Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 204

Max helped not because she wanted to be recognized for her good deeds, but because helping in the asylum kept her busy and she preferred that over idling around in the monastery. The physical drain it caused her also helped her sleep at night. Recently, she suffered from severe insomnia. Throughout the dark nights, as she laid alone in her bed, the horribly distorted faces of the fallen knights haunted her mind.

However, since her visits to the charity, she would come back so physically exhausted, that she would collapse in her bed and fall asleep without worrying about nightmares. If possible, Max tried to go there every day and worked like a mule. However, it was troublesome to visit often as they constantly needed to seek permission, borrow a carriage, and find escorts. Not wanting to burden the temple, which seemed to have been hit with the plague, given how frantic the priests and priestesses were running, the ladies had to limit their visit to once or twice a week.

Instead, during their spare time, they would gather in the garden pavilion and sew tunics and blankets out of large pieces of cloth and the maids also helped from time to time. However, no matter how much clothes and bedding they made, after five or six days, they would either turn to rags or disappear. The priests claimed that the vagrants often stole the supplies, but they didn’t have the resources to crack down the thieves. Rumors spread about nobles providing support to the asylum and so the number of people seeking help grew exponentially that food, clothing, and space began running out.

Max soon learned that Levan wasn’t as peaceful as it appeared. Due to the increase in monsters, the number of refugees arriving in Levan spread like poisonous weeds. The outskirts of the city were infested with refugees from the north to escape the monsters, and with the increase in population, inflation soared. Merchants from around the world came with their seemingly limitless cargoes, but they still didn’t solve their food shortage problem, especially since most of the food and supplies were being sent to the allied forces. And with that, the lives of the poor and the common people grew more destitute with each passing day.

Whenever Max went to visit the old asylum, people who were skin and bones walked around the streets like lifeless beings. While homeless people did not frequent the city center or the port due to high security, they were bountiful in the areas near the city walls. As the number of poverty-stricken people grew each day, the priests’ sighs also increased.

“If we fail to quarantine those who are sick, an epidemic might break out.”

It was early afternoon when Max visited the asylum with the other ladies. She looked up at the priestm whose face appeared to look clearly exhausted. There were dozens of sick people huddled on the wide floor, and the scent of sour vomit from their bodies could be smelled all over the building. One of the women took a step back and ran out of the building, gasping for air.

“Are they p-perhaps... contagious?

The priest quickly shook his head. “Don’t worry. These people are only sick because of food poisoning. As the days grow hotter, food is more susceptible to spoilage so the number of those getting sick also increases. This happens especially in refuge places. The people here are so weak from malnutrition that a mild illness can cause death.”

The elderly priest sighed and clicked his tongue. “It seems that a large number of refugees have already passed away. Since the temple cannot cater for all the deceased and they cannot just pile up, they are being thrown into mass graves that are secretly dug in the forest... This is a big problem. Without a proper burial, the rot of death left behind can cause a plague.”

The ladies’ faces immediately paled, becoming as white as dough at the terrible truth right in front of them. As if suddenly realizing that he was addressing women, whose protected lives revolve around their great estates, the priest quickly cleared his throat as a distraction.

“Please forgive me for telling you the horrible stories here. It seems my senses have recently become stone-dull due to everything that is happening. To utter such words in front of you noblest ladies...”

“If it’s like the priest said, then shouldn’t the sick be treated as soon as possible?”

“I earnestly wish we could. However, due to inflation, the prices of medicinal herbs are through the roof so there is no way we can cure so many when we have no funds.”

They could only keep their mouths shut. It was already incredibly difficult to supply an adequate amount of food, and with the prices of necessities skyrocketing, even their donations would not suffice for more than a month of sustenance.

A young woman, who for the most part had been quiet, suggested carefully. “How about we send a letter to other noble families and ask them for help?”

Idcilla huffed. “With the capital already in this difficult situation, wouldn’t it be better for them to go to other estates? The royal family has already raised the taxes to build up the allied forces. Everyone is already at the limit of their wits.”

“Then what in the world would be a better thing to do? If a plague does happen, surely, the monastery wouldn’t be safe.”

Alyssa was on the verge of tears. The air grew cold around them and the priest tried his best to appease the frightened ladies. “If we can quarantine the sick, we can prevent the spread of a disease...”

“I saw a lot of lizard grass o-on our way here... can’t those be used as medicinal herbs?”

At her sudden words, everyone’s eyes flew to Max and she froze slightly at the attention. The priests then asked her with a puzzled expression.

“Lizard grass... I’ve never heard of herbal medicine like that before...”

“Lizard grass is u-usually a very effective medicinal herb for stomach and abdominal pain. When you eat spoiled food... and drink its d-decoction... the symptoms will soon improve...”

Max wasn’t entirely sure of its efficacy; she was just recalling what she read about in her books on herbal medicine. The priest narrowed his eyes and looked at her curiously.

