Volume 6, Chapter 28 – The One We Don’t Need

Having finished treating all 213 patients admitted to the field hospital, I am now attending a meeting with the staff in one of the rooms.

As for why the treatment finished so quickly: the patients in critical condition had already passed away before we arrived, and there was only one severely injured person who required Level 4 Healing Magic.

There were 57 patients who required Level 3, and the remaining 155 were fine with Level 2.

Consequently, I treated the Level 3 patients individually and then treated the remaining 155 all at once.

The fact that the disease hadn’t spread further even in these conditions was likely thanks to thorough disinfection.

The staff at this field hospital consisted of three doctors in addition to Dr. Melveik, seven nurses, and a mere single Healer.

It must have been incredibly taxing to handle this many people with such a skeleton crew.

The evidence was clear in the deep exhaustion etched across everyone’s faces.

“Thank you all for gathering. As you know, thanks to Saint Fiene Argentata-sama, the pride of our nation, all the injured have been discharged. We are told we shall receive a few words from the Saint-sama. Everyone, listen closely. Heh heh… Perhaps we’ll finally be rid of the incompetent fools who were doing such strange things.”

The better-off-not-here Dominic-san made a sarcastic comment loud enough for Dr. Melveik to hear. Honestly, he is incredibly annoying.

Incidentally, Lazare Manteni-san, the captain of the Airoll garrison of the Second Knight Order and the second son of the lord, is also participating in this meeting.

Since he’s attending a meeting like this, could it be that he’s hoping I’ll tell him to kick out the incredibly annoying, better-off-not-here Dominic-san?

Yes, it must be that.

No matter how you look at it, this guy looks like he’d only get in the way of everyone’s work; it would definitely be best if he made his exit.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Fiene Argentata. First, I want to say that you have all worked very hard. Thanks to your thorough disinfection of hands and wounds, you were able to protect the patients from nosocomial infections. I wish to express my respect to all of you who put the patients first despite the lack of supplies. Thank you very much.”

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When I said this, the reactions of the gathered staff varied—some widened their eyes, others recoiled—but they all seemed uniformly surprised.

But is that really something to be so surprised about?

Isn’t it only natural to appreciate and thank people who have worked this hard?

Ah, one of the nurses has started crying. Uh, what is it?

“Finally… someone who finally understands…”

I caught the voice of the nurse, who whispered in a tiny voice that surely no one else could hear.

I see. So she must’ve been hurting because no one acknowledged all the hard work she’d put in.

“Now, by the way, who was the one who promoted the hand-washing and wound cleansing?”

The moment I asked that, tension shot through the staff.

Huh? I meant it as a compliment, so why?

“Th-that was all of us—”

“Saint-sama, it was that quack doctor, Melveik. Because that man brought strange customs into the hospital under my management, the healing of the injured was delayed!”

While a young doctor was in the middle of speaking, the incredibly annoying, better-off-not-here Dominic-san—actually, that’s too long, let’s just go with “the one we don’t need”—cut him off and blamed it on Dr. Melveik.

Apparently, he dislikes Dr. Melveik quite a bit.

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“S-Saint-sama! This was something all the staff discussed and decided together! It was not Dr. Melveik’s sole decision!”

The young doctor with glasses, who had just been cut off by the one we don’t need, hurriedly corrected him.

“Hey, Bronto. Who gave you permission to speak? Furthermore, are you suggesting that the words of a noble such as I are incorrect?”

Seriously? Intimidating someone right in front of me? Is this guy insane?

“Dr. Melveik, it seems the two of you have conflicting views. What say you?”

“Saint-sama, since I have been given permission, I shall speak plainly. There is no mistake that I was the one who introduced this disinfection.”

At that, the one we don’t need looked like he’d just won the argument.

“See, Saint-sama, the man himself admitted it. With this, this quack can be expell—”

“By the way, Dominic-san, for the hand-washing and wound disinfection, you used something made by boiling alcohol, correct?”

I plastered a smile on my face and questioned the one we don’t need.

“That is correct. Alcohol could’ve been used as a stimulant, yet it was wasted.”

“That ‘waste’ made by boiling alcohol is called alcohol extract. It was created about a year and a half—no, a bit longer—ago. Do you happen to know the catalyst for its creation?”

“No, I do not. If you would be so kind, I wish to be graced by the Saint-sama’s wisdom.”

It seems the one we don’t need has a style of thoroughly flattering those above him.

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I suppose that’s his way of getting ahead in life, that’s probably why he’s in a position of authority, but I wonder about that.

“Then, Dominic-san, alcohol extract has another name in the Royal Capital. Are you unaware of it?”

“No, I am not. Again, I wish to be graced by the Saint-sama’s wisdom.”

I let out a small sigh.

Yep. Talking to this guy really is just a waste of time.

“Well then, does anyone else here know?”

At that, Dr. Melveik and the other two doctors all raised their hands.

I see. So that’s how it is.

“Please, Dr. Melveik.”

I called on Dr. Melveik.

“Alcohol extract is also known as Fiene-Style Disinfectant. And the catalyst for the creation of this Fiene-Style Disinfectant was the Saint Fiene-sama present here, who devised it when the Mummy Disease struck the Royal Capital; it became a hot topic as the miracle medicine that cut off the source of the Mummy Disease. Furthermore, the cauldron I use is a specialized extraction kiln certified by the Royal Capital’s Apothecary Guild, developed specifically so that the ‘Fiene-Style Alcohol Extraction Method’ could be performed without magic.”

The moment he heard that, the one we don’t need turned pale instantly.

“So then, does that make my disinfectant a waste? I see. Then perhaps someone who creates such ‘waste’ is just a waste of a person who’s only in everyone’s way? Ah, but for my part, I’m a bit unhappy that the things I worked so desperately to create to save the Royal Capital from the Mummy Disease are spoken of in such a way.”

I deliberately let the silence hang.

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“That’s right, Chris-san. This counts as my honor being tarnished, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, if that is how Fiene-sama feels, then it does.”

“If I decide that I cannot forgive this, how is such a matter resolved in this country?”

“Dominic-dono is a noble, but Fiene-sama is a Saint. In such a case, the general options are to seek arbitration from His Majesty or His Holiness the Pope, or to resolve it through a duel. Should it come to a duel, I shall, of course, fight in Fiene-sama’s stead.”

“So that’s how it is. Now, Dominic-san, how shall we resolve this?”

“Hieee!”

The one we don’t need let out a pathetic sound and tumbled backward off his chair.

Honestly, if he’s going to be like that, he should have just done his job seriously from the start.

“Captain Lazare, as you can see, this man seems to be a negative influence on this hospital. Could you handle this appropriately?”

“Sigh, it can’t be helped. I thought this man wouldn’t cause problems if he were here… Hey, Dominic, you are hereby placed under suspension for the time being for the crime of insulting Saint-sama. Due to the nature of the charge, a formal sentence will be handed down following a report to your superiors.”

Captain Lazare delivered the punishment with a look as if he were staring at trash, then turned back to me.

“Saint-sama, is this satisfactory?”

“Yes. Thank you very much. Now then, everyone, let us discuss the system for tomorrow onwards.”

With the one we didn’t need finally out of the way, we proceeded to discuss the future patient intake system, shifts, and other matters.