I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Finally Pasteur (4)

The academic world was completely turned upside down. Even before the impact of the cholera paper had subsided, no, in fact, even before the impact of the microscope paper had subsided.

If you turn it upside down twice, does it return to its original state? No, this was the third time, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was completely overturned.

The medical community had been hit three times in a row.

In just about a month. And this time, it wasn’t even a proper paper.

The incident began with Anne, a graduate student who went to spy on Professor Asterix’s novel as usual. Anne was in deep thought.

Bang!

The door to Professor Kropelter’s lab burst open. Anne, the graduate student, sweating profusely, barged in.

“Professor!”

“What’s the matter? Did someone die?”

Given how urgently she came in, it wasn’t unreasonable for Professor Kropelter to think that. But Anne shook her head vigorously.

“The, the miasma theory, it was completely disproven in today’s class!”

“Anne, what are you talking about?”

It didn’t make any sense.

Suddenly, in the middle of an undergraduate class, a cornerstone of modern medicine was disproven? Professor Kropelter scratched his head.

“The, the mold stem had a bean sprout head-“

“Calm down and explain slowly.”

Anne took a deep breath.

“Professor Asterix has been attacking the miasma theory ever since he was appointed, right?”

“That’s right.”

He had been relentlessly attacking it, as if he had a personal vendetta against the miasma theory. As soon as he arrived, he claimed to have found particles that cause plagues, said the cause of epidemic dysentery was microscopic particles in water, and didn’t stop his onslaught for a single day.

Even using undergraduate class time.

“It seems he has completely refuted it this time. He put boiled meat broth in two flasks, sealed one with water and left the other open, and naturally, only the open one decayed.”

“Interesting, but I’m not sure if it’s conclusive.”

“That’s not the problem, the problem is what happened next. When we observed the mold under the microscope, there were structures for releasing spores.”

Professor Kropelter frowned.

“Spore?”

“A microscopic unit of reproduction for mold.”

It is a well-established academic theory that mold either occurs naturally in old food or as a reaction to miasma.

There were many opinions that did not consider mold to be a living organism. Yet another traditional assumption was under attack.

This time, in a verifiable way.

“Proving the existence of the microscopic particles that cause decay, and perfectly explaining the process by which they spread through the air… The end of the controversy.”

Professor Kropelter pondered for a moment.

“So, Professor Asterix just observed the plague-causing microscopic particles he used to sing about in undergraduate classes, and provided evidence that they float in the air?”

The conclusion was correct.

Anne nodded vigorously.

“Hmm, yes. Well done.”

Professor Kropelter was not one to ignore evidence. If presented with perfect evidence, he might reconsider his thoughts.

Why? Why on earth would he cause such a fuss by refuting the cornerstone of modern medicine during an undergraduate class? No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

Is he crazy?

“No, who would do such a thing? Isn’t it more likely that he’s deceiving the undergraduates with some trick and teaching them something strange?”

“Uh, I watched the process of conducting the swan-neck flask experiment together. The magnified view of the mold was definitely not something that could be manipulated.”

Anne had thought about it too, but couldn’t think of any flaws. What could be manipulated? Was there a way to manipulate the swan-neck flask? After all, mold spores are absolutely not something that can be manipulated.

“Is that so.”

“I can’t think of any rebuttal at all.”

“Anne. Do you really think there’s no rebuttal? Should we switch sides too?”

Anne nodded. Professor Kropelter put his hand on his forehead and began to ponder.

The cause of decay is mold. To be precise, mold is one of the causes of decay.

A fine structure that spreads particles into the air was discovered in mold, and there was also an experiment that showed that blocking the movement of particles in a boiled sterilized solution could prevent decay.

It’s practically a perfect rebuttal.

We need to see the results published in the journal, but if what Anne says is true, the conference hall will be in chaos again.

“That’s all for today, Anne. Good job.”

“Thank you.”

Professor Kropelter took out a pen and paper.

– About the fine structure of mold.

– Professor Fisher. In Professor Asterix’s undergraduate class, the fine structure of mold was identified under a microscope.

