3 – Save My Father!
My reputation improved.
Just because Miss Catherine fixed me once, my youngest sister Bae-ki, who used to tease me every day, expressed gratitude with a fresh face.
“Thanks to Bath Gentleman, my skin condition has improved. Uh… thank you.”
It seemed like Bae-ki also recovered as if her dermatitis had been washed away.
Oatmeal was easy to get for Count Roland, who had shares in wheat, so the maidservants often indulged in oatmeal baths.
A natural lotion (moisturizer) blending method was developed among the maidservants, so nowadays, seeing them apply lotion became quite common.
A lotion blending method that can be made with just soy milk and lemon juice.
Since these were materials easily accessible to the maidservants, the scent of lemons vibrated in the aristocratic residence.
“The lotion helps create a protective barrier for the skin, right?”
“Yes, yes. If Bath Gentleman said so, it must be true.”
The maidservants began to trust me wholeheartedly.
If I do well, could I become their family?
“An outsider is not strange to be driven out at any time. But if I become their family, they won’t easily kick me out!”
I will never be dragged onto the battlefield as a shield!
This is about survival! I will prove my worth.
***
In the early dawn, I carry two brown barrels, a shovel, and a broom, collecting waste.
I work in the early dawn when the smell of waste is less.
“Phew~ Another scorching day ahead.”
Thirty servants of the aristocratic residence, eleven knights, and five members of Count Roland’s household.
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I handle all their waste.
“Let’s work hard today!”
I ignited my passion.
If I work hard, I won’t be kicked out, right?
In reality, at first, I didn’t have the courage to handle waste, but humans are creatures of adaptation, or so they say, and I have truly changed.
As a former nurse, hygiene in Count Roland’s household was truly poor.
There was only one toilet in the aristocratic residence, and only nobles could use it.
The maids and knights resorted to relieving themselves by the riverside, in the bushes, or in extreme cases, in the corners of the rooms.
To a nurse who washed her hands 50 times a day at the hospital, there was no other hell.
“I’ll keep it clean!”
I live where I keep it clean!
I barely managed to regain my shaky mental state. I had no choice but to accept, as there was no way to refuse. Can’t just head to a remote mountain where bandits roam without a plan.
But still, it’s not bad living at Yeongjoo Castle.
Thud, thud! As I removed the feces stuck to the castle wall with a spade, I felt a sense of job satisfaction.
“The ants~ are working~ hard~ today~”
Be thankful for having a job, Kim Cheol-soo.
“Kim Cheol-soo!”
As I sang a work song while working, Catherine ran over.
Catherine, who had become friendly to me after the skin treatment.
Could it be that she brought some sweet honey cookies? When I greeted her with a subtle glance, Catherine urgently asked me.
“My father is in critical condition, I need Kim Cheol-soo’s help!”
“Huh…? Viscount Roland?”
“Yes! Please save my father!!”
Save Viscount Roland?
I’m a nurse, I can’t perform surgery.
“Okay… then.”
I reluctantly agreed.
I hope Viscount Roland’s condition isn’t too serious.
***
In Viscount Roland’s bedroom, Viscount Roland lay pale-faced.
“Ugh!”
Splish-splash! As watery diarrhea splattered, the maids scrubbed the soiled bedding with stern faces.
『Diarrhea Disease』
In the Empire, this illness, known as the devil’s curse, caused massive diarrhea leading to dehydration and, if not treated properly, could be a deadly disease.
“Lord, please take care of your faithful servant, Viscount Roland. Stop the diarrhea tormenting Viscount Roland.”
Despite the priests praying fervently in the temple, Viscount’s diarrhea showed no signs of stopping.
The room vibrated with the stench of Viscount’s diarrhea, and his family, soaked in fury, clung to the temple priests.
“Church priest! Is, is my husband going to be okay? Can he get better?”
“Well… once diarrhea disease starts, there’s no cure…”
Preparing oneself mentally…
The church priest struggled to finish his sentence.
Viscount Roland’s wife turned pale. Though the priest’s words were vague, everyone understood what he was trying to say.
“No, no. How can this be? My husband is so young. Our eldest son, Alex, is only 5 years old! If my husband passes away like this, what will happen to our estate.”
“I have no words to offer, madam.”
“Just a moment!”
At that moment, Catherine appeared with Kim Cheol-soo like a savior.
Since the bedroom was already filled with the stench of Viscount Roland’s diarrhea, there was no disaster caused by Kim Cheol-soo’s fecal odor.
“A person of color?”
The district priest was the first to notice Kim Chul-soo and his striking appearance caught his eye.
With his messy yellow skin, black eyes, and hair.
They said this is what a barbarian from across the sea looks like, but why did Catherine Young-ae bring such a person to the bedroom?
Catherine explained the district priest’s curiosity with a thoughtful expression.
“Kim Chul-soo was a healing priest! He didn’t even know his father’s healing methods.”
“Are you saying this scoundrel is a follower of Ju Ur, the god?”
