第９９５堀：お医者さん (Part1)
**Chapter 995: The Doctor**
**Side: Rurua**
I had been summoned by Master to rush over to this inn. Lilishe, who was supposed to come with me, had to stay behind to treat the children who had suddenly come down with fevers, so I steeled myself to handle this alone. But when I arrived…
"Yes. It’s just simple overeating."
"Ugh… forgive me, Lady Rurua."
It was indeed a scene of carnage, but everyone was just suffering from their usual case of overindulgence. I sighed and began the treatment with practiced efficiency.
"Not at all. I’m glad to hear the food in Weed was to your liking, but… please do be careful not to overdo it."
As I issued the warning, Show, who had been sitting upright next to Emperor Eupia, looked slightly pained as well.
"…I should have known better. My apologies, Your Majesty. And to you, Lady Rurua."
"…Do not worry about it, Show. It is not just you; I and the soldiers have all simply eaten a bit too much."
That’s right. It seems the people of the Zurabul Great Empire have also received their "baptism" by Weed. It’s a rite of passage that everyone who visits Weed for the first time goes through. That is precisely why a doctor like me is needed in places like this.
Honestly, what kind of doctor gets called out just for overeating? Still, the people involved are the leaders of a great empire and their associates. Even if it is a self-inflicted wound caused by their own lack of restraint, it wouldn't look good for us if they fell ill while in Weed. I suppose it can’t be helped.
Well, the truth is, there is another reason I was called here today. If it were just simple overeating, any other doctor in Weed—or even the personal physicians the Zurabul Great Empire brought with them—could diagnose and treat it just as well as I could. Though, even the Zurabul Empire’s own doctors are currently suffering from the same condition…
"Now, everyone. Please return to your rooms and take a rest after your meal. Since you’ve eaten that much, there will be some... natural consequences that need to be dealt with."
"…?"
It seemed the people in the room didn't grasp the meaning immediately, but then—
*Gurgle-ruru…*
A soldier, clutching his stomach with a pale face, immediately bolted for the restroom. Seeing that, the others followed in a chain reaction, heading straight for the facilities. Ah, the sign of a healthy digestive system. I should prepare some medicine to settle their stomachs as well.
"Hmph. To think they would expel such delicious food so quickly… how pathetic. I, for one, shall not, nor will my stomach fail me."
"Why are you boasting, Your Majesty? Didn't you also suffer from an upset stomach when curry was served in the Zurabul Great Empire?"
"Hey, do not speak of that. Besides, is it not the same for you, Show?"
"Yes. It is hard not to want to eat a lot when the food is so delicious."
Fortunately, Emperor Eupia and Show had eaten Weed’s food before, so today they only suffered from a mild case of overeating.
"Regardless, you have eaten quite a bit, so please take a rest for a while. I am going to check on the bathhouse."
"A bath? This inn even has a bath?"
Emperor Eupia looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"Master?"
"Ah, I only told Emperor Eupia that it was a high-class inn."
I see. Well, explaining the concept of a hot spring inn is difficult to put into words.
"That is correct, Emperor Eupia. This inn is equipped with a bathhouse."
"Hmm. An inn with a bathhouse, on top of that buffet cuisine earlier… you are going to great lengths to accommodate us."
"No, it’s more of a hobby of mine. If someone is going to travel all the way to a foreign country to stay, I want them to have pleasant memories of it."
"That is what people call 'consideration'."
Master explained it very simply, but the gap in our nation’s fundamental technology is too vast. What is just a hobby to Master is, to Emperor Eupia, a display of ultra-luxurious hospitality. And what’s more, that bath is…
"Emperor Eupia-chan, the bath here is an open-air one!"
"It’s a natural hot spring."
"There’s a waterfall bath and a footbath, too."
"There’s an indoor cypress bath as well."
"And a sauna! Hiiro says the cold water bath after the sauna is the best!"
"Hiiro, don't go swimming in the bath."
It is just as luxurious as the super-public baths in Weed’s commercial district! For the record, my own home only has a simple open-air bath and the ones attached to the rooms, though they are large enough for everyone to fit.
But, putting that aside, upon hearing the girls' words, Emperor Eupia and Show reacted…
"Hm? It sounded as if there were multiple baths?"
"It is a coincidence, Your Majesty. I heard the same."
They couldn't believe there could be several baths and assumed they had misheard. Well, that’s normal. Outside of Weed, baths are a luxury that even royalty and nobility cannot easily access. …Which is exactly why it serves as a major tourist attraction and generates significant profit. Come to think of it, I heard from Lady Lowel that they actually found a natural hot spring in Gartz and were turning it into a tourist spot…
But how was I supposed to explain this to the two of them?
"There are! Show-oneechan, let's go in together!"
"Let's go in and wash each other!"
It seems I didn't need to worry about it after all. Before I could explain, the girls had already invited them to join.
"Is a bath not something one takes alone?"
"It’s a big bath! Everyone goes in together."
"Hmm. Well, experience is everything. When I first heard of it, I thought 'gates' didn't exist, but they actually did. Compared to that, a bath—even a large one or multiple ones—is not impossible. Show, this is a good opportunity. You should join them."
Surprisingly—or perhaps I’ve just become accustomed to being surprised—Emperor Eupia spoke with complete calm, naturally telling Show to go to the bath. However…
"No, I would only soil the water with my body, so I must decline."
Show refused immediately. She was likely worried about the scarred, burned half of her body. I already knew about her injuries from when we brought the Zurabul Imperial Capital under the Dungeon's control.
The burns, fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—were not in areas visible while clothed, running diagonally from her left shoulder down to her right thigh. According to her status, the wounds were "fully healed," but she still suffered from the aftereffects, including pain and the tight, scarred skin. She always wore robes that covered her body not because she was a civil official, but to hide these scars.
However, a wound of this degree could be fully treated with my *Extra Heal*. My true purpose for coming here was to heal those wounds. That said, since we are supposed to be unaware of them, I couldn't just bluntly say, "You have burns, let me treat them." I cannot act unless a request is made from their side.