Prologue 2: The Waterways Commemoration Ceremony

Monster Girl Doctor Volume ZERO — LNCrawler · All chapters

PROLOGUE 2:
The Waterways Commemoration Ceremony

A t long last, around the time Sapphee recovered from her cold, spring came to Lindworm.

Spring was the festival season. In the Waterways, the merfolk held multi-day carnivals, and at the arena, there were the annual promotion trials. Both monster and human alike grew restless for the season of revelry on the horizon.

With the arrival of spring, Sapphee increasingly cast suggestive looks toward Glenn. Even he could guess that she wanted to go sightseeing around the Waterways. He imagined that her aim was to buy some seasonal merchandise only available at that time.

But just when Glenn had decided to make time and go with her, a single letter fell out of the sky, almost as if it had chosen that exact moment to arrive.

***

“Hellooo!”

The window of the clinic was thrown forcibly open with a bang. The sudden intruder barged into the clinic, oblivious to the patients waiting to be examined. Both Glenn and Sapphee looked at the scene with exasperation.

“Illy. How many times do we have to tell you to come in through the door?” Sapphee said, her eyebrows twitching in anger.

“It’s an express delivery to the clinic! Look, see, it’s from the Central City Council!” Illy replied.

“Listen to people when they’re talking!” Sapphee ordered.

The young girl’s habit of entering through the clinic’s windows was already established. A harpy with brilliantly colored wings, her name was Illy. She had a deep connection to Glenn, who had saved her from a blocked oviduct and diagnosed the molting of her feathers during her growing phase.

“So how is it, Illy?” Glenn asked. “Your job with Scythia Transportation, I mean.”

“It’s fun! I can fly as much as I want! Miss T. is always complimenting me, and I stand out, too!” Illy replied.

“That’s good,” Glenn said.

Illy lived in the harpy village, but she’d officially become an employee of the Scythia Company in early spring. Now she worked as an airborne mail deliverer. She had learned the names and faces of the people of Lindworm, and it didn’t take her very long to get used to the city. For someone who liked flying more than anything else, one could say she had found her calling in life. Nevertheless, Glenn thought, he definitely wanted her to fix her bad habit of nonchalantly barging into the clinic through the window.

“Okay, here! You have a delivery!” Illy proclaimed.

“Hm. From the council… So from Miss Skadi?” Glenn asked.

“Yes, yes. She was the one who gave to me! All right, I’ve still got a lot of deliveries left!” Illy declared, and promptly flew out the window, just as quickly as she had come.

“She’s sure in a hurry, isn’t she…?” Glenn mused.

“Well, still, that’s just perfect for a girl like her,” Sapphee replied.

At Sapphee’s words, Glenn gave a strained smile. He thought that it was precisely because of how energetic Illy was that she could enjoy being so busy. It was clear from her animated expression that she was living a fulfilling life as an employee of the Scythia Company.

Glenn immediately checked the letter that Illy had delivered. The wax seal was stamped with a dragon crest, and Glenn could tell that it was a handwritten letter directly from the city council representative herself, Skadi Dragenfelt. He was sure the contents of the letter must be of quite some importance.

“An invitation to the Merrow Waterways Commemoration Ceremony…?” Glenn read. “I see. The reconstruction is over. It’s an inauguration ceremony.”

The Merrow Waterways had a complex structure. It was a comfortable town for merfolk and many other aquatic monsters to live in, but because the canals had been created by remodeling the existing townscape, there were still unused ruins poking out of the water. These unused ruins had even been used as a hideout by slave traders. Glenn’s first meeting with Illy, when she was suffering from her impacted oviduct, had in fact been in such a hideout.

Glenn had heard that the remodeling project had been moving forward during the winter, under the direction of Skadi’s personal attendant Kunai Zenow. That those very slave traders were all trained by Kunai and taking part in the remodeling was truly a strange twist of fate in Glenn’s eyes.

