The following morning, after finishing her breakfast, Elsa waited to be summoned.
However, 9:00 came and went, then 10:00, and still, no one arrived to collect her. Even if she had wanted to leave the room, four guards stood in the hallway, forbidding her from wandering about on her own.
Finally, just as 11:00 approached, the door opened.
"Elsa, was it? Come. You are going to my father’s chambers with me."
The one who had arrived was the First Prince, Edmond.
"Y-Yes."
Elsa stood up, her nerves slightly on edge. She simply could not get used to his behavior, which was crude almost to the point of being boorish.
"Hmph. Get ready, and be quick about it."
"I... I am already prepared."
"Fine then. Come."
Without a backward glance, Prince Edmond strode down the hallway. Elsa and Edgar followed close behind.
Retracing the path from the day before, Elsa arrived at the sleeping quarters of Alois III.
"...Yesterday, immediately after you treated him, my father’s condition seemed to improve. However, by this morning, his complexion had returned to how it was before. Do something. No... I beg of you, do something."
At that moment, Elsa thought she saw a flicker of faint sorrow on Prince Edmond’s face as he spoke those blunt words.
But she quickly shifted her focus back to the patient. Concentrating her awareness specifically on the possibility of parasites, she began her examination.
"Diagnose."
She focused her search on the area around the liver. However, she found nothing within the organ itself. That can't be right, she thought, and tried again.
"Diagnose. Diagnose. Diagnose."
This time, she examined the area in even greater detail, mentally dividing it into sections.
"...This is..."
It wasn't in the liver, but in the gallbladder attached below it—specifically, something was inside the bile duct.
"Diagnose."
After performing an even more granular examination of the bile duct...
"...They're here. This is it..."
It was a flat, oval-shaped object about ten millimeters in size. There was no doubt; it was a parasite.
"Elsa, did you find something?!"
Prince Edmond, noticing the shift in her expression, grabbed her by the shoulders and asked with urgent intensity.
"Y-Yes....I have discovered parasites in His Majesty’s gallbladder. This is most likely the cause."
"What? Par-a-sites? What on earth are those?!"
It seemed Edmond had never heard the term before, as he tilted his head in confusion.
"You! I hope you aren't just making things up..."
He cut himself off as he noticed the deadly seriousness in Elsa’s eyes. He fell silent for a moment.
"...Forgive me. I said too much, especially when you are examining my father’s condition with such sincerity."
Prince Edmond apologized and released his grip on Elsa’s shoulders.
"...Parasites are tiny living creatures that take up residence inside a human body."
"...I see. Like the insects in the mountains and fields that suck blood? Something of that nature?"
"Yes. That is a sufficient understanding. These insects nesting inside the body eat away at the interior and release toxins, which is why His Majesty’s health has deteriorated."
"Then, can he be cured?!"
"..."
To remove parasites nesting in the bile duct, surgical intervention would be required. The only one who could provide the means for that was...
"Please, let me speak with my brother, Jin Nidou."
Noon.
Elsa was speaking with Jin.
To be precise, they were not alone; Hanna, Third Princess Lieschen, First Prince Edmond, Second Prince Arthur, and Chancellor Powell were also in attendance.
They had gathered in an atmosphere reminiscent of a tea party after a slightly early lunch, but the topic of conversation was far from lighthearted.
"Those of you who saw the Technology Expo held in the Shouro Empire will likely be familiar with this."
With that introduction, Jin placed a single Mini-Smith on the table.
"Nice to meet you, everyone," the golem squeaked.
"...Oh!"
Except for Princess Lieschen, who had attended the Technology Expo, the members of the Klein Kingdom royal court widened their eyes in unison. Jin continued.
"A Mini-Smith is capable of precision movements several times more delicate than those of a human hand."
In reality, they were dozens of times more precise, but Jin moderated his explanation for the audience.
"...By applying Paralyze and Schmerzmittel in conjunction with Sterilization, the Mini-Smith will be able to extract the parasites from the affected area in a matter of seconds."
Elsa took over the explanation from there.
"At the same moment the parasites are removed, I will cast Völlig Genesen to instantly heal the incision. That is the outline of the treatment."
"..."
Silence fell over the room. Even Hanna had a solemn expression, perhaps sensing the gravity of the discussion.
"...I see. From what I’ve heard, it sounds as though it might work. However, is there a record of success for this treatment method?"
The question came from Prince Edmond. It was a natural concern; they could not permit an unproven treatment to be performed on the King of their nation.
Jin knew the process was sound, as they had used a similar procedure to remove the Agujha control needles from members of the demon race. However, this would be Elsa’s first time performing the surgery herself, and more importantly, they couldn't exactly mention their dealings with the demon race here.
Though the Mini-Smith would be performing the actual surgery, the Kingdom’s representatives were clearly worried about the lack of clinical precedents.
"...In that case, I have a proposal."
It was Prince Arthur who spoke up this time.
"There must be several people within our kingdom who require similar treatment. We could test this method on them first. If there are no complications, we then proceed with treating our father. How does that sound?"
To Jin, it felt somewhat unsettling—as if they were being asked to perform human experimentation before treating the King—but in the context of this world, it was an entirely logical approach.
"Yes, that’s a fine idea! As expected of you, Arthur."
"...Brother, I beg of you to exercise a bit more 'careful consideration' yourself."
"Hmph. Consideration is what subordinates are for. A leader only needs to trust, evaluate, and then decide."
"...Ahem."
Cutting into the brothers’ bickering with a pointed, artificial cough, Chancellor Powell voiced the final decision.
"...Then, Miss Elsa, would it be acceptable for you to examine patients of our choosing? Should they suffer from a similar affliction, you would perform the treatment."
Despite the presence of the princes, a crown prince had not yet been officially named, making the Chancellor the highest-ranking official in the room by position.
"I understand," Elsa replied with a nod of agreement.
"Very well. We shall begin the search for suitable patients. Until they are located, we ask that Miss Elsa please remain on standby."
He then turned his attention to Jin.
"Shall I assume that Princess Lieschen will continue to serve as the hostess for Jin-dono and his party?"
"Indeed," Lieschen replied. "I shall take responsibility for looking after Jin and Hanna."
"...We look forward to your hospitality. Then, everyone, the matter is settled."
With that, the unofficial meeting—one that could very well determine the fate of the Klein Kingdom—drew to a close.
"Miss Elsa, you shall stay with Jin-dono’s group until a suitable patient is found. I trust that is acceptable?"
There were no objections.
At any rate, now that there was a concrete plan for treating the King, the Chancellor’s face seemed to regain a bit of its long-lost brightness.
"Good work today, Elsa."
Once they had returned to the guest rooms in the Detached Palace, Jin was the first to offer her praise.
"...It was only because of your advice, Jin-nii. Thank you."
Elsa bowed her head to him.
"If you hadn't suggested the possibility of parasites yesterday... I don't know what I would have done."
"Yeah, I'm glad I took the time to upgrade Edgar before we left."
Being able to communicate through Laojun was a massive advantage.
"Are you confident about the 'surgery'?"
"Yes. My only job is to close the wound."
The Mini-Smiths would be handling the truly difficult work. Since they shared the data and experiences from their time in the demon territory, Elsa trusted them implicitly. All that remained was to build a record of success to earn the trust of the Kingdom’s people.
"It’s to help people, so I’ll do my best."
"Yeah, you've got this."
"Big Sister, do your best!"
With both Jin and Hanna cheering her on, Elsa’s resolve was firm.