NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31 - Side Story: Ludovic, Part 2
Side Story: Ludovic, Part 2
As soon as we arrived at the infirmary, I started preparing the bath. Or rather, I’d already asked someone else to do it, so all I had to do was put Meg in.
Initially, I offered to help her, but… “Absholutely not!” Meg protested, sleepy as she was. She wasn’t the type to be assertive, so I figured she was just letting her true feelings out because she was so tired. I decided to respect Lady Meg’s wishes and leave it to Maryla, the female nurse I’d asked to prepare the bath.
When I asked Maryla, she accepted with delight. Perhaps because she was usually tasked with treating rough and tumble injuries, she was in tears, declaring, “This is an oasis for my weary soul!” …Was she that stressed? She was young and full of energy, so I hadn’t noticed, but if she was this happy, it might be good to ask her to help with Meg occasionally. Taking care of my subordinates’ well-being was part of my job, after all.
Meg emerged from the bath wearing the nightgown Kei had prepared. …It suited her so well, she was very cute. It was just a simple nightgown, but it made me wonder what she’d look like all dressed up. I was all for dressing her up.
Maryla had thoroughly dried her hair with daily life magic, and she’d brushed her teeth as well. All that was left was to put her to bed.
“Goodnight, Meg. Sleep well.”
It must have been a long day for Meg. Both her mind and body must be exhausted. I hoped she could sleep soundly here, free from any worry.
After Meg fell asleep, Saura brought me reports on Meg, seemingly submitted by those who’d interacted with her. I went through them.
“Possible amnesia, huh…”
I frowned at the expected observation. Considering the situation Meg was found in, it wouldn’t be strange for her to be fearful of people or things. In fact, it was unnatural how little fear she displayed.
Her eyes were bright and clear, with no hint of anxiety or fear, so it was almost certain that she had amnesia.
“Her mental development exceeds her physical age… that’s certainly true.”
This was the dissonance everyone who’d interacted with Meg had felt. Despite her childish appearance and speech, her reactions and thought processes were those of an adult. To say she was simply mature would be inaccurate. It was more like she was a seasoned adult, someone with years of experience navigating the world.
There were some races whose true age was far greater than their appearance would suggest. But judging from her physical features, Meg was an elf. And based on Schlie’s report that she seemed to have an affinity for nature magic, there was no doubt about it. So, her appearance and age should be roughly consistent.
Furthermore, according to Gil’s report, there were no signs of any strange magic being used on her. If Gil said so, then it must be true. The possibility of her appearance being magically altered was ruled out.
That meant that Meg, despite being so young, was either forced to act like an adult or grew up in a harsh environment, one that would even be difficult for an adult.
“So, we need to investigate her guardian and the environment she grew up in… but that’s not my jurisdiction.”
What I could do was care for her physical and mental well-being. I would watch over her with the utmost care.
I suddenly heard a noise. It was coming from Meg’s room. I started to head over, thinking she’d woken up, when she emerged from the room herself.
“What’s wrong, Meg? Do you need to use the bathroom?”
I asked, but there was no response. …In fact, something seemed off about her.
“Meg…?”
I called her name again, a little louder this time, but there was still no response. She was wandering around unsteadily, as if searching for something.
I had a feeling, so I looked closely at her face, and as expected, while her eyes were open, her expression was completely blank. I snapped my fingers near her ear, making a loud noise. …Still no reaction.
Somnambulism.
A single diagnosis came to mind. The cause of this illness was unknown, but in Meg’s case, it could be due to severe stress.
“Is something wrong?”
Maryla, who was also on night duty, must have heard the noise and rushed over. She noticed Meg and, like me, was surprised when Meg didn’t react to her voice.
“Sensei, is this…?”
“Yeah, it’s probably somnambulism.”
“You mean… sleepwalking? Should we just leave her alone…?”
“She’s actually sound asleep, even though it doesn’t look like it. As long as she’s not in any danger, let’s just watch over her. We might learn something about her lost past.”
There was a good chance that these unconscious actions held clues to the truth. It wasn’t good to wake her up forcefully, as she was in a deep sleep.
“However, there’s a high chance she might experience night terrors as well. Be prepared.”
“You mean she might suddenly start screaming? Got it!”
Meg had been through a lot. It was highly possible that she’d experience night terrors out of fear.
“Ah…! The chart!”
As we watched over her, Meg suddenly picked up a pen and started scribbling something on a patient chart. …We could rewrite it later. For now, we would continue to observe her.
After about five minutes, Meg, having written something down with intense focus, seemed satisfied and began wandering again. Despite her unsteady gait, she found her way back to her bed, lay down, closed her eyes, and began to snore softly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Dr. Ludo! Look! This…!”
Maryla’s panicked whisper came from my desk. I hurriedly returned. She was holding the chart Meg had been scribbling on. I took it from her and saw a rather unsettling, somewhat eerie drawing.
“…It’s a person’s face.”
“Yeah. And it’s quite scary.”
It was clearly a human face, drawn in a uniquely childish style, but capturing its features with surprising accuracy. It had slightly long hair. Its eyes were slanted upwards, and its mouth was wide open, as if it was about to attack someone, a monstrous face.
“…Could this be how people looked to Meg-chan? Or is it… a manifestation of some kind of fear…?”
“I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, Meg harbors a great darkness in her heart.”
An unsettling silence fell. Because of her amnesia, that darkness wasn’t overtly visible right now, but…
“Is it better for her to remain unaware? Or would knowing the truth be better for her in the long run…?”
“This is… difficult.”
The thought of the heavy burden she must be carrying in that small body was disheartening. But…
“There’s no need to force her to remember. We should just help her maintain her peace of mind.”
“That’s right! She’s still so young… I want to see her smile!”
That’s right, I was a doctor. For now, I would focus on protecting her heart.
After that, Meg spent the night without any further incidents, and in the morning, she woke up bright and cheerful. When I greeted her with a “Good morning,” she smiled and replied, “Good mowning!” As expected, she didn’t remember a thing about last night.
I hoped this would be a good day for Meg.