Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 54

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 54   Cole and response

After parting ways with Rafina and Brigit, I returned to Glast’s house. I had lunch with my mother, then headed into the afternoon after seeing my sister’s face.

I went to Professor Alfonse’s clinic. Inside, nurses were busily running around. It seemed like the number of patients was increasing. The patients of Lazy syndrome, who had developed symptoms five days ago, were the most numerous, but the numbers were increasing day by day. It seemed that clinics everywhere were short-staffed.

I felt a sense of inadequacy, but if we could treat Lazy syndrome, more people could be saved, and the current problems could be resolved. It shouldn’t be a waste.

As I was about to call out to a nurse at the entrance, Cole’s figure came into view.

“I’m leaving.”

Cole frowned and left the clinic without waiting for my response. Once outside, he walked without waiting for me. I could sense his frustration from his back. Perhaps he didn’t like leaving the patients in front of him to join me in action. I understood his feelings, but if he was going to do it, I wanted him to do it properly. I hurriedly ran to catch up and walked alongside Cole.

“Do you understand the symptoms of Lazy syndrome patients and the conditions when they were healthy?”

“…Yeah. I looked into it. Most patients ceased spontaneous actions, but some had milder symptoms. It seems there were individuals among the vagrants with such characteristics, and the authorities took some of them to a different clinic. They couldn’t engage in proper conversation, but they could still speak. I got permission through Duke Balkh’s connections, so I’m heading to that clinic now. Okay?”

He’s moving before getting my approval, but I won’t say that. In reality, I intended to approve, and Cole probably knew that. It’s a bit irritating, but there’s no need to argue unnecessarily.

“Understood. Go ahead.”

“And I’ve inquired with the patients’ families. Not everyone, but it seems like everyone was quite energetic before developing lazy syndrome. Even patients who weren’t originally cheerful seemed to become relatively positive.”

“I see. Maybe it’s related to the abundance of magic… My sister was strangely energetic too. She was originally a cheerful person. Was that a prelude?”

“It’s not impossible. Some diseases can affect personality and mood. However, even if you know the prelude, there’s no way to prevent it, and it’s meaningless for patients who have already developed lazy syndrome.”

“But at least sudden onset might be preventable. If we spread this information, gather people in similar situations, and diagnose them, we might learn something.”

“…Tch! That might be true.”

He seemed dissatisfied but reluctantly accepted it. However, he doesn’t need to look so discontented. This person seems to really dislike me. It’s fine, though. I don’t know how to respond positively, and it’s confusing.

“Hey, I’ll guide you to the clinic, but do I really need to be there?”

“Yeah. We need someone to sensitively perceive changes in the patients’ symptoms. I plan to provide magical energy for training against monsters, but before that, I want to observe changes in the subjects through magical reactions. Additionally, I can’t diagnose whether there are any adverse effects. The approach might be different from conventional medicine, but the ultimate goal is the same.”

“You said supplying magical energy is dangerous. Can’t you provide it when you’re in a stage where you can’t adjust magical energy? Or do you plan to experiment on patients when you can’t control it?”

Depending on the answer, I won’t show mercy. That’s what his eyes conveyed. However, I calmly shook my head.

“Of course not. I won’t do something like that. I was involved in magical research with my sister, and we conducted experiments on magical reactions at that time. I know the safe level of magical energy for humans. However, this is just exposing them to magical energy, making them feel temperature or light. Magical reactions and supplying magical energy are different. But just inducing a reaction might lead to some changes.”

“It wouldn’t make sense for someone without magical energy, right?”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t make sense for someone who originally doesn’t possess magical energy. But lazy syndrome patients were individuals who had magical energy. It might not be meaningless, especially for those with milder symptoms.”

Cole rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

“You’re quite the guy who speaks logically. I don’t like it.”

“Speaking logically is a problem?”

“…I’ll go along with your plan. But only when it’s really necessary. If it’s not needed, I want to return to the clinic. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. At least, I want you to stay today.”

“Got it. It’s a part I want to understand as well.”

