The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

“I’m afraid that according to my research, curses affect the soul rather than the physical body.”

I found Hugo’s explanation intriguing.

“I didn’t know that until now. Is it like a disease that infects the soul?”

“You could think of it that way. I don’t exactly understand the principle of taking photos of the interior, but it’s clear that the curse appears in the images.”

“Is the dark part the curse?”

Hugo nodded.

“Yes. The soul has the same shape as the body. The curse manifests as a form that envelops part or all of the affected physical area.”

Hugo pointed to the X-ray images I presented. According to him, the draconic creature had its skull’s outer part surrounded, while the undead had the entire corpse’s outer part wrapped in a dark mass.

“Can you take a photo of my hand too?”

“Of course.”

I captured an image of Hugo’s hand and projected it on the crystal screen.

Hugo’s arm looked fine, but only the outer edge of his hand had a dark border.

“If only part of the body is affected by the curse, it appears like this.”

“Indeed.”

“Do you understand the difference between this image and the one showing the curse in the abdomen?”

“The curse is inside.”

“Your insight is sharp as always, Teacher. That’s precisely the very odd and different point.”

Hugo explained, pointing to the dark area on Acella’s abdomen.

“If this curse affects the internal organs, it should be marked along the abdomen’s outline. But it’s dark inside. This means…”

“That there’s another soul inside the body, aside from its owner.”

“Exactly.”

“That makes sense.”

Hugo concluded with conviction.

“I believe the soul is the source of the curse. It would be similar to an evil spirit. Removing this evil spirit is the fastest way to treat her.”

Is that the soul of the great witch?

It means that while Acella has access to the magical talents of the soul, she’s also suffering from the resulting curse, causing her abdominal pain.

“Is there no way to simply remove the evil spirit in this state?”

“Impossible. It has to be extracted physically. But that’s not easy. We can’t just slice open a living person’s abdomen.”

True enough.

“Also, if this evil spirit is strong and has its own consciousness, it might go wild the moment we extract it.”

“If it goes wild, can you suppress it? What if it casts magic or something?”

Hugo seemed to catch on to my intention.

The plan, of course, to cut her open and remove the curse along with it.

He answered with a resolute expression.

“I will definitely suppress it.”

“Good. Let’s keep assessing what kind of evil spirit this is and how strong it is.”

“Understood. I need to refine my skills through research as well.”

“That’s a good attitude. Chloe, I leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, sir!”

After handing over the office to them, I left the Inner Palace.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last saw Acella.

I might hear something else too, so I should check in on her every now and then.

Hearing Hugo’s story made me feel like our plan for Acella’s surgery was gradually solidifying.

This isn’t something we can keep delaying.

“I have to perform the surgery within a few years.”

There’s surely a time limit on this.

I recalled a story I had once heard from her.

“Isn’t it the day the Empire finally ends? Gothberg, come here and enjoy some of my wine.”

“How did I become the Emperor, you ask? Ha ha, wasn’t it inevitable? Where else would you find a wise and excellent ruler like me?”

“Still, there was a reason I steeled my heart… yes, there was.”

“To confess one thing, even for me, I couldn’t use magic perfectly when I was young. Surprised? Heh, there were times when I lost control of my mana.”

“I wasn’t even an adult yet. That day, my mana circuits were acting up violently. I also…”

“My runaway mana circuits fired spells at will. The only one who could stop that was my mother, the witch.”

“I ended up committing patricide. I killed Camilla von Württemberg, the Third Empress. Was I a good person? No, I was a villain. There’s no denying I was a complete evil person.”

“Rather, my actions were praised by the previous Emperor. He had liked me since then.”

“Still, she was my… mother.”

“My only mother, that is.”

“Somehow, it feels like I can hear her voice better since then. Ha ha ha, I’ve achieved everything now! Burn, burn even more!”

I distinctly remember Acella’s impressive figure as she poured wine on the crumbling Imperial Palace.

