Case 01: The Exhausted Scylla

Case 01:
The Exhausted Scylla

It was almost autumn in the town of Lindworm.

It had been three years since Dr. Glenn Litbeit opened his clinic. This would be his third autumn there, and he’d worked himself to the bone for those three years. He was certain that this was what he was meant to do—continue examining and treating Lindworm’s monsters as he honed his skills as a doctor.

Then he’d received a visit from his sister, Sioux. And then there was the fuss with the Barometz tree. That had been a crisis in and of itself, but the decision Sioux made in its aftermath left Glenn with an unprecedented dilemma. He’d never been in a situation like this before.

“There is nothing for me to do but find you a suitable wife, Brother,” Sioux had declared. Glenn had no idea that that single utterance would completely flip his life upside down.

***

It was another restless night.

Glenn Litbeit already lived a life of exhaustion, and he usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was always sleep-deprived, but he was a spry seventeen-year-old with endurance built over years working as a doctor, and a body with a high tolerance for the impossible.

However, there was a reason Glenn couldn’t sleep tonight. It wasn’t because Sioux’s words kept replaying in his head.

“Aluloona, what’s that?” asked one of the two interlopers in his bedroom.

“Perfume made from my pollen. They use it at brothels in the entertainment district. It’s an extremely effective aphrodisiac… What is it, Number Two? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I have a bad feeling about working with someone possessed of such an insatiable appetite.”

“Excuse me? I’m pretty sure you were the one who proposed sneaking into this bedroom at night!”

“I am a free individual who does what they want. But I can’t determine whether this is appropriate for someone with authority in the city, like you, Aluloona.”

“You just say whatever you want, don’t you? The only person with authority here is Skadi. I’m nothing but a lady of the entertainment district.”

Glenn had no chance of falling asleep tonight.

“Hey, you two… What’s going on?” he finally asked.

“We’ve stolen into your room in the middle of the night, of course.”

“St-stolen into… How?”

“Your clinic connects to the canals so that aquatic monsters can access it, right? I transformed into a flower bulb and floated my way along the canals. Then, with the help of Number Two here, we unlocked the door and broke in,” explained Aluloona, second-in-command of the City Council.

Glenn eyed the perfume jar in her hand. It must have been that scent that had robbed him of his ability to reason.

“Moving silently, opening locks, sneaking into rooms—they’re all a piece of cake for me,” said Molly.

“Molly… You too?”

“This evil alraune lured me in. But I decided it was unavoidable, since it was an opportunity to work closely with you, Doctor.”

Molly Vanitas was in charge of the graveyard city. She was an amorphous shoggoth who used a skeleton as her frame. She didn’t have enough flesh to form eyelids, so her eyes seemed to roll around in her head, shining spookily in the dark. Perhaps her eyes reflected light, like a nocturnal animal’s, so that she could live easily in the graveyard city.

“Young doctor, it seems you’ll be taking a wife?” asked Aluloona.

“N-no, that’s a mistake. I have no intention of…”

“Hmm. But there are already rumors spreading through the town. We thought we should take you for ourselves before someone else gets to you.”

“Wh-what about my feelings? And dignity?”

“Don’t you see? Isn’t stealing into your room in the middle of the night the truest expression of our desire? Well, the perfume should have worked by now. Are you ready, young doctor?” Aluloona’s vines started to wrap around the immobile Glenn. The alraune’s green skin glittered in the moonlight. She was famous for her appetites; if she set her sights on a man, he would be hers.

Meanwhile, Molly moved closer, her face expressionless. Her bones were visible through her translucent, purplish skin. She usually wore a nun’s habit, but her outfit tonight seemed less modest than usual. Molly’s clothing was also a part of her body, so she could change it at will.

“Hmph. Doctor, are you sure you don’t enjoy this sort of thing?”

“E-enjoy? I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Fine, then. Hey, Number Two, do that thing that we talked about.”

Molly’s expressionless face seemed to twist just slightly in discontent. “I am still unable to determine whether it will be effective or not.”

“You’ll find out once you try it.”

“Understood. This is also an interaction with Dr. Glenn.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Molly shifted. The surface of her transparent skin rippled in waves, and her chest swelled. In contrast, her waist narrowed greatly.

“Heh. You’re the same size as me now. How do you like it?” Aluloona sounded proud. The alraune’s chest-to-waist ratio was incredible, and her figure was known to set off many people’s libidos. Glenn wondered what it would be like if Molly, who could shapeshift, took Aluloona’s form.

Aluloona pressed her bosom up against the two mounds that swelled on Molly’s chest. She then offered Glenn the perfume jar.

“Why don’t you take the jar, Doctor?”

“Aluloona, this is becoming a bit too much like one of the lewd games you play in the entertainment district.”

“It’s not like one of the games we play, it is one of the games we play. C’mon, Doc.” Two women in this position—with such exceptional bodies—was certainly an exciting sight.

