CHAPTER 674: TAKING OVER THE ROYAL MATERNITY HOSPITAL!

The baroness’s status was something Garrett did not fully grasp. However, as a level 6 mage/level 6 priest, even without considering additional boosts, he should at least be on equal footing with her.

The importance of the Queen’s clerk was even more beyond Garrett’s knowledge. The Kent Kingdom didn’t categorize officials by ranks from first to ninth... If it were to be compared, it would be similar to a high-ranking court official.

Regardless, the Queen’s appointed clerk, Baroness Viteg, was quite capable. She invited Garrett and the others to a lavish lunch, catering to everyone’s tastes with an impressive spread of dishes.

More importantly, she was well-prepared for the guests’ voracious appetites. Even when Cirella devoured plate after plate of lamb legs, steaks, foie gras, sponge cakes, and muffins in front of her, she remained composed, calmly directing the servants to serve more food.

Furthermore, she did not reduce the portions for Bernard or any other guests.

Her calm demeanor and organizational skills impressed everyone. So, when the feast ended, and Baroness Viteg took them to the Royal Maternity Hospital, Cirella even moved aside in the carriage to give the baroness more space.

"Yes, Her Majesty the Queen, in her kindness, used her personal funds to establish the maternity hospital to benefit the poor pregnant women in the capital. I have been overseeing its progress since construction began."

Baroness Viteg sat upright in the carriage, hands folded, her bright green eyes sparkling.

"But I am neither a spellcaster nor a healer. So I ask you all to see if there are any areas that need improvement."

The maternity hospital was not far from the Queen’s villa. The carriage ride took about half an hour. They turned a corner on the tree-lined road outside the palace, crossed a field, and approached the city’s edge. The ride became increasingly bumpy, and the road narrower...

Baroness Viteg carefully observed the spellcasters. Cirella was peering out of the window with great curiosity; Nurse Sally was focused, holding a string of prayer beads with a compassionate expression, and Garrett...

Garrett seemed quite satisfied with his surroundings.

"This location is good."

As soon as the carriage stopped, Garrett was the first to jump out, looking around. The nearby buildings were low and simple, clearly adjacent to the slums, making it convenient for poor pregnant women to receive treatment.

At the hospital entrance, a road extended in both directions. Although the road was not well-built, it was passable for carriages, indicating that small merchants, workshop owners, and the middle class could also come here.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the hospital’s deepest area, farthest from the slums, was enclosed by a rose hedge around a small building. The exterior was even painted a light pink, clearly meant for the nobility...

"How many wards are there inside? Are there midwives? Are there any spellcasters already present? How many pregnant women are currently staying, and what other facilities are available?"

He fired off a series of questions, which Baroness Viteg answered one by one.

The maternity hospital started construction a month and a half ago and was completed in a month. It began admitting pregnant women immediately afterward. Currently, all the wards in the slum area were fully occupied.

With only 20 wards, each holding three people, it was no surprise they were full. The area employed 30 midwives, working in three shifts of 12 hours each, with each midwife earning one gold coin per month.

The small building meant for small merchants, workshop owners, municipal staff, craftsmen, and low-ranking officers had ten rooms, each with one bed. It had a staff of 15 midwives, also working in three shifts of 12 hours each.

The pink building, also known as the Rose House, was exclusively for titled nobility and spellcasters. It had five rooms, all vacant, with five idle midwives wandering around daily...

By this point, they had entered the hospital building. Between the slum wards and the small building stood a gray brick building, where several people were already waiting. Baroness Viteg introduced them to Garrett one by one.

"This is Lord Graf, appointed by the Queen to manage this hospital."

A stern-looking elderly man with graying hair stepped forward and nodded at Garrett.

"This is Mr. Dodge, a senior accountant and the hospital’s financial director."

A middle-aged man in a tailcoat, whose bow tie seemed to be choking him, stepped out and bowed to Garrett.

"This is Ms. Haines, a level 5 priestess of the God of Nature’s cult, who volunteered to join us upon hearing about the hospital."

A petite, rosy-cheeked woman with lively eyes smiled at Garrett. Garrett smiled back. With a spellcaster, especially one from his own faction, things would be much easier!

"This is Mother Paria from the Temple of Springs, a level 3 priestess."

Despite her young age, this lady shouldn’t be called “Mother.” But seeing her rigid dark blue dress, meticulously wrapped light blue headscarf, and the prayer beads polished to a shine in her hands, Garrett could guess:

She was a priestess devoted to the Goddess of Springs, vowed to remain unmarried. Such priestesses focused most of their energy on gynecology and obstetrics, areas inappropriate for men.

Garrett quickly nodded to Mother Paria and turned to the next spellcaster, a thin man. The man wore a mage’s robe, with a mage badge on his chest, two copper stars polished to a shine. As expected, Baroness Viteg introduced him:

"This is Mr. Rupert Thomas, a medical mage from the Royal Mage Corps."

A level 2 medical mage... hopefully, he wasn’t the only medical mage in the capital, or the daily medical care for mages would be quite concerning...

Garrett silently sighed. The people standing in the second row, whom Baroness Viteg didn’t even bother to introduce, were likely head midwives, security captains, laundry workers, and other support staff. She raised her voice to announce the Queen’s decree:

"By the Queen’s command, Mage Nordmark will take over all medical affairs at the Royal Maternity Hospital starting today. Please cooperate fully. The Queen hopes to see her subjects receive better and safer childbirth care than before."

All eyes turned to Garrett. He looked from Lord Graf on the far left to Mage Thomas on the far right, then from the second row rightmost to the leftmost. Unsure where to start, he cleared his throat:

"Honorable sirs, fellow spellcasters, and colleagues working at the hospital, good day. I am here to introduce some new medical techniques and spells, hoping to improve the obstetrics level in the capital."

"These techniques and spells will be shared with everyone in the coming months by myself and the spellcasters, nurses, and midwives I have brought. For now, let’s observe the midwives’ work."

He turned first towards the slum wards. Soon, outside the ward area, Garrett’s furious shouts echoed:

"Wash your hands! Change your clothes! Clean the birthing beds! Make yourselves clean!!!"

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