Garrett pondered his own sense of detachment. So far, he hadn't received a single allowance or used any materials from the Mage Tower. Even if they deducted his salary and resources next year, his room, books, and the paper he used for copying were probably exempt...
He chuckled to himself, continuing to climb the stairs with effort. The dining area was on the fifth floor, the residence of Mage Gelman. It was decent, just a bit too high; he had to climb these stairs thrice daily. Well, as a doctor, he was used to climbing around the hospital, so this wasn't much of a difference.
Actually, this was quite a favor. Garrett had heard from the young priest John that in their temple, apprentice priests weren't allowed to dine with the official priests; they had to eat in a separate hall. But maybe Gelman was more lenient, or perhaps, with only four mages in the tower, since Garrett became an apprentice, he had meals with the official mages every day.
High dining standards aside, he could occasionally catch Gelman for a few questions or pick up some insights by overhearing others' conversations.
Just as Garrett reached the third floor, the stairway door opened, and two official mages with grim faces joined the line. The moment they entered, Garrett felt the atmosphere grow unusually heavy, as if the pressure dropped by a hundred pascals. Elliott, in a low voice, complained, "It's all because of you! If you hadn't diverted all the resources, would my spell model have been completed by now?"
"Now it's entirely up to you!" Karen retorted with a stern face. "Improving a spell model is no easy task, you know! ...Sigh, with fewer resources next year, it'll be even harder to achieve anything..."
Garrett glanced left and right, lowering his head to focus on climbing the stairs. They filed into the dining hall, and after a while, Mage Gelman also emerged from his room, silent and somber. The group waited, nearly fifteen minutes passed before the old wizard hurriedly came out. His face was dull, eye bags almost touching his cheekbones. Without sitting down, he addressed Gelman, "Gelman, please send a few people to bring over the leaders of the temple. George coughed for most of last night, having trouble breathing now and running a fever. It's been chaotic, and he hasn't even had breakfast."
Garrett's breath hitched. So, the Aen Stone from last night hadn't been swallowed but instead got lodged in the airway, causing inflammation?
That was a big problemforeign objects in the airway could lead to suffocation and hypoxia. If it was a plant-based object like peanuts or beans, it could cause acute bronchitis with symptoms like high fever, coughing, and coughing up pus.
What type of object was the Aen Stone?
What kind of inflammation could it cause?
There was no mention of this in medical textbooks or journals from his past life!
Anyway, if the Aen Stone was in the lungs, it was a trouble he couldn't handle with the existing tools and medicines! Garrett immediately jumped up:
"I'll go! I'm familiar with the Temple of the War God and the Natural God over there!"
"Thank you for that." The old wizard had witnessed the previous rescue and had already inferred the situation, despite Garrett avoiding mentioning the other temple. He nodded in thanks and turned to Mage Gelman, "Then, should we send someone to the Spring Goddess's temple as well?"
"Elliott, you go." Gelman decisively assigned. "Say it's the teacher's grandson who's seriously ill. I have to maintain the magic circle and can't leave, request them to come over."
The two of them mounted horses and dashed off. From the Mage Tower to the city's interior, with horses, the distance wasn't too far. As Elliott entered the city, requested an audience, and explained the situation, the group arrived at the city gate and saw Garrett and the bald bishop standing there. In the distance, a rider approached, a knight with a large box on the saddle, handing it over to Garrett.
Garrett accepted with thanks, then turned to the bishop, saying, "I suspect something got stuck in the airway..."
"Kid, with something stuck in your airway, you're carrying such a big box?"
Garrett smiled, dodging the topic. The group returned to the Mage Tower and, halfway there, met Elder Elwin, entering together. Elliott followed behind, climbing upstairs with them and was shocked upon seeing George.
The poor kid was curled up in bed, his face flushed, occasionally erupting into coughs. His chubby cheeks seemed drained, strands of pale gold hair clinging weakly to his forehead.
Several experienced healers surrounded him, checking his temperature, listening to his cough, going over the details of what had happened. Finally, the bald bishop drew a conclusion, "Since the Aen Stone is missing and he's coughing , most likely, it's lodged in his lungs."
"...It's possible." The grand priest nodded in agreement. He lowered his head in prayer, then a faint blue light brushed over the boy. It was the successful healing technique from the Spring Goddess's temple, curing diseases and restoring health. While slightly inferior in healing injuries, it excelled in curing ailments.
As the light dissipated, the boy's forehead beaded with sweat, his flushed face calming down instantly. The old wizard grasped the grand priest's hands, expressing gratitude, then asked, "So... if the Aen Stone isn't removed, will he continue to fall ill?"
Certainly! The grand priest didn't speak, but his expression said it all. Unable to resist, the old wizard pressed on, "Can you find a way to deal with that Aen Stone?"
"Well..." The grand priest hesitated, reluctant to intervene. He glanced at Elder Elwin, who pondered for a moment before softly saying, "Judging by the cause and effect, I can only guess it's stuck in his lungs. - Garrett, what's your opinion?"
- Watson, what do you think? Garrett silently supplied the voiceover for Elder Elwin. Seeing everyone's attention focused on him, he stepped forward, serious, "I also suspect it's stuck in the lungs. To confirm if it is and precisely where it is, I need to perform an examination."
The old wizard raised his eyebrows. All three temple leaders had seen his grandson, but not one had mentioned an "examination." And now, this young lad casually mentions an "examination"...
"How do you plan to examine?"
"Please wait a moment."
Garrett slightly bowed, retreating to a corner, opening the box the knight had brought him all the way from the horse. Seven to eight people's gazes fixed on him as he lifted a copper tube from the black velvet padding inside the box. With one hand habitually covering the tube's far end, he approached the boy's bedside, calmly instructing, "Come on, sit up, undo your shirt... pull it aside, expose your entire chest."
The boy screamed, attempting to kick. Garrett didn't argue, calmly taking two steps back, turning to the old wizard.
Hey, can't you control your kid?