Enlightenment Arc Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities B Huh?

(Liscia)What?

(Owen) When we arrived at the former slums, Liscia and Owen tilted their heads in confusion at the same time .

Seeing the both of them acting like this, even Carla tilted her head too .

Is something wrong, Liscia?

(Carla) Even after she had fallen into slavery, Liscia and Carla were still talking normally like they always did .

Its a problem in a public setting, but there probably arent many people who would interfere it was in private .

Eh Hmm .

I never visited the slums before, but this is completely different from the image that I had and surprised me greatly (Liscia)The image?

(Carla)Dark, gloomy, damp, musty, bad public order are all things that this one had heard before .

(Owen) Owen also replied .

Certainly the former slum had that kind of impression .

However, Hmm?

It might be a bit bland, but this place looks like its quite in order .

(Carla) Just like what Carla had said, what we could currently see in front of us was only a scenery made up of rows of square white tofu-like houses .

To make it easier for modern a Japanese to understand, I want you to remember groups of temporary housings lined in rows at the disaster area after an earthquake disaster .

[1] It might be a bit bland, but since it was bright, as it received enough sunlight and had good ventilation, it was not damp or gloomy .

We could see young children playing or drawing on the ground, so it didnt look like a place with bad public order .

Is this place really the slums?

(Liscia)Yup .

Hasnt it had become much better?

(Souma) When Liscia asked me, I answered with my chest puffed up .

When we were dealing with the citys sanitation issues, I did my best to improve this place .

(Souma)By sanitation issues, do you mean when you were talking about putting the prohibition of horse wagons outside the main road and establishing the sewer systems?

Was this slums improvement also a part of those measures?

(Liscia)You remembered that well .

Yes, thats right .

A place that is dark, humid, and badly ventilated is a place where germs could easily propagate .

In addition, the people who lived in the former slums had poor nutrition, so they were easily able to be infected by the germs .

If, for example, an epidemic broke out unexpectedly, then the slums will be a place where it could spread rapidly .

(Souma)Je-jeerm?

[2](Liscia)Are!?

Havent I explained this before?

(Souma) Ah, thats right, although I was talking about the cause of disease, it looks like I hadnt explained about the disease itself and how could it happen from the beginning .

Umm In this world, there are very small living things that couldnt be seen by the naked eye .

They exist in countless numbers in the air, soil, inside the body, and in all kinds of places .

The very small living things will decompose stuff and cause diseases .

On the other hand, there are also very small living things that stimulate food fermentation or have other beneficial effects .

(Souma) While mustering my meager scientific knowledge (after all, I studied in humanities)[3], I explained about bacteria and microbes to Liscia and the others .

I felt that it wasnt conveyed nicely, but even s,o my knowledge of this was partial and the three just nodded, If Souma says so, then it surely exists .

, since they noticed that this had surpass this worlds level of knowledge .

The medical science and hygienics[4] of this world were not that developed .

This might be mostly because of the existence of Light Attribute Magic .

Light Attribute Magic could increase the bodys healing ability and even a heavy injury could be healed (if it was immediately treated, then even an amputated arm could be reattached) .

Because of this, medical science and hygienics didnt develop .

Hence why, in this world, the knowledge of the existence of bacteria or microbes were only known by a very small number of people .

Since Light Attribute Magic stimulated the bodys natural healing ability, it had a weakness it couldnt treat infectious diseases nor wounds on people with weakened regenerative capabilities like the elderly .

Therefore, to cure infectious diseases, it was a rampant practice to use truly unknown medicines or questionable remedies until recently .

When I was dealing with the sanitation issues, I thought that I needed to do something about this situation as soon as possible .

But for the first step, I needed to make them aware of the existence of bacteria and microbes that couldnt be seen by the naked eye .

But how you will make people aware of something that couldnt be seen by the naked eye?

(Liscia)Even in this world, there are people or rather, a race that knows about the existence of bacteria and microbes .

That race possesses the Third Eye and it seems that they could see the germs that normally couldnt be seen .

I have obtained their cooperation .

(Souma)Third Eye?

Is it perhaps the Three-Eyed Tribe?

[5](Liscia) I nodded at Liscias question .

The Three-Eyed Tribe .

Just like their name suggests, they are a race of people that possess three eyes .

They lived in the temperate northern region of the Kingdom and, in addition to pair of normal eyes, they possessed a third eye in the middle of their forehead as their racial feature .

You may picture them to be like the Tenshinhan or Sharaku Housuke,[6]but it was not actually a plain eyeball .

Their Third Eye is red, small, and looks exactly like a small gem embedded on the forehead .

Liscia then sighed .

So you even got their cooperation .

Even though I heard that they are a race that dislikes interacting[7] with the other races .

(Liscia) It seems that the reason for them being that reclusive is because of their Third Eye .

(Souma) The Three-Eyed Tribe could see what the other races couldnt see .

This was the cause for their reclusiveness .

Due to their Third Eye, they quickly learned about medical science and hygienics .

