Study 02: The Doll with Arthrosis

Study 02:
The Doll with Arthrosis

 

Let’s return to the present for a moment.

 

“I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe you just changed the sign without saying anything!”

“Heh heh. Sorry, yeah!”

“As if apologizing is going to… well, it doesn’t matter now,” Sapphee said, letting out a breath. “At any rate, that was how the three of us—you, me, and Glenn—started doing consultations.”

Lime laughed, her elbows resting on the table. “It was so fun, yeah.”

Sapphee didn’t find it quite as amusing. After all, Glenn had forgotten all about it. Lime had to know why, and yet, she laughed as if it didn’t matter. Sapphee didn’t know if she could do the same in her place.

“Why did you change the sign?”

“Uh, well, Glenn’s performance in the classroom really stood out, and…I thought it would be a good chance for him to get to know everyone, yeah.”

“I see…”

Once the fuss over Cerve ended, Sapphee had planned to invite Glenn to join her lab…mostly so he didn’t have to be alone. Lime had the same idea, but she was thinking further ahead. She was trying to help Glenn fit in at the Academy and in the classroom.

“Of course, we ended up with a reputation as medical students who’d treat any problems students had…”

“Heh heh! Good thing I spread those rumors!”

Sapphee was growing exasperated. “That was you, too?”

News of their lab spread fast and the patients were soon lining up. Glenn, the medical prodigy, had treated the work like a residency at a hospital, even though it was nothing more than a student-led lab. Any truly serious afflictions or symptoms were passed on to Cthulhy immediately, and even simple treatment was only provided at the discretion of the patient, who was responsible for any resulting complications. But that didn’t stop a steady stream of students from coming in with minor concerns.

“Glenn certainly earned a reputation,” Sapphee said.

“Well, he was the only human student in a school full of monsters, yeah.”

It was easy to go back to reminiscing about their school days.

“Remember that one patient?” Lime asked.

Sapphee remembered them quite clearly. That patient’s footsteps still echoed in her memory.

 

***

 

As a student, Glenn was always exhausted.

“I can’t believe Dr. Cthulhy gave us permission to do this…”

“Good thing I went to her directly to ask, yeah?”

“What?”

Lime was massaging Glenn’s shoulders. He’d wondered how well she’d be able to massage with such squishy arms, but the elastic force of her hands was surprisingly effective.

Cthulhy had accepted their application to change the focus of the lab right away. And, even though they were still students, they’d received permission to perform certain medical procedures. She’d also certified Glenn to provide some examinations.

“My, my…your muscles are tight.”

“Whose fault do you think that is?” Sapphee asked, glaring at Lime.

“Heh, sorry, yeah.”

“The lab’s getting at least one patient a day. More on busy days. Most are minor complaints—lower back pain, shoulder pain, immobile tail, wing stiffness… but Glenn has a reputation to live up to now, on top of the classes he’s taking. It’s too much!”

“Sapphee, you sound like a meddlesome aunt, yeah?” Lime teased.

Sapphee was livid. “We’re practically the same age!”

Of course, she was concerned about Glenn. He was doing the work of a hospital resident while still balancing a full class load. No wonder he was so tired. For his part, Glenn was glad his reputation was growing and that people felt they could rely on him. But there was a limit to what he could do as a student. Sapphee and Lime were doing their best to help, but they had their limits, too.

“Well, I’ll make sure that he keeps up with his studies. Leave it to me, yeah!”

“Lime,” said Glenn. “Didn’t you get an F on last month’s quiz?”

“Ugh.”

Glenn must have struck a nerve, because Lime bent over backward at an angle that would have been impossible for a human. Then she went even further, twisting her torso to look at Sapphee from the other direction.

“Okay. Then you’ll have to teach him, big sister.”

“Where do you get off calling me big sis—oh.”

Just then, there was a polite knock at the door.

“Excuse me,” a calm voice said. Her footsteps were stiff as she entered the lab, making a clanking, rhythmic sound. “I’m sorry, is this the lab that examines monsters?”

“Umm, and you are?”

The girl standing before them had long hair. She was wearing a French maid’s outfit, which probably made her a servant of one of the students or teachers—not unheard of on campus, but also not common. That was when Glenn noticed the groove at her elbow joint, which seemed to wrap all the way around, like a ball-jointed doll.

She must be…

The visitor bowed deeply. “Allow me to introduce myself. I serve as the secretary to Dr. Draconia, head of the sorcery department. My name is Bellmer. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Th-the sorcery department?”

Glenn was astounded. He didn’t realize that news of their lab had spread so far.

Bellmer stared at Glenn with her unblinking eyes.

 

***

 

“N-nice to meet you. I’m Glenn.”

“Likewise. You are young, but you have a promising future.”

Glenn laughed nervously. He’d never seen anything like the maid-like creature sitting in the chair in front of him. Her body was humanoid, but it was made up of multiple distinct parts, articulated together. He didn’t know much about sorcery, but if he had to guess, she might be a kind of magicked marionette.

She had accessories, like the bobbins of a sewing machine, on her head… wait, no, those weren’t for decoration. There were thin strings wrapped around the bobbins, connecting them to Bellmer’s wrists. To all of her limbs, in fact. But Glenn still couldn’t tell how they worked.

What he could tell was that she had a beautiful face. It wasn’t a natural beauty, but a manufactured one. Whoever had made her must have been a talented craftsman. Her eyes looked like glass beads—come to think of it, they probably were—and they were currently staring at Glenn.

“Miss Bellmer, can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can, Saphentite.”

“I’ve heard that the sorcery department doesn’t interact much with other departments… how did you hear about our lab?”

“I was created to deal with the outside world. That’s how I found out about this lab.”

