It was undoubtedly Lord Sandall’s virtue that he could blow away the atmosphere of the place that had become so bad with a big and bright laugh.
As I had thought beforehand, when I announced that I wanted to welcome him as a temporary martial arts advisor, he and everyone else agreed happily.
I hope that this information will circulate and reach Earl Flandre, and further, the northern kingdom of Shulendal, and make our future activities easier.
That too, after all, is thanks to Lend, who did not give up even though he was covered in wounds.
“Ugh…”
“Lend, are you okay?”
However, when Lord Sandall returned to the guest room in a good mood, Lend crouched down as if to hug his body.
We hurriedly carried him to the barracks.
“Hmm, this is pretty bad.”
“As far as I observed, he did not receive any life-threatening blows.”
The priest warrior Torad, who checked the condition of Lend’s injuries on the bed in the barracks, frowned.
Lend looked miserable, covered with bruises all over his body (except for his head), wearing nothing but underwear. Leiha pointed out calmly that he had no life-threatening injuries, though he must have suffered terribly.
I was thinking of giving him a healing potion earlier, but would [Complete Recovery] be better?
[Complete Recovery], which heals any wounds, diseases, or status abnormalities in an instant, is always charged for one use. It is for times like this, but…
“…Could it be that Torad can heal such wounds?”
“Huh? Of course I can. Well, it’s not me who heals, but the goddess Ashuginea’s power.”
“Margils-sama, Torad’s holy magic is reliable, you know?”
I had seen him purify a wight possessed by a dead spirit with Exorcism technique. That must be what holy magic is.
If it was an RPG, it would certainly be a classic that priests or monks heal wounds with the power of God.
So why does it feel so surprising…? Ah, I see, it’s because fortunately there have been few people around me who have been injured.
The most memorable one was Elizabel, who fell off a horse and was seriously injured, but she also got away with [Complete Recovery].
This is, once again, I’m sorry for Lend, but I want to ask Torad something
How effective is the healing magic of this world Sedia? I really want to know.
“Ugh… Margils-sama… Captain… I’m fine…”
“No, no, don’t be shy. Torad, can you heal him?”
“Yes, of course.”
I really feel sorry for Lend’s bravery.
Torad immediately raised the Holy Symbol of Ashuginea and began to pray.
“Guardian of justice and life, Goddess of Winter Ashuginea. Heal this young man’s honorable injury.”
“…Oh”
When the solemn voice of prayer ended, Lend’s body lying down was wrapped in a faint light.
The light that felt somewhat warm faded and disappeared in about ten seconds, and most of the bruises on Lend’s body were gone.
His complexion improved, and his painful breathing became calm.
“Wow… amazing… the pain is going away…”
“That’s amazing.”
I was quite moved by seeing the wounds heal at a speed that was clearly visible to the eye.
It was only natural, since healing the human body was much more difficult than hurting it.
“……No, I’m sure this is a piece of cake for Margils-sama, right?”
“You healed Gillion’s arm that was torn to shreds, didn’t you?”
“Oh, well……I mean, the power of God is still a great thing, isn’t it?”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Margils-sama. It makes me happy too.”
God, huh.
Is the “Overlooker” the god of this world, Sedia?
“By the way, when Torad used the power of God just now, is that different from the magic power that magicians use?”
“Well, the magicians say it’s the same, but for me, it’s all the power that Ashuginea gave me.”
Hmm.
So, even though they use the same “magic power”, magicians view it as the power of nature, while priests believe it’s the power given by God.
“……”
“Ah, Lend seems to have fallen asleep. Sorry, but can you take this off for me?”
“Got it. Here……give Lend and the soldiers something delicious and nutritious to eat. I’ll have some wine delivered later.”
I handed a handful of gold coins to Jiruk and left the place.
“……Come to think of it, there’s no one like that here in the castle.”
As I was about to return to the main tower after parting with Jiruk and Claura, I suddenly realized and muttered.
“What do you mean, my lord?”
Leiha, who had been following faithfully behind me, responded dutifully.
“A doctor. ……Well, a healer or whatever is fine too.”
