Chapter 33: Debridement

Actually, except for veterinarians and special medical practitioners, the medical profession is one that has a human-centric concept.

Human doctors naturally serve humans, otherwise there wouldn't be so many animal experiments required for every medical student and clinical research.

But for Lister, what essential difference was there between these monsters in front of him who could talk, laugh, fear, panic, and strive to live, and humans?

There was none.

Therefore, he slightly adjusted his earlier statement.

...

After staring at Lister's sincere eyes for a moment in silence, Fallen Scale raised her arm and presented it to Lister.

Aside from the scars on it, it was a beautiful dragon arm. It was slender in shape, with dense diamond-shaped scales that were quite aesthetically pleasing. There were no abnormalities at the junction between the scales and the tender skin.

"Do you mind if I touch your body?"

"...Please, Demon King..."

Fallen Scale's weak voice came, and Lister, having received permission, began to gently press on Fallen Scale's scales.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt... but there's a feeling of something pressing against something."

"I see..."

Lister put down Fallen Scale's arm and gently cupped her face with both hands.

"Mm!"

Fallen Scale's face visibly heated up.

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing..."

"Then bear with it for a bit."

Lister gently pried open Fallen Scale's eyelids to check the condition of the mucous membranes underneath... Both the color and moisture level were fine.

Then, metabolic disorder could also be ruled out.

When the heat storage sac organ in a dragon person's body—hereafter referred to as the dragon gallbladder—had metabolic problems, a relatively typical characteristic was that its metabolites would bind with free hemoglobin in the blood to present a cherry red color, causing the mucosal areas with dense blood vessel distribution to appear a very bright red. Lister did not find this characteristic during the examination just now.

Combined with her self-described feeling of "pressing against something" and "something seeming to grow out", there was basically only one possibility left.

Lister's hands left Fallen Scale's face, and Fallen Scale immediately lowered her head with a flushed face, seemingly a bit afraid to look up at Lister.

"Fallen Scale, how old are you this year?"

"Eh? Um, according to our tribe's calculation, I'm nineteen this year..."

"Okay. Your fever symptoms are not caused by pathological factors. Fallen Scale, congratulations... This is a sign that you are about to reach adulthood."

"A... adulthood?"

"Yes."

Lister nodded at her.

"The adulthood of dragon people is often heralded by physiological changes, and the estrus period for finding a suitable mate is even further ahead. Perhaps it was because of this that you mistakenly thought you had some kind of illness."

"I see..."

Fallen Scale blankly looked at her own arm, then sneaked a glance at Lister, and immediately shifted her gaze back.

For some reason, after hearing that she was about to "reach adulthood" just now, she now felt a bit flustered.

"Thank you, Demon King... Then, then I shall take my leave..."

"Wait."

Lister gently grabbed Fallen Scale's hand.

"Mm..."

For some reason, even though her own temperature should be higher, Fallen Scale felt that Lister's hand was so scorching at this moment.

"You have other problems on your body, Fallen Scale."

"Wh... what problems?"

"Come, sit down."

Lister brought her back to her seat, while raising her left hand. On the back of her upper arm near the elbow joint, there was a wound about eight centimeters long that had been very roughly and crudely sutured.

And from the gaps in the wound that had not completely closed due to the crude technique, Lister saw a grayish-black area inside.

"When was this wound from?"

"A... about half a month ago, I was stabbed while going to exterminate a magical beast. It, it should be almost healed now."

Hearing Fallen Scale's words, Lister silently sighed.

Almost healed? More like almost completely rotten.

There were already necrotic foci inside.

He looked at the thick stitches sewn on it and the thread of unknown material, and asked Fallen Scale, who for some reason was speaking a bit hesitantly:

"Did you treat this wound yourself?"

"Mm, mm... The hunter in the village said that sewing the wound closed can make it heal faster."

"That's indeed the case."

Having this kind of understanding was undoubtedly rare and precious for the people here.

But the problem was that the fundamental purpose of closing a wound was to speed up trauma recovery and avoid the wound's contact with the outside world. But this was sewn too crudely. Not only did it not achieve the above two purposes, it even formed a local hypoxic environment, making the situation worse.

If it hadn't been discovered this time, by the time she noticed it herself, it would probably be more severe.

"Fallen Scale, feel it yourself now... Can you still feel the existence of this wound?"

"...I can't feel it... It doesn't hurt. Doesn't this mean it's almost healed?"

"Fallen Scale, not hurting could also mean almost dying."

Lister said this sentence in a joking manner, then put on a mask and gloves and removed the thread on the wound.

