Parallel World Pharmacy Vol 5 Chapter 4

Published at 6th of September 2022 10:59:25 AM

Within the grand office connected to the Great Church of the Holy Land.

This was where Comb, head priest of the Diocese of Saint Fleuve under the great priest Pius, reported about Falma’s recent situation.

“The Empress has been deeming the church as an enemy since that incident. She is having difficulty contacting the god of medicine. The Empress may have someone as her contact from within the church acting as an aide. Such type of movement was predicted.“

The Imperial Capital church’s activities are being restricted, and the intelligence gathering for the church’s spies were also hindered significantly.

The Empire is monitoring the movement of the church, tailing Falma has become difficult, and the spy assigned to the De Médicis family had also been arrested by the Empress’s guards.

The only place where the exasperated priests of the Great Church could meet Falma was at a Different World Pharmacy ironically.

The priest of the Imperial church is becoming warier of Falma,  as he attends the pharmacy daily to purchase medicine, and becoming just a regular customer. During these days, he had become familiar as a regular customer, and was also able to speak to Falma directly, while some priests were sent as reconnaissance reported back as, “You summoned me!” and were ecstatic to have returned.

“So now?“

“There is a slight diurnal variation to the medicine god’s divine power.“

“Hoo, so that’s how it has been.“

Pius listened with interest. Comb reported that Falma suppressed the power during the daytime on the weekdays. According to the measurement of Falma’s divine power over the entire Imperial City with the high-sensitivity divine power meters, the report of his divine power was stronger at night, but weakened during the daytime.

Even though the overall power was weakened, the remnant tremendous output was far beyond human being’s level by general standards.

The divine power formed a large sanctuary that ward evil spirits away based on the range of his activities.

“I checked it very carefully. Does this mean, he’s sick during the daytime?“

“In the recent days, he held his arm with care and in very conspicuous gestures, so I believe he was doing something upon his arm. For example, it’s probably a way to contain his divine power.“

Comb has been receiving reports from his subordinates about Falma for the past few weeks, with the report about him caring for this arm.[1]

“The medicine god knew about the god seal, and he’s applying it upon himself.“

Since the art of sealing the gods is now known, it means that the internal information of the church has been leaked. Pius frowns bitterly, displaying the anger on his cheeks.

“There may be a surplus of divine power, or I wonder if he’s attempting to keep his human figure.“

“It’s such a waste, and to simply collect just even a small amount of that divine power should be sufficient in considerably reducing his amount of divine power.“

Pius is scanning through the list of treasures owned by the Great Church at the guardian churchs all around the world.

“This is good.“

Pius fingertips were sliding vertically along the list again, and then stopped on a certain treasure.

… ━━… ━━… ━━…

On a calm and cheerful morning, Falma, Lotte, and Cedric arrive at the pharmacy as usual, and there they saw a young woman wearing a large hat hiding her eyes, sitting on the pharmacy’s front bench seemingly spacing out.

She’s wearing a long black robe, similar to the traveling pharmacist.

“Good morning. Thank you for waiting, and we are open the store now.“

Falma was the exact person she was looking for and calls out to him cheerfully, as she is a merchant that came to sell him new herbs.

“Good morning, ‘cuse me, it’s not what you think. As for me, my name is Juliana and I am a second-class pharmacist during this trip. I was robbed along the way and lost all my medicines and money. When I asked the townspeople, I heard that I should go to this shop for consultation…“

Did Juliana remember the horror of having her medicine stolen? She has tears in her eyes.

“Aah, let’s hear about the situation inside.“

Falma opens the store and invites her inside.

She is a lesser aristocratic pharmacist according to her, and she said to have been on a training journey.

(A female pharmacist that had medicine, and at a mere glance she could be recognized as a lone traveling pharmacist…The Empire is still a safe place, but it’s too dangerous along the way. She would make money because the medicines are expensive.)

Falma speculated that she appeared defenseless and it was the reason for her to be attacked.

As the pharmacology drugstores handle expensive medicines, they tend to need guards to avoid robbery.

