Chapter 328 Suddenly Lively
"Is Blaze okay!?"
Rihito nodded to Jeffrey and pointed to a table with a big sofa. When Jeffrey sat down looking uneasy, Scott also took a seat next to him. Rihito sat down in front of Jeffrey and quietly declared.
"Blaze has a fever. He had a high temperature before, but Miss Sara's healing magic helped him calm down for now. However, he is still infected, so we need to keep an eye on him."
"Father, it seems Blaze's body was really hurt when he was with the mercenary group..."
Scott explained to his father with a serious look, and Jeffrey turned back to Rihito.
"Can you tell me what this means?"
"When I examined Blaze earlier, I found multiple internal injuries. His legs and arms had old fractures that healed badly, and there was damage to his organs. It seems he also suffered from malnutrition for a long time, which caused delays in his growth. Because of all this, Blaze has less stamina than boys his age and a lower resistance to illness."
"That's terrible!"
"All of these conditions have been healed by Miss Sara's magic for now. But as you know, a fever can't be cured with healing magic. We can only wait for Blaze to overcome the illness. There is a chance it could get worse again, so it would be best for Blaze to stay here and receive care."
"I see. Please take care of my son. Thank you, Sara, for helping Blaze."
"Ugh. I should have noticed when I treated the burn, but I'm sorry I didn't realize until it got this bad."
"It's not your fault, Sara. The real problem is those jerks who hurt the kids."
Jeffrey looked up, his eyes filled with anger.
"Sir Jeffrey, please calm down. Miss Sara treated every part of Blaze's body. But we don't know about his heart. Please keep an eye on that too. He's still just 10 years old."
"Understood. Thank you for your concern."
"Don't mention it. And Scott, you're the closest to Blaze. I'm counting on you."
"Got it. I'll protect my little brother."
Rihito smiled gently at Scott.
'Rihito can be so grandfather-like sometimes.'
"I'll examine Scott and Miss Sara now, but it seems Mister Thomas is also unwell, so Sir Jeffrey, you should get checked too. I'll visit Mister Thomas later."
"I see. Um, I hate to ask, but a few members of the knight order have come down with a fever, so if possible, could you also check on them?"
"Are you talking about the knight dormitory!?"
"That's right."
"This is bad! Sir Jeffrey, you need to put the dormitory on lockdown right now!"
"Huh?"
Sara, who had been listening, called over a golem and told it to run to the knight order.
"Rihito, give instructions to another golem. The one that just ran should tell the knights in the order."
"Got it."
Rihito warned the knights in the knight order through the golem. Meanwhile, Amelia and Alicia prepared for the house call. Jeffrey and Scott were amazed by their impressive teamwork.
Then, Rihito examined Sara, Scott, and Jeffrey one by one, confirming that none of them were infected so far. Sara, who was curious about how to test for a virus, watched as Rihito easily used magic to check, causing her to exclaim, "Wow, that's too overpowered!"
'Hmm. This should become legendary. Whether it's an alchemist or a healer, it's not surprising if people think it's a divine skill. Rihito is super overpowered too!'
Sara realized what it meant to "put my own things on the shelf" as she looked at Rihito in front of her.
As a side note, Rihito checked everyone working at Maiden's Tower in order, but so far, there were no infected people. This meant that Blaze was the only infected person in the tower. Rihito informed the staff about infection prevention measures, especially warning Hannah, who cooked meals, and Charlotte, the toddler, to stay away from the guest room.
"Sara, after I finish Mister Thomas's house call, I'm going to the knight order. It might take some time because I need to do triage. Amelia, please help me."
"What is triage?"
Amelia asked with a puzzled expression.
"I'll explain that later."
"Grandfather, me too!"
"Later. Alicia, can you go to the Alchemy Guild and the Pharmacist Guild right now to check the current situation?"
"I understand. Is it okay to share the recipe for oral rehydration solution with the Alchemy Guild?"
"It should have been shared a long time ago, but if it's lost, please take care of it. Also, spread it to the Pharmacist Guild. The drip technique was taught to the Alchemy Guild over 50 years ago by Theofrastos, but are they using it properly?"
"Absolutely! That means we also need a lot of saline solution."
"Oh, good job. Then please let them know to prepare a lot of needles and bottles for the drips."
Having Alicia, who has a direct line to the Alchemy Guild Manager during such emergencies, is really useful. At the Pharmacist Guild, they wouldn't turn her away either.
"If that's the case, Alicia, take a golem with you. It's useful for both protection and record-keeping, but more importantly, it makes emergency communication easier. If Rihito and the others have any issues with the knights, they can contact us through the golem."
"Got it, Sara."
"Alicia, if there are already infected people in the territory, we need to quickly get our system in place. Please give Mr. Alexander a letter from me. Since this happens every year, I think some preparations are already in place, but I've also included notes about using antipyretics."
"I'll make sure to deliver it."
Alicia received the letter from Amelia and carefully put it in her bag.
"Sara, can you contact Sir Robert and warn the bureaucrats about the signs of a pandemic? We will probably need a cooperative effort."
"Understood. I think we might involve guild members too."
"That seems likely."
At that moment, Alicia interrupted.
