Chapter 331 Grandchester Knight's Dormitory
The Grandchester Knight's Dormitory was in a worse state than expected. It was so dirty and smelly that Amelia couldn't help but frown.
"Um... it smells, doesn't it?"
"Well, a dorm full of guys is usually like this to some extent, but this is pretty bad."
"Don't they clean it?"
"With this mess, I doubt they do."
The one who spoke to the hesitant Rihito and Amelia at the entrance was Simon, the dorm leader. He was getting older and had become the oldest in the dorm, so he was appointed as the dorm leader this year.
"I received a message from the captain and have been waiting for you. I am Simon Di Walt, the dorm leader."
"I'm Rihito, the pharmacist. You can also call me Paracelsus if you prefer. This is pharmacist Amelia."
Rihito introduced Amelia not as his assistant but as an equal pharmacist.
"A pharmacist, huh?"
"Sorry, but I'm a woman, so I'm not registered with the Pharmacist Guild."
"I can vouch for her ability."
"Understood. For now, please come in."
For now, Amelia and Rihito put on the non-prescription glasses that Rihito offered and wore double-layered masks as they entered the knight's dormitory. Since the fever spreads through droplets, it can also enter through the mucous membranes of the eyes. Ideally, they would have wanted goggles, but in this world, the only thing they could quickly get was large-lensed glasses. The masks were also made of cloth.
"Glasses and masks are better than nothing, but they don't offer much protection. If you're feeling unwell, please let me know right away. Trying to hide it will only make things worse, so I ask you to be honest."
"Understood."
"By the way, can I say something before we enter the building?"
Amelia shot a sharp glare at Simon.
"The state of this place is terrible. It's like you're asking us to get sick. Why isn't it being cleaned?"
"Ah, the rule is that everyone cleans their own rooms, and the shared areas are on a rotation. But many people are sick, so it hasn't been done."
"I'm sorry, but there is a lot of dirt built up over a long time. What about the bathrooms?"
"Uh, we've been slacking off on cleaning those too..."
"How is everyone managing meals?"
"We use the cafeteria at the knight headquarters or the one in the capital."
"But there are people who are bedridden, right?"
"If you're a knight, the squire will bring food from the cafeteria. For squires, they usually ask a friend to bring it."
"Is there a bath here?"
"No, we take care of that at the knight headquarters, so there's no bath here. There is a well out back, so you can wash there."
"Then, is there no kitchen at all?"
"There is a kitchen that hasn't been used in years. I heard they used to have a cook here."
Amelia let out a small sigh.
"Mr. Rihito. Let's contact Sara to borrow a golem for cleaning. I'm not sure if we can find clean sheets, so I'll ask Alicia to check if she can buy some fabric that could be used for sheets in the capital."
By the way, the golem accompanying Rihito and Amelia is No. 17. Amelia borrowed additional golems from Sara through No. 17 and then contacted Alicia. However, Alicia had already left Alchemy Guild, and No. 18 received the message from Amelia instead.
"Lady Amelia, the women managing the dormitory at Alchemy Guild are coming to help you. They have offered many freshly washed sheets, even though they are not brand new."
"That's perfect. Please do send them. I will arrange for new ones later."
After Amelia quickly finished arranging for the golems and sheets, she took a deep breath and entered the dormitory. The scene before her was worse than she had imagined. On the large wooden table, a lot of used dishes were scattered everywhere, and what looked like clothes were thrown all around.
Near a big sofa, there were also toys, and on the side table of the sofa, there was a small booklet with a picture of a woman on the cover.
Amelia knew the apprentices living in Alexander's mansion, but because of her job as a pharmacist, she had never seen such a terrible state before. Perhaps the servants working in the mansion were very capable, but Amelia couldn't believe that anyone could live normally in such a mess.
Holding her slightly aching head, Amelia opened all the windows to ventilate the room. Meanwhile, No. 17 busily carried the used dishes to the empty kitchen, checked that the hand pump was working, and then quietly started washing the dishes.
