Chapter 329 Alicia's Struggle
Alicia was desperately clinging to Scott on the swaying horse. She realized that riding behind someone was bumpier than practicing horseback riding. Her backside hurt more than usual. The sight of Golem No. 18 running alongside them was quite surreal.
Once they arrived at the Alchemy Guild, Alicia saw her father, who had just been turned away from Maiden's Tower, walking ahead.
"Father!"
Theofrastos turned around when Alicia called him, surprised to see his daughter clinging to a boy on a horse.
"Alicia, what if people start spreading weird rumors about you riding with a boy?"
"He's Sir Jeffrey's son. He kindly brought me here in a hurry. Please don't say rude things."
Scott skillfully swung his legs around and lightly jumped down from Dimna, which amazed Alicia with his agility. He even helped her get down.
"I hesitated to call out from the horse, so I apologize for the late introduction. I am Jeffrey di Grandchester's son, Scott Grandchester."
Scott greeted them with a graceful bow, and Theofrastos hurriedly returned the greeting.
"I-I'm very sorry for this. I am Theofrastos, the Guild Manager of the Alchemy Guild."
"I deeply apologize for allowing your precious daughter to ride without your permission. However, due to the urgent matter, I hope you can forgive us."
'Wow, I only knew Scott as the usual Sara fan, but he really transforms outside. He really is from the Grandchester family. That cat disguise is really thick.'
Alicia was thinking something very rude, but she didn't show it on her face.
"If that's the case, there's nothing we can do. So, what happened?"
"It would be more accurate for Lady Alicia to explain the details directly."
"Father, Sir Jeffrey's other son has come down with a fever. It seems some people in the knight order are also getting sick, and Grandfather... Mr. Paracelsus is hurrying to make house calls. They said that this year there might be a big outbreak of fever, so we need to come up with a plan quickly."
"What! There have indeed been more reports in the capital... If Mr. Paracelsus says so, we must be careful. Should we quickly call a meeting?"
"Could you also reach out to the Pharmacist Guild?"
"Of course. For now, after warming up at the Alchemist Guild, you should join the meeting too. By the way, how is Lady Amelia?"
"She went to the knight dormitory with Mr. Paracelsus."
"Hmm... We should talk to the people from the Pharmacist Guild about that."
While Theofrastos hurried to make arrangements at the guild headquarters, Alicia guided Scott to the Alchemist Guild's stables. First, they needed to let his horse, Dimna, rest. It was a strong horse, but carrying 2 people was still a strain.
Alicia wanted to show Scott around confidently, but she couldn't hide that her legs were shaking from the unfamiliar horseback riding.
"Lady Alicia, should I carry it for you?"
"N-no, it's okay. It's not that heavy."
When 18 called out to Alicia, Scott also looked at her.
"I'm sorry. The horse sways more in the back. If you're not used to it, it can be tough. On the way back, please sit in the front. Even if you sit sideways, I'll support you."
Alicia felt a bit down because she was making Scott, who was younger than her, worry about her. Today, Scott was not only Alicia's footman but also her bodyguard, staying close to her.
Today, Scott had also received permission from his father to wear a sword and borrowed a rapier meant for Sophia. By the way, Sophia often holds this rapier in her right hand and a mangoose in her left, but since Scott isn't very skilled with dual-wielding, he only uses the rapier.
"Thank you. It seems better to do that. I heard you're still an apprentice, but you're really a knight, Scott."
"Thank you! I'm always trying to be that way, so I'm really happy to hear that!"
Scott's bright smile made Alicia want to recommend him as Sara's future boyfriend. Alicia, who had no dating experience, was quite easy to influence.
Inside the Alchemy Guild, things were already bustling, and it was clear that Theofrastos was moving quickly. Since Alicia was familiar with the building, she walked straight to the largest conference room without hesitation. A few people were already waiting inside, and when Alicia entered, they all bowed at once.
"Don't bow your heads to me. You're not even guild members."
"What's that supposed to mean? Lady Alicia is now a rising star alchemist who can blow away the academy professors with just a breath!"
"Just so you know, it was Miss Sara who blew them away, not me. I was stuck in bed with a stomachache. Well, I'm just a hidden alchemist like Mr. Paracelsus."
"It's hilarious that being a hidden one is considered better!"
"These days, titles don't really matter. I'm in the best workplace where I can do my favorite research as much as I want. Plus, I get to talk directly with Mr. Paracelsus, which is the best of the best, right?"