Glenn was flummoxed. A normal man would undoubtedly have jumped at this opportunity. “Excuse me, but I’m not…”

“Hmm? What is it? Weren’t you just saying that you had no intention of marrying yet? So, why not play with us?” Aluloona was quick to reply.

“This…this is my workplace. Also, this isn’t very sincere.”

“It’s not good to suppress your desires, Dr. Glenn. Both your heart rate and body temperature are elevated. According to my analysis, you’re in an excited state.”

“Th-that may be true, but, umm…” Glenn glanced at the door. “Umm…maybe you should wrap things up?”

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Well, today…there’s a night shift working here.”

They heard the sound of hooves, followed by a neigh as somebody kicked the door open.

“Doctor, are you all right?!” exclaimed Tisalia.

Glenn could hear Sapphee’s voice as well. “Doctor, I could smell Aluloona’s flowers!”

The centaur and lamia made their way into the small room. They were greeted by the sight of two voluptuous women snuggling up to a man on the bed, his body in knots.

“Aluloona! And Molly, too?!”

“We’ve been found out. I determine that it is now impossible to proceed with a clandestine operation. That will be all.” Molly quickly came to a decision. She melted her body into a ball of slime instantly, scooped up her bones, and opened the window to escape. Perhaps that was how she’d gotten in as well.

“Hmph. Well, you’ve gone and ruined the atmosphere. I guess I’ll be on my way, too.”

“Yes, please go. Fairies! Our uninvited guests are leaving!”

Sapphee clapped her hands, which triggered a chorus of voices saying, “I’m sleepy!” and “What is it?” The fairies had clearly been sound asleep, but when Sapphee gave the order, they quickly gathered around Aluloona’s bulb. Heave, ho! They lifted her and carried her away.

“Please don’t ever come back again!” Sapphee cried.

Aluloona moaned as she left; that was followed by a variety of strange sounds. Since this was her third attempt at sneaking into Glenn’s room, it was probably safe to say that she hadn’t learned her lesson.

“Doctor, are you all right?”

“Y-yes. Well, nothing happened.” Glenn gave Tisalia a wry smile.

Ever since the rumor that Glenn was looking for a wife began to circulate through Lindworm, there had been a sudden surge in uninvited visitors to Glenn’s room in the middle of the night. Aluloona made a habit of it. Molly sometimes showed up. Arahnia, too. Even Illy once flew right into the window, perhaps because she couldn’t see as well in the dark.

Glenn couldn’t take it anymore, so he’d asked Tisalia to stand guard. She couldn’t come every night, since she had to be able to fight in the arena, but she was definitely a trustworthy guard.

“Doctor, I’ll be by your side in a second. Until you decide who you’ll marry, I won’t let anyone touch you.”

“That means you, too, Tisalia,” Sapphee pointed out.

“I would never! That would be unbecoming before we’re married!” Tisalia was appalled. “I have great respect for your celibacy, Doctor.”

The sleep-deprived Glenn felt his eyes droop. Perhaps it was due to the potency of Aluloona’s perfume, but a wave of sleepiness washed over him.

“Ohh…”

He heard Sapphee’s voice in his dreams. “Doctor, I know you must be restless…but we’re watching over you.”

That makes it even harder to rest, Glenn wanted to say, but his words came out as garbled and incomprehensible sleep-talk.

***

“It’s been rough on you, too,” a sweet voice told Glenn.

Tentacles held the squid-ink pasta Glenn had ordered out to him. The cook grinned at Glenn, who sat at the counter for humans.

“No…” he replied. “I mean, it’s just been causing you trouble.”

“All I care about is that you eat and drink your fill, and pay what you owe. I’m more concerned about that corner over there. They’re talking about you, right?”

“Y-yes.” Glenn held his head in his hands.

“Marrying off a daughter can be scary business.”

The kraken madam, owner of the Giant Squid’s Inn, cackled. She balanced the dishes and drinks her customers had ordered on her ten tentacles. Thanks to the suction cups on those limbs, all the orders seemed steady and in no danger of falling.

“As long as they don’t bother the other customers. Make sure you taste some of my pasta before you go.” The madam gave Glenn a sweet smile and disappeared.

Glenn looked toward where the madam had indicated. The table in the corner of the Giant Squid’s Inn was occupied by women Glenn knew very well. They’d posted up a parchment sign that read, in messy handwriting, “Glenn Litbeit’s Marriage Conference.” The woman who’d penned the sign, of course, was none other than Glenn’s faithful assistant, Saphentite the lamia.

But why?

Why had it come to this?

“I’m telling you!” The women’s discussion suddenly rose in volume. “I won’t tolerate tossing out possible wives’ names simply for the fun of it! If you’re serious about wanting to marry Dr. Glenn, raise your hand!”

As she said this, Sapphee’s hand was already up higher than anyone else’s at the table. She watched Glenn’s daily interactions with women with an eagle eye because of her feelings for him—feelings even Glenn was well aware of. Still, he couldn’t help but think that Sapphee was taking it too far.