Glenn cocked his head at this strange wording. “The outside world…”

Bellmer nodded. “Yes. Normally, there’s a clear boundary drawn between the pursuit of the arcane arts and the methodology of other departments. Dr. Draconia has maintained such a boundary since the Nemea Academy was first established, ordering the students to avoid fraternizing with outsiders. Apparently, Dr. Cthulhy calls us the Grim Hermit Department,” she said casually.

“I apologize for my mentor…” Glenn said.

“Why would you apologize? She states the facts directly. That is wonderful.”

Bellmer seemed genuinely perplexed by Glenn’s apology. She cocked her head to the side in a way that was cute at first, but then she kept going, till her head was tilted at an unnatural angle. If she was anyone else, Glenn would have suspected a broken spine.

“However, though isolationism might be the sorcery department’s official policy, we are still a part of the Academy. We cannot function without any contact with the outside world. Hence, Dr. Draconia created me to take handle certain tasks.”

“I-I see… so that’s how you learned of the lab, then.”

Bellmer nodded. “My main tasks are shopping, drafting departmental paperwork, and conducting negotiations with the heads of other departments. Although, I don’t usually deal with the medical department.”

“O-oh.”

“I have been having an issue for some time now. However, I was unable to find an appropriate solution. I heard about this lab by chance, but once I absorbed the rumors, I determined that Glenn would be the optimal person to consult.”

“Th-thank you so much…”

Glenn glanced over at Lime. She was silently sticking out her tongue and winking at him, as if to say, “See what my rumor-spreading skills can do? Go ahead and praise me, yeah!” She looked exceedingly proud of herself.

“Now then, what is your issue?”

“My joints are in pain.” Bellmer lifted her arm. “Is there any way you can examine me, Mr. Glenn?”

Glenn groaned. Consultations had been Lime’s idea. She hadn’t even asked them before advertising those kinds of services. If he’d put his foot down, he could have bowed out and joined a lab with an easier workload, but it was too late for that now. Of course, he enjoyed being in the same lab as Sapphee, and Lime did her part to help them out.

It was nice to feel like he belonged, but there was a more important reason he’d stayed. Glenn wanted to examine monsters’ bodies in practical situations. Real contact would teach him much more than just reading textbooks, and giving consultations was the perfect way to glean such experience. He’d already examined a number of monsters and was certain the valuable experience would help improve his grades even further. But the doll in front of him was an entirely different kettle of fish. She hadn’t been born in the normal, biological sense, but manufactured. Could he really diagnose her through examination? Was this an additional opportunity to gain experience, or was it too much for him to handle? He’d studied living monsters, but never even seen a magic doll…

“Excuse me. May I speak to you for a moment?”

“Anything you like, Miss Saphentite.”

“Miss Bellmer, you are a doll brought to life by Dr. Draconia’s magic, correct? Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to examine you, rather than one of us? Perhaps your master would know better—”

“No. My master said there is nothing wrong with me.”

Bellmer lifted her arm again. As she did, one of the bobbins on the top of her head rotated, winding the thread connected to her arm. Glenn could see now that the threads connected each part of her body and assisted her movements. As a doll with no muscles, the strings allowed her to move in defiance of gravity.

“My master has the utmost confidence in her own sorcery. It is not arrogance, but experience. My master heard my complaints and conducted an inspection, examining every part of my body. Her conclusion was that there were no problems.”

Glenn groaned. He’d never met the head of the sorcery department, but he’d heard of her. She was a practitioner of old magic, whose unbroken traditions had been passed down since ancient times. She was invited to the Nemea Academy to address the need for such knowledge in the new era.

However, Glenn’s issue wasn’t with her history. It had to do with his mentor, Cthulhy, and her relationship to Draconia…

“I was debating whether or not to ask Dr. Cthulhy,” said Bellmer.

“Is that so? Why didn’t you? Dr. Cthulhy is quite knowledgeable…”

“True, but our masters fight like cats and dogs. Actually, it might be more accurate to say they fight like alligators and octopi. Neither of them would be happy if I did so.”

Glenn held his head in his hands. “You’re right…”

Cthulhy’s department was founded on the principles of science: universal logic and replicable results. Draconia’s department, however, was shrouded in secrecy, and its principles could only be replicated by those with a special ability. The two fields were opposed in every way: from inception, to development, and even methodology. Cthulhy rejected sorcery as nonscientific and Glenn didn’t know what Draconia thought of medicine, but he imagined her views were likewise incompatible.

Their rivalry was famous throughout the Academy.

“I could ask Dr. Cthulhy to examine me,” said Bellmer. “But if Master were to find out, she would be furious. She would say: ‘What is that octopus doing with my adorable doll?’ I do not wish for that to happen.”

“O-oh.”

“For I am her adorable doll,” Bellmer said casually.

Glenn was beginning to understand her. Bellmer might have been brought to life by magic, but she also had self-awareness. She had her own thoughts, her own will, and she was choosing to act according to Draconia’s wishes. In other words…

“That’s why you came to me.”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Glenn didn’t know anything about sorcery. Bellmer, in turn, probably had no frame of understanding for the biology, pathology, immunology, or anything else that he was studying.

Sapphee seemed worried. “What are you going to do?”

Glenn thought for a moment. “I would be happy to examine you.”

Lime tilted her head to the side, pigtails bouncing. “Glenn, are you sure, yeah?”

He might lack an understanding of Bellmer’s anatomy, but the same applied to his knowledge of slime biology, for instance. When Glenn thought of it that way, he was sure he could help the doll somehow.

“I’m still a student, so I can’t promise that I will know what to do.”

Bellmer bowed her head. “Of course. Thank you very much, Mr. Glenn.”

