Standing next to the window and staring up at the moonlight, Skadi slowly turned toward Glenn.
“…………” She said something, but Glenn couldn’t hear her.
It was the first time he had seen Skadi’s face. She had turquoise hair. There were many different species of monster, but Glenn had never seen one with naturally blue hair. There were scales around the corners of her eyes, and from the blue sheen that they also possessed, Glenn assumed the color was one of Skadi’s unique characteristics.
He found it mysterious how the tone of her scales changed slightly as they were bathed in moonlight. Glenn concluded that they were minerals. Some component similar to minerals or gems must be mixed into her body in large amounts. He gathered that dragons weren’t beings he could make conjectures about with just his own practical biological knowledge.
Her frame, neck, and limbs were all slender. With her blue coloring, she gave off a somewhat lonely impression.
“…………” Skadi’s lips were moving. Glenn knew she was saying something, but he still couldn’t hear. Then, Skadi beckoned to him.
“ Huh? Oh, come over, is that it?” Glenn replied.
Skadi nodded without saying anything. As Glenn approached, Skadi continued to beckon him, implying that he still wasn’t close enough. He took a few more steps forward, and Skadi beckoned him closer again. Glenn ended up half-crouching down and brought his body close to Skadi’s. The two of them were close enough to feel each other’s breaths on their faces.
“Why are you here?”
It was the first time Glenn had clearly heard Skadi’s voice. It was like the tinkling of a bell. This reaffirmed his idea that the reason she was unable to speak normally was her illness.
Glenn returned her whisper and explained the circumstances of his visit.
Skadi nodded after listening to Glenn’s explanation. “I see. So Kunai brought you.” For now, Glenn was relieved that they were able to understand each other normally. Up until now, he had only ever been able to speak to her through Kunai. Skadi’s voice was so quiet the slightest noise would drown her out. Even at point-blank range, Glenn felt he would miss her words if he didn’t concentrate fully on her voice. If he hadn’t come on a quiet night like tonight, it would probably have been impossible for them to talk to one another.
Well, Glenn thought, all the more reason it was strange that Kunai could have normal conversations with Skadi. He wondered if the flesh golem’s hearing really was that keen.
“I’ve troubled… worried Kunai. There’s always so little I can do for the ones at my side,” said Skadi.
“Miss Skadi?” Glenn replied.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing… Dr. Glenn.” The tone of her voice suitably matched her authority as the city council representative. “I’ll overlook you sneaking into my room without permission. I’ll let Kunai off with just a scolding. Seeing how far you’ve come for my sake, I must make sure I can oblige.”
“In that case…” Glenn began.
“Yes, I will allow you to examine me. I doubt you intend to leave empty-handed. Of course… I’m sure it’s not something you’ll be able to cure, Dr. Glenn,” replied Skadi.
It was resignation, Glenn thought. Or, maybe, there was some other emotion mixed in with her words. Either way, it appeared she held no hope in him.
That was natural. It was a disease that even his mentor Cthulhy had deemed to be rare. There was no way her pupil Glenn would be able to cure it easily. However, Glenn had a feeling that Skadi’s surrender came from some other place inside of her. Put simply, it was the fact that she had no intention of getting better to begin with. Without that expectation, it didn’t make any difference to Skadi whether she was examined or not.
“Okay then, please forgive me, but I’ll need you to take off your clothes,” said Glenn.
“Mhm,” Skadi replied. There wasn’t any hesitation. Skadi opened up the thin negligee at her breast. She didn’t show any sort of shame or embarrassment. Glenn at long last understood why Kunai had been so bent on clearing everyone out of the room for the examination. Glenn wondered what people would think if he were seen in this situation. The figure of a man in a young girl’s bed chambers, making her strip, with his face close enough to hers to feel her breath on his face.
If it wasn’t for him being a doctor and her being his patient, it was a scene that would clearly end with him in the care of the Council Hall security force. Glenn made up his mind to be all the more devoted to the duty at hand.
“Now you can see it clearly, can’t you?” said Skadi.