“Yes! Y-yes! Me too! I want to marry him! That’s right!” Tisalia made no attempt to hide her feelings.

“Okay, okay, the centaur princess, too. I know that already,” Sapphee said.

Tisalia was the heiress to a shipping firm, and had already made many proposals to Glenn. Consequently, Glenn was aware that the centaur—who’d brought two attendants to the meeting—was also very serious about her intentions.

“Um, er, I also…”

“Lulala, I hate to be the one to say this, but you’re still too young to legally marry.”

“Y-yes, I know that. I just thought I would say so.”

A simple canal ran through the Giant Squid’s Inn so that aquatic monsters could surface and eat at a special counter. Lulala sipped on a soft drink.

“What about you, Arahnia? You’re not interested?”

“Hmm? Me?” The arachne was enjoying some kind of foreign alcohol. “I don’t want to get hitched. It doesn’t matter to me who the doc marries.”

“Really?”

“Not a peep from me. Even if he has a proper wife, that doesn’t mean I can’t be a mistress. I don’t need to be a wife, but… Well, I have no objection to sneaking around, you know? There are actually polyamorous monster folk in Lindworm who aren’t too fond of the monogamy laws. Heh, how about some sister-wives?”

“Arahnia!”

“I’m only joking… Heh heh.”

The conference seemed like it might explode at any moment. Other attendees included Tisalia’s attendants, Kay and Lorna, and Illy the harpy courier. Many seemed to be there just for company; they were enjoying their meals.

There’re so many women here. Glenn stained his lips black as he slurped down the squid-ink pasta. He’d been aware of Sapphee’s and Tisalia’s feelings, but he was surprised to see Lulala there. A variety of gossip did the rounds of Lindworm, but Glenn had never thought that his personal life would be the talk of the town.

“So, it’s really down to whether Tisalia or I should be the bride,” Sapphee said.

“How do you propose we decide?” asked Tisalia. “A duel? I won’t be defeated.”

“I have no intention of losing, either, but I think we can find a more peaceful solution. We should, of course, consult Sioux.”

Glenn was relieved to hear that Sioux would have a say, but he wished they would also ask him—the groom!—to weigh in. Why was he eating alone, if he was the one to be wed?

No one had even bothered to ask him if he wanted to get married. At this point, all he could do was keep an eye on the arguing women.

The instigator of the whole mess interrupted his thoughts. “Brother, please allow me to join you!”

Sioux Litbeit sat next to Glenn at the bar. Two horns sprouted from her forehead, making it hard to believe that they were the same species.

Sioux must have been in the middle of her patrol. She ordered a pizza from the madam as if she was a regular customer.

“The conference is very lively!” she said.

“And whose fault is that?” If Sioux hadn’t said that she would choose his bride-to-be, none of this would ever have happened.

“Hmph. Your words sting, Brother. It is not I who is worried about your marriage, but Father and Mother. Perhaps if you were more diligent in keeping contact with them, then…”

“I went against our parents’ wishes by entering the Academy. I’m in no position to write to them now.” Glenn’s face was glum. This wasn’t something he’d ever share with Sapphee, let alone his patients. He was a good physician, but he wasn’t winning any awards with his family.

“But you know that Brother Souen is responsible for much of this,” said Sioux.

“Yeah… That’s true.”

Souen was their eldest brother. He was cunning, and not only managed the Eastern Merchant Union as their father’s successor, but also served as secretary for the elder statesmen. Souen was expected to take over the firm, but his competitiveness, responsibility, and ambition were strong enough that he seemingly always pushed his brother Glenn away. Glenn had no intention of challenging him, but Souen apparently had trouble accepting that there might be a candidate for succession besides him.

“When you said that you were going to apply for the Monster Academy, Brother Souen told all sorts of things to Father, and almost got himself banished!” said Sioux. “Now he’s acting as if nothing happened, though.”

“Well, there’s no use discussing that now. Our brother wanted to be rid of me, and I wanted to leave. Our interests were in line.”

Because of the commotion around his departure, Glenn couldn’t bring himself to contact his parents. Even though they hadn’t exchanged a single letter with Glenn, however, his mother and father could still take issue with his life choices—like who he would marry—through Sioux.

In other words, “It’s all our brother’s fault.”

“I don’t agree with placing all the blame on others, but there’s no avoiding it with Eldest Brother,” Sioux said calmly as she chewed the pizza that the madam had brought to her.

“What do you think, Sioux?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, about who I should marry.”

“What are you doing?! You shouldn’t ask me about such an important person!”

“Wait a second. You were the one who said you’d choose my bride! So, I want to hear your opinion.”

Sioux crossed her arms in a huff. Glenn hadn’t noticed her ordering it, but she took a gulp of the Fire Dragon Sake in front of her.

“Of course, the only person I look up to as a sister is Sister Saphentite,” she said. “Even if it was only for a short time, Sister lived in the Litbeit household. I believe our parents would also accept your union.”

