Ssk.
Tap.
Ssk.
Tap.
I've said it many times, but I'm currently in the middle of a duel at Trafalgar Square.
In this historic square, built to commemorate Admiral Nelson's crushing defeat of Napoleon, the self-proclaimed ruler of Europe, in the Battle of Trafalgar… I'm in a surgical duel.
Against Joseph, the so-called "Savior of the Jews."
Coincidentally, his name is similar to that of Paul Joseph Goebbels…
And to think I'm competing in a nose surgery of all things, against a guy like him… it feels utterly petty.
Ssk.
Tap.
Ssk.
Tap.
Moreover, it's not even a proper reconstruction surgery.
Cartilage?
I'm not touching it.
Earlier, I actually tried grafting the auricular cartilage that Liston had miraculously peeled off…
But the nose ended up a bit crooked.
Plus, to secure the cartilage, you have to suture it to the bone above and below, which is far easier said than done.
"How do we do it? The bone."
"The hole needs to be made cleanly."
"How did you do it?"
"Overwhelming strength and skill."
"Ah."
Fortunately, we had Liston, a Sword Master, so we could pierce the bone with a needle hole without needing a drill.
But the real problem was the suture thread that had to be left in those holes.
Bone is highly susceptible to infection, isn't it?
It does have better blood flow than you'd think.
But compared to mucosa or muscle, it's almost no exaggeration to say it has almost no blood flow.
In a world without proper medication, our only weapon is blood itself.
But judging by the patients' condition, it was unclear if even that blood would flow properly.
"Hmm, it's almost done…"
"It's definitely much better than before."
"But a real nose wouldn't look like this. Ah, Pyeong, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying it's a waste."
So we decided to reconstruct it using just skin, but because of that, the surgery felt a bit… plain.
When you say "duel," you expect something spectacular…
Something truly amazing, but what is this?
'Am I going to lose?'
I glanced at the guy grunting and straining on the other side.
His anesthesia method was similar to ours.
Naturally.
It was the only method developed at this time.
But almost everything else was different.
"Oh…!"
"What is this?"
"It's wrapping the head in iron. This way, we can reconstruct the nose using only the scar on the arm, without leaving any other scars on the face."
"Whoa… Truly amazing fuckery."
"I'm German, so I don't know what fuckery means."
"I don't really know either, to be honest. I think it's a Joseon word, but once you hear it, it just rolls off the tongue…"
"Please be quiet for now. I need to concentrate from this point on."
"Ah, of course."
Just a moment ago, when I rotated the forehead muscle and attached it to the nose, the atmosphere was great.
Even I had to admit it looked impressive.
But not anymore.
Now he's clanging with iron…
Doesn't that just grab everyone's attention?
'This is my mistake…'
Surgically, I am overwhelmingly superior.
From a medical perspective, it has to be that way.
His method isn't even recognized in the medical lineage, is it?
It's not a graft, not a local flap…
It's a surgical technique destined for obsolescence.
"Wooaah!"
"Joseph!"
But this duel inherently contains an element of entertainment.
No, not just an element—it's pure entertainment.
That means how much we entertain these London citizens is what matters.
'Ah… I'm lacking.'
The moment that thought crossed my mind, anxiety began to surge.
Why?
While people with some status—those who might overhear conversations in Parliament—call it Trafalgar Square, officially, it still hasn't been named.
Naturally, it wasn't even finished.
Despite construction materials scattered everywhere, people still flocked here.
They're showing such enthusiasm, and here I am, just rotating a forehead muscle and suturing a nose…
'Should I open the chest now?'
Just then, the final suture was done.
I considered ending the surgery right there…
But hearing the cheers every time he clanged that iron over there made me anxious.
Without realizing it, I found myself staring at the patient's chest.
Just as the quick-witted Colin reached for the patient's clothes, Liston spoke.
"Pyeong. Are you a doctor just to entertain people?"
"Ah."
I felt ashamed.
Me…
I, who received elite education in the 21st century, from a country that could proudly be called medically advanced, was having such thoughts.
"That mindset is commendable."
"Huh?"
But I learned here that it's not just Korean sayings you have to hear to the end.
Maybe because the British are islanders, they have strange quirks that we peninsula dwellers can't quite keep up with.
Anyway, Liston continued speaking, seizing the moment of my confusion.
He turned his head as he spoke. The atmosphere and his imposing presence made it hard to look away, so I unconsciously turned my head to follow his gaze.
Not just me, but all the assistants did the same.
Meanwhile, Alfred was gradually turning off the anesthesia gas.
He must have decided to wrap things up, since it didn't look like I was going to open the chest.
"Uh…"
"It looks dangerous, doesn't it?"
As I mentioned, the square wasn't finished yet.
Even if it were completed, it wouldn't become a vast square.
This is London, where there are no cars yet, only horse carriages, and where land prices are skyrocketing despite that—how big could a square possibly be?
Regardless, our proud—and easily bored—London citizens had swarmed the place.
