Ch.65The City of Potions. Shahelm (4)

“What is your exact relationship with the patient?”

“She’s an adventurer, and I’m the party leader of the party she belongs to.”

“I see.”

The nurse was writing down what I said beside the doctor.

“Well then. Please read this.”

The doctor showed me the diagnosis.

[Raisha Wayne.]

[Age 16.]

[Height: 166cm.]

[Weight: 332kg.]

[Patient suffering from Fungyuan side effects.]

[Admitted to room in the 1000s range on recommendation from Posha Pharmaceutical Company.]

I began reading the next page.

[Hypertrophied muscle tissue detected throughout the body.]

[Requires reduction through medication followed by surgical excision.]

[Accessory breast removal. Breast reconstruction and ligament reinforcement.]

[Edema throughout the body due to drug side effects. Spread widely in subcutaneous tissue making surgical intervention impossible. Treatment through medication.]

[Growth stunting due to excessive skeletal burden. Extensive fat deposits in heart, liver, etc. due to drug side effects.]

[Hypertrophied muscle tissue causing strain on the heart. Surgical intervention needed to remove fat adhering to vital organs and medication required to restore function of deteriorated organs.]

“…..”

I couldn’t finish reading the diagnosis.

Even though I was completely ignorant about medicine, I could tell from what I’d read that her condition was serious.

I closed the diagnosis and returned it to the doctor, who took it, turned to the last page, and signed it.

Then he handed the diagnosis back to me, and I read the title of the last page.

[Treatment Consent Form.]

I wrote my name and treated the Iron Walker party I had created as a legally binding entity.

“We have your consent. Please don’t worry too much. Our St. Tiago City Hospital has the best medical staff in the city. The patient will soon be stabilized.”

The doctor made deliberately exaggerated gestures as if trying to comfort me.

I wasn’t doubting his skills or those of the others. I was just anxious.

“When will the surgery begin?”

“We’ll perform surgical procedures once we confirm the medication is effective and her condition improves. Of course, there won’t be any side effects.”

Raisha’s condition was more fitting for a 61-year-old grandmother than a 16-year-old girl, so immediate surgery wasn’t possible.

On this point, I had no particular objection.

“As long as you don’t do anything listed in that ridiculously long disclaimer.”

“Since you understand, this will go quickly. With Posha Pharmaceutical Company’s recommendation letter, we’ll make accommodations regarding the cost.”

“What do you mean by ‘accommodations’?”

Such ambiguous words were often interpreted in one’s favor, leading to betrayal, so I demanded a more precise explanation.

“It means we’ll record the charges but won’t necessarily collect them. Of course, if you pay, that would be great for us.”

“How much is the treatment?”

I suspected it wouldn’t be cheap.

This wasn’t an ordinary injury… the drug side effects had persisted for years…

“The cost of medications needed for treatment… surgery… hospitalization and various incidental expenses… it would be just under 2 gold coins.”

“Exactly 1,870 silver coins,” the nurse specified.

1,870 silver coins.

It was a burdensome amount, but not one I couldn’t afford.

I currently had five or six gold coins on hand.

After signing everywhere my signature was needed, I asked the doctor a few questions.

“How long will it take?”

“As short as 2 months, as long as 6 months? Not too long.”

“Are there any side effects from the medication, or any drugs she’ll need to take afterward?”

“Since we’re using strong medications, absolutely no alcohol during hospitalization, and no smoking either. Even after surgery, she shouldn’t use any substances that put strain on the body for at least a year.”

“What do you mean by substances that put strain on the body?”

“I mean stimulants or recreational drugs, except for healing items like potions.”

“Hmm…. I understand. I think I’ve asked everything I wanted to, so I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. It was a pleasure speaking with you.”

After hearing this perfunctory response, I ended the conversation, opened the door to the hospital room, and approached Raisha.

*

“So… what happened?”

“What do you mean what happened? We’re proceeding with the treatment as planned.”

