Chapter 203: Duke Erunt's Secret (1)

The Temporary Exam at the Kandiba Demonic Realm had ended.

The train that had stopped at the Temporary Station spewed steam and began advancing south again.

Meanwhile, having finished Cleaning up the last Surgery in Car 20, I accepted the Report handed to me by Cardinal Wendras.

"Lord Saint. This is the final tally of this Temporary Exam."

"Thank you for your hard work."

I washed my hands at the sink and quickly checked the Report.

The Result was beyond expectations.

「The Deceased: None.

The Severely Injured: Twenty.

The Slightly Injured: Two hundred.」

Six hundred students entered and exited the Demonic Realm, yet not a single coffin was made.

It was a highly encouraging achievement.

However, there was one thing that bothered me.

'Is this right?'

The Result shown by the numbers was quite excellent.

The Triage system I devised was well-adjusted to fit this Another World.

The Surgery was also carried out well, and no irreversible Tragedy occurred.

The Circumstances surrounding The Severely Injured were largely due to the students' carelessness.

This suggested that the Result could be even better if the students just paid enough attention.

But I couldn't shake off a strange Uncomfortable feeling.

How should I express this.

An Uncomfortable feeling that couldn't be understood through numbers or statistics, something only field workers feel.

'Sss...... What is the problem.'

The problem was that the true nature of this Uncomfortable feeling could not be refined into words.

'Should I think about it later for now.'

Reflecting on my long experience, Time was the answer in these cases.

Because there are things that can only be seen when you step back a little.

I decided to put aside this elusive thought for a moment.

And I called Ayla and Lauren, who had finished Cleaning up after the Surgery.

"Ayla, Lauren. Good work."

"Um...... Teacher."

At that moment, Ayla approached while wiping her wet hands with a towel.

"By any chance, who put on a better Great Performance today between Lord Lauren and me?"

"What do you mean all of a sudden, Ayla?"

"Well......"

Ayla carefully explained the reason for her previous Question.

"Before the Surgery today, I made a bet with Lord Lauren."

What did that mean.

I turned my head and looked at Lauren.

He was nodding his head.

"That is correct, Lord Saint. The Saintess of the Lamp and I made a light bet on who would have a better Great Performance in such Actual combat. Ah, I say this out of Excessive concern, but there is no money involved. It was a light bet for about one Voucher."

Aha.

Upon hearing that, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

If they had bet on a Patient, I would have scolded them.

But since it was a bet to compete over their Skill, there was no reason to reprimand them.

"It is a good thing as long as the competition doesn't overheat."

Originally, a competitive spirit is the best way to hone one's Skill.

As someone who didn't have a Rival in my Previous life, I knew that fact better than anyone.

As if there would be a Rival in Trauma Surgery.

No juniors were coming in anyway, so I was all alone for years.

"Then, should I give an Evaluation on who did better between the two of you?"

"Yes, Teacher."

"That is correct, Lord Saint."

The two waited for my judgment with bright, sparkling eyes.

Receiving both their gazes, I decided to Review their Great Performance from today.

'First of all, Ayla was very helpful during the Surgery.'

I could guess the Evidence for Ayla's Confidence.

She had already experienced a large-scale emergency Scene caused by a Demonic Beast once before.

She must have thought Lauren, who had never stepped out of the Holy City, couldn't possibly match that experience.

But once the Lid was opened, the one who actually showed a better Great Performance was Lauren.

'How can you beat a human who can spam Greater Heal as long as the sun is up.'

Ayla's Great Performance certainly stood out in the Operating room.

Because what was important here was delicate Technique and knowledge.

But at a large-scale Disaster Site like this, quantity beats quality.

This was a point I emphasized in Triage as well.

Considering this point......

"As expected, I would like to raise Lord Lauren's hand this time."

"Yes!"

"(Whimper)......"

Forgetting even his Face, Lauren clenched his fist and cheered.

In contrast, Ayla's Shoulders slumped.

"Hand over the Voucher."

"Hiing...... I wanted to collect two and buy a parfait."

"Hehe. I might fall behind in studying, but I don't fall behind in Actual combat."

