I was sitting in my chair at my office desk as usual, very high and mighty, leaving the beautiful woman standing, but it can’t be helped since in terms of position, I am higher.
It’s a relationship between a hired doctor and his employer after all.
I wouldn't think the person was a wise man or anything, it can’t be helped, right.
I'd like to get them to sit down on the couch or something as soon as possible, but I don't know how to get them to sit down, so I'll just leave it at that for now. It can't be helped!
I don't know where to start, but I'm going to try my best to sort out the information first.
As for whether this person is really a wise man or not, I can guess from Augusto-san's amazing specs, so I can assume that there is no mistake.
I've read in the manual that wise men can sense other wise men, so unless I'm wrong about that, I'm probably fine.
More importantly, I'm not sure if this beautiful woman in front of me is even a person or not.
In fact, I have a feeling that she may not even be human.
I don't know what I'm going to do if I can change my appearance so languidly and freely.
I don't understand or know much about fantasy, so even if it's in my knowledge of other species or Augusto-san's, I can't keep up with my understanding.
Can I just ignore it, okay? I don't know anymore.
Okay, let's think of something else.
Unless they're lying, this person is Augusto-sab's tutor, Julia-san's doctor, and Augusto-san's mother's doctor, isn't that too much information?
If this is some kind of elaborate surprise, or if they're doing all these things just to trick me, I'm still wondering if it's necessary for a wise man, who is out of the ordinary, to do such a thing, so I think it will probably be fine. Don’t really know though.
So, according to this theory, this person is an acquaintance of the previous head of the family, in other words, a friend of Augusto-san's father.
I don't know what kind of friend he is, because Augusto-san's father is no longer with us.
I'm curious about it, but it's personal information, and after all, it's probably private, so I think the best solution is to let it go.
Well, I'll just dismiss this as another thing to worry about and ask about other, safer places to wonder about.
"So, why do you look like that?"
“This? This is my little ...... I don't remember how many, but it's my wife's, or daughter's ...... I don't remember. Oh well, it's just someone in my memory."
You don't even know who it is after all.
"She was too good to be true! Here look! At this body!"
"You're saying that even though you've forgotten what the relationship was about?"
It's okay to pose sexy, but is that okay with you?
"Hahaha! That's good! The only person who knows who this is is me!"
Either you don't want to say it or you've really forgotten it, but it doesn't matter to me, so I honestly don't care.
However, I felt that it would be wrong to say it out loud, so I thought about it for a while.
"Does that mean you've been around that long, doctor?"
When I asked him a safe question for the time being, the indefinite wise man answered with a cheerful smile.
"That's right! I don't even know how long I've been here since I got tired of counting my age!"
"You don't even know how long you've been here?"
"Yes! It's no wonder I started having trouble after I counted a thousand!"
No, there’s too much becoming a trouble, what on earth.
I mean, I know how you feel.
I'm sure it will happen to me one day.
Oh no, what should I do? I have a feeling that will definitely happen.
I'm sure Augusto-san's specs are too powerful for him to forget, and I'm sure he'll be able to count it unconsciously, but it'll definitely be a hassle.
Yeah, it seems like there's no end to my thinking, so let's get back to the topic at hand.
"Hmm, so may I ask what your true form is?"
"I'm glad you're so interested in me."
In spite of the fact that they smiled at me like a beautiful woman, all they did to me was make me feel plainly annoyed. I want to shake them so badly, what is this?
"If you can, please don't make fun of me."
"Having said that, don't you think I can't answer something I can't remember?"
You've changed so much you've forgotten what you look like? Oh, man.
"So, what was your race?"
"Well, I don't know what it is, but even if your memory is multiplied several times by the gods, if you spend more time than that, you can't remember."
"...... I see."
"I can only remember the last five hundred years."
No, I think that's a pretty dangerous memory capacity too.
Well, if I pry into the details, I'm sure they've either forgotten or don't want to tell me, so I'm going to pass.
Also, it's purely troublesome.
Hm? Isn't there too little I've learned about this person?
Wise man, age unknown, gender unknown, original appearance unknown, purpose unknown. ...... The only thing I know about them is that they're very suspicious.
"So, you have a question for me, do you not?"
"Yes, I do."
I nodded in agreement with them, and then thought quietly.
What was it?
I don't know, there's just too much information out there that I can't process all of it at once.
"Well, I have an idea, it's about Sir's mother, isn't it?"
I finally remembered it because the indefinite wise man said it with a slightly exasperated smug face, thank you very much.
Uhm, well, that's why I was trying to get a meeting with this guy.
I really had lost my memory of him because he was too much of a character. Seriously, what is this guy doing to me?
Oh, it's not his fault, it's mine.
Well, I didn't say it out loud, so it's safe, right?
