Parallel World Pharmacy Vol 2 Chapter 8

 It was high noon of the day. A father was carrying a young girl on his back, and was knocking at the gate of a certain physician within the San Fleuve Imperial capital.

 However the gate of the physician was firmly shut, the silence reverberating inside the clinic.

 The voice of the father that was screaming frantically could be heard echoing throughout the street. Although he had a pitiful expression, passersby just turned a blind eye and went on their way as nobody wanted to be involved.

 “The clinic of Doctor Donald is on a holiday until next week.”

 When Pierre saw the boy, he trembled. He was not a simple boy.

 Damn, of all the things, a troublesome person had appeared. As Pierre steps back.

 The child shop owner worryingly approached and talked to him.

 “Weー well… You see…”

 I wonder if the boy is aware that I’m an apothecary from the Apothecary Guild, the father suspects. The Apothecary Guild had been openly hostile to the Diversis Mundi Pharmacy, as the Guildmaster notified all members to stay away from the Diversis Mundi Pharmacy. Also, he heard that it was the Apothecary Guildmaster Veron’s plan to crash two wagons into the pharmacy, which caused the pharmacy to close for two days. Pierre thought it was unfortunate when he heard it and felt sympathy.

 Therefore, being spoken by the child shopkeeper of Diversis Mundi Pharmacy, would be trouble as it would be seen by the surroundings as being close.

 “Let me examine your child. I am the apothecary of the Diversis Mundi Pharmacy, Falma.”

 The child shop owner said to follow him back to the pharmacy, but Pierre was reluctant.

 Her face was flushed red, it was clear to everyone she was completely limp.

 He couldn’t become indebted to the Diversis Mundi Pharmacy, but where could he consult a physician? He was going to refuse the offer, but Falma strongly persuaded him to better hurry and so he put on his hat and lowered it to cover his eyes so as not to be identified by the pedestrians as he followed the child shop owner, Falma.

 Diversis Mundi Pharmacy closes its gates during lunch break, the shop’s front sign being made of splendid stone. The golden emblem of the Royal Charter that was newly installed was dazzling. Probably because they encountered a surprise attack, there were three Knight Guards in plain clothes. It was a world of difference compared to the father’s dirty and sooty wooden pharmacy.

 “Please come in over here.”

 “Let us begin the medical examination. First of all, the father should wear this.”

 “We entered the back entrance so as to prevent spreading the disease to other people.”

 Falma’s white doctor’s gown was now visible when he took off his black coat, and he brought out his note. It was a patient’s chart. The name of the child, age, medical history, when was the last time she ate, since when has she had her fever, and so forth were asked in detail. The examination ended with the father questioning the reason behind knowing such trivial matters. Pierre was impressed at the collected article of accurate information.

 “What are you doing?”

 Isn’t weight measured in a scale balance, Pierre was surprised.

 Falma explained fluently while smoothly recording the data. Pierre couldn’t believe the child’s explanation. Although there was slight anxiety regarding medicine prescribed by a child apothecary, even more so when that child received special education from the nobles, nevertheless that child might be a dependable apothecary in the neighborhood, so Pierre resolved himself.

 As a Third Class Apothecary, Pierre was ashamed for being ignorant. He seemed to have realized the difference of education level between a Third Class Apothecary and a Royal Court Apothecary. It was a convention among Third Class Apothecary to roughly calculate children’s medicine to about half for an adult. However,

 Falma was smiling. Falma wrote the blueprint that was on the Imperial Technology Bureau, but the design of the weighing scale was not made by Falma. He paid respect to the original inventor from Earth.  “Well then, I shall start examining.”

 Apparently, diagnosis was done in few tens of seconds.

 “Eh!?”

 “Her fever is too high, it does not go down at all! Is that a cold!? She froths from the mouth, and has spasms! Don’t you think she’s possessed by an evil spirit!?”

 “Ah, right, let’s try that.”

 “Shall we give it a special name? How about Grippe (old fashioned term for influenza).”

 “I will explain the treatment plan and the medicine.”

 Pierre involuntarily straightened back. His daughter’s whole body was being affected by a microbe which caused the severe cold, so her body increased the internal temperature to fight off and kill the microbes. The cure for Grippe is Laninamivir. The medicine will still work after full day when the symptoms appeared, by taking this first, he thought it was possible to reduce the time for the fever to stay when the medicine would be effective, is what he told Pierre.

 As for this too, was a medication delivery method that he hadn’t heard of. As for this world’s medicines, there was only two choices to administer, either by applying it directly to the affected part, or by drinking it.

 Falma said that the medicine will help the daughter’s body in fighting the microbe inside. It was an anti-viral drug that can also be used on infants, as it has an effect of preventing the cells infected by Influenza virus to be spread outside the body.

 Falma told the method for the daughter to take it, and after having practiced several times, the powdered medicine was inhaled.

 The child shop owner instructed the father without any hesitation.

 “What? wha, huh!?”

 In this world, it was common to perform a prayer as a folk remedy for the disease. During that time, they sometimes assume a strange pose, however, however. Although the father was young, he had a cute seven year old daughter. Even if it was a doctor, showing someone’s buttocks to an opposite sex was nothing but an insult.

 Suffering with fever painfully, the daughter’s consciousness was faint. The gaze of the boy overlooking the daughter, only shows sympathy towards her. Any wicked intention couldn’t be seen.

 The suppository was Acetaminophen. Since she was only seven years old, he made the dosage smaller to be greatly effective. He also thought it would be a bit more comfortable for her.

 This outrageous medical treatment would soil the chastity of his daughter.

 “The medicines enter the blood vessels immediately because it will be absorbed by the mucous membrane. It’s fine if I give her the medicine through her mouth, but it will cause dizziness and make her unconscious.”