“How does the lady know about herbal medicines.”

“I-I am...a healer. When I started learning about healing... I also studied herbal medicines.”

Idcilla’s eyes widened at this new revelation. “I had no idea that the lady had such talents.”

“I c-can’tt say that I’m a p-proficient healer... But in Anatol... There are a lot of monsters... so I started studying about healing l-last year.”

“What does this herb look like?”

Max searched her memories and tried to remember as many details as possible.

“The leaves are rhomboid in shape... it has black spots and grows in shady areas... if you break the stem, there should be a sour citrus smell...”

“It seems like you’re describing the weeds in the asylum’s backyard. I didn’t know if they could be used as medicinal herbs.”

His ignorance was no stranger to Max, considering most of the books Ruth had in his studio were from the South. Since books were a luxury item that only the wealthy or influential could have, especially southern foreign textbooks that valued as much as gold, it was not unreasonable that the level of education and knowledge was so lacking here.

Knowing that, Max quickly added in case mistakes were made. “Lizard grass is poisonous if eaten raw... the stomachache would get worse. It is usually subjected to heat... once all the poison is rid of... it can be used.”

“The grass in the backyard may not be lizard grass, will the lady help verify that herself?”

Max nodded and immediately followed the priest to the back of the asylum and just like the priest said, there was an abundant amount of lizard grass growing in the yard among bushes and weeds. She leaned over, studied the blades of grass, and tried to remember everything she had studied in her books. However, she only had her memory to rely on, and in reality, she only had practical experience with about twenty kinds of herbs.

Worried about confusing what she might have learned, Max diligently studied the plant. “Here... those with thick, dark leaves are highly to-toxic and cannot be used. Those that have l-light spots and soft leaves... could be picked and heated.”

“Will these be enough?”

The priest asked after picking up a handful of leaves and showing it to her. Max felt the leaves with her fingers, measuring their thickness, and nodded. They brought a handful of lizard grass and took it to the kitchen to test their effects. As the leaves boiled in the cauldron, a strange smell permeated throughout the old asylum. With a ladle of the herbs boiled in equal portions, the priests gave it to the sick one by one, their expressions tense and full of suspense.

Fortunately, within an hour, the effects began to take effect and the labored breathing of the sick people became at ease. Seeing that the herb worked better than expected, Max sighed in relief. She was nervous because she would potentially put shame on herself if she failed.

“It seems to be working well. I can’t believe such an effective herb was right under our noses...”

“W-Well, the handling of this herb is... very complicated... so it is not very well known.”

“Are there other herbs around here that we can use?”

After her success with the lizard grass, she gained the full confidence of the priests. Max carefully surveyed the area around the old charity house and chose various herbs that could be used before returning to the monastery with the noble ladies. After a week, the conditions of the patients suffering from food poisoning had improved remarkably. However, the number of sick people did not decrease. Since all the wizards and priests who knew healing magic had left the battlefield, there was only one medic left in Livadon. But due to the inflated price of herbs, most people could not seek proper treatment, and the temple was too overwhelmed to treat the sick.

Due to such dire circumstances, rumors that a talented healer appeared in the capital quickly reached the ears of everyone in the city, and sick people from all corners of Levan flocked. Most of the skilled healers left for the expedition, so there was only one clinic that operated in the city. On top of that, the price of herbal medicines skyrocketed to the point that none of the sick were able to get proper treatment. The central temple also didn’t have the resources to aid the sick, so hearing that a skilled healer has surfaced, it was not a surprise that people were gathering.

With that, Max became the healer of the old ramshackle building. Whenever she could, she would explore the forest with the priests and gather various herbs. She even cast healing magic from time to time on the weakest patients. The other noble ladies also actively cared for the sick. Although there were several who disapproved of such menial tasks, many ladies were delighted to do the meaningful work.

“My husband is risking his life on the battlefield, and now I too have something to contribute. This is a hundred times more rewarding than sitting praying all day and shaking in fear that his body will arrive in one of those wagons one day. If I work hard, God might look favorably on my husband.”

They all seemed to have similar thoughts and cared diligently for the sick and weak. They didn’t even hesitate to touch and feed them by hand or wipe their bodies with wet towels. Some of the ladies even learned about medical herbs first-hand from Max. While everyone was busy during the hectic days, their spirits also patched up. Max slept better and her appetite also returned.

Merchants from the south also began to arrive more frequently, with their ships loaded with food, solving Levan’s shortage problems and the circumstances surrounding the old asylum also naturally improved with it. News of victory in the north arrived one after another. Max became hopeful that they might be able to return to Anatol before the season changed.

Note – LF: I’M SO PROUD OF MAXI!! And our poor baby tries to downplay her skills ☹

Nymeria: YOU GO GIRL! So so proud!!