"Ahhh, that's what I envy the most!"
"Hehe. Be jealous. The frustration of not being able to attend the academy has completely disappeared. Even if I were invited now, I don't think I'd go to the academy."
"Is that really how it is?"
"Of course! For this magic stone research, Miss Sara let me read Mr. Paracelsus's materials as much as I wanted and provided a ton of magic stones, so I could present my findings. I doubt the academy professors would let me use this many magic stones freely."
"Whoa! No wonder the Sophia Merchant Guild is backing you up!"
"--I want to work there too!"
"No way, you can't get into Maiden's Tower."
"Would it be okay if I wore a dress?"
"I think you'd have to cut that off first."
Then, another alchemist who had been quietly listening suddenly looked up and stared at Alicia.
"Um, if I cut that off and wore a dress, could I work at Maiden's Tower too?"
The eyes were serious.
"Wait, Michael. Your eyes are too intense, it's scary. Don't cut anything out of impulse, okay?"
"I really want to work with Mr. Paracelsus. I can cut it if needed."
"I haven't seen it, but maybe grandfather is still around!"
"But, he's at Maiden's Tower, right?"
"Please calm down!"
Scott, who was watching this exchange from behind Alicia, was desperately trying to hold back his laughter. The alchemists were being way too serious, and it was too funny.
"Lady Alicia, please calm down too."
Scott stepped in to prevent the young alchemists from doing something rash.
"Everyone, it's true that Mr. Paracelsus is staying at Maiden's Tower, but it's only temporary. Whether he works with you or not depends on him. Also, this gathering was called by Mr. Paracelsus, so depending on how you work, you might catch his attention."
However, during this exchange, other alchemists and pharmacists from the Pharmacist Guild had entered the room, and Scott's words had a big impact on them.
"What! This was a call from Mr. Paracelsus!"
"What did you say!"
Scott realized that his comment had caused a commotion and started to panic.
"What should I do? Did I say something careless?"
Seeing Scott revert to his usual childish self, Alicia chuckled and gently patted his arm.
"Don't worry about it. There are a lot of strange people who are alchemists. Just think of them as rare creatures and watch over them warmly."
"Ugh, warmly, huh..."
While Scott was in shock, Alicia stood up straight.
"Since it seems we are all together, I will begin. I apologize for a young girl like me taking charge, but I have a message directly from Mr. Paracelsus to share."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone knows about you, and besides, Mr. Paracelsus is your great-great-grandfather, isn't he?"
Bernard, who serves as the Guild Manager of the Pharmacist Guild, answered on behalf of the guild.
"Thank you, Master Bernard."
Alicia smiled brightly.
"Right away, we found a patient with a fever inside Grandchester Castle. The one we confirmed is Sir Blaze, the second son of the knight commander, but I also heard that there is a fever outbreak in the knight's dormitory. Therefore, Mr. Paracelsus and my colleague, Lady Amelia, are urgently visiting the knight's dormitory. Also, Mr. Thomas Tyler, who is staying at Sir Jeffrey's mansion, is bedridden with a high fever, so he is likely infected as well."
Then Alexander, who was sitting next to Bernard, stood up.
"Wait a minute. Is Amelia at the knight's dormitory?"
'Hey! Didn't Father tell Mr. Alexander?'
Alicia glanced at her father, who had a guilty look on his face. It seemed he had forgotten to mention something important.
"You're right, Mr. Alexander. Right now, she is with Mr. Paracelsus at the knight's dormitory for a check-up. They should be checking everyone's condition and separating the patients. The knights are helping too, but I think we will need support from our guild as well."
"I see. Understood."
"Also, Lady Amelia is receiving direct guidance from Mr. Paracelsus, and I have a letter from her that summarizes the precautions regarding the fever."
Alicia took the letter she had received from Amelia out of her bag and handed it to Bernard. After reading the letter, Bernard passed it directly to Alexander.
"So, it means we shouldn't use antipyretics on fever patients?"
"That's what I've heard. It's hard to see patients suffering from fever, but the serious side effects are a bigger concern."
"Indeed... We have also been troubled by encephalopathy."
"In the end, it's important to manage dehydration caused by fever. If the patient is conscious and can swallow, we should give them oral rehydration solutions. If that's difficult, we might have to use IV fluids, according to Mr. Paracelsus."
"Oral rehydration solution... what is that?"
"It seems the Pharmacist Guild hasn't shared the recipe. Is it properly managed in the Alchemist Guild?"
