Antidote 2
At dawn, Blake-san returned carrying Monitares flowers and
medicinal herbs.
「Blake, that's a big help.」
「This is about all I can do. What should I do next?」
「For now, I want to deliver the fever reducer we just made to the doctor
at the clinic. And Layla, how are things on your end... Wait, what's
wrong?」
Perhaps surprised to see me frozen stiff piki in front of the
beakers, Ashren-sama rushed over.
「...Did this fail?」
「I was heating it slowly, but one minute ago, the spoon I was using to
stir suddenly became heavy. The moment I wondered what happened, this is it.」
Of the four beakers in front of me, only the one with the mashed
flowers that had been heated showed any change...
「There's no way you would make a mistake with the heat, Layla.
Which means it suddenly solidified. Well, it's rare, but not impossible.」
The moment I thought the liquid in the beaker had changed from pink to
red, it suddenly began to coagulate, and before I could even pull the spoon
out, it hardened like ice. When I grabbed the spoon sticking straight out of
the beaker, it lifted the entire beaker without coming out.
「Usually, the change is gradual, though...」
「We can't use it like this.」
「But the color and shape have changed, which means it reacted with the
solution. That's right, Ashren-sama, could we break this beaker, take
out the contents, and shave it?」
「Shave it, huh. It shouldn't be impossible. Let's try it.」
「There are carpentry planes for shaving wood and cooking utensils used
for grating ingredients, so I will go get them.」
Blake-san truly is quick on his feet. Even
though he just returned from galloping on a horse, I am grateful. When he gets
back, we have to let him rest a little.
「Layla, step back so you don't cut your hands
on the glass.」
「Then I will do it.」
「Do you think I would allow that?」
Being glared at intensely by Ashren-sama, who had in one hand
the wooden pestle usually used for grinding medicinal herbs, I had no words to
reply, and stepped back a few paces with a "Please go ahead." Ashren-sama
is overprotective and too sweet to me.
After wrapping the beaker in a cloth so the glass wouldn't shatter
everywhere, he broke it and took out the contents. Then, grating the red lump
with the cooking utensil Blake-san brought produced a powdery dust. When
I added this little by little to the Monitares sap, a change began to appear at
the fifth tablespoon.
「Ashren-sama, look. The stickiness of the sap
has weakened a little!」
「We can use this.」
When I added another spoonful, it became about the viscosity of honey.
As I scooped up the now syrupy Monitares sap and let it drip from the spoon,
the morning sun illuminated it, making it sparkle. As I thought, the Monitares
flower did have a detoxifying effect.
「It's just a possibility, but the Monitares flower might have a property
that makes it difficult to be absorbed by the body. If eaten before toxic
symptoms appear, it can prevent the poison from spreading throughout the body,
but once the symptoms have manifested, simply eating the flower might not be
enough to cure it.」
「By soaking it in the solution and extracting its components, the
absorption rate increases. Even so, six tablespoons are necessary. If we have
to make it for all the patients, we'll need a considerable amount of flowers.
No, more importantly...」
Ashren-sama and I simultaneously looked at the
medicinal herbs Blake-san brought us earlier. Among them, there were a
few that made it easier for the body to take in medicine.
Medicine is completed by taking a main medicinal herb and mixing it
with others that enhance its effects, increase its absorption rate, suppress
side effects, and so on. Medicinal herbs themselves have compatibility, and it
is very common that mixing this and that conversely degrades the quality or
eliminates the effect, and it also changes depending on the proportions.
「Let's make medicine with the grated powder as the main ingredient,
further increasing its absorption rate. The problem is which ones to mix and in
what amounts.」
「And the time limit is about half a day left.」
「Yeah, with you here, Layla, it'll be a breeze.」
「Don't joke around, we are starting.」
At this point, it's a race against time. Ashren-sama and I
single-mindedly repeated experiments, and then, evening came. The antidote was
finally complete.
Taking the antidote to the third floor, we handed it to the doctor, the
guard knight with graying hair, and Prince Elliot, whose consciousness
had become clearer as the fever reducer took some effect.
「This is the completed antidote.」
「Y-You're lying... right? This is an endemic disease that has...
continuously plagued my country. For decades... for hundreds of years, even
with research... we couldn't do it, yet you made it in one day?」
「The base of the antidote is the Monitares flower. Because the flower
does not bloom in the Tarteria Kingdom, I believe that is why the
development of an antidote was not achieved. However.」
Cutting my words there, I took a small, deep breath. Ashren-sama
is beside me, but since I am the one who came up with this medicine, I should
be the one to explain. Because, if things go wrong, this will become an issue
of responsibility.
「This medicine has not undergone clinical trials. We know it has a
detoxifying effect, but we did not have time to investigate what side effects
it might have.」
「Hey! You intend to make Prince Elliot drink something so
dangerous?」
The guard knight reached his hand out toward my arm, but Ashren-sama
quickly pulled me into a hug and shielded me.