With flames as a backdrop, she was jumping around, holding up her skirts, which looked like she was dancing a can-can, reveling in the festive atmosphere.

‘The ending list is…’

[No. 101: Magic Explosion 4% → 7%]

[Changed]

Recently, there haven’t been any particular issues, but the probability has been slowly rising.

If left alone, it will likely increase a little bit.

The probability indicates that on the day of the incident Acella mentioned, there might be a chance of her inability to control her runaway mana.

‘That must be the day Acella went insane.’

Though she’s unreserved in berating enemies, she can’t do the same with Camilla.

The bond of blood pulls her heartstrings.

Since that day, Acella, hardened by her experience, became the Emperor without any hesitation, waiting for the day to bring the Empire to ruin.

I still don’t know the reason she had to destroy the world.

There’s still time left.

Before Acella’s abdominal time bomb goes off, I will remove it.

—

“Good evening, Royal Princess.”

I met Acella after her day’s work.

It seemed she had something to say as she opened her mouth, then fell silent again, glaring at me.

Tap, tap. Did her footsteps sound unusually tense, or was that just my mood?

In the quiet atmosphere, I proceeded with a simple examination.
It was a process to confirm whether she had any issues during the day and if she could sleep comfortably.

If the master fidgets in bed, that’s usually the attending physician’s responsibility.

“The mana circuits are normal. Please have a good rest.”

“Is that all you have to say after four days?”

“Uh…”

Recently, there haven’t been any issues, and the Moonlight Palace is running smoothly, so why is she like this?

I pondered over it, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint it…

Could it be that she caught me gulping down the draconic corpse?

“Would you like any additional examinations?”

Acella glared at me for a moment before snorting in annoyance and turning her head abruptly.

“Forget it. Get out.”

“Yes.”

She’s sensitive, very sensitive.

I should ask the Head Maid later about what happened today.

That night, I couldn’t sleep until dawn, organizing Acella’s examination results in my room.

I compared notes to check the progress.

Thud!

During that moment, the outside seemed to be getting busier. I heard doors opening and the sound of the guards moving around.

BANG!

The door burst open without knocking. Boris stood there with a serious expression.

“Teacher, you need to come out.”

“What’s going on?”

Boris wouldn’t interrupt my sleep time without good reason. Feeling the tense atmosphere, I immediately stood up from my desk.

“The Royal Princess has collapsed.”

I swiftly donned my gown and moved.

I dashed across the threshold toward the side room. Even though it was nearby, Acella’s room was still large enough that I had to run for at least twenty meters.

“Teacher!”

The guards in front of Acella’s room called out to me in panic.

Acella was lying on the floor beneath them, clutching her abdomen.

I ran over to Acella and slid down into a crouch to check on her condition.

“Royal Princess.”

I called her, but there was no response. She was conscious, but the pain was so severe that she could hardly reply.

Her breathing was labored, and she was soaked in sweat.
The sleepwear was already cold, indicating some time had passed.

Had she crawled out of her room, unable to endure the pain alone?

I quickly took out a Painkiller and placed it in Acella’s mouth. Her dry lips were parched.

“Royal Princess, can you drink some water?”

Acella nodded slightly.

I poured a bit of water into a cup with a beak, tilting it gently for her to sip.

Gulp, Acella swallowed the medicine.

…After a little while, her breathing began to stabilize.

Before I knew it, the Head Maid rushed over and waited nearby.

I requested her to change Acella’s clothes and lay her in bed, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms, waiting.

Three minutes, five minutes.

Time flowed endlessly.

“I was careless.”

The increasing probability of the Magic Explosion ending could indicate that Acella’s mana circuits had become unstable.

If I had paid more attention, maybe I could have prevented this in advance.

A little while later, the Head Maid came out of the room to inform me.

“The Royal Princess is asking for you.”

I entered the room to check on Acella lying in bed.