"No, I don't remember anything about it..."
Alicia sighed.
"Mr. Paracelsus published the recipe many years ago. It's unfortunate that the recipe has been lost from the Alchemy Guild. However, it seems master anticipated this. No. 18, I'm sorry, but could you quickly write out the recipe for the oral rehydrationsolution?"
"Understood. How many copies do you need?"
"Four copies, 2 for each guild. If necessary, they should be able to make copies within each guild."
"Got it."
No. 18 quickly wrote out the recipe and handed 2 copies each to Theofrastos and Bernard.
"The recipe for the saline solution for IVs is already public, right?"
"Yes, it's been published by the Alchemy Guild."
"Then please make it public in the Pharmacist Guild right away. The original recipe belongs to Mr. Paracelsus, and he has instructed that it be published."
"Understood. I will prepare a copy of the recipe immediately."
"No. 18, can you also write out all the other medicines that Mr. Paracelsus instructed? Just one copy of each, please. We don't have time to check if they are lost. You remember the precautions well, right?"
"Of course."
"Oh, and please include the proper nursing methods as well. Amelia had summarized that, right?"
"Yes. I will write that down too."
Following Alicia's instructions, No. 18 quickly wrote out the documents.
"Nutrition is also important for patients with mild symptoms, so we have prepared a recipe for a liquid nutritional supplement. Additionally, please guide each household on how to care for fever patients. While we can't guarantee that every household will be able to follow this, it may help prevent accidents caused by strange sorcery that could worsen their condition."
Theofrastos and Bernard checked the content with serious expressions.
"Please make oral rehydration solutions according to these recipes. If you lack the necessary ingredients, please place an order. The Sophia Merchant Guild has promised to ensure supplies in case of trouble, like shortages. Also, we expect a lack of equipment needed for IVs, so please instruct the craftsmen who can make them to work hard."
"Wait, we can't arrange that much budget right away."
Theofrastos temporarily stopped his daughter's instructions.
"Regarding that, it seems all funds will be donated by the Sophia Merchant Guild. They will buy all products as long as there are no defects. According to Mr. Paracelsus, there is a high possibility of a fever outbreak this year."
One of the pharmacists raised his hand timidly and began to speak.
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"There are already more than 20 fever patients visiting my clinic. This year, the number is clearly higher than usual. Also, it seems to be earlier than usual."
Alicia nodded at the pharmacist's statement.
"I understand. Please continue to report such situations to the guild. It would be very helpful if both guilds could work together to collect and organize this information. As for future plans, Mr. Paracelsus intends to take action himself. Since the fever is an infectious disease, if we make a mistake at the start, the infection can spread rapidly. I ask for everyone's cooperation."
Alicia said this all at once and then deeply bowed her head.
Then, No. 18, who was behind her, pointed something out to Alicia.
"Lady Alicia. There's something you forgot to mention."
"What is it?"
"There's going to be a strategy meeting soon at Grandchester Castle, including bureaucrats."
"Oh, right. Also, can we request the Commerce Guild to cooperate with a joint letter from both Guild Managers?"
"What should we request?"
"Active donations, no unfair price hikes on medicine and food, and securing volunteers who can work for free."
"Hmm. The Commerce Guild hates donations and free work. They love to profit as much as they can when they have the chance."
Bernard looked troubled.
"Hehe. Please tell them that if they raise prices blatantly, the lord will be watching them. Also, the Sophia Merchant Guild plans to increase the number of food distributions to the slums and distribute blankets. Mr. Paracelsus will also provide free medical care in the slums, so if any pharmacists are interested, they are welcome to join."
"What!?"
"The god himself is doing check-ups!?"
"If I help out, I might get noticed!"
"Can alchemists help too?"
'My grandfather has become a god. Well, as long as we can secure the talent, I guess it's fine.'
Alicia watched the group of alchemists and healers with a warm gaze while sending information about the craftsmen who would make the IV equipment to Sara, just as promised.
Also, to share information, they decided to keep No. 18 at the alchemy guild, but they made sure to enforce a strict 'no touching' rule for the alchemists and healers. The moment Alicia threatened to tell Mr. Paracelsus if they touched the golem, they scattered like cockroaches.
After deciding that she had done all she could, Alicia entrusted the rest to Number 18 and headed back to Maiden's Tower. Of course, this time she sat sideways in front of Scott and walked back at a slower pace than before. Thanks to that, Alicia's backside was somehow safe.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)