“If you need healing, why don’t you ask Torad? He did a great job earlier.”
“No, Torad’s thing is the same as magic, so he can’t use it many times a day. Besides, a doctor’s job is not just healing.”
Why didn’t I notice this before?
Jiiteias Castle was not just a fortress of perfectly healthy soldiers, but a town where hundreds of people, including the elderly and children, were living. And yet…
Well, the number of people had increased suddenly in the last few days, and until then there were only healthy ones, so there were no problems…
Anyway, what’s important is the daily health management and the hygiene management to prevent diseases.
There was a sewer system in Lelis city, and it was much better than the “medieval Europe” I knew, but the habits and concepts of disinfection and prevention were quite weak.
This kind of work that requires extensive medical knowledge is impossible for Torad at least.
Wasn’t there a healer guild in Lelis city? Maybe I should ask them to send some staff…
“In that case, my lord.”
“Hm? Do you have any idea?”
Leiha, who rarely interrupted me, spoke up, so I asked with expectation.
“There is someone among the Shulz tribe refugees who is called the chief of medicine.”
“Hmm…I see.”
As expected, Leiha was well aware of things that I didn’t hear, as she patrolled the castle every day for counter-intelligence.
The “chief of medicine”, huh.
It probably meant the same as Dianu’s “Martial Chief”, a position that was in charge of the tribe’s medical care. It would be nice if it was someone who could take care of the castle’s medical care in the future…
“My lord. This is the house of the chief of medicine.”
Speaking of the Shulz tribe, it was Dianu.
I decided to go to the Shulz tribe’s residence with her right away.
From the courtyard, we passed through the inner gate, and there was a space called the “lower courtyard”, which was surrounded by a new outer wall that enclosed the land created by the forest giants.
Currently, the dwarves and workers were building facilities such as inns and warehouses, in preparation for when Jiiteias castle became a trading hub in the future.
In one corner, there were huts where the Shulz tribe people lived.
The dwarves must have helped. The huts were all well-made and did not look like they were hastily built. They seemed to have no problem living there.
The hut that Dianu guided me to was the second largest one after the one for the tribal chief.
A strange smell that was sweet and greenish wafted out.
“Are you there, Aunt Saria?”
“Oh my, Princess. What’s the matter, did you have a fight or something?”
The chief of medicine was a plump woman. She was probably around the same age as me or a little older.
She reminded me of the ramen shop owner’s wife in my neighborhood in Japan…
She wore a loose robe with fur decorations typical of the Shulz tribe.
“It’s not my business. Margils-sama has something to ask you.”
“Huh? …Wow, this is the Demon God!”
The woman who weighed about 100kg – Saria – noticed me and hastily prostrated herself.
“I am Saria, the chief of medicine of the Shulz tribe.”
“Relax. I just wanted to ask you a few questions as the chief of medicine. Do you have some time? If you’re busy, I can come back another day.”
“You have time, right? If not, make some, will you?”
I hadn’t even made an appointment, so I asked hesitantly, but Dianu interrupted me with her words.
“It’s not something to force…”
“No, no, it’s fine, Demon… I mean, Margils-sama. I don’t mind, so please ask me anything.”
“Is that so? Then…”
I looked around the chief of medicine’s workplace to find a way to start the conversation.
The walls were lined with dried plants and jars containing powders and liquids that looked like chemicals.
On the workbench, there were mortars, pestles, small distillers and other pharmaceutical tools similar to alchemical.
“I’m sorry, when we were driven out of the ‘Garden of the Gods’ by the Dark Elves, we had to leave behind a lot of herbs and tools.”
“That time… If it’s tools, I can lend you some of mine, and if it’s herbs, you can buy them at the ‘Village of Medicine’ in the west of the forest.”
I’ll give her some money later.
Well. Saria seems to have relaxed a bit, so let’s get to the point.
“Then, let me ask you. …From the perspective of preventing disease and staying healthy, do you think there is a problem with this castle? I’d like to hear your honest opinion.”
“…”
Saria fell silent with an indescribable expression on her face at my question. She doesn’t seem to understand what I mean… No, that’s not it.
