The next day, Keldric persuaded Niccolo, who planned to perform bloodletting, to allow him to accompany him.
“What exactly does bloodletting mean?”
“It’s about balancing the four bodily humors that make up the body.”
According to Niccolo, the human body contained four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
These humors had to be balanced to maintain health, and most health issues or diseases even minor headaches or mental illnesses like depression were caused by an imbalance of the four humors.
“Blood is the humor associated with an optimistic and energetic temperament. It originates in the heart, supplying warmth, vitality, and life to the body. It is also the humor of spring.”
“…Spring?”
“Yes. It governs spring among the four seasons. Therefore, if the body is deficient in blood, medicines that promote the energy of spring are particularly effective.”
Keldric felt slightly dizzy but quickly composed himself. He couldn’t quite grasp how blood flowing through veins was connected to the seasons, but then again, the mere existence of magic didn’t make much sense either.
“I didn’t know that. I’ll have to remember it.”
Even Alyssa, who had been following closely behind Keldric, nodded in admiration, so Keldric decided it might be better to trust Niccolo’s words.
Besides, with only basic knowledge of medicine, Keldric had no alternative but to rely on him.
“Additionally, phlegm comes from the brain and lungs, yellow bile from the liver, and black bile from the spleen. To balance these humors, the organs must function harmoniously together.”
Niccolo’s secret to health and longevity wasn’t particularly complicated: as long as the body’s organs worked smoothly and in sync, one could avoid illness and live a long life.
“So, which humor are you going to extract from Sir Ortwin?”
“At first, I suspected an overproduction of black bile. However, the discovery of invasive larvae changes things.”
Blood is the humor governed by the heart. Just the night before, when Keldric met Count Bogenberg, he had thoroughly reported Sir Ortwin’s symptoms.
Chest pain and difficulty breathing could be attributed to issues with blood and phlegm, respectively.
However, since the invasive larvae fed on blood, Niccolo’s treatment involved bloodletting. In other words, he was simply going to draw blood.
Now that he thought about it, Niccolo was carrying a large wooden bucket. It was clear that this bucket would soon hold Sir Ortwin’s blood.
“I see. So it’s an overproduction of blood?”
“No, that’s not the case.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say it was caused by an imbalance of humors?”
“Normally, yes, but if invasive larvae are the cause, the purpose of the bloodletting changes. The goal is to remove the blood mixed with the toxins produced by the larvae embedded in the body.”
Keldric silently nodded. It sounded like a reasonably logical treatment, at least to him.
While it wasn’t an elaborate method deserving to be called a “treatment,” the simplicity of removing the source of the problem seemed effective enough. Since the larvae produced toxins and consumed blood, removing them along with the contaminated blood was likely the best approach.
The real question was how to achieve it.
“I have just the right method for this.”
Niccolo confidently declared that he would use a treatment method he had professionally studied at the Avaloncia Academia.
Keldric nodded readily at Niccolo’s words. He didn’t have the time to ask for a detailed explanation of the treatment method, nor was this the appropriate moment for a lecture anyway.
“This is a rare opportunity. It’s not every day you get to witness the medical techniques taught at Avaloncia Academia.”
“Oh…”
Even Alyssa responded with such awe, making it hard for Keldric to doubt Niccolo’s medical expertise. Instead, he began to feel a sense of anticipation.
While it might not have been entirely appropriate to feel curious about how Sir Ortwin, who was teetering on the brink of life and death, would be treated, Keldric couldn’t help but feel his curiosity welling up.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
“This way.”
After following Niccolo for a while, Keldric and Alyssa were led to a room located at the farthest edge of the castle.
This room served as a patient ward for important guests like Sir Ortwin and was situated in the outermost area of Bogenberg Castle’s inner quarters.
The reasoning behind this was to minimize the risk of contagion, should the patient carry an infectious disease.
While Sir Ortwin’s condition wasn’t classified as an infectious disease, Alyssa had advised that the invasive larvae could occasionally spread to others, so the precaution seemed appropriate.
“Ahem.”
“Ugh…”
As the door opened and Keldric and Alyssa stepped inside, they instinctively covered their noses, groaning. The acrid stench wafting from the room was no joke.