At any rate, Glenn thought, it appeared the reconstruction had finished without incident. No longer would the Waterways be home to strange gangs of people. He was sure Lulala must have felt safer too, since she called the Waterways her home.

“It says here there is a festival to commemorate the remodeling of the Waterways. It looks like there’s going to be a lot of flashy events, parades, choruses, you name it. Oh, it says here that Lulala is going to appear as a songstress, too,” Glenn read from the letter.

“Oh, I definitely want to make sure to see that. Perhaps, on the invitation…” Sapphee trailed off.

“Of course you’re invited too, Sapphee.” Glenn replied. Sapphee’s name was clearly written on the invitation as well. Skadi could be quite tactful.

A document containing the details of the ceremony was included in the envelope, and it seemed to Glenn that it was going to be a grand event. Naturally, since they were reopening the Merrow Waterways, he was sure there would be a considerable number of street stalls and booths at the event as well.

More than anything else, Glenn wanted to hear the songs of his merfolk friend Lulala. As the doctor looking after her continued recovery, he was also curious about how her throat was doing.

“We have quite a lot to look forward to, don’t we, Doctor?” Sapphee said.

“Sapphee, have you gotten over your cold?” Glenn asked.

“How mean, Doctor. Just how long ago are you talking about? I’m quite fine now,” Sapphee said, looking in high spirits as she waved the white tail on her lower body back and forth. She loved the items that were sold in the stalls of the Waterways, so Glenn imagined she was quite happy.

“Together. We’ll go around to all the shops together,” Sapphee said. Now that Glenn thought about it, it had been a while since they’d both made their way out to the Waterways. During the winter months, they were so swamped with work that they hadn’t even been able to get out of the clinic to go shopping.

“I know, I know. But right now, we have work to do,” Glenn replied.

“But of course. Thank you for your patience. Next patient, please.” Sapphee called out. They had been unabashedly prattling on in the waiting room, but the regular patients there didn’t seem upset by it at all. If anything, they appeared to find the sight of the doctor and pharmacologist conversing back and forth to be both pleasant and heartwarming.

The friendly atmosphere was precisely because this was such a small city clinic. No such atmosphere existed at the Central Lindworm Hospital—a huge facility situated on the main avenue of the city, that worked day and night to fight against disease.

Spring had finally arrived. Having fought the epidemic until the flow of patients dwindled, Glenn surmised that it might be the perfect time for the Litbeit Clinic to relax a little bit.

Etching the date in the letter for the following week into his mind, Glenn once again returned to work.

***

On the day of the ceremony, there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Glenn and Sapphee entered the Waterways on foot. Previously, it had been extremely inconvenient to traverse the canals by land, but now there were new bridges and pathways built above them. Glenn was sure it was more accessible by boat as well.

“Now you can even get this far on foot, huh. They really added a lot of bridges, didn’t they…?” said Glenn.

“They were put in place for tourist use. With this, it’ll be easy to come and do some shopping,” replied Sapphee.

The two of them talked as they looked out at the Waterways, marveling at how it had been developed even further into a tourist destination. There were stalls and street stands on either side of the bridges. The traders didn’t necessarily appear to be residents of the Waterways, and whether human or monster, the most enterprising individuals had already set up shop. There were also now food stalls, something quite hard to operate out of a boat.

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it, Dr. Glenn? I wonder if we’ll be able to see all the shops…” Sapphee mused.

“Y-you’re not actually going to try and look at them all, are you?” Glenn stammered.

“Well, all of them might be a bit… Oh, but I would like to go to that stall there. And that stand over there, too.” Sapphee replied. The two of them had a time limit today. Sapphee immediately began to devise which shops she should visit.

Glenn had enjoyed slowly drifting through the Waterways by gondola, but he couldn’t deny the convenience of being able to walk around on his own two feet. Taking a peak under the bridge, he saw gondolas stream unceasingly up and down the canal. Glenn doubted there would be fewer tourists using a boat to make use of the canals. He was sure that going forward, the gondolas would still be essential for tourism.