The bobbins on her head spun ever so slightly when she moved. With each rotation, there was the sound of winding string.

“Miss Bellmer…our policy is that if an examination uncovers something beyond our ability to treat, we must go straight to Dr. Cthulhy to ask for help. Can you agree to that?”

“That is fine. If that happens, I will deal with Dr. Draconia,” Bellmer said.

“Now then.” Glenn stood up from his chair. “Miss Bellmer, please let me start by taking you apart.”

“All right, Mr. Glenn.”

Anyone else would have been shocked at that, but Bellmer simply nodded, as if it was completely normal.

 

***

 

Bellmer lay on the cot set up in the lab. She’d removed her maid’s outfit, and showed no embarrassment at being naked in front of them. Her white ceramic body was humanoid in shape, but lacked details such as nipples, navel, genitals, or other organs. The seams that covered Bellmer’s entire body, and the ball-and-socket joints in her elbows and knees, further emphasized her nonhuman nature.

Glenn could appreciate the skill that had gone into crafting her. There was an ancient myth about a man who fell in love with the statue of a woman he’d made. Strange as it might seem, Glenn found Bellmer’s naked body so beautiful that he finally understood how the man in the myth must have felt.

“Now then,” Bellmer said.

The bobbins on her head spun, and her entire body loosened, her limbs scattering. One after another, her parts came undone, starting with her hands, her forearms, her elbows, then her upper arms. As they relaxed, the thick string that ran through them became visible. It seemed to be coated with sparkling particles.

“Whoa!”

Lime reached out to keep Bellmer’s legs from falling off the cot, even as her feet, calves, knees, and thighs separated.

“Glenn, I have a request,” Bellmer said.

“Y-yes?”

“Can you please hold my head still?”

“O-okay.” Glenn did as Bellmer asked. Her head was quite heavy, but still lighter than a human head. He guessed it was empty inside. The weight probably came from the ceramic. The bobbins on top were still spinning.

“Excuse me.”

Bellmer’s torso loosened, splitting into three parts—waist, abdomen, and chest.

“Whoa?!”

Her head also separated from her torso, leaving only sparkling string in between. Bellmer’s head remained intact, cupped in Glenn’s hands.

“I have now separated all my parts,” said Bellmer’s freshly-severed head.

She seemed completely unaffected by the fact that her body was in pieces.

“Th-that caught me off-guard.”

“Please don’t drop me. My body is essentially made of ceramic. If I crack, I have to be remolded from clay and re-fired.”

The strings that extended from her head looked exactly like nerve ganglia, connecting all the parts of her body. Other than that, she was structured like any other ball-jointed doll. Sapphee brought a cushion, and Glenn set Bellmer’s head on it.

“Thank you very much. Now, please begin the examination, Mr. Glenn.”

“R-right…”

Glenn told himself to remain professional. There were rare species of monsters whose heads could separate from their torsos, such as the Dullahan. If he thought of her like one of those, then there was nothing strange about it.

He started to remove the string running through her hands and feet. Each segment of her body was hollow, with internal hooks to hold the strings in place. It was a complex system, using tensile strength to allow movement, but with Bellmer’s instruction, he was able to unhook the threads. The ceramic itself was exquisitely shaped, speaking to the skill of the maker.

“You really are impeccably crafted.”

“Yes. My master employed the top dollmaker in Nemea.”

“Oh, Dr. Draconia didn’t assemble you herself?”

“No. My master simply cast the spell that allows me to move. She created a cute, attractive doll personality for me. That is to say, she made me Bellmer.”

“Cute and attractive…”

Glenn couldn’t say just how attractive she was with all her parts spread out like this.

“Master’s sorcery is in the strings. They hold my entire body together, allowing it to move, to record and convey information. In other words, they make me who I am.”

“I see…so you move using the strings.”

When Glenn looked at each of her components, he could tell there was more to them than ceramic. Naturally, Bellmer had no bones, muscles, nerves. But apparently she did feel pain, so something had to be amiss. Pain was a safety mechanism. Without it, people wouldn’t notice when they were injured or sick. If Bellmer was in pain, it meant her body had detected something out of place.

Glenn studied the places where her segments met. All of her joints were intact…ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, and hips.

“Hmmm…”

As far as he could tell, nothing was wrong. If there had been a foreign object lodged somewhere, he would have seen it right away. Nor were there any cracks or deformities in the ceramic. Her limbs were pristine.

“Do you mind if I take a look at your head?”

“Please.”

Her head truly was a work of art. Even though it was made of ceramic, her lips looked soft, and she even had eyelashes. It was possible those parts were made from rubber and human hair. Her unblinking eyes, which seemed to be made of glass, were still staring at him.

“Unh…”

“Mr. Glenn?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

He brushed it off, flustered and embarrassed that he’d been staring for so long at her face, even if she was a doll. He averted his eyes, blushing.

“Argggh…!”

“Sapphee, down girl, yeah?”

Glenn was utterly oblivious to Sapphee’s jealousy.

“N-now then, let me look inside.”

“I understand—wha?!” Bellmer stalled, then let out a cute yelp.

Glenn had turned her head over and was examining the inside. It was hollow, like the rest. He could see the indentations for her eyeballs, as well as the metal bobbins—the key to Bellmer’s existence—which went all the way through her head.

“Thank you. I’ll put you back together now.”

“So…that’s enough?” she asked. “I tried to put on a charming performance for you. What did you think? Am I cute?”

“Er, err…”

Glenn wasn’t sure how to answer. He looked to Sapphee.

Sapphee’s expression said, “Don’t ask me.” Her tail thumped against the floor.

“I-I would like to discuss the results of my examination,” Bellmer said.

