“Professor, I have an important report.“
On the second day of the new semester, Zoe appeared in the Dean’s Office belonging to Falma with a report from the main office. Her heart was faint, and her face was pale.
“Please calmly listen.“
“Eh, yes…What’s wrong? I’ll intently listen to you…“
Falma was working hard with Ellen to assemble the lecture materials. They were just about to discuss the guidance policy.
“Yesterday, I received an estimate of the cost for the stage repair that was destroyed by a divine art match. The stage will be completely refurbished and undergo special divine art processing, so you will be billed for at least 33 million furun.“
“Eeh!? Can it be that expensive !?“
Ellen’s scream echoed in the professor’s office.
Furun is the currency unit of the Saint Fleuve Empire.
When converting to Japanese yen, one furun is about 20 yen, so the estimated repair cost of about 660 million yen[1] was incurred.
“Aah…I really destroy that stage…“
He became feeble and sank onto his desk when he recalled the other day.
“What kind of divine art was used to warrant the restoration of the stage back to its original condition? No, was it done by the professor’s divine art? Or was it the other student? It shouldn’t be that damaging.“
Zoe tries to validate the situation many times over, but it seems unbelievable to her. She was busy with clerical work and was not able to witness the confrontation between Falma and Emmerich. Ellen pats her shoulder, reassuring Zoe’s surprise is justified.
“You’re so childish, Falma-kun. You appear to be so calm, aren’t you? Don’t be deceived ~ Zoe-chan. It was pretty insane. Your secretary is having quite a bit of a hard time.“
Ellen was elusive.
“Can Ellen be saying that the person is?”
Ellen adapts the attitude of a farmer, who doesn’t want to be the one that snitches, recognize the similar face of Palle[2].
“Ha, hah…See you later.“
Zoe is a little disappointed. She is a wind-type divine art user, but she is a gentle literary type who is not very suitable for combat. At least, she can’t cause damage to the university upon arriving as Falma could.
“I should have suggested changing location…he was reminded not to break the stage along the way, but it seems that he couldn’t hear the warning due to the obstruction from divine art warding barriers. Regardless of the divine art match, Falma was the opponent. The stage would be broken in an incomprehensible way…It’s an encouragement to invest in an isolated island. But still, it is not too farfetched of an idea.“
Ellen regretted not being able to predict the intentions of Emmerich and Falma yesterday.
“Falma-kun, did you fight your best as long as you didn’t harm the student, but you couldn’t control your divine art?“
“It was unavoidable not to destroy the stage. I wanted him to recognize the differences of power and avoid it. If he received it head-on, he would be injured.“
“Wo-o-ah!? That’s even worse!“
It should have done it in a place where it wouldn’t be a problem to destroy it. When Ellen trained with Falma, she continued with the training after making sure that the surrounding ships weren’t passing by an isolated island that could utterly be destroyed.
“My decision was poor, so I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore.“
Zoe takes out her ledgers and makes a rough estimate with her notes.
“The research expenses assigned to the professor’s course are 100 million furun, the discretionary expense of the dean is 80 million furun, and last year’s available carry-over money was 5 million furun, so it’s still a considerable expense to pay using research expenses. There are another 540 million furun available, so do you want to use this?“
“Wait a minute. Did the external donation increasing?“
It should have been about 100 million furun before.
“The donation from Her Majesty the Empress is 500 million[3]. It was transferred to the school account the other day.“
Falma doesn’t think he needs any donations from the royal family anymore, but he can’t refuse. It would be difficult to weigh the scale of her appreciation with her asking questioning, “Do you expect less from my appreciative kindness?” then end up having to visit the palace with Bruno to apologize afterward.
“I have to thank Her Majesty. But I can’t use the research funds or donations for this purpose, and I want to keep every furun for the students. I’ll have the repair costs come out of my own wallet. Other students who want to practice their divine arts have been unable to use the stage for a while longer…“
“The martial arts and the divine art staff research departments are the primary ones in trouble.“
Ellen makes her point. Ellen, belonging to the OG of the Imperial Pharmaceutical School, is familiar with the issue.
“By the way, there were club activities scheduled. For their purposes, if they want to resume club activities or games, tell the students that they can use the site belonging to us near the riverbank.“
Falma instructs Zoe.
“They’ll be afraid to use that. It’s a vacant lot number 4 belonging to the De Médicis family, even when the office informs them to use it. I’ll also order a private transfer form. And last but not least, the president is calling for you.“
Zoe added a hard to mention statement.
“Zoe-chan, couldn’t you say that first? I know it’s hard to say it!“
Ellen’s face drained of her soul.
His anger should be visible. Falma tells Ellen and Zoe that are following behind him to wait in the room, and Falma visits the president’s room.
“Stupid fool!“
When he arrived at the president’s office, Bruno was fuming.
“I’m sorry……“
Falma is apologetic.
“Tell me which world where a new professor who got riled up by a student’s cheap provocation, on the first day of his appointment, causes a loss of 33 million furun no less!”
Bruno may have reminded him that his son has not grown into an adult at all, and yet to reach his maturity.
“But president. I heard that the other student was also ill-mannered. So this is part of the education.“
Bruno’s secretary attempts to calm him down after being surprised by the fighting declaration.
“It does not matter what the other person says. I have yet to keep the students behind until I challenge them to the divine art battle.“
Bruno foresaw Falma’s potential of his divine power of the gods that could overwhelm the outdoor arena. In the worst-case scenario, the audience could also be injured, and the challenging student would not be safe.