“First up is the main bridge,” Glenn said to Sapphee, who seemed on the verge of being hypnotically drawn toward a stall.

“I-I know,” she replied.

The two of them were headed toward the heart of the Merrow Waterways. The biggest and most naturally wide canal of the Waterways had a bridge newly constructed across it, known simply as the main bridge. Glenn had heard there was a parade that occurred every day at the base of the bridge. There were special seats for those who wanted to watch the parade from up close, but naturally, there was always a throng of people who crowded around to try and grab a seat.

Today, however, there was no such crowd. In fact, there wasn’t a single normal tourist to be found. It was lavishly decorated with a banner for the inauguration event and flags bearing the symbol of the city council, but the only people standing on the bridge were members of the city council’s personal security force.

Glenn continued forward without hesitation. The security guards didn’t try to stop him, suggesting that they were aware of his invitation. He spied the form of the person he was looking for on one of the side paths of the Waterways. At the foot of the bridge, there was a staircase that brought one up to the main canal. When Glenn and Sapphee carefully descended the stairs, the woman he was looking for was standing along the water’s edge.

“Good day, Miss Skadi, Miss Kunai,” Glenn said, greeting the pair.

“Dr. Glenn, you came?” Kunai replied.

“Thank you very much for your generous invitation,” Glenn said. Both he and Sapphee bowed their heads in thanks. Their inviter, Skadi Dragenfelt, remained silent and gave a gentle nod. As usual, her face was covered by her veil and there was a mysterious aura surrounding her. While she was both the city council representative and the most influential and powerful figure in the city, her appearance was that of a child. Her voice was also quite soft, and without her attendant Kunai to speak for her, Glenn had no idea what she was saying.

It appeared Skadi had just arrived at the ceremony herself and would soon give an address from atop the main bridge. This explained why the area around the main bridge was only populated by people from the city council, in contrast to the hustle and bustle throughout the Waterways.

Having been personally invited, Glenn imagined they would have a good seat to listen to her address—the question on his mind was simply how much of her words he’d actually be able to hear.

Either way, he thought, he was sure that Kunai would raise her voice and give the address in her stead. Being her loyal retainer, Glenn was sure not a single word of her master’s got past her. As a flesh golem, Kunai’s ears and eardrums were both stitched together from dead flesh, but where Skadi was concerned, Glenn thought her ears might actually be more powerful than those of the living.

“The Lady Draconess was worried that you would be too busy to come. Is the clinic all right with you here?” Kunai asked.

“Yes, well, we’re only closed for the morning.” Glenn replied.

“I see. It’s a well-earned break, so make sure to take your time and enjoy the ceremony,” Kunai said. She had an armband on her right shoulder that indicated she was part of the security team. As was expected of Skadi’s attendant, she was also helping to keep the ceremony safe and secure. Glenn didn’t have a problem with that, but her armband appeared to be fixed to her upper arm with its pin driven directly into her flesh. Kunai had a tendency to treat her own body roughly, thinking it didn’t matter since she was a corpse. Glenn was considering whether to give her a word of warning about it when—

“Oh! Dr. Glenn! You came!”

“Now now, don’t move. Stay still.”

“Okaaay.”

Glenn heard a familiar pair of voices. On the canal, he could see many gondolas and merfolk in the water. Seeing how extravagantly the gondolas were decorated, he assumed they were preparing for the parade. Everyone was moving about in a rush both above and below the water’s surface. Glenn was startled when he spied two faces he recognized.

One was Lulala Heine, who had the lower half of her body submerged in the water. She was a mermaid songstress who lived in the Waterways. Glenn assumed she was singing in the parade. She had an elegant dress wrapped around her that reminded Glenn of many flashy species of tropical fish. The dress floated in the water and spread out like a flared skirt.

And there was one other face he recognized.

“Arahnia…” Glenn sighed. It was the arachne dress designer, Arahnia Taranterra Arachnida.

There was no denying that Lulala was a patient of his—he had given her medical treatment and periodically checked in on her to see how she was doing. Arahnia, however, was different. She had feigned illness to trick Glenn and had tried to rape him, all as part of her own agenda.