On top of that, the noble gentlemen who couldn't possibly mingle with such commoners had cordoned off a large area with security for themselves.
"The problem isn't just it falling… Wait, why are they climbing up there?"
"Isn't the spirit of challenge the very driving force that built the British Empire? I'd like to applaud them."
Because of this, it was no exaggeration to say those in the back could see nothing.
Normally, they should just go home, but these folks either had no home to return to, or their homes weren't much to speak of, so they were straining to see anyway.
If there were trees, they'd climb them, but they were all cleared to build the square, so what was left?
Well, they should have cleared everything then…
There were these shoddy, makeshift statues.
They were called statues, but they were more like stone scraps.
They looked like something wandering artists cobbled together before proper artists got involved…
They just left them as they were, but damn, what did they hit them with?
Thud thud.
Look, look at that.
It's making a thudding sound.
There's even dust coming from the stone!
"No, but hyung! You should have stopped them!"
It's not extremely high.
If the pillar were that tall, they probably couldn't have reached it in the first place.
But if they fall, they'll get hurt regardless.
And falling along with crumbling stone?
Anyone hit by that stone will get injured.
"Do you think they'd listen if I told them to stop?"
"Ah."
"I could probably make them listen if I hit them. But then it would be hard to treat the ones who got hurt from that. These aren't citizens who listen to gentle persuasion."
"That's true too. Then…?"
"We can just competitively save the people who get hurt. We'll have to rescue them first, though…"
"That would give us an advantage."
"Right. And I'm not the only one here."
As he said that, Liston pointed toward the side of the square.
I saw faces that a model citizen like me shouldn't get familiar with.
Faces so familiar they were almost like friends.
London's gangs, who ran slaughterhouses as a side business…
Would they do the rescuing?
"Don't worry. They wouldn't dare kill anyone in front of me without permission."
"Ah, right."
"Besides, you're here too. They'd be more afraid of being cursed than beaten to death."
"Cursed…"
"Anyway, it's about to happen, right? Judging by the sound…"
Following Liston's words, I looked back at the pillar.
The abandoned pillar, crudely carved with various designs, was even weaker than it originally was because of those very carvings.
Thud thud, crack.
Finally, with a loud crack, it snapped and collapsed.
The three people on top fell first, the people they hit tumbled down, and others were struck by the collapsing stone pillar.
Roughly estimating, there were over ten casualties.
"Ueeeeek!"
"Wooaah!"
"People are dyingggg!"
Ah, I didn't say anything, but because it looked like he was clanging iron and doing something terrifying, the crowd was going wild.
It was so noisy we had to shout to talk to each other.
Anyway, the excited citizens started cheering again at the collapsing pillar, the blood splattering everywhere, and the screams.
You heard right.
They were cheering.
"Wooaah!"
"Th-this is… What on earth…"
Getting injured or dying while out for fun is a terrible thing.
That's true in both the 21st and 19th centuries.
But in London, it was perceived a bit differently.
I'm not the one hurt, right?
The moment they perceive it as something happening not in reality but on a screen, it instantly becomes prime entertainment.
It's like a 4D movie.
"Hey there, Mr. Councilman."
"Hmm?"
"We can decide the winner of the nose duel later. Shouldn't we and them focus on saving those people now?"
"Ah, ahhh!"
However, for those in charge, the genre was a problem.
After enjoying a disaster movie, you feel a bit concerned, don't you?
But healing stories tend to leave you feeling heavy-hearted for a while.
The councilman, enlightened by Liston's words, immediately shouted:
"R-round 2! The second round is saving the injured people!"
Normally, suddenly changing the rules would cause confusion.
Moreover, nose reconstruction falls under plastic surgery, while that trauma case is the domain of critical care surgery, isn't it?
If this were the 21st century…
'Well, a duel like this wouldn't happen in the first place…'
I shouldn't overthink it.
Let's just interpret the events as they unfold.
"Alright."
Anyway, doctors of this era truly had an insane experimental spirit.
There was no such thing as "can't do."
Regardless of specialty, if there's a patient in front of you? You rush in.
You grab a knife and cut first.
It was clear they operated on the principle: if they die, they die; if they live, they become a renowned doctor.
Otherwise, no one would run around acting so recklessly.
"Good, alright! Rescue first!"
Liston was the first to rush out.
He stripped off his outer coat, revealing a tank top underneath.
"Uhh."
"Hiiick."
His appearance alone was intimidating enough.
As people scrambled out of the way, the gangs also moved in.
"Move! You wanna die?"
"Want me to stab you?"
"You wanna be chopped up and fed to pigs? You not moving?"
"We have to get there before Liston hyung! It's only proper!"
It was hard to tell if they were going to kill people or save them.
Me?
As for me…
"Ueeek, i-it's the Pyeong!"
"Ah, sorry for cheering for the other side earlier! Please save me!"
I was heading to the accident scene, carrying a scalpel and other tools to provide emergency treatment.