The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

“W-What do you mean, terminal?”

Stumbling over her words, Acella reached out with both hands and touched my face. Even though it didn’t mean I was dying right away, she looked so shaken that all color drained from her face.

“What are you talking about, Lars? Were you really in that much pain? How serious is this illness?”

“There’s nothing that can be done right now. It’s eating away at my body a little bit at a time… cough.”

I hadn’t planned it, but a cough came out just on cue. Blood soaked my palm. I pulled out a disinfecting tissue and wiped it off, disposing of it.

Seeing me, Acella went pale. Her mouth hung slightly open, and she looked like she might go crazy at any moment.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m still okay. I’ll be fine for a few years.”

It was time to regain my strength. I pulled a candy from my pocket and popped it in my mouth. Acella grabbed the wrapper, making a crinkle sound.

“It’s not just candy, is it? It was medicine. I didn’t know…”

Whack! Acella glared at me, her eyes filled with resentment as she hit me.

“Was this your secret? Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“If the attending physician can’t even take care of himself, how can you trust him to manage the health of the royal family?”

“No matter what, that’s…”

“There are many reasons I need to leave the imperial family, and this is a big one. Please understand…”

“I absolutely won’t let you go!”

Instead, Acella started to throw a tantrum. Her eyes widened as if straining so hard that her blood vessels might burst.

“From the sound of that, you can be cured, right? Do you need medication? Then I’ll go get it for you!”

“It’s impossible from within the imperial family.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know.”

“I know too. I can figure it out. You might not realize, but if you go outside like this, what do you think will happen? You’ll be called up to the hero party. That stupid hero is definitely going to try to seduce you. Maybe once would be okay, but what if it happens two, three times? Could you refuse? Will your body endure that perilous quest? You’ll die!”

Acella desperately shook me by the collar.

“If you’re going to die, die by my side. That’s an order!”

Our conversation had reached a stalemate.

I had no choice but to stay in the imperial family, and Acella had no choice but to give up on the emperor.

There was no common ground in sight.

“…Your Royal Highness.”

At the calmness in my voice, Acella’s face hardened.

She seemed to have already figured out what I was about to demand. It was only natural for Acella, who was skilled at reading people.

I had been too complacent.

“D-!”

Acella moved first. She grabbed a letter that had fallen on the floor and instantly dashed toward the wardrobe.

Clang! Ignoring the fact that her nails broke, she opened the wardrobe and pulled out a spare wand. In an instant, a golden mana erupted, wrapping around the wand.

“Your Royal Highness!”

I realized what she was about to do.

Geass is known as a rigorous magic that cannot be dispelled after casting.

However, our contract merely states to fulfill the ‘contents written in the letter.’ While Geass itself cannot be broken, if the wording of the letter cannot be identified, it could become invalid.

That letter is usually not easily damaged, but since it is only physically protected, a much stronger high-tier magic could break through.

That was surely Acella’s intent.

“Lars, it’s all for you!”

Acella’s eyes blazed with golden mana.

Six circles were swiftly drawn from the tip of the wand.

But her trembling hands couldn’t focus, causing her mana to spark and fail to stabilize.

“Your Royal Highness.”

To the rapidly panting Acella, I calmly said, “It’s for us.”

“No, don’t!”

I reached my right hand towards her.

“Don’t do this!”

“Swear the oath.”

“No!!”

“Please fulfill it.”

“I don’t want to!!”

—Flash!

Her golden mana and my pure white mana spiraled together, rotating before eventually separating and vanishing.

“Ah… ah.”

The contract had been fulfilled. The coercive power of Geass began to stealthily dominate Acella. She dropped the wand, her hands trembling.

“Your Royal Highness!”

At that moment, the secretary entered the room. Seeing the traces of magic, she looked worried that something terrible might have happened.

“Your Highness… the attending physician.”

She was very flustered when she spotted Acella on her knees.

For a moment, Acella slowly stood.

“…What is it, secretary?”

“Ah, um, are you okay?”

“There’s no problem. Outside is chaotic. Report.”

“That is… Prince George von Württemberg has launched military action. He has seized the imperial palace, and First Royal Princess Heike is currently in a standoff.”

Acella’s eyebrows twitched.

“Does this mean he intends to take the imperial seat of the emperor at the imperial palace? With the pretext of stopping George, Heike might receive the succession. I will join the fight. Raise the army.”

“I’ll prepare it.”

“And.”

Acella grimaced with a painful expression, blood trickling down her chin.