Yet, as if Arahnia herself had forgotten all about that, she was fixing Lulala’s clothes and humming to herself as she swapped out decorations and ornaments on the outfit. Arahnia was dangling upside down from the pier of the bridge by her silk, but she seemed to be consumed by her work. She looked just like a real spider as she hung inches above the water and faced Lulala.

“Why is she here…?” Even her close friend, Sapphee, was surprised to see Arahnia in attendance.

“Madame Arahnia is in charge of designing the costumes for all the merfolk singing at the ceremony today,” Kunai replied. “Not just the designs, but everything from taking measurements and sewing to finishing each outfit was all done by her hand. Right now, she’s in the middle of her final checks. It’s a huge task for sure, but her work ethic is top-notch.”

“Oh my, Arahnia is?” Sapphee replied.

“Yeah. Anyway, with how carefully she finished everything, even the merfolk have been complimenting her work. Loose Silk Sewing has quite a skilled young employee on their hands.”

“Is that so? To think she’d be praised so highly…” Sapphee said.

Glenn thought that for how big Lindworm appeared, it was actually quite small. His circle of acquaintances interacted in ways that even he wasn’t aware of. Given Lulala’s and Arahnia’s personalities, it didn’t seem like they would have any opportunity to meet each other, but when he considered their roles as a songstress and a costume designer, he realized that there did seem to be a connection between the two.

He just hoped that Arahnia wouldn’t have any untoward effect on the pure-hearted and innocent Lulala.

“The Lady Draconess is beyond pleased that such a large number of people, arachne and merfolk included, have cooperated to make today what it is. From this spring onward, the Waterways will become even more lively than ever before,” said Kunai.

“Yes, yes. There’ll be much more shopping to do, won’t there?!” Sapphee said, her love of shopping shining through her smile. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine she already had a plan of what shops she wanted to visit.

“…………”

“Yes?” Glenn replied. Skadi Dragenfelt had spoken. Glenn would describe her voice as being even quieter than the sound of a mosquito flying through the air. It was truly a rare occurrence for him to catch what she was saying.

“ I’m glad you were able to come. Please enjoy yourselves —is what my mistress said,” the undead bodyguard relayed to Glenn, speaking on Skadi’s behalf.

“I-Is that so?” Glenn stammered.

“I’ve said it many times already, but the Lady Draconess is truly delighted that so many people have come together for the ceremony today. Lindworm has really become splendid. It’s proof that humans and monsters are living together in good health… Of course, she is also very satisfied with your efforts, Dr. Glenn, to keep the residents of the city healthy.”

“I see,” said Glenn. He had never seen Skadi’s actual face. He was sure her opinions were just as Kunai described, but without being able to see her face, he couldn’t actually feel like she was delighted, even when told so.

Moreover, what had Glenn curious was Skadi’s tail. Poking out from the bottom of her robe, it was a thick and sturdy dragon’s tail. Covered in scales that sparkled with the color of yellow sand, it drooped like it was being pulled along the Waterway’s stone pavement. When Glenn had seen it before, it had been standing up at the base, and he was sure the tip had been swaying back and forth.

“Well, the time’s come. We’ll be starting soon. Seats have been prepared, so just show your invitation to the security guards. All right, then, Lady Draconess, let us be off,” said Kunai.

“…………” Skadi gave a nod of her head. Climbing up the stairs, she headed toward the main bridge. Glenn assumed she would give some sort of address for the opening ceremony. From the start, Skadi’s power and influence had played many different roles in making the Waterways into what they now were. Just as Kunai had said, Skadi was surely happy to see the Waterways grow even livelier.

That was precisely why Glenn was curious about her tail dangling weakly on the ground.

“Well, then, let’s get to our seats, too. It looks like they’re offering drinks over there as well…” said Sapphee.

“Yeah…” Glenn replied.

“Doctor? …Doctor!”

“Huh? Oh… What?”

