Ch.66Chapter 66 – Damn! I Even Fixed My Hair Loss, So That Thing (1)

It was just one day.

That’s how long it took us to reach Belsalem from Archenium.

We left Archenium precisely at noon when the sun was directly overhead.

Etherna fed the horses a buff infused with divine power, and I used my ability on the horseshoes.

Then the horses pulling our carriage began to gallop at an incredible speed.

The carriage raced at a terrifying speed, like Po**, Fe**, or Mer** from my previous life.

Thanks to that, we were able to cover a distance that would normally take over 15 days in just a single day.

“Kyahahaha! Wasn’t that fun?”

“If I were to seek such thrills twice, I fear I might not live out my natural lifespan.”

“Oh come on, it was fun!”

Ah yes, think what you will.

Whew, I don’t know how fast the horses were running, but despite my best efforts using my ability, the carriage was significantly damaged.

It’s fortunate that I worked hard to repair it with my ability; otherwise, we would have ended up riding a single horse together.

“By the way, Pathos, your ability is truly amazing. The horseshoes haven’t worn down at all.”

While we were taking a brief rest near Belsalem, Etherna approached me as I was fixing the carriage, examining the horseshoes that protected the horses’ hooves.

“Items repaired with my ability tend to last longer than others. That’s why the horseshoes remained undamaged even though the horses covered a fifteen-day journey in just one day.”

“Hmm, that’s impressive. But you can do more than just fix objects, right?”

—Gulp!

I couldn’t say anything in response to Etherna’s question that hit the mark.

In reality, just as she said, my ability wasn’t limited to objects.

“You noticed?”

“Of course. It’s the power that destroyed that demon sword. Such an incredible ability couldn’t possibly end at merely fixing objects, could it?”

Etherna seemed to have her own certainty about it.

“Well, I won’t pry any further. You must have your reasons for keeping it secret.”

“I understand. I imagine you have at least one thing you’re hiding from me as well, Etherna.”

“W-what?”

“The carriage repairs are complete. Let’s head into Belsalem now.”

Having finished repairing the carriage, I had Etherna drive it.

How can a saint drive a carriage, you ask? She learned it for her work as an inquisitor.

Thanks to that, I’ll go down in this world’s history as the first person to use a saint as a coachman.

“Sigh, using a saint as a coachman. You must be the first in the world to do that.”

“I don’t know how to drive a carriage.”

“Haah…”

With Etherna’s sigh, the carriage slowly began to move forward.

The carriage that had started moving eventually stopped at the entrance to Belsalem.

“Halt. You must present a pass to enter Belsalem.”

When the carriage stopped, a guard from Belsalem blocked our way.

Ah, the guard brothers are still working here.

“Thank you for your hard work. I am Etherna, an inquisitor serving the Sun God.”

“Ah! Inquisitor Etherna! It’s an honor to meet someone of your renowned reputation. And who might this be?”

The guard looked at Etherna with respectful eyes, while giving me the reaction of someone seeing a stranger for the first time.

“Ah, this is my companion. The ‘Demon Sword Destroyer’… you know?”

“T-the Demon Sword Destroyer?”

After hearing Etherna’s introduction, the guard began to look at me with eyes full of fear and respect.

“I am Pathos, known in the world as the Demon Sword Destroyer. I am currently accompanying Inquisitor Etherna.”

I showed the guard the emblem symbolizing that I was a student of Glesius Academy.

“Both your identities are confirmed. You may enter.”

Thanks to that, we were able to enter Belsalem without any difficulty.

“Now that we’re in Belsalem, what should we do next?”

“Let’s visit the Sun Order’s temple in Belsalem. There’s always a Black Feather agent stationed there to exchange information with the order.”

As expected of Etherna. Perhaps it’s due to her experience as an inquisitor?

She seemed to have planned everything in advance.

Etherna, you always have a plan, don’t you?

“Then let’s move quickly. There’s no reason to waste time.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

So Etherna and I headed to the Sun Order’s temple in Belsalem.

Upon arriving at the temple, Etherna approached a priest who was cleaning.

“May the brilliant sunlight guide you. Priest Anto greets the Inquisitor.”

