The reason I came here was to check on Varin and his men. They were still my patients. Even though they partied hard yesterday, that didn't mean they were fully recovered.
"Anyway, let me take a look at your wound, Varin. I want to check on the stitches," I asked.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Varin flexed his biceps, showing off. "Look at these muscles. I'm totally fine."
"Really?"
I gently touched his stomach, and Varin immediately dropped to his knees, wincing in pain.
"Dad!" Birna shouted.
She looked terrified, seeing her father in pain. Varin's men didn't look too happy either, thinking I'd hurt him.
"You!"
"Get off your hand from him, kid!"
"Hey! Touch him again, and I will kill you!"
Varin's men were angry at me, which made sense. But Varin quickly shut them down.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Varin snapped.
"Dad!"
Birna was clearly worried about her father. She started trembling, her eyes welling up with tears.
"It's okay, Birna." Varin patted his daughter's head. "Don't cry. I was just... caught off guard."
As a doctor, I've dealt with thousands of patients. Sometimes, people pretend to be healthy because they don't want to stay in the hospital longer or make their families worry. Varin was one of those people.
Even though he gave up on being a Jarl, he was still a leader to his people and his daughter. He didn't want to appear weak in front of them or cause them concern.
"Your wound is different from your men's. Yours was the worst of the lot. You need way more rest," I said, turning my attention to his men. "And you guys, too. I know you're also holding back the pain, right?"
Varin's men lowered their heads.
Varin chuckled, trying to hide the pain. "It's fine, Maikal. I can handle it."
"Just because you can handle it doesn't mean you're okay. Pain is your body's way of warning you something's wrong, and you should be protecting it, not ignoring it."
"But—"
"Don't say anything. Remember, I saved your life so you could take care of Birna. Not so you'd regret it and die."
Varin bowed his head, realizing his mistake.
"Now, let me examine you."
I had Varin sit down. When I looked at his stomach, I found pus around the stitches. I had a feeling this would happen. Compressing the wound without using alcohol or any disinfectant can lead to bacterial infections.
"Your stool's dark brown, almost black, right?" I asked.
Varin looked stunned. "How did you know?"
"I know everything. So don't even think about lying to me again."
Varin scratched his head, still amazed at how I could figure that out.
I asked Birna to get me a clean cloth. Then I wiped away the pus and applied mead to the wound.
"That smell? Isn't it a waste to use mead on a wound?" Varin asked, sniffing the air.
"I know what I'm doing. You should be more worried about your condition," I replied.
The mead had a strong smell, but I wasn't sure if the alcohol content was more than 40%. Based on my research from historical records, mead typically only has 10-14% alcohol.
After cleaning Varin's wound, I gave instructions to his daughter.
"Make sure you take good care of your dad, Birna. Compress his wound with mead every three days. If you see any pus or mucus, clean it first with a clean cloth. It needs to be really clean. Got it?"
Birna nodded.
"And if you catch him drinking the mead meant for his wound care, come find me. I won't have a choice but to cut his intestines out."
"Don't scare me, Maikal!" Varin exclaimed.
It was the first time I'd seen a grown man turn pale from my teasing. Usually, I only do this with kids.
"For now, you need to take it easy. No heavy activities, and you can't eat heavy foods like grains or meat. Stick to lighter stuff like veggies and fruits."
"For how long?" Varin asked.
"Until your stool turns light brownish-yellow."
Varin bit his lip. I could see the worry on his face.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"I promised Ingmar I'd finish three ships before fall," Varin argued.
This was going to be a problem.
If we were in modern times, I could give him a doctor's note so he could rest. But here, we're in a small community where people could easily lose their lives over such matters.
"Ingrid, can you make a request to Ingmar to give Varin and his men some rest time?"
The redhead pursed her lips. "I don't know. Ingmar doesn't listen to anyone except our father. He's always so sure he's making the right decisions."
