Episode 96
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 96
“What do you mean, ‘it’s going to be tougher than expected’?”
The two of them, having washed up quickly, flopped onto the bed. The water hadn’t been cold, but it couldn’t be called warm, either.
A commotion was coming from the next room as someone demanded the water be reheated, but their own room was quiet. Elysia was slightly surprised by how unexpectedly easygoing Siene was.
Staring at the ceiling, Elysia let out a sigh.
“I’m still a freshman, so I haven’t declared my specialization yet, but Adrian has, right?”
“What about it?”
“His specialization is pharmacology.”
“Hmm…”
Elysia mumbled as she crawled under the covers, pulling the blanket right up to her chin.
“But then there was a sudden surge of patients…”
The ‘Dovre’ event was usually about delivering donations and providing education to those who couldn't afford it, especially children.
However, a sudden landslide a week ago had resulted in a massive number of injuries. Coincidentally, this was the first time students studying medicine and pharmacology had participated in the event. It was only natural for the priest to ask for their help.
The problem was…
“So, you’re saying Senior Sylvester from the medical department and Senior Campbellton, the pharmacology major, have to treat fifty injured people?”
“Exactly.”
“And coincidentally, there’s also a freshman who has just enough knowledge to assist and is incredibly good at running around—in other words, you…”
Siene let out a yawn and grinned mischievously.
“Haha, you can kiss those easy credits goodbye.”
“Why you little…”
“Ouch!”
Elysia pinched the cheek of the snickering Siene, who was lying on the pillow next to her, then closed her eyes. Perhaps it was because of the rough journey, but sleepiness was washing over her.
She could hear the priests gathered for what sounded like an evening prayer meeting, their chanting voices becoming a lullaby as she drifted off to sleep.
*
Adrian’s words—‘consider yourself dead’—had been no exaggeration. The clothes she’d arrived in were soaked in blood within half a day and were no longer wearable.
She managed to get some spare clothes and an apron from the shrine, but because she was so tall, the hem of the dress, which should have covered her feet, ended up above her ankles. For Elysia, this was a blessing, as it meant she wouldn't trip over her skirt while walking or running.
After a fierce battle to get a child to take the powdered medicine Adrian had prepared, Elysia trudged back into the makeshift dispensary. Adrian, who was diligently rolling what looked like pills, opened his mouth to make a suggestion.
“Sis, you should take a break.”
“There’s still work to do.”
“You’ll actually die at this rate.”
Adrian replied firmly, stood up, and grabbed Elysia’s shoulders, starting to shake her back and forth.
“Look at you! You’re not the type to get shaken up this easily, are you?”
“Ah, you little… My head is ringing… Stop… Ugh…”
Seeing Elysia’s dazed state, Adrian’s eyes welled up as if he were about to burst into tears, and he started to whine.
“This is why you should try to live a better life! Why are you suffering like this?! If your personality were just a little better, you wouldn't have to go through this!”
Was he insulting me or worrying about me…? Annoyed, Elysia pushed away Adrian’s arms, which were still shaking her, and sighed.
“Fine, I’ll rest. So pull yourself together.”
“Huh?”
“This isn’t suffering, it’s community service. Did you trade your altruism for a candy bar or something?”
“I guess you’re not tired enough yet. You’re still making perfect sense.”
Adrian gestured with his chin to a corner of the room.
“You skipped your meal, didn’t you? I got it for you earlier and set it aside. Go out and rest for a bit.”
Stretching her stiff body, Elysia lifted the wooden tray covered with a cloth and trudged out of the tent.
The fifty landslide victims were nothing. As soon as people heard a doctor and a pharmacist had arrived, they flocked to the clinic, and the three of them were nearly worked to death.
While Evan and Adrian were busy using their heads, Elysia was busy on her feet. She had to summarize patients' symptoms for Evan, package the medicine Adrian prepared, and occasionally shout at people who tried to cut in line to get back in their proper place.
She collapsed onto a tree stump and muttered to herself.
“Ah, I can finally breathe.”
Working like this, it was already early evening. In a way, keeping her body moving was a relief, as it left no room for stray thoughts. Elysia first chugged some water before picking up a sandwich that had been cut into bite-sized pieces.
