I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 75. Hold Me

75. Hold Me

A laboratory at Whitby Academy.

It was one of the sessions on this academic conference’s schedule. A sort of workshop held with researchers from other universities. Fewer people, so it was much less chaotic than the conference itself.

Around ten or so.

“Okay then. Let’s begin the workshop.”

I scanned the lab.

Nine researchers from Whitby Academy were seated, and behind them, Professor Hedwig was standing. I wasn’t exactly sure why he was standing, though.

“Since everyone seems to be here, we’ll start. Today’s workshop topic is the method for cultivating blue mold, and its potential uses.”

The people gathered around the table nodded.

“First, how to grow blue mold. Blue mold grows well in cool and dry environments. If the environment is too humid, insects or other mold might grow instead. I used bread here.”

“Second, the verification of its bactericidal power. In my lab, I inoculated dishes with bacteria after inoculating them with blue mold. If a blue mold strain with bactericidal properties grows properly, you can confirm that bacteria cannot grow nearby.”

“Third, selective cultivation of blue mold. Blue mold is a much more complex organism than bacteria. So, for cultivation of blue mold, we use a culture medium mixed with beans and sugar.”

This time, Hedwig raised his hand from the back. He’d been writing down everything I’d said, it seemed.

“Does blue mold grow in liquids?”

“Yes.”

“Regarding the purification process of the medicinal component of penicillin… it’s still something we’ve left to the alchemists, so it’s difficult to give details.”

Hedwig tilted his head.

“Is it absolutely necessary to go through a purification process?”

“To have an effect, you need to ingest about half a gram of penicillin a day. Usually, it’s used for about a week. To produce half a gram of penicillin, you would need about a bathtub-full.”

“Ah.”

“Solutions like brewing tea with blue mold are largely meaningless.”

So, next.

The issue of penicillin’s uses.

“Fourth. The problem is how to use it. The most important use I see is preventing gangrene in surgical patients, trauma patients, those with deep wounds.”

Penicillin is an antibiotic that kills gram-positive bacteria. Simply put, it’s a drug that kills the most common bacteria found on hands or in food.

Therefore, penicillin doesn’t cure every infectious disease. Food poisoning and enteritis caused by bacterial toxins are difficult to treat, and viral infections like the flu are also untreatable.

Even with bacterial infections, tuberculosis isn’t treated with penicillin. Tuberculosis bacteria don’t have cell walls made of peptidoglycan.

Its bactericidal effect against other gram-negative bacteria is also weak. Though, is that because many modern bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance?

The lecture hall murmured a bit.

Still, producing a quantity for animal testing isn’t difficult even now. We can verify it. Another professor spoke up this time.

“Professor Asterix, how many years are you projecting for commercialization? It seems far off still.”

“Animal testing is possible even now. We can easily produce enough to feed lab mice. Commercialization….”

I also don’t know, but judging by the reaction of the alchemists I met recently. It might be possible to commercialize within a few years?

Luciana also talked as if it’s quite possible, so there will be a breakthrough soon.

“I’m conservatively projecting 5 years. But it depends on how much research funding comes in, and how much interest the academic community shows.”

“I see.”

5 years. It could be long, but in fact, it’s a very short period. The researchers gathered there nodded.

Hedwig scratched his head.

* * *

“How the hell does he know the right dosage for a drug he hasn’t even made yet?” Hedwig thought, but decided to let it slide for now.

Asking would only get her a nonsensical answer.

If Professor Asterix was to be believed, they only had five years left to find the holy grail of medicine. Could they really pull it off?

Well, they’d been successful so far, hadn’t they? Wasn’t it only natural to expect that trend to continue? Bacteria, the transmission process of epidemic dysentery, even white blood cells.

Asterix had proven things that had seemed impossible time and time again. Could anyone even have debated those things last year?

Time to head back to the academy.

She’d thought they were going to ride the wyvern back because of the time, but it seemed the plan had changed. Mint was waiting by the carriage.

“Ah. Have I kept you waiting long?”

“Not really.”

Mint shook her head.

