NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 135
Chapter 135: The Empire’s Sacred Maiden (4)
***
There’s one problem that needs some serious thought.
Can I explain to others how exactly the Sacred Maiden was healed? I spent quite a while pondering this issue.
It won’t be easy.
In the case of the Imperial Princess:
Asthma is a complex disease, but there’s a clear explanation. Certain substances trigger asthma attacks and other symptoms. Avoid exposure to these triggers and use medication to stop coughing.
On the other hand… myasthenia gravis…
Is there an explanation that fits a medieval understanding? Let’s try it on Istina.
“Istina, listen carefully.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to explain why the Sacred Maiden got better. If you don’t understand something, ask right away. Do you know how nerves send signals to muscles?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“There’s a junction between nerves and muscles.”
“Well, if they’re connected, they must have a junction, right?”
Already feeling uneasy…
“Look, at this nerve-muscle junction, information is transmitted. If this transmission goes wrong, it can weaken the patient’s muscles, right?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“That’s called myasthenia gravis.”
“Uh… I don’t really get what you mean by information being transmitted at the nerve-muscle junction.”
“Alright, think of the human nervous system as telegraph wires transmitting information. You know what telegraph wires are, right?”
“What are telegraph wires?”
“They’re wires that transmit information using electricity.”
“Oh, I see.”
Wasting time here…
Istina tilted her head, clearly confused.
“Alright, neurons have something called an action potential. It’s like a voltage difference between the inside and outside of the neuron due to different electrolyte concentrations.”
“What are electrolytes?”
“Ions—stuff dissolved in water.”
“Aha! So, stuff dissolved in water!”
Finally, she nodded. She understood that electrolytes are substances dissolved in water. I sighed in relief.
Well, whatever. Autoimmune disorders cause the body to produce antibodies that attack receptors at the neuromuscular junction, weakening muscles. This condition can be treated by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, a substance that stimulates those receptors…
But that’s not something medieval people would understand. I scratched my head.
Guess there’s no helping it.
“Istina.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. Let’s just go eat.”
“Huh, is the professor paying?”
“Why, were you planning to pay?”
Istina shook her head. Together, we left the research lab.
It’ll probably be hard to explain. Maybe I should start with proving that nerves transmit information within the body first?
Let’s think about it after eating.
The weather was finally nice for once.
I took Istina to a restaurant in front of the Academy. She ordered the most expensive item on the menu—a steak.
That’s fine. Graduate students are pitiful enough as it is. They need to eat to work and do research.
“Professor, may I ask something?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know how you healed the Sacred Maiden? Was it just a miracle, or does it follow some kind of logic?”
I nodded.
“To be honest…”
“Hmm?”
Istina stared off into the distance.
“I borrowed money from home to attend the Academy. My family isn’t wealthy. If I fail, our whole family will fall apart. Even if I succeed, things might still go wrong…”
“That’s why I agreed to cover your graduate tuition, right?”
“So, thank you so much. Every day, I think about how things would’ve turned out if you weren’t my advisor… I’d probably have suffered endlessly…”
Indeed. When I first arrived at the Academy, what was Istina doing again?
She was kicked out of another professor’s lab for some trivial reason and was wallowing in despair.
So pitiful.
***
Rumors spread faster than anything else. Word that the Sacred Maiden’s legs had been healed reached the temple the same day she met Professor Asterix.
The reaction was, naturally, explosive.
An all-night debate convened at the central temple. However, the discussions held within the church carried a different tone compared to debates elsewhere.
Everyone agreed that the Sacred Maiden’s recovery was indeed a miracle. In the church, questioning this fact wouldn’t be easy.
After all, the evidence is right before their eyes. Denying the established authority of the church through absurd arguments would be equally futile.
Anyway.
The central church of the empire unanimously agreed that the event involving the Sacred Maiden was indeed a miracle. The question up for debate, however, was…
Who is the true subject of this miracle? Should we view the Sacred Maiden as the one who performed the miracle, or merely its recipient?