The knight acting as a gatekeeper was established so that no one would be attacked even at the Different World Pharmacy. Even so, one may still be attacked.

“That was a disaster. What medicine was stolen?“

“Yes, abdominal pain medicine, headache medicine, and antipyretic.”

“Sarimana, Rubines, Itmail, and potions from the evening primrose[2]? We also have them in our shop.“

“Morning, oh my, something is happening with Falmkun. The store opened early today.“

“I’m not a customer. Sorry, I’m a pharmacolgist Juliana who’s traveling and I can’t forgive the thieves!“

Lotte retold the event to Ellen while cleaning up during the opening preparation.

Juliana was guided to the reception corner, as she lost her vigor from her uncomfortedness while sitting.

“The medicine, I had it all. Will I be okay like this?“

Falma pulled out a set of traditional medicines that are thought to be commonly handled by second-class pharmacists in various locations. He omitted all medicines that the first-class pharmacists handled such as the court pharmacists.

Although the mainstream of Different World Pharmacy has modern medicine prescriptions, there are stocks of traditional medicines for patients who absolutely want them and for those who complained constantly. Modern medicine was prescribed at the same time most of the time.

“Excuse me, all these. These are all expensive medicines.“

When Pharma tried to hand over the medicines to her, Juliana hurriedly shook her head. Falma however packs the medicines in a cheap bag, as he completely displays them.

“When one of you is in trouble, we are here for each other. I think you’ll be a walking bank if you’re planning on selling much. Again be wary of the robbery, and make sure to return safely back to your country. So then, your clothes should be plain clothes and not the pharmacist’s coat. You will be attacked again if they discover you are a pharmacist. If you only have those clothes, I’ll provide you some.“

“Such…with such kindness, I can’t accept this for free, so let me pay the cost with my body.“

Juliana was completely awestruck.

“I’m not sure you know since you’re a traveler, but Falma is so rich that he’s beyond rich, so this is not a big deal for him. I wish you simply take accept it.”

Ellen humored after Juliana so she doesn’t refuse.

Falma at this moment is a five-fingered[3] wealthy person within the Imperial City from the sales at the Different World Pharmacy, along with a salary from being a court pharmacist, excluding the consolidated drugstore sales from the joint-venturing pharmacies and Bruno’s assets.

His personal name within the Imperial City has the disposition in being top-ranked taxpayer.

Recently, Falma is skeptical about overtaking Bruno’s total asset.

He’s earning a lot of money, but he created the silver bullet for the plague and protected the Imperial Capital, became much popular as a pharmacist who continued to produce many new drugs, and no longer being the case in gaining scornful grudges.

“With your body…?“

Even though Falma is one of the Empire’s leading wealthy people, a destructive bomb of a remark of “with my body” mentioned by a strange middle-age woman caused him to completely stiffen.

“Oh my, you really got him. For Falmkun, he doesn’t  have that kind of tolerance for you to make fun of him.“

Ellen finds it interesting.

“If it doesn’t bother you, I’ll work a this pharmacy. I, I will do anything including from cleaning to chores!“

Juliana prostates herself onto the floor at his feed while pleading.

“You don’t have to worry about the gratitude, my wish is for you to bring back the medicine.“

There are six staff members at the Different World Pharmacy, and there is enough manpower in recent days. He doesn’t know Juliana’s background,  and a pharmacist that doesn’t have any piece of modern medicine knowledge cannot work at this pharmacy.

“Please let me work! Let me study, please! Or maybe, oh, because I’m in your way…?“

(Uun, there are enough staff.)

Falma honestly just wanted her to leave.

Up until now, there had been many pharmacists he refused that applied for apprenticeship positions at the Different World Pharmacy as the number of stars, but they should enroll in the Imperial Medical College where he has been a professor since autumn. Modern pharmacy is something that cannot be taught overnight, and it’s dangerous handle the medicine half-baked knowledge.

Beside the staff, he didn’t want to see any other people behind the pharmacy.

“If you say so, but what do you want to do Falmkun? I don’t know if you want to see other country’s pharmacist’s work.“

On the other hand, Ellen is sympathetic to Juliana.