Her breathing had calmed, but she was still sweating, so I dabbed her with a handkerchief.

“…Prince.”

“Yes, Royal Princess. I’m here.”

Golden mana swirled above Acella’s slowly opening eyes like a mirage.

She seemed so drained that she couldn’t even resent me, now just a half lifeless body with her muscles completely relaxed.

“Are you hurt badly?”

“No, I don’t feel anything right now.”

“It’s my fault. I didn’t measure the Royal Princess’s mana circuits properly.”

“…True. Reflect on that.”

Acella mumbled like she was dazed from the effect of the Painkiller.

“You should be punished.”

“Uh… Can you let it slide just this once?”

Hearing the word ‘punish’ come directly from her mouth sent shivers down my spine.

“…Puppet.”

“You mean my puppet? I’ll bring it to you.”

Just as I was about to get up, Acella pulled at my gown.

I lost my balance and toppled onto her bed. My shoulder collided with her small body.

The sensation of fluffy cotton supporting my head made me shut my eyes. When I opened them again, her shiny blonde hair tickled my nose in the darkness.

Slither, Acella’s slim fingers brushed against the white gown.
She fumbled around until her entire arm crept into my armpit.

“Royal Princess.”

“…Be quiet.”

My chest felt warm. Every time Acella exhaled, warmth and moisture crept upward from my solar plexus, taking turns.

Before I knew it, Acella, glued to me like a rice cake, fell asleep without giving me a chance to say anything more.

‘If I don’t cover her with a blanket, she’ll catch a cold.’

Gently, I pulled the blanket from the end of the bed and covered Acella’s shoulder.

In doing so, it ended up that I covered myself with the blanket as well.

‘Ah, never mind.’

It was late at night.
I was tired too, so I decided to close my eyes and think about tomorrow.

—

The next morning, I woke up feeling a peculiar sensation in my cheeks and ears being tugged.

A pair of golden eyes glared sharply at me. The mana flowed vigorously through her well-maintained pupils.

I wasn’t sure why her hand was there, but with one hand, she was playfully touching my face.

Smooch, smoosh.

So slippery.

Cold.

“Princess…”

“Shh.”

Acella squished my cheeks for a while, then pinched my nose to make a pig shape and finally let go of my face.

“Your work ethic is in the dumps. Is that all you have to say after yesterday and waking up later than your master?”

“I sincerely apologize.”

“How should I punish you?”

“You’ve already punished me, haven’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Thanks to you, I couldn’t get a proper night’s sleep and had to stay in an uncomfortable position. I’ve got quite the sore back now. Is that not punishment enough?”

“Is sleeping in my bed your punishment?”

Acella glared at me, looking all riled up.

“No, your bed is quite comfortable. It’s the position and situation that’s the problem….”

“Are you saying I’m the problem?”

“I’m not saying that! Honestly, yesterday was partly your fault too.”

“What?”

Acella opened her mouth as if in disbelief.

But I had a point to make.

“I told you to let me know immediately if you had any pain. Up until now, when you suddenly had convulsions at night, you just endured it, right? If you had let me know right away, we might not have gotten to this point.”

Acella seemed hit right in the heart and remained silent.

“How about it? We share the responsibility 50/50, so let’s call your punishment fair and square.”

“Your fault isn’t limited to that.”

“What else?”

“Well, it’s… no, never mind.”

Acella bit her lower lip, puffing up her cheeks as she glared at me.
After a moment, she swiftly shot back.

“I don’t know. I won’t say anything moving forward.”

“Huh? You have to tell me! What if something big happens in a critical situation?”

“I said I won’t!”

“No.”

This is troublesome.
If this continues, there’s no guarantee her mana won’t suddenly go out of control.

Acella is quite stubborn.

I needed a strong measure.

I suggested to Acella.

“From now on, how about I sleep with you every night?”

“W-what?”

Acella jumped in surprise, raising her head.

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