“What do you mean, sir?” the physician asked, puzzled.
He had no time to listen to the other man’s reasons; the patient’s wound had just been cleaned, and he needed to bandage it as quickly as possible.
As he spoke, the physician moved to continue bandaging the wounded man, but Qiaolin reached out and grabbed his wrist.
“The gauze in your hand needs to be cleaned as well, or it will still cause the wound to deteriorate.”
“How is that possible? Every strip of gauze here has been washed in boiling water and medicinal agents. They are perfectly clean,” the physician said.
“Please, do not interfere with our treatment.”
Seeing the man’s stubbornness, Qiaolin did not argue further.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward Aurora.
After all, she was the one in charge.
The young woman hesitated for a moment before nodding to Qiaolin.
She cast a spell, and the cleansing effects of Water Healing Magic washed over both the gauze and the physician’s hands.
The greatest characteristic of Water Healing Magic was its ability to filter and cleanse.
While it was not as direct as Holy Magic when it came to closing wounds, it was the most effective among the other elemental attributes for healing, though it placed a significant burden on the caster’s mind.
This was why everyone had looked so confused when Qiaolin suggested using Water Healing Magic on the bandages.
Aurora was already limited in how many times she could use healing magic in succession.
To waste her energy on something seemingly irrelevant was a baffling suggestion.
“You left the gauze out in the yard to dry; it was bound to be contaminated,” Qiaolin explained.
“I suggest that from now on, you re-wash all the gauze in the yard. Then, find a mage skilled in fire magic to dry them all at once in a clean space.”
“This…”
The physician was stunned.
He truly had not considered the issue.
The environment of the monastery appeared very clean and pleasant on the surface, so the concept of “contamination” never crossed anyone’s mind.
“Do as he says,” Aurora commanded.
“Yes. I will go speak with the others right away.”
Lockes watched Qiaolin closely from the side.
Seeing the calm look in his eyes, it was clear that this was not the first time Qiaolin had dealt with such a situation.
Lockes became even more curious about him.
“What about the ones who were poisoned? Let me see them.”
“Of course, right this way!”
Aurora led the way as they left the room.
It seemed the poisoned patients were kept in a separate area.
“The physician’s attitude just now may have been a bit stiff. Please, do not take it to heart,” Aurora said with an apologetic tone.
“Perhaps I didn’t explain myself clearly. Regarding the hygiene of medical supplies, the nations of the Human Race have always maintained the highest level of priority. I assumed it was the default here as well.”
“Eh? Is that so? Even the gauze is specially cleaned with magic?”
“Not necessarily. Your cleaning method was fine, but there was a slight error in the process. I once wrote a book titled ‘On the Influence of Environment on Open Wounds’. Have you never heard of it?”
That was a work Qiaolin had written about 100 years ago.
People generally did not realize that bacteria could infect wounds; this civilization relied too heavily on magic and had not developed proper biology.
Qiaolin could only rely on his daily experience to describe to people, on a macro scale, why wounds deteriorated, along with related symptoms, prevention measures, and treatments.
That book had been a bestseller among the Human Race for hundreds of years.
Qiaolin had used a pseudonym that could not be traced, and by now, people assumed the author who saved countless lives was long dead.
Aurora shook her head blankly, and Qiaolin scratched his head in embarrassment.
The Human Race and the Demon Race were still far too isolated from one another.
“Then I can give you a copy.”
With that, Qiaolin pulled the book from his pocket and handed it to Aurora.
“I believe this should be of help to you.”
“This is far too valuable! I… I cannot accept it!”
Aurora waved her hands hurriedly.
Qiaolin did not waste words; he simply pressed the book gently against the girl and let go.
“This is the Demon King’s command.”
“Then… alright.”
***
Meanwhile, at the Demon King’s Castle.
“Achoo!”
Gabriela suddenly sneezed, causing the documents in her hand to drop instantly.
“Oh dear, are you all right, Lina? Do you need a rest? Want something to eat?”
Upon hearing Gabriela sneeze, Demigura immediately leaned in, her face full of concern.
“I’m fine. There is still a lot of work to do.”
Gabriela gave a faint smile and looked toward the entrance of the great hall, gazing into the distance.
‘I wonder how Qiaolin is doing…’
***
Qiaolin’s group arrived at the cubicle for the poisoned patients.
The physician in charge of them shook his head at Aurora.
“Is there still no improvement?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Aurora. We still don’t even know what kind of toxin injured them. Their wounds are even starting to heal.”
These few people had originally only been active on the outskirts of the Keltus Forest.
After encountering magic beasts, they had all been injured in falls while trying to escape.
After returning for treatment, they began to show symptoms similar to poisoning.
Aurora had used every detoxification spell she knew, but none had a noticeable effect.
“What did you feed them?”
Qiaolin had walked up to the patient’s bedside without anyone noticing.
He grabbed the man’s arm and examined it closely under the dim candlelight.
“Who are you?”
The physician frowned unpleasantly at the man touching the patient so casually and moved to stop him, but Aurora blocked his way.
“He is a Healing Mage sent by the Demon King.”
“Is that so?! I see…”
“Large areas of red rash on the skin, rapid breathing…”
Qiaolin’s Magic Power secretly permeated the patient’s body, but he did not find any toxins.
The cause of these symptoms might not be a poison, but something they had consumed here.
“What medicine did you give them after they were injured?”
“Just a recovery potion to help the wounds heal.”
Qiaolin looked up at the physician.
“Does it contain the herb ‘Golden Leaf’?”
“Yes. ‘Golden Leaf’ has a significant healing effect on any type of injury. It is added to many recovery potions,” the physician said.
“Change the potion. Their constitutions are not suited for medicine containing ‘Golden Leaf’.”
This was what was known as an allergy.
Qiaolin had encountered people with these symptoms before, especially adventurers.
After a battle, they would take a certain high-grade healing medicine, and their bodies would react quickly.
The Healing Mages in their party wouldn’t understand the situation and, assuming it was poison, would blindly use Detoxification Art.
When that failed, they would have no choice but to go to The Church and pay a high price for a high-ranking priest to use Holy Magic for purification.
In contrast, commoners rarely showed such symptoms because potions with “Golden Leaf” were considered high-grade healing medicine and were quite expensive.
It took Qiaolin many years of investigation to confirm that Golden Leaf was the most common allergen.
There might be other substances, but the number of people affected was nowhere near those sensitive to Golden Leaf.
Seeing several people with identical symptoms all at once, Qiaolin immediately thought of Golden Leaf.
Since it wasn’t a poisoning, the first step was to stop the medication and observe the situation.
“Their constitutions? Mr. Qiaolin, I don’t quite understand,” Aurora asked as she looked at the patients.
“It’s like how a Vampire gets an upset stomach from eating garlic. Even the Crimson Empress couldn’t guarantee she’d be fine after eating it. It’s a matter of constitution. Some people are extremely sensitive to the Golden Leaf herb. Though they are a minority, I believe these people here are exactly like that.”
***
“Achoo!”
Demigura rubbed her nose and said, “Lina, did I catch something from you?”
“Hmph. If you keep talking like that, I’ll secretly put garlic in your food.”
“What?! Then I’ll feed you cilantro!”
“Pah, pah, pah!”
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