19 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)
Chapter 19
An invisible wave seemed to have swept over him. Veins bulged on the knuckles of his hands gripping the sheet. It was the prelude to pain. He couldn't even let out a groan.
Rose looked around Ezekiel again. The spilled liquid and the glass shards scattered in all directions hinted at the full story of what had happened in this room. Perhaps, in his unconsciousness, he had found a medicine bottle, brought it to his lips, then suddenly regained his senses and thrown it away, shattering it.
So that even if he lost his senses again, he wouldn't be able to put anything to his lips.
He was prepared to lick glass shards rather than drink something.
By now, he had forged that much resolve.
It was no wonder he had asked to be tied to the bed.
“As you might guess, Miss, it’s not usually easy for an addict to quit their drug. It’s not something that can be explained by a simple word like ‘habit’… yes, perhaps a craving. Imagine throwing food in front of someone who has starved for a whole week and forbidding them to eat it. Or showing an oasis to someone crossing a desert and not letting them drink. It’s a temptation from the devil, or perhaps something even worse.”
Dr. Briman’s analogy had a chilling quality.
Just in case, Rose had gone straight into Ezekiel’s bedroom without telling anyone and emptied all the wine and medicine bottles. She had judged that asking for permission rashly might offend Ezekiel’s pride, as he was confident in his self-control as a soldier.
Bringing a glass bottle filled with Sleep tea was part of that plan. It would be best if he didn’t touch it, but if he did so unconsciously, at least it wasn’t opium, so she could be reassured. Besides, even if Sleep tea hadn't been very effective before, who knew if this time would be different?
“Don’t worry. There was nothing in this room. I secretly cleared it all away. What the Major took was Sleep tea. You know the taste is different…”
She had to be calm. She had to be strong. She mustn't falter. That was how they could endure together, he had said. Dr. Briman had certainly said so.
“His nerves will become extremely frayed. He will gradually pass the point of self-control. No matter how great his self-discipline, most people cannot endure it.”
This was likely the beginning, as the Doctor had predicted.
“Cold sweat will pour from his entire body, literally like rain.”
The air had become noticeably more humid in the meantime.
The man became drenched in an instant, as if all the moisture in his body were being squeezed out at once. His sweat-soaked uniform clung tightly to his shoulders and lower back, revealing his muscular contours. Rose realized for the first time today that a person could sweat so much.
“He won’t be able to sleep.”
If she had to pick one symptom Dr. Briman had predicted that was most familiar, it was insomnia. He had never slept soundly to begin with.
“It will be accompanied by pain, as if his body is breaking into pieces.”
But now, there were no more medicines to soothe his insomnia and pain. He had to endure the pain that surged from his eyes, his stomach, and his muscles, all while suffering from insomnia and nervousness.
“He will shiver so hard his teeth will chatter, and then suddenly his temperature will soar.”
“……What exactly is wrong with him that he’s like this?”
“Well, I don’t know for sure myself. I’ve only seen a few cases where, when trying to quit medication to escape the delirium you described, these unprecedented symptoms manifest all at once.”
This was right after Rose had grabbed Dr. Briman and told him about Ezekiel’s delirium. The Doctor had listened to her story more seriously than she had expected. It made Rose, who had brought it up, feel anxious for no reason.
“But I’ve also taken Rhodanum a few times because I was in pain. I didn’t have any particular problems.”
“Taking it once in a while is no big deal. If it were harmful after just one or two times, it would be poison, not medicine. It’s rare to find a sedative as versatile as Rhodanum, and I prescribe it to patients with small, limited doses. What I’m wary of is when someone has been taking it consistently in large quantities, like the Major. Those people are dangerous.”
“Then would it be better to just let him keep taking the medicine? If the abnormal symptoms appear even when he stops taking it?”
It wasn't good to take the medicine, but if it was agonizing to stop, was the current situation the best option? Should she close her eyes and cover her ears, pretending not to know?