“Well…” Glenn took a deep breath. “There are no deformities in your joints. The holes your strings run through are also intact. It seems there’s nothing wrong physically with you…”

“Does that mean there is another cause?”

Glenn pointed to the bobbins on Bellmer’s head. “Personally, I think it might be your strings.”

“My master told me there were no defects in her sorcery. The problem does not lie in the strings. I am sure of that.”

“I see…” Glenn didn’t know what to do. Sorcery was hardly his expertise, and he couldn’t confirm or deny what she was saying. “Hmmm…”

“Hey, Miss Bellmer,” Sapphee cut in. “Can you give us some time to think this over? Since your body is so different from a monster’s, I think Glenn needs more time to process.”

“Yes, of course. I mean no offense, but I did not expect an answer right away. I am not in a hurry.”

The bobbins on Bellmer’s head started to turn, and the sparkling strings threaded themselves back through the pieces of her body as if they had minds of their own. Once they reached her hands and feet, they started to retract, pulling the doll back together.

“Body reconstruction is complete. Thank you very much for your time today.”

“Oh, not at all, I’m sorry I couldn’t…” Glenn hated that he couldn’t resolve her problem, but Bellmer’s expression remained unchanged. “Hey, Miss Bellmer?”

The doll was silently putting her clothing back on. “I guess my body was not to Mr. Glenn’s liking. Shall I increase my breast volume for next time?”

“That won’t be necessary!” Sapphee slammed, whipping her tail across the ground.

Bellmer’s chest was plenty large as it was.

“I see. Excuse me. I will be going now.”

Bellmer finished dressing. Her clothing looked cumbersome, but she donned it all quickly, as if she was used to it. It was hard to believe she’d been a pile of doll parts only moments ago.

“I look forward to hearing your conclusion. Goodbye, everyone.”

Bellmer left the room. Her demeanor hadn’t changed in the slightest from the moment she’d entered.

After she was gone, Glenn let out a sigh. “What was that all about?”

“Glenn, can’t you hold your head up straight? You keep turning it to the side, yeah?”

Lime copied his posture. Slimes were good at mimicking people, even minute gestures.

“Lime, stop fooling around and help me think.”

“I am thinking! Umm, umm…joint pain is caused by moth holes!”

“I don’t think bugs live in ceramic dolls, nor did I see any.”

“Ohh…”

Glenn tapped his chin in thought. “It’s got to be those strings that act as her nervous system. I’m sure they’re the cause. Maybe there’s a flaw in the magic?”

In Cerve’s case, he’d been able to try a number of different approaches. However, Glenn couldn’t use the same trial-and-error process with Bellmer. He was no expert on sorcery, and he certainly couldn’t risk damaging her by tinkering. However, he couldn’t think of another solution.

“Hee hee! So, there are things that Glenn doesn’t know, yeah?”

“Of course there are,” he said. “I’m not a doctor yet.”

Meanwhile, Sapphee was busy working on something else. She spread a cloth out in the corner and laid a large volume of dirt on top of it. She held a small trowel with her tail, using it to mix the soil. She was probably going to grow more herbs. Since her focus was on pharmacology, half her lab work consisted of cultivating and harvesting plants.

“Hey, Sapphee, do you have any ideas?” Lime called out.

“Sorry, medicine doesn’t work on dolls.” Sapphee didn’t look up. Her pharmaceutical skills were formidable—even Cthulhy said so—but in this case, her knowledge was useless. “Even if I were to prescribe painkillers, would she be able to take them?”

Glenn nodded. “You’re right. She doesn’t have normal nerves, so medicine probably wouldn’t be effective.”

Sapphee began mixing fertilizer into the soil, focusing on her work to hide her frustration.

“Hmmm…” Glenn absently touched his forehead, as he often did when he was stuck. “Hey!”

He looked at his finger and realized there was a powder-like substance all over his hand. It was the exact same color as his skin, so he’d only just noticed.

“What is this…powder?”

And where had it come from? He rubbed his fingers together, but he couldn’t tell what it was. It was odorless and didn’t seem to be dangerous.

“Glenn, what is it, yeah?”

“Oh, sorry. There’s something on my hand…”

He wondered if he’d touched something he shouldn’t have, but he’d been in the lab all day. The only things he’d touched were the teacup Sapphee had given him, his books, and Bellmer’s body.

“Is it possible…?”

Could this powder have come from the doll?

He hadn’t noticed when he was touching her and, now that he looked closer, there wasn’t that much on his hands. But maybe it had something to do with Bellmer’s ailment.

“Hmm? Let me take a look, yeah?”

“Y-yes, here.”

“Ji-i-i-i…”

Lime made a strange noise with her mouth as she looked at Glenn’s fingers. For once, her big, round eyes stared right at him. He was reminded that, even if she was struggling a bit academically, she was still an aspiring medical professional. She’d worked under Cthulhy for a long time.

Chomp.

Just as Glenn was thinking this, Lime put his finger into her mouth.

“What the…?!” Sapphee cried out.

Glenn was rooted in place by the shock. Lime’s slimy body tissue had a cool, squishy sensation.

Sapphee was trembling with anger. “L-Lime! What are you doing?! I haven’t even done that with him!”

“S-settle down, Sapphee!” Glenn said.

If he didn’t intervene, something tragic might happen. Sapphee stayed put, but brandished her trowel with her tail.

“Mmm…” Lime released Glenn’s finger with a smack. “Hmm…what is this flavor? I know I’ve tasted it before.”

“Y-you know it?”

“Mmm. Well, I know the flavor of everything I’ve tasted, yeah?” Lime said casually.

Slimes were basically one giant digestive organ. They could absorb food from any part of their bodies, and could even control the rate of digestion, as evidenced by the pieces of rind floating inside Lime right now. Glenn hadn’t realized she possessed a sense of taste though.

