CHAPTER 8: FLUVIA IS CONSULTED ABOUT HEALTHCARE (1)

“What a wealth of books…”

“Indeed… it would be better if Head Kubil would organize them.”

Mary hmphed as she looked at the cellar room that was crammed from wall to wall with books.

I’ve been allowed to go around the Nobles Ward in the House of Healing for 30 minutes a day, and after getting bored of exploring the same halls, it was suggested that I go pick out books from the collection that the Capital’s Head Healer had amassed.

In theory, these books are for the noble patients who would like to read them while recovering.

But they’ve just been bought in large amounts and dumped in this cellar…

Ah, by the way, I’m currently being pushed in a wheelchair.

It’s a little shaky, but it’s far better than that wheelbarrow chair, by far.

It was gift from Herman, but it’s still a prototype.

I’m the guinea pig, huh? Well, I don’t mind it since I can get around!

The chair itself is somewhat like a hotel lobby’s sofa chair, well cushioned and much more comfortable than even normal chairs, although I feel like it’s a little too soft so it would get uncomfortable with long-time use, but I’m not allowed to go around in it for that long anyway.

It seems like it would be quite heavy, but Mary says it’s not too bad.

When I asked what would happen with stairs, Herman enthusiastically said that wheelchairs for outside use would naturally have to be more rugged, so you would obviously be carried down the steps into your other wheelchair.

No, well, in my world they just built ramps…

But I decide not to say anything, because you never know, being in a different world with magic, there might be a different way to bypass that problem.

It’s true that it would be a pain to add ramps to all the pre-existing infrastructure.

Mary wheeled me onto the small landing and went down the stairs into the cellar herself.

She’s going to show me books and ask me which ones I want.

Un, it would be good if Herman thinks of something for wheelchairs to be able to handle stairs.

“Some simpler books would be best… let me see…”

Mary busied herself with sorting through the piles of books, but as for me, there’s something…

The instant I entered the room, I was hit was an intense feeling.

It was like an obsession.

Something… where?

Underneath…?

Somehow, there’s a feeling that there’s something I absolutely must go see underneath these stairs.

At the same time, the sheer intenseness of the compulsion terrifies me and makes my stomach clench in dread.

“What on earth is that noise?”

I don’t know how much time passed before Mary was suddenly beside me again, a hand resting on the handles on the chair as she peered curiously outside of the cellar door.

Attendants and guards are running all over the place.

“…! Mary! Young Lady Dellarose is with you?”

“Yes, Parin. What happened?”

“We are to keep all patients in their rooms and return to the attendants’ room immediately. Other than that, I don’t know.”

Mary looks troubled.

“I see… forgive me, Milady, I picked up these, so I hope they will be enough.”

These… oh.

Mary has picked up some thin books.

Although I didn’t get to pick any books myself, it seems that Mary has properly secured a few for me.

She placed them in my lap and quickly wheeled me to my room.

“Then, I will be off, Milady.”

“Ah, yes. See you later.”

Only when I was back inside my room did I notice that I was gripping the armrests of my wheelchair so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

“Haa…”

I forced myself to release the armrests and rubbed my aching, cold hands.

What was that!?

I had never felt a sensation like that before, in either life.

Like something was purposefully drawing my very soul to itself.

Even though I can tell in my gut that it’s something I shouldn’t take lightly, the curiosity and compulsion to investigate won’t go away.

But, well, I’m not an idiot.

Now that I think about it, Yabukoi’s Fluvia learned Ghost Arts while she was in the House of Healing.

I had wondered how she could have learned something like that in complete secret, but… it’s like that, isn’t it?

I had already eliminated the idea of learning it from someone shady, in a place with good security like the Nobles Ward and almost constantly being watched by an attendant, so that just leaves something like a dangerous book.

I sigh and press my hands together, trying to calm myself.

There’s no guarantee that something like a dangerous book about Ghost Arts is in that cellar, I know that much.

But for some reason, I can’t shake the thought from my head.

Being reincarnated into an otome game … I was too naive, to think that it wouldn’t have any real impact on me as long as I consciously lived my life without being swept along.

The furious beating of my heart finally died down, and I let out a long sigh, leaning back into the cushions of the wheelchair.

… Come to think of it, it must be some kind of emergency, since Mary was so hurried that she even forgot to help me back into bed.

Not that I care all that much about her forgetting, but I do wonder what’s going on out there that has the House of Healing in chaos.

Since there’s nothing to do, and to calm myself a little, I flip through the books in my lap, waiting for Mary to return.

—

It’s been several days since then.