– They claim to have discovered structures that spread seed-like particles into the air. This is the hypothesis that these particles cause plague, inflammation, and decay.

– Have you ever seen anything similar, Professor Fisher? It’s such an unfamiliar hypothesis that it’s hard to believe hastily.

Princess Mint was sitting in my lab again today. This time, not in my seat, but on the sofa.

“Hey.”

“You’re here ag- Oh, I mean, I apologize. It’s an honor to see you, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

Today, she was dressed in a regular academy uniform. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a cardigan over a white shirt.

The uniform skirt wasn’t short, but because she was sitting with her legs crossed, her legs were somewhat visible. She seemed to have found it bothersome to tie her tie, as it was just hanging around her collar like she had caught a snake.

Actually, the most noticeable thing was the tie.

“At least tie your tie. You look like a delinquent student.”

“Oh, really?”

Mint clumsily tied his tie.

“So, what’s your business today?”

“Teach me.”

“Sorry to say, but how can I teach a class I’ve never heard of in my life?”

“Can’t you?”

It seems a bit difficult.

“It’s a good opportunity to become a national teacher. You be the tutor. You can study the subject, it’s not that difficult. You’re smart.”

I don’t know what the princess thinks of me. Sometimes she treats me like a guard dog.

Sometimes she asks with a worried expression if it’s a serious illness (usually a cold). Sometimes she expects me to solve any problem… something like that.

But, I can’t solve every problem. I’m busy too.

“No, princess. I’m busy.”

“So, you won’t do it?”

“No.”

“Ah. That’s a pity.”

“Princess. I’m sorry to say this, but do you have any plans to leave the lab?”

“This is the problem with you. Every time you see me, ‘When are you leaving, princess?’, ‘Please leave soon, princess’. When you meet your lord, you should ask how they are and act friendly.”

Every time I try to make small talk, she scolds me not to say trivial things. I want to do as she wishes, but I don’t know what to do.

“Your Highness, how was today’s lesson?”

“Don’t bother with such trivialities.”

Are you trying to be funny right now?

“If you wish to negotiate, speak like a superior. State what you want and the considered compensation.”

“The teacher will teach history. I won’t leave the lab until you agree.”

No, this is just a tantrum.

I met Mint’s eyes. They were the eyes of someone with plenty of time… and a determination to win.

“Your Highness, you’re not a child.”

“What if I am? I’ll pay you generously for the lessons.”

“Isn’t that essentially a friend’s fee…?”

“What’s a friend’s fee?”

I closed my mouth.

Explaining it wouldn’t lead to a good outcome. Mint always nags whenever we meet, but genuinely upsetting her is a bit much.

There’s also the issue of feeling like I’m bullying a child. I sighed, pretending to give in.

“Alright. I’ll help you study starting next week. See you then.”

“Have you had dinner?”

“I have.”

“Can’t you eat again?”

“I don’t want to.”

Everything’s fine, but I need to get to work soon. I grabbed Mint by the sleeve and pulled her out of the seat. The princess looked up at me with a pouty expression.

I gently pushed the princess out of the laboratory with the book I was holding. Princess Mint eventually grumbled something as she stepped out of the lab.

She behaves relatively normal with others, but I don’t know why she acts so childishly or mischievously only towards me.

Meanwhile, in the hallway in front of Asterix’s laboratory.

Princess Mint looked down at the girl sitting on the floor, flipping through papers and clutching her head. Istina looked up.

“Ah, hello, Your Highness.”

“Do you like the floor?”

“Yes, I like the floor- Ah, no, I don’t.”

“Then why are you sitting there?”

Istina didn’t swallow the words, “Because of you, Princess.” Istina wasn’t the type to say such things or even consider saying them.

The princess, with a puzzled look, left the poor child sitting on the floor and walked away. Istina gathered the scattered belongings on the floor.

It’s so sad, so sad. They seemed to be discussing something important. If I interrupt their play, the princess will throw a fit, and if I don’t go to the lab on time, the professor will throw a fit.