Chapter 790 - Chapter 7: Expedition to Southern Liber ⑤
As a result of the consultation, the arrangements were decided. The invisible Vice-Chieftain, Yorg-sama, the Jeanne of Sertogne who merged with the Wetlands Priestess and holds the possessed stone, and Ancelotti-sama will infiltrate ahead and test the magic water on the first infected person they find. Then, once it's known to be effective, those among the participants who understand the continental language... especially the language of the peninsula on the opposite shore... to some extent, or who can speak the language of some region of the continent... will infiltrate to gather information and snatch five more patients, meaning a large-scale operation involving a total of six people will be deployed. The prospective participants are Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Will, Bonnie, the Duke of Naonent, and the three nobles, totaling eight people. Those staying behind are Wilson-san and me. Bonnie had somehow become fluent in the continental language. She apparently received lessons from Eleanor-sama. The reason Wilson-san stayed behind is likely to guard me, who absolutely cannot be infected. I feel somehow bad. Or rather, aren't there too many prospective participants?
After seeing off the advance party wearing the new epidemic prevention suits, the rear party immediately began an operational meeting.
"As expected, gathering information at a tavern is the best way."
It's Eleanor-sama. Activity at taverns should have been a standard tactic for Sertorian scouts.
"That is good. In fact, I have stayed in the town on the opposite shore several times."
"Once, the three of us came together on a pilgrimage. It is a good memory."
"Indeed, indeed."
The three nobles apparently have a favorite tavern.
"What do you think? This infiltration would have been impossible without the Dragonewt-dono. I would very much like him to taste the wine of this land."
Hey, you bearded old man! Isn't your purpose already different?
"Truly, a good idea!"
"Indeed. Indeed. Let us certainly do so."
Somehow, the three of them are getting excited! Is this okay?
Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama, when I look at them, are also happy together... I don't know anymore!
"However, hospitality is fine, but I wonder if you all can converse fluently with the Dragonewt-dono at a banquet?"
Good one, Duke of Naonent! The Vice-Chieftain has only been speaking the language of the White Island. Yorg-sama was translating everything. At this, even the three nobles fell silent. It would be impossible while sober, let alone after drinking.
"Could you let me join? I can speak the language of the White Island."
"I see! That is a good idea."
"With this, our friendship will deepen even more."
"Certainly, certainly. As expected of the Duke of the Duchy of Naonent!"
Ah, it's no use. They can't be stopped anymore.
"However, what shall we call him? It is a bit inconvenient to call him Dragonewt-dono. On the other hand, would it be appropriate to ask when he has not revealed his true name?"
The Duke of Naonent raised a new problem. He's quite shrewd. But if the hospitality falls through because of this...
"What do you think? Is there a good Sertorian-style name?"
He's asking Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama.
"What do you think? Wilhelmina. Does any good name come to mind?"
Of all people, he's asking Will. She'll definitely come up with a good name.
"Let's see... then, how about Philning-dono?"
Philning, could it be...
"It means 'fierce one' in the ancient language of the White Island. I believe it is a name befitting him. I hope he likes it."
Before I knew it, Will had learned the ancient language... even though I struggled so much... As expected of the difference between someone aiming to be a state chancellor and a stray...
"Umu. That will do!"
Henry-sama gave an immediate OK.
"That is wonderful, Wilhelmina. I was right to ask you."
"It is thanks to your guidance."
It's already settled. The Duke of Naonent is also happy. The three nobles are in high spirits.
"Then, shall we all head out together?"
"Let's do that."
Even Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama joined in, and it was settled.
When I look at Wilson-san, he's looking down and sighing. Let's exchange complaints with each other as fellow stay-at-homes.
When the sun went down, the Priestess suddenly entered by passing through the wall.
"It worked!"
Everyone erupted at once.
Just like that, the Vice-Chieftain carried in a patient who was shaven-headed and stark naked. Everyone was in epidemic prevention suits... of course, the Vice-Chieftain and the Priestess weren't wearing them. Wilson-san doesn't need one, but since explaining is a hassle, I'm having him wear it.
"Did it really work?"
The Duke of Naonent asked. If it's a mistake, the suits can't be taken off.
"There is no mistake. This patient was moaning with high fever, but now the fever has subsided and his condition is stable."
Looking at him, the tips of his fingers and toes are pitch black, centered around the nails. There are spots here and there too.