“So what?! That doesn’t mean you need to put it in your mouth!” said Sapphee. “Isn’t your entire body a mouth?! Why did you have to put it in there?!”

“Stooop, no. I may like Glenn, but I would never do that…”

Sapphee waved the trowel around furiously. “That’s not what I’m saying!”

“Do you know what the substance is?!” Glenn asked, attempting to change the subject.

Lime pointed to the substance that Sapphee had been mixing. “Er, uh…it’s that!”

“Soil?”

“Yes! But not normal soil. Clay. And it tasted like it had been baked.” She licked her translucent lips. “Baked soil, yeah!”

Baked soil. In other words, ceramic. Bellmer was covered in powder from her own body. Once Glenn knew that, the rest came easily. They used a microscope to confirm Lime’s theory. Or rather, Sapphee did. Microscopes were very expensive, but the Academy prided itself on advanced education, so they had a few available for student use.

“There’s no doubt about it,” she said. “It’s soil with a high quartz content. When it’s fired, it hardens like metal. I think this kind of bisque, or biscuit porcelain, is often used to make dolls.”

Glenn was impressed with Sapphee’s knowledge. “Th-thank you…”

He was sure now. The powder on his hands was part of Bellmer’s body. When he went back to the place where they’d taken her apart, he found a light coating of the same powder on the cot.

“I’m glad you’re so skilled with a microscope, Sapphee,” he said.

“I have to be for composition analysis. You’ll need to learn how to use one, too.”

“Ah…I’ll try my best,” Glenn stammered, as he always did when Sapphee addressed him as her junior.

“Squish, squish… Glenn!”

While Glenn and Sapphee were talking, a green, slimy liquid seeped under the lab door. It crept over to Glenn and slowly gathering into Lime, her pigtails bouncing.

“Lime! Next time, open the door if you want to come in!”

Lime laughed, sticking out her tongue. “Heh heh, that’s too much work.”

The way she’d slithered in reminded Glenn of a horror novel that was currently popular in Nemea. It was the story of an amorphous being that terrorized the town.

Glenn shook his head. “Uh, umm… did you do what I asked, Lime?”

“Yes, yes. I got the rumor out there, just like you asked, yeah.” Lime’s face was serious. “I did some digging in the sorcery department.”

“You really are well-connected.”

“Heh heh! I haven’t been in the medical department this long for nothing, yeah.” Lime grinned. “About Dr. Draconia… she really doesn’t come out often, yeah. But last year she showed up at a few gatherings and faculty meetings. Sometimes people see her out and about, walking with a cane.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Sapphee said. “No matter how much of a hermit she might be, you can’t run an entire department without ever setting foot outside.”

“But this year,” said Lime. “Suddenly we don’t see her anymore, yeah? I asked students in the sorcery department, and it seems she’s been even more of a hermit than before.”

Lime really was well-connected. Her carefree personality and easy familiarity probably made people comfortable around her. The Nemea Academy placed so much emphasis on grades that high-scoring underclassmen like Glenn were often shunned by other students, but not Lime. She didn’t care about anyone’s grades. The fact that she even had friends in the sorcery department, was something of a miracle in itself.

“No wonder I’ve never seen Dr. Draconia. It sounds like she went into deeper isolation just before I got here,” Glenn said.

“That sounds about right. Do you think this is related to Bellmer’s ailment?”

“Um, sorry. It’s not directly related.”

“Huh?! It’s not? I thought you’d come up with an amazing idea for treatment, and that’s why you wanted to know about Dr. Draconia!” said Sapphee.

“I-I’m sorry! I don’t have a brilliant idea for a cure or anything…” Glenn’s head drooped. “I… all I can do is try and address the symptoms. That’s why I needed information about Draconia.”

“That’s fine,” Sapphee said, still looking into the microscope. “We don’t know the first thing about magic. All we can do is treat patients based on our experience and our knowledge of medical science. Bellmer came to us knowing that, right?”

“Y-yes, you’re right.”

“So just do what you can, Glenn.”

It was true: Glenn couldn’t use magic himself, but he might be able to treat a doll who’d been animated by it. In Cerve’s case, he’d been looking at the entire problem wrong. But he was sure he could do better this time around.

“Hey Sapphee…you’re starting to sound like Dr. Cthulhy, yeah?” said Lime.

“I-I am not.”

“Really? The words you used were just like her…”

Sapphee looked askance. “Don’t compare me to that lecherous old lady, please!”

The wheels in Glenn’s head were spinning. What he’d just learned about Draconia had nothing to do with Bellmer’s treatment, but he thought it important to get the whole picture, including what might have led Bellmer to come to him.

“Hey, Sapphee?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I thought about this when I was examining Cerve, but…a doctor’s job isn’t just to treat a patient’s physical ailments. We have to tend to their emotions too, I think.”

“Yes. You’re right.”

“But…where is Bellmer’s soul?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, well, I have an idea of what she’s thinking, but I don’t know if that’s what Bellmer feels in her soul. Maybe her feelings stem from Draconia. She did make her, after all.”

The heart lives in the chest, and the brain lives in the head. But when he’d taken Bellmer apart, both her head and her chest were empty. Where did she keep her soul?

“The location of the soul is a philosophical issue, Glenn, not a medical one.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right…”

Even if Bellmer was made by Draconia, she’d come to the lab of her own volition. The why of it was what Glenn needed to solve.

“As a doctor, you need to focus on the facts. Also…” Sapphee glanced over at Lime. “Even amorphous beings who lack brains and hearts can have souls.”

Lime’s body quivered with indignance. “Wha?! You’re making fun of me, yeah?! It sounded like you were calling me a lower form of life, yeah!”