"It's winter now, so it's fine, but when it gets warm, there will definitely be bugs!"
Amelia felt a chill run down her spine. While she was working in the Secret Garden, she didn't really hate bugs that much. But there was one exception. That was the bug that shows up in kitchens and such. Normally, she would want to fumigate the place, but she knew she couldn't do that in a building where many sick people were lying down.
She asked Simon where the cleaning supplies were, but he couldn't tell her. This meant he had never cleaned here before. Well, maybe the servants do the cleaning, but it seemed impossible for someone like Simon, who was clearly a noble's son, to do it.
'If he had the delicate sensibility to not stand dirt, he would have hired a cleaner, right? Are there no tidy knights around?!'
She thought it was pointless to keep thinking about it, but it still made her feel down. Just as Amelia was wondering where to start, 3 golems ran in from Maiden's Tower. One of them was the large outdoor security model. Plus, they brought cleaning supplies, and the first model even had a washing machine barrel with them.
"Wow, a washing machine! Thank you, first model!"
"You're welcome. Miss Sara thought you might need it."
"Just like Sara to think ahead."
"But it's almost sunset. I wonder if we can still do laundry..."
"We also brought the drying magic circle and magic stone. Lady Alicia drew the magic circle when it rained before."
"Oh, that one. It might actually work then."
The washing machines in this world are large barrels that you have to turn by hand. There are 2 barrels: one for washing and another that uses centrifugal force to spin-dry the clothes. This product sold like crazy about 100 years ago, and many households still have one. In poor villages, people sometimes pool their money to use one together. Sara is secretly planning to automate it with a magic stone, but she's too busy to start right now.
Behind the dormitory, there was a laundry area with a roof. The Grandchester territory is a snowy region, so they often build small sheds to cover the wells so they can wash clothes even in winter. There are also drying areas outside, but in winter, they wash clothes inside these sheds and hang them up inside the building to dry.
"I guess we can turn this whole shed into a drying room."
"Understood. I'll start setting it up."
"Thanks. By the way, I don't know your numbers. What are they?"
"We're number 20 and 21."
"Got it. For now, No. 20, you focus on washing. No. 21, follow me. Once the washing machine is set up, please dig a hole in a safe spot."
"What's the hole for?"
"It's for disposing of waste, but I want it wide and deep because I plan to burn it. I'll bury it at the end, so please stack the dirt safely."
"Understood."
After giving instructions to the golems, Amelia headed over to Rihito.
"Mr. Rihito, do you need help?"
"Uh, could you send one golem over?"
"I've brought one with me."
"I want to gather the seriously injured on the second floor. I heard there are about ten unused rooms for executives."
"The spaciousness of this dormitory is a good thing, even if it's dirty."
"Well, well. Thanks to the mess, it seems the higher-ups don't live here. This place is for single knights and trainees who don't have much money."
"Really? Can't they just clean it up?"
"There are other issues too. I think it's a downside that you can't invite women to your home."
"What kind of women would just go to a single guy's place like that?"
"Hmm. Amelia, you're quite serious."
Rihito tied a green ribbon around the wrist of the patient in front of him. This meant he was a mild case.
"Alright. All done. You're a mild case. You're infected, so stay here and rest. And please, don't take off that ribbon for a while."
"Understood. Still, I'm really sorry that a woman is in such a dirty place."
"Well, it's part of my job as a pharmacist, so it can't be helped. But cleaning is important. If it's dirty, you're more likely to get sick when your body is weak, and injuries can get worse."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. You use clean cloths for bandages, right?"
"That's true."
As Rihito stood up and started to move to the next room, Amelia followed him.
"So far, there are 3 severe cases, and one has pneumonia. We're throwing out the knights who aren't infected, so we might start getting complaints soon."
"Mr. Simon seems to be explaining it well and taking them to headquarters."
"There are over 20 moderate cases. If we're not careful, they could suddenly get worse, so we can't let our guard down. I'll take them upstairs too, but it's fine to put 5 of them in the big room for trainees."