「Listen until the end. Layla, can you say the rest?」
「Yes. Thank you. I believe you know that the fatality rate of Bareinurake
disease is twenty percent, and the possibility of lasting aftereffects is even
higher. However, those possibilities are lower for people who are young,
healthy, and have stamina. Since the fever reducer seems to be taking some
effect on Prince Elliot, his life might be saved even without taking
this medicine. Please decide for yourself what you will do.」
「To make His Highness decide when you only have such uncertain
information—are you even researchers?!」
「It is precisely because we are researchers that we are saying this. We
are going to the clinic right now to tell the same story. We do have
hesitations about handing over a medicine that has not undergone clinical
trials, but if it is not taken within the next few hours, it will be
life-threatening. Doctor, I will hand the medicine to you. We apologize, but we
will take our leave now.」
I think Prince Elliot will probably survive. He is conscious,
and although he seems to be in pain, he can breathe. The water in the pitcher
had also decreased, so he must be hydrating. Just as we were about to leave, I
heard Prince Elliot's voice ordering his guard.
「...Hey. You go to the clinic with them. ...And confirm whether there
are any problems when commoners take the medicine.」
「Understood. Doctor, leave the medicine as it is until I return.」
I swallowed the words that were right at the tip of my tongue with a guh.
At the implication of experimenting on the bodies of commoners, anger welled up
from the bottom of my stomach, and I had unknowingly clenched my fists.
「Let's go, Layla.」
Called out to, I looked up and saw that his ice-blue eyes were
piercingly sharp. Ashren-sama feels the same way. But we cannot argue
back here.
The weight of a life is the same for everyone, but it is also a fact
that Prince Elliot is a prince of a neighboring country. If something
happens to him due to our judgment, it could develop into a conflict between
countries. Following Prince Elliot's own judgment is also for the sake
of the Kanista Kingdom.
Because horses are faster than a carriage, Ashren-sama and Blake-san
decided to carry the antidote in backpacks and take it on horseback.
「You can stay behind, you know, Layla.」
「I cannot do that. This is a medicine that hasn't undergone clinical
trials, and as its developer, I have a responsibility.」
「Do not shoulder everything alone. I'll say it as many times as it
takes: the Deputy Director of the laboratory is me. I made the final decision,
so the responsibility lies with me.」
He gently stroked my hair and softly pulled my shoulder into a hug.
「So, don't tense up so much. You've looked like you're about to cry for
a while now. The patients will get agitated if they see that.」
「You are right. I am sorry.」
Borrowing Ashren-sama's hand, I got on the horse. The servants
had apparently prepared the fastest horses; the wind rushed past my ears with a
byun byun, and the scenery rapidly flowed backward. I hear it takes two
hours to reach the clinic by carriage, but between the speed of the horses and
cutting through animal trails that a carriage couldn't traverse, we arrived in
half that time.
However, perhaps because I felt my life was in danger several times on
the way, my legs felt a bit unsteady when I got off the horse. Without us
knowing, the servants had apparently been going back and forth between the
mansion and the clinic many times to pass on information, and when we entered
the clinic, the doctor immediately rushed over.
「You finished it?」
「Yes. However...」
From there, I told the doctor, the patients, and their families the
same thing I had explained to Prince Elliot.
「M-My daughter hasn't regained consciousness the whole time. Her pulse
is getting weaker too... so please, give us that medicine.」
The first one to raise his hand was the host of the party, the father
of the guest of honor. Next, the family of an old man sleeping by the window
also raised their hands. The doctor immediately handed them the powdered
medicine and water, and began explaining to the families once again. Hands went
up from the families of other severely ill patients, and Gray-san was
among them.
「If there is any medicine left over, I want to give it to my wife too.
But, the reason this happened is all my fault. Therefore, please prioritize the
others...」
Gray-san's hoarse voice was accompanied by
bright red eyes, and perhaps out of guilt, his back was hunched as he shrunk
his body as small as it could get. Voices called out to such a Gray-san
from those around him.
「Gray, I told you not to worry about it
anymore, didn't I?」
「That's right, the one at fault is that neighboring country's prince who
ate the sap looking so delicious.」
「Yeah, seeing something like that, it's only natural you'd want to eat
it.」
At the encouragement from the people around him, Gray teared up.
Ashren-sama, placing a hand on Gray's shoulder, explained that
there was enough medicine for everyone. Concerned about their remarks, I
checked the reaction of the guard knight.
「U-Um...」
「I am Prince Elliot's guard knight, and His Highness's life is
more important than anything else. However, that does not mean I lack common
sense and a conscience.」
「...Thank you very much.」
It seems he is going to pretend he didn't hear that. I am glad he was
the one who came along. Among the younger people who only ate a small amount of
the apple pie, some had passed the critical stage with just the fever reducer.
About half of the people brought in took the medicine, and after
staying for about an hour and confirming that no patients had taken a sudden
turn for the worse, the guard knight returned to the villa.
When I asked Ashren-sama if we should explain that side effects
might appear one or two days, no, half a month later, he told me that since
Prince Elliot has pharmacological knowledge, he should already know
that.
It is true that, despite his problematic personality, he knew about
medicinal herbs. We decided not to return to the villa and to spend some time
at the clinic.
The doctors prepared beds for us to rest, saying they would call us if anything happened, but thinking they had been up all night for days, I couldn't bring myself to sleep, and in the end, I helped nurse the patients until morning that day.
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