Was he that happy about beating the Top of the Class?

Lauren was enjoying the Euphoria, letting out a Snort.

"Then shall we return to the Cabin, you two."

"Yes......"

"I have something to brag to my Nanny about."

After that cute bet came to an end.

We exited the Surgery Car and headed to the front car.

The train's Surgery Car was Car 20.

And my Cabin was Car 9.

While returning to the Cabin, the layout made it inevitable to run into students in the hallway.

"Thank you, Lord Saint."

"You were Student Galma's Party Member, right? How is the Student doing?"

"Thanks to Lord Saint, he was able to preserve his Life. Thank you."

The students we encountered along the way all gave similar greetings.

For me, it was a very proud encounter.

Wouldn't it be more rewarding from a Doctor's perspective to hear these Words of Thanks rather than having people vent their Resentment over losing a loved one?

"That is a good thing. Still, I heard the Student won't be able to take this exam, so it is a pity about that."

"It's his own Fault for letting his guard down after being warned to be careful so much. Shouldn't he just show Gratitude for not dying?"

After that, the students' Gratitude continued.

Since there were more than just one or two people holding me back, it was late at night by the time I arrived at my destination, the Cabin.

After spending a night in the Cabin like that.

The next Morning, I had a meeting with the Valkyries in the Cafe Car.

"Erika. I heard you hurt your arm yesterday, are you okay now?"

"I received a Heal at Dawn, so it's all completely cured now."

As expected, is it because this is a world where Divine Magic exists.

The Patient's progress changed on a daily basis.

That's why the Academy naturally pushes forward with a forced march the very next day after people get injured.

"I don't see Jenny."

"The Department of Healing Arts students supposedly went to the Prayer Room for dawn prayer and will come back later. They said they need to recover the Divine Power they'll use for the next main exam."

It's easy to forget, but Divine Power is also a consumable resource.

So unless one could automatically recover Divine Power like Lauren or Ayla, they had to replenish it with prayer after a round of treatment like this.

"Sit here, Teacher."

"Thank you."

I took a seat next to Erika, who had picked up a Sandwich.

Opposite her, Freya was sitting in a half-asleep state.

Normally, it was rare for her to show such a disheveled appearance at this Time.

It seemed her first Actual combat had been that exhausting.

"Freya, are you tired?"

"Yes...... a little......"

"You should have gone in and rested."

"I can't...... Once you get lazy with these things, it becomes a habit."

Sip.

Freya was trying to chase away her sleep with a bitter espresso.

As expected, is it because she possesses a personality that refuses to Compromise.

Even in this situation, she didn't seem to tolerate sleeping in.

Charlotte, sitting opposite her, looked at Freya as if she couldn't understand.

"Is that a reason not to sleep in?"

"Charlotte, you seem to sleep in surprisingly often?"

"Living a regular life is certainly a Virtue, but for me, keeping my Brain in optimal condition is more important than that."

At that moment, Jenny, who had returned from praying, sat next to Charlotte and spoke.

"No, it's that you normally lounge around like a jellyfish, and only break out of your Lethargy to act regularly when an Incident occurs."

"It's the same thing, Jenny. Shouldn't I save my energy as much as possible normally and use it when an Incident happens?"

"To say that, the gap between your Lethargic Phase and Active Phase is too extreme......"

Listening to Jenny's words, it seemed Charlotte was endlessly lethargic when there was no Incident, but moved by the second when an Incident occurred.

To the people around her, she must seem like quite a selfish person.

But for me, who knew where her personality originated from, that appearance didn't feel too bad.

"Everyone has different areas they become passionate about. I happen to like people who are enthusiastic about their work in that way."

"See, Jenny? There is no problem with me."

"Haa...... I wondered why she was acting like this, but it seems her habits are getting worse because of you, Professor."

I was sorry.

But considering Charlotte's Individuality, I didn't think persuasion would correct her anyway.

*

Inside the Car heading to our original destination, the Erunt Duchy.

There wasn't much I could do inside it.

Normally, it would be the Time I'd be frantically seeing patients at the Healing Center, giving a Lecture, or doing Research.