“May the brilliant sunlight guide you. Today I’ve come on matters of the night, not the sun.”

“…I understand. What business do you have?”

This priest called Anto appeared to be a contact agent for the Black Feathers.

“I need to meet with Justin, the Belsalem branch head.”

“Hmm. That’s difficult. The Belsalem branch is in quite a chaotic state right now.”

“What?”

The Belsalem branch is in chaos? What does this mean?

Did the Demon Cult attack the Black Feathers again?

“Was there an attack by the Demon Cult?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Anto, the Black Feather agent disguised as a priest, looked around and, seeing that we were alone, carefully began to speak.

“I’m telling you this because you, Inquisitor, have deep connections with us, and Mr. Pathos beside you is also an important figure to our side. Actually, recently someone with a ‘Black Feather’ mark appeared at the Belsalem branch with a request.”

What came from Anto’s mouth was about what had happened at the Belsalem branch.

“But what is this Black Feather mark?”

“Simply put, it’s a kind of token we give to those to whom we owe a debt. The mark changes depending on the degree of debt, and the highest grade is the Black Feather mark.”

I see. It’s like a promissory note.

“Anyone with a Black Feather mark must have their request granted. But of all things, the person with the Black Feather demanded a cure for a certain disease.”

“A cure for a disease?”

Disease? What disease is he talking about?

“The Prezmerine disease. Along with baldness, it’s one of the representative incurable diseases.”

Along with baldness, a representative incurable disease.

If I had heard this before, I would have thought, “Wow, that sounds terrifying,” but…

‘I’ve already cured baldness, an incurable disease.’

Whether it’s Prezmerine or Pressmachine, I don’t know, but anyway, if that disease is on the same level as baldness…

‘Maybe I can cure that disease too?’

If Pressmachine is on the same level as baldness, shouldn’t I be able to cure it?

“Is this Pressmachine disease really that dangerous?”

“Press…machine? It’s Prezmerine. Prezmerine. It’s a terrifying disease that freezes the soul first. They say it eventually freezes the body too… whew.”

It freezes not just the soul but the body too? I’ve seen that a lot in martial arts novels.

I remember it being called the Nine Sounds Meridian or Seven Sounds Meridian constitution.

Later it got ridiculous with Eleven Sounds Meridian, Fifteen Sounds Meridian, and so on.

Well, I guess it’s probably a similar disease.

“So, is there a way to cure this disease?”

“I’d say there isn’t. They say regular consumption of elixir improves the condition, but it can’t completely cure it. And elixir isn’t something easy to obtain.”

Uh, well… I’ve consumed two bottles of that in less than a month.

The effects were quite impressive, I must say.

“Anyway, it’s causing quite a commotion now. Since they came with a Black Feather mark, we have to find a cure somehow… but there’s no such cure…”

“Sigh. This is a difficult problem even for me. It’s a disease that even the blessing of an archbishop-level priest can’t cure.”

“Excuse me…”

I tried to interject into the conversation between Etherna and Anto.

“Inquisitor, is it not possible for the Pope or a cardinal-level priest to cure it?”

“That’s impossible. Although we believe in the Sun God, the divine power we possess isn’t the power of the sun but exists as a comprehensive divine power.”

“Wait a moment…”

“Then should we ask other religious orders?”

“We probably should. The Sun Order has tried to cure the Prezmerine disease, but there hasn’t been much success.”

I keep trying to join the conversation, but I’m constantly interrupted by these two.

“Excuse me, that disease…”

“Just a moment, Pathos. I think there might be an answer.”

“Really? Is there something that could be a clue to solving this?”

“…”

In the end, I had to remain quiet until the two finished their conversation.

“Well, I understand. I’ll organize what we know and relay it to the branch head.”

“Thank you, Anto. Ah, Pathos. What were you trying to say?”

Thank you very much indeed. Thank you for acknowledging me, even if belatedly.

“That disease, you said it’s on the same level as baldness?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a disease on the same level as treating baldness. While improvement is possible, there’s essentially no cure—”

“Who says so? Who says baldness can’t be cured?”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t cure baldness? Do you really think that?”

I pointed at myself with my hammer.

“I can cure it.”