Elision

2.9

Mr. Earl Faust was not someone who was a genius, nor was he someone from a rich family and he knew that, but what made him more valuable than other doctors was that he had determination, and a heart.

Mr. Faust was in one of the group of doctors chosen to research about the plague. While some of his colleagues opted for an easier, albeit temporary solution, he worked for hours and days without pay to help create and search for a long term solution. Although his plan wasn't that perfect yet, he finally found someone willing to listen to him, and that someone was unexpectedly a five year old girl by the name of Lilac Rosal.

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The night fell and a new day arose. Dr. Faust did not get an ounce of sleep ever since he started his independent research, fortunately it will soon come to an end. His countless sleepless nights wouldn't be in vain. The seemingly endless days of plague would finally come to an end, and maybe some lives might be saved in the process. Dr. Faust, remembering the little girl's orders, hurriedly went to the Lord's gates. Finally reaching the large mansion in just a nick of time, Dr. Faust let out a relieved sigh.

'Just in time', He thought to himself.

The gatekeeper, present during yesterday's happenings, ordered a guard to escort their Lady's guest to the drawing room. Dr. Faust felt anxious at meeting his possible benefactor. He never seemed to get used to the grandeur of the homes owned by nobles. Each step he made nearing the drawing room made his heart beat faster.

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Lilac took a sip of her tea. Today may possibly become a part of the kingdom's history. Though she was in the capital, news of the plague did not escape her ears. It was an urgent matter that needed to be given the utmost attention, else it would become a flame too big to put off. The problem was not because the King did not care about his people, it was because they bumped into a dead end. Even the best doctors and researchers in the kingdom's medical field didn't know what else to do and what caused the plague to flare up in just a few month's time. Some speculated it was because of evil and tried to combat it with holy water and artifacts, others however thought a necromancer had caused it.

The doctor she met yesterday might become the key to solving the problem, Lilac thought. He seemed sincere and looked like he truly cared about the people, that or he was just so good at pretending. If what he'll say today is what she had in mind about the origins about the plague, that meant she didn't waste her time. Perhaps this will also give her a chance to curry favor to the royal family.

A knock on the door pulled Lilac away from her thoughts.

"Come in...", A faint voice was heard after the guard knocked on the door. Dr. Faust adjusted his collar, anticipating on what was yet to come.

Dr. Faust went in the room and was greeted by the same child he met the day before and another child behind her. Although baffled by this, he thought that the Lord he'll be meeting today would be a little late. He greeted the child and sat down. Five minutes had passed and there is still no sign of the Lord.

"Are we just going to sit here and stare at each other, or are you going to present your proposal to me?" Lilac finally said. Mr. Faust just stared at her quizzically, still not catching up to the situation at hand.

"I am the acting lord of this mansion Mr. Faust. Haven't we agreed to not waste my time yesterday?"

"My apologies young miss. I'll try to present it with my utmost best." Although he still didn't fully understand, Mr. Faust explained to Lilac what he just found out and a possible, albeit temporary solution.

"We've conducted a research and found out that the plague started in the slums. Many deaths occur in the slums daily, so it hadn't raised any suspicions at first. It was then people started to notice something odd about the corpses." Dr. Faust then opened up his suitcase and took a bunch of paper in it.

"Black inflamed spots riddled over the body, with black pus coming out of some of them. While a normal corpse smelled bad, an individual that is affected by the plague, especially the ones with the black spots, stank worse than it. We traced where and what can cause the plague and found out that the main reason for it were the fleas usually found in rats that were abundant in the slum area. Not only were those rats hard to kill, they were also hard to get rid of because of how high their birth rates are and how agile they are.

"These were what we concluded as the five stages of the plague." He picked up the illustrations and spread them out the table.

"The symptoms of the plague usually start one to six days after the person caught it, this is the first stage. It is difficult to diagnose a person during this stage. During the second stage, the patient will then feel sick and weak. Fever, chills and headaches ensue. Usually, the patient will think nothing of it or will think it is just a case of a simple cold. Then the next stage will now start. During the third stage, spots will appear in the patient's neck, groin and some parts under the arm. These sports will gradually turn into black and release pus." Dr. Faust paused to quench his parched throat. He picked up an illustration depicting a person covered in black spots, some pus oozing out.

"If a person is not treated at this stage. The plague will progress into its deadlier stages. The fourth stage signifies that the plague has moved into the person's blood. The patient will now start to bleed under their skin, mouth, nose or bottom. The skin under the fingers and mouth will also start to turn black. Belly pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and stupefaction will then ensue. The most severe stage of the plague is when it gets to the lungs. This is the rarest form of the plague. Usually, people rarely live during the fourth stage. When the plague gets to the lungs, it spreads swiftly, giving the person a quick but agonizing death. It also is the most despicable type of the plague since the plague will now become airborne, causing it to propagate faster than ever." The doctor finally ceased talking, almost choking as he gulped the tea in his cup.

After listening to him talk for a little while, Lilac came into the realization that her initial hypothesis was right. The plague that was affecting the kingdom was actually the Bubonic Plague that occurred back in Earth during the middle ages. If not, then it was something similar to it. She wasn't a doctor, nor was she an expert in that field, but almost everyone on Earth knew what the bubonic plague was. Maybe she'll search that up later using her newfound ability.

"I found what you just said to be true and sensible. Do you want to cooperate with me? My house will help fund your research and at the same time, implement countermeasures against the plague. All that you have to do is to sign a contract with me and the rest will be managed by my house." Lilac took out a contract she made the night before after she had met with the peculiar doctor. It was a good thing indeed that it wasn't wasted.

"You can take your time to read through the contract and if there are things you find unsightly, we can negotiate to find a middle ground." Lilac handed the contract over to the doctor.