Her chest exposed from the opening of her night clothes, Glenn’s eyes were drawn to her white skin. Even when taking her childlike appearance into account, she was very thin. Although she had a nominal amount of bulge on her slender chest, she had almost no womanly curves to her.
However, more than any of that, Glenn’s eyes were drawn to the middle of her chest. In the middle of what he could only describe as her modest bosom, was some kind of pulsating thing.
“What…” Glenn was amazed. Despite the considerable amount of experience he had gained through his career, he couldn’t keep himself quiet when faced with what was in front of him. “What…is this?”
If asked what it was, he could give an answer—it was a heart. It was about the size of Skadi’s fist. Considering her figure, Glenn determined that it was a relatively normal-sized heart. But he couldn’t believe that it was possible to see a heart—normally protected by the rib cage—so close to the surface of someone’s skin. The heart pulsated with a beat, and it glowed turquoise blue on the inside.
Glenn assumed that the blue light was the color of Skadi’s blood. If the inside of Skadi’s body was mixed with a large number of minerals as Glenn had estimated, then it would stand to reason that her heart would be a blue similar to her scales.
The problem was that the heart that had formed on top of her rib cage looked almost like a tumor.
“…May I touch it?” asked Glenn.
“Hng. Fine,” said Skadi.
Glenn timidly touched the heart. It was hot. It wasn’t too hot to touch, but it had a heat to it. Glenn tried to measure the pulsing beats, but sure enough, it beat like a normal heart. Fortunately, there was skin surrounding it, but the heart was pushing up through Skadi’s skin and making it transparent, as though it were a bulb that had been planted on top of her rib cage.
“Cthulhy says—hng—that it’s a malignant tumor,” said Skadi through her pain.
“A tumor? Just as I thought. So it only looks like a heart,” Glenn replied.
“Apparently. However, ever since this tumor formed on top of my chest, it has gradually hijacked the blood vessels in my body. It’s trying to spread its ‘roots,’ penetrate my blood vessels, and alter the structure of my body’s circulation… In other words, it means I have two hearts now.”
Glenn was dumbfounded. In her current state, Skadi could suffer arrhythmia or heart failure at any moment. The heart was an organ that was directly linked to keeping one alive and possessed considerable strength to continue beating as long as its host remained alive. Glenn posited that if the functions of this tumor were indeed similar to those of the heart, then the burden that having two hearts put on Skadi was unfathomable. It was a miracle that her collapse was all that had happened.
If she were a human, she would have long been dead. Glenn was sure that Skadi’s disease had been progressing for several years now, just as Cthulhy had said. He was stunned that Skadi was performing her duties as city council representative and working for the sake of the city in this condition.
Glenn could only be astonished at the vitality of dragons and be amazed at the mysterious tumor that could gnaw at the body of such a tenacious being.
“There’s nothing that can be done. This is my destiny, after all,” said Skadi.
Glenn couldn’t remember ever seeing a case similar to this. He couldn’t identify the cause of the tumor, but he thought there was a possibility of
removing it surgically. If they underwent surgery to remove the heart, Glenn was sure they could treat the symptoms it was causing. He knew, however, that it wouldn’t be that easy.
Even just from looking at it, he could tell that this heart was receiving blood and beating properly. As long as blood was pumping through it, just the act of removing the tumor itself would cause massive bleeding. It was imperative that he analyze the disease and draw up a precise surgery plan.
“The dragons weren’t ground-treading creatures in the first place,” Skadi continued. “A long, long time ago, our ancestors came down to the earth from their place close to the realm of the gods. However, they were influenced by the miasma on the ground, and their forms changed. Some lost their limbs and became the wyrms. Others lost their front legs, becoming wyverns. I’ve heard that in the east there are dragons whose appearance changed even more drastically. And some, like me, changed into a form similar to humans.”
Stroking the heart, Glenn continued to think. He couldn’t deny that he would be unable treat this disease himself. Inside Skadi’s slender chest, this heart tormented her. Her breathing had gradually become more labored. He had been right, he thought, and the second heart was causing her quite a bit of pain.