But inside a moving train, I couldn't do any of those things.

In the end, the ways I could spend my Time were limited.

Reading a Book in the Cabin, or catching up on sleep.

But even that gets boring if you keep doing it.

When a Train Trip lasts for about a week, you need to come up with a new Strategy to pass the Time.

"Ugh...... I'm bored."

So right now, I was killing Time with the Valkyries.

"I said I'm bored...... I want to move my body. Should I have gone with Kal last night when he said he was going for some Honing."

"Unnie, that Senior Kal got dragged away by the Instructors while Honing in the hallway yesterday."

"Then should I try climbing onto the train roof."

"Why are you reaching that Conclusion?"

Erika grumbled with her Forehead pressed firmly against the window.

Outside the window, the same plains had been passing by for three hours.

Beside her, Charlotte had also entered her Lethargic Phase mode, playing chess by herself with dead eyes.

"I agree too, Miss Erika. It would be interesting if a murder Incident occurred inside the train."

"Charlotte. Such an Incident doesn't happen on a trip with just students, you know?"

"But Jenny, it happens in your next novel, doesn't it?"

"That's a novel! And could you not Leak my Manuscript so casually?"

Erika and Charlotte weren't the only ones who entered the Lethargic Phase mode.

Their Bodyguard, Lady Keres, had also entered the Lethargic Phase and was whining.

"Drinking the same alcohol is slowly getting tiresome. I've also run out of the alcohol I brought......"

"Alcohol you brought?"

"Ah, that was a Slip of the tongue. I meant that I ran out of Vouchers."

"......"

I silently looked at the Duke's Daughter.

Avoiding my gaze, the Duke's Daughter mumbled and called out to me as if making an excuse.

"Lord Saint?"

"......I heard that thanks to you, Duke's Daughter, the Valkyries students were able to safely gain experience yesterday."

"I only did what was expected of me."

"Still, as their family, I would like to offer a Reward for that."

How could I offer a Reward to the Duke's Daughter right here and now.

A Reward that wasn't too excessive, yet not insincere either.

After a moment of thought, I came to a Conclusion.

"I will make you something called a Cocktail."

There was a bar in the train car.

Naturally, the concept of a Cocktail also existed.

However, the level of Cocktails in this Era was not very high.

About the level of mixing a little Sugar, water, and bitters into a distilled spirit?

Compared to the 21st Century Cocktails where all kinds of alcohol were mixed and ice was a given, the flavor was on the shallow side.

In such an Era, I intended to teach Lady Keres about 21st Century-style Cocktails.

"Lord Saint's Cocktail, you say? I've been curious since I merely heard the story from Lady Charlotte, and to think such an Opportunity would arise."

Fortunately, she seemed to like the idea.

"Then I will write down the Recipe for you."

If I had it my way, I would have liked to borrow the train's bar and make it for her.

But it felt a bit improper for a Saint to take a bartender's place and make drinks, so I decided to settle for handing her the Recipe.

「Sauterne Cobbler Recipe」

— Western White Wine with a little Sugar, crushed ice, orange, and berries added.

It was a Cocktail that could be made based on the Ingredients I had noted down while looking around the bar earlier.

After handing over the Recipe, I gauged the Duke's Daughter's reaction.

Because among nobles, there were some who disliked adding wine to a Cocktail, which was considered a Commoner's drink.

Fortunately, the Duke's Daughter was the possessor of a Universal Love for Humanity(?) ideology that all alcohol was equal regardless of Social Status.

"Thank you. I must head down to the 1st Floor immediately."

She headed straight downstairs with the Recipe in hand.

It was certainly no illusion that her steps heading downstairs looked excited.

Even after that, the train continued heading south.

As the train advanced, the sky was gradually growing darker.

It meant we were getting closer to the Erunt Duchy.

"......The Sunlight is disappearing."

Erika, who had her Forehead pressed against the Car window, muttered.

When her Forehead left the window, a round, fogged mark remained in its place.

Squeak, squeak.

Wiping that mark with her collar, Erika focused her gaze outside the window.