“I said no such thing. But I do wonder where your soul is, Lime.”

“Like I would know something like that! But I can say this.” Lime put her hand to her chest. “There’s no mistake that I’m the one who’s here, doing this, yeah?”

“You’re right…”

Just as Glenn was Glenn, Bellmer was Bellmer. Even if she’d been brought into existence using sorcery, Glenn needed to accept that she had a soul and determine why she’d come to the lab in the first place.

He didn’t know it at the time, but the brilliant doctor he’d become one day—the one who would earn the respect of Cthulhy, Sapphee, and so many others—was already beginning to emerge.

 

***

 

“How are you feeling, Bellmer?”

Several days passed before the doll came back to the lab. She sat in a chair, looking straight at him with unblinking eyes.

“There have been no changes.”

“You’re still in pain?”

“Like I said, there have been no changes.”

It was just as Glenn had expected, since he’d been unable to solve her issue by disassembling her.

“I’d like to examine you again. Is that all right?”

Bellmer stood up and started to undress. “Yes. Allow me to disassemble myself.”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant,” Glenn said. “Today I want to examine you with your parts intact, not separate.”

“Examine me…put together?”

“Yes. I want to examine your strings.”

Bellmer stood stiff, in a strange position, as if she trying to work out what he meant. The seemingly unstable posture made her look even less like a living being.

“What should I do?” she asked.

“I’m going to ask my senior classmate to assist me.”

Sapphee appeared, smiling, behind Bellmer. She touched the doll’s head.

“Ahhmm!” Bellmer let out a soft moan. “S-Saphentite, stop. Don’t touch the bobbins on my head…ahhmm.”

“I’m sorry, Bellmer. This is a necessary procedure.”

The doll’s face was expressionless, but she made a pained sound, and her body twitched. Sapphee ignored this, firmly turning the bobbins. Glenn hadn’t anticipated this reaction.

Sapphee continued cranking. “I’m going to turn them a bit more.”

“Mmm, oof, ahhhmm.” Bellmer squirmed.

Sapphee ignored her reactions.

Bellmer’s parts started to loosen. Her hand gradually emerged from the sleeve of her maid outfit, and Glenn took it in his. He could see the sparkling string connected to it.

“Are you all right, Miss Bellmer?”

“Ahh…mmm!”

“Please tell me if you feel pain.”

“I-It doesn’t hurt, but…that string is like an exposed nerve…mmm, ahhh!” Bellmer cried.

Glenn pulled her smooth, ceramic hand. The string changed color depending on the angle you looked at it. It was iridescent like a jeweled beetle or a soap bubble, but it wasn’t dyed, or painted. The molecular structure of the string itself that gave it that shine. He touched it gently.

“Ohhh,” Bellmer cried out.

She didn’t seem to be in pain when he touched them…although, she was squirming. Since her skin was ceramic, she didn’t blush, but her face had been painted to make it seem like she did.

As long as it doesn’t hurt…

Glenn continued his examination. He touched the ball-joint that connected her forearm to her upper arm, feeling the powdery residue on its surface.

Baked soil.

“Mmm, ah, ohh… G-Glenn, even my master doesn’t—ahh!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Bellmer pulled her hand away hastily. “Ahhmm.”

“Glenn,” Sapphee cautioned. “Let’s palpate the patient without scaring her.”

Glenn hung his head. “R-right…”

He let out a deep breath and turned back toward Bellmer.

“Miss Bellmer, about your symptoms.”

“Y-yes?”

“I think the issue is with your strings, not your joints,” Glenn explained.

“Th-that’s impossible.” He detected a hint, a very small hint, of dissatisfaction in her voice. “The strings are magic, made by my master. They aren’t the problem.”

“Oh, sorry. I should have phrased it differently. The strings themselves are fine.”

“What does that mean?”

“Please, take a look.” Glenn showed her his hand. “This is powder from your body, Bellmer. When we examined it under a microscope, we were able to identify it as the same clay your body is made of. I believe this powder is a byproduct of friction between your component parts.”

“Friction?”

“Yes. In other words, you’re exerting excessive force on your joints.” It was wearing away at the edges of Bellmer’s joints, creating the powder. “I believe the bobbins on your head are the cause, since they maintain the tension.”

“You mean the force pulling my body together is too strong?”

“Correct.”

And hence, the pain. Even though the strings themselves were fine, Bellmer’s body had determined that it was in crisis, and begun transmitting pain signals.

“I think we should adjust the bobbins,” Glenn said.

“I understand. My body was made by hand, but these bobbins were ordered at a separate atelier. I will check if the manufacturer can fix them for me.”

Bellmer turned one of the bobbins on her head. This wound the string, and her hand drew back inside her maid outfit.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Glenn. Now I can report to Dr. Draconia.”

“Ah…w-wait, Miss Bellmer. I have more questions…”

Glenn still hadn’t brought up the critical issue, but before he could ask her, the lab door flew open.

“Who is toying with my adorable doll? Whoooo?!”

A monster stood in the doorway. She held a cane in one hand and was so small she could easily be mistaken for a child.

“What is the meaning of this?! You! You’re that octopod’s idiot apprentice, aren’t you?! I won’t forgive you for laying hands on my precious Bellmer!”

“W-wait a second…!”

The monster started whacking Glenn with her cane. Even though she was gripping the cane in both hands, it didn’t hurt much. Evidently her wrists were quite weak. It almost looked like the cane was swinging her.

Actually…does she even have wrists?

She was wearing a school cap and glasses, as well as official Academy robes. A thick tail stuck out from under the hem, dragging along the ground. What he could see of her hands were covered in hard scales, with no obvious wrist joints. Her arms were the same thickness from elbow to hand.