“I… see.”

Raisha seemed somehow dejected.

She was going to live with a much more normal body soon, so why was she so downcast?

“The doctor said… it would take as little as 2 months or as long as 6 months.”

“6 months…”

Raisha muttered, clutching her blanket.

Since a year consists of 18 months, that’s roughly one-third of a year gone.

“Come on, don’t be so gloomy. It’s only 6 months at the longest. You could recover in just two months at the shortest.”

“But…”

“Hmm?”

“But Victor won’t wait for me that long…”

Raisha began to sob.

“No. I will wait.”

I don’t understand why she thought I would leave her. Shorter is better and longer is unfortunate, but I had no intention of abandoning her.

*sniff*

She sniffled and looked straight at me.

“Really?”

“Yes. Why would you think I wouldn’t wait for you?”

“Well… other people don’t wait that long.”

“I’m not like other people.”

I said this, cutting off her delusion.

Raisha Wayne was Victor’s party member.

And the leader of Iron Walker never abandons his party members over such trivial matters.

That was the end of it.

“I will wait for you. Until we can go on adventures together again, until we can see the 52 wonders of the world together. Are you reassured now?”

I deliberately used a stern tone as I asked her, and she wiped away her tears and answered.

“Yes…”

“Good.”

I got up and headed to the hospital lobby.

*

“I’m here to pay the hospital bill.”

“The total hospital bill is 1 gold coin and 870 silver coins.”

I handed 2 gold coins to the nurse.

The 2 gold coins went into the lobby’s spatial storage, and a pouch containing 130 silver coins was handed to me.

“Thank you for your payment. Have a nice day.”

“Mm.”

I left the hospital, and time passed quickly.

After about a week, the armor was ready.

After two weeks, the weapon was ready.

I wore the armor and carried the weapon, consistently taking on ten requests a day within a day’s distance from Shahelm to steadily accumulate funds. When I returned to Shahelm after adventures, I always stopped by the hospital to check on Raisha’s condition.

After three weeks, her swelling began to subside, and after a month, she was on the operating table.

I stood by her side until she was anesthetized, and then she was operated on by several doctors.

Afterward, her body was stitched up and returned to room 1034, and I waited by her side until she regained consciousness.

Hours later, Raisha opened her eyes again, and the first thing she saw was me looking at her.

Raisha’s body was swollen, but as time passed, the swelling subsided and she began to slim down.

While nothing could be done about the already formed skeleton and attached fat, at least the excessive flesh on her chest and hips that had made normal life impossible was largely removed, and now she had breasts and hips that were just normally larger than her head.

After that, I continued the cycle of requests-hospital-sleep-wake-requests… The number of pills she took after meals and the types, concentration, and volume of IV fluids inserted gradually decreased.

After 2 months, the doctor said her recovery was faster than expected, and Raisha was overjoyed.

And after 3 months, Raisha clung to me as she was discharged, and at the One-Legged Captain Inn where we were staying, she shed tears of joy as she ate warm stew with a spoon from a bowl at the table for the first time in her life.

Afterward, we spent a month carrying out requests that took us further away, both for rehabilitation and to regain our teamwork, and then we began preparing to leave Shahelm for our next destination, Fernheim, the birthplace of Karil.

All these actions I took are things some people would never do.

Inefficient, unproductive, excessively romantic, what some might call “not cost-effective.”

But to those cold-hearted ones, let the believer preach: the word “cost-effectiveness” is not one to be applied to people.

How can those cold individuals who cannot even show this much devotion to a companion who embarked on adventures with them, to a comrade who fought alongside them risking their lives, ever have their hearts stirred by the romance of adventure?

I have seen countless children and elderly abandoned by the city government and council members to starve to death, die of disease, die of heat, and freeze to death on the streets because “it’s not profitable,” and know that their deaths are engraved upon my soul.

As long as I live, those in distress who catch my eye shall take my hand. The gates of heaven will open to those who show mercy.