The Doctor Cured the Villainess and Ran Away

3-3. The Marquess’s Troublemaker (1)

“I almost got into big trouble.”

Returning to my room, I took a deep breath and brushed off my chest.

Even though I only greeted Acella, it feels like my lifespan has shortened by ten years.

At this rate, I’ll avoid destruction only to die quickly from a sudden illness.

“I need to delete the bad endings quickly, my heart can’t take it.”

She was a woman you couldn’t let your guard down around, even when you were young.

I should have realized it when I saw that look in her eyes.

“Acella triggers quite a few bad endings, it seems.”

Glancing through the list, there seemed to be around fifty of them. It’s hard to believe there were this many.

“The best solution would be for Acella to quietly die.”

The problem is Acella’s magic.

It’s quite difficult to handle.

“Acella still possesses an overwhelming amount of magical power that she can’t control.”

If she were to be in a life-or-death situation, her magic would go out of control and the world would be destroyed. That’s the [Magic Rampage] ending.

Magic is not my area of expertise, and even if some expert were to come, they wouldn’t understand Acella’s realm.

She may not have reached that level yet, but she will.

“Assassination is assassination, after all.”

If I were to assassinate Acella, I would need to plan thoroughly.

I’m glad it went smoothly just now, but if Acella had called her knight escorts, I would have been arrested for treason.

The history of our family’s downfall was nearly accelerated by a wretched child. Aren’t you proud, Father?

“Why did you call me into your room?”

You’re not even in your own room. Isn’t this the guest room provided by our family?

“Oh?”

As I complained, I checked the ending list and noticed a few items that had changed, shining in green.

[No. 056: 99% Hatred of the Villainess → 21%]

[Changed]

“The initial value didn’t go back. The suspicions still haven’t completely cleared.”

I can’t ignore Asela.

Once I finish preparing, I’ll find her and try to gain as much trust as possible.

“Why did the probability decrease?”

[No. 003: 87% Filial Piety of the White-Branded → 64%]

[Changed]

Filial Piety of the White-Branded.

It’s an ending that occurs if the performance during the subjugation of the Four Heavenly Kings is not good.

The anxious citizens revolt against the Hero Party, whom they do not trust.

Insane Asela executes all 100 people, including the entire Hero Party and the citizens, by hanging them on the gallows and decorating the city gates with their bodies.

It’s a quite grotesque picture.

Fortunately, I don’t have to see it in the third person since my neck is also hanging.

Looking at the ending list, the probabilities of other endings haven’t changed.

“I must have stumbled upon an opportunity to erase this bad ending.”

From Noble mtl dot com

If Asela’s idea of executing a hundred people on the gallows didn’t originate from scratch but was inspired by some event.

And if that event starts from just now, from the moment Asela and I met.

It means I can change Asela’s experience and delete [Filial Piety of the White-Branded].

“But what does this have to do with me being hanged?”

I can’t imagine the reasoning of the villainess, whose thoughts are not a flower garden but a thorny bush.

Well, if it means she’ll prevent my death, there’s no need to refuse.

I thought it would be necessary to carefully observe the events that will happen for the time being.

“There was one more change.”

―――――――――――

· Good Ending

· ■■■ ■, ■■ ■■■■ 0% → 0.04%

―――――――――――

The probability of a good ending, which was 0%, has arisen. Looking at the number, it’s still not at a level to expect, like winning a lottery.

“What’s so good about a good ending in the first place?”

I check the explanation on the status screen.

―――――――――――

· Good Ending: The best situation that can occur when clearing the game, involving Las Gotberg.

· Conditions of occurrence: It occurs probabilistically when all bad endings have not occurred. If a good ending does not occur, a normal ending will occur.

· Probability of occurrence: It increases based on deleting bad endings and improving Las Gotberg’s achievement score.

―――――――――――

“Of course a good ending is better than a normal one.”

It seems different from the original ending.

Considering that they specifically mentioned my name, these endings seem to be prepared for me.

I might directly determine the situation I will face ten years from now.

“To accumulate achievements, I have to become a great person. In that case, it’s natural for the probability of a good ending to increase.”

I rise to higher positions in society, spread my fame, and actively engage in various fields.

Achievement scores accumulate through such extraordinary activities.

“If I succeed, I’ll definitely become a doctor.”

It was my dream.

It’s a profession that doesn’t exist in this world yet, but it’s definitely possible in ten years.

From now on, I will delete bad endings and aim for a good ending. I have a clear direction.

“Well then, let’s start moving.”

As I leave the room and head towards the main lobby, I see a middle-aged man in a neat suit drinking tea.

Judging from the atmosphere, it was clear who he was.

My father, Ga Ju, Baldur Gotberg.

Upon seeing me, my father had a slightly difficult expression.

“Son, let’s have a talk for a moment.”

He spoke calmly with a deep voice.

As the Duke’s father, he had a dignified appearance, but he was hiding a subtle uneasiness.