Many monsters sported scales, but she also had something that looked like horns sprouting from her tail. Could it be…

A monster with alligator characteristics. A sobek? They were known for living in rivers, which they’d done since ancient times.

“Umm…would you happen to be Draconia?”

“A lowly student calling me by my last name?! I am the head of the sorcery department! You will call me by my title!”

Sobeks lived many years, and frequently shed their skin, so they often appeared younger than their real age, so it wasn’t that strange Dr. Draconia looked like a child. What was strange was that she was acting like one.

Draconia puffed out her chest. “You will respect me, ingrate!”

Her robe was open and she wore nothing under it save for a cloth over her chest and another over her nethers, as if she’d wandered out in her pajamas. She seemed utterly unconcerned with her appearance.

“You’re no monster. You’re Cthulhy’s new pet I keep hearing about. A human! And you have the audacity to toy with my doll?!”

“Er, uh, um… I was performing an exam…”

“Silence! Give her back to me! Giv’er back!”

She hit him with her cane again, but it still didn’t hurt.

“Um, this is a laboratory,” Sapphee cut in. “Please don’t swing your cane…”

“Shut up! I don’t remember giving the medical department permission to examine my doll! Bellmer is my greatest success!”

Sapphee frowned. Obviously, she was in no position to oppose Draconia, but then it’s not like that was too much of a problem. After all she wasn’t hitting any harder than a child.

“Er…uh… ouch.”

Draconia stopped abruptly, and leaned on her cane again. It looked like she suffered from lower back pain.

“Master, are you all right?” Bellmer asked. “Please, lean on me.”

“Ooh. Argh. Uhh. Sorry, my dear.”

Bellmer rushed to Draconia’s side. “I am yours, Master. Please, do not worry.”

I wonder if she’s working too hard…

Sitting in a chair for long periods of time could cause back pain. Glenn had heard that Draconia didn’t go outside often, so perhaps lack of exercise was a contributing factor.

“W-would you like me to take a look?” Glenn asked. “If you’re having lower back pain, I think I can help. Sapphee can make compresses for you. We could at least alleviate your symptoms.”

“N-no!” Draconia screeched in a voice like crackling thunder. “I would never trust medicine! That octo-woman thinks she can ignore sorcery’s ancient traditions?! I’m sure she taught you real good, apprentice! I have no intention of surrendering my body to such nonsense!”

“Master, Mr. Glenn is simply concerned for you! You don’t have to—”

“We’re leaving, Bellmer! Back to the sorcery department! I will be the one to take care of your ailments!”

Draconia turned on her heel and began tottering away on her cane. She looked livid.

“Ah…”

Glenn didn’t know what to say. He’d already solved Bellmer’s problem, but telling Draconia as much would almost certainly just incense her further. Besides, he was concerned about the sobek’s health. He wanted to help her, but it seemed she hated medicine as much as Cthulhy hated sorcery.

“Look at you, Draconia. You’re falling apart.”

“Huh?!”

“Ugh!”

Glenn heard a familiar voice from the hall. He rushed outside to find a beautiful, lab-coat-wearing woman with eight tentacled legs.

“D-Dr. Cthulhy?!” Draconia stammered. “What are you doing here?”

“Why, I was summoned, of course. By my adorable apprentice.”

That was when Glenn noticed Lime behind Cthulhy. She laughed and flashed a peace sign. He hadn’t even seen her leave.

“Now then, Draconia. I hear you’re experiencing some back pain,” Cthulhy said. “I’ll fix you right up.”

“N-no! I do not want any of your medical tricks! I’ll take care of it with sorcery.”

“I have to imagine you’ve tried that already, with no success. C’mon, I’ll do it right now.”

“Argyaaa!”

Cthulhy easily swept Draconia up in her tentacles. The childlike sobek didn’t stand a chance against Cthulhy’s size and strength.

“Even your own apprentices are worried about you,” Cthulhy said. “Come now, girl. I’ll fix you up in a jiffy.”

“You pervert!” Draconia cried. “I wish you’d get caught in a scandal and fired! And I’m not a girl!”

Cthulhy chuckled. “You’re not even a hundred years old! You’re a child to me.”

Glenn was flabbergasted. It was unheard of for his mentor to insert herself into their affairs like this.

Sapphee was clearly surprised, too. “I didn’t realize you and Dr. Draconia were so close, Dr. Cthulhy.”

Glenn had assumed they didn’t get along because of their opposing methodologies. Their principles probably were incompatible, but apparently, Cthulhy didn’t dislike Draconia as a person.

“Looks like you’re doing well with the lab, Glenn,” Cthulhy said.

“Y-yes,” Glenn replied, straightening up.

As his advisor, Cthulhy would evaluate Glenn’s progress and determine if he met the graduation requirements. Having her here made him nervous.

“If you need anything, let me know. You aren’t doctors yet, so be sure to consult a faculty member if you run into something you can’t handle, yes?”

“Y-yes,” he answered.

“Sapphee, Lime, he’s your junior. Keep an eye on him. Now, let’s go, Draconia,” Cthulhy said, dragging Draconia down the hall.

“Leeet meee gooo!” the sobek screamed.

Cthulhy, of course, did nothing of the sort.

“No one can beat Dr. Cthulhy…”

Glenn exhaled. Whatever was going on between the two of them, it was probably best if he didn’t interfere. Still, he felt a new respect for Lime, who’d had the foresight to get Cthulhy in the first place.

He looked around, eager to return to his own work, and realized Bellmer was still standing there.

“Thank you for today, Mr. Glenn,” she said. “Not only did you determine where my pain is coming from, but also, Master will be treated by Dr. Cthulhy! I’m so glad I came to see the genius student of the medical department. You provided wonderful treatment!”

