Chapter 330 Rihito's Emptiness And Jeffrey's Despair
Rihito, guided by Jeffrey, first headed to the Jeffrey estate to check on Thomas' condition. Unlike Alicia, Amelia didn't have horseback riding pants, so she was seated sideways in front of the saddle, which meant she didn't experience as much shaking as Alicia.
As expected, Thomas was infected with the fever, and Rihito instructed the maids at the Jeffrey estate on nursing precautions and how to make oral rehydration solutions. He also checked the infection status of the servants, finding that while Thomas was the only one showing symptoms, there were a few carriers who were asymptomatic. He informed them of their status and ordered them to take a break from work through Jeffrey.
Next, they stopped by the knight order headquarters, where they separated the carriers from the non-carriers. The carriers were sent back to their homes or dormitories and given a two-week break. Rihito had the golem they brought along write down contact methods in case of symptoms, as well as nursing precautions for their families.
Meanwhile, Amelia started preparing oral rehydration solutions in the knight order headquarters' cafeteria, teaching the staff the recipe as she worked.
Rihito and Jeffrey decided to create an infection registry and discuss future plans from the executive office within the knight order headquarters. Marquis Grandchester had just returned to the main residence, so Jeffrey decided to head there after their meeting.
"Sir Jeffrey, even just being at the headquarters, we've found that 20 members of the knight order are infected. They're not showing symptoms yet, but we can't be too careful going forward. However, if a large number of people become infected with the fever, I fear it may cause issues with the safety measures in the territory."
"Every year it's the same annoying problem. Well, I don't think there are many fools who would attack the Grandchester territory in winter, but the safety in the town tends to get worse."
"I can understand why His Excellency the Marquis wants golems."
"That's true. However, I personally can't be very enthusiastic about introducing golems."
"Since the captain of the knights says that, there must be a reason, right?"
"It seems that I can't see golems as just magical tools. When I see their charm and how hardworking they are, I can't help but think I don't want them to do jobs that hurt people."
"That said, even if we are careful, the number of infected people will still increase. I hear the Sophia Merchant Guild is actively providing food in the slums, so maybe we can ask them to help maintain safety as well. We should avoid using force as much as possible, and just restrain them a bit, which I think Sara would agree with. We can say it's an extension of the security work of the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"Well, I suppose that's true..."
At Rihito's words, Jeffrey showed a rather complicated expression.
"Unlike a sly old man like me, Sir Jeffrey is honest and kind. I can see why Sara is attracted to you."
"Haha. It's very nice to be loved by Sara, but I can't help but see her from a fatherly perspective."
"Well, I can only see my wife as a daughter, so I can't really say anything about others."
Suddenly, Jeffrey became interested in the relationship between Rihito and his wife. He had heard that they were a fake couple, but he wondered if he really didn't see his beautiful wife as a woman.
"I'm hearing that she's an incredibly beautiful woman, but is that really true?"
"Maybe it's because of my first impression. You see, when I first met her, she had just been sold by her parents and was a skinny girl. I was working to check if the girls sold to the pleasure district had any illnesses."
"That sounds like a pretty complicated job."
"Well, you get used to it over time, but for some reason, that girl became attached to me, and I ended up taking care of her. Because of that, when she first went to work at the shop, things got a bit messy."
"Was it jealousy as a man?"
"More like feeling like a useless father who couldn't protect his daughter. I still remember how she came running to me, crying, as soon as the customer left."
"That sounds tough."
"But after that, she quickly bounced back and soon became known as a beautiful flower. I learned that women are strong. And strangely enough, her first customer ended up becoming her boyfriend. I still wonder what all that crying was about."
Rihito gazed into the distance and continued speaking softly.
"Sylvia was supposed to be happy with her boyfriend. The truth is, she knows I have memories from my past life. Maybe because of that, she believes that one day her boyfriend will be reborn and fall in love with her again. She says, 'I can only be with someone I truly want to grow old with.' If such a miracle happens, her time will start moving again. I'm waiting for that to happen together with her."
"That's nice. I also want to see my late wife again. I can imagine her giving me a ton of lectures, though."
"I feel like if I ever meet my late wife again, she would kick me in the butt. It would really hurt, you know?"
Jeffrey and Rihito exchanged glances and smirked at each other.
"Anyway, what should we do from now on? I'm not really keen on it, but if we keep losing members of the Knights, we might really have to rely on Sara for maintaining order."