It is truly difficult to deal with a time bomb of a son who could explode at any moment.

“Now that the sun has reached its zenith, I am honored to meet you, sir. How have you been, father?”

He offered a noble greeting, filled with grace.

His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

“Ras, did something happen to you? Does your head feel strange because you drank too much alcohol?”

Father stood up abruptly from his seat, looking worried about me.

“hahahaha, don’t worry. My mind is fresher than ever.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s a relief… When Sieber suddenly praised you like that, I wondered what he meant, but indeed, there is a different glimmer in his eyes…”

Father cautiously sized me up.

The Marquisate is almost like a small city-state.

The responsibility and pressure of managing such a vast society are far from ordinary.

The men who endure it are no different from commoners, suffering from headaches due to their wayward sons.

It’s quite human.

We sat down and continued our conversation.

“I heard that you met the princess.”

It seemed like he was worried that I may have ruined the important first meeting with my betrothed.

“Yes, she was a person full of elegance.”

“Did… Is everything alright? Did the princess feel uncomfortable or anything?”

Father realized his slip of the tongue and quickly cleared his throat.

“Don’t misunderstand. I only asked because the princess might not like our mansion.”

“I didn’t get a bad feeling. The princess actually suggested meeting alone. I was already leaning in that direction.”

“Alone? Already? Oh, ho.”

Father stroked his chin beard.

I could see astonishment on his face, as if he sensed something different from me.

“It’s true that I’ve been busy with my work and haven’t had many chances to talk with you. But seeing your appearance now, so neat and graceful in your words, it seems like you’ve prepared a lot for today.”

“It’s the day I meet none other than the fiancée of the Imperial Family. I can’t let my guard down.”

Father seemed more surprised as he listened to my words.

He looked flustered, as if suddenly regaining his senses, wondering how to deal with this unexpected change in his son.

I would probably be the same.

After all these years, if someone suddenly starts talking sense, would they suspect that I have delved into darker magic more dangerous than alcohol?

Here, I decided to show a more confident appearance.

“Don’t worry. As an important guest is coming, we will ensure that nothing harmful happens to Gotberg’s name.”

“…It has changed a lot since I last saw it. It must have been difficult to prepare this much. Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Yes, please look forward to it.”

Father smiled kindly.

At the current moment when Gotberg is leaving, he is quite a powerful viscount.

Later on, he will get involved in some incident and be falsely accused of treason, but having him as my backer gives me a sense of security.

I know very well why our family is being destroyed, so if I can protect it later on, it will definitely become a great strength.

And seeing my father feeling relieved while looking at his son makes me feel quite good too.

“The princess and her official position were supposed to be discussed during the dinner banquet, but it’s good that it was revealed beforehand.”

Listening to Father’s words made me curious.

“But, what brought Princess and Empress to our family?”

“Ah, it seems I didn’t convey that information.”

Father sipped his tea and then got to the point.

“The palace is selecting a personal physician for the princess. Coincidentally, a competition was being held at our family’s healing center. One person will be chosen as a result.”

A personal physician.

An interesting story came up.

“Gotberg is renowned for its famous healing lineage.”

Ten years later, I became a competent senior healer. That was the reason.

Although I studied reluctantly, I had the best lineage and graduated from the top educational facility.

“I hope I won’t have to use healing magic if possible.”

Because if I work as a healer, I might end up rolling with foolish warrior parties.

There were countless instances where I was hindered because I had to constantly use healing spells, despite wanting to use efficient combat strategies.

Honestly, I’m tired of healing magic.

It only brings back bad memories.

I wouldn’t do extreme professions like being a warrior party member even if you gave me a fortune.

“The royal family members all have personal physicians.”

“Yeah. You might have heard it too, but the princess has been suffering from frequent illnesses lately. However, the healers who have been examining her couldn’t improve her condition.”

I know it well.

It’s the side effect of Asella’s growing magical power.

“Are there any strong candidates right now?”

“I think Kiseu might be chosen. She’s the most outstanding healer in our training center.”

The training center is a kind of healing academy.

In Lord Gotberg’s training center, graduates are highly regarded even in the Empire, and many of them are summoned to the royal court.

If Kiseu is the ace of the training center, her skills must be exceptional.

“But won’t Ashella refuse the healing arts?”

Although both magic and healing arts involve spells, they belong to different branches.

I heard directly from her that Ashella’s powerful magical power rejects healing spells.

One of the reasons she becomes a mad villainess is because of her immense magic power.

Well, being a villainess is something she was destined to become.

At least her madness is partly due to magic.

Magic may sometimes have that effect.

From what I’ve seen, all the magicians and witches I’ve encountered had a few screws loose.

Especially in Ashella’s case, there were particular circumstances.

Apparently, she reached a level of magic that her body couldn’t endure and suffered considerable pain.

Unable to bear the pain, her magic went wild, causing some tragedy.

After that incident, Ashella became a tyrant.

And at that time, healing arts were completely useless.

