Ominous or not, London's morning dawned.
As always, it wasn't particularly refreshing.
Hazy smoke was rising outside...
The Thames water is basically sewage; if I found that refreshing, wouldn't that be stranger?
So, my mood wasn't all that bad.
I ate my tasteless breakfast as usual and came to the hospital.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hisssss."
Then I checked on the patients.
They were the female factory workers I operated on two days ago.
Fortunately...
They didn't seem like they were about to die immediately.
There were no signs of infection.
'Well... I wiped everything down with bleach; if an infection did develop, that would be strange.'
This stuff is so potent it slightly melted the gloves.
Since they're not disposable and we reuse them, we do need to change them periodically, but I thought I'd change them because they felt icky, not because they were melting. I never imagined that.
Anyway, it wasn't all good news.
"Try saying 'Ah.' Ah."
Fortunately, the swelling inside had subsided.
The rate was quite fast...
People from the 19th century really are different.
Tough.
'No matter how tough... teeth don't grow out of muscles, huh.'
It's an absurd thought, but I was slightly hopeful.
I still don't know if this is the same Earth I came from.
Judging by how everything else works, it definitely seems like Earth, but from a medical standpoint, it often feels like it's not.
So I had that hope, but as expected, such a thing didn't happen.
"Alright, I'm taking this out."
As soon as I judged the swelling had gone down enough for them to breathe normally, I pulled out the metal tube inserted in their necks.
Leaving it in wouldn't do any good.
Since it's iron, not plastic, it would rust...
And then wouldn't they get poisoned by heavy metals or catch a common case of tetanus?
And it's not just anywhere, it's in the neck; you can't amputate that. They'd just die.
"Khek, khek."
"If you want to talk, cover this. Yes. Like that. Do I need to cover it with this? Because this part is sterilized?"
"O-okay?"
"It should be a difficult concept... Just know that if you don't, you'll die."
"Die... Yes, yes."
Maybe because I said "die" while thinking that.
Perhaps it felt real; the patient nodded their head vigorously.
They were startled.
'Still, their pronunciation is better than before the surgery. At that level, they should be able to do simple tasks somewhere.'
If making a living isn't solved, what's the point of curing the illness?
Truthfully, I hardly ever had thoughts like this when I was in South Korea.
I don't know if it's because I worked at a university hospital or because the country was much wealthier.
Probably both.
Since it was the biggest university hospital, the patients who came were generally well-off...
And the state of the nation was incomparable to 19th century London here.
"Ah, Pyeong."
While I was checking on the patients and about to do some other minor procedures, Lister approached.
There was blood splattered on his face again, maybe from some amputations today.
He might have left it on purpose, so I didn't point it out.
"Yes, Brother."
"That match issue, we got a reply. Seems Sir Jamie had another word today."
"Oh?"
"Even when I saw him yesterday, he was shaking like a leaf. You're really good at that, you know."
"Haha... Isn't that right? Would he be happy if a doctor made it obvious in front of him, now that he's a eunuch?"
"That's true. What on earth did he stick on for a beard... Anyway, it seems they'll stop production, at least in London."
"Wow. Ah...?"
In London?
So not completely stopping?
"Seems they're already making a lot of it in other regions too. They said there's no need to import from France either. Isn't that a good thing? They're military supplies; we can't just rely on the French for them, right?"
"No... but these are dangerous?"
"Haha. What can we do? Are you going to save everyone in the world? That's not possible. Once it's out of sight, your mind will be at ease."
"Is... is that so?"
He says it so confidently that it almost sounds true.
It's confusing...
"Anyway, I heard the new restaurant that just opened is quite good... Want to go?"
"Restaurant...?"
"Don't be like that. Our Britain has delicious food too."
"Hmm..."
I'd rather he just confused me.
I wish he'd just say strange things.
I wish he wouldn't take me to restaurants.
Was there anything he ever called delicious that actually was delicious?
No...
I'd be happy if it just didn't have a taste.
"Gag."
"Really, you... Gagging when I recommend a restaurant. This is rude, you know."
"Sorry, sorry. But. That thing we ate that time... Stargazy pie?"
"Ah... that. Don't worry. He won't be able to cook anymore."
"Did you kill him?"
"No, if we did that, we'd have to kill every British cook, wouldn't we? Just broke his arms."
"Ah."
One might think that's going too far.
Overcooking one dish, talking about killing or sparing...
But that bastard deserved to die.
He baked sardines stuck into bread in a star shape...
Even though sardines are a bit fishy, if cooked well, they can be tasty, right?
But doing it like that...
"Gag."
"Hahaha, this guy! This won't do! Even if it's just to fix your memory, we must go out and eat today!"
"Ah, is Pyeong coming too?"
"They say it's a delicious place, can we just go by ourselves? The three musketeers must go together."
"I guess so. Pyeong, just in case, don't tell the students. They'd be disappointed."
Seeing them act like this, I wonder if this time might be different...
But I shouldn't get my hopes up.
