Episode 09: Village Doctor

Going to work on that Metal Hagure chapter right after this.

Episode 09: Village Doctor

The next day after returning to the village.
Seeing Lucie off who went to work at the fields, I became fired up.

To manufacture the weapons, five days were given as a time limit and during which field labor is exempted. Spending all five days on only creating weapons would be boring.
So securing the trust of the villagers is also done concurrently.
Thus, I have already begun the actions for that purpose.

「Hey, Syril, is it true that you can really cure injuries and disease」

A muscular young man, Roelou asks high-highhandedly.

「Not all of them, but most can be cured」

I begin to imitate a doctor’s behavior.
There is no doctor in the village. An injury and even illnesses, elves that are said to be knowledgeable people as a general law learn by experience, unknown treatments are believed to be superstition and effective only if it works.

As a result, there are many suffering elves.
However, I have both knowledge and experience. Though I cannot say all, I am able to treat a considerable ratio. The deed of saving lives, that is a considerably good plan to gain trust.

「Let the evidence be the proof. How about I let Roelou be the judge of whether I am able to cure you？」

I say so with a smile.
A simple tent is pitched near our home, and a variety of people of different ages and genders were there, approximately 10 people were lined up.
During the previous day, I had my childhood friend Rick, whom was stabbed in the back and I treated, circulate around the village that I would act as a doctor only in the morning, and thus patients have been gathered.
Since it was Rick who was actually treated, it was more persuasive and people immediately gathered.

「Then, I want you to cure my right arm. It fractured last year, and though the bone has already been connected, the arm is inflexible and has trouble even after healing. When I think that the arm will be in this state for the rest of my life……I.」

Roelou distorts his expression while his voice has a serious tone.
Roelou is the village’s number one muscle man and a young man his in the late 20s. It would be difficult to have a handicapped arm. Fortunately, I seem to be able to cure it for this case.

「I can imagine the general point of what happened. If that is so, I seem to be able to cure it. Show it.」

When I say so, I touched the right arm of Roelou who is patient number one.

Because he is at the top of the vigilance committee in this village, he is a nice partner to sell a favor to.
The magical power is poured in and the body’s situation is confirmed. The condition of Roelou’s health was as I expected.

「Has anything been understood？」
「Ahh, it is because the bone is deformed and clinging to closely, it interferes when the joint is bent.」
「What do you mean？」
「When the broken bone is reconnected, it did not connect back to its original shape. That reason is that it is easy for it to stick too closely when reconnected. Therefore, it did not return to its original form even when the bone fracture healed. In fact as it is now, the obstruction would lead to a bad life by the recovery that was done」
「Is it the case where it can never be returned back to the way it was?」
「Normally that would be the case. But by using a treatment that is more painful than death, well since it is your life which would you rather have？」
「Hey Hey, Don’t say such a dangerous thing.」
「The next patient is waiting. Please choose quickly」
「……I would rather have the pain that is worse than death」
「Then here, bite on this with all of your might. It will be annoying when you bite off your tongue when you start screaming, not to mention hazardous」

I passed a fabric to Roelou to place in his mouth.
For examinations, I called upon Water Mana.
The blood flowing through Roelou’s body is imaged. The main component of blood is water.
Blood manipulation is included in Water Magic arts.

「Vibrate spirit of Water.」

Simultaneously with my word, Roelou’s blood violently vibrates, it is conveyed to only impact the bone. Taking Chinese Martial Arts and applying it to Magic.
The partially deformed bone is beautifully broken to the point without injuring anything other than the bone, it is then crushed into many parts.

「Ku uuuuuuu」

The scream of Roelou leaks out.
Once it has deformed, there is no choice but to break it once more.
The fragments of the bone are gathered to the ideal position by an impact from outside, a thin membrane like cast is made using internal magical power 《Odo》, after this Roelou’s arm should be fixed.

「Roelou start moving your arm to your heart’s content.」

Roelou puts in power as I told him to, but it doesn’t move all of the sudden and only very subtlety because it is restrained by magical power. It should be safe with this.
Thus, with the arm fixed in place, the bone is connected into the perfect form.

「【Healing】」

Then I, using internal Magical Power 《Odo》, magically strengthened the self recovery ability of Roelou. Though a complex spell formula, it is of no difficulty for me.
【Healing】 only strengthens the self recovery ability, it cannot heal anything that cannot be naturally healed on its own.
Therefore, to such a method, various preparations are necessary.

「Ah u, Ah u, Ah」

Because the bone is connected rapidly, Roelou is attacked by both discomfort and pain.
But, the Spell Formula is performing well.
After confirming that the bone has connected, 【Healing】 has finished. Finally it was scanned, and the ideal method of connecting it was done. With this there should no longer be anymore trouble with moving the arm.

