A Hospital for All
One week later, Chloe had fully risen from her sickbed. There wasn't a single uninjured spot on her body, yet somehow she felt even stronger now than she had before the incident. Her strength had increased, and her steps came lighter and faster. It was strange to feel this way after spending nearly a month lying down.
“It must be that the gods are watching over you, my lord.”
Gallen, the doctor who had remained at Grace Castle, could not hide his astonishment at seeing his lord standing as though she had never been hurt at all.
“It’s all thanks to your devoted care. Would you consider staying on here permanently and becoming Grace’s official physician?”
For Grace to continue developing, they desperately needed an excellent doctor. Chloe had already decided to build a hospital in the territory. Gallen would be the first cornerstone of that plan. Since Fron was far more advanced than Grace, she had worried he might refuse. If their positions were reversed, she doubted she could have easily quit her job in Seoul to move to the countryside.
“If you will have me, I will serve you with everything I have, my lord.”
Gallen answered so readily that Chloe’s concerns proved groundless. What a relief.
“Thank you. However, I have one condition.”
“Yes, please speak.”
Gallen had vaguely hoped to settle down here for the long term, so he felt a flicker of anxiety at what condition his lord might impose.
As long as he could treat patients freely and secure a living for himself and his beloved daughter, he was prepared to accept any terms.
There were more than enough other doctors in Fron.
“I’d like you to treat others besides me.”
Gallen blinked, unable to fully grasp the meaning behind her words.
“I intend to build a hospital in Grace. A place where any sick person in our territory—not just myself—can come for treatment. In other words, it won’t be reserved exclusively for nobles. Would that be acceptable?”
Even before arriving here, Gallen had always rolled up his sleeves and rushed to help anyone who was ill, whether noble, commoner, or slave.
Nobles, however, disliked receiving treatment from physicians who also served commoners.
As a result, the number of nobles seeking him had gradually dwindled, and so had his income.
Gallen had been using the money he earned from nobles to buy medicine for the poor. He had begun to feel as though he were walking a road with a clearly visible end.
Therefore, the condition Chloe presented was precisely what he had been hoping for.
“Yes, of course. However, I have one request of my own.”
“What is it?”
“I would like to bring my daughter from Fron. She has studied medicine since childhood and is capable of simple treatments and writing prescriptions.”
Gallen did his utmost to showcase Sela’s abilities. He was worried she might object, but Chloe’s face brightened at once.
“Naturally. What I want is for more doctors to come to our territory. Whether patients come or not, you will receive the same monthly salary. Of course, if a major incident occurs like last time and many people require simultaneous treatment, additional compensation will be provided.”
Once again, Gallen found himself confused. Treating both nobles and commoners was understandable, but why would the lord herself pay the fees instead of the patients?
“I will have the residents pay only a portion of the medical costs. I, as lord, will provide you with the remainder as a fixed monthly salary. Naturally, I will also cover all expenses for purchasing medicine and necessary treatment equipment. In short, you need only focus on caring for the sick.”
The more Chloe explained, the wider Gallen’s eyes grew.
He had never imagined he would realize the dreams he had vaguely cherished here in Grace.
His heart was pounding so violently he feared everyone in the room could hear it.
“Scrooge.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Find a suitable plot of land in Condal for the hospital. It would be best if the residence for Gallen and his daughter is located within the hospital grounds, don’t you think? Prepare ample inpatient rooms so that the sick can be hospitalized and treated. Consult with Gallen to compile a list of required medicines and instruments, then purchase twice the quantity he requests.”
Scrooge’s hand flew across his notebook at such speed it seemed almost invisible as he frantically recorded Chloe’s instructions.
Gallen, listening to it all, could no longer tell whether he was dreaming or awake.
“Provide a carriage so Gallen can safely bring his daughter here. Inform Red Bear and have him organize an escort team. Our territory’s precious physician must be protected on both the journey there and back.”
Chloe issued the orders without hesitation, as though she had been planning this for a long time. Everyone present in the office was so astonished that they barely dared to breathe loudly while listening.
The moment her instructions were given, Handsome and Scrooge sprang into action. Even with two assistants each to divide the workload, twenty-four hours would scarcely be enough.
“My lord, please rest. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. You mustn’t push yourself like this.”
Delma’s heart ached with worry. The image of Chloe being carried in covered in blood still haunted her. She never wanted to witness such a sight again.
“I’m completely healed now. See? I’m perfectly fine.”
“But—!”
When Delma’s face filled with concern, Chloe gently pulled her into an embrace. Delma always carried the fresh scent of laundry dried in sunlight. The soft, warm fragrance eased the heart.
“If I feel unwell, I’ll rest. I’m so glad you’re here beside me, Delma. Thank you.”
