I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy

Episode 67. Fleming, Alexander Fleming (2)

Elsewhere, in Mint’s room. Princess Mint lay on her bed, hugging the doll gifted by her teacher.

Mint herself thought it was a bit forced, but she really did get a summer retreat schedule.

Even if it was under the guise of attending a symposium, Witbi truly was a vacation spot. She wondered if they held the symposium there specifically for that reason.

Anyway! Mint was in quite a good mood. So happy, she was going on a trip!

[Scene Break]

A thousand petri dishes with blue mold.

The job was done an hour later. After much toil, Istina and Amy had finally inoculated a thousand petri dishes with blue mold.

Istina brought Amy to a nearby restaurant close to the Academy. It wasn’t a place she’d usually visit given her financial situation, but since she still had the wallet the professor gave her last time to buy cookies, it didn’t matter. Besides, it was the professor’s money anyway…

But why doesn’t the professor realize his wallet is missing? Does he have multiple wallets?

“I’m sore… a thousand dishes…”

“Tell me about it.”

Amy stretched and pondered.

“By the way, what’s our professor like?”

“He’s a good person.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, absolutely. He’s a good person.”

Istina glanced around. Given their proximity to the Academy, the professor or someone close to him might be nearby.

“To be honest, before being ‘good,’ the professor is rather unique. His methodologies are unusual too.”

And his personality as well. But Istina didn’t feel the need to state the obvious out loud.

“It seems that way. Still, hasn’t the professor saved many lives?”

“That’s true.”

“Do you think it’s worth it, Istina-senpai?”

“Of course. I highly recommend it. I believe I made the right choice, and I genuinely think it was a great decision for Amy-san to join too.”

Though Istina’s perspective was admittedly biased—after all, having Amy around meant less work for her.

“The professor knows and can do far more than what appears on the surface.”

“Is that so?”

“Even reading papers shows it. It’s not just about publishing them, right? Publishing within weeks, engaging in discussions, defending one’s stance, and smoothly transitioning to the next topic…”

“Isn’t that beyond human capability?”

“Exactly.”

To Istina, it didn’t seem like the professor merely knew or thought things through.

It wasn’t about knowledge; it was about controlling situations, which was incomprehensibly impressive.

“Even though he looks extraordinary on the outside, achieving such results requires predicting research outcomes, understanding potential counterarguments, and foreseeing the entire process.”

“Strange.”

“I don’t know how he does it. Sometimes, it feels like he has psychic abilities.”

Amy nodded again.

“Are there any other peculiarities I should know about?”

Of course, there were more than just one or two. Istina scanned the restaurant interior once more.

“Well, let’s see… There’s a student who often visits the lab: Princess Mint.”

“Ah, really? An actual princess? Why?”

Istina had been skeptical at first, but upon verification, it was indeed the real princess. She nodded.

“A genuine princess. Based on experience, don’t talk to her unless necessary, but greeting her politely is fine.”

“Understood.”

“Our professor is from the Imperial Medical Corps, but he isn’t formal or intimidating.”

Amy scratched her head.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t grasp what exactly this professor’s lab was all about. Maybe she should’ve trusted her gut and skipped grad school altogether.

“Does the professor properly credit co-authors?”

“Yes, he takes good care of that. In fact, I was the lead author on the dysentery paper.”

If asked to brag, Istina could say she had plenty to boast about. Despite the hard work over the past few months, she also received numerous opportunities.

“You’ll meet the professor yourself, Amy. He’s not overly picky.”

The conclusion: He’s probably a good person.

[Scene Break]

Not long ago, a student who attended my lecture came by. They wanted to join my lab as a graduate student. What a deeply moving event!

No matter how much progress I’ve made, I’m still a newly appointed assistant professor, barely a year into my position.

Trusting me enough to invest several years of one’s life is no easy decision.

I must live up to their expectations and prevent regrets. With early graduation approvals, integrated master’s programs, and some stretching of rules—

“Ah, hello! I’m Amy.”

“Hey, nice to see you.”

Amy arrived at the lab.

Her vibe was quite different from Istina’s. Maybe because she just started, she seemed fresh and energetic. How long will that last?

We’d worked together during a dissection practice before. Even then, she felt different. Would this energy last?

Graduate students and professors aren’t inherently dull people. They adapt that way due to prolonged study and work.

“I heard you worked with Istina in the lab yesterday. How was it? What did she make you do?”

“Yesterday, I only handled a bunch of petri dishes.”

Ah, blue mold.

She must’ve worked hard if she spent the whole first day dealing with those. Occasionally, Istina can be harsh.

Giving new members menial tasks like handling petri dishes right away? That raises some red flags about her character.

“You must’ve worked hard on your first day.”

“Not at all! It was manageable. Not too difficult.”

“Do you understand why we’re doing this?”

“Yes, to create medicine that kills bacteria, right?”

When we’ll succeed is uncertain.

However, proving the existence of antibiotics will likely accelerate related research. The academic significance outweighs immediate applications for now.

“Is it really possible?”

“It is.”

“Killing people is easier than killing mold. If you soak a person in soap for a day, they die, but mold survives!”

True, it is challenging.

Amy sat in front of my desk, chatting animatedly about her impressions of my lectures and meeting Istina for the first time.

Suddenly, she paused mid-conversation and looked at me.

“But I don’t understand something.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you assume blue mold produces substances that kill bacteria?”

“Could it not?”

Fleming-senpai told me. Though I couldn’t phrase it that way, I thought carefully about my response.

“Isn’t blue mold also a microorganism that causes decay? Since it’s similar to bacteria, why would mold target bacteria?”

At first glance, that makes sense.

“So, you’re asking for evidence, right?”

“Yes.”

As always, Amy’s questions were sharp and unrelenting—even if occasionally incorrect.

The discovery of penicillin produced by blue mold wasn’t accidental. Neither is its production random.

Based on homology, Amy’s reasoning holds some logical ground. Both bacteria and mold contribute to plagues and decay.

Her question essentially asks: shouldn’t we expect mold to coexist with bacteria instead of targeting them?

I pulled out an unused petri dish.

“Take a look at this petri dish.”

“Okay.”

“Have you ever seen bacteria growing on a petri dish? They spread out, claiming territory like land grabbers.”

Amy nodded. Left unchecked, bacteria expand across the dish.

Mold behaves similarly.

“What happens when there are different types of bacteria?”

“I’m not sure. They’d likely differ in spreading speed?”

Right. Different bacteria spread at varying rates. Mold and bacteria have distinct capabilities.

“We’re looking for blue mold with antibacterial properties. If we find it, what would we observe in the petri dish?”

Antibacterial means preventing bacterial growth.

“Well… there wouldn’t be bacteria near the mold. Though we wouldn’t visibly see bacteria dying, right?”

Through a microscope, we could witness penicillin bursting bacteria in real-time.

“Think from the mold’s perspective.”

“You want me to think from the mold’s perspective?”

Amy looked puzzled.

This relates to the “land grab” analogy.

Mold can’t keep up with bacteria’s reproduction rate alone but can use complex structures like hyphae or spores to compete.

“Remember the land grab analogy? If bacteria can’t grow near the mold, it means the mold has claimed that resource.”

This concept stems from evolutionary theory.

Since evolutionary theory hasn’t been fully established here yet, it might be hard to grasp that penicillin production arises from resource competition between bacteria and mold.

Right. I nodded. The area covered by mold in the petri dish represents the resources it can utilize. Mold produces substances to kill bacteria precisely for this reason.

“So… land grab?”

Amy seemed to gradually understand.

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