Chapter 114
Before departing for the kingdom, Elena first checked the warehouse.
‘We don’t know what kind of epidemic it might be.’
She quickly inspected the supplies to see if any medications were running low or missing.
‘This should be enough.’
Thankfully, there were no significant shortages, allowing her to avoid wasting time.
Once her preparations were complete, Elena wrote a letter for Lexion.
‘I’ve already informed him that my trial starts today, but…’
It was impossible to estimate how long it might last, so she wrote to calm his concerns as much as possible:
I’ll return soon, so don’t worry too much.
After leaving the note in Lexion’s bedroom, she headed back to the tower.
With everything set, she proceeded to the basement where the portals were located.
‘The portal closest to the Kenen Kingdom…’
The Kenen Kingdom was an island situated in the western part of the continent.
The waves surrounding the kingdom were quite rough, making it impossible to cross unless you were an experienced sailor.
It’s fortunate though.
‘There’s a portal on the island that borders the Kenen Kingdom.’
Elena grinned and stepped into the portal she had found.
Immediately, the salty scent of the sea filled the air.
She opened her eyes and exhaled softly, gazing at the vast ocean.
“It’s beautiful.”
The emerald sea and the clear blue sky were stunning.
But this wasn’t the Kenen Kingdom.
To reach the Kenen Kingdom, she would need to head further west from this island.
‘I don’t have a boat right now, and I’m not about to swim.’
Elena enveloped her body in magic and closed her eyes, focusing on the thought of the
‘Kenen Kingdom.’
Her body was soon encased in a beam of light and vanished.
When Elena opened her eyes again, she was floating in the sky.
Her lips curled darkly.
“I’ve arrived. Kenen Kingdom!”
At her feet, a busy harbor stretched out.
Merchants were selling fresh fish, buyers were haggling for deals, and children ran through the alleys.
The atmosphere was peaceful everywhere.
‘Is there really an epidemic here?’
For a moment, Elena wondered.
She observed the scene for a while before slipping into a quieter alley.
There, she deactivated the invisibility spell cloaking her.
She paused briefly to assess her remaining energy, as teleportation magic drains a significant amount of mana.
‘Fortunately, this spell was a success.’
It had used up much less energy than it had in the past.
She let out a small laugh and stepped out of the alley.
As she walked through the area she had been observing earlier, a strange feeling crept over her.
‘By the way…’
There seemed to be no signs of an epidemic.
Everyone appeared lively and healthy.
‘What if?’
To treat an epidemic, the first step was to go where it had already spread.
‘And she mentioned I can’t get help from a wizard while I’m on trial.’
That meant ordinary citizens could provide assistance.
“Excuse me,” Elena said, approaching a fruit vendor.
“Welcome, pretty girl! Everything in our shop is delicious!”
“Ah, sorry to bother you, but is there any place in Kenen where an epidemic is spreading?”
“Epidemic? What do you mean?”
“Yes, I’ve heard there’s a place affected by it.”
“Huh. I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
Judging by the merchant’s expression, he seemed genuinely unaware.
“I see. Thank you,” Elena replied.
“Come back anytime!”
After thanking the vendor, Elena approached what looked like a local and asked the same question.
He didn’t know either.
She kept asking person after person, but no one had any idea where the epidemic might be originating.
‘…Why?’
The Kenen Kingdom wasn’t very large.
If an epidemic were spreading, rumors should have reached the port by now.
Yet neither the merchant, the local, nor anyone else seemed to have any knowledge of it.
‘Why…’
With that thought, Elena left the port, deep in contemplation.
It was time to head down the narrow path when a small voice called out,
“Ex-excuse me.”
The voice was young and timid.
Elena immediately turned around.
Standing there was a little girl, no older than seven, with curly hair, gazing up at her.
“Did you call me?” Elena asked, putting on her kindest expression.
The child nodded in response.
Lowering herself to the girl’s eye level, Elena spoke gently,
“What is it, sweetheart? How can I help you?”
