Ch.445Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

The sun wraps the golden earth in a sticky, burning heat, and the dry wind makes grains of sand dance.

The endless wasteland is silent, as if it has absorbed even a single tear shed by the sun.

A pure desolation untouched by human hands. And onto it steps a single sneaker.

-SCREEEECH-!!

A whirlwind erupts, breaking the desert’s silence.

It was the doing of a monster wrapped in armor reminiscent of stone.

A rock-colored shell rises up, churning through the sand. Sand cascades down like water flowing through a valley.

As if threatening the uninvited guest who entered its territory, the monster that revealed itself let out a ferocious cry.

-KYAAAAAAAK-!!

Having pierced the sandy depths with tremendous force and bringing a fierce whirlwind, the monster began to glare at the intruder.

The tranquility of the uninhabited zone had long been sucked into chaos with its intense appearance. Just like those grains of sand scattering into underground cavities.

While tense soldiers aimed their guns at the monster.

Step by step, a girl wearing sneakers placed her foot on the sand.

“……”

Red hair swayed in the rough wind carrying grains of sand. Blue eyes captured the image of the monster.

As sharp claws accompanied by a monstrous roar were swung.

Camilla spread her fingers and pointed at the monster.

And then,

“Bang!”

The playful incantation began to weave magic.

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!!!

Bright red flames exploded, engulfing the monster. The fired blaze raced through the air, and pieces of shell were sent flying.

The monster caught in the red storm didn’t even leave a trace of its form.

Like skin being peeled off, the massive carapace was dismantled piece by piece under the violent force, and at the spot where the monster fell with only bones remaining, just a handful of blood bubbled up, soaking the wasteland.

A soldier shouted.

“Everyone into combat formation! We’re eliminating monsters from now on!”

Armed soldiers began sweeping away all the monsters that came charging after.

Guns spewed fire, and shattered shells scattered in all directions along with flesh.

The sight of soldiers enthusiastically sweeping away monsters resembled people quickly snatching up drastically discounted items, and perhaps crushed by that momentum, the monsters were rapidly turning into desert fertilizer.

-~~~!!

A massive explosion erupted among the approaching monsters.

Amidst the swirling red storm, Camilla, who had incinerated dozens of monsters, blew on her finger.

“…Phew!”

After firing magic in all directions and catching her breath, she suddenly found herself surrounded by many people.

Camilla flashed a bright smile at them.

The uninhabited zone.

A battlefield where peacekeeping forces battled monsters.

After looking around the desert, she placed her hands on her hips with a satisfied expression.

“Another case solved today!”

*

Despite the colorful criticism directed at the international community that had abandoned them, ironically, peace in the Mauritani continent was being maintained by the hands of the World Union.

To be more precise, by the power of a single person.

“…What is that?”

“I don’t know.”

Clustered soldiers whispered as they stared at a girl. The subject of their conversation was none other than Camilla.

While they hurriedly collected byproducts to prevent other monsters from being attracted by the smell of blood, all eyes were focused on Camilla, who stood atop a pile of burnt shells.

“Spreading her arms while looking at the sun… What kind of pose is that?”

“Some religious ritual?”

To the soldiers who frequented the uninhabited zone to eliminate monsters, the girl from another world was always a source of fascination. Setting aside her origins, the girl’s behavior was truly peculiar.

For instance, stretching her body like she was yawning while gazing at the sun.

It was a behavior whose meaning they couldn’t fathom. Was it a religious ritual from another world? Or a traditional ceremony? Since a significant portion of the byproducts obtained from killing monsters was scheduled to go to her, perhaps she was offering sacrifices to a deity.

Maybe she was even receiving some kind of power from the sun.

Various speculations abounded, but in the end, no one could figure out the correct answer.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“You too, Hero!”

The peacekeeping force soldiers waved goodbye. Camilla energetically waved both arms in their direction.

“See you tomorrow!”

