315 - Medication Experiment and Jasper's Return
All the materials for creating the preventive medicine for Greenwich Pox had been gathered. There was some difficulty, but the work of processing the raw materials into ingredients was also complete. All that remained was to compound the medicine according to the prescription left by Saint Yuuta Hiraga, but the preventive medicine had been completed with almost no stumbling, and not just me but even the pharmacists were half-convinced and half-doubtful.
"It's so smooth it's scary."
"But we made it exactly as written in Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials, didn't we?"
"There's no mistake about that. I read through them many times, and I confirmed at each step."
In the end, this was something that would be used on people, and it was the secret arts of Saint Yuuta Hiraga, which were said to turn into poison with even a slight error in the process. Even though I was the only one who could read Japanese, when I read it aloud, Barbara and the others with their pharmacist knowledge lent me their wisdom. Even when there was Japanese that was difficult to convey to the pharmacists, each time we aligned the meanings and information. Thanks to that, the contents of Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials should have been conveyed as-is, but it was proceeding too smoothly and that was frightening. I could not shake the anxiety that maybe we had made some unexpected mistake somewhere.
"This preventive medicine is harder to experiment with compared to the Mustine medicine, isn't it?"
Since neither I nor Barbara and the others could reach a conclusion on what to do, I brought the conclusion back to the detached palace and penned a report to Alfred. For now, the preventive medicine for Greenwich Pox was complete, but there was no prospect of conducting an experiment, I wrote. For the Mustine medicine, there were patients within the country, and animals that carried the parasite were also within the country. Whether conducting animal experiments or later administering it to people, everything could be managed domestically. However, to test the preventive medicine for Greenwich Pox, patients afflicted with Greenwich Pox and people to care for them were necessary. Greenwich Pox was the name used in Saint Yuuta Hiraga's era. In terms more familiar to me, it was Wards disease. Wards disease had already been eradicated in this country, so finding infected individuals to test the effects was nearly impossible.
...In other countries, it had not been eradicated yet, had it?
As a result of continuous meetings, the preventive medicine was the secret art that the Sedovara Church had chosen to revive this time. Christoph and the others had chosen the Mustine medicine for domestic use, but the Sedovara Church had selected the Greenwich Pox preventive medicine, as it was a medicine urgently needed throughout the continent. It had stopped being a topic of conversation around me, but that probably was not the case abroad.
...It was not like we could bring infected people into the country and conduct medication experiments, after all.
If we did something like that, a single mistake could cause Wards disease to spread within the country again. Not only that, but the infection would likely spread even during the journey to bring the patients here. Even the Sedovara Church within the country, which said that there were no borders for the followers of the Medicine God Sedovara, probably could not risk such a danger.
"At the very least, I would like to confirm whether it is safe to use on people..."
I asked Alfred, who had looked at the report Solana had delivered, whether there was any way. I had compiled the report because I felt bad for making her visit almost every day, but as soon as Alfred read it, he came rushing over, so it seemed my effort was somewhat pointless.
...Come to think of it, while Leonyaldo-san was here, he did not come to the detached palace much, did he.
As I thought, Alfred was frequently visiting the detached palace out of consideration, as a replacement for his absent brother. Alfred, acting as a prince, was very reliable.
...Well, I cannot respect the way he chases after Alf, though.
I remembered Alf's tired face after Alfred left, so as a private individual, I could not support Alfred. Whoever liked whoever was fine, but he should consider the other person's feelings.
"A medication experiment, huh. I have a lead, but..."
"Huh? You do?"
When I said "It is Wards disease," he pinched my lips together. It seemed to be a word that should not be said out loud, enough to physically silence me.
Alfred, who had said he had a lead on the medication experiment, came to Siegwald's residence the next day, took the Greenwich Pox preventive medicine and one pharmacist, and went off somewhere. He warned me not to go out too much since he would be away from the capital for a while. He suggested that if I got too bored, I might go visit Ethelbert's detached palace, so there must indeed be a ghost staying at that detached palace. Ethelbert was still staying in his territory of Gumons. I heard that if he was coming to the capital this year too, it would be around the season of the Divine King Festival and the martial arts tournament.
...Even so, it feels strange.
