I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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37

Chapter 10. Starting a Business! (3)

“What on earth are you planning to use this for?”

“I’m going to use it for transporting patients.”

“With what?”

“With Leon and Ian?”

“…No matter how I think about it, those sound like people’s names…”

“That’s right. They’re my friends.”

“Usually people don’t say they’re going to use their friends as transportation…”

“They were the ones who asked to be employed first.”

I was trying to treat them as friends, but it was the twins who kept making noise about ‘loyalty’ and ‘knights.’

I was at the blacksmith with Ron and Evelyn. Ella had stepped away to recruit personnel for the building construction.

The blacksmith Ron introduced was an ordinary grandfather except for the three pairs of whiskers on his cheeks. He was big and muscular enough to rival Ron. Standing next to Ron, they looked like a duo of gym veterans. Oh… Sorry, but they weren’t exactly cool-looking.

“I owe a debt to the Gray Wolf Clan too. It’s an unusual order, but not difficult. I’ll make it for you right away.”

“The payment…”

When Evelyn brought up money, the blacksmith said heartily:

“No need! It doesn’t look like the materials will cost much, and I can’t take money from a benefactor!”

That meant he would have taken it if the materials cost a lot.

“There’s no such thing as free in this world. Just accept a reasonable amount later without arguing.”

“You’re a meticulous young lady.”

“It would be troublesome if you later used such petty money as an excuse to crawl up to Lady Shana, mmph!”

“I’m sorry. Our girl is a bit unusual…”

I hurriedly covered Evelyn’s mouth and apologized instead. The blacksmith burst into hearty laughter.

“The loyalty of the dog clan is famous. To earn the loyalty of the dog clan without even a slave’s collar, this little one is quite something!”

“We’re friends. She’ll get angry if you say things like that.”

“Well, I see…”

The blacksmith looked at Evelyn and me with a dubious expression. Evelyn had the same look as the blacksmith, as if she had something to say, but I had no intention of listening.

‘This is why I can’t let go of Raven…’

The friends I made after being reborn are Raven, Leon, Ian, and Evelyn. Four people.

However, the only person who calls me a friend is Raven alone. No matter how much I emphasize that we’re friends, the other kids just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Raven often talks nonsense too, but I could feel that he treats me as an equal friend.

‘This incident should have definitely helped him, right?’

From what Ian told me, although Raven was appointed as crown prince, his position isn’t completely solid. The beautiful Empress Her Majesty is still strong and his support base is reliable, but the opposition faction including Count Algren is constantly interfering with Raven.

I hope he doesn’t overdo it…

‘If he’s really struggling, I’ll help him then.’

I believed that Raven would rely on me when he’s truly in trouble, that he would ask for help without hiding it.

So rather than worrying about Raven, it’s better to do what I want to do now.

“Besides this, please make this and this, and something like this too.”

“Oh ho, oh ho ho…”

“It looks roughly like this, like this…”

“Miss, you have no talent for drawing…”

“…”

Even Evelyn, who used to say ‘Lady Shana can do anything,’ kept her mouth tightly shut at those words. That hurt even more.

***

“Shana!”

I had returned home, washed up cleanly, and was enjoying warm tea and refreshments when the sweaty twins came running. They had clearly rushed over as soon as Maria’s lesson ended.

“We heard everything! You’re going to open a hospital?”

“Who told you? Maria?”

“There’s obviously a place for us in that hospital too, right?”

It was Leon who came rushing in talking. Ian was just catching his breath and staring at me, but if I said no, he would definitely pour out a stream of words.

“Shana, are you thinking about something else right now?”

Ian said with a gentle smile. His smiling face resembled Mother’s. I’d believe it if someone said he was her son.

“Yeah, no.”

“Which one is it?!”

When Leon impatiently pressed me, Evelyn frowned. Leon, Ian, and Evelyn are classmates who receive Maria’s training together. Leon flinched and glanced at Evelyn’s fist.

“Well, there is a role I’d like to ask you guys to do.”

“But?”

“Is it okay to make minors work…”

I brought it up seriously, but the response was cold.

“You haven’t forgotten that you’re four years younger than us, have you?”

“But I’m the hospital director.”

“Won’t you work?”

“That’s the problem…”

I shared the idea I had been contemplating with the twins.

My parents said they could set up a hospital for me, but I shouldn’t expose my identity. It would be fine for the only daughter of the Wentworth Family to enjoy childish hospital play, but if I could actually heal people, it wouldn’t end as ‘just play.’

There were troublesome issues with the Temple and whatnot, and my main purpose of treating beastmen would also be easy for others to take issue with.

‘I want to argue what’s wrong with that.’

But it would be foolish to deliberately burst a boil when you know it’s a boil.

I also think it’s better to hide it if possible.

“So I’m thinking of putting forward a proxy.”

“Who?”

“Someone it wouldn’t be strange for me to openly visit, and it wouldn’t be strange for you two to work for.”

“Who would that be?”

“And someone strong enough that it wouldn’t be dangerous to go around streets with poor security.”