Ordinary people might not grasp why this matters, but to the clergy, it’s an important distinction. Who caused the miracle?
“The Sacred Maiden is the recipient of the miracle.”
“No, she’s the subject!”
The priest shook his head.
“It was the healer who, acting as a medium, cured the Sacred Maiden through divine intervention, absolving humanity of its sins.”
“But look at this professor. He’s accomplished so much already, curing countless patients miraculously—from the Imperial Princess to Lord Imentia’s son, to everyone coming to the academy hospital.”
The cardinal nodded.
“We now have more stories to tell the faithful. A wounded Sacred Maiden meets a genius healer, and a miracle occurs. What a perfect narrative for the congregation!”
“To give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and movement to the paralyzed—that’s holy work, isn’t it? The work of God!”
The gathered clergy stood and applauded. The conclusion was set: mobilize the church organization to spread the story of the Sacred Maiden and the healer who cured her.
If Professor Asterix had known what was being discussed, he’d likely have panicked.
***
Bad news.
Maybe not bad, but Mint was holding the daily newspaper and laughing.
“Teacher, did you see this?”
“Huh?”
“The paper says people believe you miraculously healed the Sacred Maiden. Some even think you’re a saint who restores mobility to the paralyzed.”
I sighed.
“Well, apparently.”
“Compared to the other patients you’ve healed, this one wasn’t particularly special—it’s just because she’s the Sacred Maiden and was paralyzed.”
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
This isn’t what I wanted.
“It was just a coincidence of several factors.”
“Miracle-working saint, huh? Doesn’t really suit your personality, does it? Still, it’s understandable why people think that way.”
I looked at Mint.
“What?”
“Think about it from someone else’s perspective. Everywhere you’ve gone, plagues have subsided, the incurable Sacred Maiden has been freed from illness, and curses haunting noble families have been lifted.”
“That’s all explainable!”
“In your mind, maybe.”
Why doesn’t the church drop a hint? Dropping this bombshell suddenly is dangerous.
Mint looked at me.
“Of course people would think that way! How many people and cities have you saved so far? Being revered is only natural.”
True. Mint herself harbored a strange, almost cult-like belief in me. Perhaps it’s a natural response to the inexplicable.
***
Mint glanced at Asterix.
Did Asterix heal the Sacred Maiden? What does the Sacred Maiden think of him now? What if she starts liking him too?
No, no. Mint shook her head.
How many people has the teacher healed so far? Not everyone of the right age would automatically fall for him, right?
The Imperial Princess shook her head.
Oh, how terrible. Everyone Asterix cures seems to develop some sort of obsession with him. Too much of a good thing, perhaps. Maybe even Asterix himself finds it horrifying.
Mint dismissed the unsettling thought. Healing diseases is one thing, but what truly mattered was that Asterix ended her lonely, painful life in the imperial palace and stayed by her side.
That’s what’s important.
Not that I don’t wish to keep him all to myself… but honestly, it’s unrealistic to expect that. The teacher has become quite famous and influential.
There’s nothing to be done about that.
Instead, Mint decided: earlier this year, the teacher might have seemed somewhat beneath her in terms of status. But now?
Could her father, the emperor, possibly object if Mint announced her intention to marry the teacher? It’s doubtful he’d have any reason to.
Thus, the more famous and successful Asterix becomes, the higher the chances Mint succeeds in marrying him!
And so…
Mint looked at the teacher again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing.”
The Imperial Princess nodded approvingly.
Mint should utilize all her resources to spread the rumor that Professor Asterix performed miracles.
‘Hehe.’
Mint grabbed his arm, wrapped it around her waist, and hugged him. Asterix absentmindedly patted her back.
We must announce our engagement before the year ends.
Mint was confident she could make it happen soon. She had a plan, and it wouldn’t be difficult.
The Imperial Princess stroked Asterix’s hair. The teacher remained still, clueless.