“I’m afraid… First of all, you should build proper stables for the livestock, so they don’t poop everywhere. And can you add one or two more wells? Water is essential for keeping dishes and clothes clean… And you need to be more thorough with cleaning and managing the toilets…”
Saria smoothly spoke of concrete plans for improving the environment. She didn’t think of them just now when I asked her, but she already had this kind of knowledge.
She definitely understands the concept of hygiene.
“…What do you think is the cause of disease?”
“According to the stories passed down by our ancestors, disease is caused by invisible poison in the air. That poison is born from feces, rotten food, mud, and so on, so you have to get rid of it when you touch those things.”
“H-how do you get rid of that poison?”
“With alcohol. The ingredient that makes people drunk in alcohol has the power to get rid of the poison.”
Wow… That’s more than I expected.
It’s a bit conceptual, but she’s talking about bacterial infection and alcohol disinfection, right?
I don’t remember clearly, but that’s like 18th or 19th century level on Earth, right?
“Then one more thing. Earlier, there was a young man who was badly bruised all over his body and had fractures and internal bleeding. He was barely breathing. How would you treat him?”
“Well… First, I would touch his body and check the condition of his wounds. If there are fractures, I would fix them and cover them with a cloth soaked in cold water. Finally, I would give him a decoction of kirine grass for pain relief and fever reduction and let him rest. If I had some, I would like to apply a poultice of eshikiri mushroom powder to the affected area, but I’m out of it right now…”
“Hmm…”
I was completely impressed by Saria’s explanation of the treatment method.
“Are you okay? Does our chief of medicine’s knowledge help our lord?”
When I fell silent, Dianu asked me worriedly.
“Yes, of course. I was amazed by the wisdom of the Shulz tribe.”
“…Hehe. I’m glad.”
“Our ancestors would be happy to hear that Margils-sama praised us.”
I stroked Dianu’s head as she looked up at me.
She narrowed her eyes happily and looked cute for her age.
“Oh, right.”
She suddenly pulled out a short sword from her waist. I couldn’t predict her next action at all.
“You want to see how Saria heals wounds, right? Then I’ll make some wounds for you…”
“Stop it!”
“You stupid girl!”
I hadn’t shouted in such a high-pitched voice for a long time.
The short sword that Dianu tried to slash her own arm without hesitation was knocked down by Leiha, who had been there without any sign.
“Ow! …My lord…”
“You don’t have to do that. You are an important servant. Don’t hurt yourself so easily…”
Dianu, who was hit hard on the wrist, had red eyes that were dyed with despair rather than anger.
I had thought she was somewhat unstable since she decided to join me at Jiiteias Castle with some of the Shulz tribe, but I didn’t expect her to take such an extreme action.
I couldn’t think of any other way to calm her down than to hug her and stroke her back, as she opened her eyes with a suicidal intensity.
“Really? Do you really care about me, my lord? You won’t abandon me?”
“…Yes, I won’t abandon you, and I care about you. So, take better care of yourself.”
“…I understand. I won’t do that again. I’m sorry, my lord.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Dianu calmed down in a few minutes.
She was so emotionally unstable… It seems that her harsh experience in Filsand has eaten away at her heart.
This kind of thing probably won’t be cured by [Complete Recovery].
Even if I looked for help, Saria had an awkward expression, and Leiha seemed to sympathize with Dianu.
I have some responsibility for this, and she is an important subordinate right now, so I want to do something for her… Should I consult with Torad?
Hmm…
“Anyway.”
I decided to put the problem aside for now (I always do this, don’t I?) and spoke to Saria.
“I have seen that your medical knowledge is outstanding. Therefore, I want to entrust you with the medical and sanitary management of not only the Shulz tribe, but the entire Jiiteias castle.”
“M-me? Can I handle such a big role?”
Of course, it won’t be right away, but after Irudo arranges the personnel, materials, and location, I’ll have her be the castle’s medical officer.
“Huh?”
Saria, who was naturally puzzled, was stared at by Dianu and Leiha in exactly the same tone.
“I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
Saria made a quick decision.