“….”
No matter how serious the patient’s condition is, it cannot be treated with the methods of this heretic!
Catherine realized the district priest’s question with a start.
If she misspoke here, she would be branded a heretic!
Catherine rolled her eyes at Kim Chul-soo, giving him a hint to say something. Anything.
Kim Chul-soo blinked his eyes and clasped his hands together.
“Ahem, ahem! Oh! Ju Ur sent me here to examine the illness of Count Roland.”
“No way? This scoundrel was a follower of Ju Ur?”
The district priest was truly amazed.
From Kim Chul-soo’s perspective, he just used Ju Ur’s name conveniently, but to the district priest, it seemed like a remarkable sight of a scoundrel answering Ju Ur’s call.
“Ah… to what extent does Ju Ur’s influence reach? Even a savage scoundrel like you is embraced by Ju Ur’s arms.”
‘This scoundrel is annoying to listen to.’
In this era, racial discrimination is a basic passive attitude.
Kim Chul-soo sighed and nodded repeatedly.
Being accused of heresy is a diplomatic matter.
“Yes, that’s correct. Ju Ur entrusted me with the treatment!”
“Ah, I see! If you heard Ju Ur’s voice, then I can believe you!”
The district priest, who was sobbing at Ju Ur’s miracle, gave his permission.
How did he manage to deceive them so well? Kim Chul-soo sighed and checked Count Roland’s condition.
“…Is this cholera?”
As Kim Chul-soo carefully observed Count Roland, he noticed that his diarrhea had a less foul smell and a consistency similar to rice water.
It was a typical symptom of cholera.
‘Cholera is a disease that you get from consuming contaminated water or food.’
Cholera is a disease that continues with diarrhea and can lead to death due to dehydration.
In modern times, it can be easily cured with intravenous fluids and antibiotics, but not here.
‘If not treated properly, death can occur within 18 hours!’
Kim Chul-soo felt a sense of urgency.
“Please bring clean water, soap, salt, and sugar!!”
The treatment for cholera is fluid replacement.
To prevent the count from dying of dehydration, they must stop the dehydration!
‘If only I could insert a needle into his blood vessels and administer fluids, but there are no needles or IV lines here. In this case, I have to make the fluids and feed them directly into the count’s mouth!’
Kim Chul-soo thought about making the fluids himself.
Oral rehydration solution that can be consumed through the mouth.
‘Damn it, it’s a good thing I studied alternative treatments as a hobby when I was in Korea.’
If I had shallow medical knowledge, it would have been impossible.
The priest, who was acting as the attending physician, expressed his concern to Chulsoo.
“Are you trying to make Roland drink water? I’ve already tried it! The water just comes out as diarrhea, no matter how much you give.”
“That’s because you’re just giving water! You have to mix water and salt and give it to him!”
“Hmm… Does it make a difference if you mix salt?”
“Yes!”
Chulsoo became impatient.
Roland’s consciousness was wavering. He had to feed him intravenous fluids before Roland completely lost consciousness!
Roland’s wife, who had been quietly observing the situation, handed over all authority to Chulsoo with a determined face.
“I will take full responsibility. Follow the instructions of Chulsoo, the head of the sewage treatment department!”
“Yes!”
The maids, who had been busy, obeyed the countess’s command.
The countess, who entrusted all authority to Chulsoo, held his hands and pleaded earnestly.
“Please heal my husband.”
“I will do my best, madam.”
* * * *
Mix 6 teaspoons of sugar and 0.5 teaspoons of salt in 1 liter of clean water.
This is the recipe for making oral rehydration solution.
I washed my hands with the soap brought by the maid Emma and made the oral rehydration solution.
“Count, please try it!”
I scooped up the oral rehydration solution with a clean spoon and fed it to Count Roland.
Count Roland, who seemed dazed, raised his upper body with the help of the maids and slowly swallowed the oral rehydration solution.
“Gulp…”
Count Roland swallowed the oral rehydration solution eagerly.
His pale complexion began to improve.
“Phew, it was worth the ten-year wait!”
Cholera depletes fluids at an alarming rate, so it is important to replenish the fluids quickly.
If we hadn’t discovered it early, it would have been a big problem.
I felt my strength draining away.
“K-Kim Chulsoo. What happened to my father?”
Catherine, who was worried about the count’s condition, asked as she paced around.
“The urgent fire has been put out.”
“Really!?”
“Well… it will take a few days for the treatment, but we have to watch the progress.”
“Ah…”
Catherine was deeply moved.
It seemed that Count Roland had already recovered.
But it was not yet time to relax.
“There is another problem. Cholera is an infectious disease. Are there any other people besides Count Roland who are sick?”
I asked if anyone else had contracted cholera.
If I make a mistake, cholera bacteria can continue to spread, and the number of cholera patients can increase.
“If I make a mistake, it will be the beginning of cholera hell in Roland Viscountcy!”
I anxiously looked at Miss Catherine’s lips.