Laboratory
of the Kanista Kingdom 2
The
next day, I commuted to work in the same carriage as Ashren-sama. We had
talked about the future while on the ship, and it has been decided that I will
be taken care of at the Naturi Marquis Estate for a while.
「Good morning.」
「Good morning, Layla-san. I am
preparing your seat right now, so please wait a moment.」
Since
we had just returned from the boat trip yesterday, we returned to the Marquis
Estate immediately after eating lunch. The real work starts today. The
laboratory is divided into several rooms, but the room closest to the entrance
has everyone's desks lined up, and it seems paperwork is done here. Next to it
is the testing room, and the innermost room is the warehouse.
「Thank you, Tick. I can do the
rest myself, so it is alright.」
A
desk and chair were already placed. I borrowed a rag from Tick and began
wiping them down. Since there was some rough dirt on them, he might have
brought them from some warehouse.
「Layla, is it alright if I explain the
development currently taking place in the laboratory, even while you are
cleaning?」
「Yes. Please do.」
The
seat next to me apparently belonged to Ashren-sama, who was looking
through documents in his hand while crossing his long legs. The Director
was reportedly attending a budget meeting.
「First, the knight order has
requested the improvement of salves, and since it is the season for colds to
spread, the development of a more effective cough medicine. Also, this is a
perpetual issue, but the stable quality control of medicines.」
I
see. As I listened, several ideas came to mind. I could probably use that and
that.
「Ashren-sama, regarding the medicine
requested by the knight order first, how about taking what was used in the Jilgista
Kingdom as a base and slightly improving it?」
「However, you left all the research
materials in the Jilgista Kingdom, did you not? Can you make the same
thing?」
「I have all the recipes for the
medicines I made memorized in my head, so it is possible.」
When
I tilted my head wondering why he would ask such an obvious thing, Ashren-sama
was looking at me with his mouth wide open.
「All of them? Does that mean you
remember all the detailed numbers, not just the types of medicinal herbs to
dispense, but their amounts, the time to boil or heat them, and the timing to
mix them?」
「Yes, of course. I have made hundreds
of varieties up until now, but I remember all of them.」
Feeling
a sense of incongruity in the dead silent laboratory, I turned around to find
both Flora and Tick staring at me, looking as if they had frozen
solid with their half-finished work in their hands.
「Hundreds of varieties of medicine
recipes in her head……」
「And here I am, barely managing to
just remember the types of medicinal herbs.」
Did
I say something strange? When I looked at Ashren-sama, he had his hand
on his chin, looking deep in thought.
「In that case, the recipe for the
medicine to prevent the mass withering of wheat is also……」
「Of course. However, using it exactly
as is could lead to an international incident, so I think it would be better to
slightly improve it before putting it into circulation. Even so, it might still
cause a problem, though.」
Because
if large quantities of a very similar medicine started circulating the moment I
came to this country, they would definitely find it suspicious.
「No, if that is the case, it is fine.」
「How can you declare that so
certainly?」
「Because you could not even do chores
properly, right, Layla? There is no way you would know medicine recipes.
Even if a very similar medicine circulates after you arrived, it is just a
coincidence.」
……Uwah,
he really is two-faced. Saying such vulgar things with a beautiful face. Well,
it is certainly true, though.
Even
if I were to make the same medicine, pursuing the matter would cause sparks to
fly at Carter-sama. After all, I was supposedly not involved in making
medicines and did not know any recipes.
Still,
I think it would be better to improve it just in case, though. It does not have
to be a major improvement; just adding a little bit of a medicinal herb that
wouldn't interfere with the effects, for example.
「For now, I will write down slightly
arranged recipes for a salve and a poultice. If possible, I would like to start
from prepping the medicinal herbs used as ingredients, but this time I think I
will make them with what is currently available.」
「Layla! In that case, won't you let Tick
and me handle that job? The medicine recipes of a foreign country are
incredibly fascinating!」
「Yes, Flora-san. I will leave
it to you, then.」
I
dipped the pen nib in ink and began writing out the recipes. I wrote the steps
that required caution more detailed and carefully. Medicine making is a very
delicate thing.
「Then, please do exactly as written
here.」
「Whoa, this is the first time I've
seen such a detailed recipe. The timing to mix the medicinal herbs and the
temperature at that moment are determined down to the second and the degree.」
「I apologize for it being so
detailed. Can you do it?」
「I'll do it! I'll show you I can do
it!!」
Next
to Flora, who rolled up her sleeves in high spirits, Tick was
muttering to himself while turning pale. The word "anxiety" was
clearly floating on his face.
「Tick, if there is anything you do not
understand, please ask anytime.」
「Yes! I'll count on you.」
「Alright, let's head to the testing
room.」
Tick followed behind the highly
motivated Flora. A woman giving instructions to a man is a sight I never
saw in the Jilgista Kingdom.
「Also, Ashren-sama, regarding
the stability of the medicinal herbs' quality.」
「You have an idea for that as well?」
「Rather than an idea, it is a
solution.」
At
my words, Ashren-sama widened his ice-blue eyes and then looked up at
the heavens.
「I have decided that I will no longer
be surprised no matter what I hear.」
「Haa.」
Finding
Ashren-sama staring into space with somewhat distant eyes curious, I
proceeded to explain.
「The biggest cause of the medicinal
herbs' quality being unstable lies in the drying process.」
Nearly
half of medicinal herbs are used by turning the dried ones into powder. Other
than that, they are mostly used as heated broth, squeezed juice, or mashed as
is.
「This drying is troublesome, as you
have to finely adjust the drying time depending on the room temperature and
humidity. The combinations number in the thousands, tens of thousands.」
「Don't tell me you have memorized
that as well?」
「As expected, that is impossible.
Therefore, I created calculation formulas for each medicinal herb. If you insert today's temperature and humidity
into this formula, the optimal drying time will come out.」
Even
in the Jilgista Kingdom, the variation in medicine quality became a
problem, and I investigated the major medicinal herbs. That was the most
mind-boggling task out of all the work I have done. Changing the time minute by
minute, repeating the same process over and over. Doing that repeatedly for
dozens of types of medicinal herbs required a great deal of patience and
concentration.
「I might have possibly brought back
something incredible. Would it be possible to have you compile those
calculation formulas?」
「Yes, I memorized all of them…… Ah!」
That's right, I just remembered. I had never written those formulas down in official documents before. In other words, the Jilgista Kingdom is currently unable to know the accurate drying times.
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