Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Flu
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"Erectile dysfunction? What?"
Yalta blinked his eyes rapidly.
Ugh... It's so cold.
"I mean the erectile dysfunction remedy. The liquor made from that three-leafed herb."
As I spoke while shivering uncontrollably, Luna looked at me with concern.
"Aiden, you look freezing. Someone! Bring some clothes suitable for Aiden to wear."
I'd rushed out so hastily that the cold was already biting...
At Luna's command, Jin pulled a thick fur garment from his horse's saddle and handed it to me.
"Put this on."
Once I draped the thick fur over myself, it felt a bit better.
"Fine. But we'll talk about this later?"
I glared at him steadily, and Jin just gave an awkward smile.
Yalta asked with a puzzled expression.
"Hmm? You need that liquor? Why?"
"Because it'll make a fortune, that's why we need it."
But Yalta tilted his head skeptically.
"That makes money? Are humans weak at night duties?"
"It's not so much weakness at night duties..."
"Whatever. We're not interested in trading. Humans are our thousand-year enemies. You know how dangerous it is to deal with such a race."
As he spoke, he stared intently at Luna.
"Cough... Cough. I understand your point. But if we trade, at least this village will be safe. If other orc villages join in, they'll be safe too."
"How can we trust that? Even if you're the Grand Duchess's secretary, it's not a promise from the Grand Duchess herself."
At Yalta's sharp question, Luna stepped forward.
"If you wish, I'll affix my seal. Is that sufficient?"
Yalta looked stunned, as if he couldn't believe it. He stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking with difficulty.
"Huh? If a famed Swordmaster and knight like you gives her word, then yes, we can trust it."
"Then, how much of that three-leafed herb liquor can you produce in a year?"
Were my hands and feet numb from the cold? My mind wasn't working sharply.
"About ten large oak barrels?"
The number was smaller than I'd expected, so I asked again.
"Can't you make more than that?"
"We could, but even as village chief, I can't rally people for something that doesn't pay."
"Ah? So if we provide wages, you could make more?"
He nodded as if it were obvious.
"Exactly. The three-leafed herb grows everywhere in our village."
"That's fortunate, then. Cough... Cough..."
As I kept coughing, Luna's face filled with worry.
"Aiden, are you really okay?"
To be honest, I wasn't okay at all.
Yalta eyed me closely too.
"You don't look well."
I waved off his voice laced with concern.
"I'm still fine. How about a non-aggression pact under those terms? In exchange, grant us exclusive sales rights."
"Who would even buy such a thing? Exclusivity isn't the issue."
Yalta glared at Luna and me.
"You must not attack our village or race in the future. No—return all the territory seized in this war."
As Luna's face soured at Yalta's overreaching demand, I quickly intervened.
"That's difficult. This reclamation... no, since you call it a war among different races, we'll say it's a war."
As soon as I mentioned "reclamation," he glared, so I hastily corrected myself.
"That land is ours now. Asking us to give it up is impossible."
This was a proposal Luna could never accept.
"Instead, we'll cover wages, facility costs, and such..."
"Forget that! Are you mocking us other races?! You steal our homes and then propose deals like this?!"
"It's for peace. Are you really going to spend the next few hundred years in tragedy like the past?"
Yalta, eyes blazing, replied curtly.
"We do not fear death."
Damn... He's more stubborn than I thought.
"What if we share it jointly without retreating?"
He shook his head vigorously.
"Impossible. That territory belongs to our orc and elf tribes."
On a hunch, I asked Yalta.
"You don't mean... we have to return the elves' territory too?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
-Zap!
At Yalta's words, Luna glared at me intently.
I hadn't expected that either...
"In exchange for not attacking this village..."
"We speak for all other races. Don't think of this as just a deal with our village."
How did things turn out like this?
All I wanted was erectile dysfunction medicine.
"Cough... Cough... How about this? We freeze the territory as is, gather representatives from the other races, and negotiate formally."
The elves and dwarves surely have exceptional goods too.
Might as well negotiate with them now and monopolize the economic benefits.
Waging war to reclaim would cost too much anyway.
"Hmm... But does the Grand Duchess intend to do that?"
Luna glared at me as she spoke.
"Since my secretary proposes it, I'm willing to hear it out."
Her red eyes bored into me, making me uneasy.
"Unexpected. I didn't think you'd join in on something like this."
She finally looked away from me.
Luna frowned at Yalta.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. In any case, Aiden's words have merit... I'll relay it to the other tribes."
"Understood. I'll be at the fortress for a while. Send letters there."
-Thud.
"Ugh..."
Was it the tension releasing? My legs gave out.
"Aiden?!"
"Are you alright?!"
Luna caught me in her arms.
Seeing the shock on her face, I lost consciousness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Aiden?! What are you all doing?! Hurry and bring something to carry him on! Where's the medic?!"
Luna placed her hand on Aiden's forehead as he collapsed.
'He's burning up?'
Feeling his scalding forehead, she bit her lip.
'He didn't say he was hurting... Idiot.'
Realizing he'd endured it to prevent war, Luna's heart ached with resentment.
"We'll end here for today. One of ours is ill."
At Luna's words, while holding Aiden, Yalta nodded.
"Understood. Take care of Aiden first."
Only then did the medic approach.
He touched Aiden's head and slipped a small pill from his sleeve into his mouth.
"He's got a high fever, so I gave him a fever reducer. We need to get him somewhere warm immediately."
"Pitch a tent right now!"
At Luna's shout, Charles looked worried.
"Your Grace, forgive my impertinence, but this is still enemy territory. We should pull back a bit."
It was only natural, given they'd been at each other's throats moments ago.
"No need for such worries. We keep our promises. We know the value of high honor."
At Yalta's words, Luna gave a stiff nod.
"I thank you for your consideration."
Soon, Luna's tent was set up and a simple bed prepared. They hurriedly laid Aiden down, piled firewood, lit it, and warmed the tent.
"Blankets! Blankets..."
As Luna frantically searched for blankets, Charles pulled some from the luggage and covered Aiden.
"Please calm down, Your Grace."
Charles whispered in Luna's ear as he approached.
"If the ruler panics, the subordinates will mock her."
A cool-headed ruler must not show emotions easily.
It would become a weakness.
Realizing Charles's intent, Luna forcibly calmed herself.
Her fussing wouldn't heal Aiden anyway.
"Thank you, Sir Charles."
Charles stepped back slightly at her grateful words.
"Call on me anytime if needed."
Now alone in the tent with the medic.
He examined Aiden's body.
'Sigh, having to treat someone next to the Grand Duchess.'
Medics usually treated the wounded.
He'd worked carefree until now, but not today.
The Ice Grand Duchess was right beside him.
The medic felt immense pressure but cared for Aiden without showing it.
'Flu? He might die if unlucky.'
The flu here could be lethal.
Even Earth's flu killed masses in the past. Advanced medicine made it rare now, but...
This world lacked modern medicine, so deaths were common.
But the medic didn't know one fact.
Aiden had strong immunity to flu unlike this world's people.
He wouldn't die from a mere cold, but unaware, the medic said gravely.
"Tonight... will be the crisis."
Luna jumped at the unexpected words.
"What... did you say?"
"It seems like a nasty flu. As you know... flu has a high mortality rate."
He took a white pill from his pouch and placed it in Aiden's mouth.
"We'll have to wait for the fever to break."
Luna paled at the medic's words.
'No...? Aiden? You're not dying so pointlessly, right?'
She spoke coldly to the medic.
"I'll tend to Aiden. Rest nearby."
The medic bowed and withdrew at her command.