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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[A Hard Nut to Crack]

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

There are ten small to medium-sized nations on the continent.

The home base of the trade ship Champmery, which carries a multinational crew, is a medium-sized nation called Ignis.

Located in the southern part of the continent—to the southeast of the Marinase Empire when looking at a map—it is a country situated quite far from the Ascald Kingdom.

It has a climate that is warm—or rather, hot—all year round. Taking advantage of this characteristic, they grow many agricultural products that are rare in the northern regions, and apparently, they make their living primarily by exporting these to other countries.

The people seem to be friendly, and we were told there are several multinational ships other than the Champmery.

***

「We talked other day. Everyone thleeping. Okay. No meeting.」

We asked for an interview and a hearing, but the person who came out claiming to be in charge gave us no opening to approach.

They likely have no intention of hiding anything but simply want to avoid trouble, which naturally leads to heightened caution.

Furthermore, although we can barely communicate, the language barrier feels precarious. The motive is transparent: they do not want an unexpected misunderstanding to escalate into an international issue.

「Inthtead of the Knight Order, ith it okay if it ith juth an individual? I came to treat the Thailing Thickneth.」

「Treat...?」

Seeing the toddler who said this, the man showed a dubious expression.

It is a face of complete suspicion. Which is understandable.

Being brushed off with the excuse that they were busy, I wondered what to do.

If I just write down the results of the Knight Order's inquiry, it wouldn't be great, but it would fulfill the duty for the time being. Since it is strictly a foreign ship, forcing our way in would only make the problem bigger.

However, even if I can't provide treatment, I at least want to explain things. If they would accept it, I want to give them the Sauerkraut.

I don't know how long it will take for them to return to Ignis, but it would help prevent the onset of Sailing Sickness even a little. I am also worried about the condition of those currently suffering from it.

Perhaps because I saw that mother and son earlier... I am sure they must be feeling very helpless.

「Oh~, the Young Lady from before. What wrong?」

As I was standing in front of the dock looking troubled, a cheerful voice called out.

Turning toward the voice, I saw the stall vendor standing there with a beaming smile—the one I had made my very first purchase from in Crews.

「Mr. Shopkeeper, are you on thith ship?」

Since his skin color and facial features resembled the person who had just dealt with us, Magnolia asked, figuring she had nothing to lose.

「...Yeah. That right.」

(A help in times of need!)

Magnolia breathed a sigh of relief at finding someone who might listen to her story.

***

The young man, while smiling, casually swept his gaze over the five people with him, inwardly tilting his head in puzzlement.

(The Knight Order...? Are they investigating the Sailing Sickness?)

For a mere guard for a Young Lady, the escort knights are too big of a deal.

Hugo Ducasse, Commander of the Gilmore Knight Order Western Garrison Unit. One of the famed 'Heroes of the Civil War'.

And his right hand, the young Adjutant Ethan Berlioz.

Both have their swordsmanship certified by the Azenda Margrave, and they also excel in information gathering and analysis.

They are vigilant men entrusted with the West, where people from many nations gather.

Among those working in the West, even foreigners, few would be unaware of them.

...The day before yesterday, the girl in front of him seemed to be enjoying sightseeing with Mr. Claude, the Margrave's son.

From how close they were, he had wondered if they were parent and child or siblings with a large age gap, but since reports said there were no girls in the Azenda Margrave family, he had concluded she was a relative's child. However.

(The Crest of the Margrave's Deputy...)

Seeing the pendant shining on her chest, his eyes widened slightly.

Looking at the toddler's face, for some reason, she wore an expression that looked troubled or anxious.

「...What wrong?」

「There are people with Thailing Thickneth among the crew, right? I wanted to tell them a thtory that would help them recover, but the perthon in charge jutht turned me away. If pothible, I want you to tell them for me.」

「Eh...?」

(She knows the cure for Sailing Sickness!?)

