The Genius Physician Princess - Chapter 23

Hiding his pathetic feelings, Ruben gave a faint smile.

“Nice to meet you, Yeo-ul. You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you? I’m sorry. The research on the new drug took some time.”

“No, it’s really okay.”

“Thank you for understanding. I hope today’s tour will be a good experience for you.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll do my best to learn.”

Ruben’s eyes gleamed with interest as he watched Yeo-ul’s polite response.

‘Her attitude is very serious.’

Though Yeo-ul seemed quite nervous, it only made her seem more earnest.

It showed that the child valued this tour greatly.

“Is there a reason you wanted to visit the hospital?”

“My dream is to become a doctor. Since I’m in Wizardian, I wanted to see the hospital here.”

“Your dream is to be a doctor?”

Ruben looked at Kite in surprise.

“Being a doctor is not easy. Does she not know how difficult it can be here?”

Ruben was originally a noble from Rhodiak, where the Sword Emperor Gladius was the protector.

Like in the Holy Kingdom, the perception of doctors in Rhodiak was poor, and Ruben had to give up his noble title to study medicine.

He worried that Kite hadn’t properly informed Yeo-ul about the challenges of being a doctor.

But Kite just smiled broadly without answering.

Ruben quickly understood why.

“No, I’m well aware. My hometown is the Holy Kingdom. I want to be a doctor to help those who can’t receive treatment from the priests.”

“Ah, you’re from the Holy Kingdom.”

Hearing Yeo-ul’s clear and articulate answer, Ruben felt a bit ashamed.

‘Feeling envious of such a kind and motivated child just because she’s healthy.’

Though Yeo-ul wouldn’t know, Ruben wanted to sincerely apologize to her.

“Yeo-ul, you make me feel quite ashamed today.”

“Me? Why?”

“Recently, I’ve been quite sensitive. I’ve been having some conflicts with my son, which made me petty and irritable. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Surprised by Ruben’s apology, Yeo-ul waved her hands in denial.

“Oh, I didn’t notice at all. It’s okay, really.”

“Good to know it wasn’t noticeable. Seems I managed to act my age, at least.”

As Ruben laughed heartily, Kite looked at him with curious eyes.

“Doctor, you have a son? How old is he?”

“He’s sixteen. He used to be very sweet, but lately, he can’t stand the sight of me. He won’t even go out for a walk. I guess he hates me a lot.”

Perhaps because Kite didn’t know about his son’s illness, Ruben felt a strange sense of relief in talking about his worries.

Kite sighed deeply.

“Sixteen. That’s a tough age. I was no different at that age. My brother even had to use the cane on me.”

Yeo-ul’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Did Lantus really hit you?”

“Well, I deserved it. I thought the whole world hated me, so I picked fights with random people.”

Kite’s eyes turned wistful.

“If my brother hadn’t stopped me, I probably would have been stabbed to death in some alleyway… At least, that’s what I’ve always thought.”

Then, suddenly, he looked directly at Yeo-ul.

“Now that I think about it, maybe my craziness at that age was because of the alcohol my brother gave me.”

“What?”

“You said drinking a lot makes people impulsive. At that time, I had no self-control.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Not wanting to make her precious guide a sinner again, Yeo-ul quickly avoided Kite’s gaze.

Seeing this, Kite’s gaze grew more persistent.

Ruben, watching this, chuckled heartily.

“Kite, you also had a rough adolescence. Seeing you turn out so well gives me hope for my son. Maybe I shouldn’t worry so much.”

Kite waved his hand dismissively.

“Of course not. Like father, like son. You’re such an excellent person, so why wouldn’t your son be the same?”

Kite’s confident reassurance caused Ruben’s smile to waver a bit.

He blurted out, almost without thinking.

“Well, my son is a bit sick.”

The moment he said it, Ruben regretted it.

What good would it do to share that with them?

“Not seriously ill. He’ll get better soon.”

The pain of talking about his son was too much, so Ruben quickly changed the subject with a smile.

“Anyway, the introductions have gone on too long. Let’s move to the treatment room.”

* * *

“This is the inpatient ward. Our hospital separates patients based on the severity of their conditions to better care for those with serious illnesses.”

As they toured the hospital, Yeo-ul was repeatedly amazed.

Ruben’s hospital was far more systematically organized than she had expected.

This small hospital had treatment rooms, consultation rooms, inpatient wards, and even an operating room, along with a waiting area for patients.

The structure was no different from a medium-sized hospital in Korea.

‘This must have been a challenging feat given the medical knowledge here.’

