The house was a bit messy, but thankfully it wasn't large, so cleaning up wasn't too difficult.
He threw out all the major pieces of trash, leaving the smaller details for Talia to handle when she got home.
In order not to flaunt the wealth, he hid the money in a concealed spot and waited quietly for his sister to return.
But after just a few moments, he grew restless. He had been in that prison for so long, having eaten nothing but a single rock-hard piece of bread. Now that the tension had passed, a wave of hunger washed over him.
He cursed himself for not reminding Talia to bring back some food for him as well. Just as he was thinking about going out to buy something, he heard footsteps.
Talia was back, and she was carrying a basket.
"I went to Auntie Nina's to order a new quilt, but it won't be ready until tomorrow... Brother, I didn't know if you were hungry, so I bought you some food."
Her expression was timid. Gallon walked over and took the basket from her. Inside was a piece of oat bread and a beef pie.
He didn't say much, just ate every last crumb. Compared to the stone-like bread he'd had before, this was practically a delicacy fit for the gods.
As dusk fell, Talia was still bustling around the house. She was a quick worker, and it wasn't long before she had swept the entire floor, piling the dirt by the door.
Though the room was small, it had two beds. Talia curled up on the smaller one, and the siblings passed the night in silence until dawn.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The sound of fists pounding on the wooden door jolted Gallon from his sleep. He opened his eyes and, while grabbing his clothes from the head of the bed, asked, "Who is it?"
"Is this Dr. Tony's house?" The voice from outside sounded like it belonged to a large man. It was rough and gruff, with a brutish edge.
Gallon pulled his coat around him and opened the door to find a minotaur standing on his doorstep. "May I help you?"
The morning air was quite cold, and he shivered as a gust of wind blew in.
The minotaur said, "A noble lord got drunk yesterday and fell into a canal. He's had a high fever ever since. My brother told me you're a good doctor, so I've come to ask you to treat him."
He said "ask," but his tone held no trace of a polite request.
"I just woke up. How about this: allow me a moment to gather my medical equipment. I'll be quick."
The minotaur snorted and was about to step inside, but Gallon slammed the door shut.
Talia, who had been lying on the small bed, was now awake. Gallon organized his things in a methodical manner while instructing her:
"Use the money left over from yesterday's shopping to buy breakfast. Make sure the house is clean by the time I get back. You see, we have a guest now, and I can't even offer proper hospitality. And why are there no dishes in the cabinet?"
He pulled two Magic Crystals from his pocket. "I hope the house is completely transformed by the time I return this evening. And remember to prepare enough food for me."
[Ding! Gained +5 Affinity with Talia!]
Gallon paused.
Alright, it seems gaining Affinity from Talia is the easiest route for now.
With those words, he pushed the door open and left.
The minotaur stared at Gallon with an ashen face.
How dare this puny human make him wait outside!
"My sincerest apologies, Your Excellency. Pardon the mess. May I ask where the esteemed lord's residence is? We can head over right now."
Perhaps it was Gallon's exceedingly polite attitude, or maybe the minotaur was just anxious to get the lord treated, but he didn't press the matter. He just pointed to a black carriage at the end of the street.
"Get in."
After crossing three long streets, the carriage stopped at a manor. The gates opened to reveal a boundless lake, with only a long bridge in the middle leading to a castle on the other side.
"May I ask what happened to this important figure?"
"Didn't I tell you? He got drunk and fell into a pool of water. It's strange, though. The lord is a noble Mermaid Lord. Falling into water and getting a fever is... baffling."
Gallon found it baffling as well.
He said no more and followed the minotaur into the Castle. The moment he stepped inside, however, his gaze was instantly captured by a beautiful and noble young lady.
She wore a water-blue princess dress, and her seaweed-like hair cascaded down like a waterfall. A crystal crown sat upon her head. She was tall, with delicate skin and gentle features.
But Gallon quickly averted his gaze, because he noticed the fins behind the young lady's ears.
As a commoner, offending a noble lady was a death sentence.
[Ding! Gained +1 Affinity with Lorelei.]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully unlocking Affinity with three Non-Human Species. You have been awarded Special Anti-inflammatory Drug x5.]
[Item Description: Suppresses all negative effects caused by inflammation.]
"Is this the doctor you hired for Father? Please, follow me upstairs."
The young lady's voice was pure and clean, possessing an indescribable beauty. Listening to her, Gallon felt as if his very soul was being cleansed.
If I got it right, don't mermaids as a species possess healing abilities? How serious this lord's illness is?
Led by the beautiful mermaid lady, Gallon entered the lord's room.
"Father, the doctor is here," the young lady called out softly as a servant helped the lord sit up.
The man was a middle-aged gentleman with grayish-blue hair. His skin was very pale, but due to his illness, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dull.
"Ahem, can he really cure my illness? This shabby-looking man."
His gaze was filled with undisguised doubt.
"I heard he just cured the princess of Lord Sein's household. If not for that, I wouldn't have dared to let him try."
Lorelei looked at Gallon. "Well then, sir, I'll leave him in your hands."
Compared to Lord Sein, these two mermaid nobles were clearly more polite, even though the older one still looked at him with a hint of disdain.
Gallon placed his own worn-out medical kit on the man's ornate cedar cabinet, vowing that the first thing he would do after getting paid for this treatment was to upgrade his own gear.
"Your Lordship, I hope you will cooperate with me. Please open your mouth."
The man opened his mouth, and upon seeing the rows of fine, dense teeth inside, Gallon shivered.
Alright, he's definitely a non-human species. No matter how human he looks on the outside, the inside is still terrifying.
His tongue was red and swollen, a sign of inflammation. In addition, he could hear a sound like a bellows coming from the man's lungs.
He must have contracted a bacterial infection after falling into the water. But a mermaid's lungs should have incredibly powerful filtration capabilities. How could falling into water lead to this?
Gallon took out his stethoscope and moved it across the man's chest.
"Your Lordship, if my diagnosis is correct, you currently have pneumonia. Your lungs' filtration function is impaired."
The moment he finished speaking, the great man's expression changed drastically. He seemed unable to maintain his gentlemanly facade any longer, and his voice rose.
"What did you say? Lungs? How is that possible! Lorelei, where did you find this quack?! I am a mermaid! How could I possibly have lungs?!"