Not long after, the Duchy gradually began to reveal its appearance beyond the horizon.

Clang, clang.

In tune with that, the bell rang twice from the Speaking tube.

「We are making an announcement. This train will shortly arrive at its final destination, the Erunt Duchy, Duchy Central Station—」

A week since departing from the Academy.

We had finally arrived at the Duchy.

*

Choo choo——

Covering the Ceiling with acrid black steam, the train began to enter the station.

With a hissing sound, our bodies jolted forward for a moment.

It meant the Time to disembark had arrived.

「Students, please disembark from the train in order according to the Instructor's directions......」

It just so happened that my turn to disembark alongside the Valkyries was towards the back.

So, while waiting for our turn with them, I checked outside through the window.

— "Company!! Attention!!!"

Outside, Honor Guard soldiers welcoming the Academy's arrival were standing in Formation.

At the head of the Honor Guard, a figure who appeared to be an officer saluted and shouted.

"Welcome, Heroes!"

A path leading to the carriages was formed through the parted Honor Guard.

At the end of the path, carriages were lined up waiting.

They were carriages meant to take us to our lodgings.

— "Waaaaa!"

The street outside the Honor Guard was packed with Citizens.

People hung from every window, and some could be seen sitting on rooftops.

It was a density as if all the people of the Duchy had gathered here.

And I didn't seem to be the only one overwhelmed by that Crowd.

"......There are an unusually large number of children."

Lady Keres muttered.

She was right.

Among the people out on the streets, a lot of children could be seen.

"How can the Southern Region have so many children?"

The one who answered this was Edmund, who was waiting with us.

"Isn't it obvious. The Frontline in the Southern Region has stabilized. With Non-combat Loss already reduced, even Combat Loss has become something you can count on one hand. It's only a matter of time before the population booms."

Saying so, Edmund directed his gaze at me.

"Thanks to the Vaccine and Antibiotic created by a certain Lord Saint, it has become rare for not only soldiers but also Citizens to die from disease. Once the Frontline is stabilized, the population booming is inevitable."

I didn't particularly deny it and nodded.

That makes sense.

It's hard to believe, but the statistics I actually checked were saying the same thing.

25% of newborns died in infancy.

Another 25% of all newborns died from various diseases before turning 15.

Combining all these causes of death, only half survived to the age of 20.

In the midst of that, youths were ground away once more due to Demonic Beasts.

But then a Vaccine was created, an Antibiotic was made, and even the Frontline was stabilized.

What happens when the filter that used to weed out Humanity disappears all at once like this.

The answer was the sight unfolding before my eyes.

"But Your Highness, hasn't the population increase due to the Vaccine been a recognized issue since 10 years ago? I believe that alone cannot explain this sight."

"That is also correct, Duke's Daughter. As you said, it is not simply the result of the Vaccine or Antibiotic."

The explosive increase in population was already a topic discussed nationwide a few years ago.

Because in addition to the Vaccine, there was also the Great Performance of Viagra.

......Though I'm a bit dissatisfied that that specific generation was given the name Schun Generation.

However, this current generation in the Southern Region had something different from the existing Schun Generation.

"In particular, it's a huge factor that people have flocked to the Southern Region. As you know, hasn't the Southern Region now become the safest area in the Empire. So youths are gathering from all over the country just to get an Immigration Pass."

Right. That was the biggest cause.

Youths are gathering.

What could this mean.

What else could it be.

It's a Baby Boom.

"Thanks to that, I heard the Southern Region is currently suffering in a different sense."

Of course, the Baby Boom also had a Price.

Humans are naturally animals of Adaptation, but they still need Time to adapt.

People who were used to having many babies because babies died easily,

Were still failing their Adaptation to an Era where babies don't die easily.

In response, the Lords of the Southern Region were already making Preparations for the problems that would come in the Future.

"There's a reason why the Lords of the Southern Region are so obsessed with the area outside the walls."

Illegal immigration problems, population density problems, food problems.

Problems that make you tired just hearing about them were listed one by one.

However, it was self-evident that the walls would be much too narrow for the future Generation.