But Dr. Briman shook his head at this suggestion as well.
“If he continues to take Rhodanum at the current rate, there’s a high probability that the Major will lose his cognitive abilities or even die within a few years.”
It was an extreme prognosis that far exceeded her expectations. Rose was startled and asked again.
“……What?”
“For the past few months, he’s managed to endure because he’s young and healthy. Even if he acted a bit strangely or showed a different personality, everyone understood and overlooked it due to the very unusual accident he suffered. People tend to change after experiencing major events.”
She had heard multiple times from Madam Serva that his personality had changed. Rose asked again.
“But is it possible that the change is due to Rhodanum? According to your words, Doctor?”
“It’s likely a complex interplay of various factors rather than solely a problem with Rhodanum. However, that’s not the crucial issue right now. The problem is that the Major is taking an absurd amount of opium-based medication… Furthermore, if it’s Rhodanum supplied for military use, I understand many are modified products with added coca to maximize their effects. I have rarely seen people survive for years taking such a potent drug daily and remain unharmed.”
“……”
“Perhaps detoxifying his eyes is not the biggest concern now. If delirium has appeared, it indicates a severely poisoned state.”
Loss of cognitive abilities, severe poisoning, death.
Every word was chilling. It was terrifying.
“If it ruins a person like this… is Rhodanum truly a medicine?”
It was a medicine everyone in the world took commonly, yet for Ezekiel, a fatal outcome had been declared. Something had gone terribly wrong. At this point, it would be strange not to question the medicine.
However, Dr. Briman returned her doubt with a question.
“What do you consider medicine to be, Miss?”
“Isn’t it a substance that cures people?”
Rose answered with the common belief of the world. Dr. Briman’s expression shifted ambiguously.
“Well. If used in small, appropriate amounts, mercury can cure syphilis, and arsenic can cure anthrax. Yet, throughout history, mercury and arsenic have been the poisons that killed the most rulers.”
“……”
“In other words, it depends on how it’s used. Used moderately, it’s medicine. Prescribed excessively, it’s no different from a potent poison. An increased dosage means tolerance has developed, and needing to take it daily means addiction. The Major likely has a constitution that doesn’t react well to medication or alcohol. Therefore, to achieve an effect, he would have needed to take much larger quantities than ordinary people, leading to addiction in a short period.”
Dr. Briman looked at Rose and added one more thing.
“It’s all like that. From the perspective of a doctor prescribing medication… I believe medicine and poison are ultimately separated by a very fine line.”
In the end, he was ingesting another poison to escape from poison.
Her mind became restless. Recalling Dr. Briman’s advice, Rose steadily prepared herself and readied for the night. She didn't forget to lock the bedroom door to prevent people from coming and going. The adjoining room she used was a sealed chamber with no external exit other than through Ezekiel’s room.
Rose intended to be locked in the same room with the man.
“Imagine if Mr. Ezekiel, unable to bear the pain, tries to harm himself again or becomes violent towards others. There is no one here to handle that.”
Madam Serva had previously worried about the aftermath of facing Ezekiel without Rhodanum.
No one to handle it… she thought.
Firmly closing the gaps in her heart where shadows of anxiety were creeping in, Rose resolutely pursed her lips.
I can do it. I can do it. Isn’t that why I came here?
Less than two or three hours later, Ezekiel’s commotion of throwing the glass bottles and teacup filled with Sleep tea heralded a long dawn.
“Damn it…”
Even within the short curse, she could feel his breathing falter. It was proof that his physical condition was worsening by the minute.
Rose quickly touched Ezekiel’s forehead. She recoiled simultaneously.
He was a man who had never been prone to feeling cold. His body temperature was high, and her hands would often feel warm when attending to him, but now he was completely cold as ice. The sweat that had soaked his clothes was further draining his body heat. Though she couldn’t distinguish colors in the dark, his lips were undoubtedly pale blue. Continuous tremors followed.
These were the typical symptoms of hypothermia.