“I became close to humans. I can no longer return to my previous fire dragon form. Blood was spilled all across this continent because of the great war. That impurity and corruption built up—hng, ha-ah—I’m sure this disease is because of it,” continued Skadi.
“I’m sorry, just a bit more,” Glenn replied.
“Um… Uh… Dr. Glenn…?”
Glenn hadn’t listened to most of what Skadi was saying—rather, he had been concentrating on his examination. He didn’t believe her half-fairy tale story about the corruption of the earth or the realm of the gods had anything to do with her disease.
That dragons had come down from the skies, and their appearances changed over the course of their long lives—Glenn found that fact intriguing. He knew that coming from Skadi meant it must be true and that it involved a world Glenn couldn’t even imagine. The Giant God Dionne that lived in the Vivre Mountains had also lived since ancient times, and was a species beyond his imagination.
But those facts and this disease were two different things. Tumors weren’t created by miasma. They were a phenomenon that occurred when for some reason or another, an organ became swollen and grew in size. If that was the case, Glenn could use his knowledge to identify the cause of the tumor—or at least, he thought he could. At the very least, he believed he would be able to as he continued his examination.
“Um… Dr. Glenn… So you get it? I don’t have any plans of treating this…” Skadi stammered.
“I’m going to continue my examination. How are your scales, I wonder…?” Glenn replied.
“Ah! Hng… Um…”
Dragons had scales in various places. They weren’t smooth like Sapphee’s, but bristled slightly with sharp, sword-like points. It appeared Glenn could cut himself on them if he touched them the wrong way. Being careful not to slice his fingers, Glenn stroked the dragon’s scales ever so lightly, observing them.
“Hyah! Ah! Th-that tickles!” protested Skadi.
He checked the scales around her neck, on her back, and around her waist. All of them had a color closely resembling the blue heart that could be seen through her transparent skin. He needed to consider that her second heart and her blood vessels were made of a texture similar to her scales. Glenn imagined that a normal surgical needle wouldn’t even pierce through them.
“Pardon me, but please allow me to examine here, too,” said Glenn.
“Hng?!” Skadi jumped and let out a surprised yelp. Glenn had continued on to her tail.
“Uh, that’s, um… a little…” said Skadi.
“The color here is different, it looks like,” Glenn replied.
Skadi’s tail color was gold or—he thought—possibly ocher. It wasn’t sharp to the touch and was smooth like a snake’s tail. Thick and strong, it gave Glenn the impression that he would be knocked out cold if he were hit with it. Judging from the difference in its color and touch, it was completely different from the other parts of her body. Glenn’s curiosity was unending.
“During the ceremony, your tail was sagging. So you were straining yourself after all, then?”
“U-um my tail, gathers, um, nutrients. That’s why, um, when I’m feeling under the weather it becomes thinner and hangs down… Ah, hng! H-how much longer…?” Skadi pleaded.
“I’m sorry, just a bit more.”
There was a species of lizard native to harsh environments that stored nutrients in its tail in preparation for times of scarcity. Glenn wondered if Skadi’s tail was similar. He thought it might be possible to measure a dragon’s health by looking at the condition of their tail.
“U-umm… My tail’s…sensitive, so… Ah!” protested Skadi.
“Hm? But I was sure I saw you fight with it before,” Glenn replied.
“Th-the base is, s-sensitive… Hnnnn!”
So that’s what it was, Glenn thought. Yet, his examination wasn’t yet over. This time, his eyes moved toward the area around her back. Dragons were supposed to have wings similar to a bat, but there wasn’t anything on Skadi’s back. Once he lowered his gaze, however, he was immediately able to find them.
“Gyaaaah?!” Skadi exclaimed.
“Are these your wings…?” asked Glenn.