“I wonder.” Their parents were relatively unprejudiced against monsters, as evinced by the fact that they’d allowed Sapphee to live in their house.

“However, Miss Tisalia has also been a fine instructor of late. She is a strong and beautiful noblewoman, and her family’s social status is respectable.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, Miss Arahnia gave me a beautiful belt!” Sioux added. “And it was free! It is not a suitable accessory for patrol-team work, but anyone who gives clothing as a gift is a fine person.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, and Skadi, Aluloona, and Miss Molly always provide me with snacks! Miss Lulala and Miss Illy speak to me often… Kay and Lorna gave me vegetables the other day…”

“Th-that’s very nice.” Sioux might as well just have said that every person in Lindworm was wonderful. Glenn wondered whether the people treating his sister well had ulterior motives. It was clear that the women believed the marriage talks were likelier to go in their favor if they had Sioux on their side. That probably wasn’t the only reason for their actions, of course—his sister was easy to win over with presents, and she wore her heart on her sleeve, so maybe some people genuinely only wanted to spoil her.

“So, in conclusion, I would be happy if all of them became my sisters!”

“Okay, I got it.” He “got” that his younger sister’s opinion was useless, that is. “Hey, Sioux, aren’t you in the middle of your patrol?” Glenn was desperate to change the subject rather than hear any more about how he should contact his family.

Sioux didn’t seem bothered. “That is accurate! Once I finish eating, I must return immediately.”

“I thought you were on the red-light district patrol team. What are you doing downtown?”

“We take shifts patrolling. I have performed well, but I am still a new recruit. I must learn Lindworm inside and out, so I requested the shift!” Sioux seemed pleased with herself. She stuffed the remaining pizza into her mouth. It sounded as if patrolling kept her busy; Glenn wondered whether she even had the time to pick a bride for him.

“Is Dr. Cthulhy back?”

“Now that you mention it, I saw the council members at the border. They looked to be resting, so perhaps the Draconess also arrived home.”

“I see. Thank you.”

If Skadi and Dr. Cthulhy had returned from their business trip to the east, then Glenn needed to stop by and say hello. He also needed to report on the sleeping-sheep incident that took place while they were gone. He needed Cthulhy’s cooperation to make sure that such an incident never happened again.

“Well then, Brother! Until later! Do not neglect to consider a suitable marriage partner!”

“I’m trying to tell you that I’m not interested in marrying yet.”

“Goodbye!” Sioux tossed some coins to the madam for her meal and disappeared as quickly as the wind.

“If you keep running like that, you’ll get sick again!” Glenn yelled after her, but Sioux was already out the door of the Giant Squid’s Inn and couldn’t hear him.

He took a drink of water and sighed. His sister wasn’t very helpful.

“What should I do?” He would have to take some kind of action, eventually, but he couldn’t figure out what.

Glenn looked up and saw Sapphee. “Dr. Glenn, I’ve been with you since we were children, and now I’m your pharmacologist. I’m clearly the best companion—”

“Time is irrelevant!” cried Tisalia. “I can provide financial support for your clinic!”

“This isn’t about money, it’s about love!”

Sapphee and Tisalia both clasped their hands to their chests, fervently exclaiming why they would be the ideal bride for Glenn. He couldn’t help but feel bashful.

***

“You look troubled, Dr. Glenn,” said Sapphee later, as Glenn set out to do his rounds in the canals.

“Everyone’s so obsessed with marriage. I haven’t even proven myself as a doctor yet.”

“What does the one have to do with the other?”

“I just don’t have any intention of getting married so soon.”

“Dr. Glenn, I want to respect your feelings. However, if your biological sister asks you what your marriage plans are, it’s only natural for the women hoping to date you to feel excited.”

“I’m now acutely aware of that.” Glenn had thought that he could focus on the clinic for at least a few years before worrying about dating, let alone marriage. “Someday, I want to become independent of Dr. Cthulhy and start my own hospital. Still, I don’t actually want to be a dean of medicine. I hope to examine each individual patient.”

“So, you want to perform examinations yourself, Dr. Glenn?”

“Y-yes, I think so. Probably. I really think that going on rounds and speaking with patients is a better fit for my personality. I wouldn’t want to get married until later.”

Sapphee was nodding and sort of smiling. “That’s a separate issue. You can continue running your clinic even if you’re married.”

“It’s not that easy.” She was telling him to think about his dreams and marriage separately.

“Well, for now, please continue to do the work that best suits your personality.”

“I’ll do my best.” Glenn lowered himself into the canal.

Sticking her face out of the water was a young girl Glenn knew well. Beside the bright-faced, brown-skinned girl, two other mermaids sat on the canal ledge.

Lulala saw Glenn and smiled. “Sorry, Doctor. Thank you for making time.”

“No problem. I can make calls anywhere in the city.”

The other mermaids’ facial features resembled Lulala’s, but their skin was paler, and they were thinner. They seemed sickly.

“This is my mother and my younger sister.” Lulala introduced them.

