ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Doctor's Daily Life - Karte 3

October 2

Lithianburg, Crossnellyard Empire

Imperial Palace, Fourth Princess's Room

"...Arisa!?"

"?"

A chance encounter between the princess and the town doctor, a moment later, the Fourth Princess Theopha Rae Anglem is stunned to see Shibata staring at her, and a question mark appeared on her face.

"Is there something wrong?"

"........."

Theopha tilted her head and asked. But Shibata remained silent, as if her words had fallen on deaf ears.

"Hey..."

"!"

His mind finally returned to the matter at hand at the call of his partner standing next to him, and Shibata braced himself and responded to the Princess's words, adopting the same attitude toward his superiors as he had done toward the Emperor earlier.

"...F-forgive me. Your Highness, this is our first meeting."

Shibata appears to be trying to mend a somewhat distraught mind. Kanzaki, who was watching him from the side, could see what was going through Shibata's mind.

'I am surprised... Even I felt a trace of her in the princess's appearance...'

Kanzaki's inner thoughts, which pretended to be normal, was shaken as much as Shibata's. The two then stood at the door and approached the princess. Standing next to the bed, Kanzaki took out the instruments from the bag he brought with him and prepared to begin the examination. Beside him, Shibata spoke to Theopha.

"The Emperor's request is to treat Your Highness... We will treat you in accordance with our country's medical art. We may also perform palpation and blood sampling, if that is acceptable?"

Shibata stated the precautions to be taken to begin the medical examination.

"Yes. Please don't worry about it... Please cure my illness," Theopha answered once and for all.

Like Crown Prince Jettis, she seemed to have total confidence in her father, the emperor, and in the Japanese medicine that he trusted. Shibata soon began to examine the princess. After taking vital signs such as temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure, the examination proceeded to auscultation of the chest.

"Then, I'll leave you to it..."

With that, Shibata put on his stethoscope and moved the chestpiece in his right hand closer to the princess's chest.

'...She had a dry cough and a slight fever on temperature check. Some dyspnea is also observed.'

After completing the auscultation, Shibata looked a bit surprised and gave his assessment of the disease to Theopha, who had her back to him.

"I am not sure, but her lungs are not in good condition. It is probably pneumonia, as Hearoot-dono has diagnosed."

"I see..."

Theopha slumped at Shibata's pronouncement. The name of the disease he gave was the same as that given by Hearoot, the official court physician. Here, Hearoot advised 'prayer', but the emperor did not approve of this and called Shibata in.

"Then, let's continue the examination..." Shibata said, and then instructed Theopha to turn toward him.

He palpated the lymph nodes at the base of Theopha's neck and takes the tongue depressor that Kanzaki gave him.

"...Please open your mouth."

"........."

Theopha followed Shibata's instruction and opened her mouth wide. Just as he was about to insert the tongue depressor into her mouth, Shibata froze.