“Ah—Ah! Hng”
Growing from the small of her back was a pair of bat-like wings. Glenn thought them extremely small, even considering that they were folded up together. Fully extended, he imagined they wouldn’t match the length of his arm span. It seemed extremely unlikely she would be able to fly with them, even if she flapped with all her might.
They gave the impression of only the atrophied remains of wings she once had. Glenn tried touching them. As soon as he did, Skadi’s whole body jumped as if an ice cube had been placed against her back.
“Ah…Hng! S-stop, um, my wings, they’re really…” Skadi said, struggling.
“I’m sorry, but since the disease is affecting your heart, I have to see if there are any other abnormalities elsewhere,” said Glenn.
“Hnnnnngh! Th-the remains of my wings, it’s too muuuuuch!” Skadi let out a voice Glenn had never heard before. “I-I’m telling you, it’s too much…! Ahn, Dr. Glenn… Are you, listening to me…?”
Glenn was definitely listening. However, the examination took priority over Skadi’s objections. Even if she was somewhat ticklish, all he could do was ask her to endure it for now. Fortunately, he didn’t see anything irregular on her back. It seemed that Skadi’s problems were limited to just the formation of the second heart in her chest, after all.
“Unh… Augh, ngh.” All of Skadi’s dignity as the Lindworm city council representative was long gone. Glenn had intended to do his best to be careful, but he couldn’t help but become engrossed by his first experience giving a dragon a medical exam.
“Auuuugh…”
Focused completely on the disease, Glenn hadn’t turned his eyes toward the most vital part of the exam—the patient herself. Skadi was half-crying, yet trying hard to endure the tears, and to look at her, anyone would think she was just a normal child. Though, of course, she had aspects that were very different. She had many of the characteristics of a cold-blooded species. Glenn wondered if a “dragon” was an organism that mixed the characteristics of a snake and a lizard—but now wasn’t the time to think about that.
“What’s going on?” The door opened and Kunai rushed into the room. “I could hear the Lady Draconess crying! What exactly…is…going…?”
That’s right, Glenn thought. There was no way a faithful servant like Kunai would let her master’s cries pass her ears without response. And now that she had taken a step into the room, he could imagine the scene it presented would lead to even more of a misunderstanding.
No, Glenn assured himself. There was no way Kunai could mis
construe the situation. Even if she looked toward Glenn as he appeared to be forcing a young girl to take off her negligee and driving her to tears, when he remembered that Kunai had been the one to lead them there, he was positive she would understand that it was all part of the examination.
Or at least Glenn thought that she should have understood.
“…………!” Sapphee didn’t say a single word, even when she entered the room and saw the scene before her. But from the twitching of her eyes and the way her tail was up and shaking like a rattle, she was definitely ready to explode in anger, if still, for the moment, putting up with it. The fact that she was bearing with it meant that Sapphee understood that Glenn hadn’t done anything indecent to Skadi to make her cry.
“Dr. Glenn,” Kunai said, darting forward without hesitation. She tore Skadi away from him, adjusted her nightclothes, and fixed Glenn with a sharp glare.
“No—um—Miss Kunai? I believe you understand, but this is part of the examination,” stammered Glenn.
“Of course. I understand very, very well, Dr. Glenn,” Kunai replied. “You’ve mended my own body many times after all. You’re often much more devoted to your examinations than you are willing to enjoy the body of a woman—oh yes, I am very well aware of your stranger personality quirks, Dr. Glenn.”
That in itself was a misunderstanding, Glenn thought. He wasn’t completely without any thoughts about the bodies of the monsters he examined, but as a doctor, it would be rude for these thoughts to show on his face or in his attitude, so he simply had to be careful. Naturally, the real problem lay in how much he was able to put that theory into practice.
“Nevertheless,” Kunai said, yanking out her short sword. Glenn wondered in shock where she had been hiding it. It was hard to imagine there could have been a sword concealed on the lightly-dressed golem. “Yes, despite that, I will need you to apologize for making the Lady Draconess cry. As my sole mercy to you, I will try to make it painless and slice through your neck in one blow.”
Monster Girl Doctor Vol. 3 Page 6