Just then, she noticed a woman and a young boy in the distance, hesitating as they nervously watched the clinic. Placing the sandwich back on the plate, Elysia shot up from her seat and walked over to them.
“Are you here for treatment?”
“Ah… well.”
The woman, unable to speak readily, was quite pale. The boy holding her hand looked to be about eight years old and was glancing around, wary of his surroundings.
Seeing that people were starting to leave the clinic, the woman hastily turned to go back.
“It’s alright to go in now.”
Elysia reached out and grabbed the woman's shoulder, frowning when she felt nothing but bone beneath her fingertips. The woman let out a pained groan and collapsed on the spot.
Sensing something was wrong, Elysia immediately grabbed the woman's wrist and roughly pushed up her sleeve. Wounds that were clearly not from a simple fall were etched into her skin.
“M-Miss! What do you think you’re—”
“You’ve been beaten, haven’t you?”
“I-I fell! Please, let me go… please…”
The woman explained hastily, unable to even look Elysia in the eye, and tried to stand. Elysia grabbed her hand as she tried to lead the child away.
“No, you didn’t. These are signs of repeated assault, waiting for the bruises to fade before striking again.”
“…”
“Get treated before you go.”
At her firm words, the woman lowered her head and slowly began to walk. After ushering them inside the tent, Elysia retrieved the meal she had left on the stump and casually followed them into the waiting area.
Taking a bite of her sandwich, she pulled a piece of paper and a pen from her apron.
“What’s your name?”
“Could you… not write it down?”
Elysia frowned at the unexpected request and looked up. She stood up to block the woman, who was anxiously glancing around, from view, then leaned in slightly.
“Did you sneak out?”
“I-I’m sorry! Please don’t kick me out. No, if you’re going to, I’ll leave right now. Just please, if you could keep this a secret—”
“Why would I kick you out? That’s not going to happen, so don’t worry.”
The woman, who had squeezed her eyes shut and was begging for mercy, looked up in surprise and blinked. Elysia gently wiped away the tears streaming down her face with her fingertips and continued.
“I’m only asking because it’s a necessary part of the treatment process. I’ll burn this paper as soon as the prescription is written, so please answer.”
“Then, really…?”
“Really.”
The woman’s tear-filled blue eyes looked up at her as if she were a savior. It's not something to look at me with such reverence for… Elysia thought, turning her gaze back to the paper with an awkward expression.
“My name is Zenia Morris… M-my son needs treatment, too. His name is Ted.”
“Besides the injuries I’ve seen, are there any other areas that need treatment?”
“Ah, my son has a bit of a fever…”
“Any coughing or a runny nose?”
Elysia jotted down Zenia and Ted's symptoms on the paper, remaining standing to shield them from view as she chewed her sandwich. After quickly finishing it, she drained the rest of the water from her bottle and wiped her mouth with a sullen expression.
There was so much she wanted to ask, but the woman was clearly trying to hide the situation. Pushing with questions now could mean losing the opportunity for good. After some thought, she spoke.
“Where do you live? Those wounds look like they’ll need a few follow-up visits to check on their progress.”
“I-It’s fine!”
“If it’s far, we can come to you. The doctor here has a very strong sense of professional duty.”
Of course, Evan had never agreed to make house calls. But Elysia was unfazed. She was certain he would go if she asked him to.
Ah, I really am exploiting him to the fullest… she thought. Truly a failure in the <Character Education> course. Admiring herself, she maintained a nonchalant expression as if she were just making a passing comment.
“The cut is already forming pus. It’ll be a serious problem if it gets more infected.”
The hesitant woman glanced around once more before forcing out the words in a barely audible voice.
“But, if my husband finds out…”
Just as I thought.
Elysia nearly gritted her teeth. She had suspected it was domestic violence, given the woman's overly defensive attitude, but nothing felt worse than having that suspicion confirmed. She forced the corners of her mouth up, but her eyes weren't smiling.
“We can even provide treatment at the public laundry. Honestly, it’s very difficult to receive this level of care in a village so far from the capital. So.”
“…”
“Your address. Tell me now.”
Hesitating, Zenia obediently gave her address. Seeing her comply so readily, unlike before when she had been terrified and ready to flee, it seemed she had calmed down considerably. Or perhaps she was just too desperate to refuse the help.
With a blank expression, Elysia ushered them past the partition and into the examination room.