I and all the other patients are not allowed to leave our rooms.

When Mary informed me, she made a face like she was expecting me to make a fuss.

“No, I won’t be unreasonable. There’s a patient of very high standing, or it’s something that they want to keep secret, right? I’ll obediently wait.”

The other thought that had occurred to me was that it was a contagious disease, but the commotion wasn’t THAT big.

It’s more likely it’s a patient of high standing.

“That helps. I don’t know what it is myself, but no one is allowed into the South Wing.”

Mary sighed as she shook the curtains and bedding.

Even the windows are to remain closed, so she’s dissatisfied with her attempts at airing out the room.

Whatever is going on in the South Wing, it’s a pretty big secret, huh?

“Rather than that, isn’t there something you brought for me?”

“My goodness, yes, yes, I brought it. Although a Young Lady wanting these things is very unusual. I brought them. One of my old dresses and sewing tools.”

“Fufu, I’m strong enough to do some sewing now, at least. And I’ve been wanting to dress Mary up in something cuter~.”

Mary gave a wry smile.

“It can’t be helped. The attendants’ dresses need to be able to be washed often and ordered without tailoring. It can’t be helped. Anyway, we’re just attendants. There’s no need to look fashionable…”

“Dressing to look nice isn’t just for yourself, you know? The patients’ spirits will be lifted by seeing pretty attendants. Even women will be happy to be served by neat, clean, and well-dressed people.”

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Although there are noble women who hate it when people are prettier than they are.

Mother was supposed to be like that, but whenever I’ve seen her she was only obsessed with her children, that is, Brother and I, so it was difficult to gauge how she is with her own appearance.

Although I would like to be spared from starting the ‘nurse fetish’ in this world, as a design student, no, a woman, I won’t stand for having to settle for un-cute clothes in the name of efficiency!

In the first place, they made it so uncute because they want to mass produce them without worrying about each individual’s sizes, but it’s possible to make ready-made clothes that fit multiple types of people.

After all, in my modernized, former world, everyone wore ready-made clothes, and some of them were able to accentuate the body quite well.

And aside from looks, the current dresses aren’t actually good for the attendants.

After all, the attendants aren’t really nurses, they’re more like caregivers. The true nurses are the assistant healers.

But that skirt is rather restricting, since it goes all the way past the ankle, straight down from the shoulders.

For attendants, who tend to do more manual labor, isn’t that in the way?

Thinking like that, I had begun to design my nurse – no, attendant’s outfit a while ago.

Mary took some interest in the designs I doodled, but apparently short skirts are not allowed.

Any leg past the ankle showing is frowned upon… what a pity. I had enjoyed wearing miniskirts from before… well, after I became a mother my interest in short skirts lessened, though.

Was it a result of getting ol – more life experiences?

At any rate, I got tired of having to watch how I sat or bent down or walked.

Anyway, my design was pretty simple.

I thought that suit-pants style would work, but although there are women who wear pants in this world, nobles and those who attend to nobles will wear long skirts.

Women who wear pants tend to be adventurers or commoners who do a lot of manual labor.

Even female knights wore long dresses when not in armor.

Long skirts = elegance and status, in this world.

Even though form-fitted, tailored dresses are the current style, if we’re going to make it so these dresses can be made without having to be tailored to be able to fit, they can’t be form-fitting.

There’s no elastic fabric, after all.

And anyway, form-fitting dresses is only the style among noble ladies, who are people who don’t have to move their bodies all that much.

But seriously, in order to make it fit everyone, they just cut two t-shaped pieces and sewed them together.

That’s slacking a little too much, isn’t it? It’s just ugly.

The attendants wear butcher-style aprons over them, so it takes it in a little at the waist when the aprons are tightened, but even still, you can tell that it wasn’t made to flatter a human figure.

Although Mary has a ‘as long as it works and can get dirty without worrying about it, who cares’ kind of attitude, I know some other attendants are embarrassed by these dresses.

Those attendants try wearing a short belt to cinch the waist more, but… there’s only so much you can do.

Now if they wore a corset it would look much better, but a corset is too restricting for their work.

For my design, I’m not making all too many alterations to the top part.

I only added two darts (the seams that run down along the bustline) to take in the bodice-area a little, and just that makes the dresses 1000xs more pleasing to look at.

As for the skirt part of the dress, I added in two small pleated sections to give them more range when walking.

If the entire skirt was pleats it would be more swishy, and that’s a no-no for these attendants, who have to be extra careful of accidentally knocking things over.

But because of the addition of pleats, the skirt will have to be a separate piece sewn to the top bodice, instead of just the ‘all-one’ front and back like it is right now.

