I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel

Episode 51. Happy Birthday, Princess (1)

Episode 51. Happy Birthday, Princess (1)

A new morning sun rose over the horizon of Imentia. The curfew was lifted, and most of the quarantined patients returned home.

The fake Black Death scare ended just like that.

“Uh… that’s how it went, Mayor.”

The Mayor of Imentia nodded. Sure, he might be a bit annoyed about the false alarm, but it was better than an actual plague sweeping through the city.

“How are the patients doing?”

“The critically ill are still at the temple. Most of them will be fine.”

“It feels anticlimactic.”

“That’s usually how puzzles go. They look easy in hindsight.”

“Still, thanks to the Professor, we were able to prevent major damage. Though, it’s a bit of a bitter pill to swallow that the major damage might have been due to bad policy and not an actual plague…”

Right, since the mayor mentioned policy, it reminded me. Almost forgot the most important thing.

“Mayor, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the cause.”

“Tell me.”

It was the same story I’d been telling before. The Great British Navy made sure to bring dried fruit and such on long voyages to prevent scurvy.

“Scurvy is a disease caused by a nutritional imbalance. Vitamin C is a substance involved in collagen synthesis. If there isn’t enough Vitamin C, you can have damage to the connective tissue. That’s why you get bleeding gums.”

“What was that sound?”

Anyway. I explained it.

“The conclusion is this. When going on a voyage, you need to take fruit, or preserved vegetables. That’s how you prevent scurvy.”

The mayor seemed to chew over my words a bit. It was a lot to take in. After a short silence, the lord of Imentia spoke again.

“I think I’ve heard older sailors say something like that. Though, fruit prices have gone up the past few years, so maybe not anymore.”

I nodded slowly.

It was strange though.

Surely, a port city would have known about scurvy for ages. Why such a strong reaction this time?

I just let it go, but looking back, that background was definitely there.

In the last few years, fruit prices around here went up, so the composition of food loaded onto ships heading out to sea changed.

That’s why scurvy started to become a new problem. This was the last piece of the puzzle.

“If vitamin C deficiency persists for several months, the symptoms of scurvy will start to appear.”

“Is there any way to treat it?”

“I’m not sure about that. Wouldn’t pickling or some other kind of preservation method work?”

If I looked into it, someone would probably know a way. Thinking about it, I wonder if the mayor’s son is doing alright? I haven’t seen him since the last check-up.

“How is your son doing?”

“He seems fine. They said there was no need to isolate him anymore, so he’s back to his normal routine.”

“That’s a relief.”

That young knight. He’s eating, so with just those lemon candies, he could expect to see enough improvement.

“It’s not a long-lasting illness, is it?”

“If it weren’t for the missing tooth, that is.”

It’ll be alright.

“It feels strange to say again, but no amount of gratitude would be enough for you coming to see me this time, professor. Once again, thank you so much.”

I left the conference room again. Things seemed to be resolving smoothly.

I need to get back to the academy quickly.

Ementia Castle, Guest Room Area.

I put my travel bag down in the hallway and began packing. Istina was doing the same next to me. We’d come to Ementia Castle so hastily, we hadn’t even packed properly.

Which meant that the luggage for leaving was rather meager.

The difference between coming and leaving was that I now had a few volumes of patient records and information, and the case fee handed over by the mayor of Ementia.

“But, Professor. I still don’t understand what it is. What is a vitamin?”

“What’s a vitamin, you say?”

“Yes.”

“What do they call it… there’s a sour substance, it’s found a lot in lemons and oranges.”

One lemon contains the amount of vitamin C equivalent to three lemons. Just that alone shows how many vitamins there are in a lemon.

“Is that something that can be proven experimentally?”

“Um… well, I don’t know.”

I don’t know. The chemical separation and synthesis of vitamins probably only started in the 20th century.

It seems impossible under the current circumstances.

“It’s a little strange and scary. Just misunderstandings piling up, leading to a whole city being shut down and people mistaking it for a plague spreading.”

“There was nothing wrong with your response. When a plague is suspected, it’s only right to take preventative measures until it’s confirmed not to be.”