"You're his sister. I'm sure you can convince him. Besides, Varin is a valuable asset. Do you really want to make him work while he's sick? Force him to build three longships and then have him die after? That's not a smart choice."
Ingrid sighed. "Fine. I'll try to convince him. But I can't promise anything."
After finishing Varin's check-up, I examined his men. Although their condition wasn't as bad as Varin's, they still needed attention. After all, they'd just survived death.
Turns out, Varin and one of his men needed to rest until they fully recovered, while the other six only needed about three weeks off.
That's still a long time.
"Alright, everything's good. My job is done here. Remember to take care of yourselves."
And then, Ingrid and I continued on our way into the forest.
Despite their stubbornness, Varin and his men had incredible physical durability. Imagine, just three days after surgery, and they were already trying to do heavy work. No modern man could handle that.
Whether it's genetics or pure coincidence, I have no idea.
...
Ingrid and I wandered through the forest.
Breathing in the fresh air, free from pollution, was refreshing. Not to mention the sight of tall trees and sunlight filtering through the woods. It was something I'd probably never experienced in my previous life.
I'd consider this a nice hike if I wasn't constantly worrying about getting killed by some war-hungry Vikings. It's always depressing when I remember I'm living in this era.
"How much further?" I asked.
"Stop asking. We haven't walked that far."
"Yeah, not far at all," I said sarcastically.
We'd been walking for what felt like three hours, but we hadn't found a single hemp plant yet. Just ferns and moss everywhere.
Throughout the walk, Ingrid didn't say a word. Usually, she's always complaining, and I have to listen to her rambling. I thought she'd try to scare me with bears or something. But this time, she stayed quiet.
Of course, I'm glad she's not being noisy, but something felt off. When someone's behavior changes, it's usually for two reasons: either they're planning something bad, or something's happened to them.
Is she planning something? Maybe to kill me? That seems a bit much. She might not like me, but she has no reason to go that far.
That said, Ingrid isn't the fragile type. She's a Viking. The first time we met, she slammed me to the ground.
So why is she suddenly so quiet?
"This is it. We're here."
Finally, the words I'd been waiting to hear.
A field full of plants with five-fingered leaves stretched as far as I could see. At first glance, it seemed like humans had planted them, but they hadn't. These plants grew naturally.
I couldn't help but let my jaw drop. In my head, I imagined these plants were marijuana. I could get high every day if I wanted to.
"What are you waiting for? Isn't this what you were looking for?"
"Okay, okay."
Without wasting time, I started picking as many hemp leaves as I could. Just in case, I grabbed a few small branches too.
While I was busy gathering leaves, Ingrid sat behind me. I thought she was keeping an eye on me, but she was just staring at the sky, lost in thought.
Seeing her acting weird made me a little worried.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine. Just hurry up and finish picking those leaves. I want to head back and rest."
Well, maybe the long walk tired her out. I probably shouldn't have asked her to help me find the hemp plants.
Once the basket was half full, I pressed down the leaves to make more room.
Suddenly, we heard rustling from the hemp field.
Naturally, Ingrid and I got on high alert.
We were in the middle of the forest. It could be a bear or some other wild animal. Or worse, a man.
Seeing Ingrid grip her axe made me even more anxious. She put a finger to her lips, telling me to stay quiet.
Something serious was out there.
The hemp plants swayed as the rustling got closer. Something was about to emerge from the there.
My heart pounded, and my breath quickened. I glanced at Ingrid—she was ready for a fight. But I was not.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
"Don't hurt kill, please!"
A woman emerged from the hemp field. She was dressed all in black, her face had a blue tattoo in a unique pattern.
Naturally, I let out a sigh of relief. I thought it was going to be a bear or else.
But did I hear her say, "kill me"?
"Who are you?!" Ingrid shouted.
The woman in black looked terrified. Something was definitely off about her.
"Who are you?!" Ingrid yelled again, her voice rising.
"I…"
Before the woman could finish speaking, she collapsed. An arrow was lodged in her waist.