Episode 136: As a Doctor
As you get older, time seems to pass more quickly.
This is true.
Overall, the elderly feel that a day, or the changing of seasons, passes much faster than when they were young.
However, locally, it’s different.
Unpleasant times feel long.
Tedious tasks, work hours. You check the clock every five minutes, but the hands barely move…
Everyone has experienced that, right?
I’m experiencing it right now…
“Okay, Infulu! You too, Infulu! Tris, get that out here!”
“Yes, sir! Banana Yogurt Smoothie, coming up!”
Yes, it’s Winter’s epidemic response time.
I really hate this, I wish they’d let me off the hook.
But, it’s my job.
For now, I give medicine to the patients who can stand and walk and send them home, and give smoothies to those who are half-dead.
These guys are so unhealthy!
Basically, even the average citizen has some kind of ailment somewhere in their body, and they’re also malnourished.
Even wealthy citizens and nobles don’t have a concept of nutritional balance, so there are a lot of people with beriberi and diabetes.
Especially the poor people from the Slums who are coming now, many of them are severely malnourished.
First of all, before medicine, I need to give them food.
Banana and Yogurt Smoothie. It’s a complete meal containing protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates.
I also give them herbal tea with Honey, and something like a sports drink for those who are dehydrated.
“Okay, drink this slowly… Hey! Don’t fight over it! There’s enough for everyone! There is!!”
But the Slum dwellers are hopeless. They fight in the hospital and snatch things from each other.
Oh, it’s a mess!
While it’s a mess, I somehow manage to treat them.
Those who can’t stand are thrown into beds for inpatients.
There are beds, but not that many…
Even if they’re not completely cured, they’ll be kicked out as soon as they can stand. It’s a terrible situation, a Medical Collapse!
But… even so.
“Cough, cough… Thank you very much, you’re the only one who saves people like us…”
Many of the patients leave saying that.
I don’t know…, that’s how it feels.
It’s a complete Medical Collapse, and I’m kicking sick people out of their beds, but I’m being thanked.
Of course, some people leave without saying anything, or try to cheat me out of money.
But, like…, I don’t know.
That’s how it feels.
The people of the Slums are less than stray dogs.
Because stray dogs are cute, and if you train them, they become obedient.
Isn’t that how it is even in modern times? The scum of the earth alcoholics, drug addicts, and sex maniacs drowning in debt who really should be saved are gross, so we don’t save them, but when dogs and cats die, there’s a huge chorus of “That’s so sad!” It’s the same thing.
The Slum dwellers are dirty, ugly, and stupid, and they steal and commit violence. They’re garbage.
But, even for those guys, I, who was born and raised in a world where it’s normal to see a doctor if you pay money, still… can’t accept that aspect of this world.
Hate the sin, not the sinner, there’s a reason why people do bad things, poverty and lack of education aren’t their fault… That’s how I was raised.
But if I follow my conscience, I think I’ll collapse again, just like in my previous life.
So, I only help those who pay. That’s what I decided…
“…Are you sure about this?”
“About what?”
I was being questioned by Hookclaw again.
Honestly, I want to refuse, but this guy is… a Holy Knight, right? I’m afraid I’ll be killed if I disobey, so I have no choice but to respond to the conversation.
“You are paying, albeit a small amount, for me to hold a funeral for those who died of illness. I thought your creed was ‘only help those who pay’?”
“It is.”
“Then why hold a funeral for the dead? And for the dead of the Slums?”
“In my previous life, we said that everyone becomes a Buddha when they die. In other words, when you die, there’s no sin or anything, and you should be mourned.”
“…Wonderful. Death absolves the sins of this world. Therefore, one should not whip the dead.”
“I’m not talking about morality. There’s a practical benefit to this. …Corpses are medically hazardous. Blood is pollution, and rotting flesh is a source of disease. So, disposing of them and maintaining public health is also in my interest. It reduces my workload.”
“I want to hear about that too. If your workload decreases, won’t your earnings decrease?”
“It’s best if there are no sick people.”
“…Ah, I see, so you are… I understand. Let’s hold a funeral. I was originally a Holy Knight… a priest, after all.”
“Please do so. Bury the corpses in the Slums’ common grave. I’d really like them cremated, but this area has a burial culture…”
I gave a casual response to Hookclaw’s mysterious questions, cut him off with “no further response needed,” and chased him away.
Seriously, this is really tough.
I even have to deal with the dead.
…Somehow, when people die in my hospital, it feels like my medical malpractice, and it pisses me off.
I’m doing everything properly, but people are dying from Infulu because the people in this world are unhealthy…
Tch, ah, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m a doctor, and it still hurts when a patient I’m seeing dies…