“So, this is the doctor. Thank you for coming all the way out here. I’m fine. Please examine my baby.” Lulala’s mother held a small, still mermaid in her arms. She seemed more concerned about her child than herself, but Glenn didn’t intend on being anything less than thorough.

“I’d like to examine both of you.”

“Thank you.” Lulala’s mother bowed her head in gratitude. Soula, Lulala’s sister, had a vacant expression on her face.

Glenn examined them both, particularly their bodies’ fish-like lower halves. Mermaid scales normally sparkled in sunlight, but when they were infected, even looking at them was painful. The infection wasn’t serious; it was something like a rash.

“Doctor? What is it?” Lulala sounded worried.

“It’ll be fine. With some medication, they should recover quickly.”

“Really?”

“It seems that your mother and sister have very sensitive skin. Is that right?”

Lulala’s mother nodded in response. “Yes. I’m from the deep sea. Soula got my skin tone. We don’t tan the way that Lulala does.”

“Soula’s infection is more advanced than yours, but still curable with medicine. I’ll write you a prescription. Please spend one hour in a sealed room to soak in the medicated bath.”

Since mermaids lived in water, creams and ointments were generally useless to them. Most homes in the canals had a room for medicated baths, so Lulala’s family just needed to soak there.

“Medicine… But isn’t that expensive?” Lulala’s mother looked at Glenn, concerned.

“It’s true, it isn’t cheap, but Lulala already paid the examination fee in full. So, you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh, um…is that so?”

“Hee hee!” Lulala grinned from ear to ear.

“Now, how to apply the medication…” Glenn began.

“Please, allow me to explain.” Sapphee slid into the canal so that the young Soula could hear her. “I’m the pharmacologist, Sapphee.”

It wasn’t particularly strong medication, but it had side effects. The most important thing was that if patients used the medication in the canals without the proper precautions, it could contaminate the water. Sapphee covered all this in her explanation. As he listened, Glenn thought about how easy she made it to understand, even for him.

“That’s how you use it. Also, if you happen to come to the water’s surface, please apply the ointment in this bottle to your skin directly.” Sapphee demonstrated how they could apply the ointment. She also had skin that didn’t do well in the sun, so she knew what the patients were going through.

Glenn was grateful that Sapphee was there. No matter how skilled he was at diagnosing issues, if patients didn’t use the prescribed medication, then it would all be for naught. Furthermore, certain medications could be poisonous if handled incorrectly. Sapphee not only had the knowledge to convey the necessary information to patients, but also the rare ability to make custom-compound medications to suit Glenn’s diagnoses. That was an indispensable skill that Glenn needed as much as Lindworm’s residents did.

It was Dr. Cthulhy, after all, who oversaw prescriptions at the Central Hospital. Dr. Cthulhy had wanted Sapphee to apprentice under her, but since Glenn was still inexperienced as a doctor, she assigned Sapphee to help him at his clinic.

However, Glenn couldn’t just stare goggle-eyed at Sapphee all day. He had his own work to do. “Lulala, can I speak to you for a minute?”

“Hmm? What is it, Doctor?”

“Have your mother and sister been working near the water’s surface lately?”

“Huh? No, they don’t really come to the land. Why?”

“A preexisting condition is one thing, but it’s strange to suddenly develop a skin disease. I thought there might be a reason.”

“Hmmm…” Lulala motioned for him to come closer.

She put a wet hand up to his ear and whispered to him.

“Well, actually…” She looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Lately, some people in our neighborhood have had problems with their skin and scales. I heard that the mermaid dancers have gotten rashes. I haven’t had any problems yet, but…in the canals, people say maybe it’s an infection.”

“The waterworks oversees the canal water. If there were an infection, the hospital would’ve heard about it.”

“Well, I know that, but…” Lulala look worried.

She had arranged today’s examination because she was worried about her family’s health. The young diva managed the household finances and was devoted to her family.

“Oh, Doctor?” Lulala suddenly raised her voice. “If you still don’t plan on getting married yet, can you wait two years?”

“Huh?!” This sudden change in topic caught Glenn off guard. Two more years. In other words, until Lulala was old enough to marry according to the city ordinances? Lulala giggled as if embarrassed, but her eyes were serious.

Glenn, who’d never thought of her as anything but a young singer, finally realized something as she volunteered herself to be his bride. Sapphee was right. He might not be ready, but things were changing. He had an important decision to make.

“Doctor, I’m finished,” Sapphee said.

“Oh, yes… I’ll be right there.”

It seemed as if Lulala wasn’t too concerned about receiving a reply. She’d already moved away from Glenn and was talking to her mother and sister.

When he’d first met Lulala, she seemed so much younger. Glenn was surprised at how quickly she’d grown up. He could say the same of Illy and Memé, who were the same age as Lulala, and even his sister, Sioux. He was so preoccupied with diagnosing illnesses that he sometimes forgot that his patients had lives outside their appointments with him.

Before his very eyes, these children were growing into young women. “Wow.”

“Doctor?” said Sapphee.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I need to concentrate, too.”