“Y-Your Royal Highness…”

The secretary glanced at her with worry, but Acella ignored her and commanded.

“Dismiss the royal attending physician, Gothberg, effective immediately. Ensure he is guarded and safely escorted out of the imperial family to prevent his involvement.”

“…Huh? The attending physician?”

The secretary looked at me and Acella in confusion, alternating her gaze.

I bowed to Acella.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”

A message popped up in the status window.

―――――――――――

· Good Ending

· ### years later, again in ### 65% → 68%

· Hidden Ending

· The attending physician cured the wicked woman and was satisfied

51% → 0%

· Ending deleted.

―――――――――――

Acella looked at me one last time.

“I won’t let you run away.”

She muttered so.

I turned my back to her.

This is the right choice.

For the sake of both of us.

*

“Can an empire without a throne be called an empire? That’s a fallen nation! I, George von Württemberg, shall become the ruler of this fallen nation! Be grateful! And bow your heads! Hahaha!!”

Exiting the Moonlight Palace, the imperial family was in complete disarray.

Torches had been stuck everywhere, flames rising up. It looked as if it were sunset even in the middle of the day, with everything bathed in red.

“Master, this way.”

Knight Wendel from the Moonlight Palace escorted me. Following him, we made our way toward the inner palace connected to the southern castle wall of the imperial palace.

Everywhere I looked, George’s face was visible in the sky. He was live-streaming from the imperial palace via a crystal orb. He certainly loved extravagant displays.

The imperial family was in chaos thanks to George. Knights were hurrying around, seemingly too busy to pay any attention to me.

“Oh dear, the road is blocked.”

When we arrived at the southern castle wall, Wendel reported. The tension was so high that war could break out at any moment inside the palace. Heike had quickly sealed off the royal family’s various locations.

I took too long.

“Let’s head into the inner palace.”

“The inner palace? Understood.”

They must not have fully sealed off the inner palace. It connected to the central square. There had to be a way to break through.

As I entered through the entrance, I ran into Chloe.

“T-Teacher! Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. I don’t have time for a farewell party.”

“Ugh… Can I really fill in the gap you leave behind? I have no confidence at all. You are my lifelong mentor. I still have so much to learn from you…”

“Gothberg-sensei!!”

“Teacher!!”

I had no time to hear Chloe’s heartfelt farewell. Suddenly, Ambrosia, Alberich, and a legion of attending physicians appeared, blocking my path.

“Teacher! What do you mean you’ve been dismissed from your position as attending physician?!”

“Is it true that you’re leaving the empire?!”

“Where has the pillar of the inner palace gone!? I’ll protest to the Royal Princess alongside my Princess!”

The attending physicians approached me confidently. News traveled fast, didn’t it? I was unexpectedly caught off guard.

“Chloe, hand me the paper I was working on.”

“The paper? Here you go.”

I accepted a handful of papers from Chloe and started running.

“Huh? He’s escaping!”

“Catch him!”

“Teacher, Gothberg-sensei!”

Climbing up the staircase, I never seemed to get used to these stairs no matter how many times I went up.

As the distance closed in, I threw a few sheets of the paper at them.

“What is this?!”

“Is this the method of creating an artifact for laparoscopic surgery?!”

“He can cast healing spells with medicine?!”

“The Saint was related to Teacher?!”

“What?!”

While they were distracted picking up the papers, I dashed down the corridor and flung open the emergency staircase door.

When I stepped onto the rooftop, my white coat was drenched in sweat. Wendel stayed by my side till the end. I patted Chloe’s shoulder, panting.

“Teacher, this is a dead end.”

“Don’t even think about escaping!”

Ambrosia and Alberich approached me with gleaming eyes.

Behind me was the rooftop railing.

I scattered the remaining papers to them and shouted.

“Life is short, and the path of medicine is long! Medication is both science and art!”

The papers bloomed and fluttered like leaves in the wind.

I gave a light salute to the dumbfounded attending physicians and, without hesitation, threw myself over the railing.

“Oh no!”

“Goodness, Teacher!”

For a moment, as my body succumbed to gravity…

I landed softly on a pile of straw from a carriage.

I turned to Bruno, who was waiting.

“Let’s get going.”

“Yes.”

The wooden wheels rattled as the carriage began to move. Peeking from the rooftop of the inner palace, Ambrosia, Chloe, Alberich, and the other attending physicians leaned out, watching me.

I waved my arms widely at them.

Now, George might be drawing their attention, but could I safely return to my hometown from here?

The chase was just beginning.

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