In one corner of the room, Sir Ortwin lay sprawled on a bed, his body limp like a corpse. His right arm dangled off the bed and was submerged in a brass basin that resembled a washbowl.
The stench’s source was unmistakably that basin.
Even with his nose pinched shut, Keldric’s nasal passages burned from the sharp smell, and tears welled up in his eyes. It was akin to the sensation of eating a spoonful of fiery mustard.
“Why does it smell like this?”
“I dun… know…”
Alyssa mumbled in a nasal tone, her voice muffled as she tightly pinched her nose. Her strained effort to hold her breath was evident. Meanwhile, Keldric moved to open the room’s window.
“That won’t do, Sir,” Niccolo said.
“And why not? The smell is unbearable.”
“It will dissipate the medicinal energy. It’s best to ventilate the room after the bloodletting is complete.”
Looking at the basin Niccolo pointed to, Keldric noticed the strange-colored liquid inside, which appeared to be infused with various herbs. Sir Ortwin’s right arm was submerged in it.
Unfazed by the stench, Niccolo walked over to Sir Ortwin and gestured politely for Keldric and Alyssa to take a seat.
“Please, have a seat. Standing will grow uncomfortable.”
Niccolo genuinely seemed intent on showing them the entire treatment process. Recalling Alyssa’s remark about how rare this opportunity was, Keldric promptly took a seat in the chair Niccolo had prepared beside him.
Alyssa, still pinching her nose, sat down next to Keldric, her face scrunched in discomfort.
Beside the brass basin was a neatly arranged selection of herbs that seemed to be the same as those in the basin. Niccolo began pointing them out one by one, explaining their uses.
“This is mugwort. It removes parasites and treats infections. It also helps warm the body.”
“I see.”
“This here is an herb called rue. It’s effective in detoxifying venom caused by insects and dispelling malevolent energies.”
“And this one?”
“That is cow knee herb. It has detoxifying properties and helps purify the blood.”
After finishing his explanation, Niccolo carefully removed Sir Ortwin’s arm from the brass basin. Then, without hesitation, he dumped the liquid into a wooden bucket, as if it were waste.
Keldric and Alyssa watched in wide-eyed astonishment. The concoction had sounded like a painstakingly prepared medicinal brew, so Niccolo’s sudden disposal of it was baffling.
“The medicine’s effect has worn off. I’ll prepare a fresh batch,” Niccolo explained matter-of-factly.
He left the room briefly and returned carrying a small ceramic jar with a pair of wooden tongs.
“This is boiled vinegar.”
So that was the source of the acrid smell. Regardless of Keldric and Alyssa’s grimaced expressions, Niccolo calmly poured the boiled vinegar into the brass basin.
The slightly steaming vinegar had cooled enough that Niccolo could test it with his hand without issue. He proceeded to grab handfuls of various herbs and toss them into the basin. Lastly, he scraped ground mugwort and its juice from a mortar and added it to the mix, completing the preparation.
Keldric, though somewhat familiar with medicinal baths, had never seen one prepared quite like this.
“What happens next?” he asked.
“I’ll clean the area to be treated with a fresh cloth.”
Niccolo carefully wiped Sir Ortwin’s right arm, removing any traces of the previous solution. Then he gently lifted the arm into his hands. Keldric and Alyssa silently watched the process unfold.
By now, they had somewhat adapted to the pungent smell, making it tolerable to observe without pinching their noses.
“Sir Keldric, I will now begin the bloodletting.”
“Understood.”
Bloodletting could be performed in various ways: cutting veins, using leeches, or applying suction cups. Niccolo chose to make a small incision on the wrist using a blade.
After sterilizing the blade with a hot cloth, Niccolo carefully made a precise cut on Sir Ortwin’s right wrist. Bright red blood began to flow freely from the wound, prompting Keldric to furrow his brows. Was this really the right approach?
Still, a wrist cut wasn’t necessarily life-threatening. While commonly associated with fatal outcomes in other contexts, the act alone wasn’t instantly lethal.