“I destroyed the stage, so I will repair it at my own expense. Emmerich wasn’t hurt.“
It is a rule that any person involved in the challenge splits half of the repair cost, but even if Emmerich is charged with half of the repair cost, he will not be admitted into the school. No matter how wealthy his parents are, he has to explain the circumstances of paying off the huge repair costs.
Falma regrets his mistake, and before contesting for the next match, he should invest in a desert, a wasteland, or an isolated island. The outdoor arena is not strong enough because it is intended for training purposes and challenges between students.
“Then look at this.“
Bruno handed over a stack of parchment to Falma.
“These are requests to change department.“
There were more than 20 requests for transfer from all faculties.
The most common request was to transfer from the Faculty of Pharmacy, which is a faculty that teaches traditional pharmacy with Bruno as the Dean, to the Faculty of Comprehensive Pharmacy.
“This is just from one day. I basically don’t allow the transfer, but there are many students who want to study under you. On the contrary, there were some students from the Faculty of Comprehensive Medicine who offered to transfer to another department. Read the reason for the application.“
It was a completely unexpected scenario for Falma.
The following are comments from applicants for transfer to the Department of Comprehensive Medicine:
I want to study under a professor who is a wonderful magician and a wise man (sage). I was impressed by his guidance instructions. I want to learn the unprecedented innovative pharmacy of a professor who deals with divine art that I have never seen.In following the prior comments, the comments from the Department of Comprehensive Medicine for those who wish to transfer to another department are:
I can’t seem to keep up with Professor Falma’s divine art class When Professor Falma defeated Emmerich, I was afraid that this was his educational policy. I don’t think I can concentrate on the lesson when I think about what happens if the professor is in a bad mood.“There is only one person who wants to drop out. He wondered if he would be recognized as a pharmacist if he couldn’t use divine art. He is not confident that he can graduate.“
Falma couldn’t find any word to say.
“Was it lynching method or an educated lesson that you displayed when you interacted with Emmerich Bauer there? You weren’t injured, and even though you were messing around, your power that uses all the attributes were overwhelming. It’s simply terror. You’re not going into something like politics are you?“
Bruno expressed that it was regrettable for that many students to have misunderstood, while taking into account of Falma’s intentions.
“I can’t use all-attribute magic, but rather it’s like a magic trick.“
Bruno nods while being troubled as he listens to Falma’s case.
“Even if you combine magic and medicine to perform your magic tricks, I don’t think students know you you really are. You use unknown magic to them in, and expose the inexperienced students. I wonder if I have caused the same to someone.“
Bruno’s words pierce him.
Falma regretted the poor job he had done.
“All requests for transfer are rejected at the discretion of the president. Since the start, we do not allow transfer after enrollment.“
Bruno had already signed rejection on a bunch of requests for the transfers.
“For those who wish to change departments or drop out, I hope that you will have an interview to restore their trust and well-being with you.“
For those who want to transfer into Falma’s department, there will be study materials for consideration, allowable observation of lectures, experiments, and practical training of the desired department. He discussed a compromise with Bruno, and establishing a timetable so that he would not spend too much time as possible with the compulsory lectures of other departments.
“Have you been wrung dry?“
“It’s practically empty.“
Ellen entwines around the dried-up Falma with a wry smile.
“The professor’s lesson is messy now right. It’s dried up to the point you can no longer use water-based divine art?“
Ellen sarcastically joked with Falma while encouraging him.
“I have to persuade the students who want to change departments.“
Falma was busy with individual interviews with students at the university that day. He visited each of the student’s houses who was absent without notice. Ellen went out with him to all the visits because she was wary of going about alone. By having Ellen greeted first, they managed to avoid the direct shock and stiffness to the students and parents which were atrophied by Falma.
“Finally the last one. I wonder if the address is correct at this place.“
The two visited a boarding house on the outskirts of the imperial capital. The area was already getting dark.
“Thank you Ellen, I ended up wasting your day. I said I had something to do today, but it was for a poor reason.“
“There’s no need to say something like that, since it’s for our work. It’s okay to make a home visit because I also made a similar substitute visit. Besides, Falma can’t just go alone by yourself.“
(Ellen, you’re even fine to go out with me for some reason like this. Even though it’s my mess to clean up…)
She has a cheerful, subtle kindness, and compassion in her words and deeds. Falma thanked Ellen for sharing her time with him.
“Oh hih, please cheer up ~!“
The last person is a dropout who is a commoner that was on the verge of being completely traumatized.
Falma and Ellen weren’t allowed to enter the student’s boarding house so they attempted to persuade the person by speaking through the door.
“I’m sorry for coming late in the night, but I want to have a talk.“
“Please forget about it. I don’t go to college anymore, so I have nothing to do with college any longer.“
The student’s voice was faint. It could be seen that he was in a state of extreme tension.
“I wonder if you can elaborate on your reason why you dropped out again. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to use divine art in the department. You’re enrolled with excellent grades, and there’s nothing you can’t keep up with.“
“I can’t believe it… After all, Imperial Pharmaceutical College is an aristocratic school, and it’s not a place where commoners can attend. I thought I could learn equally, but I woke up from my dream.“
The student was in tears as he clung to the back of the door.
“People who can’t use divine art can be compatible with physical arts lessons. By the way, I never point my wand at students who can’t use divine art.“
“……really?“
There was a rattling noise as the door slowly opened.
The bright outcome was good that they were able to persuade them, and the applicants for the transfer were settled into the departments where they best fit in.
“So then, Ellen. Thank you for today, I’ll make it up with you in some way.“
Falma expressed his care for the exhausting Ellen.
“There’s no need for that. I’m glad I remembered the faces of the students, and I’m going to bed early today, so good night Falma.“
Ellen smiled, uttering something, straddled on her white horse, and rode home.