“Why are you standing there and spacing out for?” Sapphee said, pouting. “I’ve been trying to get your attention.”

“…You figured it out?”

“Of course,” Sapphee replied, as though the answer were obvious. Glenn didn’t think it was showing on his face that clearly. It was plain to see he couldn’t fool a childhood friend that had been with him for as long as she had. “Now, I wonder what in the world you could possibly be so concerned with. Arahnia? Miss Lulala? Miss Kunai, or Miss Skadi? Hmm which woman could it be, Doctor?”

“I-If you’re going to force it out of me, it’s Miss Skadi—but hold on a second, Sapphee, you’re really close,” Glenn replied.

“Even though you’re here with me, and even though we’re going shopping together after this, you’re staring off into space thinking about another woman! Hmph!”

“That’s not it.”

“Hmph.”

Glenn expected her to coil herself around him at this rate and lightly pushed Sapphee away from his face.

“There’s just something that’s got me curious… But you know, I’m sure it’s just my imagination running wild…” said Glenn.

“Ooh?” Sapphee replied with a blank look on her face, as though she had no idea what Glenn was talking about.

Glenn wasn’t knowledgeable enough about dragons to make a diagnosis of Skadi just from her tail looking unwell. As a doctor, he was supposed to be well versed in every type of monster, but dragons were different. He thought it would be good if he could get her permission to examine her just a little bit, but that was something that could be saved for another day. He wondered if a being as powerful as a dragon even felt sick or unwell to begin with. He was sure that nothing would happen to Skadi just from giving a small speech, anyway. He asked himself why he was even so worried.

“I understand that because of your job, even the slightest things can concern you, but…make sure to keep me in your thoughts, too,” said Sapphee.

“…Okay.”

Being spoken to by Sapphee like this made Glenn want to scold himself for getting lost in his own thoughts. He couldn’t hold back a strained smile as he looked at Sapphee’s embarrassed, innocent expression. Worrying about the smallest of things was a bad habit of his.

Glenn decided that since they were at a celebratory festival, he should try and enjoy it with Sapphee as much as he could.

***

The ceremony had begun. Glenn was right—Skadi stood on a stage built on the main bridge and was going to give an address. She looked dignified as she climbed up on the platform precariously built into the bridge’s handrail. Everyone was eager to hear what she had to say.

“Since it started last year, the great Waterways reconstruction project has had the support of each and every citizen of Lindworm, and has been able to end safely by this inauguration date. Along with my gratitude to the many individuals involved in this project, I, Skade Dragenfelt, offer a small fire dragon blessing to the newly-reborn Merrow Waterways…”

While Skadi was the person standing on the stage, Kunai was the one relaying her message. Glenn knew that, given the volume of Skadi’s voice, her words wouldn’t reach the ears of everyone gathered here. This wasn’t the first time Kunai had spoken for Skadi, but there were political opponents of Skadi who felt it very suspicious that the city council’s representative didn’t speak with her own words.

Glenn had also become curious—why was Skadi’s voice so quiet?

“They’ve invited a lot of people besides us, haven’t they?” Sapphee whispered in Glenn’s ear. They were sitting in seats that had been specially arranged for those with personal invitations. The area they were seated in resembled a sidewalk café and had a good view of the main bridge where Skadi stood. A large number of the other guests surrounded them.

“Really?” Glenn asked.

“Yes. That over there is the representative of the Scythia Company… Miss Tisalia’s father. There’s also Aluloona from Aluloona Plantation. Even the boss of the Kuklo Workshop. That open seat… Oh, that must be Dr. Cthulhy’s seat. Skipping out again, I see.”

“Dr. Cthulhy’s very busy—that’s why,” Glenn chimed in.

“Over there is the head of the Lindworm branch of Loose Silk Sewing, it looks like. Oh, and Arahnia’s with her, too,” Sapphee continued. It seemed that all the representatives of the major businesses and organizations in Lindworm had been invited. Arahnia was the designer at Loose Silk Sewing and must have been attending along with her boss.

