I Became a Plague Doctor in a Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 85



The Curse of the Serulis Family (2)

The Curse of the Serulis Family (2)

I don’t much like dealing with high nobles. Honestly, most of them are idiots. Even back in the Imperial Palace, those types were always a pain.

The Prince mentioned a few times that ‘the other nobles want to see you,’ but I only went out a couple of times. Most of them were just strange people who’d summon busy people, not even sick themselves.

That’s what I normally thought.

However. I was a bit moved by the Duchess Serulis’s words that her three children were all bedridden. I was also curious about what was going on.

“I’ll pay you whatever you want, so please, just come to the estate and take a look at them.”

If it had been just one person, I wouldn’t have gone for a house call. It was because there were three patients that I agreed to go.

“How far is it from the Academy?”

“It’s about half a day.”

I nodded.

“Alright. Let’s set up a schedule for a house call.”

“Thank you…”

Duchess Serulis let out a sigh of relief and covered her face with a fan. She seemed quite reassured just by the fact that I’d be visiting.

I didn’t really want to go, but in the end, the curiosity and pity inside my head won. What kind of disease could have put this woman’s three children in bed?

And. Crazy? Having seizures?

There are many possibilities. It could be a nervous or mental disorder, or there could be some sort of toxin in their environment.

The first thing that came to mind was schizophrenia. If it’s a genetic form of schizophrenia, it could be possible for the whole family to have it. It’s a rather strange case, but not impossible.

It could be another genetic disease, and if we were to consider infectious diseases, it could be meningococcal disease. Though, it doesn’t seem likely.

Considering the fact that the whole family was sick, I have to consider infectious diseases. It’s just that I can’t think of any infectious diseases that fit the criteria.

But if it’s genetic, they would probably have known about it since a long time, so it was hard to say for sure. Just what kind of situation is this?

There could be environmental toxins at play.

It seems more likely to be an environmentally caused illness than a genetic one. Maybe something changed with the water supply. Or some weird mold grew in the basement and is causing problems.

Most things can only be known by going and seeing for myself.

No matter how much I thought, no clear answer emerged. The Duchess Cerulis looked at me, as I was lost in thought. As if assessing me.

I checked my schedule and then spoke again.

“Then. I’ll see you at the Cerulis domain around the sands..”

“Please, save my children.”

“I will do my best.”

I desperately wanted to promise that everything would be okay. But I can’t promise anything until I see it. Because many lives and livelihoods could depend on my words.

One person is having seizures, one has gone mad, and one is bedridden, they say. Is it Wilson’s disease?

It could be familial Parkinson’s or early-onset dementia. Of course, there’s a lot that feels off about saying it’s Parkinson’s based only on this description.

With familial Parkinson’s, there are so many specific symptoms that they wouldn’t have left unmentioned. I’ll have to see them in person to satisfy my curiosity.

The Duchess Cerulis left my consultation room. What could be ailing them, really?

Istina stared at the family member leaving the consultation room. With an intrigued look.

“Who is that?”

“The Duchess Cerulis. She says her three children are all sick, begging me to come for a house call.”

“Woah. You’re going?”

“I have to, to figure out what’s wrong.”

I nodded.

It’s a line of work where you need to be a little cold-blooded. Like, if you’re pulling a graveyard shift in the ER… there were times I had to file a death report and be back on duty within five minutes.

Still.

It wasn’t easy to imagine how it would feel for a parent watching three of their kids die.

And I wasn’t the kind of person who could just ignore that kind of request, either. I’d like to fix things in a day, but it might take longer.

“Istina. You’re coming with me, right?”

From noble mtl dot com

“Ah, yes. I’ll go too.”

Istina pulled out her notebook and jotted something down. Probably adding it to her schedule.

“Then get ready. We’ll leave for the Cerulis estate as soon as the schedule’s finalized.”

Istina nodded. Come to think of it, I needed to get ready too. Re-stick the schedule in the lab, and all that.

Anyway.

After promising the house call and returning to the lab, Mint was sitting on the lecture hall sofa, waiting.

Mint was flipping through some papers with a blank expression, but the moment she saw me come through the door, she lit up.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Your Highness. Good afternoon.”

“What kept you?”