(Education in a world with divine art is difficult…I’m still immature.)
Falma straddled his own horse’s body as he rode off into the night on the road.
He pledged to become a college professor with a little easier and sweeter demeanor. He had a little confidence and pride in his pharmacy education, which was popular every year in his previous life.
However, this time around, the situation is a little different than teaching his students of the same level of academic ability who have modern values at a university in modern Japan. Not only is it evaluated by academic ability, but evaluation also focuses on those who can and cannot use divine art, and the combined skill of divine art that is incorporated directly into the medical skill.
Pharma treats and teaches things that are not equal terms from the beginning.
He wondered if it was wrong in his approach, and he was also worried about that.
After persuading the students, he returned home to the dimly lit mansion, and when he quietly entered through the front door so that no one would wake up, the parent’s room was lit.
“Welcome back, Falma. You look tired. Have you eaten?“
Beatrice looks at his face from inside her room.
“Do you want to have a drink?“
Bruno invited him. Tomorrow is a holiday, and Beatrice is currently having a drink with Bruno.
Bruno and Beatrice relax with wine, and Falma enjoys his rest with grape juice and cheese snacks.
Falma thinks that he wants to consume alcohol and get drunk.
(But I don’t get drunk even if I drink it anyway…)
Neither poison nor medicine almost has any effect on his body. He recalls his memory of all the times that he did get drunk.
“Did the student’s misunderstanding got resolved?“
“Yes. I managed to convince them all to return to school. Dr. Eleonor also went out with me as well.“
“No matter how successful you are, you can lose credibility in an instant.“
Above all, those who try to do new things tend to be always suspicious of their actions and their surroundings. Bruno sipped the wine while stating so. Beatrice silently listened.
“Did Emmerich Bauer’s emotion got under your skin?“
“Eeh, that is. I understand his feelings. After all, I’m a kid.“
Falma expressed with self-deprecation.
“He said he didn’t have time for someone like me. The next time I meet him, I’ll ask him more about it, since it may just be a one-time motivation.“
Falma recalled that Emmerich might have been impatient.
“Emerich will still chase after you even if you don’t care to ask. I’ll tell you this so that I can provide you a slightly better perspective than your previous encounter.“
Falma nodded his head, while wondering what Bruno knew about the situation.
“I’ve discovered that he came from a long line of the historically famous and divinely cursed bloodline.“
Falma responded like a parrot just one beat behind Bruno’s statement.
“A curse?“
(…Because it’s this world after all.)
“Well, it’s hard for him! Please provide him with your God’s blessing.“
Once Beatrice heard that it was a curse, she clasped into a praying gesture and offered a prayer to her guardian deity.
The Falma of the past would have laughed at the nonsense, but now there are myths, curses, and evil spirits in this world. Therefore, even if there’s a claim of a curse, there is no denial of such a claim.
“But there was no evidence of his curse during my appraisal and observation. Emmerich has already been deemed a pharmacist, so he would have the same viewpoint as me. He should have requested the priest to break the curse. For example, a request to an Inquisitor…“
“Father, have you already checked up on it?“
Bruno uses potion and methods of diagnostics to analyze whether or not it was a demon curse or an illness.
There’s a differential in the diagnosis for a demonic curse or an illness.
Bruno added that the skill which pharmacists use for this method, in combination with divine art, must be the best in the world.
“We have to find out the true nature of the Emmerich clan’s curse.“
Bruno was game. Bruno ordered only Emmerich to submit his family tree going back four generations, with the provision that he was careful not to leak about the inquiry as part of the necessary admission’s requirement. If he’s cursed, bringing that curse into the school has a potentially huge risk. Bruno declares that it’s his responsibility to charge Emmerich in mitigating the curse. To be certain, it is an essential task to examine his family genealogy, even if it means that Emmerich has to be the one to spill the information directly.
“Is the Bauer family name a pseudonym?“
Falma groaned at the surname on the family tree.
The clan originated from the great line of aristocrats belonging to the Kingdom of Prussia, and it may not even have originated from the Kingdom of Prussia. To be correct, it was from Solé[4], a common surname in the Kingdom of Spain[5].
“Correct. In recognizing his personality, I have to admit that he gave himself a pseudonym surname. Emmerich is hiding his true surname to escape the curse of the clan….It’s a painstaking measure on his part.“
Falma ponders upon Emmerich’s anguish.
His clan became famous because of the curse, and it seems that he was unable to stay in the Kingdom of Prussia and fled to from it.
“What is this curse about?“
“I heard it’s terrifying. It’s said that no effective warding could be done to remove the evil spirits, and they’ll slowly cause the person to go insane within a year, as they cause the body to cramp from day to night, and the insanity results in death at the very end. The truth is still a mystery. He has already lost his father and most of his relatives to the curse. His household is dwindling, but he still has his brothers and sisters. He wants to save himself and his siblings from the fate that awaits them. It’s just correct to assume that he doesn’t have much time remaining.“
Next to his family tree name, there is usually a representing temple’s divine symbol.
Those with the mark were noted as dead, but there was a strange marking that Falma had never seen before. Falma’s eyes were wide open.
“This mark…maybe it’s different between the one that’s still alive compared to the one that is dead.“
“Emptiness[6]. It’s a sign of evil spiritual death. It’s different from a normal death. A cursed death is an important event for the temple, so it’s incomprehensible to ignore it. Emmerich would have wanted to hide it. He has trusted me to be able to disclose his background.“
His great-grandfather was cursed, and two of the three sisters on his great-grandfather’s side were also cursed.
