Chapter 004
Ah, seriously. He caught my expression again in that split second. I need to stop thinking, stop thinking altogether.
“……Please bring some clean, new bandages. Oh, and Richard. Wash your hands first.”
From now on, anyone near Jin will have to undergo thorough sterilization. He’s already living on borrowed time; I can’t just let him die like this.
Richard’s expression soured slightly, perhaps finding my request unpleasant. I understood. People of this era had no concept of bacteria or viruses. Still, for goodness’ sake, let’s just wash our hands and live.
How was I supposed to make them understand? That failing to wash their hands could endanger the life of Jin—the friend Richard would literally die for.
Would he understand if I talked about immunity? Does he even know that word?
“Do as she says, Richard. She seems to have a reason.”
Jin spoke up.
Right, as expected, the brilliant Jin is different.
While Richard went to wash his hands, I continued to carefully disinfect the wound.
A moment later, Richard returned with clean hands and fresh bandages. Looking at Jin’s wound, I recalled an ointment Astrid used to make. It felt wasteful to just wrap it in bandages like this.
The ointment, a mixture of rose oil, turpentine, and egg yolk, also contained herbs that aided wound recovery. It would have been great if I could have brought that. Unfortunately, all of those supplies had been seized by the Imperial Army.
Once I finished bandaging Jin’s wound, it looked much cleaner and better than before. Fortunately, the real-world me was used to bandaging. I have a younger brother who was always coming home with some injury or another when we were kids. I suppose I should consider that a stroke of luck.
“From now on, everyone entering this room must wash their hands thoroughly. And I’d like you to wear a mask when you come in.”
I stated. A patient this critical should be tucked away in an ICU with everyone wearing sterile suits, but since that’s not an option here, this is the least we can do.
“……Every single person, you mean?”
Richard asked back, looking bewildered.
“Yes. Every single one.”
As I spoke firmly, Rodent tugged on my sleeve.
“Teacher, me too?”
Looking up at me with those wide, clear eyes, Rodent was just too cute. I had momentarily forgotten about our adorable Rodent, distracted by Jin’s face.
“Yes, Rodent. You too.”
Jin often personally taught the children who joined the rebels after assessing their potential.
Our male protagonist, Rodent, was obviously bright, which meant he was destined for Jin’s special tutoring.
Honestly, I wanted to stop a man with such a frail body from teaching a child…… but stress would be the ultimate poison for Jin’s system. Thinking about how much stress this workaholic would endure if he were barred from working, it was probably better to let him handle something like teaching Rodent.
“Ah, and also…… he needs to drink plenty of water. At least 2L a day. Lukewarm water, if possible.”
For a patient who vomits blood at the drop of a hat, hydration is naturally essential. If I could, I’d shove saline straight into his veins…… but there were too many things that simply weren’t possible in this era.
“The new doctor sure has a lot of demands. How interesting.”
Jin smiled broadly as he watched me list off requirements. Seeing a man who had been expressionless or grimacing in pain finally smile like that…… the impact was…… ugh, it’s hazardous to my heart.
“And you’re infatuated with my face again.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. If he’s going to read my thoughts every time I think he’s handsome for a split second, what am I supposed to do? Should I start wearing a mask too……?
Just then, Richard asked.
“Is there anything else you need, Teacher Aubert?”
Well…… naturally, there was more than just one or two things to take care of. Managing the hygiene of Jin’s room, his diet, and I’d need to prepare more ointment for his wounds.
“Who manages the patient’s meals? I’d like to meet the person in charge. Also, the person who cleans the room. Oh, and I want to meet the alchemist who made the cleanser—”
As I rattled off the list, Richard’s expression turned perplexed. Why the face?
“……You don’t seem like the person who refused to come with us. If you were going to work this hard, why did you refuse at first?”
Ouch…… that felt like a blow to the ribs. That hurts, mister. Go easy on me.
Of course, it was true that I initially tried to run away to save my own skin, but now that I’ve been caught, isn’t it a good thing that I’m working hard?
I’m absolutely, definitely not doing this because his beauty is too precious to let waste away in three months. I’m doing this to survive. If Jin dies, I die too.
“Richard, why don’t you show the doctor where she’ll be staying? Introduce her to the people as well.”
Jin spoke up. Richard, who had been eyeing me suspiciously, followed Jin’s order without a word.
Stepping out of Jin’s room with Richard, the incredible view of the Underground City came into sight once more. The city, glowing with a golden light, was truly beautiful.
“Finn.”
At Richard’s call, a boy who looked to be in his late teens came running over.
Finn…… why does that name sound so familiar? I don’t think he was a major character in the original novel…….
“Huh? Teacher Aubert!”
The boy, with messy brown hair and a face full of freckles, cried out in surprise upon seeing me. It seemed he and Astrid were already acquainted.
Finn…… Ah! He was the boy Astrid had saved from the streets back when she first inherited the hospital.
“Finn, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”
Seeing the scrawny, dying child grown up so much made me feel a surge of pride. If the real Astrid could see this, how happy would she be?
“It seems you’re acquainted. You can catch up later…… This is the new child. Rodent, follow Finn. He’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
However, Rodent was still clutching my clothes, refusing to let go. He clearly didn’t want to be separated from me. Cute little Rodent.
“Go on, Rodent. There will be many friends your age.”
I spoke gently, patting Rodent on the back. Only then did Rodent hesitantly follow Finn.
“Were you and Finn acquainted? That boy is in charge of managing the new children.”
At Richard’s words, I flipped through Astrid’s hazy memories, searching for the page on Finn.
“He’s a child I looked after briefly six years ago. Finn was twelve then, so he must be eighteen now. He’s grown quite a bit.”
I managed to recall the exact time and Finn’s age. Good job, me!
But for some reason, Richard’s expression was strange as he listened to me. What’s with that look? I wish I had Jin’s mind-reading ability at a time like this.
“……You’re quite different from the rumors, so I wondered if I had found the wrong person. It seems I was mistaken.”
Richard said.
This guy, why does he keep taking shots at me? He’s basically saying I don’t seem like an angel, isn’t he?
“Rumors always have a bit of exaggeration added to them, don’t they? Ho, hoho.”
I laughed demurely, covering my mouth slightly. Richard looked at me, seemingly speechless, let out a short laugh, and led the way.
“This is the room where you will be staying, Teacher Aubert.”
It was a small room right next to Jin’s. Though smaller than Jin’s room, it had a wide bed, a fairly decent desk, and a bookshelf filled with medical texts.
‘I should throw all those medical books away.’
They’re probably full of nonsense about bloodletting and searing wounds with hot oil. Garbage, pure garbage. They’d be perfect as kindling.
The best part of the room was the modern-style bathroom attached to it. This flush toilet, sink, bathtub…… I turned the faucet on and off in ecstasy as I looked around the bathroom.
This was what I had missed most since coming to this world. To be able to take a hot shower—I was truly happy. I hadn’t been able to wash properly in prison.
“By the way, what principle does this plumbing system operate on?”
I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. Richard was silent for a moment at my question.
“……I’ll have you meet our engineer later. You can hear it from him.”
I had to stifle a laugh at those words. This guy—he doesn’t know, does he? He’s just saying that because he doesn’t know either, right?
