49 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)
Chapter 49
Ezekiel retorted in a sharpened tone.
"We've been focusing on poisoning for treatment until now, and now you're saying there's a new cause for blindness?"
"Of course, the poison likely had some effect. But that woman didn't hold the Major's eyes and pour poison over them. I believe the amount that seeped into his eyes was not much. Nevertheless, it was a poison so potent that it required a long period of detoxification. It's fortunate it entered his eyes; if it had been mixed with food, the Major probably wouldn't be here today."
Dr. Briman alluded to his potential death by poisoning. Still, no one present failed to grasp the meaning.
Screech. Suddenly, the backrest of the armchair tilted back, causing the body to lean. Ezekiel instinctively tensed his core to regain balance and fumbled over his shoulder.
"Ah... I'm sorry."
Rose apologized in a trembling voice.
So startled was she that she couldn't release her grip on the backrest, which had tilted so far back, even as Ezekiel stroked the back of her hand.
Understandably, she was shaken after hearing that he might have been poisoned and murdered. Wasn't Rose the woman who saved him, even at the cost of harming herself?
"Don't be upset, Rose."
Ezekiel comforted his lover.
"I will return everything I've suffered, tenfold. I intend to make them taste that poison themselves. That's how they'll realize who they tried to kill and how."
Because Rose was tender-hearted, he couldn't reveal his true feelings directly and softened his expression. If he had been in front of his subordinates in the 37th Regiment, Ezekiel, as well as his men like Moncam or Feder, would have elicited a more genuine display of anger.
Despite his efforts to be considerate, Rose didn't seem particularly calmed.
"Oh dear, am I not reassuring? You're trembling so much."
From now on, I must choose my words carefully.
I must be cautious, like a spring breeze, so as not to frighten or startle Rose.
Bringing Rose closer to him and patting her, Ezekiel resumed the conversation that had been interrupted.
"Because of the pain from the poison, the Major must have been rubbing his eyes or scratching them incessantly for a while, right?"
Ezekiel nodded in agreement. Dr. Briman continued with further explanation.
"The surface of the eye was already damaged by the poison, and then strong external force was applied. Therefore, it's difficult to say that the current blindness is solely due to the poison. The pain induced by the poison's penetration, combined with the strong external force applied to alleviate that pain, caused the eyeballs to become clouded, which is the final cause of blindness."
"Then what happens?"
Just as one problem was solved, another arose. He had spent spring to recover from opium and alcohol addiction, and then the entire summer detoxifying from that damned poison. He had no idea how long this next trouble would take.
He felt no inclination for peace, yet Ezekiel tried to maintain his composure.
Rose also regained her senses belatedly. Previously, she was the one who comforted an agitated Ezekiel, but today their roles were reversed. This change grew as he recovered his lost past self, and as Rose was reminded of 'that woman.'
Recalling the conversation she had almost missed while her mind was elsewhere, Rose studied Dr. Briman's expression.
She was too accustomed to her own embarrassing true feelings and Ezekiel's frustration to need to dwell on them.
For now, she was most curious about Dr. Briman's inner thoughts.
What might she be thinking? Was she troubled by the treatment that would be delayed indefinitely?
Or did she perhaps want to give up?
Their gazes met.
Surprisingly, as soon as Dr. Briman met Rose's eyes, her face relaxed, and she smiled. Her expression was much brighter than on the day she was reluctantly tasked with the treatment.
She had a hunch.
There was a way.
And it was a method she was more confident in than detoxification.
"Surgery is needed."
Dr. Briman's immediate answer followed.
"Surgery?"
Rose asked in shock.
The surgeries she was familiar with were mostly amputations. Methods like cutting off rotting limbs with a saw or extracting aching teeth. As a result, the village was filled with war veterans missing an arm or a leg after the war ended.
"Rather than vague treatments like detoxification, surgery is better. At least we can distinguish between normal and abnormal parts of the body visually."
Yet, Dr. Briman stated it clearly.
"Are you going to operate on the Major's eyes?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Ezekiel spoke up, replacing Rose, whose imagination had run wild, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"What kind of surgery is it?"
"It's a surgery to precisely incise the pupil and remove the clouded portion."
Rose gasped. Even after hearing the explanation, she couldn't grasp what kind of surgery it was.
"In other words, we will be operating on the inside of the eye."
Was there such a surgery? It was the first she had heard of it.
"Is that possible?"
"We'll have to bring in someone who can do it."
Only then did Ezekiel recall that Dr. Briman hadn't said, "I will perform the surgery," but rather, "We will perform the surgery."
"Isn't the Doctor performing the surgery herself? Who is 'we'?"
"I am too old, and my sense of touch has dulled, so the probability of failure is high if I perform the surgery myself. For surgeries involving such localized areas, the success rate is higher when performed by a doctor with good eyesight and delicate hands. And I know the most competent doctor in this field. She is young and highly skilled. If she performs the surgery and I assist her, you can have hope."
Ezekiel, who had been silent for a while, asked in a low voice.
"Will my vision return if I have the surgery?"
"I trust that she is a doctor with the capability to do so."
"Even so, I didn't expect you to recommend surgery in the end."
"As a doctor, I am merely proposing the method with the highest possibility of treatment. You have endured unspeakable suffering until now, Major."
Dr. Briman repeated with conviction.
"Then it's time for you to open your eyes."
It was a moment of shifting light and shadow.
9. Goodbye, Rose
"Master, I have procured the Red Diamond you requested."
The report continued. This time, Madam Serva brought welcome news to Ezekiel.
"It's a large and vivid Red Diamond. It was once part of a royal collection from a now-vanished principality. Because its color is so pure and rare, many people desired it. To prevent theft, it wasn't immediately put up for auction but was kept hidden. When news broke that it would be on this auction, people flocked to it, and I won it at the highest auction price. You told me not to worry about the cost, but the price was so astronomical that I couldn't help but mention it."
Madam Serva let out a soft sigh. Even she, who had managed finances on a large scale as a butler at the Valdemara main house, was astonished by the expenditure.
Ezekiel summarized briefly.
"Well done."
"By the way, I still vividly remember carrying the young master on my back and raising him, and now I've procured a diamond for a proposal. When did you grow up so much?"
Madam Serva, who had made a joke filled with emotion, returned to a serious tone and continued her report.
"In any case, I've already secured a jeweler. However, Red Diamonds are so rare that multiple stones of this quality rarely appear at auction simultaneously. Although it's unusually large for a Red Diamond, diamonds lose value with each division. The jeweler said it would be a shame to split it into a necklace, ring, and earrings. Since it's too large to be used solely as a ring and might be inconvenient, they suggested dividing it in half for a ring and necklace, or making it solely into a necklace."
"That's something to consider."
"Also, although we sent an agent to conceal our identity as much as possible, anyone with the ability to trace the source of funds could likely find out."
"Well, it can't be helped."
Ezekiel hadn't expected the exotic gem that had stirred up the auction house to fall into his hands without leaving a trace. For noble families like the Valdemaras, monitoring where high-value items flowed was a significant concern. Thus, when a family's fortunes declined, people would watch to see what treasures they might offer and compete to acquire them.
Regardless, that was irrelevant to him. Neither Ezekiel nor Rose were the type to spend recklessly without planning, and they could simply leave this mansion and move before any unwelcome guests targeting the jewel arrived. Moreover, he was confident he could deal with petty thieves even without his sight.
"I hesitated whether to tell you this... but I thought it would be better for you to know."
Madam Serva lowered her voice and whispered.
"Achenaus was also interested in this Red Diamond and attended the auction."