Istina tilted her head.

“But, what if the plague going around this city was actually the bubonic plague?”

The bubonic plague can be treated with antibiotics. The patient I saw would have lived, and the ones I didn’t see would likely have died.

Would the fatality rate be about half?

“If it were the bubonic plague, quite a few would have died, wouldn’t they? But scurvy doesn’t require some amazing medication to treat, so it’s a blessing in disguise.”

“We were lucky.”

More like…

Diseases that could be mistaken for the plague, or illnesses stemming from poor living conditions, are much more common than bacterial plagues. That’s all.

“When do we leave?”

“We should leave soon, now.”

Headwig’s not in a good mood, and if we’re late, she might leave us behind. Then it could take days to get back to the academy.

I’m tired.

We arrived at the academy around the time the sun was beginning to set. The wyvern we rode on also looked a little tired. Maybe I’m just imagining it.

“Where are you headed, Headwig?”

“I think I’ll be at the academy for a few days because of the upcoming conference schedule. Professor, are you also participating in this conference?”

A conference? What conference?

A conference is not important right now. I came straight from yesterday’s duty. I need to quickly unpack and see all the delayed outpatients tomorrow.

“Well… Good work, everyone. Istina, I’ll see you in the lab tomorrow, and Headwig, I’ll see you at the conference if possible.”

Istina bowed her head in greeting, and Headwig nodded then disappeared somewhere. I just need to drop my bags at the lab and go home, too.

The journey was long.

The academy corridor was quiet in the late evening.

Usually, this space is filled with academy students, or graduate students. Seeing it like this, a strong sense of incongruity washed over me.

The feeling that something that should be there was missing, and the feeling that I’d forgotten something important.

What did I forget? I’d been inexplicably anxious since yesterday, but I couldn’t remember the reason.

The lab door was slightly open.

Why am I scared…?

Should I turn back? No, there’s no reason to, right? I came all the way here to leave my lab stuff in the lab. I slowly opened the door.

Jesus.

From inside the darkened lab, a pair of blue eyes was staring at me. With a *pop*, the lab lit up.

Princess Mint.

A single, shining orb in the palm of her hand.

“Good evening, Princess.”

“You’re finally here.”

I checked Mint’s expression.

No, why is she here at this hour, and what does she want this time? For setting the mood, her expression wasn’t dark.

Why is she doing this, so scary.

“Uh… What brings you here?”

“Teacher. Don’t you have something you’ve forgotten?”

“A lot, yeah.”

Let’s say there is, first, then figure out what answer the princess wants. What did I forget, was it telling her my schedule?

I did stick it on the door before leaving though.

“I’m sorry. See, I kinda got half-dragged away for some urgent, split-second thing, I wanted to contact you, Your Highness, but-”

“Do you know today’s my birthday?”

“Oh right……. No, I did know! I was going to contact you as soon as I could.”

This time, the feeling wasn’t good. It felt like she was genuinely upset, I should probably be careful this time.

“You didn’t know.”

“I forgot.”

That’s what’s been making me feel so weirdly anxious for the past few days… it was the princess’s birthday season. What would have happened if I was a few days, no, even a few hours late?

That was close.

“Did you wait long?”

“Just today.”

“There was no guarantee I’d be back today, though.”

“I guess I was lucky?”

“Oh man……. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

I sighed.

Princess Mint.

She has a status and power that everyone envies, but still, waiting in a cold empty room until late at night for someone who might or might not come back.

Besides, it’s her own birthday.

It’s too pitiful, that is.

But, why she actually looks happy, I don’t know. Mint seemed more cheerful than usual. A rare expression to see.

“I’m sorry.”

“uuum. You don’t need to be sorry, I told you?”

“You were waiting here all day, so I feel uneasy. It feels like I made the Princess suffer for nothing. I’m sorry.”

I reached out my hand to Mint, who was sitting down. Mint took my hand and stood up.

“Let’s go eat.”

“Would there be anywhere open now?”

“Who knows? There probably will be somewhere.”

Mint let go of my hand after a few words.

“Happy birthday, Princess. I hope only good things happen this year as well.”