"If you know what you're doing, may I ask you to explain it to me?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Don't be in such a hurry. Read this chart first."
Laughing wildly, the indefinite wise man shoved their hand into their own cleavage.
I have no idea how they did it, but they took out what looked like a medical record from there and put it on the table.
When they took it out, their big tits shook, and I would like to report that they were so plump that it was slightly uncomfortable.
I'm sure I used to have tits like that, but it's hard to say if they were as unpleasant to look at from the side.
I don't know, maybe it simply depends on the quality of the owner or something like that.
However, the reason why I was getting so many offers for modeling and gravure shoots even though I was working hard to become an actress was probably because of those uselessly large breasts.
I had a hunch, but now I think it's confirmed.
I was proud of it, and even used it as a weapon, but it might have been an obstacle in my profession as an actor.
Thinking about this, I realized how difficult the entertainment industry really was, and picked up the medical record.
"It describes Sir's mother's symptoms and her treatment records up to the present."
Prompted by Indefinite Sage-san's words, I straightened my posture in Augusto-san's favorite chair at his office desk and looked over the medical record.
I'm not a medical professional, so I thought I wouldn't be able to understand it, but as expected of Augusto-san's specs, I was able to read through it quickly, though I didn't know what it was.
To explain it simply, Augusto-san's mother has dementia, which is the closest modern disease, by the explanation.
Here, the disease is called "Schyentia Karsus," which I have no idea what it is. What's that?
"Schyentia is an ancient word meaning knowledge, and karsus means destruction or curse, don't you think it's quite a neat name?"
No, it's more like a junior high school student's idea, and it makes me sick.
Oh well, whatever.
"What's more, is there any way to fix this?"
“How cold.
Well, there's no cure, but it’s not like it definetly won’t be curable.
"......... Hmm, what do you mean?"
If there was no cure, it would be incurable, but what do you mean there is a treatment?
Do you mean, there’s another way to cure it without medicine or something?
"This disease is said to be caused by a defect in the part of the brain that controls memory."
I tried to think of something, but I couldn't figure it out, so I left them alone and listened to their explanation with a smug face.
"In other words, if you can do something about this, you can get well."
Yeah, that's a very suggestive way of putting it.
"......... You mean there is a way?"
"Well, it's not very practical, but there is a way."
“Hmm."
I wonder what kind of methods are impractical.
I can't imagine it at all, but who knows?
I'm not a very smart person, so I can't imagine it at all.
I'll say it again. Oh, but that's too much. Well, that's enough.
I instantly gave up thinking about it and decided to wait for the indefinite wise man's explanation.
"First, you have to cut open the head, puncture the bone, and remove the cause, if there is one."
No, that's just a removal surgery.
I think this is rather surreal, why is this unrealistic?
"But there's a flaw in this method."
The word flaw brought back flashbacks of medical news and documentaries I had seen in modern Japan.
"I see. So if it's not the cause, then it's meaningless."
When I put my thoughts in order and said them out loud, my voice came out more calm than I had imagined.
I thought it was a bit cold, but I decided that this was probably a standard feature of Augusto-san's and gave up.
Now is not the time to be thinking about such things, so I will return to my thoughts and calmly think about it.
First of all, if it was as I thought, it would certainly defeat the purpose of having the surgery.
There were dramas where the cancer couldn't be removed because of the wrong location, and there were even people who died from it.
Even I remembered it, so there must be many similar cases here.
I was convinced of this, but the indefinite wise man waved his hand to deny it.
"I'm sure that's a possibility, but the biggest problem is that I don't know if she'll be able to wake up properly after doing that."
“Hmm."
"After all, you're cutting up the inside of his head, you can't predict what's going to happen, that's why I said it's not a practical method."
It was simply a matter of technical skill.
I realized that now, but if you ask me, it's true.
It is impossible to perform the same level of surgery in this world as in modern Japan, no matter how you look at it.
I was keenly aware from Julia-san's case that no matter how much magic we have, we can't cure all the diseases in this world.
It seems like you can do anything, but there are things you can't do.
In fact, Julia-san's illness was a curse, so it couldn't be cured, but I'm sure there are many other illnesses that can't be cured.
After thinking about it, I suddenly realized that there was something strange.
"I need to check something."
"What is it?"
"Did you know the cause of Julia's illness?"
I asked this question because I couldn't believe that this person in front of me, who was wise and skilled enough to live as a doctor, didn't know about it.
I was convinced by their annoyed smile.
They turned their gaze away from me lightly and slowly looked up at the ceiling, and began to speak as she let out a small breath.
"'............ Yeah, I knew that.
I've been cutting open the bodies of deadwood disease patients to see what the pathogen is."
I was going to answer if they asked.
They closed their eyelids as they continued in an almost drowned out voice.
