Volume 3 Chapter 2 Part1

Episode 2 – Tenosyvinotis and Mimeograph (Part 1)

「History shall repeat itself」

The owner of the Different World Pharmacy whispered as if to say a proverb with a solemn face while staring at his schedule book that was about to be full until next year.

「What history? Is it the history of Pharmacology?」

Ellen asked. Although Ellen agreed to become a lecturer in the Medicine Academy in front of Bruno, she seemed dispirited saying that she does not have the confidence to teach students. Because of that, she took out pharmaceutical books from the Academy’s library and started reviewing.

(My history of dying of overwork, or my “pa.s.sing” history……)

It looks like Falma’s predisposition of s...o...b..lling the work he accepts has not changed in this life as well. Not only that, it had worsened because unlike his past life, he cannot leave it to others.

(No, this isn’t someone else’s fault, I’m increasing my work myself too. This is bad. My schedule book is already this full right now. I’ll absolutely die if I become a professor)

His current life, of which he thought of spending it with the motto of helping people and not trying too hard. However, within just a year after reincarnating, he was already overwork and felt a sense of crisis. He does not wish to repeat his mistake twice.

(If I die next time, I probably won’t reincarnate)

Luckily, it was decided that he could start teaching at San Flueve Medicine Academy next year. They said that during the preparatory period, there would be arrangements of the newly established department, organizing of the laboratories and experimental rooms, and recruitment of students in the Academy. Especially that excellent students would be gathered not only all over the Empire, but also from all over the world, and there would be an entrance examination for special entries of free tuition free. It looks like they were really putting their heart and soul into it.

And Falma must do something about the work he has while they did that.

(Let’s pace down. Let’s decrease the work. For the meantime, the threat of the black plague has left right now too)

“Everyone’s health is important, but my own health is important as well”, Falma took a deep breath.

Before the plague’s outbreak, ma.s.sive spread of infection must be prevented at all cost, but there is currently no large scale danger at the moment. If it were Falma in his past life, he would have carried out a death march of simultaneously proceeding with all of the work that must be done, but this time, he is currently wary of death from overwork.

「Do you know about death from overworking?」

「What does that mean?」

Ellen tilted her head while wiping her gla.s.ses.

Not pushing themselves too hard and working is only until the sun sets is their national trait, so it would seem that the phrase of death from overworking does not even exist. Rest when you are tired. That was natural. Light is valuable, so do not work through the night. That was also natural.

「Doesn’t Ellen get tired?」

「Come to think of it, my head started to ache」

「Because of working too much?」

「It’s from being too dizzy wearing gla.s.ses. It cannot be helped」

It looks like Ellen would have a headache when wearing strong gla.s.ses for a long period. “She would be relieved if there was only contact lenses for her”, Falma thought, but it would be difficult to manufacture in reality.

(No, wait, we could make the contact lenses’ materials……so it shouldn’t be that impossible to manufacture……)

Falma started to increase his work again.

「And then? What’s that dying from overwork?」

「It’s literally dying from working too hard」

「It is true, Falma-kun is working too hard……but, would Falma-kun die?」

Ellen has divinized Falma, so it would seem that she could not come up with such idea.

「As far as I know, you, you have become tremendously robust since you were hit by lightning. So much that I would even think that the person inside has changed as well」

The boy Falma originally would catch cold several times a year because he would get drenched during water-type divine arts training, and would receive unexpected injuries. There were also times when he became so sick that he could not attend cla.s.ses, so he was not compelled to do things that much. But right now, compared to that, he would not get sick nor get injuries. He would only get few scratches from training, and would not shed blood.

(I wonder what would happen if I die from overwork? If I die and withdraw my consciousness from this Falma, would this boy regain his consciousness?)

Falma felt guilty after thinking of that.

(No, but, the boy Falma would not awaken while sleeping. This boy’s consciousness, did it die after all?)

“Anyways, I should take care of this boy Falma’s body very well”, he thought while stretching.

「That’s right. It’s like we’re being protected by Falma-kun. I’m grateful for that. Thank you for protecting us」

Ellen took Falma’s hand, stared right into his eyes, and looked at Falma somewhat shyly with her cheeks flushed red. Falma skipped a heart beat. He would not feel anything for Ellen because he would look at her as a colleague, but looking at her carefully, she looked seductive.

(Ellen, she wouldn’t have made such face before……)

Rather, it would seem that Ellen is frightened of Falma after he reincarnated, treating him as a monster. “Did she gradually started to open her heart and trust me as time has pa.s.sed?”, Falma felt happy.

「This is all thanks to Falma-sama! We were always under your care!」

Lotte agreed to Ellen although she did not understand the meaning within Ellen’s words properly.

「You would be a professor in the Academy starting next year too. I wonder if I’ll be able to support you properly?」

Ellen worried about Falma with pity.

「A professor in the academy. How great would Falma-sama be? He’s so amazing although he’s still young〜, is he a genius? Is he nothing but a genius!」

Praises from Lotte who got excited, making fists with both hands, would not stop. She is not saying it as flattery, but seriously. The Academy is a completely unknown world for a commoner like Lotte. And the big shots and big teachers from that unknown world had all noticed and recognized Falma, and Lotte sent gazes of reverence towards him. Of course, Lotte thinks that Falma is just another person, even after that fight with Kamyu.

「It is all unprecedented. Falma-sama would become busier and busier from now on」

Cedrick felt concerned as well.

「I can’t make everybody worry. I should fix my schedule」

“There are times when a person’s life would depend on it, so I can’t really decrease my work load. If so, what needed is efficiency. I’ll die if I won’t be able to do my work efficiently at shorter times before the Academy lectures start” and while Falma was thinking of that, it was already time for the afternoon consultation……and a very suspicious sibling wearing masks and hats to their eyes came. Judging from their voice, they are in their late teens.