“Someone a little unusual came in today. I’ve got a house call scheduled. I’ll be out for a day or two.”

“I see.”

Mint fiddled with her hair for a moment, then patted the spot next to her. I sat down next to her without a word. Mint put down the papers she was reading and grinned widely.

“I thought someone had collapsed at the hospital.”

“Then it might have been even later.”

“Can’t we skip the house call? The hospital’s right here. If they’re sick, the patients should come to the hospital, why make a busy person run around?”

“If it was by the book, I wouldn’t have gone either, but that guardian I saw earlier was begging me. Said three of their kids were laid out sick. My heart kind of softened. Since there are three patients, I’m going to go.”

“You’re too nice, doc, that’s the problem.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.”

Lots of people had thanked me over the years, but ‘too nice’ was a first. I didn’t even think so myself.

“It’s not always like that though.”

Mint suddenly hugged me. So that’s why she told me to sit beside her…

“Did something hard happen?”

“No? Not really.”

“Then why-”

“You talk too much, doc.”

I had no reply to that, so I shut my mouth. Mint took one of my hands, laced our fingers together. After a while, she spoke.

“How long will the house call take?”

“I’m not exactly sure. My goal is to be back within a day or two, but it might not be a quick fix.”

“I’m going with you.”

“I don’t think there’s a good enough excuse for the princess to come along. It’s just someone else’s house. I’ll be back to the academy soon.”

Mint nodded.

“When you get back, let’s play. The weather will get better too.”

“Yes, let’s.”

I answered curtly. Mint, still beaming, held me tight, nuzzling her cheek against my neck. Jesus…

I tapped Mint’s shoulder.

“How long are you going to keep this up?”

“Five minutes.”

“Understood.”

Her brighter personality is nice, but her clinginess hasn’t changed at all. Lately, it feels like I’m raising a big dog that’s always hanging off me. Can this be considered growth?

Honestly, I don’t know.

The Ceruleis estate was closer than I thought. Maybe it just felt that way because we were riding horses instead of a carriage this time.

Istina was amazed.

“I’ve never ridden a horse before!”

“Really?”

“We didn’t have horses at home.”

It wasn’t my first time. The Imperial Family had horses, though I didn’t have much reason to ride them. Today, a servant from the Duke’s household had joined us as a guide.

“This way.”

And soon, the Ceruleis mansion came into view. It wasn’t as big as I expected. I thought this person would also live in a castle like Imentia or Lapis.

But it wasn’t to that extent. A fairly old mansion, impressive with its ivy and flowers.

“Teacher.”

“Yes.”

“In your opinion, how sick do the Ceruleis family children seem? If you work at the mansion, you must see them often.”

The servant-teacher hesitated a moment.

The servant sent from the Duke’s estate was dressed like a butler, but he was a young man who looked only slightly older than the academy students.

“I don’t really know. But, they don’t seem like they’re about to pass away. Just my opinion. I don’t think the illness they have is a deadly one.”

“Why?”

“They do all the important things.”

Should we view it as a type of mental illness then?

“Did they have any bruises or wounds?”

“No, they didn’t.”

That’s peculiar. A person having seizures can’t possibly not have bruises or wounds. A normal person avoids danger at an instinctive level, but a seizure patient doesn’t.

Before long, we were able to pass through the gates of the Cerullis Duke’s mansion. It was a far more beautiful sight than I’d imagined from afar.

First, there was the pond inside the mansion’s fence. A few fish were floating there. And around the pond, colorful flowers were growing.

Aside from thinking it was pretty, something like that could also be a cause. Specific pollen could trigger an allergic reaction and contribute to the illness?

Anyway. We had arrived.

We got off our horses and pulled their reins as we moved. The horses were loosely tied up in the stable behind the mansion. The servant-teacher went towards the door.

“Well then. Have a good time. Let me know anytime if you need anything.”

I walked into the mansion with Istina. I hadn’t found anything yet that could be a cause of the illness. It might not even be an environmental factor.

“Keep a sharp eye, Istina. We don’t know anything yet about what’s contributing to the illness, or why they’re sick. We need to find some leads.”

“Yes.”

Istina nodded. Apart from the butler we sent away earlier, the mansion seemed as if no one was there. What’s going on?

I looked around. There were quite a few peculiar things here.