Bellmer started down the hall, clearly having no intention of letting him walk her back to the sorcery building. Glenn had heard that it was located underground, but the entrance was kept a secret from the other departments.

“Hey, Miss Bellmer?” he called.

She cocked her head to the side, looking cute. “Yes, what is it?”

Glenn searched for the right words. “Did you not notice that your strings were too taut?”

She didn’t answer right away. It was strange that she hadn’t noticed the source of her pain. Stranger still was that she hadn’t noticed the ceramic dust accumulating at her joints.

“Is it possible that your joint pain didn’t occur naturally?”

“What are you saying?” she asked.

“Is it possible that you…adjusted your strings in order to cause yourself pain?”

“What a strange thing to suggest, Mr. Glenn. Why would I cause myself pain?”

Glenn couldn’t read Bellmer’s expressionless face. “Perhaps you did it to draw Dr. Draconia out of her isolation?”

“Hmmm, and why would I want to do that?”

“That was what I couldn’t figure out…until today. You came to us multiple times. Draconia was bound to find out eventually. But it was only because she came to the lab that we discovered her lower back pain.” Glenn took a breath. “Was this all just a ploy to get treatment for her?”

Bellmer was silent, but she didn’t deny it.

Glenn pressed on. “Umm, I don’t intend to push the issue much further, but—”

“Oh? Then why bring it up?”

“Well…”

The city of Nemea was located in a colder region of the continent, and it was almost evening. It was starting to get cool. The wind that blew as the sun set chilled Glenn’s skin.

“No matter how much you want to help your master, hurting yourself isn’t the answer. I hope you won’t do something like this again.”

What authority did this fourteen-year-old child have to tell Bellmer how she should act? He wasn’t even a doctor yet.

“Hee hee…” she laughed.

“Huh?”

Bellmer tilted her head back and bellowed, as if she could no longer hold it in.

“Hee hee! Ha ha! Ahh, sorry, tee hee…!” Her mirth was so natural that she almost looked human. She even wiped her eyes as the laughter subsided. “Hee hee… oh, I’m very sorry. Mr. Glenn, you’re overthinking things. I do care about my master, but I haven’t harmed myself on purpose.”

“Then…why you didn’t notice the cause of your joint pain?”

“Shh…” Bellmer put her index finger to Glenn’s lips. “A girl needs to have some secrets.” She winked at him, and followed it up with a smirk. “I’m going now. But if you ever need anything from the sorcery department, ask for me. I owe you a debt.”

Then, as if nothing had happened, Bellmer’s face returned to its normal blank expression, and she was gone.

The whole thing was rather strange.

Glenn wondered if she actually had a much greater range of facial expression than she’d first let on. If so, why keep up the doll-like pretense? Maybe she didn’t want to be mistaken for a human?

There was so much he didn’t know about her, but that smile had melted his heart. Glenn would have to make sure that no one ever found out.

 

***

 

“I hope Glenn sorted everything out,” Sapphee said, cleaning up the lab.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, yeah,” said Lime, drinking a lemon tea. “He’s just walking Bellmer to the Sorcery building. You’re quite the worrywart, aren’t you?”

She wasn’t really helping, but she was slowly stroking the top of the table with one hand, digesting the dust.

“Glenn has grown up a lot,” Sapphee said.

“Yeah. He really is a genius. He’s already way surpassed me.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Sapphee smiled. “I think he cares about monsters more than anyone else in the world.”

“Oh! You’re so sneaky, Sapphee! You like being around to guide him, don’t you? Well, I want to guide him too, yeah! What’s that face for?!”

Sapphee looked proud, both of herself and of her underclassman. Glenn was a young man full of promise, but promise meant nothing if you didn’t put in the hard work. The fact that he was progressing so quickly meant that being here in Sapphee’s lab was good for him.

“We need to keep helping him gain experience,” Sapphee said. “Without working him too hard.”

“When did you become so focused on Glenn? What about you? Don’t you want to be a doctor?”

“I want to be a pharmacist, and work alongside a doctor.”

“Ohh, I see.”

Sapphee had no intention of neglecting her own studies—she just felt it important to help Glenn develop his natural talents. Supporting his future career would benefit her too but, more importantly, it could have a profound impact on the future of monster medicine all across the world.

“What about you, Lime?”

“Huh? What about me?”

“Do you plan on remaining Cthulhy’s apprentice?”

Lime laughed. “Well, I haven’t given much thought to becoming independent, yeah.”

Sapphee found it strange. Lime didn’t seem very passionate about medicine, as evidenced by her grades, yet Cthulhy trusted her. Maybe it’s her personality? Everyone loved Lime. Cthulhy might simply be captivated by her charm, and there was nothing wrong with that. There might even come a day when Lime’s charms saved the day.

“Folks say that Glenn is really going places,” Lime added, always the first to hear such things.

“A rumor?”

“Sapphee, you need to be firm, yeah? Make it clear that Glenn belongs to our lab. Or others might try to recruit him.”

“I can’t force him… agh!”

Out of nowhere, Sapphee’s body began to tremble. She scrunched up her face at the chill.

“Sapphee?”

Sapphee put her hands on the table, waiting for it to pass. “Oh, oh, it’s n-nothing. Nothing at all. I have a bad feeling about this,” she muttered, a sour look on her face.

It wasn’t until much later that she realized she’d just felt the first pangs of a woman in love.

 

***

 

“Hee hee… there you are.”

A figure lurked in the doorway of a dorm room, the curtains drawn in the room behind them to block out the light, reducing the figure to little more than a shadow. A shadow that was watching Glenn say goodbye to Bellmer, and had been watching him for far longer than that.

“Hee hee! A human…a human man…”

A woman’s laugh echoed in the dark room.