All of a sudden, Glenn felt nervous. He worried that a simple town doctor such as himself was out of place at such a ceremony. Unaware of Glenn’s unease, Sapphee calmly sipped the tea they had been served. She wasn’t the type to get nervous when surrounded by important people of great stature.

“Seven mermaids have graciously accepted my request to be here for today’s ceremony. As you all enjoy the beautiful voices of these merfolk, I ask that you enjoy the newly-rebuilt Waterways to your hearts’ content.” Skadi’s words resonated through the Waterways through Kunai’s voice.

The entire bridge was astir. Whistles and applause showered Skadi in praise. As the city council representative, she certainly had quite a few political rivals, but she was also very popular with the citizens of Lindworm. Glenn thought perhaps it was because of her frequent trips out into the city, where she walked around with Kunai in tow.

“Finally… This is something extremely, extremely personal, but it is also something I would definitely ask for those assembled to hear,” Kunai said. Continuing the speech, Skadi reached out her hand to the bridge handrail.

“Ten years ago I gave this former fortress town the name of Lindworm. The name Lindworm means ‘sky dragon.’ They are a species of dragon that fly through the air. Why did I give it a name like that? Gossipers will claim that since I, Skadi Dragenfelt, am a fire dragon, I gave it the name of a dragon because I intend to rule over this city. However, that it absolutely not the case.”

Even among dragons, there were a number of different species. Sky dragons. Fire dragons. Poison dragons. In Glenn’s home in the eastern edge of human territory, it was believed there were dragons there completely different from those found in the western monster territory. They were mysterious creatures that had a crocodilian head, a snake-like body, and could fly through the air without any wings.

Glenn wondered why there were so many different species of dragon. One explanation was that dragons were originally beings that existed close to the gods. When the dragons separated themselves from the gods and lived too long on the ground, they were corrupted by the earth, and their bodies greatly deteriorated. It was a satisfactory explanation, but Glenn still wondered.

To some extent, dragons remained mysterious creatures. There was much about them that was impossible to understand with his knowledge of biology.

“This city is…a place for humans and monsters to live. There may be problems. There may be disputes. There may be disasters. I’m sure there may be people from other places that say all sorts of things about our city’s way of life. However, I believed that by giving the city the name of a dragon, no matter what happened, the dragon would protect this town. And by dragon, I don’t mean myself. I believe in the divine protection of the founder of our species, far up in the heavens.”

Skadi wasn’t the ruler of Lindworm, despite often being mistaken as such. The administration of Lindworm was decided on by a group of influential members of the city, including Skadi, conferring together on issues. Skadi was their representative, but that didn’t mean she had any authority to decide things on her own. Naturally there was a difference between the influence her voice held compared to the other voices in the city council, but that was entirely because of her own competence and ability. There wasn’t anyone who believed she was trying to take over the city for herself.

“Consequently, I… I will soon…”

Everyone waited for Skadi’s next words. Everyone imagined that she was about to say something important.

Yet, they didn’t come. Glenn wondered if she was unsure of what to say, but it was strange that the speech that had flowed so smoothly up until that moment had suddenly stopped.

Kunai also glanced over at Skadi. The fact that her voice-by-proxy, Kunai, was suspicious meant that Skadi’s words had indeed faltered. The audience waited with bated breath for Skadi’s next words.

The next moment it happened. Skadi looked as if she were taking a bow.

“Miss Kunai!” Glenn reflexively called out, and stood up. The bridge was a ways off, but he was sure his voice had reached it. Pushing his way through the audience, Glenn began to run.

What had looked like a bow had been Skadi falling forward. Her balance faltering, Skadi was held up by Kunai next to her. Kunai’s anguished cry reached Glenn as he ran to the bridge. Glenn wondered—had she fainted? Was it some kind of spasm? Was it just a slight fit of dizziness?

No, he thought, it wasn’t that. No matter how many times Kunai called out to Skadi, there was no answer.