Nn… I will have to ask Mary for an extra length of this blue-dyed flax cloth and completely make the skirt part new.

I will also shorten the hem-line so they can walk more easily.

The younger attendants stumble a lot when they’re in a hurry, after all.

The reason I didn’t adjust the collar of the dress too much is because, instead of the butcher’s apron, I want to change it into a button-down, coat-style smock that goes completely over the top of the dress.

The collar is a gakuran-styled collar in the same blue as the dress, but the rest is white.

The buttons fasten to the right, overlapping like a double-breasted coat.

It’s kind of like a spa hostess outfit? Although for a spa hostess, the smock would essentially be the dress…

Like I said, although it’s cute, any dresses that go shorter than the tops of the ankles are considered indecent.

The front part of the smock is longer than the back, so it covers the same as the butcher’s apron.

The sleeves of the smock are slightly puffy and short so that the dress’ blue sleeves continue out from under them.

Oh, and I added white cuffs to the dress’ long sleeves.

It’s not that fancy or really even all that flattering, but it’s simple and clean-looking, which is more important for their jobs.

I’m not designing for the fetishists right now, so simple is best.

When I showed it to Mary and the other attendants who cleaned and did odd jobs, the ones not assigned to a particular patient, they seemed interested, so I took advantage of the situation to ask for the old dress and sewing tools.

Which brings us back to now.

“But really, these sketches are…”

Mary looked at the journal I have flipped open.

Even though she hasn’t been disturbed by the things I’ve said, especially the health-talks I’ve had with Healer Martin, she’s apprehensive about the fact that I can draw well for my age, huh?

… Un. This might be a little more than ‘drawn well for my age’.

Even though I kept the design more on the simple side, it’s certainly done better than many adults could draw.

I decide not to mind it too much and continue to tear out the seams of the old dress.

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

When Mary opened the door, there was a tired-looking Healer Martin standing in the doorway.

“Healer Martin, it’s a little earlier than usual.”

Mary said with a frown.

“Well, there were some things…”

He hadn’t come to check up on me ever since all of us patients were confined to our rooms, but Mary is telling him he’s early to do my check up.

I am sometimes concerned about Mary’s strictness.

“Mary, sorry, but could you leave the room?”

Healer Martin slumped down onto the chair next to my bedside with an exhausted aura.

Mary looks a little confused, but does as she’s told.

Healer Martin waits until she leaves to talk, but gets distracted by the fabric and pins cluttering my bed.

“… What are you doing?”

“No, well, I have to keep myself busy somehow.”

Healer Martin shrugs and decides to ignore it.

Is that okay, Mr Healer?

Well, he didn’t tell me I couldn’t continue, so I’ll take what I can get.

“Lady Fluvia, what I’m going to talk about can’t be told to other people.”

“… Is that alright then? To tell me.”

“It probably isn’t, but it’s probably also not alright if I don’t ask you.”

I think about what he could have come to me for.

It’s not a check up, so what could it be?

After thinking for a bit, I ask,

“Is it about the patient in the South Wing?”

Healer Martin laughs a little.

“Heh. Indeed. As I thought, you’d notice. Yes, it’s a poisoning victim.”

I feel myself take a sharp breath.

Poison wasn’t something I can say I expected.

“… Just so you know, I’m a 5-year-old child.”

I’m not sure what Healer Martin wants, speaking with me about it, but I suddenly felt it necessary to remind him of my age. Just in case.

Healer Martin chuckles again.

“I’m not asking you to treat her. I just wanted to talk to you about that ‘aftercare’ you were talking to me about.”

“Hm…”

I suddenly regret my furious lobbying to convince Healer Martin to let me move around on my own as part of my aftercare. My lips were too loose!

But at the same time, I can’t deny that I’m a little curious.

“Well, I don’t know much about poison, but what was the treatment like?”

“The poison was ingested, so we used an emetic to force vomiting before administering an antidote. She is now out of immediate danger, but as expected she’s very weak. We are giving her minimal foods and liquids, but she’s too weak to try to dry out the poison completely-“

“What are you doing?! Water! Give her water! For crying out loud, you’ll kill her!”

Healer Martin looks surprised from my outburst, but I’M the one who’s surprised!

“What do you mean, ‘dry out the poison’? You’ll just end up drying HER out! Explain to me this instance!”

A slightly relieved look crossed Healer Martin’s face as he explains.

It’s believed that liquids make blood, and the poison is somewhere in between where ingested liquids turn into blood. So, they need to dry out that part to avoid the poisons from continuing to flow into the blood.