Cole has an emotional side, but he also exhibits a strong rational aspect, able to make calm judgments in any situation. Perhaps it’s because he’s a doctor; his emotional control seems adept. It appeared that his attitude had softened slightly from the beginning.

After walking for a while, we arrived at another clinic and were guided by doctors and nurses. Their excessively friendly demeanor was a bit unsettling, but it was better than being treated rudely. There were around forty patients gathered in the large room—a considerably spacious clinic, even larger than Dr. Alfonse’s clinic. The nurses were busy taking care of the patients.

“I apologize, but I would like to accompany you, just in case. It would be troublesome if something were to happen,” said the clinic’s doctor.

He said it with a smile, but there was a hint of thorns in his words. It seemed like a warning not to act freely in their space. Whether it was for the sake of the patients or for their own sake was unclear.

“Of course. Thank you for your cooperation,” I replied.

As I bowed, I sensed a slight hesitation. Perhaps it was the pressure from Duke Balkh, or more likely, it was due to Cole’s presence. They might be wondering why the authorities were involving us during this busy time. Upon closer inspection, I noticed cold glances from other nurses and doctors. As someone who is shy, I don’t feel tense when dealing with people I don’t need to befriend. That’s because there’s no fear of being disliked if I mess up—meaning, I couldn’t care less. Of course, I won’t forget my manners, and I understand their position, so I won’t say anything.

“The patients nearby are relatively mild cases of lazy syndrome. Most of them were originally vagrants… Some of them can speak, but for the majority, speaking is beyond their limits.”

When I looked at the nearby patients, they were following us with their gaze. It seemed they could see us. Unlike complete lazy syndrome patients like my sister, who couldn’t do anything, this one seemed conscious, observing moving objects. As I approached, he let out a sound. So, he was conscious.

“May I touch him?”

“It’s fine, but he’s a vagrant.”

“Huh? Is there a problem?”

“Well, um, as long as there’s no problem on your end.”

What was this exchange about? Cole also looked a bit surprised, with his eyes wide open. I didn’t really understand, but if it’s okay to touch, then fine. I shook hands with the patient. There was a reflex reaction. Indeed, it was a mild symptom.

His body temperature was cold, but not as much as my sister’s. Next to me, Cole also palpated the same patient. Mild cases seemed to be admitted to this clinic, and they weren’t in Dr. Alfonse’s clinic. It would be meaningful if it led to a diagnosis for him.

I stared at the patient. I could see magical energy—just a little, a thin film of light on the surface of the skin. Rose, Marie, Cutthroat Trout, monsters—they all had magical energy, and now I could easily see that light. However, the patient in front of me had only a tiny bit of magical energy. I checked other patients, and everyone had similar symptoms. In other words, the magical energy of lazy syndrome patients is decreasing.

There’s no mistake. Its either caused by a decrease in magical energy or occurs due to the decrease in magical energy. I don’t know the cause of the decrease, but before the decrease, there was evidence of being unusually well. In fact, when my sister was healthy, there was no decrease in magical energy. She was lively until just before the onset of lazy syndrome.

It can be cured if magical energy is supplied. The problem is how to supply magical energy. For now, the most plausible idea is for me to directly supply magical energy, but I can only do magical reactions for now. I don’t know if I can directly supply magical energy to others.

Maybe I’ll need to use some kind of tool or device, like blood donation, to share magical energy. I don’t know if such a method is possible. Anyway, for now, figuring out how I can supply magical energy is the best option.

I glanced at Cole. He nodded slightly in response.

Recalling the sensation when I induced magical reactions in my sister, I charged my hands with magical energy. The touched area emitted light. Only I and probably the lazy syndrome patients could see this light. Maintaining a magical energy level of around 10, I made contact with his hand. His hand twitched. A clear reaction. I looked at his face. I felt his pupils slightly tremble. …Let’s stop here. I halted the magical energy release, looked at Cole again, and conveyed that it was over.

Continuing to another patient, I conducted a similar diagnosis with Cole for mild cases. Once we finished diagnosing the mild cases, we moved away from the clinic’s doctor to talk.

