Auditory Numbing Paste

"Well, it looks like he's sleeping now."

Clemence gently closed the door after peeking into Anthony's temporary resting room.

"And I say we let him continue with that since he clearly needs it. I'm not sure how long this has been building or accumulating for, but even if his hearing turned sensitive just now, it's sure to have been draining for such a small child."

Clemence looked at Thomas and Vira, who were anxiously holding each other's hands while looking at the door to the soundproofed operating room.

"Is he going to be okay, Clemence?"

Clemence avoided looking directly at Vira's eyes as he answered. That alone was enough as an answer, but he still spoke.

"I do not know. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything wrong with Anthony's ears or body. It could be something in the brain or the mind, and it could be related to what happened before. But it could also be something else. For now, all we can do is let him rest and try to fight the symptoms."

Vira nodded with a heavy heart as she looked back to the door, trying to see through it and confirm their son's comfort.

Clemence cleared his throat slightly.

"I am going to make a medicine that should alleviate little Anthony's suffering a little. It's a paste that numbs the ears and makes the target temporarily deaf. It's a medicine for people with chronic ringing in their ears, so I'm not sure if it will work, but it should. I also think you two should start thinking about how to soundproof your son's room and make everything as silent as possible."

Thomas and Vira nodded.

Clemence looked at the two parents, both of whom were still attractive despite their anxious and frazzled states. The two had provided a lot of help to the village, with one of them being a teacher for all the youngsters while the other was a lumberjack, one of the few in the village.

In a village so close to the forest, a lumberjack like Vira, who was almost singlehandedly fighting off the forest's advance, was invaluable. She was also a great help when it came to using the timber and building houses.

It was because Vira and Thomas had helped build his clinic, including the operating room, that Clemence could ask them to soundproof their own home without worrying about how they would do.

After giving them advice on what they could do to help Anthony, Clemence left them alone as he started gathering the materials he needed for the medicinal paste. He walked through his shelves with a tray and picked a couple of plants and powders before walking down to the basement where he had his workshop.

He usually wouldn't leave his shop unattended, but Clemence trusted Thomas and Vira. Even if he didn't, he trusted their need for his medical skills. So, he focused on making the paste without worrying about them.

It was a while since he had made the medicine. Thankfully, it was a simple recipe, and he had everything he needed on hand. After mixing the three different powders and grinding them with the stalk of a red flower before adding some yellow flowers, the paste was done.

Clemence put the Auditory Numbing Paste in a glass jar before leaving the basement.

He came back up to Thomas and Vira leaning over the counter, heatedly discussing the schematics. He didn't know where they had gotten the pen and paper from, but he also didn't care that much.

"How's it going?"

Since they hadn't noticed him come back, Clemence spoke while walking up next to them and putting the jar on the counter next to the drawing.

"Good."

"Mm."

Neither Thomas nor Vira looked up as they continued working on their separate sides of the paper.

Since they were so focused on making improvements that would help Anthony, Clemence didn't disturb them any further. After quickly checking in on Anthony and seeing that he was still sleeping with his eyes tightly closed, Clemence grabbed his own pen and paper and sat down in the corner of the shop. It was the small, round table by the window where he usually ate breakfast.

Unlike Thomas and Vira, he wasn't going to draw a blueprint for a soundproof nursery with his pen and paper. He was going to draft a letter.

Clemence's medical knowledge had already met its match twice against Anthony. Fortunately, Anthony didn't seem to be hovering in mortal danger. But he was still a suffering patient, and Clemence wouldn't just sit still and watch when he could do something about it.

As things were right now, Clemence couldn't guarantee he would be able to do anything to save Anthony should something else happen.

So, he had to ask for help.

Of course, asking a professional expert to take a look at Anthony would be for the best, if not a healer, but it could just be that Anthony had something Clemence didn't know about. And asking for help from someone like that would be quite difficult.

Instead, Clemence was first going to ask for books describing the symptoms Anthony had displayed. He had a small library in his basement, but if that had been enough, he wouldn't have been clueless in the face of Anthony's ailments.

Clemence quickly drafted a letter to the Imperial Academy's library. It was the greatest collection of knowledge in the continent, it was where he had studied, and if there were any place that would willingly lend their collection to a poor village's doctor for the sake of one baby, it would be that place.

The Imperial Academy of Macig Combvat, Art, and Sciences was far away. But while there weren't any magic transportation methods in the village, there were expedient ways that would turn the letter's journey into one of a couple of days.

Fortunately, Clemence also knew that one of the villagers would be heading to the city during the afternoon, so they could bring the letter along and post it. The city's postal station would handle the rest.