“Hermits!? Pardon me, sires. Please wait here a moment.”
The receptionist retreated to the back, apologetically. The magic word did wonders. Not only that, but some whispering started in the hall, too.
“At times like these, don’t be coy when you don’t need to, Eiji.”
We entered the gates of Lishua under the title of Hermits. Now that we’ve used the title once already, it didn’t make a difference how many more times we used it. In fact, it’s a selling point for our character; we might as well use it every chance we get. That’s a guide to job interviews too, by the way. Whether or not it was necessary here and now, it’s hard to say. Remaining silent, I shrugged. Even when made aware of it, it takes a long time to get out of an entrenched behavior.
“You’re the type who puts on a monster mask to do your dirty work.”
“Got to give those meddling kids a chance.”
“This time, they’ve already had their chance.”
As we concluded our trivial conversation based on trivia, the receptionist returned with a man who seemed to be the character in charge. He was a portly man who appeared middle-aged, but it was tough for me to read the ages of the people here. I imagined I’d get used to it after a few years of living here.
“It’s an honor, Hermits. My name is Garish. I’m in charge of the Lishua branch of the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Thank you, sir. My name is Eiji, and this is Tiamat. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I mirrored the man’s bow. A polite first impression is something any Japanese worker learns to strive for, until the point it becomes second nature. I’d seen so many protagonists in fantasy pieces acting brazen toward people they’d never met before. Act that way in real life and most of their negotiations would end negatively for them. An adult thinks one thing, and says another. This isn’t even a noble concept, either.
“I was told you’re interested in the formation of our guild.”
“Mm. Unless I’m mistaken, this organization didn’t exist a century ago.”
Tiamat was the one who answered. Whether or not she really had knowledge of this world from a hundred years ago, I didn’t know.
“That is correct. The Adventurers’ Guild itself was only created about fifty years ago.”
“Hmm. A fresh business, then.”
Apparently a long-standing organization of fifty years was ‘fresh’ to Tiamat. Mister Garish didn’t seem offended, though. In fact, he seemed proud. An up-and-coming business managed to beat the competition. Perhaps he was boasting. At any time in history, traditions and name value are obstacles to someone.
“How rude of me not to offer you a seat, Hermits. This way, please.”
He lead us further in. We were the rude ones, showing up without an appointment. Such a polite welcome made me feel a little guilty.
“Is this a good time? If it isn’t, we would...”
Don’t ask me to finish the sentence. Take the trail-off to be a Japanese accent.
“Oh, it’s most always a good time for me. My wife has been handling much of the business, lately.”
Mister Garish gave a quick look to the receptionist. She’s the wife, surprisingly. A family-run business.
“It’s so hard to move around these days. I’m taking plenty of rest, though.”
Woah, woah, woah. So he’s sick somehow. More the reason he shouldn’t be speaking to us now.
“In that case, you should rest, sir...”
“I just feel heavy, that’s all. I’ve seen a doctor just to be safe, and I was told that it wasn’t any illness.”
I had no idea what the standards for medical practices in this world were. At this point, I couldn’t decide whether to take the doctor’s word at face value. Still, upon reevaluating, Mister Garish didn’t look too well. While his stature was large, he was more swollen than portly. As I’m not an expert, I couldn’t discern more than that; but something was nagging at the corner of my mind. Lethargy and swollenness. ...It couldn’t be. That would be ridiculous. But the clues click. What did Tiamat say before we entered Lishua? That we could eat white rice here. White rice, lethargy, and swollenness. Was it what I thought it was? If I was right, the Japanese party who came here before me made a devastating blunder. If I recalled correctly, tens of thousands died from it each year. I became aware that my expression was turning more and more worrisome.
“What’s going on, Eiji?” Tiamat asked, probably concerned.
“...Mister Garish may be ill,” I said, with a face that must have made me look like the sickest man in the room.
We were then shown to what looked like the Guild Master’s office that also seemed to serve as a meeting room, as it contained a couch and coffee table in addition to a desk. I was entirely uninterested in the interior or furniture of the room, however, as I desperately searched for a particular item.
“Is something the matter, Sir Eiji?”
“Um... Do you have a hammer? A small one will do.”
“Hammer? What would you do with such a thing?”
A confused expression crossed his face. It was only natural. Who in their right mind would request that of their host? But it was absolutely necessary. Apparently one can do the test with no tools whatsoever, but I didn’t possess such a skill.
“Would this do?”
Still with the confused expression, Mister Garish produced a hammer from his tool box on the shelf.
“Then, sit on that desk please. Relax from the waist down so your feet dangle.”
“Uh-huh...”
Incredulity was written all over his face. If he didn’t consider me a Hermit, he definitely would have kicked me out. I must have looked insane.
“Like this?”
The Guild Master shoved some papers on the desk away and sat down. I reached out and made sure that his legs were dangling.
“Mister Garish, I will lightly tap below your knee with this hammer. I just need you to stay relaxed.”
“All right...”
I assumed he didn’t know what I was about to do. Tiamat must not have known either, as she was watching with enthusiasm.
I exhaled. Hit below the knee, where it’s a little dented. Just a tad of an upper swing. Like hitting a tennis ball. Pop.
“...”
It didn’t move. Did I do it wrong? One more time. No movement. It didn’t move for me.
“Gr...”
“Um... What are you doing, Sir Eiji?”
A young man with sweat on his brow and a terrified expression repeatedly tapping a man’s leg with a hammer. What a bizarre tableau.
“It’s called a tendon reflex. When I tap this part, your leg is supposed to jolt up.”
“Well, but, what does that mean?”
Mister Garish looked utterly confused. Of course he was. There was no way for him to know what the condition is called, what causes it, or how to treat it.
A demon brought over by a Japanese person into a medieval fantasy world. Also known as the Edo affliction in Japan, it became an epidemic in the 1870s, feared as one of the two most deadly diseases in Japan alongside tuberculosis. Each year tens of thousands died from it. It wasn’t until the early 1980s when the annual death count in Japan dropped under a thousand.
“Mister Garish, you are ill. You are afflicted with a disease that will cause your death if untreated.”
As calmly as I could, I declared my findings. It was scary for a non-medical-professional like me to make a diagnosis. But I believed that this was something I had to do. Clean up after the mess one of my kind left behind.
“What!? But the doctor said...”
“Of course they wouldn’t know. None of the best doctors would, either.”
It was a disease that wasn’t supposed to exist in this time period, well, this world at all.
“Mister Garish. The disease you have is called beriberi.”