"Okay."
"The remaining mild cases and the carrier will rest in their rooms. But please check which room each of them is in."
"Yes."
* * *
Winter days end early. As it started to feel a bit dark outside, ten women arrived at the knight's dormitory with horses and a cart. The sturdy cart, which could handle the snowy roads, was loaded with sheets, cleaning tools, and for some reason, a giant pot.
"Is Ms. Amelia here?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I think I sent a message through No. 18 earlier, but we are the dorm mothers for Alchemist Guild. We're the ones who kick the lazy alchemists into gear while cleaning and making sure they eat."
"Oh, thank you for your help. I hear you're providing sheets. I'll send some new ones later."
"Thanks. But no rush. Whenever you have time is fine. More importantly, it smells terrible in here. Well, I can guess what the inside is like. Can we get started right away?"
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"Of course, a big cleaning! It's already dark, so we need to hurry. If we let a sick person sleep in this dorm, they won't get better."
"Y-yes! Thank you for your cooperation!"
The leader of the dorm mothers, who slapped Amelia on the shoulder, was Layla, Alicia's aunt. The boisterous Layla didn't change her attitude even towards Simon, a knight, and started lecturing him directly.
"What were you thinking, leaving it this dirty?"
"Well, I was busy..."
"No excuses!"
With that, the dorm mothers, like Amelia, put on double glasses and masks, and began cleaning the rooms while making the golems work efficiently. The once-dead kitchen came back to life, boiling water in the giant pot, which the golems used to run the washing machine.
"Sheets are best washed in hot water. I really want to soak them or boil them, but there are just too many this time, so I'll give up on that."
"That's true."
"Did Alicia draw this drying magic circle? It's really useful. Maybe I should have you draw one at my place next time."
As she folded the sheets dried by magic, Layla said thoughtfully.
"You know Alicia, Ms. Layla?"
"Yeah, my husband is Theofrastos's brother. So, Alicia is basically my niece."
"I see! Ms. Alicia is really an amazing alchemist."
"Hehe. She cried so much when she couldn't go to the academy, but now she's a kid that professors from the academy come to see."
Layla smiled happily and picked up the next sheet. Amelia was putting washed underwear, whose owner she didn't know, into a basket. Looking closely, she saw names embroidered on them, so it seemed best to let the apprentice knight, who showed no symptoms, handle the sorting.
"But, magic stones are expensive, so should I have my husband channel some magic power for us?"
"Does your husband have a lot of magic power?"
"Yeah. He manifested magic when he was a kid, and he had so much fun using it that he overdid it. He said he often collapsed from magic exhaustion."
"That sounds enviable. I manifested magic only after becoming an adult, so my magic power doesn't increase."
"Just being able to use magic is amazing! Plus, you're a great pharmacist, right?"
"I'm a woman, so I can't register in the guild."
"That's the same for our Alicia. But everyone knows her skills. Amelia, isn't that good enough?"
Saying that, Layla stood up and picked up the folded sheets. Amelia also moved with a basket of dry laundry.
Then, Amelia gasped at the sight of the knight's dormitory they had moved to. The shared space was sparkling clean, and everything looked tidy. A faint citrus scent, like lemon, floated in the air.
"Is this really the same building?"
"Of course it is."
"That's amazing!"
"Well, it's nothing for us. By the way, the bathroom is really clean now too. A big golem helped with that."
"And since some patients were vomiting, I prepared extra buckets. But it wouldn't be good to just throw the vomit away, right?"
"Oh, it might spread infections, so please let the golem handle the disposal."
"Yeah, I let it take care of it because No. 1 said so."
"I think that's a wise decision."
"The rooms on the second floor for serious patients were set up by us under Mr. Paracelsus's instructions. No. 21 is carrying the serious patients to their rooms. Now, leave the chores to us and go on. Amelia, you're the pharmacist."
"Yes. Thank you so much, Ms. Layla!"
With that, Amelia was sent off by the tough moms of Alchemist Guild to face the patients.
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