episode_0346

Although we had to go a long way, it was easy because we were fully prepared.

Usually, commoners worked in areas where there were rice fields, so they had to travel quite a distance by carriage.

But don’t I have Damon?

After returning from a tour of the front lines, I took Damon, who was taking a rest, and the first place I stopped by was the place where the epidemic broke out and became a big problem.

Since the problem had grown the most here, I thought it would be quick to find the cause.

‘Crop damage was severe due to locusts here too.’

As soon as I entered the city, what I saw was a black, burnt rice field.

Around there, commoners could be seen tending the fields.

‘It looks like you got hurt by a locust.’

The expressions on the faces of all the commoners were gloomy.

There were also people who were sobbing and crying.

Although the locust monster was resolved, there were many people who could not escape the shock of that day.

“The atmosphere is very scary.”

It’s hard to come to your senses because all the things you worked hard to raise have been stolen by hordes of monsters.

“Move quickly! What are you doing!!”

Managers scolded the commoners who had lost motivation and urged them to continue working.

‘Did the wound cause an infectious disease?’

One thing that everyone has in common is the scratches on their bodies.

It is said that the locust monster bit him when he attacked first, so those scratches were probably made by the monster.

If a nobleman had been bitten, he would have treated it right away, but commoners were not in a position to afford such luxury.

It seemed like I was at a loss as to how to spend this winter.

The entire city is full of gloom and gloom.

“It’s normal for there to be at least one or two people who are sick.”

After looking around the city, I visited the medical center.

I planned to find out if there was anything unusual before the epidemic broke out.

“Hmm, it’s suspicious… .”

The congressman, who mainly deals with commoners, shook his head when I asked whether any patients had shown suspicious symptoms.

“There was none. As you can see, there are a lot of patients with bruises.”

“Hasn’t there been a case where a patient came in complaining of strange aftereffects after being bitten by a locust?”

“There wasn’t any. If something like that had happened, I would have remembered it. At least, there were some who came with mental and physical weakness due to shock. Because it was such a shocking thing. Did you know that there were people who died because their entire bodies were bitten off by those guys? Egg! “It’s disgusting, Won.”

“So all the patient had was a bruise.”

“yes. “Recently, the only patients who came here were those who were eaten by grasshoppers or those who suffered from abdominal pain after eating something wrong.”

I left the medical center after asking them to let me know at any time if anything came to mind.

It was still too early to find evidence of an infectious disease.

Not only did I go to the medical center, but I also visited inns and bars and listened to what people were saying.

But there was no clue about the epidemic.

I feel like I came here too early.

‘If there is nothing resembling an infectious disease, it must be lurking in the body.’

It’s hard to believe that just a few days later, this place became a place where an epidemic broke out so badly that people died in large numbers.

Although it wasn’t lively because of the locusts, it was still a place where people were living just fine.

A village where heads of families struggle to survive this year.

“Do you think I’ll have to stay here for a while?”

I rented a room at an inn and unpacked.

Meanwhile, Damon, who had been looking around outside, came into the room through the window.

“Did you find anything?

-no.

“Is there anything?”

-huh. It was just an ordinary town, right? The only thing unusual about this village was the burned rice fields.

“How are the people?”

-There are a lot of kids crying because they are hungry. It doesn’t seem like adults are eating their fill. I guess they’re busy trying to find food here and there. Even if you do that, you won’t be able to find rice that wasn’t there before? If it were me, I would at least go out to the forest and hunt. Incompetent and stupid people.

“You also get depressed when you can’t eat. “These people must be miserable when their families are starving.”

As you know, I spent more time living as a commoner than as a powerful person.

The reason commoners cannot earn a living on their own is because powerful nobles have their hands on them and are exploiting the remaining people.

Because they were not born as awakened people, commoners work and live for nobles their entire lives.

This time too, any grains that survived the locust will be taken away by the nobles.

“You don’t know the lives of powerless people. Those people are doing the best job they can. “To feed my family.”

-… … .

Damon didn’t answer what I said.

The fact that he didn’t refute was proof that he didn’t just listen to what I said.

-Hmph, I’ll look around some more.

Damon hummed and snorted and went out the window.

Even if I wandered around outside, I didn’t think I would get any good information, but since I had other things to do, I just left it alone.