“Uun…“

Falma decided to give in from Ellen’s pressure.

“Well, maybe just a few days alright? But, you can’t prescribe any medicine.“

“Y-yes! I won’t prescribe any medicine. I’ll work as hard as I can!“

Juliana started helping the pharmacy.

She is a hard worker, and takes things seriously. She started with chores and cleaning without cutting corners in any way, slowly learning from the part-time pharmacists and Ellen in how to dispense modern medicine little by little, perfectly weighing and calculating, performs office work well, enthusiastically reads Falma’s textbooks, and sometimes discussing in getting together with his staff to eat and shop.

She absorbs quickly no matter what she does, and she didn’t get in their way.

(This child is very talented for a pharmacist. For merely being a child that can do this much, as a second-class pharmacist.)

There is something to witness, as Falma’s expectation is high.

Juliana said that she had became ill-mannered, but she has a skill that is unusual for a pharmacist, which is a mythical massage.

She massages the body through a staff by pouring her divine power into the patient, in order to adjust the circulation of body fluids. Juliana massaged his staff during her break at the pharmacy for their comfort. Ellen surprising appearance after Juliana finished with her treatment.

“Aah, so good. My shoulders in great condition. Julianchan, you can make enough to eat with just this alone without any medicine!“

“Ye-yes, it is an honor to be praised by Eleonor-sama.“

Ellen liked Juliana’s massage.

“This is wonderful, my whole body seems to be dancing!“

Lotte stares at her eyes.

“Ufufu, Lotte-chan, it was my first experience in receiving divine power, it’s a wonderful excitement.“

(Lotte is hyped up. She looks at it like as if it’s some kind of medicine.)

It appears to be a waste to apply divine power to commoners who do not have divine power by nature.

When Falma is standing around, Ellen invites him.

“Why don’t you give it a try too Falmkun?“

“Your body will loosen up.“

So they feel that good, and Falma decides to give it a try after Ellen and Lotte recommend it alternately.

“Then, I should ask of you as well.“

Falma laid down on the private bed in the examination room, Juliana uses her entire staff like a roller to loosen this body, and she begins her massage by pushing the tip of her staff onto each part of his body.

Falma’s divine power is so strong that he didn’t feel Juliana’s divine power poured into him, but he could experience only her massage’s effect.

(Ah, this is good. It feels like my entire body became like bread dough.)

“Is there any system in this myth of yours Juliana? I’d like to ask you about it in detail.“

“Yes, I am completing my training course of the mythical massage.“

“Eeh…maybe it’s good for treating with those who have chronic complaints.“

“What is that?“

“It’s a symptom that can’t be cured by medicine.“

“Yes, I also use this myth in those cases.“

There are some visiting patients of the pharmacy who he could not find anything wrong with his visual diagnosis, so these are the cases where the diagnosis could not be made.

The so-called complaints from these patients range from headache, stiff shoulders, low back pain, abdominal pain, anxiety, and the main complaints among these are the chronic complaints that clearly have no underlying causes even after the examinations. Because pain is subjective, which amplified by anxiety and stress, it is difficult for a third party to intervene.

It’s not possible as it’s outside the scope of treatment through the means of medical and pharmaceutical methods. This is due to the ill-treatment of oneself without relaxation.

Because the main cause of the complaint was unknown, each department was rushed over for the examination. Even though the patient received an indiscriminate rehabilitation program, there was no improvement. The patient was disappointed with modern medicine over time and started to utilize folk remedies and other methods. They simply use an ineffective drug, even similar to the same pattern that still remains in modern Japan.

In responding to such patient complaints, Falma recently wonders, in part, about the effectiveness of the mythology. Particularly, the stiff shoulders and back pain, headaches and other complaints, simply by applying the affected area with divine power which may be more effective than relaxing. Ellen states that the doctors and pharmacists sometimes use the same method to remove the patient’s pain of this world. It seems that he is good at the strong godly divine power, and he heard that Bruno is also famous in the field.

The former Falma would have dismissed it as an “occult”, but he examined the effectiveness of Juliana’s treatment that amplifies the divine power through the staff as it pours the divine power into the patient, he thought about its application at the Different World Pharmacy.