 “Hmm… is that so.”

 “Uwaa!?”

 “Aah… What else do I have to say to her. My daughter won’t be able to get a groom anymore…”

 In the meantime, Falma poured a liquid into a feeding cup and came over.

 It was an oral rehydration solution made with clean filtered water. Falma still uses water made from Divine Art in limited situations when it comes to medication. He used ordinary water which was filtered and distilled. Because the potency of the medicine increases with water created through Divine Art, there was a risk for unknown side effects to occur.

 The shop owner showed the doorbell and left the room.

 “For it to be effective immediately…”

 And he served Pierre and his daughter with food and water, he gently cheered up the daughter as he returns back to the shop downstairs. In the evening, the shop owner came with a medicine bag in tow.

 “I think it’s okay now to nurse her in your home. If by chance, her condition suddenly changes, do tell the gatekeepers posted for night duty for I think it’s best they bring you to my house, I will certainly respond to your call even if it’s the dead of the night. Accept this antipyretic, please use it as needed.”

 It was the reason that there were many commoners who died during evenings. For Pierre, it was an unbelievable quality service.

 Because they accepted proper treatment, he wanted to ask how much it would cost. Pierre believed that the sales of his pharmacy dropped sharply was because his customers were stolen by Diversis Mundi Pharmacy, he may not be able to afford the medical cost due to running out of money.

 “That’s, that’s too cheap!”

 “Rates for children are cheaper compared to adults.”

 “Hope she gets well soon.”

 The medicine was effective, the shop owner was humble, and the shop was clean.

 “Huh?”

 Pierre reflected upon this taste of defeat.

 Pierre left the pharmacy carrying his daughter on his back and disappeared into the crowd.

 “All of the stores experienced a sharp drop in sales across the board?”

 “That’s annoying! It may just be a hobby of a noble, but it’s really getting on my nerves.”

 Although it was a noble’s shop that was formally called a Royal Chartered shop, the pharmacy had no shortage of customers that were commoners. In addition, there were queues of people waiting outside the shop for their prescription. They don’t complain either, as they just chat while waiting in line. There was an awning outside the shop, with chairs for the patients, all lined up. They were served with water and candies while they waited.

 The most humiliating thing about it was that Vernon’s wife bought whitening cosmetics from Medique in secret. Recently, her white skin was always pointed out and praised. He smashed it all and threw it away.

 “I wonder if it has to do something with the financial power of the Archduke. Since that pharmacy is backed by the famous Royal Court Apothecary.

 It was said that it only took two days to recover from near total destruction. Because the wagon that crashed the shop was extremely contaminated, they estimated it would at least take the pharmacy out of commission for a month, it seemed that estimate was too optimistic. Of course, it was Veron who hired people of the underground organization to crash the wagon.

 40% of their customers were taken. Their regular customers also went to Diversis Mundi Pharmacy.

 “Her Majesty must have been brainwashed by that pharmacy.”

 “Would you please share what you think of that pharmacy? Mr. Pierre.”

 Since Pierre was silent the entire time, it naturally attracted attention.

 “Who among us apothecaries have ever entered Diversis Mundi Pharmacy?”

 The apothecaries snickered.

 Pierre stood up vigorously from his seat.

 “Don’t tell me, Pierre… Did you go to that pharmacy?”

 “Yes, I admit I went there. I went to that shop.”

 How good was the treatment provided by the shop owner of Diversis Mundi Pharmacy? Lets just say that after Pierre’s daughter recovered, he made up his mind to revisit the pharmacy. He looked at all the items that was sold in the shop, and bought numerous candies. He listened to stories directly from the patients who visited the pharmacy. The child shop owner said hello and asked “Did your daughter recover?”, and they chatted for a while.

 “What did you say?”

 “Although we have healed some, it was just a fluke. We have left many people dead. Because we can’t use Divine Arts, we are only forced to sell common medicines, and it’s only a poison that worsen the symptoms if it wasn’t made properly.”

 “Everything in that pharmacy is totally different from our own! Reasonable, advanced, and really serious to the patient’s well-being.”

 Veron told him in a mean-spirited manner. Pierre was expelled from the guild headquarters.

 On that same day, the business permit of Pierre’s pharmacy was taken away, his medicinal herbs and medicine was confiscated by the guild, and his business ruined. A dilapidated shop, Pierre sat down in front of it in an utter daze crying manly tears. At that place, a boy in black coat and a girl with pink hair, who was holding a bag of bread passed by.

 “Each person will have three piece, then I have one promise to do for that patient.”

 It was the owner and an employee of Diversis Mundi Pharmacy who passed by. Both of them were going back joyfully from shopping on a popular bakery.

 “Oh? What happened to you?”

 Pierre was a coward who even hated being pitied upon, and was unable to face Falma.

 Pierre told him in summary what had happened in the Apothecary Guild. About how he told the other apothecaries regarding the new medicines sold in Diversis Mundi Pharmacy and how much good it would be to learn new treatment methods.

 “I will move to another country and work as an unlicensed apothecary.”

 “Can you open your business if you entered another guild?”

 “But, only those in the Apothecary Guild can sell medicine. If I can’t join there, there’s no guild that I can join anymore.”

 “A few days ago, a pharmacy guild that manages new medicines was established.”

 “Does it need an expensive membership fee?”

 “Will it also require several years of internship?”

 Formulation of modern medicine was difficult, and it’s dangerous to immediately dabble in chemistry and pharmacology without the other world pharmacist.

 “Buー but…”

 “Yes, you can do business if you receive protection.”

 
 It was at that moment that the first member of the Pharmacy Guild increased by one.

Chapter end