."
Ink was stained on her Fingertips, there was no way I could not know.
"And absolutely do not keep the Brush inside the room either. The fur will fly around."
One might question what calligraphy has to do with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, but unexpectedly, it is also frequently discovered among those people.
In particular, archaeologists who Major in Ancient Documents also catch it,
It is said they catch Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis because of the Mold that grew in the Ancient Documents......
The Brush is also a problem.
If it were an artificial Synthesis Brush made of plastic, it might be different, but a Young Lady like this would definitely use premium fur like weasel fur.
Since they are sea people, I wonder if they used sea otter or river otter fur.
Such fur is also one of the Worsening factors for the Disease.
Next, I pointed to the Pillow.
"Is it made from Waterfowl Feathers?"
"It is a Pillow made from Waterfowl Feathers, a precious specialty product from the Duchy, but......"
"You should change the Pillow as well. To a Pillow that does not use feathers, if possible."
And lastly, one more thing.
"It would be best for you to fix your habit of secretly eating snacks and drinking alcohol in your room."
I could tell by the fact that the bed was unnaturally bulging in the shape of a Liquor Bottle.
That is how it is when Erika hides snacks,
Why do Patients think they will not be caught if they cover it with a blanket.
I said while pointing at the bulging blanket.
Gretel, having heard my alcohol ban, spoke with a serious face.
"......Does that have something to do with the Disease as well?"
"It is just not good for the body."
It has no correlation with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.
It was just something said because a Doctor dislikes alcohol.
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