“Hey, how was it?”

“Compared to severe lazy syndrome patients, his body temperature was slightly higher. Along with that, there was a bit of magical energy. I tried flowing magical energy, but there seemed to be no visible change. How about you?”

“His pulse slightly increased. I saw reflex reactions. Also, his eyeballs were twitching. His fingertips were moving while you were channeling magical energy.”

“Is that so?”

“There was a reaction. Whether it leads to improvement remains uncertain. We’ll have to monitor it for a bit longer and increase the amount of magical energy.”

“So, you’re admitting it a little?”

“Don’t misunderstand. There was a reaction, but whether it translates to effective treatment is unknown. It might be worth trying. That’s all.”

Isn’t that admitting it to some extent? Not to me, but that magical energy might be beneficial for treatment.

“Um, how did it go?”

“Oh, uh, thank you. We’ve learned various things.”

“Various things…?”

While the doctor looked puzzled, Cole quickly interjected, “It’s nothing. We’ll take our leave now. We’d like to perform another diagnosis, but not every day.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could spare us daily visits.”

“Once a week should be fine. We’ll contact you in advance.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Without bothering to conceal his sense of resignation, the doctor nodded slowly. We thanked the doctor and hastily left the clinic. As soon as we were out, Cole gave me a stern look.

“Hey, don’t talk about magical energy, magic, and especially lazy syndrome treatment in front of others.”

“Why?”

“Well… the doctors are obsessed with researching treatment. Everyone is desperate to be the first to establish a method. If someone were to successfully establish a treatment in Istria, it would gain attention in the medical community. There could be reward money from the country, and positions would be prepared. I don’t care about that stuff, but if someone interferes, the research might be thwarted. Since it’s Duke’s order, they won’t openly interfere, but there’s a possibility of causing trouble in other ways.”

“…Sounds troublesome. If we can help patients, that should be enough.”

“I agree with that. However, because I understand that, the Duke probably didn’t explain magical energy to other doctors. Anyway, be careful. Doctors are either the type to empathize with patients or the type only thinking about their own interests.”

“Yeah, got it. I won’t mention it.”

“I’m counting on you. Seriously. You seem a bit sketchy.”

“Do I? No one has ever said that to me. I’m told I’m reliable.”

Even though my mental age should be quite high. I’m aware that my magic tends to go haywire, though.

“Is everyone around you so kind?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“…In the world, there are plenty of villains. You should be more suspicious of people. Like that doctor just now, you never know what’s going on deep down.”

Cole spat out his words with a sense of exasperation. There are various types of people among doctors, indeed. He’s right, considering it.

Certainly, as Cole pointed out, the people around me have all been good. However, Istria is a large place with many people, and there must be villains among them. In the modern world, I should have experienced the good and the bad. It seems that I’ve softened quite a bit over the past decade. I’ll keep that in mind. Suddenly, I looked at Cole.

“Listen, okay? Before opening up to someone, think about what you can and cannot say. Don’t easily reveal your true feelings for self-protection or to protect someone else. Understand?”

He continues to preach as if he were lecturing me. Looking at him, I thought.

“Cole is a good person, isn’t he?”

“Huh!? Wha-what are you saying!?”

“Well, even though you don’t like me, you still talked about me, right? And you’re explaining things in a way I can understand, making an effort to be clear. You work hard, think earnestly for the patients, and you’re serious.”

“A-are you an idiot? Me, a good person!? That’s ridiculous! I’m a doctor, so thinking about the patients is natural! Teaching you so you don’t mess up is also natural! I’m not a good person! This is ridiculous! I’m done! I’m going back!”

With a wandering gaze, Cole walked away. Somehow, his departing figure felt more familiar than when I saw him earlier. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Maybe things are going better than I thought. I’ve gained a bit of a foothold. Regarding the Laziness syndrome, perhaps…

Wait for me, sis. I will definitely save you. We’ll save everyone who has fallen victim to Laziness syndrome.