"Look at the base of this thigh."
Looking, there's a lump in the inner thigh.
"Before treatment, this was as large as a chicken's egg."
When I look at the Wetlands Priestess, she's nodding deeply.
Ancelotti-sama says that this lump is the first way to identify Black Rot Disease. And if it grows to egg size, or as large as an apple at the base of the leg or armpit, there's no hope left. At that point, the high fever apparently won't subside. Now the fever is down, and there's nothing that can be called a large lump.
"Why is he naked?"
The Duke of Naonent asked.
This is simple.
"Because there is a possibility of infection through clothes or sheets. Washing with clean water is not enough. They must be burned or boiled in boiling water. We could not go that far, so the Priestess shaved his hair and made him naked."
He's nodding greatly. It can be called appropriate treatment. After that, the Vice-Chieftain apparently washed his body with Clump Water. Kind!
"Then, it's bathing. The preparations are ready."
The magic water was emptied into two water tanks, leaving one barrel. Since he's male, after soaking the patient in the front water tank and pulling him up, he regained consciousness.
"&! #$& &() 'L? +'!"
He's pointing at us and shouting something.
"He is saying we are messengers of death."
The Duke of Naonent translated immediately.
I'd really like him to say messengers of life, but everyone is wearing pitch-black epidemic prevention suits. Well, it can't be helped.
"~·;&$!"
The ones not wearing suits are the Vice-Chieftain and the Wetlands Priestess, but the patient chose the Vice-Chieftain and clung to his feet. He probably thought he was the boss because he's the biggest.
"He is asking to be saved."
The Vice-Chieftain, hearing Yorg-sama's translation, crouched down and brought his face close with a jerk. Yorg-sama crouched beside him.
Yorg-sama spoke to him in the language of this land.
The patient is nodding desperately.
Yorg-sama is saying something while pointing to the Vice-Chieftain. After the patient recoiled for a moment, he began to prostrate himself before the Vice-Chieftain.
When Yorg-sama said something more, he timidly raised his face and looked at the Vice-Chieftain.
The Vice-Chieftain gave a grin, then deactivated Camouflage and revealed his true form. At the same time, he let out a roar in a restrained manner.
Pity, the patient foamed at the mouth and fainted.
"I told him we are messengers of the great dragon. He will surely believe it."
I understood after hearing Yorg-sama's explanation. In short, it's a farce.
I wonder who thought of it?
"It went well."
"It was a brilliant plan."
When Eleanor-sama said so, Yorg-sama responded. Just as I thought.
"What on earth does this mean?"
Even the Duke of Naonent is left behind. The three nobles all look at Eleanor-sama together.
According to Eleanor-sama, even if we say we came from the White Island, we won't be believed. Even if they did believe us, we are heathens. It would be unbearable to be treated as heretics. For humans, she decided to make it so that we used the secret medicine of the dragon to save humans, utilizing the form of the Vice-Chieftain, who could be called a messenger of the dragon in a sense.
Since we're wearing epidemic prevention suits that cover even our heads and have visors over our faces, our expressions can't be seen. However, she must surely be triumphant.
"This is what they call profound foresight."
"What a wonderful idea. As expected of Eleanor-sama the strategist!"
"Indeed, indeed!"
If you praise her too much, she'll get carried away.
Eleanor-sama, praised by the three nobles, immediately invited the Vice-Chieftain to gather information. See, she got carried away. The Duke of Naonent and the three nobles are following suit, saying they definitely want to guide him.
As for the Vice-Chieftain, he greatly liked the temporary name Will thought of—or rather, the common name to be used with humans—and is very eager. Once it's like this, it won't stop.
The overjoyed Yorg-sama and Ancelotti-sama consulted, decided on a meeting place, and departed immediately. The ones staying behind are Wilson-san and me.
"Then, Jeanne, Wilson. I leave the rest to you."
As soon as Eleanor-sama said so, she threw off her epidemic prevention suit. The information-gathering group all followed suit.
"Well, I have to go too."
The Wetlands Priestess hurriedly stuffs magic water into a barrel. I want to think it's better that she didn't forget that part.
The outgoing group, who were very excited, finished their bathing in order and left just like that.
"What shall we do?"
I asked Wilson-san, who was sighing while taking off his suit.
"It can't be helped. It would have turned out like this sooner or later."
That might indeed be true.