「Yes, that should be enough for today. The arm should already be able to bend properly. Well then, you may return home」
「Oi！ For the arm that gave so much trouble to so quickly be able to……bend！　My arm can bend！」

The cloth that was plunged into the mouth was taken out, after shouting for a while, he raised a that expressed joy from the bottom of his heart.

「That is why I said it is finished, wouldn’t you agree？」
「Syril, I am sorry I ever doubted you. What would be good to express my gratitude？There is some fur in house, even meat, you may take anything」
「It is unnecessary. However, I will be fine if your power is lent when ever I am in trouble」
「Is that really fine？」
「Of course, if I collect compensation one by one from this group in the village, the house would be overflowing with stuff」
「That would be bad. I will not forget this kindness.」

I return a smile.
The reason to not receive compensation is not out of kindness. I am demanding their gratitude. And it would be troubling to have a lot of junk pushed on me to forgive a debt.

Receiving a debt of gratitude would weigh better. It is necessary to pay a debt of gratitude in the proper place.
Roelou left the house after expressing gratitude to me repeatedly.

「Who is next？」
「Please cure my son. From before last week there is a stomachache to the extent that he cannot walk, there is no recovery even after taking secret medicine」
「Mama, it hurts」

The next visitor is a woman with a voluptuous body in the latter half of her thirties that lives two houses away. She brought a child who was slightly younger than me.
The boy has a greasy sweat while his breathing is rough and pained.

Because Elves, in terms of Human Standards, take on years slower from their late teens, it was a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties visually. A small amount of tension rises.

「Was something bad eaten？」

Because the boy is suffering so that conversation is not even possible, I turn the question towards the mother.

「No way」
「Vomiting, Fever, Loss of appetite, Diarrhea, have any of these symptoms appeared.」
「All excluding diarrhea」
「Little boy, please press down on the place that hurts by hand」

The boy presses down on the right side of the abdomen.
By the current examination, it is probably Appendicitis……I understand it to be the appendix.
Usually, intense abdominal pain and diarrhea come as a set. If it is not, and the stomachache continues for a long time, there is nothing else that comes to mind but appendicitis. Moreover the pain is located in the right side of the abdomen. The place which aches is in the last stage of appendicitis.
When scanning with magic just in case, an elongated protrusion was out above the intestines.

「Umm, Syril-san, can you cure it？」

The disheartened seeming mother asks.

「I can certainly cure it. However, it is necessary to cut the stomach to cut out the source of the pain that is attached above the intestines. Your Son’s skin will have to be cut into if it is to be cured.」
「Does the stomach have to be cut？」
「Yes it does. It wont be cured unless I do so. As for the disease your son suffers from, it is like an evil spirit settling down in the intestines. It is useless no matter what I do unless I remove that fiend.」

The mother looks worried and an answer is not returned easily.
By the knowledge of Syril, no concept of surgery exists in the present times.
I can understand that there is some resistance.

「Please return if you do not want the treatment. The next patient is waiting. However, the outcome will be bad if your son’s illness if left alone. Sooner or later the demon that is attached to intestines cause necrosis, at that time, pus and intestinal liquid will flow out into the abdomen, and inflammation will spread to where all of the internal organs are. The pain at that time would make this now seem nonexistent in comparison, the worst case would be death」

In response to my words, the mother’s face turns blue.

「I am not saying it as a threat. I am only advising you. Anyways, if you cannot place your trust in me, it will only be futile here」

Although I seem to be pushy, since I am the only one that is the doctor here, the time for persuasion cannot remain too long. There are people who are still waiting for my help.

「Mother, I want it to be cured, whether I can be healed as it is, I want to bet it on Syril-anchan」

The boy says with brave resolution. Delicate pride is damaged, when entrusting it to Syril-anchan I want to ensure that everything will be alright.

「……Please I request it. Please save my son」
「Aa, Leave it to me」

I transfer him to a simple bed of the tree prepared in the tent by carrying him in my arms.
I want to perform the surgical operation in a sterilized room, but such a thing does not exist anywhere in this world.
Not going to do it in the house, because I do not want to pollute the house of Lucie and me with blood.
In addition, sick people will be coming a lot. Because it would be seriously bad if Lucie catches a disease, thus I look after the patients in the tent.
Then, I will cut through while using a membrane made from internal magical power 《Odo》 to prevent the entirety of the body from moving with the exception of the lower abdomen. Because there is no anesthesia, the other party is operated on while awake. When movement is too violent, my hand may slip and I might end up killing.

「Since it might be scary, close your eyes. It would also be better if you bite on this」

By now having them bite a cloth to prevent them from biting their tongue has become the usual practice.
It is the third person with this, it is bad luck for this fellow.