One of them was a commoner without a divine vein opened, so that person was excluded and was not recorded among the family tree.
His grandmother also died. Four of my grandmother’s five brothers were killed.
His father also died. Three out of four of his father’s brothers were cursed. The one who survived has been confirmed to have the water god attribute.
And Emmerich has five younger siblings. Emmerich is the eldest son.
(The 25-year-old Emmerich doesn’t have time left…I wonder if everyone’s curse activates after they reach their 40s.)
“It’s quite aggressive…“
Falma feels the pains.
The ones that passed away were confirmed to have medicinal, water, or wind attributes from their respective guardian deities.
“All the ones that died were cursed under the guardian deity of medicine.“
“Correct. When I looked up the old records, I heard from the rumors that it was the curse of the god of medicine….I wonder how much prejudice his clan was exposed to, and it pains to know that it was from the same attribute as mine. The curse was active in this state since four generations ago, but the same thing occurred repeatedly going even further back among the historical books from the Kingdom of Spain.“
(I’m having a pain in my chest. Their clan must have done something.)
Falma possesses the staff of the medicine god, has two sacred crests upon him, yet not closely related to the medicinal god in any way, and more so that he was not recognized to be the medicine god himself at the church.
(But it’s weird. I didn’t see a black shadow lingering on Emmerich, which is the sign that he wasn’t cursed.)
If evil spirits are in possession of Emmerich, similar to Falma’s power creating a protective sanctuary over Salomon, the evil spirits will not appear in front of Falma.
Even if there is a great evil spirit who is not afraid of Falma’s existence, it appears to be a lingering black shadow that’s hovering over Emmerich.
But the shadow was not seen around Emmerich.
“He used powerful divine art on top of that. The cursed one wouldn’t be able to do such a thing…so I just pray that it’s merely his oversight.“
Bruno agrees with Falma’s opinion. He nods while enjoying his wine.
Bruno seemed to have the same viewpoint.
When he thought he couldn’t hear Beatrice, he noticed she already slept on the couch.
“And this is why I think he believes it’s not a curse.“
Falma proclaimed with confidence.
Emmerich, like Bruno, may have made a differential diagnosis to distinguish between a curse and an illness, in which he concluded the curse to be a negative result. Or perhaps he realized that the blessing from the medicinal god enabled him to use his powerful magic.
If it’s a real curse, it’s time for him to use the medicinal staff.
Although he’s not fully confident in purifying the curse.
However…Falma gazes at Emmerich’s face photo and shakes his head in realizing something different.
“For any other reason, he wouldn’t be coming to the Department of Comprehensive Medicine. He’s a pharmacist and thinks it’s an illness.“
“Well, if that’s so, you may be able to make a diagnosis when you meet up with Emmerich.“
“I may not have spotted it at first glance.“
He may have overlooked something seriously. Falma pondered.
When Falma interacted with Emmerich, he only observed Emmerich with his (normal) eyes. There was no disease observed at that time, and Emmerich’s body was very healthy with nothing wrong.
At best, he had back pain. Therefore, Falma raises one hypothesis.
(My normal eyes may not be able to diagnose the patient’s illness before the onset of illness…)
If there’s no indicator of being sick, Falma doesn’t recognize it. Falma’s abilities only activate when a human requires healing.
He used to think that he couldn’t diagnose even if one wasn’t sick, but it seems to be possible.
It appears that they need to meet up with Emmerich and pursue it thoroughly.
Disregarding all prejudice bound to Emmerich, he must use all means to keep Emmerich alive.
“Falma. Can you break ‘the curse of the god of medicine’ which connects to his clan?“
Bruno inquired in interest while squinting. There is a recognized curse but it may not be one.
Falma felt in his father’s gaze contains the unspoken message that he trusted his son.
“I’ll solve it…I’m sure of it. I’m his instructor after all.“
Falma’s confidence returns a bit.
“And no matter what the medicine god’s event that appeared before us, no matter what Emmerich’s ancestors did to the medicine god in the past, I don’t think the deity would curse humans for generations. Such a punishment against people for generations like this is nonsense. The sin does not pass onto the descendants.“
“Aah…I want to believe in that too. I want the curse to be nothing more than a deception.“
Bruno nodded and closed his eyes.
Falma thanked Bruno, unsteadily stood up, and returned to his bedroom after borrowing the family tree.
Falma investigated the family tree, intently stared at each of the branches, wrote something on a notepad, and pondered upon a possibility. That may be it, or this could be it….
“Can it be a fatal autosomal dominant hereditary disease…isn’t it?“
Falma slowly put down the pen with excitement, while restraining his eccentric mind.
At this point, Falma’s Diagnostic Eye observes the engraved curse on Emmerich’s gene. If the diagnostic cannot see it, there may be a way to discover it, halting the moving needle of the time bomb needle, and forever confine it.
The solution is in that laboratory where the other world and this world are interconnected.
Footnotes:
[1] 660 million yen is about $600,961. Yep, pretty expensive.
[2] This sentence is quite confusing if you attempt to translate it. The author is trying to convey that Falma has a similar facial expression as Palle when he did something wrong.
[3] 500 million is about 10 billion yen, or about $100 million dollars. A private castle or a new 5-floor 4-wing modernized hospital-research center anyone?
[4] Solé, if my Latin hasn’t gone bad, means being alone, or a nomadic loner group.
[5] スパイン王国 (Kingdom of Supain), or closest European equivalent to Spain. Since the surname is called Solé, I’m keeping the European’s Latin naming convention as Spain.
[6] When さよう is used by itself, it’s either means “Emptiness” or “Nothingness”. In other words, end of life/death.
