Chapter 9: the doctor and the truth (?)
Dr. Rothschild hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and made Angelica a cup of tea. Then he took out a bottle of medicine from the room and placed it on the table in front of Angelica.
"Hmm…what is this?"
"You are Flora's friend?"
"Just barely."
"I would like to ask you to bring this bottle of medicine to Flora, but please do not tell her that you got it from me."
Dr. Rothschild asked sincerely. Angelica picked up the medicine bottle and glanced at it. In this era, there was no custom of annotating the effects, shelf life, and ingredients on medicine bottles, but Angelica could guess the specific effects.
"Is it medicine for treating lung breath?"
"That's right... I used to give this medicine to Flora's mother to relieve lung aches. I inferred that Flora might have inherited her family's lung aches, but for some reason, Flora was very hostile to me and she never agreed to let me examine her."
Angelica weighed the medicine bottle in her hand. She really found it interesting. Flora clearly wanted to take Rothschild's life, but he was still concerned about Flora's condition... Or was it that Rothschild couldn't get close to Flora, so he wanted to use someone else to eliminate Flora?
"Dr. Rothschild has always lived alone?"
"Yes. But I've gotten older lately and started thinking about hiring a servant."
"I had heard of Dr. Rothschild's name a long time ago, but I was still surprised to see him in person. I thought a famous doctor like Dr. Rothschild would live in a luxurious house."
"I am not that demanding about my living environment."
Dr. Rothschild took a sip of his tea.
"I used to follow my teacher who taught me medicine around to see patients, often sleeping on straw mats in the wild. Compared with the days of wandering around, having a stable and comfortable place to live is much better."
"Dr. Rothschild, who chose to settle in Gera, must like this place very much, right?"
"Gela Town needs a doctor. There have never been any disasters here, so it's suitable for growing herbs. If nothing unexpected happens, I hope to spend my old age in Gela Town. Ah, I seem to be too focused on my own affairs. Is Miss Angelica visiting for Flora?"
"Well, I don't know if it's convenient to talk about this here. I want to talk to Dr. Rothschild about Flora's mother. As far as I know, she has been visiting Dr. Rothschild for a long time."
Dr. Rothschild was somewhat mentally prepared for this. He put down his teacup and his expression became serious.
"As long as it does not affect the patient's privacy, I can answer some of Miss Angelica's questions."
"What was the cause of Flora's mother's death? Lung breath can be fatal at any time, but I observed the population density of Gra Town and the probability of this happening is very low."
Angelica had noticed the population density of the town of Gra on the way to the clinic. Although it was difficult to call for help during an asphyxia attack, Angelica still believed that the possibility of death from sudden asphyxia was not high.
Dr. Rothschild revealed the truth.
"Flora's mother... committed suicide."
"suicide?"
"Flora's mother not only suffers from asthenia, I diagnosed her with depression. Before I came to Gera Town, Flora's father abandoned her and her daughter and ran away to another place. I don't have the interest in gossiping, but the ladies who come to my clinic occasionally talk about this topic, saying that they were seduced by other women and eloped with all the family savings."
Fortunately, there were kind-hearted residents of the town of Gra to provide help, and this was information Angelica was familiar with.
"I think after Flora's father left without saying goodbye, Flora's mother suffered from depression. She has a kind of boundary that keeps men away from her... including me. If I were not the only doctor in Gra Town, I think she would never say a word to me."
"Doctor Rothschild means that Flora is prejudiced against you because of the influence of her mother?"
"I can't confirm it, but people with depression are often very unstable. About half a year ago, Flora's mother said she had insomnia and couldn't sleep for a long time, so I prescribed her a sleeping pill, which lasted for a long time. But later, I found out that she lied to me. She didn't have insomnia. On the contrary, she was going to commit suicide with the pills I gave her."
Sleeping pills are drugs that can make people fall asleep, but excessive use can lead to death. Flora's mother's depression gradually worsened, and she eventually had thoughts of suicide.