It’s a story I heard from Ashella herself, so it must be accurate.

“It’s probably a debuff related to having talents.”

It’s one of the laws of this world.

If you have outstanding talent in one field, you will also have corresponding debuffs.

Like a trade-off.

For example, someone with great physical strength can’t have strong magical power as well; it’s simply impossible.

Not everyone can have everything.

As for me now, my talents are locked away, so I don’t have any debuffs, but Ashella probably has some kind of negative attribute.

“Perhaps…”

If it’s not healing but treatment.

I wonder if it’s possible to remove Ashella’s debuffs using the knowledge of modern medicine I possess?

Maybe as a result, her magic could be disrupted.

“Ah, it won’t be possible like this.”

Not even proper medicine or basic surgical equipment, let alone disinfectants, exist in this world. Most of all, becoming Princess Asella’s personal physician would make it difficult to leave the palace later.

Even if I have to sacrifice the ending, I must avoid getting too deeply involved with Asella.

As I sorted out my thoughts, my father spoke to me.

“I have taken too much of your time. It was time for you to go see the princess. Get up. I must go to entertain the queen.”

“I understand. Let’s go together then.”

I leave the annex with my father.

Knights and servants followed us.

We walk along the path circling the central garden.

Lakes and barns are visible on both sides. It’s truly a vast estate.

Most conspicuous are the facilities beyond a fence that looked like a church.

“That’s the temple for training healers.”

Old memories still remaining in my possessed body bubbled up like a whirlpool.

The main building was composed of three structures.

East building, west building, and central building.

The queen stayed in the central building and Asella in the east building.

My father stopped in front of the east building and urged me.

“Then go and see Princess Asella. She asked for you by name, so don’t worry.”

“I will. I’ll see you at dinner.”

As I’m about to move, something beyond the fence caught my attention.

“What is it?”

At my father’s question, one of the servants carefully reported the situation.

It didn’t seem like good news. My father’s expression became serious.

“Princess’s pet dog?”

My father moved quickly towards the scene. I also immediately headed towards the fence.

It was a puppy.

On the lawn, a large puppy is lying down, gasping in pain as if distressed.

Was it Asella’s pet dog?

Four healers were attached to the puppy.

Wearing all-white robes, it was difficult to tell who’s who.

The dog was really big, I thought it might be a Great Pyrenees.

It’s taller than me, almost seems to reach 2 meters. Its fluffy white fur makes it appear even larger.

The problem is, it was dying.

“What happened?”

At Father’s command, the healers answered while sweating profusely.

“Suddenly, this fellow collapsed!”

“We’re healing it right now!”

Father quickly took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves.

“It’s the royal guest’s pet. Do you know what a disgrace it would be if something happened to it, you fools?!”

That guy is the royal pet?

He looks so scruffy. I can’t believe they sent someone like him as the family representative and personal physician.

“We’ve almost finished healing…”

Father pushed Kis away and took out a rosary and a bible from his pocket, activating his healing magic.

His divine power takes shape through his faith.

It’s a scene I’ve seen countless times before.

I use the same skill all the time, too.

From Noble mtl dot com

Father may be the head of the Gottberg family, but he’s quite skilled in healing magic.

However, despite the healing taking place, the dog continues to whimper in agony.

That’s when she arrived.

“Max!”

Asella comes running from afar. She must have heard that her beloved pet had an accident.

Confusion fills her wide-open eyes.

“Max, Max!”

“Your Highness, the healers are still treating him. Please wait a moment.”

The Grand Chamberlain stops her from jumping onto the dog recklessly.

“So, his name is Max.”

She looks at the healers.

Those guys from the Rearing Ace are sitting there, seemingly lost, not paying attention to the patient and in deep prayer.

I subtly glance at Asella.

“….”

Ah, our eyes met momentarily.

At that moment, the numbers changed.

[No. 004: Sweet Poison 56% → 71%]

[Fluctuation]

Ah, what have I done?

Now it’s related to the bad ending condition of Sweet Poison.

That’s the incident.

“Yes, crisis is an opportunity.”

In other words, it’s a chance to delete the bad ending.

Of course, even if it weren’t for the status screen, I wouldn’t pass by a dying puppy.

Because puppies are cute.

“Tsk, let’s see.”

I approach Max and examine him carefully.

“No visible external injuries.”

Then, it must be internal. Given his difficulty breathing, it seems to be a respiratory issue.

With his thick fur, it’s not easy to see with the naked eye. I press on Max’s body to check.

“Young master, what are you doing?”

A healer grabs my shoulder and tries to pull me away.

“I’m trying to find the cause. Don’t interfere.”

I push away the healer and check Max’s neck.

“Young master, you’re choking the dog!”

“That scoundrel…!”

I don’t care what they say. There’s no time to pay attention. It’s urgent.

I feel a blunt sensation in my fingertips.

“What is it?”

The cause is simple.

“It’s a prayer seal.”

Something was wrapped around his neck.