“Professor, I have an important report.“
On the second day of the new semester, Zoe appeared in the Dean’s Office belonging to Falma with a report from the main office. Her heart was faint, and her face was pale.
“Please calmly listen.“
“Eh, yes…What’s wrong? I’ll intently listen to you…“
Falma was working hard with Ellen to assemble the lecture materials. They were just about to discuss the guidance policy.
“Yesterday, I received an estimate of the cost for the stage repair that was destroyed by a divine art match. The stage will be completely refurbished and undergo special divine art processing, so you will be billed for at least 33 million furun.“
“Eeh!? Can it be that expensive !?“
Ellen’s scream echoed in the professor’s office.
Furun is the currency unit of the Saint Fleuve Empire.
When converting to Japanese yen, one furun is about 20 yen, so the estimated repair cost of about 660 million yen[1] was incurred.
“Aah…I really destroy that stage…“
He became feeble and sank onto his desk when he recalled the other day.
“What kind of divine art was used to warrant the restoration of the stage back to its original condition? No, was it done by the professor’s divine art? Or was it the other student? It shouldn’t be that damaging.“
Zoe tries to validate the situation many times over, but it seems unbelievable to her. She was busy with clerical work and was not able to witness the confrontation between Falma and Emmerich. Ellen pats her shoulder, reassuring Zoe’s surprise is justified.
“You’re so childish, Falma-kun. You appear to be so calm, aren’t you? Don’t be deceived ~ Zoe-chan. It was pretty insane. Your secretary is having quite a bit of a hard time.“
Ellen was elusive.
“Can Ellen be saying that the person is?”
Ellen adapts the attitude of a farmer, who doesn’t want to be the one that snitches, recognize the similar face of Palle[2].
“Ha, hah…See you later.“
Zoe is a little disappointed. She is a wind-type divine art user, but she is a gentle literary type who is not very suitable for combat. At least, she can’t cause damage to the university upon arriving as Falma could.
“I should have suggested changing location…he was reminded not to break the stage along the way, but it seems that he couldn’t hear the warning due to the obstruction from divine art warding barriers. Regardless of the divine art match, Falma was the opponent. The stage would be broken in an incomprehensible way…It’s an encouragement to invest in an isolated island. But still, it is not too farfetched of an idea.“
Ellen regretted not being able to predict the intentions of Emmerich and Falma yesterday.
“Falma-kun, did you fight your best as long as you didn’t harm the student, but you couldn’t control your divine art?“
“It was unavoidable not to destroy the stage. I wanted him to recognize the differences of power and avoid it. If he received it head-on, he would be injured.“
“Wo-o-ah!? That’s even worse!“
It should have done it in a place where it wouldn’t be a problem to destroy it. When Ellen trained with Falma, she continued with the training after making sure that the surrounding ships weren’t passing by an isolated island that could utterly be destroyed.
“My decision was poor, so I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore.“
Zoe takes out her ledgers and makes a rough estimate with her notes.
“The research expenses assigned to the professor’s course are 100 million furun, the discretionary expense of the dean is 80 million furun, and last year’s available carry-over money was 5 million furun, so it’s still a considerable expense to pay using research expenses. There are another 540 million furun available, so do you want to use this?“
“Wait a minute. Did the external donation increasing?“
It should have been about 100 million furun before.
“The donation from Her Majesty the Empress is 500 million[3]. It was transferred to the school account the other day.“
Falma doesn’t think he needs any donations from the royal family anymore, but he can’t refuse. It would be difficult to weigh the scale of her appreciation with her asking questioning, “Do you expect less from my appreciative kindness?” then end up having to visit the palace with Bruno to apologize afterward.
“I have to thank Her Majesty. But I can’t use the research funds or donations for this purpose, and I want to keep every furun for the students. I’ll have the repair costs come out of my own wallet. Other students who want to practice their divine arts have been unable to use the stage for a while longer…“
“The martial arts and the divine art staff research departments are the primary ones in trouble.“
Ellen makes her point. Ellen, belonging to the OG of the Imperial Pharmaceutical School, is familiar with the issue.
“By the way, there were club activities scheduled. For their purposes, if they want to resume club activities or games, tell the students that they can use the site belonging to us near the riverbank.“
Falma instructs Zoe.
“They’ll be afraid to use that. It’s a vacant lot number 4 belonging to the De Médicis family, even when the office informs them to use it. I’ll also order a private transfer form. And last but not least, the president is calling for you.“
Zoe added a hard to mention statement.
“Zoe-chan, couldn’t you say that first? I know it’s hard to say it!“
Ellen’s face drained of her soul.
His anger should be visible. Falma tells Ellen and Zoe that are following behind him to wait in the room, and Falma visits the president’s room.
“Stupid fool!“
When he arrived at the president’s office, Bruno was fuming.
“I’m sorry……“
Falma is apologetic.
“Tell me which world where a new professor who got riled up by a student’s cheap provocation, on the first day of his appointment, causes a loss of 33 million furun no less!”
Bruno may have reminded him that his son has not grown into an adult at all, and yet to reach his maturity.
“But president. I heard that the other student was also ill-mannered. So this is part of the education.“
Bruno’s secretary attempts to calm him down after being surprised by the fighting declaration.
“It does not matter what the other person says. I have yet to keep the students behind until I challenge them to the divine art battle.“
Bruno foresaw Falma’s potential of his divine power of the gods that could overwhelm the outdoor arena. In the worst-case scenario, the audience could also be injured, and the challenging student would not be safe.