"But even if magic water works on Black Rot Disease, it's not necessarily going to work on other epidemics, right? Won't they bring back some strange disease that magic water doesn't work on?"
"When that happens, it happens. We have experts in medicinal herbs and people with knowledge and experience. Besides, if the Vice-Chieftain is here, we can return. Let's do what we can do."
I see. Someone who has been forced to deal with delinquent old men for so long is different.
Even if I say what I can do, it's limited. I've already finished the bathing. While the fainted patient was being quiet, I tied his hands and feet so he couldn't move and blindfolded him. Then, I laid him on the bed in the room for patients. After that, it's observation of symptoms.
"The tips of his fingers and toes are turning black."
"Yes. Is this the origin of the name Black Rot?"
"Most likely so."
"This didn't heal, did it?"
"Heal might be able to cure it."
"Is that so?"
According to Wilson-san, there's a possibility that the flesh in the black parts is rotting. If so, as long as there's no loss of parts, it might be curable with Heal. Unfortunately, Heal can't be used here. If anything, it would be better to transport him to Naonent and fix him.
"There are spots all over his body, right?"
"Yes."
There are spots just like bruises.
"These haven't been cured by magic water either. They are probably hemorrhagic spots. Perhaps as a result of the blood turning bad due to the epidemic, it's turning black from the tips of the fingers and toes, which are the extremities of the body."
"T-Then, the blood of the whole body..."
"Yes, there is a possibility."
Turning pitch black like a monster and dying. If the cause is blood, it's apparently possible. If it's true, it might not be a disease, but truly a curse.
"Hmm? What is this?"
In the place Wilson-san is pointing, there's a very small, strangely shaped spot.
"It's an insect bite."
"Is that so?"
"It resembles a flea or tick bite."
I don't understand at all.
"I was a serf when I was alive. I spent time in livestock sheds and was bitten often."
Hmm. There was a livestock shed at the orphanage too, but I don't really have any memory...
"Nakanohara has a complete sewage system. Eleanor-sama said so, didn't she? Places with complete sewage systems have fewer epidemics and those kinds of parasites."
I think she said something like that in the research presentation on mice...
"Come to think of it, Keira was saying. Wild mice and wild rabbits have lots of those insects, but demon mice don't. She said it's probably because they die from sucking the demon's blood..."
My eyes met Wilson-san's suddenly. We are surely thinking the same thing.
"Fleas and ticks. This patient's hair has been shaved."
"Yes. The Wetlands Priestess shaved it."
It's shaved roughly and is patchy.
"It must be lice. The Wetlands Priestess was in that fortress. Especially the men must have kept their hair short as a countermeasure against lice. This patient wasn't found in a decent environment anyway. The Wetlands Priestess didn't want to bring in lice lurking in the hair. Even if that itself was a coincidence, this bite mark..."
Indeed, among the Wetlands Knight Order, many of those of the same generation as the Priestess had their hair cut short. They were stationed at the fortress. The Priestess knew.
More importantly, if Black Rot Disease is transmitted by being bitten by lice, fleas, or ticks... Suppose parasites like fleas, lice, and ticks are somewhere in nature; it would surely be in the forests or woods. It's because they parasitize wild mice and wild rabbits. If they were to come to human dwellings from there... There are monsters on the White Island. Just as there are mice in the sewers... Parasites stick to monsters, suck their blood, and die.
"Wilson-san! Perhaps the Goddess's protection is..."
"Yes. It might be the existence of monsters themselves."
It is said that the White Island is protected from epidemics by the Goddess's power. If one of the infection routes for epidemics was through parasites, the monsters living in the forests surrounding human settlements were cutting off that infection route. The mice in the sewers are staying there now that sewers have developed and they aren't easily exterminated by humans, but they were originally in the forests around settlements. And the epidemic infection rate in towns with developed underground sewers is lower compared to towns and villages that aren't. Monsters, starting with mice, were protecting humans...
"That might be so. The Goddess makes no distinction between humans and monsters."
"Yes. They are the same living things inhabiting the White Island."
I was taught so by the Headmistress. That way of thinking is something Violet and the spirits greatly agree with.
"Jeanne always offered prayers even after defeating monsters. Do you remember what the Vice-Chieftain said? That is why Jeanne was chosen by light magic."
My case aside, if we exterminate fleas and lice, we might be able to prevent Black Rot Disease.