“What if we meet again? That would surely mean fighting more monsters.”

“Ah, don’t be so negative!”

Since ancient times, when ancient civilizations bloomed in the red desert, this had been a land without an owner.

The monsters that nested in the wasteland didn’t attack civilization even if it meant risking an adventure across the barren desert, and humans who settled by rivers and coasts considered the desert a land not permitted by the Earth Mother, so there were no conflicts between civilization and monsters.

But that’s now a thing of the past.

Today, the uninhabited zone in Mauritani is seen as a land of opportunity. Minerals, magic stones, and oil are the lubricants of civilization, and in the untouched wasteland, the Earth Mother’s blessing lies dormant.

People were desperate to find the divine blessing buried somewhere in the barren desert. Just like Americans who rushed west in search of gold mines.

Of course, this was all irrelevant to Camilla.

“Ahh~!”

Camilla exclaimed after gulping down a carbonated drink freshly taken from the refrigerator. Anyone watching might think she was drinking beer.

She looked like she might search for a bar owner at any moment. But since her homeland was not the Korean peninsula in Northeast Asia but an island nation in Europe, Camilla wouldn’t be looking for a bar owner.

Instead, she had just taken a shot.

After tossing the empty can into the trash, Camilla flopped down on the sofa.

“Ah, today was tough too!”

As the soft mattress embraced her entire body, she rolled from side to side, and in an instant, the blanket rolled up, creating a giant caterpillar.

From that state, Camilla pulled out just her arms to grab some potato chips. Then, with skillful hand movements, she tore open the bag.

The thin golden snacks slipped into her mouth.

“Mmm….”

The salty taste awakened taste buds tired of bland grains, and the potatoes fried at a fantastic angle crunched deliciously.

The appealing texture unique to potato chips, hard to find in biscuits. Add a carbonated drink to that, and it was heaven. Carefully bringing the can to her lips to avoid spilling the precious drink, and a moment later.

After placing the empty can on the table, a pleased exclamation burst forth.

“Haah…!”

Having emptied the drink can, Camilla leaned back on the sofa. She looked just like someone who had cracked open a beer after a hard day’s work.

That wasn’t wrong. Hunting monsters was by no means an easy task.

Under the sand, in caves and ravines, in the crevices of rocks. The wasteland had been untouched by human hands for thousands of years, and it was essentially the home ground of predators. Even nomads who prided themselves as children of the desert and were familiar with the geography, or thoroughly prepared armies, found it difficult to traverse.

Even without that, just traveling across the vast desert was a hardship.

But what could she do? Rather than watching monsters attack people after coming down to the border, it was several times better to dive into the monsters’ dens.

“Urrrgh….”

With a zombie-like groan, Camilla crawled off the sofa, tidied up briefly, and walked out of the building.

As flags fluttered, armed soldiers returned to the base. People on stretchers were unloaded from vehicles that stopped, raising dust.

An international organization official in a suit frowned while looking at the sheets, while refugees gathered in a line with the help of civilian volunteers.

Camilla walked along the long line, and,

“Lucia!”

“…Ah, you’re here.”

There, she met Lucia.

The saint was sitting in a modest tent at the refugee camp. Although she had changed from her priestly robes to a white dress to avoid religious conflicts, changing clothes didn’t change the person.

“Please wait a moment. I have a patient.”

After asking for understanding, Lucia crouched down on the dirt floor.

Just as Camilla was lifting the entrance of the tent to enter, her eyes met with a child sitting on a chair.

Perhaps just 6 years old.

The child sitting on the chair was looking at Camilla, revealing light pink gums and teeth. This was because the skin that should have been protecting the oral cavity had already fallen off.

The left cheek, upper lip, and part of the nose. This symptom, where tissue that should be there had disappeared, was a disease Camilla knew.

“…Is it noma?”

“Yes.”

Noma. The initial symptoms resemble inflammation, but after just two weeks, bones and tissues melt away, destroying the face.

