Killian and I decided to go out to inspect the territory before winter comes. The hierarchy in the castle mansion is getting better day by day, and we are now getting used to life on Ryzen, so it's the right time to go out for an inspection of the territory.
However, if Killian went out alone, he would definitely look around the area with his horse, but I really wanted to look around every corner of the territory with my own eyes. Because of that, Killian didn't want me to go there alone. So he took me ride with him in an open car. . . . Well, i think it's an open carriage(?) just produced. We toured the territory area in a small carriage with the top and front wide open.
"Currently, wheat planting and autumn vegetable harvesting are in full swing."
"The largest crop in this land is wheat. The quality is also quite good."
Killian's aide explained everything to me every time if we passed through the territory. It's so wonderful to see the well-organized fields after the vegetable garden has been sown and the fruit seeds have blossomed. In some places, I could see villagers gathering and greeting each other while busy harvesting pumpkins and carrots, and children who weren't old enough to work were happily running around the area. As we passed by, the local residents who were working took off their hats and bowed to greet us.
'Huh? What is that. . . . ?'
I found something that bothered me, but I kept my mouth shut because I hadn't explored the entire territory yet. The carriage passed through a wide field and entered the city town area of the territory, where private houses were gathered. Although it is a city town, it's not dense with buildings like in the capital, and the shape of the market is rather shabby. However, although it was sloppy, the market size was not small.
"50% of the territory's population lives here on Mazuka Street, which can be said to be the main city center of the territory."
As the aide introduced, the streets were quite crowded and lively. Just looking around the market made me smile. The merchant shouted at the passers-by in front of him to tell them to buy his goods in a loud voice, there were people haggling over the price, buying and paying seemed to be fighting, i could see children stood in front of the stalls selling steamed snacks and some of them
wander around, their neighbors greet them warmly as they pass by. . . . But I found something that bothered me there as well.
'Why is they doing that?'
Even in the fields busy with harvesting and planting, and in this noisy market, I could see children sitting in wooden boxes with helpless expressions. The person who looked like the child's mother glanced at them from time to time, but she so busy working that she couldn't pay attention to them properly.
"Well, Mr. Altens. What about the child? I saw people put them in wooden boxes like that since earlier. . . ."
At first, I thought it might have been made as a substitute for a baby because the child looked so young, but when I looked closer, the children in the wooden box were different ages. The children are looking at the other children who are playing around freely with envy, or maybe they just have no idea.
"Those children are sick children. These days, during this busy farming season, even the children of the family have to work, so they have no choice but to bring them out together because there's no one taking care of them."
"Oh. . . . !"
"It is not an epidemic. No infectious diseases have been reported in this territory so far. They are children who may be born with disabilities or diseases that there's no cure and they don't know how to treat it, like Crosso's disease."
After hearing those words, I realized why my eyes were drawn to the child. It was because of their facial expressions. . . . . resembled the expressions of the children I saw in the children's cancer ward in my past life.
"Is there a nearby hospital or clinics in this area where all the residents of this territory can go?"
"Hospital? Are you talking about the congressman?"
"Yes. A congressman. Or at least a pharmacist. . . ."
Killian's aide, Sir Altens, answered my question with a sorry look on his face.
"The congressman are too expensive for commoners to use. All they could do is go to a pharmacist who deals with medicinal herbs."
"But the medicine made by the pharmacist is not enough to cure the child's illness, is it?"
". . . . . It is difficult for commoners to visit the congressman. Not only in Ryzen territory but across the entire empire. However, I don't know about the rich commoners in the capital."
I nodded my head. It wasn't Sir Altens' fault that the people of the territory couldn't go to the congressman's. Killian just stared at me and then smiled.
"I think you'll have a lot of things to discuss with me when we're get back to our mansion."
"You're surprisingly quick to notice."
"It feels strange to be praised for being quick notice by someone as unintelligent as you."
I wanted to refute it, but I kept my mouth shut because I felt like if I said anything, he would say something like, 'You treated my love as a personal obsession'. As soon as we returned to our mansion, I grabbed Killian's hand and started a meeting.
"We really need a treatment center that can be used by the people of this territory. To develop this land, the population here needs to be increased, and what is more important than increasing the population in this land is increasing the survival rate of children and mothers who have given birth."
"I agree. However, as Mr. Altens said before that if we build a treatment center for the convenience of the residents here, it doesn't mean that the residents of the territory can use it because the congressman cost of treatment is very expensive."
"So the Lord of this land should support it."