“So who is…”

“Maria.”

“…”

Ian and Leon’s faces hardened.

“Isn’t it a really good idea? If we put Maria forward as the doctor, no one would suspect Wentworth being a sponsor, and since she has the connection of raising me, it wouldn’t be strange for me to come and go! Plus, the twins and Evelyn can receive training from Maria just like at the manor, so it’s killing three birds with one stone!”

“But we don’t want that… We thought we could skip training.”

I didn’t hear anything. Can’t hear it.

“I got permission from Maria too. When I think about it, my face must have become well-known enough in that district while helping Raven. Ella says I’ve become quite famous. I heard I’ve been in the newspapers several times and Mom and Dad have scrapbooked them all.”

“Well, you were bound to become famous…”

Ian said with dissatisfaction.

“Look at what you caused after suddenly running out in the middle of the night. How could you not become famous? A precious young lady of one of the Empire’s most noble bloodlines caring for the sick in the poorest district. It’s exactly the kind of story people love. So many people became curious about who you are… Our father apparently goes around bragging that people should have believed him when he said Lady Shana was adorable.”

Lloyd… Maybe you should restrain yourself from saying such things in front of your own sons…

I knew about Lloyd’s peculiar loyalty, but hearing it through Ian and Leon’s words gave me a strange feeling. Would the twins really think positively of a father who harshly treated his own children, telling them they must be loyal to a girl they’d never even seen since they were much younger than I am now?

If it were me, I would hate it.

As I became closer with the twins, I still couldn’t understand why they didn’t hate me. If it were me, I think I would hate both Lloyd and ‘Lady Shana.’

The more I learned that Lloyd’s treatment of his children was far from ordinary, the deeper my questions became.

“I just went to help a friend.”

“You mobilized the family’s power and wealth to clean the streets and provide food support. You stayed for days without returning home, personally holding hands and offering comfort…”

“Didn’t you think of it as a child innocently wandering around adults’ workplace?”

“…You sure have the nerve to say ‘innocently’ with your own mouth…”

“What else would it be when a 7-year-old child is wandering among adults!”

“That’s because you ran out alone! If you had gone with adults from the start, you would have just been criticized as a spoiled brat!”

Ah…

“Of course, we wouldn’t have let you get criticized!”

Ian was often confusing – whether he was being spiteful or kind.

“So you mean to put Teacher Maria forward as the doctor and Lady Shana will become a mascot who visits the hospital?”

“Not a mascot, just…”

“That’s such a great idea!”

Evelyn said with sparkling eyes.

“All the dangerous people will target Teacher Maria, right? Then Lady Shana will be safer!”

“Huh?”

“There won’t be incidents like getting kidnapped last time.”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Let’s pin everything on Teacher Maria!”

“…It’s not like we’re framing her for something…”

I’m just asking her to be a substitute doctor…

However, Evelyn already showed no signs of listening to me. Leon and Ian shook their heads as if telling me to give up.

“Leon, Ian. But don’t you two have to enter the Academy next year?”

“Hmm, well… His Grace the Duke said he would support even our tuition…”

“We don’t really have a reason to go to the Academy. It would be different if we could attend with you, but it’s only 3 years, so by the time you enroll, we’ll have graduated and be gone, right?”

“We’ve already been receiving squire lessons from the Wentworth Family’s knight order ‘Dawn’ since we were young, so there’s no problem with knight appointment. We don’t know when Father will acknowledge us, but there’s nothing particularly worth learning there, right? Getting one more hour of lessons from Maria would be more productive.”

“He’s the knight commander for now, but Father is a baron with no territory. We just need knight titles that allow us to stand beside you…”

Leon and Ian spoke alternately.

“No way. It’s better to study if you can!”

Leon complained.

“You hate studying too!”

“I hate it but I still do it. Even a kid 4 years younger does it!”

“Oh right, you were 7…”

Leon muttered blankly. Ian laughed lightly and ruffled his twin brother’s hair.

“True, Shana has been diligently taking lessons from the court scholar famous for being strict, 3 times a week.”

“I also take lessons from the court archmage twice a week, receive separate lessons from Mother, exercise with Maria on weekends… I have tons of homework too, right?”

On top of this, Raven also had to show his face at various essential events. When does he even sleep, really.

“I’m doing things I hate too, so you two should also enroll in the Academy and learn useless stuff.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“Right here, why?”

Getting into arguments with Leon always ends up becoming childish.

There was nothing bad about learning it. Mina also sometimes gave me a hard time by talking back, saying she’d quit school and work instead.

“If you say you’ll enroll, I’ll let you work until then! Just so you know, I can’t pay you much?”

“I’m not expecting much. Got it, then.”

Leon and Ian nodded their heads refreshingly. This was the condition my parents had set to bring those two in. I was glad it worked out well.

I was thinking of having Leon and Ian take on the role of paramedics who would have to go through the alleys and directly transport patients.

“It might be unpaid for a while…”

“I said I got it.”

Do you guys understand the heart of an employer who’s already calculating wages?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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