A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 413 Where Danger Lies - Part 1

"Finally, one of those fools have realized that their wounds will not dress themselves," he'd muttered, before launching into a grizzly account of the many legs he'd amputated, and why he'd done it, and how you know where to mark your amputation, so that the rot did not spread.

For the first half, most of the terms that the man had used had sounded like a foreign language to Oliver, but once he started interweaving his own stories as a battlefield medic into the mix, Oliver had sat up in his seat, eagerly enraptured, making mental note of all that the man had said, being quite sure that he would need such knowledge himself one day, if he was to lead an army, and keep his men well.

As the man spoke, Oliver even found himself asking questions, which drew more heads his way.

"How do you judge how long the wound will take to heal?"

At first, the man had seemed surprised that he'd spoken at all, but with a grunt and glint of his angry eyes, he gave a swift answer.

"Depth, and width of a wound. The deeper you go, the longer it takes to heal. Muscle is slower than the skin, bone is slower than both."

"Are there no other ways to save a leg, other than amputation?"

Enjoy new adventures from empire

"Not if you want to keep the man alive. Aye – he'll curse you for it. You all should expect that. You're crippling him. But that's your decision. Leave the rot to spread, and what you cut away will only be larger, until you have to cut away the man's whole life.

Make your choices carefully."

The others, he noted, weren't particularly keen on asking questions. He found himself, for much of it, being the only one that bothered to. He wondered if he was breaching etiquette by doing so, or whether the girls in the class were simply scared of the gruff scarred physician that lectured at them.

"Patrick."

Oliver turned to look at him. "Yes, professor?"

"You have true interest in this?"

Oliver nodded the affirmative. "I do, and I've learned much today. I hope to learn much more."

The gruff professor gave another one of his characteristic grunts at that, and nodded, waving him off with his hand. It seemed to be a good enough response for the man.

The days did not pass uneventfully. Every moment was a new experience for Oliver. That which the rest of the nobility took for granted, he found himself pausing to marvel at.

As he walked the grounds of the Red Castle – that which he was staying in – he'd paused, for far longer than he'd intended, to admire the vast boating lake, with the visiting geese resting there, as they flew further south for the winter.

The lake itself was of an admirable size, for that which was merely a courtyard feature. It was large enough for a boatsman to exert himself properly as he canoed around its perimeter. And there were trees growing all around it, some creeping over the water themselves, like piers. It was a beautiful spot. He knew it would be even more beautiful come spring, and summer.

The slightest flakes of winter had finally begun to make their way towards the Academy, and a dusting of snow covered the grounds. Pausing his admiration of the pond, once more Oliver looked back on the Red Castle.

Four solid towers at each corner, complete with four gate-keeping pairs in the middle of each wall, and then a central keep, and a cluster of buildings, all for training, and for classes. It was an enormous marvel. And surrounding that marvel were acres and acres of fields, all carefully tended to, and filled with picturesque delights like the boating pond that Oliver had discovered.

And that was only one castle of four. There were five castles in total, each of them equalling the Red Castle in size. The Yellow Castle and the Blue Castle contained a handful of Oliver's other classes, and he found that what they offered was at least equal to that of the Red Castle... But as he walked to and fro, he could not help but marvel at the true scale of the Academy.