“I destroyed the stage, so I will repair it at my own expense. Emmerich wasn’t hurt.“
It is a rule that any person involved in the challenge splits half of the repair cost, but even if Emmerich is charged with half of the repair cost, he will not be admitted into the school. No matter how wealthy his parents are, he has to explain the circumstances of paying off the huge repair costs.
Falma regrets his mistake, and before contesting for the next match, he should invest in a desert, a wasteland, or an isolated island. The outdoor arena is not strong enough because it is intended for training purposes and challenges between students.
“Then look at this.“
Bruno handed over a stack of parchment to Falma.
“These are requests to change department.“
There were more than 20 requests for transfer from all faculties.
The most common request was to transfer from the Faculty of Pharmacy, which is a faculty that teaches traditional pharmacy with Bruno as the Dean, to the Faculty of Comprehensive Pharmacy.
“This is just from one day. I basically don’t allow the transfer, but there are many students who want to study under you. On the contrary, there were some students from the Faculty of Comprehensive Medicine who offered to transfer to another department. Read the reason for the application.“
It was a completely unexpected scenario for Falma.
The following are comments from applicants for transfer to the Department of Comprehensive Medicine:
I want to study under a professor who is a wonderful magician and a wise man (sage). I was impressed by his guidance instructions. I want to learn the unprecedented innovative pharmacy of a professor who deals with divine art that I have never seen.In following the prior comments, the comments from the Department of Comprehensive Medicine for those who wish to transfer to another department are:
I can’t seem to keep up with Professor Falma’s divine art class When Professor Falma defeated Emmerich, I was afraid that this was his educational policy. I don’t think I can concentrate on the lesson when I think about what happens if the professor is in a bad mood.“There is only one person who wants to drop out. He wondered if he would be recognized as a pharmacist if he couldn’t use divine art. He is not confident that he can graduate.“
Falma couldn’t find any word to say.
“Was it lynching method or an educated lesson that you displayed when you interacted with Emmerich Bauer there? You weren’t injured, and even though you were messing around, your power that uses all the attributes were overwhelming. It’s simply terror. You’re not going into something like politics are you?“
Bruno expressed that it was regrettable for that many students to have misunderstood, while taking into account of Falma’s intentions.
“I can’t use all-attribute magic, but rather it’s like a magic trick.“
Bruno nods while being troubled as he listens to Falma’s case.
“Even if you combine magic and medicine to perform your magic tricks, I don’t think students know you you really are. You use unknown magic to them in, and expose the inexperienced students. I wonder if I have caused the same to someone.“
Bruno’s words pierce him.
Falma regretted the poor job he had done.
“All requests for transfer are rejected at the discretion of the president. Since the start, we do not allow transfer after enrollment.“
Bruno had already signed rejection on a bunch of requests for the transfers.
“For those who wish to change departments or drop out, I hope that you will have an interview to restore their trust and well-being with you.“
For those who want to transfer into Falma’s department, there will be study materials for consideration, allowable observation of lectures, experiments, and practical training of the desired department. He discussed a compromise with Bruno, and establishing a timetable so that he would not spend too much time as possible with the compulsory lectures of other departments.
“Have you been wrung dry?“
“It’s practically empty.“
Ellen entwines around the dried-up Falma with a wry smile.
“The professor’s lesson is messy now right. It’s dried up to the point you can no longer use water-based divine art?“
Ellen sarcastically joked with Falma while encouraging him.
“I have to persuade the students who want to change departments.“
Falma was busy with individual interviews with students at the university that day. He visited each of the student’s houses who was absent without notice. Ellen went out with him to all the visits because she was wary of going about alone. By having Ellen greeted first, they managed to avoid the direct shock and stiffness to the students and parents which were atrophied by Falma.
“Finally the last one. I wonder if the address is correct at this place.“
The two visited a boarding house on the outskirts of the imperial capital. The area was already getting dark.
“Thank you Ellen, I ended up wasting your day. I said I had something to do today, but it was for a poor reason.“
“There’s no need to say something like that, since it’s for our work. It’s okay to make a home visit because I also made a similar substitute visit. Besides, Falma can’t just go alone by yourself.“
(Ellen, you’re even fine to go out with me for some reason like this. Even though it’s my mess to clean up…)
She has a cheerful, subtle kindness, and compassion in her words and deeds. Falma thanked Ellen for sharing her time with him.
“Oh hih, please cheer up ~!“
The last person is a dropout who is a commoner that was on the verge of being completely traumatized.
Falma and Ellen weren’t allowed to enter the student’s boarding house so they attempted to persuade the person by speaking through the door.
“I’m sorry for coming late in the night, but I want to have a talk.“
“Please forget about it. I don’t go to college anymore, so I have nothing to do with college any longer.“
The student’s voice was faint. It could be seen that he was in a state of extreme tension.
“I wonder if you can elaborate on your reason why you dropped out again. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to use divine art in the department. You’re enrolled with excellent grades, and there’s nothing you can’t keep up with.“
“I can’t believe it… After all, Imperial Pharmaceutical College is an aristocratic school, and it’s not a place where commoners can attend. I thought I could learn equally, but I woke up from my dream.“
The student was in tears as he clung to the back of the door.
“People who can’t use divine art can be compatible with physical arts lessons. By the way, I never point my wand at students who can’t use divine art.“
“……really?“
There was a rattling noise as the door slowly opened.
The bright outcome was good that they were able to persuade them, and the applicants for the transfer were settled into the departments where they best fit in.
“So then, Ellen. Thank you for today, I’ll make it up with you in some way.“
Falma expressed his care for the exhausting Ellen.
“There’s no need for that. I’m glad I remembered the faces of the students, and I’m going to bed early today, so good night Falma.“
Ellen smiled, uttering something, straddled on her white horse, and rode home.