No, well, it’s not completely wrong that ingested liquids help make blood, but… it’s wrong!

“…How do people not normally die from this kind of treatment?”

I press my hands to my temples.

I am SO happy I survived my brain fever, with this kind of medical treatment!

“Well, healing magic is used to help keep the body strong enough to fight off disease and poisons.”

So that’s it.

Hm?

“Even when I couldn’t eat? Er, I mean, it negates the need for food and water?”

“Hm… it’s not recommended to rely on it entirely, but for a comatose patient it’s enough to keep them alive. Although it’s hard on the healer.”

… My apologies, and thank you for your hard work, Healer Martin.

“But here lies the problem. The patient in the South Wing has a body that nullifies most external applications of magic.”

Ah…aaaaah… I see the reason for Healer Martin’s worries.

He sighs.

“Even though it was said to be a blessing that made her formidable on the battlefield and impervious to many types of magic attacks, in this situation it can only be a curse.”

“So you came to ask me what to do?”

“Rather than asking you what to do… it’s more like, I wanted to tell you my misgivings about the way we handle this type of case and see what you think. Although you seem to have answered my question with your outburst.”

I sigh.

“I see. Although you’ve had doubts, because of your healing magic, there’s been no immediate need to switch treatment methods. In fact, it would be more dangerous to switch from the confirmed method, wouldn’t it? But now this type of special case came, and you can’t experiment on her too much because of her status?”

“I would certainly lose my head if I were to try anything drastically different and she died.”

I understand now.

In that case,

“This is just the thoughts of a 5-year-old child,” give or take a few decades, “but is that alright?”

Healer Martin nodded to my question.

“Forcing them to vomit… well, I don’t understand poisons too much, but if it’s something you’ve ingested that’s bad for you, there’s two ways the body will get rid of it. Either by vomiting or excretions. You’ve forced her to vomit anything that’s left in her stomach and you’ve given her an antidote, so any poison left over is already in her body is up to the body’s natural methods to get rid of.”

Healer Martin’s brows are knitting together as he thinks over it.

“Like alcohol. Although people can drink it, there are people who die from drinking too much of it, right?”

“That is true.”

In this society of excess, there are not just a few cases of alcohol poisoning.

“That’s because they’ve drunk too much and too often for their body to neutralize the poison in it.”

Healer Martin looks up with a pale face.

“So, you think alcohol is a poison?”

“If you eat too much of anything, it can be a poison? Small amounts of poisons can become medicine. I think. Although I don’t know much about that. Anyway, what I mean is, there are going to parts of things we eat that the body naturally gets rid of.”

I should be careful not to run my mouth too much, since I REALLY don’t know much about this stuff.

“Water will help the body to urinate more, and that will be able to flush out the poison. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. Of course, you don’t want to force her to drink too much water all at once, but it’s better to increase her water intake. Is there anything that causes a diuretic reaction?”

“Diuretic, is it?”

“Like, something that forces you to empty your bowels.”

“There is, but… that’s…”

Too strong, huh?

“… For an important patient, let’s not do that, then. But for future cases, it would be good to see if you can reduce that effect so it’s only a slight increase so that it will only cause someone to go a little more often.”

Healer Martin quietly thinks it over.

“Of course, you’ll also want to strengthen her body, so giving her nutritious food is a must, too.”

“She’s too weak. Her stomach has caused her to vomit several other times after we first forced her to.”

Oh, so they recognized that you need to eat to be strengthened, at least.

The way Healer Martin said it, I feel that THAT is actually the current, main problem.

Just say so, next time!

Ah, no, you wanted to hear my thoughts on the entire matter, right.

I asked,

“What did you feed her?”

“Pork roast, boiled potatoes, and boiled carrots for one meal. Beef steak, bread, and boiled peas for another.”

“… Of course she’ll vomit!”

I rub my temples again.

No, I guess it wouldn’t be common sense for these people.

If you’re too weak to eat, you use healing magic.

You’re well once you can eat and you don’t need healing magic.

Healer Martin leans forward quickly.

“Then, you know what she’d be able to eat?”

“… Well, I have an idea. But first, let her drink water and diluted green tea – I mean, very weak tea from fresh-leaves. Am I allowed to go to the kitchen? I’d like to see what’s available.”

Healer Martin hesitated.

“I will give you a check up when I get back, and then we’ll see.”

“I get it. Hurry and go rehydrate that lady.”

Healer Martin, who obviously already had that idea even before he came to talk to me, rushed off.

I might not know what will help the lady flush out the poisons, but food for nursing a person with a weak stomach is still within my knowledge.