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Chapter 40
“Using a knife without even disinfecting it! What if it gets infected?!”
Inside the small, modest clinic—not even really deserving to be called a hospital—Aileen’s alarmed voice rang out sharply.
“Huh? Disinfect? Why bother…?”
The doctor looked at Aileen with a bewildered expression.
“You don’t need to do that. The priority is to treat him quickly!”
“No, that’s not acceptable…!”
Unable to stand it any longer, Aileen slapped the doctor’s hand away.
The scalpel in his hand clattered to the floor.
It was smeared with contaminants Aileen didn’t even want to imagine.
The doctor picked up the fallen scalpel, casually wiped it on his clothes a few times, and brought it to the child’s wound.
This is insane hygiene!
“What if the child contracts tetanus using this rusty knife?!”
“Alcohol is extremely scarce—”
Realizing she couldn’t just wait, Aileen looked around and spotted the alcohol bottle the doctor had hidden.
She soaked some gauze in alcohol and began scrubbing the scalpel clean.
Ideally, she would have burned it with fire and disinfected it even more, but doing so here would make everyone think she was an overbearing woman.
The village clinic was extremely rudimentary.
In plain terms, if you got sick here, you were basically doomed.
Aside from bandages, a scalpel, and a very limited supply of medicine, it hardly deserved the name “clinic.”
There was no anesthesia, so if a child fainted, they went straight into surgery unconscious. That alone said it all.
Fortunately, after opening the wound and safely removing the wooden splinters, the child regained consciousness, but the relief was premature.
With insufficient painkillers, the child’s fever soared, and the surgical site hurt so much that they began crying loudly.
Even worse, because of the landslides caused by last night’s typhoon, more patients began arriving at the clinic.
More patients in such a poor facility meant a potential disaster was looming.
“Floanne, at this rate, everyone might die. We need to go somewhere else to get medical supplies.”
“The bridge to the lower village is destroyed by the overflowing river. We have no choice but to go north. The closest place from here would be the city at the western edge.”
“Then let’s go. Quickly.”
Aileen climbed onto the carriage immediately.
Floanne hesitated for a moment, as if he had something to say, then grabbed two pistols and followed her.
The city of Herbel, located at the western edge and directly connected to the south.
Since land wasn’t divided neatly like rectangles, territorial disputes between the west and south occurred quite frequently.
And it wasn’t just about land.
“They harbor extreme hostility toward the south.”
The regional animosity had existed for so long that no amount of time would heal the relationship.
“But it’s a matter of lives at stake. Can’t they put aside grudges for the sake of human lives? Even if personal feelings are bad, at least they should have some sense of compassion.”
“The westerners are a bit rougher.”
“The southern people are bold and fiery. That won’t be a problem.”
Floanne faintly smiled at Aileen’s words.
It would be fortunate if things resolved that easily…
As they thought about holding onto even a small hope in the current situation, they arrived at their destination.
The head of Herbel and the western lord: Duke Figaro.
For generations, the Figaro dukes had despised the Helios grand dukes intensely.
How much they despised them was notable enough to appear in the imperial history books.
The Figaro family called the Helios family “ugly creatures hiding behind iron masks,” and the Helios family referred to the Figaros as “the western dung heap.”
Why “dung heap”? Because the shape of the land in Herbel supposedly resembled a pile of dog poop.
Despite being nobility, both families constantly insulted each other, and their enmity extended to regional hatred.
So, what was happening now?
“That’s the Helios seal! Why are southern people here? Inform His Excellency that the Helios family has invaded!”
At this hour, a Helios carriage coming to the Figaro estate without prior notice or official document was unthinkable.
Especially since Duke Figaro was notorious for never looking south.
It was natural that his subordinates immediately assumed combat when seeing the southern seal on the carriage.
“What are you here for?!”
Dalton, standing beside the coachman, shouted, as if expecting this.
“His Excellency the Grand Duke and Her Excellency the Grand Duchess are inside! How dare you behave so rudely! Put down your spears and swords and show respect at once!”
“Why are you coming to the Figaro castle at this hour without a summons or letter? Even more suspicious!”
“Oh, don’t believe me? Check it. What if it’s true? Dare to sue us for ignoring the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess? Try it! If you think you can handle the punishment, go ahead!”
Dalton’s reaction made the guards hesitate, realizing that the grand ducal couple might actually be inside.
Finally, unable to stand it, Aileen opened the window and said:
“We came from the west to request aid. The longer we delay, the more the villagers are in danger. Please inform the Duke as soon as possible.”
Curious, the guards looked at each other before one ran inside the castle.
Soon after, the path was cleared for the carriage to enter.
Even when they got out, guards with spears and swords flanked them like transporting prisoners, maintaining pressure.
No matter how tense relations were, pointing weapons at the southern grand ducal couple was outrageous.
Aileen thought to herself:
“Imagine thinking this was a nighttime scuffle—turns out it’s not bandits, but the Helios Grand Duke and Duchess. Haha. If I had known, we could’ve shared a late-night meal. Why come so late? Hahaha. There’s nothing left to present anyway.”
The middle-aged Duke Figaro openly mocked Aileen and Floanne.
“We apologize for arriving suddenly without notice. But our circumstances were difficult, so we had no choice but to come directly.”
“Ah, so underneath the mask, your face is so refined. All the heads of the Helios family always wear masks; I wondered if it’s hereditary illness. But now, without it, the air feels so different.”
“Due to the typhoon last night, the village lacks relief supplies. Even if we use the ones in the Grand Duchy, the roads are destroyed by landslides, so it will take quite a while to restore them. We had no choice but to come to your estate.”
“People complained when the previous family head suddenly passed away, but at least with his son alive, things in the south can still function, right?”
“We need antibiotics and painkillers. I assume you have plenty in the west. If you share them, we will compensate adequately for this matter.”
“Oh, and you said you’re married. We should get our son married soon too—”
Unable to tolerate his off-topic remarks, Aileen slammed both hands on the desk and stared at Duke Figaro.
“Duke Figaro, lend us relief supplies. The villagers are dying. If you help, your kindness will not be forgotten.”
Duke Figaro stared at Aileen, smirked, rubbed his hands together like a fly, interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on them, and replied teasingly:
“Regrettably, I don’t think that’s possible. As you know, we fight the desert bandits daily—our soldiers don’t even have enough for themselves.”
From the side, Dalton muttered quietly:
“He’s lying.”