(Education in a world with divine art is difficult…I’m still immature.)
Falma straddled his own horse’s body as he rode off into the night on the road.
He pledged to become a college professor with a little easier and sweeter demeanor. He had a little confidence and pride in his pharmacy education, which was popular every year in his previous life.
However, this time around, the situation is a little different than teaching his students of the same level of academic ability who have modern values at a university in modern Japan. Not only is it evaluated by academic ability, but evaluation also focuses on those who can and cannot use divine art, and the combined skill of divine art that is incorporated directly into the medical skill.
Pharma treats and teaches things that are not equal terms from the beginning.
He wondered if it was wrong in his approach, and he was also worried about that.
After persuading the students, he returned home to the dimly lit mansion, and when he quietly entered through the front door so that no one would wake up, the parent’s room was lit.
“Welcome back, Falma. You look tired. Have you eaten?“
Beatrice looks at his face from inside her room.
“Do you want to have a drink?“
Bruno invited him. Tomorrow is a holiday, and Beatrice is currently having a drink with Bruno.
Bruno and Beatrice relax with wine, and Falma enjoys his rest with grape juice and cheese snacks.
Falma thinks that he wants to consume alcohol and get drunk.
(But I don’t get drunk even if I drink it anyway…)
Neither poison nor medicine almost has any effect on his body. He recalls his memory of all the times that he did get drunk.
“Did the student’s misunderstanding got resolved?“
“Yes. I managed to convince them all to return to school. Dr. Eleonor also went out with me as well.“
“No matter how successful you are, you can lose credibility in an instant.“
Above all, those who try to do new things tend to be always suspicious of their actions and their surroundings. Bruno sipped the wine while stating so. Beatrice silently listened.
“Did Emmerich Bauer’s emotion got under your skin?“
“Eeh, that is. I understand his feelings. After all, I’m a kid.“
Falma expressed with self-deprecation.
“He said he didn’t have time for someone like me. The next time I meet him, I’ll ask him more about it, since it may just be a one-time motivation.“
Falma recalled that Emmerich might have been impatient.
“Emerich will still chase after you even if you don’t care to ask. I’ll tell you this so that I can provide you a slightly better perspective than your previous encounter.“
Falma nodded his head, while wondering what Bruno knew about the situation.
“I’ve discovered that he came from a long line of the historically famous and divinely cursed bloodline.“
Falma responded like a parrot just one beat behind Bruno’s statement.
“A curse?“
(…Because it’s this world after all.)
“Well, it’s hard for him! Please provide him with your God’s blessing.“
Once Beatrice heard that it was a curse, she clasped into a praying gesture and offered a prayer to her guardian deity.
The Falma of the past would have laughed at the nonsense, but now there are myths, curses, and evil spirits in this world. Therefore, even if there’s a claim of a curse, there is no denial of such a claim.
“But there was no evidence of his curse during my appraisal and observation. Emmerich has already been deemed a pharmacist, so he would have the same viewpoint as me. He should have requested the priest to break the curse. For example, a request to an Inquisitor…“
“Father, have you already checked up on it?“
Bruno uses potion and methods of diagnostics to analyze whether or not it was a demon curse or an illness.
There’s a differential in the diagnosis for a demonic curse or an illness.
Bruno added that the skill which pharmacists use for this method, in combination with divine art, must be the best in the world.
“We have to find out the true nature of the Emmerich clan’s curse.“
Bruno was game. Bruno ordered only Emmerich to submit his family tree going back four generations, with the provision that he was careful not to leak about the inquiry as part of the necessary admission’s requirement. If he’s cursed, bringing that curse into the school has a potentially huge risk. Bruno declares that it’s his responsibility to charge Emmerich in mitigating the curse. To be certain, it is an essential task to examine his family genealogy, even if it means that Emmerich has to be the one to spill the information directly.
“Is the Bauer family name a pseudonym?“
Falma groaned at the surname on the family tree.
The clan originated from the great line of aristocrats belonging to the Kingdom of Prussia, and it may not even have originated from the Kingdom of Prussia. To be correct, it was from Solé[4], a common surname in the Kingdom of Spain[5].
“Correct. In recognizing his personality, I have to admit that he gave himself a pseudonym surname. Emmerich is hiding his true surname to escape the curse of the clan….It’s a painstaking measure on his part.“
Falma ponders upon Emmerich’s anguish.
His clan became famous because of the curse, and it seems that he was unable to stay in the Kingdom of Prussia and fled to from it.
“What is this curse about?“
“I heard it’s terrifying. It’s said that no effective warding could be done to remove the evil spirits, and they’ll slowly cause the person to go insane within a year, as they cause the body to cramp from day to night, and the insanity results in death at the very end. The truth is still a mystery. He has already lost his father and most of his relatives to the curse. His household is dwindling, but he still has his brothers and sisters. He wants to save himself and his siblings from the fate that awaits them. It’s just correct to assume that he doesn’t have much time remaining.“
Next to his family tree name, there is usually a representing temple’s divine symbol.
Those with the mark were noted as dead, but there was a strange marking that Falma had never seen before. Falma’s eyes were wide open.
“This mark…maybe it’s different between the one that’s still alive compared to the one that is dead.“
“Emptiness[6]. It’s a sign of evil spiritual death. It’s different from a normal death. A cursed death is an important event for the temple, so it’s incomprehensible to ignore it. Emmerich would have wanted to hide it. He has trusted me to be able to disclose his background.“
His great-grandfather was cursed, and two of the three sisters on his great-grandfather’s side were also cursed.
