Chapter 131

The medical staff remaining at the clinic were all exhausted, but compared to them, we who had just arrived were much more energetic.

“Now that manpower has been replenished, we’ll take turns resting.”

As soon as we returned to the barracks, I got the list of medical staff through Nora and assigned duties.

“There are no treatments right now, so we’ll start with internal organization. Was your name Nora?”

“Ah, yes!”

Nora, in a sweat-soaked, filthy clerical robe, answered a beat late as if dumbfounded.

“You’re the person in charge, so you’ll have to suffer with me a bit. There’s no one who knows the clinic as well as you do. Is that okay?”

“You shouldn’t be doing useless things…”

“There’s been no progress in the current situation, right? Then shouldn’t we try a different method?”

“…But.”

“I’m not going to tell you to be responsible, so trust me and follow my lead. The sooner we proceed, the sooner you can catch your breath.”

I wrote down tasks one by one on paper and assigned the newly arrived personnel.

“What exactly are the symptoms of this plague? What is the route of infection?”

“At first it mostly starts with coughing and high fever. There are individual differences and some cases skip those. Then nosebleeds and hives appear on the body. Depending on the person, after the incubation period, there’s a high probability of death between four to seven days. From the situation so far, the fatality rate is over 80%. As for the infection route… we have not yet determined it.”

‘80%… that’s enormous.’

You could say almost everyone dies.

“What about the remaining 20%? Couldn’t we find the infection route through them and try to make a treatment?”

Nora the cleric made a deflating sound.

“If it were that easy, would we be suffering like this? Senior clerics and physicians are working hard in the lab to create a treatment. Currently we suspect that those who recover are mainly late teens to men in their twenties, so it’s believed to be due to innate recovery ability.”

It’s immunity. Young people tend to have stronger immunity. So-called a healthy constitution.

After listening to the subsequent explanation, I quickly wrote down several directives that needed to be acted on in order.

“The first thing to do is isolation.”

Honestly, I really have no medical knowledge. If I had been a doctor in my previous life, I would have treated Rio first.

Anyway, after coming to the east and examining the clinic closely, this was my conclusion.

‘Hygiene.’

It was so bad that even someone who had been staying still could get sick. It was humid, hot, with corpses and living people mixed together and filthy. Patients and medical staff were so grimy that you couldn’t tell them apart without their uniforms.

They must have known instinctively. But because manpower was lacking and there was no concept of the importance of hygiene, it ended up like this. The place where patients were gathered for treatment created an environment that worsened the plague.

“Separate patients into critical, severe, and minor categories.”

“What? Do you know how many patients there are right now? How are we supposed to move them all! Say something that makes sense, Chancellor!”

Nora protested fiercely. The expressions of the medical staff and support team standing behind him echoed that sentiment.

“Then will you leave them as they are? They’ll all die. Staying together could accelerate the disease.”

“But…!”

“And allow patients’ families to visit only at specific times, and have the medical staff and patients wrap clean cloths under their eyes to cover their noses and mouths. It’s most easily transmitted via respiratory and contact routes.”

Without wasting time, I handed over the paper I had written out in a stream.

“Here. Make this be implemented immediately as is.”

“Th-this…!”

The instructions I gave Nora were, in short, as follows.

1. Separate and isolate by patient condition. (minor, severe, critical)

2. Regular cleaning of the clinic and management of medicines.

3. Create a simple rest area for medical staff.

4. Write prescriptions and condition reports. (so that the next shift can understand them)

5. Handwashing. (mandatory whenever patients change)

6. Cover nose and mouth with clean cloth.

7. Sterilize instruments like needles or knives over ‘fire’ when used on patients.

8. Chancellor approval required for outings. External items should be brought in only after approval. (to prevent additional infections)

“We can’t. We’re at our limit even now. It’s difficult to comply with such absurd demands. How on earth does this have anything to do with an infectious disease?!”

To explain the concept of hygiene would require teaching them the science and medical concepts from my previous life. But I’m not smart enough to explain it in detail.

“Cleanliness prevents most diseases. There’s no time, so will you do it for now? If people won’t follow, use the names of the Chancellor and His Highness the Prince.”

“…Yes?”

“Of course, if you sell our names to the wrong people, be prepared.”