Niccolo let the blood flow for a while before placing the wounded wrist into the herbal bath. Once immersed, the previously clear solution turned a faint red. The warmth of the liquid began drawing out more blood, and the basin gradually deepened in color.
Keldric, though not outright skeptical, couldn’t shake a lingering unease as he watched the warm liquid mingle with the blood from an open wound.
After ensuring Sir Ortwin’s arm was properly positioned, Niccolo let go and stepped back. He then grabbed an olive branch from the bedside table.
Its purpose quickly became apparent.
“Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, banish the evil dwelling in this man’s body!”
Niccolo suddenly stood upright, raised the olive branch, and began whipping it across the air like a makeshift scourge.
Smack! Smack!
The branch struck Sir Ortwin’s right arm repeatedly, leaving red marks on his skin.
Keldric stared in disbelief, utterly dumbfounded by what he was witnessing.
“What… what is this?”
“I’m not sure either…”
Amidst Keldric and Alyssa whispering in surprise at Niccolo’s strange actions, Niccolo continued to wave the olive branch, wiping sweat from his brow.
The extraordinary event occurred then.
“What the…”
“Huh? Huhhh!”
Lord Ortwin’s right arm, submerged in the medicinal solution, began to twitch.
To be precise, veins on the surface of his arm swelled grotesquely, pulsating under the skin.
Keldric and Alyssa watched the scene with horrified expressions. Meanwhile, Niccolo swung the branch even more fervently.
As the bulging veins writhed and twisted, something dark began to rise under the skin in clusters.
Keldric immediately recognized them—they were parasitic larvae. He muttered in astonishment.
So, Niccolo wasn’t simply acting erratically out of madness; he actually had a method.
The parasitic larvae, revealed beneath the skin, were numerous, wriggling their way along Lord Ortwin’s veins. They all moved toward one point—the wounded wrist submerged in the solution.
From the wound, where blood had been oozing moments before, came a sudden burst of black liquid. Keldric grimaced, scrutinizing it closely.
It wasn’t just black liquid. It was blood teeming with swarming parasitic larvae.
The blood mixed with the larvae was unmistakably tinged with an oily turquoise hue, and the combination gave it a murky, polluted appearance.
The bloodletting didn’t last long. Soon, the brass basin filled with the solution turned completely black.
Keldric realized that the solution, which had been freshly prepared earlier, was not just for extracting the larvae; it also served as a disinfectant.
“Haah… Haaah… Huuuuh…”
Niccolo, looking utterly drained, let the olive branch slip from his hands. The filth-filled brass basin was promptly discarded into a wooden bucket.
“We can’t do this multiple times a day… Hah… As you can see, it’s a very taxing process… And it might place too much strain on Lord Ortwin.”
“Ah, I see…”
Keldric nodded silently. Clearly, it was unreasonable to expect this to be repeated all day long.
Dripping with sweat, Niccolo cleaned Lord Ortwin’s wrist, wrapped it with fresh cloth, and then opened the window to let in fresh air. A refreshing breeze flooded the room.
Watching Niccolo cool himself by the window, Keldric found a question rising in his mind.
“Niccolo, is it really okay to show us all this in such detail?”
The medical technique Niccolo had learned from the Avaloncia Academia was more effective than Keldric had imagined.
To Keldric, this was not something to casually reveal. People would undoubtedly pay good money just to witness such a method.
But Niccolo didn’t seem to care. He had even gone out of his way to explain it in detail to Keldric and Alyssa.
After catching his breath for a moment, Niccolo finally spoke in a calm tone.
“Hiding a treatment as effective as this would do no good.”
“I see.”
“For complicated diseases, it might be different. But for illnesses that can be treated so simply, the method should be widely known.”
Niccolo said this as he organized the herbs with a composed expression.
Keldric stared at him blankly.
“Sir Keldric, I’m not in a position to lecture you. But if you could remember just one thing, please let it be this.”
“And what’s that?”
“Medicine exists to save lives when it is needed most.”
“…”
With those words, Niccolo fell silent.
Keldric sank into thought.
In an age devoid of modern conveniences, plagued by desires and chaos, there were still people like Niccolo in the world.