After the Incident
Five days had passed since taking in Bass and Toto, and the situation suddenly began to move quickly.
The perpetrators who had kidnapped Bass and Toto, the slave trader who organized it, and the count who had been colluding with the trader were all captured. After thorough interrogations, executions were ordered. For the count’s family, not only the head of the household but also all family members and servants were to be executed. Incidentally, the heir of this count’s family had previously served in the royal guard and had once been assigned to protect Prince Fred. He was the same knight who had tried to draw his sword at me the first time I met Prince Fred.
From the slave trader’s testimony, other nobles who had abused their slaves were also targeted for punishment.
All of those who had used the slave trader were part of the Second Prince faction, so Duke Galley, the faction’s leader, was publicly stripped of his title and his entire family was exiled abroad as a form of taking responsibility.
… However, no one has ever seen a single member of the Duke Galley family cross the border.
Unofficially, the Duke Galley family’s dungeon had several prisoners—beastkin and elves among them. Some were injured, others malnourished. Now, they are hospitalized at General’s clinic. The reason for treatment at General is twofold: the medical equipment is on par with the royal capital, and above all, there are very few people giving rude or intrusive looks.
Even though this is a remote territory, the clinic has royal-level medical equipment because I, drawing on experience from my previous life, taught them hospital food recipes and rehabilitation techniques. At 82 years old, rehab and inpatient care had been an inseparable part of my life, so hospital food and rehab were second nature to me.
Usually, visiting a temple and offering a donation would heal most illnesses or injuries. But priests outside the royal capital have limited ability, and donations are not something commoners can easily afford.
In contrast, the General’s clinic has skilled healers and apothecaries. Both had been adventurers and came to General, drawn by the good food and the liveliness of this remote place. They were ready to retire, thinking their adventuring days were over, when they witnessed Lily giving birth at the guild. Seeing me calmly directing the guild staff and guildmaster left a deep impression on them.
Through the guildmaster, they contacted me—of course, via my father.
When I spoke with them alongside my father, they initially wanted to join the Lampail family, but because they had the skills [First Aid] and [Alchemy], I recommended them become a healer and apothecary. The clinic was built on vacant land next to the orphanage: the first floor is the clinic and pharmacy, the second floor is for inpatients.
I chose this location so that the orphans could be treated immediately if they fell ill, and so the patients could be cheered by the smiles of the children outside the window. Former patients have said that at first they found it noisy, but hearing the children’s laughter and singing eased their anxiety. The orphanage also occasionally sends gifts to discharged patients. Truly, there’s truth to the saying that illness is influenced by the mind.
The inpatient meals are prepared by the wives of the local citizens. I design the recipes, tailoring meals for each patient. On the day before discharge, patients can request a celebratory meal, such as steak, hamburgers, or curry.
Word of this spread among adventurers and merchants, and the clinic became popular for those who didn’t have severe illnesses or injuries but wanted proper care. The cost varies depending on treatment and length of stay, but patients’ burdens are minimized. Adventurers without money have payments drawn from guild trust funds; for merchants without funds, the commercial guild handles it.
This might seem to compete with priests’ work, but merchants at General only stay for a limited period, so they still go to temples even if the cost is high. Patients beyond the healers’ skill are properly referred to priests for treatment.
As for the lack of rude or intrusive stares, my father said it’s because I’m here. Despite being the lord’s daughter, from a young age I rode pegasi and a fenrir—what the locals think of as wolf-type beast—spread various foods, ran Jo Company, and became a rank-B adventurer at 15 (equivalent to rank A elsewhere). Even if considered an abnormal Null attribute, I treated everyone equally. The local people, seeing my behavior, reflected on their own actions, and now very few discriminate against others.
Because of this, whether beastkin, dwarves, elves, or flamboyant folks, the locals greet them with smiles and offer help when needed.
Besides Bass and Toto, who were brought to the Kingdom of Exzaria by the slave trader, the prisoners included a tiger boy, a rabbit girl, an elf girl, and a lizardman man.
As a result, General has become a melting pot of races in our domain.
All the prisoners had initially been placed under slave contracts. This left them not only physically exhausted but also mentally fatigued, and they still cannot provide detailed reports.
The tiger boy and lizardman were given the same muting poison that Bass and Toto drank, so even drinking [Aqua] water doesn’t immediately restore their voices. Otherwise, there are no external injuries, so they continue to drink [Aqua] water.
The rabbit girl and elf girl, relieved when rescued, said “Thank goodness…” and “I’m saved…” before losing consciousness, which has now lasted two days.
For now, all we can do is wait for everyone’s recovery.
What do you think about this chapter?
