chapter 4
4 – Treatment and Promotion (?)
“My father was the only one affected. He suddenly complained of abdominal pain while eating. My mother and my younger brother are fine…”
I let out a sigh of relief in response to the young lady’s answer.
If only one person in the Viscountcy of Roland was affected, there would be no risk of an epidemic.
“That’s a relief. But just in case, we’ll take preventative measures! We’ll separate and disinfect everything the Viscount used!”
I instructed the maids to disinfect the bedding and items used by the Viscount in boiling water, and to handle the diarrhea the Viscount experienced with great care.
Cholera is a highly contagious disease, so we disinfected everything that seemed likely to have cholera bacteria.
I carefully monitored the disinfection process and did not stop giving the Viscount intravenous fluids.
* * * *
Lady Helen, the wife of Viscount Roland, held her children close and prayed for Viscount Roland.
The continent of Arcadia is a strongly religious society.
Lady Helen, too, was influenced by religion and saw her husband’s contraction of cholera as a wicked trick of the devil.
In reality, he simply contracted it by not washing his hands and eating bread.
“Please save my husband.”
Helen prayed to the Holy Spirit.
May the grace of God reach her husband. Helen firmly believed that her husband’s unwavering faith had made him a target of the devil.
Her husband, Viscount Roland, was a faithful follower of the religion, who loved Helen without taking any mistresses.
He was a husband who knew how to consider his wife and the trustworthy head of a noble family.
Helen loved and respected such a husband.
He would never easily succumb to such misfortune.
“He’ll surely be fine.”
Katherine, who came out of the bedroom, comforted her mother Helen with a damp appearance.
“Kim Cheolsu is an exceptional healer!”
Katherine showed deep trust in Kim Cheolsu.
Kim Cheolsu, who miraculously healed her dermatitis, was the first to show improvement in her father Roland, who had never shown signs of recovery before.
Perhaps he will save her father as miraculously this time as well.
Helen felt that her reliable eldest daughter’s words were easing her anxiety.
“Yes, he’s truly an exceptional healer. I wonder why we didn’t have him handle waste disposal before. Your father’s groaning has decreased significantly.”
“Hehe, that’s right.”
“Now all we can do is pray for your father’s complete recovery…”
Helen prayed again, and Katherine followed suit.
No matter what, they were followers of the god Ur. Diseases did not know the work of bacteria.
Meanwhile, the priests in the temple were reciting scriptures with worried expressions. The white sacred energy they emitted killed the cholera bacteria in Roland’s organs.
Thanks to that, the diarrhea visibly decreased, and Kim Cheolsu’s eyes sparkled.
The temple priests thought their sacred energy was useless, but it wasn’t.
Sacred energy had its uses!
* * * *
A week later.
As a result of supplying daily intravenous fluids to Count Roland!
Count Roland regained his strength.
Dehydration symptoms disappeared, and cholera symptoms almost vanished.
Count Roland could now eat porridge and drink intravenous fluids on his own.
“Hooray, intravenous fluids are truly amazing. Just with this, the ‘diarrhea disease’ is cured!”
“The Count’s condition was not severe, so he recovered with just the intravenous fluids. You have suffered a lot.”
“Kim Cheol-soo, it’s all thanks to you! I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
The Count was sincerely thankful.
During this time, Kim Cheol-soo neglected his urine disposal duties and took care of Count Roland.
Every day, he fed Count Roland intravenous fluids, and when he seemed fine, he fed him porridge.
The key to cholera is nutritional replenishment!
Kim Cheol-soo provided the Count with nutritional replenishment.
“No, Count. Everything was done for your health.”
After speaking these very nurse-like words, Kim Cheol-soo smiled warmly!
A warm smile to calm the patient!
Count Roland murmured quietly.
“Ah… truly the arrival of an angel. A true angel of care, only concerned about the patient!”
‘An angel? Hmm… it’s not an insult, so it should be okay, right?’
Kim Cheol-soo felt burdened but let it go.
Why, if there’s an angel in the term for a nurse, wouldn’t there be a similar expression?
“Darling!”
“Father!”
Helen, the Countess, and Miss Catherine rushed into Count Roland’s room and embraced him.
Seeing the form of diarrhea, it seemed that the cholera germ had finally died, and the threat of contagion was gone.
“I was really worried!”
The Countess hugged the Count, shedding tears and kissing him.
‘Sigh.’
Wanting to vacate the space during the fervent family reunion, Kim Cheol-soo tried to leave.
However, he couldn’t escape because of Count Roland, who was holding his daughter and weeping, mentioning Kim Cheol-soo.
“It’s all thanks to Kim Cheol-soo! If it weren’t for Kim Cheol-soo, I wouldn’t have survived!”
“That’s right, sniff. Kim Cheol-soo is truly an outstanding healer. Thank you, really thank you, Kim Cheol-soo!”
“An outstanding healer deserves a proper reward! Kim Cheol-soo, do you have a wish? Wealth? Noble status? Anything, I will grant it to you.”
Kim Cheol-soo’s heart swelled.
Finally, is a flower blooming in Kim Cheol-soo’s life!