"Sara, once we get to the Alchemy Guild, I'll send you the list of craftsmen through the golem. I think it's better to quickly have them make IV drips and injections, but we might not be able to secure the budget right away. If necessary, I can use my bonus, so could you please place the order quickly? I'll also let the Alchemy Guild know to prepare plenty of oral rehydration solutions and saline."
"The Sophia Merchant Guild isn't in such trouble that we have to touch the employees' money. We'll handle it as a donation, so for now, I'll place the order to have them make it with all their effort."
"Thank you."
"It's not you, Alicia, who should be thanking me. By the way, spreading this knowledge over 50 years ago means Rihito was actually an amazing person. I never thought saline would be used so commonly in this world."
"I'm glad you understand my greatness. Well, it's thanks to my knowledge from my previous life and the craftsmen."
Sara thought for a moment.
'In the end, the most important thing is prevention.'
"Rihito, I was planning to make it from scratch, but could you let me use your cheat early?"
"What do you mean?"
"Make a large amount of caustic soda."
"Sodium hydroxide? Oh, soap!"
Rihito understood immediately.
"Imported goods are too expensive. Soap is a classic cheat in another world, but I know it's not that easy to make. However, we can't afford to think about that right now."
"True, handwashing is important, but sodium hydroxide is a dangerous chemical. There's a good reason why soap is expensive. Also, remember that managing hygiene in this world is quite difficult. It's not just about handwashing. And don't forget that if we only build a factory halfway, it could lead to pollution problems."
"Umm. It's difficult."
"Still, the Grandchester territory is quite blessed. We should be thankful that the former lord was great."
"Why?"
"Because they have a complete sewage system."
"Oh, is that so? No wonder there's a purification tank in this tower too."
"Sara, if you're going to call yourself a Grandchester, you should honor your ancestors' achievements a bit more."
"It seems I need to study more. I'll reflect on that."
'I see, so Kazuya was such an amazing lord. It's no wonder the second generation deified him.'
"I see. So, last question. Do you really think there will be a big outbreak of the fever this year?"
"I don't know. But I think it's better to act as if there will be."
Sara turned to Jeffrey.
"Sir Jeffrey, as you've heard, it seems there's a high possibility of a fever outbreak this year. We don't know if it will really happen, but we should start preparing now. I believe my grandfather was supposed to leave for the royal capital today, but he hasn't left yet, has he?"
Since Sara changed her tone, Jeffrey also switched to a more formal attitude in response.
"Yes. Actually, there are a few members of the knight order who have caught the fever, so we are changing the schedule to replace them. They should be at the knight order headquarters now."
"I see. Then please hurry to my grandfather and let him know to set up a meeting with the heads of the bureaucrats, the Pharmacist Guild, the Alchemist Guild, the Commerce Guild, and the Adventurers Guild. Alicia will be visiting the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild soon, so we should be able to notify them in advance."
"Sara, should we also visit the Commerce Guild after the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild?"
"Um, it seems more effective to get a letter from Grandfather for that. If it's Alicia, she might get turned away."
"That might be true. We don't have many acquaintances there."
Alicia slightly slumped her shoulders, but it's actually unusual for someone her age to be known in 2 guilds.
"Sir Jeffrey, Grandfather's presence isn't mandatory, but please at least get his approval in writing. By the way, my father, who is the top bureaucrat, must attend."
"What about you, Miss Sara?"
"Honestly, I'm conflicted. I want to participate as Sophia, but I can't have Sophia acting all high and mighty in front of the Commerce Guild staff. I'm not looking forward to it, but it seems I'll have to deal with the wild 8-year-old again."
Jeffrey smirked and spoke to Sara in his usual tone.
"Don't worry. Thanks to Jean from the Adventurers Guild, your heroic tales are known among the guild members. His Excellency the Marquis heard the stories and was laughing hard."
"That's the worst. I should have kept it a secret."
"No, no, it's better to play along while they think you're a prodigy. Soon enough, you'll hear complaints from the Commerce Guild. Just to be safe, let Sophia's golem attend the meeting too. They might suspect a family connection, but they won't think it's the same person."
"That's true. It would be convenient if Sophia is seen as a girl receiving special education of noble."
"That seems inconvenient for the other merchants, doesn't it?"
Jeffrey, Rihito, Alicia, and Amelia went outside to head to their respective destinations. However, since the first snow was falling heavily, the roads were muddy in many places.
"On this road, Lady Alicia's carriage might get stuck. Can you ride a horse?"
"I'm still practicing, so I can't say for sure."
"If the snow had piled up, we could have used a sled..."
Amelia decided to ride with Rihito, but Jeffrey and Alicia had different destinations, so they couldn't travel together. In the end, Scott ended up taking Alicia on his horse.
"Scott, make sure to protect Lady Alicia properly."
"Understood, Father."
As they hurriedly left, Sara returned to the library and felt it was somehow larger than before. If she listened closely, she could hear the small sounds made by the servants and golems, but she couldn't hear any conversations.
'It has become lively without me noticing. When Maria and I came to the Grandchester territory, I never thought it would turn out like this... I hope we can welcome spring without losing anyone... Wait, which god should I pray to? Definitely not Marcato. But Gaia is out of the question too...'
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