Those who contract the disease are children under 5 years old. Beyond the symptoms, noma spreads in third-world impoverished countries, so most patients die without receiving treatment.

Those lucky enough to survive are very few. Even if they survive, their faces are already irreparably damaged, so they must live with disabilities for the rest of their lives.

“……”

Lucia, kneeling before the child, gently closed her eyes.

Hands filled with warm energy wrapped around the small hands, and light pink lips began to move.

“Relieve the pain of all the sick, and by your mercy, this child’s disease and wounds-“

The moment she recited the prayer.

A small miracle occurred.

-Shaaaa….

A white light erased the scars, and new flesh began to grow.

Although the subtle color of the newly grown skin and traces that hadn’t completely disappeared proved that scars had once been there, the child’s joy was clearly evident in their bright expression, and that was enough.

The child, who had regained their youthful face, smiled brightly and spread their arms. Lucia, smiling, lightly hugged the child before returning them to their guardian.

Having watched the entire scene, Camilla whispered to Lucia with sparkling eyes.

“It’s amazing to see it again.”

“There’s no need to say such things….”

“No, I’m not just saying it, it really is amazing!”

Lucia waved her hands with an embarrassed expression. She looked quite shy about being praised for such a thing.

It might have been a matter of course for Lucia, but treating patients was a remarkable feat in Camilla’s eyes.

“Even my sister who graduated from medical school can’t heal as perfectly as Lucia. She’s skilled, but reconstructive surgery is inherently difficult… It takes a long time too.”

“There are many excellent priests who are skilled in healing, so how could I dare receive praise?”

“You don’t need to be so modest. It’s not like you’re boasting.”

At Camilla’s words, Lucia’s face briefly showed a smile.

After healing the noma patient, Camilla and Lucia left the tent. Since there were priests dispatched from the order for aid, and no critically ill patients requiring the saint’s healing, the two took a moment to catch their breath while walking around the camp.

“Ah- Today was tough too.”

“Did you visit the uninhabited zone?”

“Yes. I had business in the Birahan Desert. What about you, Lucia?”

“Unless there’s something special, I’m always here.”

If Camilla’s mission was to eliminate monsters while roaming the uninhabited zone, Lucia’s role was to care for patients in the refugee camp.

Patients weren’t only in refugee camps, but the refugee camps in the Mauritani continent were statistically ranked as places with the highest ratio of patients per population when analyzed by region.

Of course, since there wasn’t just one or two refugee camps, Lucia was also in a situation where she had to travel to different camps to care for patients.

“You must be very tired. Having to travel here and there.”

Camilla sighed deeply, as if feeling sorry.

“Not at all. I take breaks when I can.”

“But that’s just taking short naps. If a little nap could make fatigue disappear, would anyone collapse from overwork in this world?”

“Ahaha….”

“Sleep is one thing, but going to dangerous areas is also a problem.”

Wherever it might be, the rumor that the order’s saint would visit areas with patients was quite a famous story locally.

Camilla was already aware of the rumors circulating among locals. More precisely, it was information she had obtained while meeting all sorts of people, with eyes burning with the question, “Are there any interesting news today?” as an aspiring intelligence officer (or in other words, a spy-in-training).

“Why did you go to places where warlords and armies are fighting? It’s dangerous.”

“When I heard people were injured, how could I just stay put?”

“It’s good to do relief work, but you need to stay safe!”

Since Frederick was away, and Francesca was also separated, a series of warnings followed, urging her to be careful, always.

At Camilla’s admonishing tone, Lucia gave a faint smile.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

“Of course I worry. We’re comrades. And this isn’t some game. The hospital isn’t a respawn location.”

“……”

Pretty eyelashes went up and down repeatedly.

Lucia, who had been smiling until just now, began to stare blankly at Camilla.

Belatedly becoming aware of that gaze, Camilla tilted her head.