Kim Cheol-soo barely held back the corners of his mouth from rising and barely, barely made a medical request.
The real reward can be mentioned later.
“Count, would you make hand washing a habit?”
Count Roland contracted cholera because cholera germs were on his hands.
If the Count had thoroughly washed his hands, he probably wouldn’t have contracted it.
“Please make it a habit for the residents of the castle to wash their hands.”
Just by washing hands well, many diseases can be prevented.
Kim Cheol-soo didn’t like the idea of unnecessary infectious diseases spreading at Roland Viscount’s place. After all, he could also catch them!
The eyes of Viscount Roland turned red.
“You are truly faithful… worrying about patients in the midst of all this.”
“Hmph! Well, it’s only natural as a medical professional.”
Kim Cheol-soo felt a pang of conscience for agreeing.
Well, it was indeed right to worry about the patients.
Viscount Roland soon strengthened his resolve and declared,
“It won’t do! Kim Cheol-soo, I hereby appoint you as the personal therapist of Viscount Roland!”
“Huh?”
‘A therapist… like what a doctor does?’
But I’m just a nurse? Kim Cheol-soo broke out in a cold sweat.
Even though he didn’t know, it was a very daunting position.
* * * *
‘Daunting!’
Assigning me as a therapist, isn’t that telling a nurse to do a doctor’s job!
I’ve only been lucky to cure dermatitis and cholera so far, I’m not exceptional!
‘If I make a mistake and can’t cure someone, could it cost me my life?’
Why wouldn’t it.
Doctors who wrongly treated the king’s illness lost their lives.
I didn’t want to end up as a victim of history.
“Take care of Viscount Roland’s health.”
But with Lady Helen Viscountess bowing her head and pleading with me, I couldn’t escape by saying I can’t be a therapist!
The priests of the temple made a gesture by raising their thumbs up as they returned to the temple, making me even more anxious.
“Ugh…”
Groans escaped involuntarily.
Should I lament now that I can’t treat them? Should I beg for something else to do?
All I wanted was to spend my time in a safe place enjoying the sweetness of life!
I tried to be polite and shake things up a bit, but it backfired when they demanded a honeyed profession.
“Hehe, Cheol-soo, now you’re next door to me?”
Miss Catherine, who had taken over my bed, giggled mischievously.
Darn.
Becoming Viscount Roland’s therapist meant that my room was assigned next to Miss Catherine’s. It meant that Miss Catherine could enter my room at any time!
I wanted to live in the warm castle all along, but I didn’t want to live right next to Viscount Roland and Miss Catherine.
It felt like living with a boss and neighbor 24/7!
“Um… Miss Catherine.”
“Yeah.”
“Could you possibly move rooms?”
“…Why?”
The atmosphere in the room settled instantly.
Catherine, always gentle in appearance, stared at me menacingly as if she were a maiden ghost.
No matter what I did, to Catherine, who resembled the daughter of the master, I was nothing more than a day-old puppy.
“…No.”
“Hehe, okay.”
Catherine’s expression softened once again.
“Chulsoo, stay with me at the Viscount’s. I would like Chulsoo to be with me all the time.”
“Well, I don’t really have anywhere else to go, and unless I get kicked out of the Viscount’s, I’ll stay here, right?”
I grumbled a bit, but being at the Viscount’s as a healer was certainly better than being on the battlefield.
I must have gained favor with the people at the Viscount’s, so it would be safer to stay here.
“Hehe.”
Catherine seemed to be in a very good mood, as she approached me after sliding down to the bed.
Smack!
The sensation of lips on my cheek.
I was taken aback.
Did Catherine just kiss my cheek?
Catherine’s long, smooth hair brushed past me.
“Thank you for saving my father.”
The lady’s gratitude.
Catherine blushed and avoided my gaze.
“Um…”
“Um, it’s a bit itchy.”
As I gently scratched her neck, her blush faded away.
Before obtaining a room at the noble’s residence, I took a bath, but it seems that I didn’t properly wash away the filth.
It’s not good for Catherine, who has an allergy to filth.
“…I will bathe again.”
“It’s okay.”
Catherine smiled softly.
My heart raced. Unexpected physical contact is difficult to handle.
* * * *
Catherine stole glances at the bashful Kim Chulsoo, filled with desire.
Kim Chulsoo, who cured Catherine’s skin condition and also cured her father.
He was not just a mere colored man.
“A very intelligent person.”
He saved a father who even the temple priests had given up on.
A benefactor to be grateful for all his life.
Catherine saw Kim Chulsoo as someone special.
“I want to have him.”
She couldn’t be satisfied with just being grateful.
She wanted to keep him in her pocket and not show him to anyone.
Catherine deliberately placed Kim Cheol-soo in her adjacent room so she could see him anytime.
“May heaven not punish him.”
Catherine is not a frivolous woman.
It was the first time she had given a foreign man a peck on the cheek.
She hoped Kim Cheol-soo wouldn’t see her as an easy woman.
*Sigh…*
Catherine pressed her tingling stomach and felt desire for Kim Cheol-soo.