Delma gazed down at her lord, who clung to her like a child, and patted her back with tender affection. It felt like only yesterday she had been changing the girl’s diapers, yet now Chloe was fulfilling her role as lord with remarkable poise.
“Still, you must promise to tell me immediately if you feel tired or any pain.”
“I will.”
Chloe buried her face in Delma’s warm chest and whined like a child. Delma, the only person with whom she could act spoiled, had somehow become her friend, colleague, and mother all at once.
Gold Rich, visiting Grace after quite some time, entered the lord’s office with a heavily tense expression.
Dark rumors had been swirling: that the lord of Grace Castle had been attacked by a monster and left half-paralyzed, that her face had been horribly disfigured, that an entire village had been reduced to ashes. Mixed among them were absurd tales claiming the lord had single-handedly slain the monster to save her soldiers, or that she was a saintess blessed by the gods.
Whatever the truth, Gold Rich could not help but feel nervous.
If the rumor of the lord’s severe injury was true, he feared their jewel trade might end. And if she truly was someone under divine protection who had defeated monsters, that was terrifying in its own right.
While he waited anxiously in the office, Gold Rich shot to his feet at the sound of the door opening.
He resolved not to show any surprise even if the lord’s face had been terribly scarred, and focused on the approaching footsteps.
“It’s been a while, Gold Rich.”
At least her voice sounded exactly as before. Gold Rich bowed deeply.
“I heard there was a terrible incident in Grace. They said you were also injured, my lord… are you truly all right…?”
When he raised his head to ask, the words died in his throat. There was not a single mark on Chloe.
So every rumor had been nonsense? He had never believed she could have faced a monster alone.
“I was injured, but the doctor was so skilled that I’ve made a full recovery.”
Chloe subtly boasted of Gallen’s medical prowess.
“What a tremendous relief. Congratulations on your recovery, my lord.”
After speaking, Gold Rich presented the box he had prepared. The wooden container was roughly the size of a shoebox.
“What is this?”
“A congratulatory gift for you, my lord.”
“Congratulations? It isn’t my birthday. What are we celebrating?”
“Your safe recovery, of course.”
Red Bear added with an uncharacteristically warm smile in his eyes.
Inside the box were silver utensils. Their handles were intricately inlaid with various finely cut gemstones.
“You want me to eat with these?”
“Yes. They are crafted from high-purity silver and can detect even the smallest traces of poison.”
“Ooh!”
Gold Rich was a perceptive man. He might already suspect that Patrasche was targeting Chloe’s life.
Chloe gazed at the gleaming silverware with satisfaction before closing the box.
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
Seeing that the lord appeared pleased with his gift, Gold Rich spoke in a noticeably more relaxed tone.
“Rumors have spread everywhere that you defeated an entire pack of monsters single-handedly, my lord.”
He asked as though testing the waters.
“Would I have done it alone? The knights and soldiers did all the hard work.”
“...I see.”
The fact that she did not outright deny it suggested the lord had indeed contributed to the battle.
Even so, rumors that she had faced monsters alone—and directed at people who had never once held a sword in their lives.
While Gold Rich was clicking his tongue inwardly, Chloe abruptly moved on to the main topic.
“You brought plenty of money, I assume?”
“Yes. As you requested, I mobilized every coin I could gather.”
After receiving the message from Grace, Gold Rich had been unsure how much of it to believe.
“Let’s have a look.”
Still half-doubting, Gold Rich called in the soldiers waiting outside. They carried chests large enough to resemble small barrels.
When the chests were brought inside, Chloe nodded for him to open them.
With some reluctance, Gold Rich lifted the lid.
“Ooh!”
Scrooge, standing guard beside Chloe, let out a brief exclamation before quickly clamping his mouth shut.
A glance at Gold Rich confirmed the man hadn’t noticed, so Scrooge breathed a sigh of relief.
The chest was packed tightly with gold coins.
That should be more than enough even after paying the compensation.
Chloe and Scrooge moved closer to examine the contents carefully for any impurities.
Scrooge had never seen so much money at once in his entire life.
Yet he refused to show astonishment again in front of a mere merchant like Gold Rich. He deliberately furrowed his brow and inspected the chest with meticulous care, maintaining a grave expression throughout.
As though handling such sums were an everyday occurrence, Scrooge checked the gold coins with deliberate composure.
Chloe left the inspection to him and signaled to Handsome with her eyes. He promptly escorted more armed knights carrying additional large chests into the office.
Gold Rich’s eyes widened at the sight. The jewels Chloe had previously offered had numbered at most a few dozen.
But judging by the size of these new chests, the quantity inside would be on an entirely different scale.
Chloe gestured to the merchant, who was staring fixedly at the chests with round eyes.
“Come here and verify for yourself exactly how short you are on the amount I requested.”
The lord spoke in an imperious tone as she lifted the lid of the nearest chest.