"It's a really nasty curse, and there's no end to it if you just cut out the magic stone, and besides, it doesn't cure it."
"...... Why do you leave it alone if you know the cause?"
For a moment, I felt so angry that I could have yelled at them, but I held back, realizing the helpless sense of helplessness I felt from them in front of me.
In response to my question, they quietly opened their eyelids and sat down on a nearby sofa with a bang.
The somewhat violent gesture caused their unnecessarily large breasts to bob up and down as much as possible, but the air was so tense that it didn't matter.
After a few moments of silence, they muttered to themselves with an emotionless expression.
"Nothing can come from nothing."
The tone of their voice was plain, but with a subtle feeling of melancholy.
"I couldn't use light-based purification magic."
There was no expression on their face.
But it was a face that I had seen before.
It's as if it's a Noh mask³, but with a slight, indescribable smile on its face.
I wondered what the doctor was thinking when they couldn't find a way to cure her even though they knew what it was.
I can't imagine what they must be thinking.
I'm not a doctor, nor am I a victim.
But I could understand what it meant.
"...... Okay."
"I would have saved her if I could, Julia was a friend of mine too."
They chuckled to herself with a sarcastic smile.
I remembered that they looked completely different from the way them looks now, frantically flying from place to place to investigate the deadwood disease.
And then I realize.
I noticed the similarities between the person from my past and the girl in front of me.
The letters on their medical record, the color of their eyes, their appearance, everything was completely different, but one thing remained the same.
It's “feelings".
Straightforward, sincere, and transparent thoughts.
Their attitude, thoughts, and actions are all the same as they push forward to achieve their goals.
The way they faced people more seriously than anyone else seemed so dazzling.
I felt envious of their freedom and turned my gaze away.
I wondered if I too could live like that.
I lamented in my mind vaguely and then laughed it off.
If I want to live, I should just live, but why am I acting so weak?
I know that I am me, nothing more, nothing less, but I feel like an idiot.
The grass is always greener on the other side, so I guess that's what it is. Uhm.
I'm trying to be serious, but I'm ruining it myself.
I was disappointed in myself, but a straightforward question came to mind, so I decided to ask.
"...... Any other wise man?"
They raised their hand lightly, fluttered it, and then told me plainly.
"Only one of the wise men can use light-based purification magic."
In the next moment, their melancholy mood changed completely.
"The king of the elves, the man-hater."
The words they said were the lowest I've ever heard them say, and they were filled with resentment, so I couldn't keep up with the sudden change and was just confused.
"I tried to convince him, but it was too late"
─────── I guess that's what it boils down to.
Thankfully, Augusto-san had knowledge of what kind of race elves were, so I had an idea of what had happened.
I also wondered what these eccentric, change-averse, long-lived people would think.
Lives that could have been saved were lost to prejudice, discrimination, and a vanity that was not even fertilizer.
There were things that could have been done, and there were people who could have helped.
How disappointing it must have been.
I don't know what they were trying to do at the time, I can only guess from what they said earlier, but I understand that this person, the doctor, was making an effort.
"Thanks to them, I don't like elves anymore!"
I wasn't prejudiced before that! With a troubled laugh, the doctor lay down on his back on the couch.
"...... It's a strange coincidence, doctor, that I now hate elves, too."
Somehow its vaguely unforgivable, I feel like I'm wasting my time.
Maybe the elves had their reasons for doing so, but even if they did, I was so angry that I did my best to say it sincerely, but I had no regrets at all.
"Of course you do! That bunch of crooked, self-conscious, dark-skinned bastards."
The swearing doctor's eyes, despite the lightness of their tone, were serious.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm too angry, but the wrinkles between my eyebrows are terrible.
I'm sorry that I brought back unpleasant memories, but I didn't want to remain ignorant of them, so I hope you'll forgive me.
There are so many things that are just tantalizing, and there are more things that I don't understand at all, I might be a good match.
In my mind, I'm frustrated because I don't understand a lot of things, really a lot of things.
However, there would be no point in losing my temper here, so I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth to calm down even a little.
As I listened to the subtle phew, which could not be taken as a voice nor a breath, as if it were someone else's, I began to face reality.
A/n: I'm very sorry for the delay.
I'll update it once more around the end of this month, so please take your time and wait for it.
I'm also working hard on the book version.
I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have been reading this story. Thank you very much.
If there are any announcements, I'll let you know through the activity report and Twitter.
[1] : カースス(Kasusu) - Just Kasu with a extra su ↓
[2] : カース(Kasu) - it's a Kana version of Curse, basically just just the word Curse japanified.
[3] : 能面 (Nōmen) - a 'expressionless' mask, used by actors & performers in classical dance-drama. Here's what they look like:
This is the most classical "Onna-men" or "Woman-Face". But Noh Masks have plenty of variations, such as these:
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