“This is not it, neither is this… Ah, where is it?”
After grabbing the target item from the storage, I arrived at the infirmary and was relieved to see that Ethan was not there.
‘Ethan must be the busiest right now.’
It had been revealed that the existing medicine was ineffective, so he would either be trying to create a new remedy or putting all his efforts into caring for the plague patients.
‘Or he might have gone to try another medicine.’
Whatever the reason, the fact that Ethan was not there was sweet as honey to me. Thanks to that, I could rummage through the medicine cabinet without worry.
“…Found it!”
West Mountain Cold Medicine.
In the Western Continent, there are two medical associations, and the one associated with West Mountain is considered inferior to the Wittar Medical Association operated by the 6th Family.
The prejudice was so strong that people often said that a first-grade doctor from the West Mountain Medical Association might barely reach the level of a tenth-grade doctor from the Wittar Medical Association.
However, they were still state-recognized doctors, and they sold medicine under the association’s name. It’s impossible to stock every type of medicine that exists, but a common trait among all doctors is that they try to have as many cold medicines as possible.
‘Of course, I expected Ethan to do the same. A true doctor, although he’s a bit clumsy and hasn’t renewed his medical license.’
For this emergency treatment, I needed West Mountain cold medicine. Strangely, it worked better than others.
‘Next is this.’
I looked at what was in my other hand.
“It’s a good thing we have so much of this rotten stuff on our ship.”
“Ugh?! What is this? It tastes horrible! Who bought this trash?!”
“Hang the person who bought this!”
“The vice-captain probably bought it.”
“…Should I hang myself?”
It was the extremely tasteless alcohol my family was drinking at the time.
Specifically, it was a drink called ‘Fruit’s Grace’ sold by the Owen family, one of the noble families of the Western Continent.
Despite using a large amount of fruit in its production, it tasted unbelievably bad.
Even so, this alcohol was still selling well when I was 26 years old, and its price had actually increased because it became a key ingredient in the treatment for this disease.
“West Mountain cold medicine didn’t go up in price, but luxury items that have made achievements sure did.”
The more a name is associated with something, the more expensive it becomes. Even if it tastes terrible, if it’s considered expensive and valuable, self-proclaimed connoisseurs will praise it as having a ‘unique flavor.’
I sighed deeply, thinking about the hypocrisy and dual nature of humans.
‘What’s the point of thinking?’
This was none of my business. I mixed the two perfectly in an empty bottle on Ethan’s desk and headed underground.
‘Something’s odd.’
It was very convenient not to run into anyone, but it felt strange not to meet anyone at all.
‘Is everyone outside praying to Cormare?’
It was plausible that everyone was desperately clinging to the sea god. While I didn’t believe or follow the god, those who lived at sea tended to worship Cormare, the sea god.
‘Will Cormare answer just because they pray all day?’
If that were the case, the tragedies of my past wouldn’t have happened. Clicking my tongue, I headed towards the underground isolation room.
“Polaris, what are you doing there?”
“………!”
Since I hadn’t met anyone until now, I was caught off guard and froze as soon as I heard Ethan’s voice.
“Eh, Ethan? What are you… Oh, you were there?”
“Of course, I’m the only medic on this ship.”
Ethan seemed puzzled to see me, who was supposed to be resting in the room, wandering around outside.
‘It must seem strange!’
If a child is wandering alone in such a situation, someone is bound to stop them. Seeing a six-year-old walking around without a care would make anyone suspicious.
‘If I waste more time, Nereus might come.’
I clenched my mouth shut and thought of Dexter, who must be locked up in the room.
“De-Dexter!”
“Huh?”
“H-he came to give me food, but he suddenly collapsed…! So I wanted to ask everyone for help, but no one was around. So, that’s why!”
“Is that why you came to find me?”
“Yes..…!”
Of course, that wasn’t the case. But Ethan looked at me in silence for a moment before nodding.
“Then we should go quickly. If it’s Dexter, he might have caught the plague.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Shall we go together?”
“No! I-I’ll wait here. I’m too scared.”
‘Will he find it suspicious?’
Hugging the large glass bottle, I prayed that Ethan wouldn’t ask any more questions.
‘Deira and Cormare, if you’ve never granted my lifelong wishes, you could at least grant this one.’
“Can you stay put here?”
“Yes. Ethan, you trust me, right?”
“Not as much as the captain, but you, Polaris, are a thoughtful child.”
Ethan lightly patted my head a couple of times and pointed to a chair in the corner.
“Sit there quietly and wait.”
I nodded several times and sat quietly in the chair, seeing Ethan off. As soon as his shadow disappeared, I got up and ran toward the door of the isolation room.
‘It’s not locked!’
Although it felt unsettling that everything was going too smoothly, I didn’t have the luxury to worry about that now. When I opened the door, I found many people collapsed inside, and the room had the stale smell characteristic of an unventilated space.
