Episode 99: Life is Learning
Three Million Lido for this job…
Considering the cost of hiring a regular doctor plus a cook, it’s about right, or maybe a little short.
But it’s me we’re talking about…
Hiring someone who is undoubtedly the best doctor in this world, and one of the best cooks, is definitely worth more than that.
…But, it’s fun, you know?
Just look! The new recruits of the Blue Comet have stars in their eyes when they look at me.
You know… I might look like this, but I’m an old man, no, an old geezer. If you include my age from my previous life.
And that’s why! If it’s for young, cute girls!
If it’s to be looked at with sparkling, respectful eyes!
A little hardship, a little pilfering of supplies… isn’t that alright? That’s what I think.
Of course, it’s nothing like the truly deadly busyness I experienced as a doctor back when I was on Earth—the “you need to see a doctor yourself” level of craziness.
The Blue Comet is strong, to begin with.
There are occasionally girls who get seriously injured, but it’s rare.
It’s not like The Fang of the Wolf Gang with their “you die when you die, ha ha!” attitude.
They protect each other, coordinate, and the ace-level members always stay in the back, ready for anything.
They know their limits, so they don’t do anything reckless.
I’ve seen them fight before… what these girls are doing is less like “combat” with Monsters and more like “hunting.”
That’s why situations that require large-scale operations don’t happen often.
So, what I treat are mostly bruises, lacerations, and animal bites.
I don’t get any major, difficult surgeries like aortic dissections, brain tumor removals, or organ transplants!
In the first place, the exciting VIP treatment cases that Count Missgancia brings me aren’t serious illnesses.
Most of them are benign tumors, appendicitis, chronic liver disease, hernias, gallstones… that kind of thing. And a lot of tuberculosis cases. Tuberculosis is still an incurable disease in this world, so curing it earns me a lot of points.
Why are the patients mostly people who aren’t about to die?
Because people with strokes or heart attacks die before they can reach Missgancia…
“…So, that’s why I have no complaints about this job.”
“I see.”
I massaged Katrina’s lower back as we had that conversation.
No, not in a lewd way. Just a regular massage.
Katrina is quite skilled, so she’s on par with the Monsters in this frontier.
So, she doesn’t even get scratches, but… that being said, fatigue accumulates in her body.
I take off Katrina’s full plate armor and massage her lower back and shoulders. It’s like chiropractic or massage.
Since coming to this world, I’ve fixed quite a few dislocations.
No one says anything about bad posture, so there are so many people with hunched backs.
I didn’t have these chiropractic skills before, but after coming to this world and using that X-ray magic to look at skeletons while messing with people’s bodies, I’ve become able to do skeletal corrections…
It’s the same with dismantling beasts, but there are quite a few skills I’ve gained since coming to this world.
But that’s all thanks to the vast amount of experience I cultivated in my previous life. I don’t recommend it for amateurs.
“Hmm, this spot is bad, I’m going to do it hard… Hup!”
Crack!
“Guah!… Hmm, it hurts, but my body is back in shape. I am grateful.”
“Sorry, I made it hurt. But in combat, your skeleton tends to get distorted from twisting and bending your body. Just like with weapons, the key is to maintain it regularly!”
“Hmph. I am aware that this body is one of my weapons. That is why I am entrusting it to the most trustworthy craftsman.”
“Oh, oh, you’re saying nice things! I might fall in love with you!♡”
“Don’t get carried away.”
“Yes.”
Yes.
Like that, I crack and pop Katrina, maintaining her.
There was also a girl who dislocated her shoulder from falling, so I put it back in place… and then, at night…
Night.
Since the sun had set, the Blue Comet members were either keeping watch with torches, sitting around a bonfire drinking lightly, or already asleep…
That’s when I call out to everyone.
“Okay, everyone! It’s night, but I’m handing out cloths and hot water, so please clean yourselves! Being unhygienic can make you sick!”
I hand out hot water.
A tub full of hot water, and clean cloths.
“Okay, I’m giving out soap too! Hands out!”
I shave off pieces of a large bar of soap with a knife and hand them out.
Then the girls start washing their bodies…
…Ugh, the villagers are trying to peek.
“Just wait a moment.”
I say that and set up cloth screens.
It’s true that there aren’t any Strider girls who would get angry just from having their skin seen. On the battlefield, you can’t worry about shame.
More than half of them wet themselves out of fear during their first battle, and corpses leak feces, and they faint and lose control of their bowels at the same time. The battlefield is that kind of world, a dirty place.
So, not many people make fun of that. There might be lighthearted jokes like, “This guy was so scared during his first battle that he crapped his pants!” but they don’t get ostracized for it.
It’s the same with nudity.
Being cut by a blade and exposing skin, having flames or acid thrown on you and having to take off your clothes, that’s common.
There aren’t even any women who are embarrassed by being naked. That’s how Striders, warriors, are.
…However, being stared at naked is still unpleasant.
Therefore, consideration is necessary.
Of course, I don’t peek either. That’s just common decency.
I yell at the villagers to chase them away and stand guard.
And after watching the girls who have cleaned themselves go to bed, I collect the cloths…
I do the laundry every night.
Even though it’s night, it’s only about eight in the evening. The sun has certainly set, but there’s still time to be active.
For the laundry… since no one is watching, I use magic.
In the darkness, I create water in front of the river and spin the water and laundry around like a drum washing machine… Of course, I also add detergent and soap.
After washing them like that, I dry them crisply with magic…
I fold the cloths and put them in the wagon.
I guess that’s it…