The stall vendor in front of them... he was likely still in his mid-teens. The boy, who looked more like a lad, suddenly changed his atmosphere.

Magnolia and the others blinked their eyes.

「Did you tell that story to the person in charge?」

Throwing away the linguistic facade, the boy spoke in fluent Ascaldian. This time, Magnolia's eyes widened.

「...I told him, but he wouldn't lithen to me.」

「I apologize for that. If you don't mind telling me, I will listen, but it would be difficult to have you enter the ship as we must not let you get infected by any chance.」

「I probably won't get infected.」

「...I agree; based on experience, I think the possibility is low. However, there is a fear of other concurrent diseases, so for the sake of both countries, it would be best if you refrained.」

When countries are brought up, one has no choice but to comply.

Magnolia sent a glance to Hugo, and he nodded slightly.

「Underthtood. What thould we do?」

「Then let us go to the guard station. Is that acceptable?」

「Yeth. I apologithe for the late introduction; I am Ernest Champmery of the Champmery Company, Ignis Nation.」

In a complete turnaround from the frank atmosphere at the stall, he performed a beautiful bow.

Although she didn't know much about the country of Ignis, she could sense that his carriage was not something learned overnight, but something ingrained through years of practice.

***

When they went to the Knight Order's guard station, a subtle odor hung in the air.

——It wasn't a fragrance or a scent; it was a 'stench'.

「...What is this smell?」

Hugo and Ethan grimaced.

(Ah~... the aroma of Durian...)

The Durian solution that the thugs were doused in the day before yesterday must have stuck to every corner of the station... it had left a robust lingering scent.

When Magnolia glanced at the stall vendor—Ernest Champmery—she noticed her gaze and lifted her lips mischievously.

Lily, who entered afterwards, hurriedly covered her nose and mouth with her hand, and Dean shouted with a shocked face.

「It stinks!」

The knight at the station explained with dead eyes.

「Commander... the day before yesterday, there was a guy who threw a smelly fruit called Durian to stop a brawl involving knives...」

The knight sighed heavily, saying it had actually improved after wiping everything down and airing the place out.

When Magnolia casually averted her gaze, she met Hugo's eyes, which were staring at her with a flat, judging look for some reason.

(Oh boy...)

***

Entering the reception room at the back of the station, Ernest, Magnolia, and Hugo sat in chairs.

Ethan stood behind Hugo, and Dean stood behind Magnolia, his eyes darting left and right. Lily stood by the wall after preparing tea.

「I am Hugo Ducasse, Commander of the Gilmore Knight Order Western Garrison Unit. If possible, I would like to hear about the situation of the Sailing Sickness patients.」

Ernest nodded and explained that they were a fleet belonging to a merchant guild from the country of Ignis and had been voyaging for about a season. There were a total of six affected individuals: Paul from the Azenda Margrave territory, two from the Marinase Empire, and three from Ignis.

「According to Paul, many had similar symptoms, but one person had severe symptoms.」

「Yes. Symptoms began to appear about a week ago, so we decided to isolate them on the anchored ship... Regarding Paul, at the request of himself and his family, he returned home, and we made him promise not to go outside just in case.」

Magnolia tilted her head slightly, but since neither Hugo nor Ethan said anything particular, it must be a fairly standard response.

「We planned to report to the Knight Order once we observed them for a few more days and confirmed it wasn't contagious. I apologize greatly for the delay in notification.」

Ernest bowed his head.

「...Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. If there are any changes or problems, please do not hesitate to contact the Knight Order.」

Saying so, Hugo passed the baton of conversation to Magnolia.

「Oncthe again, I am Magnolia Gilmow. Getting thtraight to the point, I will thpeak about the dietary therapy that ith thought to be effective for Thailing Thickneth.」

Since everyone was speaking formally, Magnolia followed suit.

Aside from Lily and Dean, everyone blinked in surprise as the toddler began to speak in a tone like an adult.

