Chapter 153 |
“It’s a lung fluke, specifically Paragonimus westermani.”
In a season that was too late to be called winter and somewhat early to be called spring, Raciel’s diagnosis was made in a corner of the detached palace garden where cool breezes and warm sunlight coexisted.
He pointed to Poboki’s flame fin display. There, a plump worm, oval and reddish like a kidney bean, was wriggling.
“Do you see? This is indeed the parasitic lung fluke. It has settled in your lungs and is causing various health issues, as it has chosen you as its host.”
“……”
Sylvia, the elf, furrowed her brow. Her gaze turned towards the lung fluke, and the moment her eyes met it, the parasite squirmed. She involuntarily recoiled.
“Such a thing? Inside my body?”
Doubt filled her.
It seemed unbelievable.
“Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Pardon me?”
“I’ve never fallen victim to wicked black magic, nor have I been cursed by voodoo sorcerers. When malevolent spirits appeared, I simply dispatched them. And now you’re telling me that I’m being tormented by such a parasite? How? Through what means?”
She genuinely couldn’t comprehend it. She was an emissary who dealt with external matters for her clan, someone who resolved conflicts, disputes, and intricate negotiations with the outside world on behalf of her clan.
She was undeniably powerful.
A Swordmaster, as humans would describe her? She was confident in her abilities. A Great Mage? She wasn’t so easily overcome by their magic.
“Yet, a parasite. It’s baffling.”
“Indeed, it is perplexing.”
“……What?”
Sylvia’s eyebrow twitched.
Raciel continued his composed explanation.
“Unbeknownst to you, you ingested the larvae of the lung fluke.”
“Larvae?”
“Yes.”
“What are those?”
“Well, to provide a concise overview of the lung fluke…”
Raciel took a deep breath and, with a calm demeanor, rapidly delivered information that contradicted his composure.
“First and foremost, the eggs of the lung fluke are incredibly minuscule, about 100 nanometers or 0.1 micrometers. These organisms float in the water as ciliated larvae (miracidium) and infiltrate the body of their first host, such as snails. Inside, they multiply, mate, and transform into structures known as sporocysts.”
“What…”
“In any case, they then move on to a secondary host, like freshwater crabs or crayfish, which consume the infected snails. There, they await their final host. Occasionally, they may pass through another creature, like a wild boar, but that’s irrelevant.”
“Wait. Are you suggesting?”
“Are you catching on?”
Sylvia nodded slightly. As she listened to the explanation, she began to piece something together.
“The freshwater crab, crayfish, and wild boar you mentioned, if consumed?”
“You got it.”
Raciel grinned broadly.
“It’s perfectly fine if you cook them by boiling, steaming, or any method that thoroughly heats them. Even those stubborn lung flukes can’t survive in boiling water or intense flames. The issue arises when you consume raw freshwater crab, crayfish, or wild boar meat.”
“But I…”
“I understand. You’re an elf. You have a deep affinity for plants, to the extent that you avoid lighting fires while camping because it requires burning wood. Additionally, not all elves are proficient in using flame magic. Learning such malevolent magic could inadvertently lead to forest fires or causing harm to the environment.”
“…”
“I get it. You can’t start a fire while camping, and flame magic is out of the question. There may even be times when you’re running low on portable food supplies, and in such situations, you might resort to consuming raw wild boar. It’s a shame you didn’t have any soju.”
“Soju? What’s that?”
“It exists, at any rate.”
Raciel wiped the smile from his lips.
“It’s the raw foods you consumed while camping that are the concern. Because of that, the lung fluke larvae entered your body and settled in your lungs.”
“But is this really such a big issue to fuss about?”
Sylvia argued.
Raciel calmly countered.
“When we first met last night, I noticed a faint odor on your breath.”
“…”
“Inflammation is likely to have developed in your bronchial and lung tissues. People with such inflammation often have a distinctive breath odor. Additionally, your breathing sounded slightly irregular, as if air were escaping. That could be a sign of a pneumothorax.”
It was true.
Thanks to that, he had an intuitive sense that something was amiss with this elf woman right from the beginning. That’s when he noticed it. While remaining vigilant, her wrist, which had been holding a dagger at his neck, brushed against the clavicular notch on his side.
He didn’t miss that opportunity.
He quickly employed his Palpation skill, allowing him to discern her medical condition in detail. He identified the root of her illness. But that wasn’t all. He could also predict what would happen to her body in the future.
“For now, the lung flukes have completely settled around your bronchi and bronchioles, leading to an infiltration of inflammatory cells. They’re quite aggressive. Consequently, an infection has taken hold in your lungs, resulting in the formation of a fibrous tissue capsule that houses the worms.”
“Worm… capsule?”
“Precisely, a worm pouch.”
“…”
“Inside this worm capsule within your lungs, there are two lung flukes residing together, like a sort of couple. It’s bothersome, isn’t it? Exasperating? Life is already challenging without becoming involuntarily paired with worms.”