“I’m sure it’s still an incubation period… .”

Because we arrived earlier than planned, it seemed like we were in a situation where we couldn’t find any evidence of an infectious disease.

I have no idea what the cause of the epidemic is, and it seems like there is no other way than to watch the situation.

‘If this happens, doesn’t it make it worthwhile to come early?’

The only thing I could do was think about how to use the grain at the top.

If you see with your own eyes how the commoners are doing, wouldn’t you be able to come up with a good idea?

‘Actually, seeing it is something new. ‘I’ve already seen it many times before.’

While working as a mercenary, I saw commoners starving to death more than once.

‘It’s definitely going to be the worst. Most of the remaining grain will go to the nobles, and the nobles will also hoard the remaining grain.’

It is truly painful to watch people suffering from hunger.

Aren’t food, clothing and shelter the most basic needs for humans?

But I won’t give away the grain at the top just because I sympathize with them.

‘Because the amount of grain that the upper class has is not enough to sustain all the commoners.’

It’s not like peeing on your feet.

There are too many living commoners and too little grain to be used that way.

This was a matter for which there was no answer even if the imperial palace actively sought relief.

“The only thing I can do is prevent the spread of infectious diseases as much as possible… .”

There’s so much chaos because there’s nothing to eat, and there’s even an epidemic?

‘It’s the worst of the worst.’

I decided to put my brain to work and try to find the cause of the epidemic.

‘In dramas, the most common reason for an infectious disease outbreak is drinking water.’

The thing I was most careful about when I came here was eating.

What if I, who is supposed to prevent an infectious disease, actually suffers from an infectious disease?

So, from the time I came here, I stopped buying food from outside and ate it from the item window.

Although the food served at the store was not very tasty, it was believed that it would help prevent infectious diseases.

Just as I was thinking that I should go check on the drinking water as soon as the sun rises.

‘?’

Suddenly a thought occurred to me.

“I was a stupid bastard.”

Right now, there was a pile of combat rations in my item window, as if they had been copied.

If you were to use it all, it would be enough to last you a lifetime.

When you run the lottery to give items to the top, battle rations accumulate, but since battle rations are not particularly popular, even the top does not receive them often.

Would you be satisfied with the combat rations made to fill the stomachs of precious nobles?

It was natural.

‘But commoners are different. ‘Because they have nothing to eat, they are ready to dig up dirt.’

But commoners are different.

The taste of the food wasn’t that important as long as it filled my stomach.

That is, in the first place, I did not have to worry about whether or not I should share the small amount of grain.

‘They said they didn’t know who was lying down with the sickle. Why didn’t I think of this even after seeing this? ‘This is absurd.’

How glad I am that I realized it just now.

Combat rations will provide ample comfort to those who are starving to death because they have nothing to eat.

“I pulled this out and wondered where I could use it. “In the end, it comes in handy like this.”

Perhaps the common people will not starve to death this winter if the epidemic is prevented.

If you just give it away, it can be used carelessly, so I thought it would be better to put it on the top at a price that commoners can afford.

Then wouldn’t the top side also be able to cover labor costs?

‘I hope this can prevent infectious diseases.’

It was still something to wait and see.

※ ※ ※

They contacted the upper level through Damon, and instead of conveying the news that grain should be sold at maximum profit, they would distribute combat rations to commoners at a low price.

Erintina did not reject my offer.

After receiving confirmation from me several times that he was okay, he was so happy that he wanted to die.

It’s to the point where I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t told them to use the grain however they wanted.

“hello.”

And the next day, I met the person Erintina had assigned me.

“I will leave it up to you.”

They told me to try it out, so I had no choice but to meet them and try to do it for them, and it was fortunate that I had something to do with them.

“How much do you know about the story?”

“I was just told to do what I was told to do here.”

“Then you don’t know the situation at all.”

Erintina seemed to have sent it to them without explaining the details.

I thought it went well.

“There is food here. From now on, you can settle down in this village and sell this.”

“Can I take a look at the product?”

“Sure. “You can try it.”

“Was it something to eat?”

“yes.”

Perhaps because he was from the top, he became angry when he was told that he had to sell products.

It made no sense for people at the top to not be able to sell products, so it was natural.

“There’s a bit of a problem.”

The people who checked the combat rations spoke to me with a troubled expression.