"For now, we have no choice but to take strict preventive measures. From now on, Amelia and I will conduct triage at the Knights' dormitory, but please treat the dormitory as a temporary isolation ward for infected individuals. We will restrict access for those who are not infected, so we need to think about where to send them."
Jeffrey sighed as he looked at the list of infected individuals.
"This is going to become a much longer list, isn't it?"
"That seems to be the case. It looks like there are already some patients showing symptoms."
"Ugh... there's nothing we can do about it. There's no cure for this fever."
"...Actually, that's not entirely true."
"Huh?"
Rihito shot a serious look at Jeffrey.
"Over 40 years ago. It's one of the reasons I fell into a deep sleep, but I developed a cure for this fever."
"What?"
"However, the previous Marquis Grandchester forbade me from making this research public."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe there were political motives behind it. I was threatened that if I opposed him, I and my family, including the Alchemist Guild, would be expelled from the Grandchester territory."
"Is that medicine really effective?"
"From what I've seen in the initial clinical trial results, it should be effective. However, I can't deny the possibility of severe side effects. The trials haven't been sufficient."
"Who are the people targeted in clinical trials?"
"Patients with fever who have agreed to participate in the trial for the new drug we are developing. We never give medication to anyone without their consent."
"What if serious side effects occur?"
"Of course, I will do my best to treat them, but I can't guarantee that I can save everyone. There is a risk of lasting effects or even death. That's why we have them sign a consent form beforehand. We explain everything properly to those who can't read."
"I see... By the way, if it's a trial, can they receive treatment for free, Mr. Rihito?"
"Not only is it free, but we also pay them for their participation. If something goes wrong, we have a contract to provide compensation."
"Then, weren't there many patients from the slums?"
"No, the previous Marquis Grandchester was secretive, so we mostly had knights who were distant relatives of the Grandchester family."
Rihito, answering Jeffrey's question, frowned as bitter memories came to mind.
"The previous Marquis... he was my grandfather, but I hardly remember him. He passed away when I was very young. The current Marquis probably doesn't know much about him either."
"That's true. It seems he didn't know much about what is now called Maiden's Tower either."
"By the way, I never asked why Mr. Rihito was asleep for 40 years. I felt like it was something I shouldn't ask..."
"I'm just tired of living too long. But I won't deny that feeling empty because of the previous generation's secrecy was a trigger for me. All my research results were kept hidden and never shared with the people."
"I see. Regardless of the previous generation's intentions, I don't think the current His Excellency the Marquis would deny the development of a cure. For now, let's report to His Excellency the Marquis, and if we get permission, we can recruit participants for clinical trials from the knight order."
"If we can do that, I will also put all my effort into developing the new medicine."
"I'd like to include the general public if there are volunteers, but would Mr. Rihito accept that?"
"No, I think it's impossible to conduct such a large-scale trial."
"What if we involve the Pharmacist Guild and Alchemist Guild?"
"Honestly, I can't be too enthusiastic about it since we don't know what side effects might occur."
"However, if the fever really becomes a widespread epidemic, there might be people willing to try the new medicine, knowing the risks of side effects. Even if it's a small-scale clinical trial, I think information will leak out somehow."
"That's true. It's quite a troubling issue."
Rihito held his head in his hands, but Jeffrey felt a sharp pain deep in his chest. Jeffrey's wife had died from the "fever" ten years ago in winter.
'If only the previous generation had made the information about the new medicine public...'
It's only natural to think that way. Even though it's pointless now, he couldn't suppress the feeling of resentment towards his grandfather.
"Sir Jeffrey, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, don't worry about it. I just felt a bit resentful towards my predecessor."
"Speaking of which, Sir Jeffrey's wife passed away from a fever, didn't she?"
"Yes."
"Even if there was a special medicine, I don't know if it would have helped. I suppose I can also say that my irresponsibility for sleeping away 40 years is part of the reason. I'm sorry I couldn't save your wife."
"No, it's not Mr. Rihito's fault."
Jeffrey hurriedly tried to reassure him, but Rihito still wore a bitter expression.
'Ah, this person is suffering too.'
Seeing a glimpse of Rihito's pain, Jeffrey decided to persuade Marquis Grandchester to allow clinical trials to take place.
With their minds finally aligned, Jeffrey headed towards the Grandchester castle's main residence, while Rihito went to the knight's dormitory with Amelia.
Their true struggle was just beginning.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)