“The effects are judged by randomized controlled trials with the bias is removed, and I wonder if it will be more effective than a placebo.“

“Placebo…?“

He explains that the placebo effect, despite being ineffective in nature, creates a suggestive effect on the body. For example, even if you take something that is ineffective as a medicine, it makes the person feel better from the belief it is a medicine, and so and so forth.

“Whether it’s a new drug or a treatment, if you don’t properly verify the result statistics, it’s merely a basiased belief. I have to collect the data properly for the patients.“

He talks to Juliana about the statistical analysis.

“Falmsama, you appear young but you quite a bit.“

As Falma discussed with Juliana about that, he felt sickened after performing the treatment at that time.

“Nn?“

Falma sensed something was off, and he turned around behind him in fear.

“What’s the matter?“

“N-n, nothing!“

“Did I, say something strange to you?“

Juliana shrugged her shoulders as if she was frightened. She had let go of her staff she was holding.

“I’m sorry. I lost my concentration, phew, let me continue.“

Juliana sometimes appeared to be spacing out several times a day after that. She still worked perfectly even so, but her expression is cloudy, and she gradually became less talkative.

(It would be happening.)

Falma begins to be concerned about her, if this keeps on continuing since that day.

Juliana suddenly disappeared from the pharmacy.

“Well now, where’s Julianchan?“

Pharmacy staff started their search believing that she might have just lost her way in the Imperial City. But, none of them could find her as they searched all the places they could think of. Even when they make full use of the information network belonging to the mother of the pharmacy, Celest, the information did not turn up anything even at the newspaper shop.

“The Imperial City of Saint Fleuve is vast, and searching like this is impossible.“

Roger was tired from running around the Imperial City on a horse while visually searching.

“I became lost — hi — n, I’m sorry!“

Rebecca also searched the gurnard, but apparently she got lost and was taken back by the military police. Rebecca seems to have no sense of direction.

(I wish I had checked for any of her physical characteristics.)

If he had Juliana’s chronic illness, Falma could find her outdoors while being indoors through his observational eyes among the humans in the Imperial City. But he was unable to see her with his eyes.

“Have you returned to your country? I wanted to have a farewell party.“

Lotte seems to be regrettable.

“She didn’t appear to be a child that’s willing to return quietly, so I hope she doesn’t get into any trouble.“

Ellen wipes her glasses with a cloth to distract herself from her worst imagination.

“Something is going on from the center, I’m getting a worried…“

Falma was holding onto a medical record, while he gazed at the view of the Imperial City outside the window.

Juliana was not found that day, and it was time for him to close the pharmacy.

It was time for her to close the pharmacy.

Thick clouds are covering the sky of the Imperial Capital, and it starts to rain heavily.

“Let’s go home.“

When Cedric Falma, and Lotte were about to return home with the carriage, Lotte pauses on her feet.

“I, I want to find Juliana. It’s raining… if, if she’s still lost somewhere in the Imperial Capital…”

She’s soaked by this time, and Lotte is worried about her.

“That’s right isn’t it, so let’s spend a bit more time before going home.“

The three stopped and listened to passers-by in the Imperial City, while they asked the guarding officers. And finally, the information about a young woman who looks like Juliana that they’re looking for is located at the tallest building in the Imperial City.

(Can it be…just think about it?!)

“Lotte, Cedric, time for you to go home!“

Falma left them on the spot, then he ran away and turned at an alley within the Imperial City.

“Falmsama!?“

When Lotte turned into the alley in following Falma, her Falma wasn’t there.

“Were are you, Falma…sama?“

Falma flew with his medicine god’s staff, as he searched all of the Imperial City’s belfries from the air.

And then, in the corner of the tallest bell tower in the Imperial Capital, he found a woman.

Falma presence was mixed within the sound of the rain, as he descended behind her slowly without making a sound. She managed to get over the iron fence of the bell tower, and she was crouching alone while being battered by the rain. There were no railings or guards in front of her, and if she happens to fall at this height, it means an instant death. Her legs were half dangling over the edge of the tower.