The princess climbed into the carriage first, then reached a hand down to me. I took Mint’s hand and climbed up into the princess’s carriage.

“Oh, sorry.”

“No need to be sorry.”

I sat down next to Mint.

Mint clasped her hands around mine, the hand she’d just held. Well, I guess there’s no way out of this, now.

I thought she’d be annoyed that I made her wait, or that she had to get in the carriage first. But she was just smiling brightly.

“I thought you’d be busy again this time, you know? That you wouldn’t have time for me.”

“Well… I planned to travel with the princess from the beginning. It was a needless worry.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Mint let go of my hand.

Looking at me with an intrigued gaze, or maybe one that looked down on me a little. Then, slowly, her lips parted as if she had something to say.

“You don’t really talk much normally.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just, thanks. I know I can be annoying sometimes, and there are definitely times when I irritate you.”

There are times like that, yeah.

“There are.”

“You’re honest… Anyway.”

A moment of silence.

Mint stared at me, then suddenly hugged me tight. Her hair blocked my vision. A lavender-like floral scent enveloped me. I forgot to breathe for a second.

“Uh…”

“Please take care of me in the future, too.”

“Just a moment, Your Highness.”

I tapped Mint’s back in a sign of surrender, but she didn’t let go of me easily.

“What’s your complaint, teacher?”

“Nothing.”

Mint rubbed her cheek against my face, her arms holding me tight. I tried to pull back a little, but Mint just came with me.

“Your Highness, wait. Surrender. Tap, tap.”

“Hey. Asterix. Do you not know what surrender means? If you’re surrendering, you just have to stay still…”

I was shoved back against the opposite wall of the carriage. Mint pressed her forehead against mine, then met my eyes again. Eyes bluer and deeper than the sea I’d just seen. Maybe they seemed that way because her pupils were so dilated.

Mint’s eyes sparkled.

“Why, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“It’s not that…”

“Why.”

Speechless.

“You said it’s okay to be a little annoying with you, right? You’ve told me that how many times.”

“Y-yes… you have.”

Ah, dizzy.

I pressed my temples on the side.

“This is the first time I’m hugging someone. I might be a little hurt if you show you don’t like it.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not that…”

Was she hurt?

I awkwardly patted Mint’s back again. She let me go. Not completely, just stopped holding on so tightly.

“Just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Just hug me once. Then I’ll let you go.”

Mint stepped fully back, then reached her arms out towards me, like she was urging me to hug her quickly.

I wrapped my arms around Mint’s waist, and she put her arms around my neck. Mint smiled softly, meeting my eyes again.

“Just kidding. Keep holding me.”

I let out a small sigh.

Mint chattered on for a good while after that. Ordinary small talk topics. What we had to do when we got back to the Academy, how many cookies were left, stuff like that.

Mint seemed a little more settled now.

“Did I make you really uncomfortable?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you angry?”

“No.”

Mint reluctantly released me. I tried to let go of Mint too, but the arm I had around her waist was grabbed by her.

Mint rested her head on my shoulder.

“I wish we could stay like this.”

“Uh…”

Mint’s eyes sparkled at me. I was mentally too exhausted to keep arguing. I wrapped my other arm around Mint’s waist again.

“Shall we?”

“Hehe…”

“Right. What were we talking about earlier?”

“Dunno.”

It didn’t seem like it was important. Mint leaned on me with as much weight as she could muster. I looked at Mint’s face again.

“You seem kind of dependent.”

“Huh?”

“It’s like you’re too reliant on your memories of being in the Imperial Palace, or the people you knew back then. It feels a little… unfortunate.”

“Since leaving the palace, there hasn’t been a single time I’ve felt something was missing or unsatisfactory. I haven’t even thought that something should change.”

“But still.”

“Sounds like needless worrying to me?”

I just nodded.

“Once we go back to the Academy this time. You’ll spend time with me, right? Like always?”

“Ah. Of course.”

Mint sighed, as if relieved, then leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes. I can’t figure it out, what response does she want?

Did she just want to see me flustered?