No one can live forever with a mask on. Even if they use face changing tricks and bone-shrinking arts, they eventually revert to their true nature.
**–**Lucius Annaeus Seneca
After leaving the grand hall on the first floor, we followed the royal attendant’s guidance to the guest room area.
“This way.”
The place we arrived at was a space prepared for a small group of about five or six people to enjoy light refreshnts and relax.
“Hmm.”
The interior was luxurious beyond words at first glance.
A large mirror, a fireplace, and a plush carpet.
A splendid mother-of-pearl cabinet and chandelier.
Around the corner table were soft chairs, and behind them was a sofa where one could sit cross-legged.
Unlike a nouveau riche’s ho, where expensive items are randomly cramd in, this room was arranged with an almost obsessive aesthetic standard, allowing for a comfortable view of the interior from any position.
Though not as luxurious as Buckingham Palace’s famous drawing rooms like the Green Drawing Room or the Regency Room, this room had the power to make Mrs. Hudson’s cozy boarding house look shabby.
Even without my level of observation, one could imdiately tell that every elent in this room, including the visible furnishings, was of a different price range than what can be commonly seen.
“Hmm?”
Looking to the side for a mont, I saw Watson standing with a face much more tense than expected.
I thought I had prepared her over the past month with various training under my instructions to maintain composure in any situation, but this was unexpected.
Well, given the continuously unexpected situations, it’s understandable.
“Are you alright, Watson? Your hands are trembling.”
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“…Ah.”
I inadvertently made a foolish sound upon seeing Watson’s face.
“Hmm?”
Surprised, Watson widened her eyes like a rabbit and reached out to check my pulse.
“Oh no… Was the internal injury worse than I thought?!”
I was mistaken.
Watson wasn’t tense because she was overwheld by the luxurious interior.
She was worried about .
“No, it’s not really a big problem-”
“Co, sit down quickly…!”
Watson forcibly pulled to sit on the sofa, then turned her head to the attendant who guided us.
“I need dicine for internal injuries.”
“Of course.”
The attendant walked quickly to the fireplace and twisted the handle of the poker that was placed on the stand.
-Kugung!
-Druruk!
The next mont, the large fireplace jutted out about one and a half feet towards the center of the room and then moved to the right.
“By the order of Her Majesty, we can provide any dicine, pill, or decoction available in the Palace, Doctor.”
What was hidden beyond the fireplace was a wall lined with wooden drawers.
Under each handle was the na of the dicine contained in the drawer, comparable to any decent apothecary’s pharmacy.
“Thank you. Could I first have the Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pill? If there’s dicantum Communionem1, I’d like that too.”
“dicantum Communionem…you say?”
The royal attendant, who showed no emotion until the na Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pill was ntioned, looked surprised for the first ti.
“Watson…”
“Don’t think about interfering in the doctor’s work, just prepare to circulate your energy quietly.”
I understood Watson’s intention and shut my mouth imdiately.
“Since it is by Her Majesty’s order, it’s possible to give you dicantum Communionem, but please understand it will take so ti.”
“Then, can I take the other one first?”
“Of course. The Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pill is stored here.”
The royal attendant hesitated for a mont upon hearing the na dicantum Communionem but then opened the drawer without delay and handed over the pill Watson requested.
“Thank you.”
The Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pill, as its na suggests, is a dicine made primarily from Poria and Crimson Fleeceflower Root, and is a staple dicine prepared in abundance at any reasonably sized hospital or pharmacy in London.
It is known to help heal internal injuries by calming pain and boosting internal strength when taken and circulating energy, and skilled doctors use it in combination with other dicines to achieve synergistic effects.
For example, they would give the patient one or two Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pills, have them circulate energy briefly, and then administer other dicines to begin full-scale internal treatnt.
“Hols. Swallow this first.”
“Alright.”
Watson poured lukewarm water from the kettle into a cup and handed it to with the pill.
As I swallowed the Poria & Crimson Fleeceflower Pill, I could feel its characteristic pine scent lingering in my mouth.
I should wait about a minute for the dicine to dissolve in my stomach, then slowly circulate energy before taking the next dicine-
“Doctor, you need to co with for a mont.”
“?”
“When taking out an elixir from the third Wonder Drug Storage for the treatnt of an invited guest, the prescribing doctor’s signature is required.”
In the royal palace, besides the Physician To The Queen responsible for the health of the royal family’s Twelve Primary ridians and Eight Extraordinary Vessels, there are many doctors who reside or work there.
Among them, there must be those who take charge of treatnt when a visitor suffers internal injuries or their health deteriorates.
Normally, an on-call doctor would have been assigned, but I have Watson, an excellent assistant and my personal physician.
“As the personal physician of Sir Little Heavenly Demon, it is mandatory that you accompany .”