“…”
“Cough, ahem! I apologize for getting carried away there. Anyway, inside this worm capsule, you’ll find not only lung flukes but also pus, host cells, necrotic debris, and worm eggs—a diverse assortment of elements, really. It’s quite an efficient package for wreaking havoc on the body.”
“So, is it quite… serious?”
“Yes.”
“How serious?”
“To begin with, you’ll experience recurrent chills and low-grade fevers. You’ll feel fatigued, accompanied by persistent coughing and occasional coughing up of blood. Eventually, overall weakness will set in.”
“That’s…”
“Have you already experienced some of these symptoms?”
“To some extent, yes.”
Sylvia nodded in agreement. At this point, she had no other option but to trust what this human was saying. In reality, she had been experiencing an unusually severe level of fatigue recently. Each morning brought with it fevers and chills, and sometimes she couldn’t stop coughing.
Occasionally, the cough even had traces of blood.
‘I just assumed it was because I’ve been pushing myself too hard lately,’ she thought. She believed it was a consequence of her excessive activity, a lack of adequate rest. She thought that taking a break after this ordeal would naturally lead to her recovery.
She had been complacent.
But it turned out to be a miscalculation.
It wasn’t just fatigue.
“So, here’s the deal. If you leave it untreated, it will worsen. A range of complications is almost guaranteed.”
“Complications?”
“Yes. Bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumothorax, empyema, and so on. Various lung-related diseases will develop. The cycle of inflammation and recovery will continue until it culminates in lung cancer.”
“Lung cancer…?”
“It’s incurable. It will be fatal.”
“…”
“So, what do you think? About my offer from last night—providing substantial funds and ample labor to restore the burnt forest. Will you accept it?”
“And if I decline?”
“Then I won’t treat the lung flukes.”
“…”
Sylvia was left speechless. She finally realized it. This human was using her illness as a bargaining chip in their negotiations!
“How despicable…”
She couldn’t help but feel a shiver down her spine at the cunning and intent behind his tactics. But at the same time, she grasped another reality. She was already entangled in a web, and she couldn’t refuse his offer.
‘I’ll face the elders’ reprimand.’
Undoubtedly, the elders of her tribe would express their dissatisfaction with the human’s method of compensation—accusing him of lacking sincerity and failing to offer a genuine apology. That would likely be their response.
However, Sylvia believed that, in this instance, it might be wiser to accept the human’s proposal. Her reasoning was straightforward.
‘I don’t want to die.’
Thanks to the Phantom beast, she had full confidence in the human’s diagnosis. If his words were true, a dreadful fate awaited her.
She didn’t desire that. After dedicating 200 years to study, training, and striving to become an executor, she didn’t want to face an untimely death before fulfilling her mission.
Furthermore, she still had…unfinished business…
‘I haven’t even had a proper chance to meet a partner because I’ve been dedicated to daily training. My parents always said, ‘You can date after becoming an executor. Then you can date as much as you want.”
But reality was harsh.
After becoming an executor, her interactions with potential partners dwindled even further. Her days were consumed by resolving the tribe’s disputes and conflicts. In such circumstances, dating seemed like a distant luxury.
Yet, her parents would chime in again, saying, “It’s just because you’re busy with your new role. It will get better with time. You can date to your heart’s content once you become a senior executor.”
“…”
‘Mom, that doesn’t seem likely.’
At this rate, she might not even get to date until she became an elder grandmother.
Crunch.
Sylvia clenched her teeth and made a firm decision. Even if she would face the elder’s reprimand later, she chose to accept the human’s proposal this time. Her goal was to resolve the conflict and regain her health.
That’s why.
“So… if I agree to your proposal.”
“Yes. Do you have any questions?”
“Um, precisely how do you intend to treat the lung flukes?”
She was curious.
And somewhat anxious.
This human prince exuded the aroma of various herbs throughout his entire body. All of them were precious and cherished plant companions. Therefore, on one hand, she was deeply concerned.
“You’re not planning to create a potion for me by plucking, cutting, drying, and boiling these precious plants, are you?”
She thought of the treatment methods commonly used by those known as human doctors. She despised that approach. It was dreadful. The idea of sacrificing plants for the sake of her health was distasteful. She needed to clarify the treatment method before making a decision.
Of course, Raciel had already picked up on her concerns.
“Ah, are you worried that I might harm plants? If that’s the concern, you can rest easy. The prescription I’m going to provide won’t involve any plants, at least not ones that you’ll need to consume directly.”
“Really? Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Raciel offered a faint smile.
As if to reassure her.
As if it couldn’t be more agreeable.
He gestured toward the minotaur, Uruus, lounging in a corner of the garden, chewing and ruminating.
“All you have to do is drink a concoction of ‘Uruus Coffee’ made from the feces—rhous droppings—of that friend who consumes poison oak, you see?”
His smile blossomed even more brightly.
(To be Continued)
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