The next day.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Miss, are you awake?" came a voice that woke up the sleeping Iris. Clearing her throat, she answered, "Yes."
"I am the physician," as the door opened, it revealed an old man with long a grey beard and grey hair.
Iris nodded. Getting permission, the old man entered the room.
"Good morning Miss."
Iris nodded once again.
"May I know your name," the old man asked.
"I think that knowing my name is not important," replied Iris with an expressionless face.
Hearing this, the Old Man gave an awkward laugh, but from inside, he felt embarrassed.
"You have recovered well, Miss," said the old man as he finished Iris's check-up.
Iris nodded. After a pause, the old man said, "You must be bored staying within these four walls. Please feel free to go around in the town," he said and left the room.
After he left, Iris laid back in her bed and was going to sleep again when she heard some shouts from outside. Noticing this, Iris sighed and decided to go to sleep again.
But to her demise, those shouts and mumbles did not stop, which irritated Iris. Getting up, she decided to take a look at what was happening.
Coming out of the room, she saw that the hall was full of people. They were gathered around a bed on which laid an infant. His face was pale, and he was constantly crying. Beside him was a woman who had tears in her eyes. The people surrounding them also had a dejected expression.
As Iris descended the stairs, the voices of the people became clearer. The woman that was probably the infant's mother said, "Can't we do anything, physician Xu?" with a teary voice.
With a sorrowful face, the physician shook his head and then said, "We have already given him the antidote made of Rerre, but it seems like it shows no effect."
Hearing this, the woman hugged the infant of the bed that was crying, near to her.
"Too bad for her, this was her first child."
"Her husband also died before the child's birth. She is truly unlucky."
As Iris passed by people, she could hear them talking. Listening to this, Iris had a smug expression on her face, "Pathetic fools," she mumbled and proceeded towards the physician.
Seeing her, the physician just nodded. "What happened?" she asked.
"A snake of the Xewea species bit this child," said the Physician.
"The Xewea species of snakes," Iris mumbled.
The Xewea species of snake. The snakes belonging to this species are far from dangerous. Their effect cannot be seen outside, but a single drop of their venom can evoke great pain in the body, especially the muscles, they start deteriorating, and eventually get torn.
"We have given the baby the antidote made from Rerre, but it seems like we were too late," the old man said with regret in his voice.
"He can be saved," Iris said.
Listening to her, the old man was dumbfounded. His dumbfounded expression slowly changed to ridicule towards Iris. He said, "Miss, if you don't know about medicine and poisons, it's better not to speak."
Iris smirked, it was more of a joke to her, studying poison since she was little, and then her master's knowledge. If she could not cure this, it would be a disgrace to her.
"I think you are in no place to speak, physician Xu. You were unable to cure that child, so you have no right to say that to me," said Iris with a calm and unbothered voice.
"You-," the old man was infuriated at her words, but he genuinely wanted that child to recover, so clenching his fists, he said, "What is the cure?"
"The liquid made of Black Sage and Rerre," Iris said.
Hearing her, the old man flared up. He said with a raised voice, "What are you saying? Do you even know what the Black Sage is?" The old man's voice startled everyone in the hall, making them look towards Iris.
"The Black Sage-," the physician was cut off by Iris, who said, "Is a plant that can cause paralysis."
Hearing these words, all the people gasped, and after a moment of shock, people started to whisper between themselves.
"You know and yet—."
"But I never said it could not cure," said Iris, making the people dumbfounded again.
Ignoring all their looks, Iris said, "The reason why Rerre is not working because it is just a pain reliever, for it to work, you need a muscle relaxant as well, which can relax the muscle. The Black Sage will help to relax the stiff muscle, whereas Rerre will help reduce the pain."
"But Black Sage is poison! How can it be used as a medicine?" said the physician in annoyance.
"You are wrong. The direct touch of the Black sage causes paralysis. Drinking a drop of it directly will make it work as a muscle relaxant," Iris answered.
"N-no way. Y-you don't know anything! Black Sage is a poison, and poisons cannot cure. They only kill," said the physician with confidence.
Iris did not say anything. In all those years she studied poison, she learned that they could act as a cure, but people always see them as something that can only kill. But she couldn't care more.
"I have given my opinion. Now it's up to you whether you use it or not. I will be taking my leave," said Iris as she turned around and proceeded towards her room. She did not bother to say or do anything more. Giving them the advice was more than she would ever do. "It's not related to me anyway," she mumbled.
What Iris did not notice was that she left a series of confusion behind her. The physician was in a dilemma. He still could not believe what he heard, a poison working as a cure.
"Let's do that," a voice came.
"What?"
"Yes, let's do it," said the child's mother. "If what she said can cure my child, I don't care if it is a poison," she continued.
"But—."
"He can't be cured and has not much time, that is what you said. He would die anyway. I don't want any kind of regrets, 'what if I had done that'," the woman said as she wiped her tears. Somewhere in her heart, she knew that what the girl told could cure her child. On the basis of her motherly instinct, she was ready to take the risk.
Listening to this, the physician was in no place to deny it, and so, he called for a servant.
"Bring the Black Sage, and keep in mind that you don't come in direct contact with it," the physician instructed.
After fifteen minutes, the Black Sage was presented in front of the physician. It was just like its name suggested, black. Its leaves had a mixed shade of green and black.
Carefully, the physician extracted a drop of the Black Sage and mixed it with the extract of the Rerre, the liquid was prepared in no time. Now the only thing left was to give it to the infant who looks as if he had passed out because of the pain.
The physician poured the liquid in the child's mouth, and now all they could do is wait.
After some time, it looked as if the liquid started to show some effect. The place where the snake bite was was turning to normal. Seeing that, the physician rushed to the child and did a check upon him. The outcome was indeed a surprise to him. He was dumbfounded.
"W-What happened?" asked the woman.
"He is cured," the physician said in a dilemma.