I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy

145. The Power in the Box (2)

****

Today is also outpatient clinic time. I was sitting in the clinic, waiting. Who was supposed to come today? Hopefully not too many people.

I heard the sound of someone walking with a cane.

Come to think of it, there was a rather important visitor scheduled for the clinic today. I looked up as the door slowly opened.

It was the Sacred Maiden!

“Hello…!”

With a bright greeting, the Sacred Maiden entered my clinic. I gave her a quick once-over.

The Sacred Maiden had arrived without any attendants, no crutches or wheelchairs in sight. Her gait toward me seemed perfectly normal.

Looks like she wasn’t here on official church business today – instead of her nun’s habit, she was wearing casual business attire.

She seemed to be here for a routine check-up and generally appeared healthy, having arrived with just a cane.

“Was it difficult coming to the hospital?”

“Ahh, no, it was fine!”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

I studied her expression, which seemed brighter than the last time I saw her.

Well, last time she couldn’t walk at all.

“Did something hurt that brought you here?”

“Ah, no, I just came in case.”

Seems like everything’s fine, but since she came, I should do an examination. I gently lifted her eyelids to check them.

Her eyes looked normal. In fact, she wasn’t even wearing an eye patch today – looks like the ptosis from her myasthenia gravis has improved.

Though, honestly, if her eyes looked slightly droopy, it wouldn’t have been a major issue. It’s unfortunate she felt that way about herself.

“You’re doing well.”

“Could I get better without medicine?”

I thought about it carefully.

While complete remission from severe myasthenia gravis isn’t impossible, it’s certainly not common. If only I could look up some papers – though I haven’t memorized every statistic.

“I’m not sure. While full recovery is possible, it’s probably safer to assume you’ll need medication to walk.”

“Huh, understood.”

The Sacred Maiden nodded.

“Still, it’s very fortunate. You can manage with medicine and there’s still a chance for full recovery.”

“Yes.”

“How can I express my gratitude…”

“Want to be my teaching assistant? Or maybe an associate professor?”

“You’re joking.”

I looked at her face – I hadn’t been entirely joking, but I wasn’t going to force the issue if she didn’t want to.

What a shame…

“Can you exercise at all? Strengthening your muscles could help mitigate some effects of myasthenia gravis.”

“Really? I hadn’t considered that.”

“It’s a condition that weakens muscles, so having strong baseline muscle tone can help reduce symptoms. Plus, avoiding disuse atrophy is important.”

Without proper attention, symptoms can worsen easily. On the other hand, this also points toward a potential mechanism for recovery.

“If you strengthen your muscles enough through movement enabled by medication, you might reach a point where myasthenia doesn’t significantly impact daily life.”

“Understood.”

That’s the theory anyway.

Though whether it will actually happen remains to be seen – we don’t fully understand the causes of this condition yet.

“Well then, take your medicine and see you next time. Anything else you’d like to mention?”

“No.”

“Since you’re recovering well, there’s no need to worry too much.”

The Sacred Maiden nodded, collected her medicine, and left the clinic. She still had some medicine left, so I wonder why she came early?

Her footsteps were accompanied by the sound of her cane.

Well, I can understand her anxiety. Thinking you might not be able to walk without medication would make anyone uneasy.

****

After seeing all my patients, I returned from the clinic to the research lab. With such a major announcement recently, there are plenty of things to consider.

Professor Bernstadt was waiting for me.

“Asterix Professor.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve also submitted a paper to the academic community on that physics-related content. Everyone seems very excited about this discovery of the century.”

“That’s good news.”

Professor Bernstadt tilted his head.

“But… I don’t understand how you managed to pull off this discovery alone. It seems like it would require far too much luck and skill for one person.”

Sharp observation.

Our presentation covered scientific achievements that took at least two generations of researchers, from Galvani to Volta, to accomplish in our reality.

An accurate critique.

“One experiences good fortune sometimes in life.”

“Your case is a bit extreme.”

Professor Bernstadt just smiled.

