Episode 21: Those Who Walk in Darkness
The day after we all ate the bear Magic Beast.
I was at the shop, working as an Apothecary.
Well, it’s not like I’m doing outdoor activities every day.
That’s just a hobby, not how I make a living.
So, usually, I’m doing my job as an Apothecary… which means I’m a doctor. I need to be at the shop at least once a week, or the local residents will be in trouble…
“Yes, hello. What brings you here today?”
“Ah, Doctor! You see, my skin has turned red…! It’s terrible, at this rate, the customers will hate me!”
Well, most of the decent residents go to the Apothecary on the main street… Granny Mary’s place, so mostly prostitutes or people with some kind of issue come to my place.
However, the efficacy of my medicines is recognized, and I can make specific medicines for epidemics that even Granny Mary can’t make, so my skills themselves seem to be trusted by many people in the town.
“Alright, let me see.”
Hmm… atopic dermatitis, maybe?
“Have you put anything on your skin?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Were you bitten by any bugs?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Ah, then, did you eat something you’re not used to?”
“Not used to… well, I happened to get some eggs at the market the other day, so we all ate them…”
Ah, an allergy, maybe?
Let’s have her eat a little.
I have her eat a small amount of scrambled eggs.
…It was an egg allergy.
“You know, it seems like you have a constitution where your skin gets rough when you eat eggs.”
“Eh, really?”
“Yeah. So, try not to eat eggs from now on. It’s probably okay if it’s less than one egg’s worth, but it’s better not to eat them if you can help it.”
“Is that even possible? My skin getting rough from food?”
“You understand that what you eat makes up your body, right? It seems like your body can’t turn eggs into blood and flesh very well.”
“Is that so…? Is my body weird?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just a matter of ‘difference,’ like how some people have high noses and some have low noses, or how some people don’t go bald even when they get old and some do. It’s nothing weird, so you can rest assured.”
“I see… I understand.”
“For now, I’ll give you some ointment. Don’t scratch it too much, even if it’s itchy, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you, Doctor.”
I examined about fifteen people and gave them medicine during the morning, then took a lunch break.
This world has many advanced aspects due to elements like magic and dungeons, but in the end, it’s a medieval world where you wake up with the sunrise and sleep with the sunset.
So, the town’s morning is early, and the night is early too.
My shop opens at seven in the morning, so there’s quite a bit of work in the morning.
However, I close the shop around five in the afternoon, and the lunch break is long, so the actual working hours are around eight hours.
Well, I’m a Changeling and not human, so I don’t need to sleep or eat every day. In other words, I don’t need to rest, but I still want to.
While thinking about that, I was preparing lunch with Tristia, the Mazoku child I keep at home.
“Welcome back from work, Andrews-sama.”
“Ah… today was one of the lighter days.”
“I wish I could help you out more…”
“You’re helping enough. Seriously, medicine is about entrusting people’s lives, so it’s not something you can just do overnight.”
I worked pretty hard to get my medical license, you know. In my third year of high school, I studied for a whole hour every day! It was so tough.
Eh? Ah, I graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Science III.
But, the nurse I hooked up with at my posting was the mistress of the hospital director.
Also, the young doctor whose head I smashed with a beer bottle because I was annoyed was the director’s son.
On top of that, the girl I bought who was doing sugar daddy dating was the director’s daughter!
Yeah, I really messed up.
Well, the past is the past.
Let’s have fun.
“Yes, Andrews-sama. We’re out of ham.”
“Ah, then put it next to the bread. The soup is… it’s probably ready.”
For lunch, minestrone and pre-made baguette. And, some ham as a side dish.
Minestrone, a tomato vegetable consommé soup, but I added grated ginger as a secret ingredient. This will warm you up even in the still chilly spring…
“I feel bad, Tris. I always end up cooking because I want to eat something different every day.”
Ah, yeah, that’s right.
People in this world don’t really care about food.
There are quite a few people who are like modern Westerners, with the feeling that “lunch is always a Sandwich.”
Only nobles and wealthy merchants enjoy eating different things every day and enjoying their meals, like me. …Ah, no, wait, am I like a wealthy merchant too?
Even so, it’s much better and richer than real medieval Europe.
Anyway, I suddenly wondered if Tris, who is forced to eat something different every day because of me, is troubled by it.
“No! I love cooking with Andrews-sama and enjoying delicious meals! From now on, let’s live like this together, forever and ever, okay, Andrews-sama…?”
Oh, gravity.
Tris is so dependent on me that she would seriously commit suicide if I abandoned her, so the gravity that occurs from time to time is nice! It feels good.
“Ah, of course, Tris. We’ll be together forever.”
I said that, hugged her, and kissed her.
“Yes…! I love you, Andrews-sama…♡”
Ah, Playing House is so fun!
The best part of a family… love, pleasure, and self-affirmation are felt directly!
That’s why I can’t stop Playing House with slaves!!!!
…And then, after eating, it was afternoon.
Another patient.
“Ugh… it hurts…”
What was brought in was a man from the Slums.
A bit of a bad boy… well, yeah, just a regular member of the Mafia.
For now, they’re allowed to exist in the town as a necessary evil.
There’s not enough budget or military force to crack down on them completely, so the Mafia is tolerated as long as they don’t cause too much damage to the locals, and in return, they fight against other Mafia and whatnot that come from outside!
Foreign spies in the underworld! That’s the least funny development.
Those guys can’t go to a regular clinic, of course, so they come to my place.
“Doctor! He’s in a lot of pain…!”
“D-Doctor! Is my bro, is my bro gonna be okay?!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll examine him, so sit down!”
I dismissed the thugs, and…
Hmm… first of all, he’s conscious.
Eye movement… okay.
“You got beat up pretty badly. Ah, where does it hurt?”
“M-My shoulder, my shoulder.”
Shoulder, huh.
“Does this hurt?”
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!!”
“How about this?”
“It hurts, I said it hurts!”
Hmm, so…
“It’s a dislocation. I’ll put it back in place for now, so relax your body.”
“Eh, no.”
“Should I punch you to shut you up?”
“O-Okay!”
Alright, ready, set… hup!
“Ouch… it hurts!”
“Alright, it’s back in. Don’t move it for a while, okay? Don’t raise your arm.”
“B-But Doctor! Recently, the refugees who escaped from the southern war are causing problems…!”
“Leave it to someone else! Listen, don’t underestimate a dislocation, okay? If you don’t rest here, you might not be able to use your arm again!”
“If it’s just an arm, it’s a cheap price to pay! So many refugees are coming, causing problems in the town! The Lord’s soldiers are useless, so we, the ‘Genoa Family,’ have to do it…!”
“Oh… a Mafia punk, talking big, huh?”
Ugh… another troublesome one…