Skadi had completely lost consciousness. It was imperative that he give her first aid.

However, the problem was that there were so many people. To make matters worse, both ends of the bridge were overflowing with audience members trying to hear Skadi’s speech. There was a limit to how many people he could push aside with his slender arms. Not only that, there wasn’t anyone in the crowd who knew what was going on, and he found himself in the middle of mass chaos.

Glenn was desperate to get through, but at this rate, he thought he might arrive at Skadi’s side too late. A delay in the initial response was often fatal when it came to emergency medical treatment.

“Hngh… Miss Skadi!” Glenn yelled as he writhed through the crowd, trying to move forward, when—

“Doctor, this way.” Sapphee said, seizing Glenn by the hand. Sapphee slithered her way through the gaps in the crowd in a way Glenn thought was perhaps expected of a lamia like her. Even when it looked like they wouldn’t be able to get through at first glance, using her lamia body, she was able to forcibly squeeze herself through. Times like these made Glenn realize just how reliable she was.

“Please hurry,” said Sapphee.

“I know,” Glenn replied.

Under the lamia’s guidance, Glenn was able to slip through the crowd. After getting through the mass of people, he saw Skadi’s collapsed figure in front of him. At her side, Kunai held Skadi’s arms and desperately called out to her. With her master in a critical state, Kunai’s already fair complexion grew even paler.

“Please don’t move her. Somebody! Get me a stretcher!” said Glenn, firing off instructions.

“Oh! You came! Thank goodness…” Kunai replied, a look of relief spreading across her face. “She suddenly fell forward. She doesn’t respond when I try calling out to her…”

“It could be trouble with her heart or brain. Does Miss Skadi suffer from any chronic diseases?”

“Well…” Kunai looked around, worried. It seemed to Glenn that she happened to know of some chronic disease, but it wasn’t like Kunai to be at a loss for an answer. Glenn thought he saw her glance toward the crowd and realized it might be something she couldn’t talk about in such a public place.

“I understand. In any event, I’m going to begin emergency first aid,” said Glenn, bringing his face close to Skadi’s veil. She was breathing. He immediately went to take her pulse. Since she had scales around her wrist, Glenn put his hand through the side of her robe and took her pulse from her neck.

It was then that Glenn realized Skadi wasn’t wearing anything else underneath her robe. He was startled, but he knew now wasn’t the time to comment on it.

Her pulse was weak, but still there.

“I’ve confirmed she’s breathing and that she still has a pulse. Let’s transport her immediately. Miss Skadi’s regular doctor is…Dr. Cthulhy, correct?” asked Glenn.

“Y-yeah,” Kunai replied.

Glenn had been able to confirm that she was breathing and that her blood was flowing properly, in which case, there wasn’t much else he could do on the bridge. He determined that they needed to head for the Lindworm Central Hospital and treat Skadi there, together with Cthulhy. He was sure that even she would be surprised at the circumstances of their long-awaited reunion.

It was well past the time for the ceremony. Just like Kunai, many of the people gathered there watched intently as Glenn examined Skadi.

***

The rumor soon ran through all of Lindworm. It quickly took on a life of its own. Embellishments and exaggerations were added to the story until it had become a monster, with little left of the truth.

It morphed into a completely groundless rumor that someone had plotted an assassination attempt on Skadi. Was it the farmer Aluloona, recognized as next in line to become the city council representative? Or was it the branch manager of Loose Silk Sewing, who always enjoyed scheming and plotting something or another? No, maybe it was the hospital director Cthulhy who poisoned her. These and other such irresponsible rumors ran rampant. Ignoring that she had only collapsed, some even jumped to the conclusion that Skadi was already dead, and managed to crowd into the central assembly hall and cause a scene.

That day, the only thing anyone in the town talked about was Skadi. But the disturbance, to look on the positive side, clearly demonstrated just how much she was loved and how important a person she was to the city.

And thus there came an unprecedented treatment, one which would shake the entire town of the dragon to its core. A major dragon surgery was about to begin.