Wards disease, which had taken so many lives. Since the medication experiment was not over yet, I could not say it was complete, but the preventive medicine was right in front of me. This medicine would not cure Wards disease, but if its effectiveness as a preventive was recognized, it would be possible to end the Wards disease that was raging in other countries. It was a disease that could be fought this easily, just from being able to read Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials.
...I will not think about it.
My thoughts began to tilt in a dark direction, and I hurriedly switched them. I stopped thinking that if I had been more courageous, if I had been a more reckless child, lives that could have been saved would have been saved. I had already confessed about this to the King, and he had said it was his own responsibility. Since Christoph had kindly accepted it for me, I must not regret things that were past. The choice I made back then was the best one I could have made at that time. At least, Christoph had acknowledged that for me.
...There is really nothing I can do for a while.
The materials for the pant medicine were not gathered, and the Mustine medicine would be needed during the snow-melting season. As for the Greenwich Pox preventive medicine, Alfred seemed to be conducting medication experiments somewhere, so the judgment on whether it was complete would be pending until he returned. Really, there was nothing I could do.
I suppose I will write a report, I thought, and began compiling information on the completed Mustine medicine. Since the effects of the Mustine medicine had been confirmed, it should be fine to start spreading it outside soon. The decision on whether to spread it was up to the Sedovara Church and Christoph, but I could submit the prescription along with the report.
When I asked the pharmacists to also create reports from the perspective of those who had actually done the work, news of Jasper's return arrived.
"Welcome back, Jasper."
"Yeah."
Since they were materials for medicine, he could have delivered them to Siegwald's residence, but Jasper brought the snow berries back to the detached palace. Perhaps he intended to return to transcription work immediately after handing the materials to me. The ladies' etiquette training that Hermine was re-training me on was also skipped.
"These are immature 'snow caps' dried on the snow."
A box that seemed well-ventilated was placed on the table, and the lid was slid open. Inside were snow berries that had lost their moisture, their red color deepened, tumbling around.
"...They look delicious."
"Do not eat them."
Jasper warned me, saying these would probably be materials for the pant medicine. The words had just come out as a casual observation, but was I really making such a face that Jasper could not help but warn me not to eat the snow berries?
"I know. ...Not even one?"
"You do not know at all, do you."
Saying that they probably were not even that tasty, Jasper closed the lid of the box filled with snow berries. It seemed he had decided to hide them from my sight. I thought this was indeed the right decision. Because I had memories of eating them in Mey Village, my appetite was inevitably stimulated.
"You are used to sweets made with sugar in Grenore and the capital. Even if you ate them now, I think you would find the taste lacking."
"You... think so?"
I thought that might be true, but I could not give up, watching as the box was carried away by Solana. A Black Knight who had been assigned as Jasper's guard chuckled slightly at my persistent reluctance.
"...Christina-sama. This pharmacist here properly made a gift for Christina-sama, so please rest assured."
"A gift? He... made it?"
When the Black Knight confidentially told me with a mischievous wink, Jasper's lips twisted into a frown. It seemed that the information from the Black Knight was something Jasper did not want leaked.
"Jasper, what is this gift?"
"...I was late digging up the snow, so the snow berries that had ripened could not be used."
He had made them into jam and brought it back, he said, placing three jars of transparent yellow jam on the table. Repeating the excuse over and over that it was just from a failed harvest, Jasper gave all three jars of jam to me. When I pointed out that he would not have any left for himself, he said he had set aside his own portion separately, so while it was a gift for me, it was probably also jam for himself. The Black Knight standing behind him also proudly said he had his own share.
...Next year, I will make Spring Flower Festival embroidery for Jasper too!
I was sure he probably did not have anyone to give him embroidery like the other pharmacists did, I thought. Jasper was probably a bit older than my father. I did not think he was as hopeless a prospect as the rude pharmacists who said "Barbara? No thanks," but did he not have a wife or lover?
...Come to think of it, I hardly know anything about Jasper, do I?
When it came to what I knew, it was just that he was from Mey Village and was now a pharmacist. He was the one who could actually understand a little Japanese and, while realizing early on that I was a Japanese reincarnator, kept quiet about it. I had also heard he was close with the Daltowa couple.
...Maybe I will try asking him about things sometime.
I did not know if he would talk about it, but it might be worth just asking. I would visit Jasper while he was transcribing, bringing some sweet rolled omelet like Auntie Ulary used to make. That was what I thought.
Time is up.
Will fix typos and errors at a later date.