Her kind tone caused the girl’s eyes to well up as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Uh, me, the epidemic, uh, it’s my village, my mom and dad are… Hic,” the little girl stammered, then began to cry sadly as she spoke.
‘Epidemic…?’
Elena gently embraced the crying child. The epidemic was part of her mission, but she couldn’t simply stand by and watch the child in distress.
“It must have been so hard for you. It’s okay, you can cry,” she comforted.
“Please, help Mom and Dad. Hic,” the child sobbed.
“Yes, I will. That’s why Sister is here.”
“Ahhhh!”
The child, still in Elena’s arms, let out a deep cry.
Elena patiently soothed and comforted her until the tears eventually subsided.
They both sat together on a rock by the roadside, and the girl began to speak more calmly.
“I followed Sister when I saw you asking the Aunts and Uncles about the epidemic.”
“I see,” Elena replied.
“I’m from Sore Village. A few days ago, my mom and dad got weird… And the village aunts, uncles, Brother Tommy, and Sister Seria… Everyone has turned weird.”
“Weird? How did they change?”
“They started making strange sounds, attacking animals like wild beasts, and even attacking people.”
“…What?”
“Mom and Dad didn’t recognize me anymore. They tried to attack me, but I ran away. Then the capital guards came and beat the people when they tried to attack me. But one of the guards was bitten by Uncle Jack… and he changed just like the others.”
As the child spoke, a strange sense of familiarity washed over Elena.
‘Wait, haven’t I heard something like this before?’
People not recognizing each other, attacking living creatures, spreading an infection through bites…
‘…Isn’t this like a zombie outbreak?’
Elena couldn’t help but sigh.
Seeing zombies in this world felt like something out of fiction, but…
‘No, it’s possible.’
After all, this world had its fair share of strange occurrences, and a zombie epidemic was certainly not out of the question.
‘Maybe it’s a side story I haven’t come across, or it’s from somewhere else.’
Then she wondered,
‘…Can I even handle this?’
From what she knew, zombies could only be stopped by destroying their heads.
‘Is there any kind of cure?’
Unfortunately, in all the novels and movies she’d seen in her previous life, no cure for zombies existed.
‘There has to be something, though.’
At least, nothing came to mind from her past knowledge.
‘…This is bad.’
Elena let out a soft sigh.
“Sister?” the anxious child called, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking for a moment,” Elena said with a gentle smile.
“Can you help our village?”
Even if it seemed impossible, she had no choice but to try. After all, this was her first trial.
Elena nodded firmly.
“Yes. I’ll help you.”
The child’s face lit up slightly at her words.
“By the way, my name is Elena. What’s your name?”
“I’m Lily.”
“Lily, that’s a lovely name,” Elena grinned, and Lily giggled along with her.
“Oh, Lily, I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t the people at the port know about the epidemic?”
“Ah, that…” Lily hesitated before explaining.
After hearing that the capital guards had been attacked by the villagers, royal soldiers from the Kenen Kingdom were sent. They used weapons to subdue the villagers and imprisoned most of them.
‘…That’s a relief. It could’ve turned into a zombie outbreak.’
The Kenen Kingdom was a wealthy nation thanks to its jewelry exports, which allowed it to import powerful weapons.
“Lily, have you seen any zom—No, I mean your townspeople, running around?”
Elena suddenly became curious about the zombies’ speed. If they moved quickly, it would’ve been much harder to control them, even with the kingdom’s weapons.
“No, they don’t run. That’s how I was able to get away from Mom and Dad,” Lily answered, her shoulders slumping.
‘So it was possible to contain them.’
Thankfully, the zombies here didn’t seem to evolve like the ones in the movies from her previous life.
‘Now, there’s only one problem left.’
The cure.
‘How in the world do I cure this?’
A headache started to form, and Elena let out a small groan as she stood up.
She extended her hand to Lily.
“Lily, can you take me to your village?”
For now, she needed to assess the villagers’ condition first.