Realizing Ruben’s greatness anew, Yeo-ul was eager to share her knowledge as soon as possible.

‘Dr. Ruben would make great use of my knowledge.’

Seeing Yeo-ul meticulously jot down potential improvements in her notebook, Kite whispered to her.

“Yeo-ul, is that the script you usually use? Your writing looks like art.”

“Yes. I’ve heard that a lot back where I came from. It’s called Hangul.”

She remembered her brother’s similar comment from long ago.

“Wow, Song Yeo-ul. Did you write your name on my pouch?”

“It’s really bad, right?”

“No. It’s pretty. I like it because the writing looks like a picture.”

The medical pouch issued to medical staff at the hospital.

Yeo-ul had written her brother’s name on the back.

Her brother loved it, even though the handwriting was messy.

He even had that part coated so it wouldn’t fade.

‘I never found my brother’s pouch.’

When she sorted his belongings after his accident, that pouch was missing.

Her brother had cherished it, so she had been very disappointed.

As Yeo-ul was lost in her memories of her brother, Kite asked carefully.

“Yeo-ul, do you use Hangul because you don’t know the script here?”

“Oh, no. I understood the letters as soon as I arrived. I’m just not used to writing them yet.”

“Ah, I see. If you ever don’t understand something, just ask. I’ll help you.”

“Okay. I will.”

Talking with Kite and following Ruben, Yeo-ul gasped.

Ruben was leading them to the operating room.

“This is the operating room. Come in.”

Yeo-ul’s heart pounded.

‘Can I talk about aseptic surgery today?’

The first knowledge Sung Jin-woo, the protagonist of the novel, spread to the doctors in Wizardian.

It was aseptic surgery.

Aseptic surgery.

Literally, surgery where the tools are sterilized to remove germs.

It might seem simple, but it was a revolutionary discovery that dramatically increased the success rate of surgeries.

‘In Germany, the surgery success rate increased by 80%.’

Just sterilizing could have a huge impact, so Yeo-ul wanted to inform them as soon as possible.

Hoping for an opportunity to share her knowledge, Ruben showed her the surgical tools.

“We perform surgeries using these tools. But the success rate isn’t high. Many patients die from infections afterward.”

Sure enough, as Yeo-ul suspected, there were faint residues of patients’ bodily fluids on the silver blades.

Proof that sterilization wasn’t perfect.

Seeing Ruben’s hesitation, Yeo-ul clenched her trembling hands.

‘This is it!’

Yeo-ul raised her hand.

“Doctor, I studied some medical books from the Eastern Continent. There’s a theory there that can increase the success rate of surgeries. May I share it?”

“Oh. You studied books from the Eastern Continent?”

Ruben, who had been impressed by Yeo-ul’s diligence, looked pleased.

“That’s amazing. Go ahead. I’m curious.”

Encouraged by Ruben’s permission, Yeo-ul’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“There are things called germs that cause infections. If you sterilize the tools with high-proof alcohol before surgery, you can eliminate the germs and greatly increase the success rate.”

“Germs? What are those?”

“They’re invisible but are carriers of diseases.”

“Germs, huh? Interesting. But how do you identify something you can’t see?”

“There are very powerful magnifying glasses in the Eastern Continent called microscopes. Um…”

Yeo-ul glanced at Kite.

He was listening intently to her explanation, looking puzzled.

Then he smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

Though he didn’t fully understand, he trusted Yeo-ul’s judgment.

Feeling reassured, Yeo-ul smiled back.

“I’ll get one soon. Kite will help me.”

In the novel, the protagonist also made a microscope with the help of Wizardian, so Yeo-ul believed she could do it too.

Ruben’s eyes lit up with interest at Yeo-ul’s explanation.

“A microscope, huh? The Eastern Continent has fascinating things. To identify the cause of infection with it.”

Having studied medicine for a long time, Ruben instinctively understood the immense value of Yeo-ul’s knowledge.

If germs caused diseases and could be eliminated by sterilization, it would be a revolution in surgery.

‘I knew she wasn’t an ordinary child, but she’s even more remarkable.’

During the short tour, Ruben had been impressed by Yeo-ul multiple times.

Her serious demeanor, passionate attitude, and high level of knowledge were extraordinary for a child.

‘No, even adults struggle with this. Studying foreign books from another continent is no easy task.’

Having researched medicine alone for a long time, Ruben knew how difficult it was to study unfamiliar books from another land.

With a growing fondness for the brilliant young guest, Ruben wanted to do something more for her.

“Speaking of which, I recently acquired a new drug from the Eastern Continent. If you have time, would you like to take a look at it?”