She also seemed hesitant to jump.

“You don’t have to talk about anything, so don’t move from there.“

Falma called out to her in a low tone. She raised her face and, hastily stood up.

“…Falmsamaa…”

“Don’t move, stay there.”

“Please don’t come…I don’t have a proper face to show you. It’s all a lie.“

She faced Falma as she was about to jump, and she confessed.

“I’m not a traveling pharmacist, nor things were stolen from me.“

“What about it.“

Pharma replied without hesitation.

“Everything is alright, and no matter what the circumstances, there would be no reason for you to jump off.“

Falma grabs hold of his medicine god’s staff.

She will be caught in the air even if she is ready to throw herself off prematurely.

“If you’re not intend to do that, it’s still not too late to hear your story.“

She bursts into tears.

“I am the Medical Cardiologist of the Great Church.“

He brought her behind the fence of the belfry, and listened to her narration.

She opens her mouth with remorse.

“In order to get closer to Falmsama, it was my mission to find the fact about your entanglement in reducing your divine power. But, I couldn’t do it the more I knew about you. It goes against the church’s faith in the first place, in depriving divine power of the guardian deity. It cannot be done. But I already betray the church…so, I sorry I have no choice but to jump off.”

“Why does that have to happen?“

“I’m sorry I have no life left if I don’t jump…I have a curse within me. The curse is gradually erodes me, and eventually I lose my soul…I want to die before I hurt others.”

Falma asked about the situation in more detail,

“The priest that knows the secret of the church’s secrets, since the time of the appointment, a curse has been engraved so as not to betray the church. Unless the priest returns to the Great Church and continues to take medicine to purify the curse, it’s ingrained for the person to lose the soul and die.”

(Is there such an interesting thing…I’ve been wondering about it for a long time, as the upper part of the church is too dangerous.)

“Where is the sign of the curse?“

She shakes her head and refuses to say. When Falma observes with his eyes, a blue-blackish pattern was engraved on her nape. The pattern is beginning to grow on her skin.

“Doing such terrible things.“

For the dirty deeds done by the Great Church, Falma gets angry. However, they’re improving their organizational strength, by trying to do this kind of thing. It was too creepy.

“Let me touch it.“

After Falma said so, he suddenly grabbed her wet nape.

“Hi uu…nn!“

She screamed unintentionally because she was suddenly grabbed, and closed her eyes. Her curse disappeared completely when Falma directly imposed his divine power upon her curse.

“It’s removed. You’re free now.“

“Eh…eeh!?“

She was dazed.

“There is no way to get rid of this curse anywhere in the world…“

“If so, only I can do it.“

“Falmsama, you are by far the most powerful guardian deity of all time after all…in hundreds of years now, the guardian deity could not come down to this world. It’s as if the power of the guardian deities of several pillars was occupied. “

From what heard, he understands the divine power of guardian deities for some generations that did not appear was carried over.

“As for me, I’m not such an important of a person, so don’t be afraid. I hope you think of me having the same contents as you.“

Even if the power of the medicine god resides within him, Falma’s intentional feelings are that he is a human being.

“What is the Great Church trying to do with my divine power?“

For this world that is eroding, connects together with “gears of shavings“. In order to prevent the divine gate which connects the worlds from coming off, it’s tightened with the gears. To move the instrument, the divine power of the guardian deity is necessary. Even if you hurt the guardian deity and doing something that goes against your faith, there is nothing we can do to stop the collapse of the eroding world…”

“Eroding, of the world?“

Because she belongs to the central part of the Great Church, she was unexpectedly exposed to a large amount of information.

Salomon said The Great Church lured the successive guardian deities in, performed their sealing until they disappeared, and so it seems that there was such a development behind it all.

Falma was confused about the upper part of the church having a group of fanatics.

(Is that true?)

Falma uses his observational eyes, in trying to detect for clues if she was lying.

There’s no change in the body temperature, pulse, or blood flow to the brain. Using that measurement method, it’s the so-called ie detector polygraph what is scientifically and completely unfounded, although, examining the areas of the brain that are activated when she is lying gives a clue to whether she is lying.