Hence, this was why they were naturally obsessed with cleanliness and tried to do their best to avoid contact with other races .

Furthermore, with their Third Eye, the Three-Eyed tribe were even aware of the existence of germs .

Even the fact that germs were the cause of diseases that couldnt be healed with Light Attribute Magic .

However, no matter how many times the Three-Eyed Tribe brought this up, the other races, who couldnt see it, didnt believe them .

In a world where superstition ran rampant, even saying the scientifically correct thing would only end up being considered as a dubious remark that could disturb society .

Because of this, the Three-Eyed Tribe disliked interacting with other races and only developed their original medical science and hygienics amongst themselves .

Their research about infectious disease was several hundred years more advanced than this worlds medical science .

In this world, for a human or a beastfolk to live up to 60 years, this was already considered as to having a long life, but for the Three-Eyed Tribe, who should have had the same lifespan, they could easily pass 80 years .

So, I who was aware that what they said was the truth, established a conference with them and requested their cooperation .

In addition, to prove their ability, I made an apparatus to make even the other races be able to see the bacteria and microbes .

(Souma) In other words, an optical microscope .

After all, glass lens already existed in this world (remember that glasses exists) .

The next thing was for me to draw the blueprint of the microscope from my vague memory and order the scholars and craftsmen to produce it .

Thanks to this optical microscope, we could prove that the Three-Eyed Tribes statement is correct .

But that Three-Eyed Tribe is really outrageous .

Who could ever thought that the Three-Eyed Tribe had already produced antibiotics .

(Souma)Enteebiotiks?

[8](Liscia)Its a substance to control the proliferation of the germs that I had explained just now .

(Souma) The most famous might be penicillin .

Even if I am a student of the humanities, I also knew about it (manga knowledge though) .

If Im not mistaken, it is something extracted from the blue mold[9]?

In the Three-Eyed Tribes case, the antibiotics are extracted from the special jelly-amoebic organism that even could survive in an unsanitary habitat (its a subspecies of Zelring and has a shape like a Liquid Slime[10] .

Since its nameless, I christened it Zelmedic) .

Just from hearing about its effects, I had no doubt that these were antibiotics; however, it might be something similar to penicillin .

By the way, the Three-Eyed Tribe just referred to this medicine simply asMedicine .

Since it might be cause confusion in the future, with my Kings authority, I conferred it with a name, Mitsumedine[11] .

Since its a medicine made by Three-Eyed Tribe, so its contracted into Mitsumedine (I cant say that the name will not change) .

It will be better if the medicine is a pill but, I guess this might be another type of medicine .

[12] That Mitsumedine?

What do you mean by, it could control the jerms proliferation?

(Liscia)Its a wonder drug for infectious diseases Well it could cure epidemics and even prevent the wound from festering, so I believe its a wonderful medicine .

(Souma)Cure epidemics!?

Can it really do that!?

(Liscia) It wasnt strange for Liscia to be that surprised .

In some points, this Kingdoms medical science level (like regenerative medicine or the likes) had surpassed modern medical science, but on a whole, the knowledge was on par with Japan in the Edo Period[13] .

For infectious diseases, they had no more methods than boiling medical plants and drinking it to abate the symptoms .

[14]However, if we have antibiotics, then we can cure the root cause of the disease .

Liscia made a dumbfounded face .

Dear gods for us to fail to notice that kind of amazing drug is(Liscia)Well, for the other races that arent aware of the existence of bacteria and microbes, it will be useless even if they have those antibiotics .

On the contrary, since the Three-Eyed Tribe can see the germs, they could discover that its a countermeasure or the germs .

(Souma)Then, could that Mitsumedine be mass produced?

(Liscia) Liscia asked as if she was hooked by this topic .

Hmm, I understood her feelings .

Since it was similar to my reaction when I heard about this in the negotiation with the Elder of Three-Eyed Tribe .

Carla and Owen, who were looking from the sides, seemed amazed that Liscia acted like this .

I nodded at Liscias question .

Theres still room to work on it, but the production has been increasing little by little .

During th Amidonian War, it had already been supplied to the army, did you not notice it?

(Souma)Since it fortunately ended less severely than Which reminds me, in that battle, compared to the number of injured people, I thought that the number of casualties was too low .

Was that also thanks to the Mitsumedine?

(Liscia)Perhaps .

Since if the germs enter a wound, then it will fester something like that .

Mitsumedine prevents this to some extent .

(Souma)Amazing(Liscia)Anyway, its thanks to the cooperation of the entire Three-Eyed tribe and the fact that they didnt hold anything back to lend their support to the Kingdoms medical science field .

The bottleneck of Mitsumedine extraction was the low number of Zelmedics as the source, but thanks to Tomoe-can, it was quickly remedied .

(Souma) For a jelly-amoebic organisms like Zelring, they are classified as plants, so they didnt possess an animals intellect to hold conversation, but even so, from their thoughts, she could understand the best habitat for them to live and the conditions for their breeding .

At the present, we are in the middle of increasing their breeding sites .

Our imouto is really helpful .

(Liscia)Youre right .