“Hmm,” Sapphee replied with a smile.

It might take him a while, but Glenn resolved to come up with an answer regarding marriage—an answer he was happy with.

Lulala waved to Glenn and Sapphee from the water’s surface.

***

Two weeks passed, and the clinic grew extremely busy. There was a sharp increase in the number of patients, especially from the canals.

“Skin rashes, inflamed scales, white spots, sores on fins…” Dr. Cthulhy made a sour face as she looked over the report. “All the symptoms are similar. The cause could be poor water quality, or an infectious disease… I don’t know, Glenn. This is a real problem.”

Glenn had written the report Cthulhy held. After he examined Lulala’s family, he’d seen a sudden increase in patients who resided in the canals. Just as Lulala said, all of them complained about skin ailments.

“How about the Central Hospital?” he asked.

“We have quite a few patients from the canals, but a lot more land patients are complaining of abdominal pain. There’s been an especially high number of cases in monsters with weaker digestive functions. If this is a water-quality issue, it might be affecting the drinking water.”

“That is a real problem.”

“I set up an emergency medical bath in the canals. Can Sapphee prepare medication on direct order from Skadi? I’ve already asked Aluloona for the ingredients.”

“Is this issue that bad?”

“Yes. But even if we give the aquatic monsters medicine, we’ll only be treating the symptoms. We need to do something about the cause.”

“So, that means…”

“I already asked the Kuklo Workshop to retest the water-intake equipment. If there’s a problem with the water, the test will let us know.”

The dean of medicine worked quickly. While Glenn was only just noticing that there was a problem, she’d already taken action on many fronts. Glenn wondered whether he could ever do that. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t truly imagine himself becoming Cthulhy’s successor.

“Um, Dr. Cthulhy?”

“What?”

Glenn hesitated. “Perhaps this isn’t the best timing, but I didn’t come here to give you a report on the situation.” He could easily have sent it by post.

Cthulhy had stretched her tentacles out of her octopus pot to read the report, and the document’s edges were wet. Glenn had written it on sheepskin parchment, so it could stand up to a bit of water, but it wasn’t completely waterproof. Glenn wished she’d handle it with a bit more care.

“I heard that you weren’t feeling well, Dr. Cthulhy, so I rushed over.”

“Yes, it’s true. I’m just a bit run-down. Perhaps I’m working too hard.”

“I understand that you’re very busy. You must also be tired from your trip east. I can only do so much at the clinic. Please make sure that you get enough rest.”

“Can’t you see I’m resting now?” Cthulhy demanded. Glenn couldn’t see her face, so it looked as if the octopus pot was talking.

“I included this in the report, but many patients in the canals—the young and old—have weaker immune systems. If you’re exhausted, Doctor…”

“Are you calling me elderly?!” Dr. Cthulhy finally stuck her head back out. She was probably completely naked in her pot.

Attacking her age hadn’t been his intention at all. Glenn let out a sigh. “Please, just let me examine you. That’s why I came.”

“Okay, fine. Do whatever you want.”

“First of all, if you’re tired, how about a massage?”

“Who taught you that? I mean, I’m grateful, but…”

“I’ve been doing some studying lately.” Glenn chuckled, embarrassed.

In a previous examination, he’d discovered that massage was effective on Kunai, who was undead. That inspired him to take up new studies in treatment methods such as chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, and moxibustion. Glenn was a busy man, but he found it enjoyable to learn new things.

“All right, then. That sounds nice.” A clump of tentacles waved from the octopus pot. Cthulhy headed toward the canal that had been installed just for her in the back of the dean’s office. She didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she was completely naked as she floated sideways, her eight tentacles spread over the water’s surface.

Glenn rolled up the hems of his pants and stepped into the water up to his knees. When he touched Cthulhy’s tentacles, he noticed that her skin was a bit rough. Some spots were inflamed.

Is this exhaustion?

Glenn put all his strength into massaging Cthulhy’s tentacle muscles.

“Mmm…ahhhh…” Cthulhy moaned.

Even though Glenn had once thought of the dean almost as family, whenever there was a naked woman in front of him, he found it hard to keep his eyes away from her…parts. He adjusted his gaze.

“Doctor, you have a rash. It also looks like your suction cups are inflamed. Are you overdoing it?”

“Hmm? Well, maybe.” A tentacle tip wrapped around Glenn and squeezed him. The suction cups stuck to his skin, as always, but…

“It feels as though the suction is weaker than normal.”

“Uh-oh…” Cthulhy covered her face.

Glenn wished she was more concerned about covering her body, but he knew that now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Normally, suction cups adhered strongly enough to be painful. The motions of the dean’s tentacles also weren’t nearly as precise as usual. The way she wrapped around him today wouldn’t even leave a bruise—and Glenn was, by now, used to the bruises lamia scales and scylla tentacles left behind. He actually kind of missed that.

Okay, now I’m freaking myself out a bit.

He shook his head, wondering whether there was a single benefit to getting used to being bruised.