“Anyway, continuing what I was saying – both physicists and alchemists reacted explosively to the demonstration of the battery at the symposium.”

“That’s understandable.”

“When I prepared my dramatic lines for the presentation – ‘Humanity has finally managed to capture the power of divine punishment in a box’ – I received a standing ovation.”

That side of the symposium seems more enthusiastic than expected. I let out a small sigh.

“The atmosphere at the symposium is quite different… When I presented, a student stood up and told me to stop making nonsense.”

“Talented individual.”

“Talented indeed.”

Not many people say things like that normally.

Professor Bernstadt crossed his arms.

“So. While you may be more interested in the medical aspects, I’ve been thinking about practical applications. Could it be used for starting fires?”

“That’s possible.”

It could be used for starting fires, and there are many lighters based on similar principles. But using it that way would be like using a gun as a club.

Volta, the inventor of the voltaic pile, immediately realized his invention could be used for sending signals over long distances.

Seems like Volta was smarter than Professor Bernstadt. I scratched my head.

“Electric signals travel through wires at nearly the speed of light, regardless of distance. Once connected, they could be used for transmitting information.”

“Is that so?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“Yes.”

“I’ll run some experiments to confirm.”

Electric current moves almost at the speed of light through copper wire. At this era’s technological level, there might not be a way to measure the speed of electricity.

In the early days of telegraphy, wet chemical batteries powered the networks. That’s why we call dry cells “dry” – to distinguish them from liquid electrolyte batteries.

I sketched a rough diagram on a piece of paper.

“Something like this. Connect the power source and extend the wires like this, and it should be possible to send signals over great distances.”

Telegraphs in the Victorian era operated differently from our modern understanding. The British used sulfuric acid-lead batteries for their telegraph systems.

My thoughts are correct.

A structure where lead rods immersed in sulfuric acid generate power. The oxidized parts of the lead rods can be scraped off to recharge.

Some improvements are needed for this technology.

Anyway, while we need to consider methods for supplying power, it should be a feasible approach. Professor Bernstadt fell silent.

“It seems plausible.”

“Do some research into it.”

Mint was right. Discover ways to implement the telegraph system and inform the Imperial Palace through a company, and they’ll likely appreciate it.

****

Here in the far north.

Though autumn hasn’t ended yet, in the northernmost reaches of the empire, there’s a region where snow falls half the year. People still live here.

“Just a little rest.”

Escrom patted the head of the lead sled dog.

Both humans and dogs were freezing to death, but giving up wasn’t an option. Escrom was carrying something more precious than gold on his sled.

An unknown plague was spreading through the north.

The Imperial Palace had sent new medicine to deal with this situation. These five pounds of medicine could potentially save thousands of lives.

There was no room for failure, and they needed to move as quickly as possible.

Escrom entered a cave, with a few dogs following him. The weary man started building a fire with heavy steps.

“Lolo, do you know what we’re doing?”

The dog didn’t answer, just turning its head to look at its master. The man threw a piece of jerky to the dog.

“The palace sent medicine. Because of rumors of a plague in the north, a batch of medicine arrived by dragon. We’re delivering it to the northern villages.”

“Bark!”

“Just hang in there a little longer. If it was ordinary cargo, we wouldn’t be rushing so hard. It’s because people’s lives are at stake…”

The lead sled dog, though showing signs of fatigue, wagged its tail determinedly, as if understanding its master’s words. Escrom threw another piece of jerky to the sled dog.

After roughly putting out the campfire, Escrom began preparing to set the sled dogs in motion again. The sled dogs slowly but surely moved northward.

The goal was closer than expected.

Much closer than anticipated.

“Bark bark!”

Through the snowstorm, the lights of the village began to appear. Some villagers were waiting at the entrance despite the storm.

Finally, it’s over.

“The medicine sent by the Imperial Palace has arrived!”

Escrom shouted at the top of his lungs, stopped the sled, and let out a sigh of relief. Villagers were approaching.

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