Flora's mother prepared for this for a long time. She lied that she had insomnia and cheated a large amount of sleeping pills, without considering how much trouble it would cause to Dr. Rothschild.
"I tried to persuade Flora's mother to give up, but she had already decided to do so. I... bear a great responsibility for this."
"Because you gave her sleeping pills?"
"That's a reason, but the more important reason is the price of curing lung atrophy. Miss Angelica doesn't know that lung atrophy is a disease that cannot be completely cured."
"I know. I had a friend who died of asphyxia in the past."
Angelica shrugged. That was a thing that happened hundreds of years ago. She was not sure whether asthma could be cured in the world before she crossed over. But in the other world, asthma-like lung disease was a terminal illness. It was not fatal if managed properly. However, most civilians did not have the money to hire a private doctor to look after them.
"The price of the herbs that relieve lung breath is very expensive. I have to travel a long way to buy them from overseas pharmacists. Considering the economic situation of Flora's family, I have already lowered the price to the lowest. Flora's family can only rely on Flora's mother's income to maintain a basic life. Most of the income is used to pay for medical expenses. These medical expenses may be the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Dr. Rothschild was depressed. The environment of Gra Town did not support the cultivation of herbs for treating lung atrophy. In addition, the residents of Gra Town could not always help Flora's family. At this point, Angelica could vaguely infer the ins and outs of the situation. Flora's mother suffered from depression due to divorce and developed a disgust and resistance to men. She did not remarry. The treatment of lung atrophy exacerbated the deterioration of the family environment.
As she grew older, her income was no longer as high as before, and she had to sell her furniture to pay for medical expenses. Under the influence of depression, Flora's mother chose to end her life.
Dr. Rothschild felt very guilty about this. He probably felt that the medical expenses he paid led to the worst result. Rothschild always adhered to the idea of not charging high fees, which made him not save much money and could not fully share the medical expenses with Flora's mother.
"I see. Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Rothschild. I will bring the doctor's medicine to Flora."
When she returned to Flora's house, Angelica happened to see Flora kneeling and praying in front of a photo with her mother.
The camera has not been invented in the current other world, but the Seal Writing of the Pictor Sequence Nine can record the things drawn by the eyes on paper, achieving the effect of a camera.
Sometimes Angelica even wondered if the lack of progress in technology in the other world was related to the foundation of the magic sequence. In the other world, sequence nine magic was often extremely convenient and easy to learn in life. For example, Aurigais' sequence nine magic could enhance the ability to control the mount. Coachmen in many places mastered this basic magic to keep the carriage stable.
With the help of magic, perhaps there is no need to further research more convenient inventions... Angelica guessed.
In the photo frame, Flora is sitting in her mother's arms, smiling happily. Judging from the age on the photo, it was probably taken a few years ago.
"You must treasure this photo very much."
"Ms. Angelica? When did you... This is the memory of my mother and me, and it is also my treasure. I will never forgive the devil who killed my mother."
"I've figured out a solution for you."
Angelica took out two items from her arms, which were not the medicine that Dr. Rothschild gave to Angelica.
The first was a doll woven out of straw, and Flora saw the second only when she got closer.
"hair?"
"It's Rothschild's hair. Have you ever heard of a curse? It's a method of harming a double and transferring it to the original person."
Flora's eyes lit up. In her childhood stories, there were often scenes where witches killed people with magic. When she was little, she always thought that witches who used such despicable magic had very bad consciences. But now, Flora, who was in urgent need of revenge, felt that this was the most appropriate method.
"If I wrap my hair around the doll, I can hurt that guy, right? Very good! I will stick a thousand needles into the doll and then twist the doll's head off. It won't be enough to kill him ten thousand times-"
"I'm sorry. I can't do that."
Angelica rejected Flora with a blank expression.
"Magic is not illogical. A strand of hair can only be harmed once, after which it cannot be used as a medium again. Also, your hatred for Rothschild makes even me shudder."
"If you lost someone close to you, you would definitely hate it more than I do."