Just as she had done before, she explained the meals thought to be the cause of the illness, the things predicted to be necessary for improvement, and how to cook the ingredients.

Ernest listened without interrupting, seeming to weigh each point carefully.

「...Indeed. Being a household of men, fruits and vegetables inevitably get put on the back burner. Especially since the fruit we carry is merchandise; I think we intended to sell it, not eat it...」

「Ath I thaid earlier, there is a pothibility of other dicktheathes occurring at the thame time, but is there anything concerning?」

Asked by Magnolia, Ernest cast his eyes down and thought for a while, apparently carefully evaluating the condition of the crew.

「...No... It seems there are several types of Sailing Sickness; some cause severe swelling or unusual roughness of the skin. The doctor accompanying us said this looks like the Sailing Sickness with many rashes and bleeding.」

「I thee...」

It seemed there had been cases of Beriberi and Pellagra in the past as well.

「Is that tho... I think thothe are altho likely cauthed by a defithienthy of other nutrientth. If you eat a well-balanthed diet, the occurrencthe of the dicktheath called Thailing Thickneth thould decreathe.」

Ernest let out a small sigh of relief and thanked Magnolia again.

「I am grateful for the valuable information. Is there anything else we should be careful about?」

「Let me thee. I think keeping hygiene in mind will make it harder to catch other dicktheathes too. For thothe who have developed Thailing Thickneth thith time, I think it would be good to be mindful not jutht of mealth, but of cleanlineth. Altho, in addition to the food I mentioned earlier, I think it would be good to have them actively eat appleth.」

「Apples...?」

Apples themselves don't contain much Vitamin C, but a friend who was a beauty maniac and worked at a pharmaceutical company once said that apple polyphenols have the effect of significantly amplifying the absorption of Vitamin C.

Polyphenol oxidase, the substance that causes discoloration, reacts with oxygen and tannin when exposed to air, causing a chemical reaction.

...That is oxidation, essentially.

According to my friend (Magnolia didn't understand it well), polyphenols apparently have a significant effect on enhancing Vitamin C absorption.

Since Ignis is a hot country, they probably don't produce apples, so it's better to tell them just in case.

「Altho, if there are peacheth or grapeth that can be eaten with the thkin, thothe might be good too.」

There are many types of polyphenols. It is famously said to be abundant in red wine, but one can infer that a lot of it is contained in the skins.

In modern Earth, there are many seedless grapes that can be eaten skin and all... but how about in this world?

「Tho, regarding how to make Thauerkraut...」

「Let us stop before I hear that.」

Ernest shook his head and interrupted Magnolia's story.

「The information I have heard so far is sufficient. Sailing Sickness is one of the diseases that many countries and people wish to solve. Since you hold valuable information, you should utilize it effectively yourself.」

「...But, liveth are...」

「That is exactly why. Judging from your response so far and the way you speak, you are probably thinking of some way to use this for territorial administration, aren't you?」

「Well...」

She is planning to solve the utilization of Azenda's agricultural products and the improvement of the lives of people in the slums simultaneously.

(This kid is amazing despite being so young... Where was the conversation that let him guess that?)

While wearing a polite smile, Magnolia strengthened her guard against the unfathomable depth of the boy in front of her. Ernest wore a smile that made him look like a good-natured person.

「Then, I hope you will proceed with it as soon as possible. I will not ask you to teach me how to make it this time, but I would like to purchase the actual product. I promise to purchase it whenever we stop here in the future.」

And so, promising to hand over the Sauerkraut and receive another report on the patients' condition in a few days, the conversation with the mysterious and strange boy came to an end.

「...Why were you thpeaking in broken wordth?」

As a final question, Magnolia threw out her doubt.

She could tell Hugo and Ethan were also pricking up their ears.

「Ah. If people know I can speak, various troubles increase... It is more convenient to pretend I don't understand the language. It's just trouble avoidance.」

Laughing in a troubled way and shrugging his shoulders, he looked like a boy appropriate for his age.

*****

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