The attendant emphasized the words ‘personal physician’.
This ant that since a royal physician did not step forward, the Palace would not be responsible for any issues during treatnt.
I could clearly see the attendant’s intention to point that out.
‘It seems Watson’s request for dicantum Communionem bothered them.’
Factor VIII2, according to Hebrew nurology Gematria, is a set of eight legendary pills numbered 1 to 8.
The higher the number of the pill, the harder it is to manufacture, making it as rare as plucking stars from the sky, but even the first pill is known to possess excellent efficacy in treating various internal injuries and ridian diseases, and collecting all eight is said to cure the sinister disease hemophilia transmitted through blood.
Just as Christ redeed humanity’s sins, the efficacy of saving a life on the brink of death is the origin of the grand na Factor VIII3, also known as the “Life Redeeming Treasure”.
And dicantum Communionem, the second pill of Factor VIII, unlike the easily obtainable first pill at large hospitals, required a considerable amount of money to acquire.
‘If one is not a doctor skilled in handling dicine and proficient in energy circulation, having Factor VIII would only cause side effects and end there.’
The royal attendant would not be displeased, by mistaking Watson’s request for expensive dicine as taking advantage of Her Majesty’s favor.
The fact that the dicantum Communionem is in the third storage of Buckingham Palace’s various Wonder Drug Storages ans it’s not among the rarest dicines available here.
The attendant was surely worried about the internal injuries of a guest who received an invitation to the palace worsening.
Of course, as the person involved, I had no qualms because I saw Watson request dicantum Communionem with sufficient confidence.
The attendant also seed to judge that Watson did not request for expensive dicine without reason, as they showed no sign of trying to stop her.
“Then I’ll be back shortly. You finish circulating your energy first.”
“I’m indebted to you once more. Thank you, Watson.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be back with the dicine soon, so wait for .”
My capable personal physician smiled gently and left the room following the attendant.
‘…To request dicantum Communionem. It’s quite different from the humble deanor she had while walking around the palace.’
Should I say it’s unlike Watson?
No. Perhaps this is more like Watson.
‘Did I cause her unnecessary worry? It wasn’t my intention.’
She was probably quite tense since confronting Father Brown.
Seeing injured after using the Indulgence Talisman must have stirred her emotions.
That’s why she broke the Palace’s strict rules and rushed forward to support .
‘I told her not to overdo it so many tis…’
I can’t exactly fathom her feelings as she scolded with a voice that seed forced out, but she did not look pleased.
She was probably angry at for repeatedly jumping into danger despite her requests.
‘Your Majesty! As Little Heavenly Demon’s attending physician, I humbly ask despite the rudeness!’
Despite training for a month to never lose composure and not break the Forbidden Palace’s rules, Watson eventually made a mistake.
Of course, that doesn’t an I’m disappointed in her.
“I would have done the sa.”
Honestly, I don’t know how my way of living appears to others.
But regardless of what they think, the principle I’ve upheld all my life is clear and simple.
Constantly sharpening the blade of reason to leave no room for emotions.
As long as I adhered to this one rule, while wearing the mask of an outstanding consulting detective, the world was always in the palm of my hand.
-Rustle.
[So, you followed that brilliant reason of yours and threw yourself off a cliff with your arch-nesis.]
It was then.
With the sound of a page turning, a mocking voice echoed in my head.
“…?!”
Is it Hamlet4? It had been quiet for a while.
Did I unintentionally inhale a trace amount of the residual Demonic Qi while I was neutralizing it, or did the Lily Essence stimulate and break the seal?
Or perhaps my ridians were damaged, creating an opening for it to erge.
First, I need to start my breathing exercise to restore my body-
[Hey. Do you still rember John Watson?]
“…?”
The next mont, a question ca flying at .
[Your poor friend whom you left without even saying goodbye.]
“Of course I rember.”
I didn’t need to answer it, but I inadvertently spoke in an irritated tone.
And then I regretted it.
[You answered properly for the first ti.]
A nasty laugh mixed with the voice of an innocent boy.
As soon as I heard John’s na, my heart was greatly agitated, and I made a mistake.
“…Of all tis, now.”
Responding to the Specter’s words is akin to acknowledging its existence.
‘When the King’s Specter speaks to you, keep your mouth shut. It ans to stay silent until it quiets down, no matter what it says.’
I recalled my master’s advice too late.
I ended up giving form to the worst neighbor that had been drifting like a shadow.
TL/N: ridian-Unblocking Pill ️
TL/N: Eight Life Redeeming Pills ️
TL/N: Factor VIII is a crucial blood-clotting protein, also known as antihemophilic factor, that is essential for the normal blood clotting process ️
TL/N: The King’s Spectre which is one the Lionhearts elixir withdrawal symptoms ️
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