The Doctor of Monster Town - Chapter 1

I had lost my memory.

Apparently, before the amnesia, I had been a doctor—the only human doctor in Monster Town.

I looked outside at the nonhuman races who could swallow three of me in one bite and fell silent.

How could this possibly be right?

What sane person came to a place like this to practice medicine?

The blond young man beside my bed handed me an apple carved into an octopus. His voice was full of feeling.

“You’re the only person in the world both willing and able to treat them. Everyone in town likes you very much. When they heard you were hurt, they were worried sick.”

“…Ha-ha,” I said.

Had he noticed I was thinking of seizing this chance to resign?

Unfortunately for him, I rejected all forms of emotional blackmail.

Chewing on my octopus-shaped apple, I coldly pointed out the hole in his story.

“They like me? So much that they beat me until I lost my memory?”

He was the one who had told me that a violent patient had caused my amnesia by making me hit my head.

Something in the young man’s eyes darkened for an instant. Then he took my hand, utterly serious.

“The culprit has been expelled from town. I promise you, it will never happen a second time.”

He looked like an ordinary human himself. What could he possibly promise?

For the sake of staying alive, no matter what he said today, there was no way I would remain in this bizarre place…

“Oh, I nearly forgot.”

The young man produced a bag of gold coins used in town.

“To compensate you, the mayor issued a payment to the clinic. As the clinic’s owner, you may spend it however you wish.”

I took a slow, calming breath.

Then swiftly accepted the bag.

“Who cares about money? Ever since I was little, my dream has been to become a monster doctor who saves lives and heals the wounded!”

The young man was my personal assistant. His name was Parsifal.

Throughout my recovery, he had bustled around taking care of my every need.

It was reasonable to assume I used to pay him quite a generous salary.

“Nothing of the sort. Why would I ever ask you for wages?”

Parsifal tilted his head. Silky blond hair slid over his chest, and his exquisite face made him look like the purest, loveliest angel in the Garden of Eden.

“Have you forgotten our relationship too?”

My heart gave a thump. I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

“Well, I…” I tried to change the subject.

“You made quite a few promises when you tricked me into becoming yours.” He pressed a fingertip to my lips and rubbed them with measured pressure. “And now you’ve forgotten me along with all those other unimportant things?”

That was a lot to take in.

I stiffly leaned back, trying to bluff my way through with an awkward smile.

“How can devoting yourself to the cause of medicine be called trickery?”

Parsifal leaned closer. His glass-marble-blue eyes watched me in silence.

“You may have lost your memory, but your habit of playing dumb hasn’t changed at all.”

Just when I thought Parsifal would keep hounding me, however, he unexpectedly sat back down and let me off the hook.

“You’ve only just recovered. We can settle everything else slowly, later.”

“There’s something more urgent now.” He pressed a hand to his chest and coughed softly several times. The intimidating aura around him vanished, leaving an ordinary, frail young man once more. “This town has rules that must be obeyed. Every resident has to properly maintain their assigned identity and occupation.”

“Miss Doctor, it’s time for your clinic to reopen.”