「Why are you wearing masks? Please take them off」

Are they extremely shy people? Or do they have something to hide? It is Falma, so it is possible for him to diagnose them using his Diagnosis Eye, but normally, it is impossible to diagnose them with their faces hidden.

「You mustn’t ask. You mustn’t know their faces. It’s that kind of job」

Ellen whispered to Falma’s ear. She said that he should respect the patient’s privacy. Ellen is an apothecary who is good at reading that kind of atmosphere. Falma was also convinced and,

「Well then, what should I do for you today?」

「Apothecary-sama, our wrists, and bones would not be relieved of pain, do you have a cure?」

「"Stenosing tenosynovitis"」

Falma did not even need to use his Diagnosis Eye, but he still checked to be sure. He would use the Diagnosis Eye as an auxiliary like diagnostic imaging. It looks like the root of the thumb seemed to be inflamed.

「The two of you, you have overused your hands huh. It is called tenosynovitis」

「Tenosin.o.bitis?」

The siblings dumbly asked back.

「Yes, your thumb’s tendon is inflamed. I will give you a painkiller. You should use a supporter as well. Also, is it possible for you to make your hands rest?」

「It is impossible. We would be unable to pay for our keep. We, we have a huge sum of debt……」

「E〜to……the two of you, can I ask what kind of job you have?」

The two of them said at the same time.

「We write handwritten newspaper」

「Handwritten newspaper?!」

(What kind of job is that……?!)

It was a job that it is easy to imagine having tenosynovitis just from hearing it.

「Can I ask you in detail?」

「It is a job of writing gathered information into paper, and selling it to those who need them. Although, I cannot disclose the content……」

The younger sister equivocated.

(Hahaa……I see now)

“They are doing extremely coverage activities, so there is no way that even a single town apothecary must know their faces, or maybe, they are handling business information or military information……”, Falma guessed. The reason for them having a huge debt must also be because they would cross dangers due to their work. All of it is just a speculation though.

There are cases that surgery or steroid injection is needed when the pain caused by tenosynovitis gets worse, but rest is basically for the best.

「How many newspapers do a handwritten newspaper writer copies?」

「One can write 50, but a little more when in good shape……but there would also be mistakes in writing, that won’t be sold, so we need to write more」

「50 newspapers!」

(Ah〜, of course you’d have tenosynovitis)

「The profits increase the more you write right? Does all of the things you write the same information?」

「Yes」「That’s right」, the sibling nodded while rubbing their wrists with teary eyes.

「Does that newspaper, must absolutely be handwritten?」

Suddenly, Falma thought of something and confirmed with them. “Is there anything other than handwriting?”, the sibling looked at each other.

「Of course, as long as the information can be read, the newspaper will be sold. Although we need to compensate if there is misinformation……」

The younger sister dropped her shoulders.

「Oi, stop it. Haha, please forget about that」

It looks like they had sold misinformation.

(Had they written skipped articles? It looks like being a newspaperman is hard)

And they might be unable to stop being a newspaper writer because of the debt from that. Falma came up with an idea.

「Please come here again after one week. I’ll your job a little easier」

「Y-Yes……well then, we will come again」

The sibling said that they would come again although doubtful, bought a wrist supporter from the pharmacy, and returned after receiving a pain reliever.

(This is also a good opportunity)

「Ellen. I want to ask something. Is there only handwriting when transcribing literature and articles in this world?」

“Does etching doesn’t even exist? What about letterpress printing?”, Falma confirmed.

「U〜n. It’s not like there’s none. There were woodblock and lithographic printing too. But it’s obsolete right now」

Ellen made a gesture of remembering, placing a pointing finger on her temple.

「It’s true……it’s very hard to make blocks. It would be on a large-scale too」

「It would take a long time to make printing blocks. Speed is life for informants. And there is also no need to print that much, so there would be transcriptions while blocks are being made. The newspaper writers from earlier should be the same」

After hearing that, Falma thought that “that” should be good.

「I’ll try to make a mimeograph (ronéotyper)」

It is a printing method that does not need electricity, which was often used in educational settings until 1960’s in j.a.pan.  It’s what they call mimeo.

「Do you have a new idea for an invention? Falma-kun, you’re increasing your workload again……you mustn’t infinitely increase your work even though you think it’s alright yourself. If the newspaper writers feel pain in from their wrists, then they should just change their job. Or maybe, continue it while drinking pain relievers」

Ellen worried about Falma. Ellen’s idea of「if you can’t work, then find another job」, was really that of an Earl’s daughter. It was not like there was no freedom of choosing their jobs, but the commoner’s circ.u.mstance is that it is hard to change their family business.

「No, this is also to decrease my work」

If one were to ask what was loading Falma’s schedule, other than clinical service, it would be writing textbooks and preparation of pharmaceutical lecture materials. During his past life, Falma had created a lecture slide, and used it for pharmaceutical department lectures for many years. So, he came up with a way of making textbooks and lecture handouts at the same time.

The problem with transcribing is that because speed is needed, there would be human mistakes, or insertion of unintended interpretation. Because Falma’s textbooks have diagrams, graphs, and chemical formulas, its nuance in details would not be conveyed with lame ill.u.s.trations. It is a needed technology, when thinking of copying exactly what Falma has written.

「We can make handouts to explain the pharmacy’s drugs too」

It would take a lot of time to explain to patients what the medicine is and for, but if it can be printed, they can just make the patients read them, making them able to save time, and convey the information to the patients correctly. And with that, they would be able to diagnose more patients, leave the other explanations to other apothecaries, and shorten the consultation hours.

「Good deeds should be done quickly」