「This is all that can be done for preparations」

I take a knife from my breast pocket, and the liquor that was used to treat Rick was taken out as well.
After letting the liquor soak into the cloth, I wipe the knife and hands with the cloth to sterilize it.
The boy’s belly is wiped at the same time.

「Mother-san, the child’s stomach will be cut into at this moment. Please look away if it is scary. Can you please do not interfere？　Because it is a matter of life and death if it were to get clumsy」
「Yes, I will be alright desu. I will not avert my eyes, and I will not disturb you」

An extremely courageous person. The mother may become strong for her child.
I turned over the clothes of the boy with my left hand, then stick the knife to the abdomen and cut in 10 cm deep.
Because there is consciousness without anesthesia, the acute pain runs through the body of the boy and makes the body try to convulse but the membrane of internal magical power 《Odo》 does not permit it.
And then, the blood vessel that was damaged was repressed and the blood stopped with magic, and a hand was thrust into the stomach to look for the bowels.

The location of where the inflamed appendix is understood from the scan.
It is quickly found, then I maneuver the hand over the intestines and grab the root of the appendicitis. And then, once the hand is separated from it, after completely suppressing the root by magical power, the long and slender appendicitis that has grown from the intestines is chopped off with a knife.
Because the root is suppressed, blood did not spout.
Quickly, 【Healing】 was cast and the reinforcement of self healing power was restricted to the part that was being touched, the wound that was made to cut off the appendicitis a moment ago was closed off.

And then, after pulling out my hand, the wound is pressured close together and once again 【Healing】 strengthens the self-healing ability.
Without a single wound remaining on the abdomen, nothing appeared to have changed from before the start of the surgery.

「It has ended. Does the stomach still ache？」
「Huh, it doesn’t hurt, Mom it doesn’t hurt at all.」

The boy say up and said joyfully.
I also breathed a sigh of relief after a long absence because of the surgery.

「Thank you very much. You saved my son.」
「It was something that was done for an important village companion. You don’t need to mind it」
「A reward……」
「I just said it to Roelou a little while ago, I do not need to receive it」
「But, I want to convey my thanks by all means」
「There is no need. If it is accepted from one person, I am not going to be able to stop receiving it from the other patients. If it is the case that you are able to afford to give me a gift in thanks, then feed the child something nutritious even if it is only a little. Because if a meal is not taken right away, the condition will weaken considerably. Even though the illness is cured, fully recovering cannot be done here」
「I will not forget this kindness throughout my life」

After the tears collected in her eyes, the woman bowed with the boy and they left with the two of them together.
And now, the surrounding tension rises.
In front of many people was the surprising swiftness of the two people, an illness that shouldn’t have healed no matter what was cured in this place, expectations of me jumps up.

「Well now, who is next？」

And like that, eight people were treated in the three hours before it became noon.

◇

Although the medical treatment schedule time has ended, the people have not decreased.
At the present time, I was being pressed by a patient who I had told to comeback.

「Somehow, Could I also be treated today？　My lower back hurts」
「I am sorry. I can only doctor in the morning」
「Please somehow or another！」

Dealing with a large number of medical treatments, far from people decreasing it has increased.
Until now, using ever trick in the book to cure old wounds, if there is a sense of incompatibility with the body I may be able to cure it.
Several people lower their head to me.

「I will do medical treatments tomorrow morning. I am sorry, but I have work elsewhere. I must make the weapons that can penetrate the armor within 5 days, otherwise I will be tied up and presented to the Empire. I am sorry but you will have to wait for treatment in a day」

While making a facial expression that seems of regret from the bottom of my heart, I spoke.

「Now that it was mentioned, Syril did say so. That is too bad. Let me wait until such time.」
「Oh well, we should have taken care of ourselves too」

The surroundings toned down when they saw my manner take a modest approach.

「It will not be in service in the afternoon. Because you will see it again in the morning, come tomorrow」
「Syril, is that okay？」
「Aah, the treatment that I am doing is more of a recreation for me. I want to do everything I can for everyone in the village. Even if it there are illnesses and injuries to cure, the reason why I have to make weapons to fight with the empire is to defend the lives of everybody in the village. Neither of which can be made light of.」

Was that a little too excessive?
While getting impatient inwardly, I watched the facial expressions of the surrounding people, it looks as if they have taken to the words accordingly.

「Syril, do your best. We believe you can do it」
「Yes, everyone is rooting for me. With such remarkable people behind me, I can make the weapons more easily」

The elven people that are good natured in origin easily become my ally.
With this case and going at this rate, even for the public demonstration after having made the weapon, I get the impression of their willingness to cooperate.

「Thank you, I will do my best」

I conceal my heart and make a smiling face that gives a good impression that was a bit forced.
At first, this first step may be called a success.
This is groundwork that will lay the foundations of something greater. Such efforts will bring meaning later.