Last time they made a big fuss like this and we ate something called haggis, right?
That was really...
Even if you're curious, you should never search for it.
Well, if you've never tried it, it's just imagination...
"Gag."
"Hahaha! Well, well, as a British man, this is a blow to my pride."
"Alright, our food might be a bit lacking! But there are delicious things too. You'll be amazed when you see it."
I keep feeling nauseous...
Maybe because I was dazed, but when I looked around, I was already in a carriage.
It seemed Lister had picked me up and put me inside with one hand.
The two of them looked genuinely hurt.
But they didn't seem angry.
If I had a conscience, I shouldn't do this.
I could confidently say that food was even more of a mess than medicine.
"Uh...?"
Even to me, who has been betrayed countless times, a sight was unfolding that sparked a bit of anticipation.
Judging by the sign, it looked almost new, and people were lined up in front of it.
Not just commoners, but also those who appeared to be upper class.
They were in different lines, but...
Considering that such a scene itself is very rare, it was astonishing.
Originally, in Britain, places for commoners and places for nobles are usually separate.
"See? I told you it's no joke. Because of you, we're late... we might not even get to eat."
"Since when has it been like this?"
"Don't know. I heard it's only been a few weeks... Since that thing, you know. Yeah, seems Sir Jamie bragging about the green at his banquet made it even more popular."
"Is it that cool?"
"It was cool. But expensive."
"And that?"
"That's not cheap either. But they say it's incredibly delicious, and above all, pretty."
While I was amazed, Lister and Blundell were whispering to each other.
They had the excited faces of teenage boys, which wasn't really something to blame them for.
The longing for delicious food in Britain was enormous.
The problem was that this desire kept manifesting in twisted ways.
Hence things like haggis and Stargazy pie or whatever it's called.
"I'll... park this up front for now. You should see the situation."
"Do that."
The roadside was full of carriages.
It wasn't a very wide road to begin with, and with carriages crowding in, if we went further, it would be hard to get out.
I barely managed to tear my eyes away from the horse dung they'd left everywhere and headed towards the restaurant.
This shouldn't have been easy either, but since I had Lister with me, nothing mattered.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
However, they didn't let us cut in line.
As mentioned earlier, the place was new, and the most I could manage was to reach the clear glass window where the interior was visible.
"Ah..."
"Haha. I knew it. Amazing, isn't it?"
"How did they achieve such a color?"
The food displayed inside that window was, surprisingly, desserts.
Even more surprising was that they had truly vivid colors.
That level of pigmentation was hard to find even in 21st-century Apgujeong or Cheongdam cafes.
It's not like I went out much outside the hospital, but I went on a lot of blind dates, you know?
Every time, we had to go to a cafe or restaurant...
Anyway, that's how I know.
Coloring food like that is never easy.
'A regressor...?'
The first thought that came to mind was, of course, a regressor.
Come to think of it, isn't it strange that only I came back from the future?
Whether it's a terrible coincidence or providence, it might be rare, but only me?
If not, I finally understood how 19th century London could have become 21st century London.
Yeah, what can one doctor change by himself, and how much?
Huh?
The problems aren't just one or two...
"L-let's go in!"
"Haha. I knew you'd say that. Well. We'll have to wait."
"How much time do we have? Won't we miss out?"
"Should've hurried then, I guess. Well, it's not like there's absolutely no way."
I need to meet the owner.
I want to try the food, but I also need to find out who made this and how.
The problem is there are too many people...
"Ah... I want to chop off some limbs."
"Don't say that so loudly."
Lister stepped forward.
He was tapping the hilt of his sword.
"Why, what? There are probably people to chop here too. Hey, you."
"W-what is it?"
"Your arm here seems rotten."
"I-it's just a bit infected."
"Infected, my foot. This needs to be cut–"
"Ee, eeeek!"
And just like that, he boldly took the spot of some guy who ran away in terror.
A few people glared from behind, but it was useless.
They simply couldn't meet his eyes.
I know this isn't the right method, but...
Isn't that unimportant right now?
I decided to compromise with the world.
It's a bit much to call it a blessing, but anyway, we were able to get inside not long after.
It was a basic set of five desserts you could order: two blue, one red, and two green.
'Even seeing it again, this pigmentation... it doesn't make sense.'
It's impossible with 19th-century science.
Food coloring?
It's certain a 21st-century chemist had come here.
"Brother. Can you ask them who made this and how?"
"It's a trade secret; do you think they'll tell?"
"There's always a way, right?"
"Well, of course. Hey!"
Growing impatient, I used Lister again.
Fortunately, there was no need for violence this time.
The chef was very proud of his creations.
Moreover, since Lister and I had become somewhat famous in London lately, he was even more excited to talk.
"It's a secret, but well... You don't seem the type to go blabbing, so I'll tell you."
"Love your straightforward性格 (seonggyeok - character/nature)!"
"Here, this blue uses copper sulfate, the green uses arsenic, and the red uses mercury."
"Excuse me?"