One of them was a commoner without a divine vein opened, so that person was excluded and was not recorded among the family tree.
His grandmother also died. Four of my grandmother’s five brothers were killed.
His father also died. Three out of four of his father’s brothers were cursed. The one who survived has been confirmed to have the water god attribute.
And Emmerich has five younger siblings. Emmerich is the eldest son.
(The 25-year-old Emmerich doesn’t have time left…I wonder if everyone’s curse activates after they reach their 40s.)
“It’s quite aggressive…“
Falma feels the pains.
The ones that passed away were confirmed to have medicinal, water, or wind attributes from their respective guardian deities.
“All the ones that died were cursed under the guardian deity of medicine.“
“Correct. When I looked up the old records, I heard from the rumors that it was the curse of the god of medicine….I wonder how much prejudice his clan was exposed to, and it pains to know that it was from the same attribute as mine. The curse was active in this state since four generations ago, but the same thing occurred repeatedly going even further back among the historical books from the Kingdom of Spain.“
(I’m having a pain in my chest. Their clan must have done something.)
Falma possesses the staff of the medicine god, has two sacred crests upon him, yet not closely related to the medicinal god in any way, and more so that he was not recognized to be the medicine god himself at the church.
(But it’s weird. I didn’t see a black shadow lingering on Emmerich, which is the sign that he wasn’t cursed.)
If evil spirits are in possession of Emmerich, similar to Falma’s power creating a protective sanctuary over Salomon, the evil spirits will not appear in front of Falma.
Even if there is a great evil spirit who is not afraid of Falma’s existence, it appears to be a lingering black shadow that’s hovering over Emmerich.
But the shadow was not seen around Emmerich.
“He used powerful divine art on top of that. The cursed one wouldn’t be able to do such a thing…so I just pray that it’s merely his oversight.“
Bruno agrees with Falma’s opinion. He nods while enjoying his wine.
Bruno seemed to have the same viewpoint.
When he thought he couldn’t hear Beatrice, he noticed she already slept on the couch.
“And this is why I think he believes it’s not a curse.“
Falma proclaimed with confidence.
Emmerich, like Bruno, may have made a differential diagnosis to distinguish between a curse and an illness, in which he concluded the curse to be a negative result. Or perhaps he realized that the blessing from the medicinal god enabled him to use his powerful magic.
If it’s a real curse, it’s time for him to use the medicinal staff.
Although he’s not fully confident in purifying the curse.
However…Falma gazes at Emmerich’s face photo and shakes his head in realizing something different.
“For any other reason, he wouldn’t be coming to the Department of Comprehensive Medicine. He’s a pharmacist and thinks it’s an illness.“
“Well, if that’s so, you may be able to make a diagnosis when you meet up with Emmerich.“
“I may not have spotted it at first glance.“
He may have overlooked something seriously. Falma pondered.
When Falma interacted with Emmerich, he only observed Emmerich with his (normal) eyes. There was no disease observed at that time, and Emmerich’s body was very healthy with nothing wrong.
At best, he had back pain. Therefore, Falma raises one hypothesis.
(My normal eyes may not be able to diagnose the patient’s illness before the onset of illness…)
If there’s no indicator of being sick, Falma doesn’t recognize it. Falma’s abilities only activate when a human requires healing.
He used to think that he couldn’t diagnose even if one wasn’t sick, but it seems to be possible.
It appears that they need to meet up with Emmerich and pursue it thoroughly.
Disregarding all prejudice bound to Emmerich, he must use all means to keep Emmerich alive.
“Falma. Can you break ‘the curse of the god of medicine’ which connects to his clan?“
Bruno inquired in interest while squinting. There is a recognized curse but it may not be one.
Falma felt in his father’s gaze contains the unspoken message that he trusted his son.
“I’ll solve it…I’m sure of it. I’m his instructor after all.“
Falma’s confidence returns a bit.
“And no matter what the medicine god’s event that appeared before us, no matter what Emmerich’s ancestors did to the medicine god in the past, I don’t think the deity would curse humans for generations. Such a punishment against people for generations like this is nonsense. The sin does not pass onto the descendants.“
“Aah…I want to believe in that too. I want the curse to be nothing more than a deception.“
Bruno nodded and closed his eyes.
Falma thanked Bruno, unsteadily stood up, and returned to his bedroom after borrowing the family tree.
Falma investigated the family tree, intently stared at each of the branches, wrote something on a notepad, and pondered upon a possibility. That may be it, or this could be it….
“Can it be a fatal autosomal dominant hereditary disease…isn’t it?“
Falma slowly put down the pen with excitement, while restraining his eccentric mind.
At this point, Falma’s Diagnostic Eye observes the engraved curse on Emmerich’s gene. If the diagnostic cannot see it, there may be a way to discover it, halting the moving needle of the time bomb needle, and forever confine it.
The solution is in that laboratory where the other world and this world are interconnected.
Footnotes:
[1] 660 million yen is about $600,961. Yep, pretty expensive.
[2] This sentence is quite confusing if you attempt to translate it. The author is trying to convey that Falma has a similar facial expression as Palle when he did something wrong.
[3] 500 million is about 10 billion yen, or about $100 million dollars. A private castle or a new 5-floor 4-wing modernized hospital-research center anyone?
[4] Solé, if my Latin hasn’t gone bad, means being alone, or a nomadic loner group.
[5] スパイン王国 (Kingdom of Supain), or closest European equivalent to Spain. Since the surname is called Solé, I’m keeping the European’s Latin naming convention as Spain.
[6] When さよう is used by itself, it’s either means “Emptiness” or “Nothingness”. In other words, end of life/death.