(Souma) Nowadays, Tomoe-chan is referred to by the public as Wise Wolf Princess .

Rhinosaurus Train, Vans Pongo Troop, and Zelmedic Its not wrong to say that she was worthy of that nickname .

Hm, well that being the case, right now our country is in the midst of a medical science and hygienics reform, so as one part of it, this slum has been improved .

The old houses were demolished, a well lighted and ventilated area was created, incidentally eradicating crime and illegal drugs, and with this, we also create a nice open space .

The residents moved into the newly constructed prefab houses .

The shed is narrow and small, but its practically free .

In addition, they are assigned to clean the garbage in the city, so this is a support for them and also a part of the sanitation management problem .

(Souma)So you have done so many things Arent you working too hard?

(Liscia) Liscia looked at me with a worrying look .

I then put my hand on Liscias head .

There are troubles, but its fun nonetheless .

Since its a city a country that I can reconstructd freely according to my wishes .

Also, as the result, the people are smiling, making me even happier .

(Souma)I see Then, thats good .

But, if there is something that I can do, please leave it to me .

(Liscia)Of course .

I will be relying on you .

(Souma) After we had this conversation, we laughed together .

Then, in that good mood, *Pssst* There was a sudden sound of gushing air .

While thinking what was it?

, I looked at the front and saw a person carrying a large cask on their back .

There was a hose extending from the cask, which ended on a metal cylinder, where mist-like stuff sprayed out at the ground .

That person was a woman who had blonde hair and brown looking skin, although it wasnt as tanned as a dark elf, giving an exotic-looking appearance .

She looked like she was in her mid-twenties .

Perhaps she might be a beauty with extraordinary looks, but the triangle mask covering her mouth and the cask behind her completely diminished that impression .

On her forehead, there was the Three-Eyed Tribes characteristic Third Eye glittering .

Kukukuku Fufufufu Ahahahahahaha!

[15] Filth will get sterilized~!

(Mysterious Lady) While having a three-tiered laugh, that woman was spraying that mist-like stuff on the ground and huts zealously .

When they saw this scene, Liscia, Carla, and Owen, were all lost for words .

As for me, I felt a sudden pain assault my head .

What are you doing?

(Souma) Her name is Hilde Nog[16] .

The Three-Eyed Tribe, as a token of support and to regain their honor, had lent her as a Physician to reform our medical science .

[1] A picture worth of thousand words .

[2] Liscia said it as: not the kanji , to show that she wasnt familiar with the thing called germs/pathogens .

Its more correctly translated as Pathogens .

But since we are talking about the Germ Theory of Disease, and germs is shorter to type, then germs it will be .

[3] Please remember, Souma is not in Science degree .

[4] The science of hygiene .

Its a part of Public Health Science .

[5] MitsumeZoku .

I wanted to make it Triocular Men, but it sounds like a lame superhero name[6] Tenshinhan: A character in the really popular old manga Dragon Ball (perhaps the younger readers wont know about this?) .

Meanwhile, Sharaku Housuke is the main character of the Osamu Tezuka manga and anime, The Three-Eyed One (Mitsume ga tooru), which even my generation find it hard to recognize .

[7] Also means touching (physically or emotionally) .

[8] Liscia said it with hiragana: not the kanji , to show that she wasnt familiar with the thing called antibiotics .

[9] Some species of Penicillium have a blue color, commonly growing on old bread and giving it a blue fuzzy texture .

Hence blue mold .

[10] a type of slime from Dragon Quest .

[11] This is a multi-tiered pun .

First, Mitsume is how the Three-Eyed Tribe was named in the RAW: MitsumeZoku .

Mitsumealso has the meaning of staring/gazing/watching .

Then its a contraction of and .

Translating this kind of multiple pun is not my forte .

[E/N: How about ant-eye-biotics?

-rimshot-][12] I dont get the reference .

There are many mangas or animes with pill-like medicine Dont know which is one .

[13] The Edo period (?

Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (?

Tokugawa jidai) is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimy .

[14] Remember people, a message from me (a doctor): Reducing Symptoms IS NOT THE SAME AS curing a disease .

And no .

There is no drug that can cure Diabetes (and Cancer, Hypertension or Stupidity), no matter whatever herbal/natural/wonder/pharma-secret/super drug shill might says .

If that drug is really effective, it will be mentioned in the ADA, AACE/ACE, and IDFs guidelines .

You might be cured from diabetes if you receive pancreatic cell transplants, though .

[E/N: Yeah, symptoms are related, but theyre your bodys RESPONSE to the disease .

Essentially, your immune system is waging a suicide war against the disease, which is using your cells to multiply .

Either you die first (from the symptoms) or the germs do .

Thats why you need to actually cure the disease first or else your own body might kill you before the disease does .

] The Kamikaze spirit is strong in this one .

[15] Three-tiered laugh .

Characteristic of an evil or mad characters laugh .

Example: Laharl from Disgaea .

[16] Hirude Noogu .

Any suggestion for the name?

[E/N: Sounds fine to me .]