“Ugh.”
Additionally, there was the distinctive smell of a place full of patients. The smell made me feel sick, and I instinctively frowned and let out a groan.
“……Lala?”
“Gerard?”
I widened my eyes as I saw Gerard lying closest to the door.
“Why are you here?”
“Lala, what about you…?”
Gerard coughed and closed his eyes, unable to continue speaking.
‘He’s not in good condition.’
I was slightly taken aback because I hadn’t expected to see Gerard here.
‘This disease only affected the female crew members in Caelum at that time.’
Gerard was a man. Then I recalled why Gerard had been absent from my memory.
‘Gerard originally died at this time. But how?’
There were nine patients lying in this isolation room, and Gerard was the only male. There was a superstition that having women and children on board was bad luck, and before the cause of the disease was revealed, the crew had fought viciously.
‘Because of this incident, Nancy was the first to get sick, and all the other female crew members except for her died.’
As a result, the only female crew members left on this ship, aside from me, were Nancy and Clara. Clara had not contracted the disease, so she was not included in the count.
Nancy had become noticeably depressed and quiet after this incident due to the guilt of surviving alone.
‘Is this the reason why Clara didn’t get sick? Yes, that must be it. If Gerard got sick and Clara stayed healthy, that’s the only explanation.’
I quickly assessed the situation, understanding its cause. What mattered now was not analyzing the past but giving this medicine to the patients here.
‘Although a small dose won’t cure them immediately, it will show its effectiveness.’
The emergency treatment method was effective early on. Fortunately for me, once the treatment showed results, no one would question how I knew about it; they’d just be relieved.
“Cough.”
My throat was parched from running non-stop, and I felt a dry cough coming on. I sensed the gazes of a few patients who hadn’t completely lost consciousness turning towards me.
They looked curious as to why a child like me was there, but they were too weak to speak or keep their wits about them.
I held up the bottle I was carrying.
“Ethan gave me permission. This is medicine, so you need to take it.”
Technically, he only allowed me to stay outside, but it wasn’t my fault if they misunderstood, right? I felt confident.
‘Even though Ethan didn’t make this medicine, it’s still medicine, so it’s fine.’
As long as I reached my goal, it didn’t matter. My intentions weren’t impure, so I had nothing to feel guilty about.
I confidently began to divide the medicine into portions for each patient.
Gerard asked in a doubtful voice.
“Did Dr. Ethan ask you to run an errand?”
It was understandable that no one would send a child on an errand to an isolation zone.
“This is a very effective medicine, so take it. It’s really good. If you take it, you might get better in three days.”
“…………”
Since I had come of my own accord, I didn’t affirm his question about Ethan sending me.
‘If rumors spread, Ethan would be the one to suffer.’
Knowing Ethan’s personality, if such rumors spread, he would protect me without correcting them. As one of the few conscientious people on this ship, I had to protect him, so I avoided giving a clear answer.
Gerard looked back and forth between me and the bottle with suspicion, but eventually swallowed its contents. After Gerard took the medicine, other patients slowly began to move their heavy bodies to take it too. Those who were too weak to move, I helped.
After confirming that everyone had taken the medicine, I quickly confessed to Gerard.
“Actually, it wasn’t Ethan, it was me. Ethan doesn’t know anything.”
“……What?”
“Got it? I prepared this, Gerard. Later, if it works, you must say it was made by Lala.”
Gerard’s haggard face looked somewhat foolish, but I didn’t care about his thoughts. This was a very effective emergency treatment, and I was confident I could save everyone.
“Gerard, you must tell everyone. I knew it was medicine and brought it. If I didn’t do this, no one would have taken it.”
“La-Lala… wait.”
But I felt something strange.
Specifically, my body was experiencing an anomaly.
‘Why does my body feel like this?’
Suddenly, my entire body felt heavy, and I started shivering. My head felt fuzzy, and my eyes were burning.
“Lala? Lala!”
Cough, cough.
My throat tasted like metal, and I couldn’t stop the slight coughing.
“Ah….”
Gerard’s voice calling my name buzzed in my ears. Through the open door, I heard urgent footsteps rushing towards me.
My vision rapidly blurred, and it became difficult to keep my balance.
Before collapsing, I muttered.
“…Damn it….”
Is my body acting up just because I ran around a bit in thin clothes? Really useless.
It seemed better to lose consciousness quickly to avoid hitting the hard floor. However, before I could fully resolve myself, something warm and firm caught me.
In the pitch-black of my mind, I heard someone’s voice.
“Where on earth did you learn to talk like that?”
The voice sounded a bit exasperated but also slightly trembling.
‘What is this?’
When does this voice sound like this? After thinking for a moment, I realized.
Ah, fear.
Yes, that was it. Somehow, thinking that the owner of this voice didn’t suit such a tone, I smiled weakly.
“What’s so funny?”
And with that, I lost consciousness.
