第１６３１堀：病院は意外と軍事的にも大事 (Part1)
**Chapter 1631: Hospitals Are Surprisingly Important for Military Strategy**
**Side: Yuki**
I had come to discuss Rurua’s hospital with a casual air, but…
“What is it? More trouble?”
For some reason, I was greeted by Seraria’s cold, piercing glare. Surrounding her were Jessica, Stasia, and Quar—the very members who oversee the military affairs of our Weed. The only one missing was Fiora, but she was currently back at the office, buried in work.
Setting that aside, Steve was right: this was the perfect place to have this conversation.
“It’s not so much ‘trouble’ as it is a consultation.”
“A consultation? That sounds like trouble to me.”
“No, just hear me out first.”
She seemed unusually prickly. I was just wondering how to lighten the mood when—
“Yes, I know you are busy, but I would appreciate your help,” Rurua said.
“I’m asking for your favor as well,” Steve added.
With the two of them pleading their case, the sharp edge in Seraria’s gaze softened. It seemed she wasn’t actually angry at us.
“I see. My apologies. But this time, it isn’t coming from me…”
“I shall explain,” Rurua interjected.
And so, she began to detail the hospital planned for the port town. The core of the issue was the lack of an operations manager, and the proposal to consider one of the medics dispatched from the military for the role.
“*Sigh*…”
The moment Rurua finished her explanation, Seraria and the others let out a collective, heavy sigh.
“Um… was there a problem with that?” Rurua asked, clearly surprised by their reaction.
“...No, it’s not exactly a ‘problem.’ It’s just that we’re stretched thin everywhere,” Seraria replied.
“Indeed,” Jessica added. “We were just in the middle of discussing the units to be newly established in that very same town.”
Hearing Jessica’s words, we finally grasped the situation.
“In other words, you don’t have any manpower to spare.”
“To be honest,” Jessica continued, “we were just deliberating on how to select personnel capable of leading in the port town—not just commanders, but those who can handle training—and how to fill the gaps their absence would create.”
“Ah, come to think of it, the human military can’t exactly avoid contributing, can they?” Steve mused. “My side is strictly monsters, so our operational methods are limited. We’ve been managing by sending a portion of my subordinates, but you guys don’t have that luxury, do you?”
“Exactly. The monster army led by Steve can’t exactly be openly assigned to town defense…”
For some reason, Seraria’s voice trailed off. Quar, Jessica, and Stasia all looked at Steve again, reconsidering.
“Actually, couldn’t they?”
“Right? Weed has a track record now. Weed is already handling the town’s public order and clearing out monsters in the surrounding areas, aren’t they?”
“We are. I’ve verified it myself,” Stasia said. “Besides, when I first came to Weed, it was Steve who explained the military structure to me.”
“Ah, that’s true,” I said. “For Stasia, Steve is treated like a descendant of the Spirit Warriors, right? I prioritized that explanation because I figured it would be the hardest for her to accept otherwise. Well, since she’s military, she needed to understand how things moved, anyway.”
In Weed, monsters work and walk the streets freely. They wear identification tags, of course. Since we have travelers coming from outside, it’s difficult to tell them not to be surprised or wary, so we make it as visually obvious as possible. Incidentally, there has never been any monster-related harm within Weed, excluding the adventurers’ dungeon explorations. The reverse happens occasionally, but since the monsters are high-level, they don’t use weapons, so it usually amounts to nothing more than a light punch.
“So,” Seraria asked, “are you saying you recognize that the monster army led by Steve can be utilized for the port town’s military?”
“If it’s a choice between ‘can’ or ‘cannot,’ then yes, they can. Though, the people coming from outside the dungeon will likely be surprised.”
“Are there even people nearby? I didn’t see any on the map.”
“Even the closest ones are about 40 kilometers away,” Steve noted.
The conversation had drifted toward the logistics of extracting military strength from Steve’s forces, but…
“Um… I understand the military’s concerns, but could we please focus on my request…”
“““Ah.”””
Rurua spoke up timidly, her eyes welling with tears, reminding us why we were here in the first place. I had come along to help her find someone capable of running the hospital.
“Right. The issue is whether there’s anyone in the military medical corps who can take command.”
“True. Rurua’s request is reasonable,” Seraria conceded. “Asking a doctor to handle command and supply management is a different skill set entirely.”
“Agreed. We can’t leave it undone forever, so we do need to send someone.”
Perhaps feeling awkward about having ignored the person in question to talk about other matters, they immediately shifted to discussing Rurua’s request.
“Before that, let’s re-verify the current state of the hospitals. Weed has its own hospital, and the other towns have pre-existing clinics, which are currently being supported by staff dispatched from Weed’s hospital, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Leaving Weed aside, how are the other towns operating? Are you leaving the pricing and such to their local clinics?”
“We discuss that with the lords of each town, making the clinics state-run and hiring the staff. Of course, there are doctors who work privately, so if we can confirm they are legitimate town doctors or recovery mages, we supply them with medicine at a fair price.”
Well, it was going according to the original plan. Towns like Betan, Baide, and Aurelia Port, which already had lords, had established doctors, recovery mages, and churches that provided medical care. Ignoring them would only invite friction, so we were cooperating with them instead. In other words, there was no massive relocation of personnel. They traveled back and forth to learn Weed’s medical practices or to request support, but the leadership hadn’t changed. That was why we weren’t sending managers from Weed. Of course, if the management faltered, the lords would investigate and provide guidance, so there was a safety net.
“Well, that’s reasonable. Stepping in too clumsily would cause problems.”
“Every land has its own way of doing things, after all.”
Seraria and Quar seemed satisfied with Rurua’s explanation. As military personnel, they were likely sensitive to such interests, as they often stopped at various towns and villages during marches. If they caused trouble, their supply lines would suffer.
“In that case, the only place we truly need to send someone from Weed is the new port town.”
“It seems so. However, I am not familiar with the medical units within the military,” Jessica said.
With that settled, Stasia turned to ask about the whereabouts of the military’s medical corps.