A Hospital in Another World?
Chapter 66

Garrett stared at the priests.

The priests stared back at him.

About a dozen people stood below, voices overlapping, creating a ruckus; one person stood above, clenching fists and waving arms. Ignoring numbers and focusing on intensity, it was like a leopard perched on a tree while a pack of wolves below howled, as if wanting to tear the leopard apart.

...Ah, still just a young leopard.

Absolutely no match.

Garrett compared his own strength to the others', sadly reaching a conclusion.

"Cough, everyone, please calm down." Elder Elwin Wilkinson observed the commotion until now and finally paused his oak staff, speaking up. Given his age and highest rank among the priests, everyone respected him and quieted down, stepping aside. Elder Elwin beckoned Garrett with a friendly gesture, saying, "Young Garrett, I've only taught you for a few days, and there are some details I haven't had the chance to tell you. We are servants of the natural gods, honoring and protecting nature, befriending trees, animals, and plants. Harming innocent animals goes against our beliefs."

Oh? There's this rule too?

The nature gods didn't tell me this?

...Oh right, I'm just a fake prophet...

Garrett wiped a bead of sweat. Pondering for a moment, he cautiously raised a finger, suggesting, "So... if we don't catch wild rabbits, would you prefer raising them yourselves?"

"Garrett!!!"

Elder Elwin reprimanded sharply. This kid never stops! If you want to dissect animals so badly, go to the necromancers!

He tried to look stern, but Garrett shrugged, unperturbed, and continued, "If catching wild ones is out and raising them isn't allowed... there's only one way left. Elder, if you could arrange for a few hundred corpses, I'll dissect dozens on my own and probably get proficient..."

"Gar-ret!"

Why did I take him as my disciple! His enthusiasm for dissecting corpses clearly indicates he'd make a top-notch necromancer!

Elder Elwin inwardly gritted his teeth. However, in this back and forth, Garrett had already understood the entire theory and fearlessly looked at him, "You protect nature, right? The natural ecosystem? On the grasslands, more sheep eat up the grass, more wolves eat up more sheep, when the sheep decrease and the wolves starve, new grass grows, fostering more sheep. It's this kind of balance, isn't it?"

That reasoning... isn't wrong. Ecological balance and such, succinctly and accurately summarizing what they revere and want to protect. But there feels like a trap ahead... Elder Elwin frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

"Domesticated sheep and rabbits humans raise barely affect the natural ecosystem!" Garrett justified confidently, "Even if we breed a few more or kill a few, the impact on nature is much less than with wild animals. How does practicing healing arts by sacrificing a few animals violate the principle of protecting nature or your beliefs?"

"But..."

Most were still hesitant. William, the priest who previously inquired about practicing bone-setting, loudly asked, "Does that mean we can harm animals freely?" Sᴇaʀᴄh the n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Of course not!" Garrett answered assuredly. Without waiting for William's rebuttal, he continued, "Can the servants of the nature gods kill animals?"

"They can," Elder Elwin took over. Leaning on his oak staff, he stepped forward, his silver beard shining in the firelight, "For our own consumption, for obtaining fur, for protecting the people, eliminating threats, we can kill animals; such actions are justified. But for displaying power, for pleasure, for all non-essential reasons, killing animals, felling large trees or shrubs, damaging nature, such people will lose the power bestowed by the nature gods."

He paused lightly. Garrett immediately followed up, "So, do you think harming animals for practicing healing skills is necessary?"

The elder hesitated slightly. Without giving him a chance, Garrett continued, "I believe it is necessary. Firstly, healers need this kind of practice to hone their skills. Secondly, we're not doing this for our own gain. Lastly, our harm to these animals is not unrestrained; it follows strict guidelines—"

He took a step forward, standing on the edge of a stone, raising a hand high. With all eyes on him, he bent the first finger, "First rule, substitution. Use a rabbit's leg instead of the live rabbit, a rabbit instead of a sheep, a sheep instead of a monkey—simply put, use inanimate material instead of living animals, use small animals instead of large ones."

In the glow of the fire, Garrett was animated, discussing fervently, "The second rule, reduction. Try to use fewer animals for the same amount of practice, or use the same number of animals for more practice sessions. This way, although we can't reduce the total number of harms, we can at least harm fewer animals."

"It sounds reasonable..." the servants of the nature gods murmured. Some wanted to refute, but faced with such a rigorous and systematic principle, they couldn't find words. Garrett looked serious, bending the last finger, "The third principle, optimization. Treat them as well as possible, minimize or alleviate their pain. For example, before breaking bones, administer anesthesia as much as possible—or provide suitable living conditions for animals, let them live as comfortably as possible."

"After all that, you're still causing them harm!" Priestess Joanna stepped forward, countering loudly. With a hawk's cry, she lifted her arm, and a hawk flew to perch on it. Joanna stroked the hawk's feathers, her expression momentarily softening, immediately turning stern again, "So many reasons, so many rules, just to make yourself feel a little better!"

"You're right," Garrett nodded solemnly. He stared straight into Joanna's fiery eyes, slowly admitting, "We break their bones, dissect them, extract their spinal cords—not to torture or kill. We're well aware that these animals are suffering for us humans, substituting the suffering we would face, substituting the suffering of the patients we must heal. We appreciate their sacrifice, remember their kindness—"

Joanna's expression gradually softened. On her arm, the hawk let out a soft cry, gently brushing her cheek with its beak.

Garrett lowered his arm. He stood firm, bowing deeply to the audience below and to the animals about to be dissected, "Lastly, to avoid wastage. After the dissection, we can consume every part of them, leaving nothing wasted."

Joanna paused. Laughter rippled through the crowd, even the hawk on her arm seemed amused, flapping its wings. A young lad straightened up from a nearby rock, raising his voice:

"Your questions are all too complicated! It's late today, let's talk about some simple life-saving tricks!"

Best wrap it up in an hour!

I don't want to be stuck here for seven years, teaching you all every day!

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