Her brain physiology does not change after completing some questions.

(Maybe it’s true…If so, it’s an unavoidable reason for the church’s attempt to restrain me and drain my divine power.)

“How were you planning in taking away my divine power to bring it back? Did you ever thought that you couldn’t beat me and drag me back?“

“Because there is a treasure that absorbs divine power…But, I can’t do that anymore.“

“Is it a treasure that is inserted next to your staff?“

“Mmm, this is it…“

“Let me borrow that.“

Falma picks up her treasure blade from Juliana, and quickly pulls the blade out of its scabbard. Two thin blades come out in parallel from the handle. It has the size same as a fruit knife.

“It’s like a plug. How do you suck out the divine power?“

Even when he trace the blade’s edges with his fingertips, there is no blood. It doesn’t change even when he holds the blades.

“Please return it, and it’s definitely not good…I can’t hurt Falmsama, as this is wrong.”

Juliana desperately tries to take back her treasure blade.

(There isn’t any pain? That is, for stabbing.)

Pharma takes the plunge and thrust the blade into his thigh.

Falma’s body is not solid, and no blood comes out at all.

There are some feelings of fatigue and pain, but they’re not unbearable.

“Kyaa aaah !? Falmsama!“

“Isn’t this a kind of battery?“

When he imagines that he can inject his divine power into her blade, the blade begins to glow and blink violently. Then, the divine power can no longer be packed into it as it reaches a certain capacity.

“This is fully charged. Yes, I was able to do it. Is there any other treasure blade? It looks like I can do a few more.”

Meanwhile, after 20 seconds.

“Eh !? Eh? Nothing, happened? This blade caused severe pain to the guardian deity, and it was known that it would take away their divine power.“

“Nothing happened at all, and the divine power in my body hasn’t diminished at all. Will you be able to complete your mission and return to the temple? If you don’t have enough divine power then, simply come back again, and couldn’t you just hold onto the cogwheel for a while before handing it over?“

Falma doubts his understanding of that it’s a device as a gear or a ruse.

“Ye,yes…I can’t believe it.“

She replied that itwill be the driving force of the gears for a considerable period of time.

“Is that cogwheel located in the Holy City?“

“Deep in the underground of the church, there is an entrance to another world. From there…“

“Then, report to me about what you observed of the situation next time. So the existence of another world? I will cooperate if something goes wrong.“

He told Juliana that he would talk to her if she comes to him normally, without doing something so sneaky.

“I don’t know if you don’t talk to me, but sometimes you can tell by talking.”

Falma laughs after saying that.

Juliana will be returning to the Holy City the next day.

Juliana is worried if she doesn’t come back early, a new spy will be thrown at Falma again she fails. Falma staff don’t know about the inside story.

She finally performed a heartfelt mythical massage on all pharmacy staff. It was said that the mythical massage is a technique performed by the medical priests. And at Lotte’s idea, they also have a small farewell party.

“Even for a short time, I thank you for your support.“

“I wish you could stay a little longer..“

Ellen wanted to retain Juliana. The comfort of her mythical massage may have become addictive.

“Yeah, you’re going home this time, but come to see us again.“

Falma spoke with such carefreeness. It’s as if yesterday’s events didn’t happen.

“The church thought that humans cannot communicate with the guardian deity until now. But…that was a big mistake. Falmsama came with a human heart, he thinks of many people, along with the hidden treasure entrusted to me, I will report it to the great priest.“

Juliana confided to Pharma about her feelings on her departure. She returns to the Holy City.

Footnotes:

[1] A hah! I was suspicious about the author’s indicating the mark was on both arms in Vol 5 Chp 2. Here, it’s referenced back to one arm.

[2] I have no clue what Sarimana (サリマナ) and Rubines (ルビネス)、Itmail  (イトメール) is a Japanese multivitamins, while the evening primrose is used mainly for women’s health (breast pain reduction and skin health).

[3] Imagine he’s one of the wealthiest noble for the self-made salaries in the Imperial City, counted on one hand.

Chapter end