I used my rank to put the scowling Nora in his place and sent him out. Honestly, I don’t like using that method, but there was no time to persuade everyone individually.

Aidan, who had been watching from the side, asked.

“Does this really work? I’ve never heard of it either.”

“At the very least, it should prevent rapid spread. With time the medical staff can rest even a little.”

“Coco, your eyes seem to be shining.”

“That’s because I want to finish quickly and leave. This isn’t a situation where we can dilly-dally.”

I didn’t hesitate to make requests of Prince Raven either.

“By the way, what are you doing? Are you just going to laze about? Don’t you dare forget why I brought Your Highness out to this rough place.”

“Ah, understood. So please don’t stare at me like you’re going to devour me with your eyes.”

What did I do with my eyes? How did I look?

As I opened my mouth to speak, Nicola quickly cut in and dragged the prince out.

If I had given physical directives, now it was time to give magical directives in place of chemical methods.

“Aidan, I told you in advance that I would make you work hard.”

“Yeah. But I’m here to protect Coco.”

Ha, the Magic Tower Master’s personnel could cover the work of dozens of people; leaving them like this is ridiculous.

“Aidan.”

“What is it, Coco?”

“Do you know what our most dangerous enemy is right now?”

“What? You knew? Just say it. I’ll fetch them right away!”

“It’s the plague.”

He cheerfully shrugged his shoulders, then quickly deflated.

“Ah….”

“Admit it, right?”

“Tch.”

I requested the following tasks of the clerics and Aidan.

1. Use running stream water. (daily purification mandatory)

2. Don’t indiscriminately pour in holy power; record conditions in intervals.

3. Cast sleep magic on patients before bedtime.

The number of items was small, but none were easy tasks.

But fortunately Aidan didn’t distrust me like Nora. He just didn’t seem comfortable leaving me alone.

I put on the brooch Aidan had given me for safekeeping. Its method of judgment was odd, but if something happened it would give some sort of signal, so it was better than nothing.

Only then did Aidan trudge out of the barracks listlessly.

Hearing the murmurs, it seemed the orders were spreading.

“Let’s try them one by one.”

I’ve never been more grateful that my body is in my twenties than today.

Everyone moved in a well-coordinated fashion. There were reinforcements, but not enough. I knew best what was needed, so I checked each thing carefully. People’s lives were at stake. Nothing could be done carelessly.

But cleanliness and hygiene require physical labor to maintain, and their effects don’t appear instantly like holy power.

“Chancellor, how long are we supposed to follow these useless orders? Just caring for patients is overwhelming enough!”

Nora, the exhausted person in charge, came to the barracks and complained through clenched teeth.

I understood him. He must have been working continuously without proper rest, so of course he’d be irritated. I tried to soothe him as gently as possible.

“Do you think I don’t know how hard the clerics and medical staff are working? I’m trying to reduce that burden, so trust me and follow through. It’s necessary. I’ll do my best to help.”

Nora’s face hardened coldly, as if he thought I wouldn’t back down from my orders.

“Hah, you seem to think being the youngest Chancellor makes you important. This is the realm of treatment. This isn’t a place for an impulsive Chancellor to experiment. Whatever you’ve read in books, keep quiet. That’s what helps us.”

‘Huh? That’s crossing the line.’

Perhaps he didn’t realize I was overlooking rudeness given how much he’d suffered.

Honestly, even if I were an older Chancellor, even if I were Chancellor Marcus, would she have spoken so openly with his emotions?

Sorry, but I’ve been through so much that I’m no longer afraid.

“Can’t you hear me saying to wait a little longer?”

Nora the cleric took a step toward me. Taller than me, I felt his gaze look down.

“Then, if there’s no change, can the Chancellor take responsibility for everything?”

This damn woman. I slowly closed my eyes and smiled broadly.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

This time I took a step toward him. Nora, taken aback by my composure, flinched.

“Then what will you be responsible for?”

If I were to stake my position, you’d have to do something like this too, wouldn’t you?

“Will you become my slave?”

“Ha! You’re full of bluff.”

Nora sighed as if exasperated, then sneered.

“Fine. If there’s even a little progress against the plague, I’ll do whatever you want like a slave.”