Instantly, a stench mixed with the smell of decay permeated the air.

"Eh..."

Fallen Scale looked at the wound she thought was almost healed. A small amount of pus had accumulated inside, and the surrounding skin tissue had turned into a decaying grayish-black. At the same time, that ominous and pestilent stench also filled her nostrils.

She knew what this was. She had seen it many times. Those injured people in the tribe, after their wounds turned into this, would quickly be invaded by "miasma" and die in agony.

But, but why? I clearly sewed the wound properly, and it doesn't hurt at all...

The sight in front of her and the fear of death instantly occupied her mind. Fallen Scale's breathing suddenly became rapid, and even the other monsters originally lined up behind her silently distanced themselves from her.

No, no, at least, at least I can't let the Demon King...

Fallen Scale gritted her teeth, wanting to leave here, but was immediately stopped by Lister.

"Don't panic."

He grabbed Fallen Scale's hand with one hand, while taking out a pen-like tool from his coat pocket with the other and placing it to the side. Accompanied by a buzzing sound, it formed a transparent magic field of about five cubic meters around them, enclosing Lister and Fallen Scale.

This was a magic power emission device. After Lister's modification, it could achieve an effect similar to electromagnetic wave sterilization, ensuring that the people and objects within this five cubic meter space were in a relatively sterile state.

At this time, Anko naturally came over to the side as well. Looking at this magic field and Lister and Fallen Scale inside, she recalled what Priscilla said yesterday and hesitated whether to go in or not.

Just as she was hesitating, Fallen Scale inside let out a startled cry.

"De... Demon King! Please, please don't touch it!"

Looking over, Lister, who had put on a mask, hood, and gloves, was holding Fallen Scale's arm with one hand and reaching inside to examine the wound surface with the other.

"Does it feel uncomfortable?"

"No, no..."

At this point, Fallen Scale's eyes were already brimming with tears. She looked at Lister, wanting to pull her hand back, but couldn't do it no matter what.

"In... inside is dirty, that, that is the curse of death, the smell of de... decay..."

"I know."

"Then why are you still...? You, you are the Demon King..."

Even close relatives found it difficult to remain unfazed when faced with that foul stench, and she was just an ordinary guard following the Demon Lord... Why, why could the Demon King go this far?

That was the miasma feared by all monsters.

Even though I'm just such an insignificant life...

"As for the reason, didn't I just tell you?"

Although she couldn't see his expression, Fallen Scale looked into Lister's eyes and felt that he must be smiling faintly at this moment.

"Rest assured. I just took a look. The necrosis is still only on the surface and is not difficult to deal with."

"But, but..."

"Trust me, just like trusting the Demon Lord. Can you do that?"

"...Mm."

"Good, thank you for your trust."

At the same time, Lister looked at Anko outside.

"Anko, can you do me a favor?"

"Please go ahead..."

"Can you help hypnotize Fallen Scale a bit? Just to the point where she can't feel pain... I remember succubi should have similar abilities. Is that possible?"

"It's possible."

"De... Demon King..."

Just as Lister was about to let Anko step in, Fallen Scale in front of him spoke up.

At this moment, she was looking straight into Lister's eyes, and her expression seemed to have made up her mind.

"There's no need to trouble Lady Anko, Demon King."

"...It will be a bit painful, you know?"

"I'm not afraid of pain... Rather, I will engrave this pain in my memory until I die, to remember your kindness."

"No need to be so serious."

Alright, no matter what, this was still a succubus's hypnosis. Having some reservations was very normal. Moreover... Although the other party had not yet reached adulthood by dragon people standards, she was still a soldier. Enduring this bit of pain was probably not a very difficult thing.

Instrument tray, saline, alcohol cotton balls.

One unfamiliar item after another was taken out of Lister's coat by Anko.

She could tell that there was a magic tool in Lister's black coat that could store things. But the problem was, what were the things he took out? A knife?

"Next, I'm going to use this knife to clean your wound. Do you understand what I mean?"

Before starting, Lister asked Fallen Scale.

Previously, Lister had encountered many times where patients thought he wanted to kill them after he took out a scalpel, resulting in many misunderstandings and experiences of being feared.

But Fallen Scale only looked at him with shining eyes and slowly nodded.

"I trust you."

"Thank you."

A smile appeared in Lister's eyes.

Rinsing the wound surface with saline, disinfecting the surroundings with alcohol cotton balls, Lister picked up the knife with his right hand and aimed it at the edge of the necrotic tissue.

Sizzle.

Scalding fresh blood and suppressed groans deeply transmitted to his hand through the gloves.

...