"Maybe."
Angelica closed her eyes and didn't argue with Flora.
"I will activate the magic circle of curse in the early morning. I have investigated the ley lines in Gra Town and found a suitable location."
"Leylines...? There is such a thing? Could it be that the reason I couldn't summon the devil before is... Never mind, I don't know much about magic."
…
Time passed quickly, and two sneaky figures appeared around the town of Gra at night. Angelica and Flora came to the woods outside the town of Gra. In Flora's opinion, there was nothing special about this place, but Angelica could infer that this was where the earth veins flowed.
Angelica drew the magic circle on the grass smoothly. Flora felt that she was stunned for a moment, and Angelica had already done all the preparations. Then the witch wrapped the hair stolen from Rothschild around the straw doll and placed it in the center of the magic circle. It was midnight, and the witch chanted a spell that Flora could not understand, and then handed the doll to Flora.
"Uh... is it okay? I thought it would cause a big noise."
"Now the doll connected to Rothschild's life is in your hands. Any damage you cause to the doll will be fed back to Rothschild. But I want to remind you that if you squeeze the doll hard or drop it on the ground, it will be considered as damage you have caused to it and will directly make the medium ineffective."
"I don't have that idea..."
Flora murmured quietly, she was unwilling to admit that her thoughts were seen through by the witch. Flora even couldn't help but complain why Angelica didn't get a few more hairs so that she could torture Rothschild more. In her opinion, her mother spent every year in pain, and killing Rothschild with a knife would be too easy for that villain.
But on second thought, the witch did provide a way to kill Rothschild and get away with it, so I couldn't ask for more.
Flora took out the steel needle that she had prepared long ago and fiercely pierced the heart of the straw doll. She nailed the doll to the tree trunk and even twisted it a few times. Angelica wanted to say that subsequent actions were meaningless. The moment the doll was pierced, the curse had taken effect.
"Huh...Huh...I didn't get to see that damn guy struggle with my own eyes. What a pity..."
"That being said, aren't you going to take the opportunity to go to his house?"
"That's right. That guy has a good reputation. People come to him for medical treatment every day. Someone will definitely find his body the next day."
In other words, the mother's will must be retrieved tonight. Flora thought the witch would immediately ask for a reward, but the witch said nothing, followed Flora with an indifferent look, and sneaked to the Rothschild mansion.
Dr. Rothschild did not hire any servants or even a dog. Flora was wondering how to sneak in. Angelica walked to the front door and deftly pried open the door lock with the wire in her hand
Flora was completely dumbfounded.
"Is it magic?"
"No, I learned this technique from a master craftsman before, but it's been a while since I used it, so it took me several seconds to pry it open."
"...I suddenly remembered something. How did you get that guy's hair? Hypnosis?"
"I stole it when he wasn't paying attention. I pretended to chat with him... and it was gone in a flash."
Flora was silent for a moment, and began to check her pockets to see if anything was missing.
"Don't be nervous, your pockets are cleaner than a fakir's head."
"Indeed...wait, how do you know that? Why can't you make money with this ability?"
"Because there are easier ways to make money."
Angelica tilted her head
"People used to be willing to donate money. I could spend money wherever I went by just saying 'I'm cute, please give me some money'. Unfortunately, it doesn't work now. The world has changed. Everyone has become so indifferent."
"Although there are some things I can't refute, I'm inexplicably angry."
Flora could not deny that Angelica was indeed very beautiful. The witches in the story were all old witches, but real witches were not only able to use magic to do evil, but their appearance was also extremely bewitching. Flora had no doubt that if she were a man, such a short time together would be enough to make her fascinated.
Even so, showing off one's beauty so blatantly is a bit...
"If you keep talking nonsense at the door, the night watchman will be patrolling here."
[Witch TIPS]
The immortal witch once seriously studied magic to sterilize herself, but was later stopped by "White".
"Menstrual cramps are Anjie's cute point!"
"Go to hell!!!"