“Yes, I think you must be tired,” said Glenn.

“That might be true. Ahh…I thought I was still young.”

Glenn hadn’t said anything about Cthulhy’s age, but it seemed that to her, being tired meant being geriatric. She was visibly disappointed.

“I thought I was getting enough sleep.”

With the increase in canal patients, and the dean’s normal duties at the hospital, it was hard to believe that was true. “Perhaps you haven’t recovered from your trip?”

“That can’t be. I spent all my time in the east in the hot springs. All I did was relax. Skadi had no health problems, so it ended up being a vacation for me.”

The eastern country was full of hot springs. Glenn was well aware of their medicinal effects. They were also supposed to be useful in alleviating fatigue, but Cthulhy’s skin infection was severe.

Aquatic monsters’ skin was covered with a slimy membrane that protected it from fresh and salt water. If the skin developed a rash, the membrane might rupture, and the patient’s bodily fluids would become unbalanced. Membrane problems were a serious affliction for aquatic monsters.

“Glenn… More… It’s not strong enough…”

“Okay, okay.” Glenn continued his massage as the tentacles wrapped around him.

“Ahhh, there… That’s good.”

“Why don’t you take a longer vacation?”

“Yes, yes. Once things have settled down. Stronger, right there. Ahh…mmm…good…” It seemed as if Cthulhy might fall asleep.

Glenn finished massaging each tentacle. He wasn’t used to putting this much muscle into his work, and he’d started sweating. Both his hands were wet from contact with Cthulhy’s membranes. “This completes the treatment. Doctor, your skin doesn’t look good.”

“I know. If you keep repeating yourself, I’m going to deduct one hundred points.”

“I think the rash is the root of the problem, and it’s causing you to tire easily.”

Cthulhy was silent.

“Your muscles are especially tense. Your suction cups are weakened. Therefore, you need to exert extra strength in everything you do. The result is excessive fatigue.”

“Ahhh.” Cthulhy closed her eyes.

“I think the best thing would be a medicated bath. But the medical baths in the canals are full of patients.”

“Hmph. Well, I have my own bath in the back here. I can just use that.”

“Right. Then I think you’ll be fine if you eat nutritious food and get lots of rest.”

“I’ll think about it.” Cthulhy was curt.

She might come off as lazy, sometimes, but Cthulhy had a strong sense of responsibility. She probably didn’t feel that she could leave the really important work to Glenn. Even now, she refused to step down as Skadi’s main physician. She occasionally mentioned retiring, but that still seemed a long way off.

“Well then, I’ll be go—”

“Wait a second.”

After wiping the membrane off both his hands and turning to leave the dean’s office, Glenn was suddenly stopped by tentacles wrapping around his neck. “Argh!”

“Don’t you need to clean up? Why don’t you join me in the bath, like old times?”

“H-huh?! D-Doctor, I’m not a little child anymore.”

“You’re still a child to me.”

Glenn noticed that Cthulhy still had her glasses on. Scyllas had poor vision, but used their tentacles to taste, smell, and sense things. Cthulhy probably preferred to wear her expensive glasses because of her position as dean of medicine.

“C’mon, Glenn, just this once?”

“D-Doctor! If I got into a bath with medicine made for a scylla—”

“Then I won’t put the medicine in. We’ll just take a normal bath.”

“But that defeats the purpose!”

Cthulhy had no intention of listening to Glenn’s objections, and he felt her carry him into her private bathroom.

“Ahhhhh…” Cthulhy let out a deep sigh as she lowered herself into the water, pulling Glenn with her.

Scylla baths were quite large, and even with Glenn in the tub, there was plenty of room. Cthulhy had let him keep a towel wrapped around his waist, but she was completely naked. He wasn’t sure where he should look, and he also didn’t know what Sapphee would say if she saw him in such a state. He tried to keep his gaze pointed off into the distance.

“I didn’t realize you liked baths so much, Dr. Cthulhy.”

“The hot springs in the east felt so good, I decided to keep up the habit after I came back.”

In an attempt to hide his body, Glenn kept as much of it under the water’s surface as he could. Still, no matter what he did, every limb was within Cthulhy’s line of sight, so he was stuck. Completely stuck.

“On that note, I saw your brother, Glenn. Souen, was it?”

“Huh? Oh, umm…”

“He told me to tell you he said hello, and that he looked forward to continuing your relationship.”

Glenn chewed his lip, unsure of how to respond. As a merchant’s second son, Glenn had joined the Monster Academy against his parents’ wishes. His father had wanted him to use his talents to help his brother take over the family business. However, Glenn’s dream was to become a doctor. In the end, he’d cut off nearly all ties with his family to pursue that dream—at least until his sister had come to Lindworm.

“I, umm…don’t speak to my brother.”

“But your sister came here, right? And I heard all about this new marriage issue. You can’t really say that you have nothing to do with your family now, can you?”

“That’s…true.”