That is why the Southern Region is so proactive about advancing outside the walls.

From building new walls to giving Support funds to those who take the risk and pioneer.

It was all because of this Baby Boom Phenomenon.

"Still, it's a good thing. The Southern Region becoming like this means there's hope for other regions as well."

There are many factors this way and that, making it look complicated, but to summarize, there's only one Conclusion.

Now, the Southern Region's genre has become Fantasy.

The Traditional Fantasy full of dreams and hope that I had expected right after I was born.

If a Reincarnator started in the Southern Region, they'd probably think the World Setting here was a Romance Fantasy, wouldn't they?

'Romance Fantasy Trope. The World Setting and other regions are grim, but only the place they live in is soft and cozy.'

Well, anyway.

These are the reasons why there are so many babies overflowing on the streets.

At that moment, a bitter smile hung on the Imperial Prince's lips.

"Of course, my Contribution played a part here as well. Because the Frontline stabilized after I defeated that wretched Lord of the Flies and Recaptured the Southern Region's old Duchy."

How about that? Aren't I amazing?

Praise me a little.

Edmund boasted with roughly that kind of vibe.

Since I felt like I knew what that emotion was, I gave him some Lip service.

"You are excellent, Your Highness."

"Your merit is also great, Lord Yulian."

As we were exchanging pleasantries like that,

It was soon our turn to disembark.

Right before disembarking, Edmund spoke to us as if warning us.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say it with my own mouth, but I am quite Popular in the Southern Region. Your ears might hurt, so brace yourselves."

Leaving those words, he stepped off the train first.

And as if proving those words weren't a bluff, an enormous cheer erupted.

— "Waaaa!"

— "Long live Your Highness!"

— "Our Hero!"

It was a shout loud enough to make the train vibrate.

As if he was used to that cheer, Edmund waved his hand towards the crowd with a relaxed Facial expression.

Eventually, it was my turn to step off the train.

"Guys. Want to bet on whether people will welcome Teacher as much as His Highness?"

Right before disembarking, Erika proposed a bet to her colleagues for one Voucher.

"I'll bet on Older Brother."

"I'll bet too."

"I shall bet as well."

"What. I was going to bet on Teacher too."

Four out of five bet on my side being more intense.

Only Jenny bet on the side that it wouldn't be as much as Edmund.

While betting on the Long Shot alone, Jenny explained her reasoning to her colleagues.

"It's not that I think it'll be less for Professor. If we all bet on Professor like this, the bet wouldn't work."

"Isn't it because of the thrill of a Long Shot, Jenny? You enjoy dangerous adventures over a Safe Bet."

"Ahaha. Charlotte, what are you making me out to be. What will Professor think of me."

"......"

Charlotte's gaze looking at Jenny was unusual, but I figured it was Just a feeling.

"Then what should the standard be, Unnie?"

"Should we do it by the volume of the sound? Freya. You have a good sense of pitch."

"Umm...... It's a bit subjective, but I'll give it a try."

"If it's the volume of the shout, then I have a chance too, right? People might have sore throats from shouting just now."

"Wake up, Jenny."

Like that, carrying the destiny of the Voucher bet by the Valkyries, I stepped off the train.

And then......

"Waaaa...... Urgh."

"Please help over here! Someone collapsed!"

"Here too!"

The shouting people suddenly fainted.

'What the heck. Is it an attack by Black Sorcerers?'

While I was panicking about what this situation was, I heard Erika and Freya's voices from behind.

They were discussing the whereabouts of the bet's outcome with each other.

"How should we judge in this case? Freya. Who do you think was louder."

"His Highness was louder in volume, but...... considering there are people who fainted, shouldn't we consider Older Brother's reaction to be greater?"

"Right?"

In the end, the bet concluded with the victory of the Safe Bet.

"Jenny. But if you bet a Meal Voucher instead of a Snack Voucher, what are you going to do about Dinner tonight?"

"......Lend me one, Charlotte."

"Haa...... Pay it back when we return to the Academy."

It was a bonus that I thought Jenny should never touch Stock or Gambling.