My original goal was to slip into the merchant guild that I had secretly worked on and head south to the kingdom of Cantos.
However, I abandoned that plan when Julion discovered my connection to the guilds.
Even if it wasn’t revealed that I was the owner of the guilds, Julion would definitely investigate everything because he knew there was some connection between us.
So the next best option was to take a detour.
There was a ship from the southwest port of Henrietta to the west, to the kingdom of Reno, then to the original destination, the kingdom of Cantos.
It was a long journey, taking about two months, but I intended to enjoy the trip and cleanse my status in the process.
‘Now, I have to change those plans.’
I don’t like it when plans change. But with the way things had turned out, I couldn’t leave as planned.
“How did this happen…….”
Zenid was speechless at the sight in front of her. Bodies scattered everywhere, decaying. Amidst those bodies were the groans of the sick. Even the distant castle was half-burnt and crumbling.
“Please… save us…”
“Give us something to eat, please…”
At the sight of a stranger, the people flail their hands and feet, begging for help. Blood flowed from their eyes and noses, and their nails were stained black.
I took a few steps back from the people who were trying to cling to my mother and Zenid.
“Zenid, cover your nose and mouth, and make sure you don’t touch anything. Teveroca, too.”
“…Yes.”
I also covered my nose and mouth with a robe.
‘This is much more serious than what Descartes said.’
I had some expectations, but this was beyond my imagination.
This was an epidemic. And a very high fatality rate at that.
We still couldn’t determine the vector, but there were suspicions about the cause.
When I heard it from Descartes, I was skeptical, but seeing it with my own eyes made it certain
.
‘It’s Cassian’s doing. He finally carried out his plan to spread the disease.’
In my mother’s diary, she wrote that Duke Cassian had asked her to create a deadly disease to spread among the people.
At that time, my mother refused, but ultimately, it seemed that his wicked plan was carried out.
Was it created by another apothecary?
Or… was it created by my mother, who had lost her memory and emotions?
I glanced back at my mother, standing behind me.
Since she seemed to know a lot about this disease, there might be some connection.
“Teveroca. I really need to know for sure. How do you know about this disease?”
My mother’s clear, sky-blue eyes met mine.
I asked again.
“Does it have anything to do with Cassian? Did you… create it yourself?”
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The man who had collapsed in front of the marketplace in Rangel’s territory.
He was convulsing like he was going to die, but mother said she could heal him with just a syringe.
And indeed, by simply extracting blood from a few places, she managed to cure him.
She extracted blood from under both collarbones and both ankles, and the moment blood appeared, the onlookers, including myself, were startled.
“Isn’t the color of that blood a bit strange?”
Someone muttered in disbelief. I felt the same way.
It wasn’t the deep crimson color that indicates toxin buildup, nor was it the green hue of Mordheim poison. It was scarlet, a color I hadn’t expected.
But my mother didn’t seem surprised, as if she already knew.
Only after the syringe was filled with crimson blood did the scarlet color start to show.
By then, the man’s convulsions had stopped.
“We need… blood generation pills.”
My mother quietly requested the medicine.
Luckily, I always carried blood-generation pills with me, so I could provide them without needing to go to the pharmacy.
After pouring the medicine into the man’s mouth, she let out a short breath.
“Now, we wait for him to wake up.”
“It looks like a disease I’ve never seen before. Do you know about this disease?”
My mother thought for a moment before answering simply.
“If not treated early, there’s a high chance of death.”
“So, detecting it as soon as possible is crucial.”
Until then, I had simply assumed it was a new disease I wasn’t aware of.
If it were my mother, she might know things I didn’t.
But when the man woke up and shouted, I sensed that the situation was more complex than I thought.
“Am I alive? Did I survive? I’m alive. Oh my, oh my!”
“Don’t move too vigorously. Let me check your condition. Can you open your eyes wider?”
“You’ve cured me; thank you. Thank you so much, Doctor!”
The man examined his body and shed tears of gratitude.
The surrounding people, stunned, couldn’t contain their amazement.
“You’re completely healed!”
“What happened to you? You looked seriously ill, but now you’re fine.”
“I’ve never seen blood that color in my life. It looked strange at first glance, but now he’s all better.”
“After extracting blood with those eerie needles… it actually worked as a treatment?”
After the commotion settled down, I cautiously asked the man,
“Can you explain what happened? It seems to be a rare disease.”
“I’m not sure either. It might be related to my visit to the Mormic Territory, but…”
“Mormic? That village beyond the mountains? But as far as I know, there aren’t any special endemic diseases there.”
“Well, you see…”
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking decisively.
The words that came out of his mouth were somewhat shocking.
He explained that he went to Mormic to meet a friend who had moved there.
But there were so many sick people, and the smell of burning bodies was everywhere, so he quickly left before meeting his friend.
“It was a very strange feeling. I was worried about Okan, but I was so scared that I just came back. But then my body started to shiver, and… after that, I don’t remember anything.”
“When did you leave Mormic?”
“It was four days ago, around evening.”
In that case, the incubation period cannot be considered long.
However, the situation was by no means optimistic.
There was little to no way of knowing whether the man’s illness had indeed originated in Mormic, and if so, how contagious it might be, or whether others here had been infected by him.
To find out for sure, it seemed necessary to go to Mormic.
I asked the man. “What’s your name?”
“Oh, it’s Descartes.”
“Alright, Descartes, it would be best for you to book a room at the inn and not go outside for a while. There’s a possibility that you haven’t fully recovered from the illness and could still transmit it to others.”
“Huh? But I have other plans!”
“Given that both me and my companions have been exposed to the disease, we’ll cancel all plans for now and isolate ourselves.”
“Even you, Doctor? You seem perfectly healthy. Is it really necessary?”
“Better safe than sorry, Descartes. We don’t want Rangel to become like Mormic, do we?”
When I explained the worst-case scenario to the nonchalant Descartes, he nodded in understanding.
“……Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Seeing Descartes comply, I sighed in relief.
In truth, I wanted to quarantine everyone Descartes had come into contact with since leaving Mormic.
‘But that’s practically impossible.’
What if we blocked off Rangel’s streets and closed them to traffic for a while? If we did that for just a week, it might slow down the spread to other villages.
But there was no way the territory’s lord would seal his estate at the behest of a mere doctor. No matter how small Rangel was, countless people passed through it every day. To close the road for them would be like asking them to give up their profits for a week.
Furthermore, suddenly blocking the roads would lead to complaints and discontent among the people.
‘Using the authority of the crown princess would make it easier to resolve, but…’
Because I don’t know what Julion’s order was, I couldn’t recklessly reveal my identity.
If my location was only exposed to Julion, it would be somewhat unfortunate.
I’m uncertain if my status as a Lady of Cassian would lead to my immediate capture.
Of course, Julion wouldn’t have ordered such a thing, but it might be the lord of this territory’s arbitrary action. If such an event were to occur, the consequences would be dire.
I felt a tug on my sleeve as I thought about this.
Turning my head, I saw my mother looking at me with a face suggesting she had something to say.
“Teveroca?”
I called her by the name she recognized as a sign that she could speak if she had something to say, and she opened her mouth.
“No need for isolation… I can identify the infected.”