Glenn held his head in his hands. His brother was a rationalist and a merchant to his core. Souen was so cold-blooded that he had no problem cutting off family members if he thought they might disadvantage him. Still, as long as Glenn was in Lindworm, there was no chance of him running into his brother.

“He treated us to a very nice meal while we were there,” Cthulhy said.

“That’s because Skadi is a powerful figure in Lindworm. My brother will do anything if he thinks it will profit him.”

“So, that makes him a good politician.”

“I-I don’t know anything about politics.” Glenn focused on helping people. He wasn’t cut out for politics or business, but he had the perfect personality for a doctor. “I’m glad that you were able to relax on your trip, Doctor.”

“So am I. But now that I’m back, we have this water-pollution issue. What’s going on? The water flowing from the Vivre Mountains is supposed to be some of the clearest on the continent.”

“I’m not sure. We just have to put our faith in everyone at the Kuklo Workshop.”

“That’s true.”

Clean water was vital to urban development. If patients complained of abdominal pain, then that meant the problem—whatever it was—might’ve spread to the drinking water…or even the water that Glenn was currently bathing in.

Is the water tingly? Glenn started to feel uncomfortable, as if something were pricking the body parts soaking in the tub. Perhaps Lindworm’s water was abnormal. He stole a glance at Cthulhy. Her eyes looked drowsy, and he noticed for the first time that the glasses she wore were slightly tinted. The expensive designer frames had gold components.

Wait a second.

The prickly feeling.

The color of Cthulhy’s glasses.

“Dr. Cthulhy…do you normally wear your glasses in the bath?”

“Hmmm? Of course not. Lately I’ve been reading while I soak, so I kept them on.”

“What I’m trying to figure out is… Have you only worn these glasses when bathing in Lindworm’s water?”

Glenn grabbed Cthulhy’s glasses. She looked flustered, but he ignored her and focused on the frames. They seemed to be mostly gold, but there was silver on them as well. That silver had become discolored, making it easily distinguishable.

“Silver…”

Silver could discolor in sulfur’s presence. Hot springs contained sulfur, so it was possible that Cthulhy had worn the glasses in the hot springs on her trip, causing the discoloration. However, other things contained sulfur, too. Silver cutlery was still popular among aristocrats because it made it easy to spot arsenic, since low-purity arsenic contained sulfur.

“Doctor, the silver in your glasses is tarnished.”

“What?”

“Is it possible that the increase in patients from the canals is because…someone poisoned the water?”

There were fishing techniques that involved introducing poison directly into rivers to stupefy fish and make them easier to catch. Depending on the poison used, other living things might wind up casualties as well, so the effects on the environment were terrible.

What would happen if someone used that method in the canals?

What would happen if the canals, home to most of Lindworm’s aquatic monsters, were polluted with poison?

“You can’t see well with your glasses off, so you wouldn’t have noticed it.”

“And I don’t own anything else with silver in it. Glenn, do you mean to say that this illness…was caused by unnatural means?”

“I’m not sure. This is still just a theory.”

Cthulhy was silent. She chewed the end of her tentacle, pondering. “The silver on my glasses frames became tarnished… That’s not much to go on.”

“True. But that’s why we need to investigate now. No one has died yet. Even if poison was introduced into the canals, it can’t be that strong. We need to act immediately!”

Cthulhy nodded. “All right. Let’s get a poison expert.”

She meant Sapphee. Sapphee had been raised to be an assassin, and she was a master at crafting poisons. If the canal water was toxic, she might even be able to use her pharmaceutical skills to concoct an antidote, once the poison was identified.

“But how could someone bring poison into Lindworm and get it past the city patrols?” Glenn asked.

“Figuring that out is Skadi’s job. Remember when we had the doppelgänger crisis? Things slip through the cracks. Our job is to do everything we can to make sure that there are no fatalities. That’s it.”

Glenn nodded. Even if the poison was weak, the fatal dose depended on the individual. It was entirely possible that children, the elderly, or people with diseases could end up dead. He thought of Lulala’s mother and younger sister.

“Huh?!” Cthulhy had bitten off her own tentacle. She spat it out and pointed at Glenn. “D-Doctor?!”

“It’s fine. It will grow back.”

Glenn had seen tentacles cut off with a knife before, but this was the first time he’d witnessed one being bitten off. Its tip was still wriggling around.

“If you’re going to investigate the poison, you’ll need a tissue sample soaked in the substance, won’t you? Take canal water and this tentacle to Sapphee right away. Hurry! If poison really is flowing through the canals, then we don’t have much time!”

“O-okay.”

“I’ll go tell Skadi now. This is an emergency. We’re about to get really busy.”

Glenn nodded. He’d wanted to discuss his potential marriage with Cthulhy, but if this really was the crisis he feared, then they didn’t have time for that. With the Draconess’s surgery, the doppelgänger, the Barometz, and now the poisoned canal, Lindworm always seemed to be in crisis mode lately.

“Let’s get this taken care of, Dr. Cthulhy.” He hurried to get dressed.