I was thinking about national health insurance. It was thanks to Korea's medical insurance that I was able to continue my life even though I was poor and sickly. However, it is impossible to introduce that system here. People here would rather buy an extra loaf of bread with their extra money than pay an insurance premium that would make them feel like they spent their money.
"I said I remember my past life, right? In my past life, there was something called 'national health insurance. All citizens pay a certain amount as 'medical care insurance' depending on their income level. People who have a lot of income money, they have to pay a high amount of money, and people who have a little income they have to pay in small amout of money."
"Are you saying you save it and use it when you get sick?"
"There are a lot of complicated things, but to put it simply, yes. The government makes a profit by investing in collective insurance premiums, and people could use the hospital for a small amount of money when they're sick."
Of course, this was only possible when the number of health insurance subscribers was high. I also needed the congressman's cooperation. However, I really want to create that system in Ryzen.
"People in Ryzen may not have the money to pay their insurance premiums right now. That's why we need to replace paying their medical bills by doing public service, that why as a Lord of the land, we must support 70% of their medical bills."
Killian gulped and stroked his chin.
"But if people are flocked to the congressman, we can't afford all the costs."
"No. You haven't forgotten that we have to build a road to Mountain. Philiac, right? Considering the workers' wages, it's not a loss-making business. After all, 30% of the cost is they own expense, so there's no one visiting the congressman if they aren't sick."
I was waiting for the right time to mobilize people anyway. And paying their wages all at once is burdensome for Killian. It's called 'medical insurance payment' and hired people for free, then use it step by step to subsidize their medical expenses when they go to the hospital, we will be able to do both things at the same time without major impact on our financial affairs.
"Hmm. . . .that makes sense. Then, I'll have to think about bringing in the council members first.
"The system needs to be designed in more detail. We also need capable administrators. And we need to move quickly to spread this system to the people of the territory. That way, we can minimize their reaction when we start working on it."
Killian immediately raised the coner of his mouth.
"My wife turned out to be a goose that lays golden eggs."
"Please don't turn the topic."
"Edith, come here."
I always couldn't resist when Killian suddenly called me informally. It's because when an honorable guy calls you informally with sexy way, so suddenly, your heart will melt. I stiffened and slowly approached him, but Killian suddenly hugged me. Then he made me sit on his lap and kissed me here and there. On my lips, on the tip of my nose, on my cheeks and forehead. . . . Will the day come when I can naturally accept Killian's overwhelming affection and do the same for him? While I was thinking about that and enjoying his warm arm that embrace me, Killian asked quietly.
"In your past life. . . . Did you suffer a lot?"
Killian still couldn't fully accept the story about my past life, but he was still trying to believe me.
"Um. . . . I had a kind of disease that almost killed me there."
Killian just swallowed without answering.
"When I was 15, I had medical insurance, a high medical card, and I was lucky enough to get the right amount of fluid out of my brother's body, which saved my life. But then. . . . I didn't want to live."
"Why. . . . ?"
"My parents thought it was bothersome that I was sick, and my older brother told me to die."
Killian's hand wrapped around my shoulder, flinched.
"Was it Shane your brother in your past life?"
"It's not. However, when the first day i got possessed by Edith, I was horrified because Shane personality resembles like my coward brother in my previous life."
Killian slowly stroked my shoulders and back. It was so warm touch, as if he comforted Choi Soo-na from her previous life, who had never been able to say a word that she was in painful.
"Now that I think about it, it was my brother who saved my life, and it was my brother who killed me. He always told me that I was alive because of him."
"If I had been with you in your previous life, I would have cut off your brother's neck."
"Haha! In the country where I lived, no matter how wrong he was, it was a serious crime to cut the person neck in private. No matter how high you are, you can't do that."
". . . . That seems like a bit of an unreasonable world."
I giggled and laughed and told him more about law and order in my past life. Killian finds it interesting but disagrees with the fact that executions are almost never done. I told him more about health insurance and the medical system. Killian kept asking, 'Is it magic?', and he was speechless with the explanation that it wasn't magic or anything, but just human knowledge and technology.
"So I was a person who owed that kind of medical technology and health insurance, and I knew how sad and unhappy it is when you get sick. So I want to give a little hope to the sick people here."
Killian nodded and hugged me tightly again.
"Every time I hear about your past life, it breaks my heart that I couldn't be there."
"Thank you for comforting my heart. In my previous life, no one would have cared that I was gone, but now that you're comforting me here, it doesn't matter."
I really meant it. Not long ago, I was heartbroken when I thought that someone wouldn't care about my empty seat, but now it's okay. Because there's a person next to me who cares about my empty seat, he will be heartbroken if he could see me everywhere.