“Did I say something strange?”

“…Um, what is ‘respawn’?”

“Ah.”

*

Dropping into a completely unfamiliar world brought numerous inconveniences.

Food, clothes, transportation, various entertainments to alleviate boredom, and even smartphones, the essential item for 21st-century modern people.

However, if she had to choose the most inconvenient aspect, Camilla would unhesitatingly select ‘language.’

“Huaaa….”

After finishing a 23-minute discussion with Lucia to explain the concept of respawn, Camilla flopped down on the sofa.

‘Hmm- So respawn is a kind of resurrection. It’s when dead people or monsters come back to life after a certain time.’

‘Dead people coming back to life? Resurrection is not just taboo, it’s impossible….’

Perhaps because it was a world where fantasy existed in reality, Lucia had difficulty accepting the concept of respawn.

In fact, when you think about it, it was natural. She was someone who didn’t even know what video games were.

So it was natural for Lucia to think of evil necromancers’ zombies and undead when hearing “dead people are resurrected.”

‘My goodness. What kind of place are hospitals in your world? Reviving the corpses of the dead…’

‘No, no! It’s not actually dead people coming back to life…!’

In the end, only after diligently explaining using card games and board games as analogies could she finally clear up the misunderstanding.

‘Oh… So that’s what it was. It seems that’s what you call it when eliminated people participate in the next game. I misunderstood.’

‘There’s no reason for hospitals to revive corpses in the first place…’

‘Why do you think it can’t be done? There are people who don’t seek consent from the bereaved family, steal bodies from the morgue, and sell them to wizards.’

‘…What!?’

It had been a very tiring day.

Mainly in a mental sense.

She never dreamed that ineffective communication could be so uncomfortable. Although she could understand the language, it felt like the conversation wasn’t actually connecting.

Camilla slumped over the desk with a deflated expression.

“It’s too hard….”

In her opinion, the root cause of all this was Frederick’s escape.

Without someone to interpret in a way the other person could understand, misunderstandings arose even in everyday conversations, didn’t they? If he had been here, he would have stepped in to clarify before Lucia misunderstood.

“When are you coming back…. Francesca isn’t around either.”

With a deadpan face, Camilla took out snacks from a glass jar (large size) with sluggish hand movements. Then, after swallowing them in one gulp, she began to ponder.

I wish they’d come back soon. Come to think of it, if Frederick were here, he’d stop me from eating snacks, wouldn’t he?

As her thoughts suddenly reached that point, Camilla rested her chin on her hand and fell into serious contemplation with a grave expression.

“Hmm….”

Snacks or comfort. That is the question.

It was a contemplation as profound as Hamlet’s soliloquy. Perhaps even more so.

Despite her serious expression, her thoughts were quickly organized.

Since Frederick and Francesca had been away for quite some time, and she had eaten plenty of snacks in his absence, the thought suddenly raised its head that it might be good for everyone if they returned soon.

Yes. It’s been several days already, so it’s about time they came back.

“Should I try contacting them?”

Just as she was fiddling with the phone Frederick had given her before leaving.

-ㅡ!

“Waaaah-!”

Startled by the ringtone, the mobile phone bounced up from Camilla’s palm.

After repeatedly throwing and catching the phone like juggling, she finally managed to grab the phone she almost dropped, and a sigh of relief burst out, “Phew-“.

Clutching her pounding heart as if it had suddenly dropped, Camilla took a deep breath and carefully answered the phone.

“Hello?”

-‘Camilla.’

“Frederick?”

A familiar voice coming through the phone.

It was Frederick.

Since they were in contact, it seemed he was safe for now. Only then did Camilla’s expression slightly relax.

“Is your business trip going well? Why are you calling?”

-‘Something’s come up.’

“A problem? What kind of problem all of a sudden?”

-‘We might get caught soon.’

“What?”

-‘I’m saying we’re screwed.’

“……”