episode_0022

About a week after that.

The Northern Purification Knights arrived at Vincent Village, a village on the outskirts of the border.

What the expedition’s schedule manager expected was for it to serve as a rest stop for a short break and to replenish supplies.

but….

What greeted the Purification Knights as they entered the village was a disaster far beyond what they had expected.

“Kyaaah…. Ouch, ahhh…. It hurts, it hurts…. Someone, help me…. Please…..”

“Dad… Where did you go, Dad…. Whoa…. Dad….”

“Geee…. Ugh, ugh… Hey, honey…. Run, away….. Head, go…. That’s weird…..”

“Oh my, honey, please… Come to your senses…! Honeyooo….!!”

“Kkaaah…! Ouch, ahhh…! Woof ahhh….!!”

“It’s a seizure!!”

“Fuck… Kill him!! Kill him quickly…!!”

“Ah, no…! My mother…. Please don’t kill her…..! Mister, please….!!”

The plague of the ghouls.

If infected, the body will slowly become covered with something like black mold, and the person will suffer from severe fever and pain.

When symptoms become severe and the fungus covers more than half of the body, even movement becomes impossible….

Eventually, they lose their reason and turn into monsters that attack humans.

There were already hundreds of ghoul plague patients in Vincent Village.

Following the commander’s orders, members of the Purification Knights immediately began relief work.

The house where the patient was staying should be purified with holy water or, if the condition is too serious, burned.

The patient’s family and mild patients should keep themselves clean and wash the contaminated area with holy water to prevent the symptoms from getting worse.

Severely ill patients are moved to a church and isolated from their families to prevent further spread of the epidemic.

And then they try to cure it with divine magic.

but….

— Jiiing….

“Gasp, ugh…. Ughhhh…..”

“King Berph, this patient seems to be in a bit of a hurry too… Could you please treat him?”

“Sorry… I’m sorry… Phew… I’m running out of divine power… Who, who else….”

“What about Lord Poe?”

“Me, me too… I don’t think I can do this anymore…..”

“Ugh….”

The purification treatment of the Ghoul Plague was more difficult than the Paladins had anticipated.

The treatment provided by ordinary paladins or priests is limited to treating patients with mild symptoms or stabilizing them so that their symptoms do not worsen.

Krimhilt was the only one who could treat patients with severe or more severe symptoms.

A plague so serious that even Krimhild, who possessed great divine powers, had to pray intensively for 4 to 5 hours to be cured.

at last.

Even though I was receiving treatment all day long immediately after arriving.

The all-out relief effort by the Purification Corps was limited to treating the three most seriously ill patients among the dozens of patients.

It was long past sunset, almost midnight.

After completing their relief work, the Purification Knights set up a temporary camp in the town square.

Since there was no room left to run a separate kitchen, they prepared simple meals with the help of the villagers.

The knights filled their bellies with a late dinner.

“Hooo…..”

“Ugh…. Haaah…”

Was he shocked by the extremely miserable state of affairs in the village?

Or maybe it was because I was physically and mentally exhausted from working on relief activities all day.

There is not a single trace of life on the faces of the knights sitting around, each munching on food.

“……….”

“………….”

I guess that kind of gloomy atmosphere is bound to be contagious.

The atmosphere wasn’t much different at the table where the warrior party members sat together and ate a meal a little further away.

“Krimhilt, you’ve worked hard. Are you tired?”

“Cream…. Huaam…. Gwa, it’s okay. Sigh…. Patients, I should have treated at least one more person…. My strength is not enough……”

“What are you talking about? If it weren’t for your miraculous powers, we wouldn’t have been able to cure a single person. The townspeople are all grateful for your dedication. Miss Krimhilt is the savior of this town.”

“Hehe….”

Krimhilt scratched the back of her head as if embarrassed.

Julia’s praise is not exactly an exaggeration….

Krimhilt ran around desperately, treating people, reassuring the frightened, and caring for the sick with a level of dedication that would be hard to imagine from her normally brainless appearance.

The kid became a bit strange because he was possessed by the warrior…

No matter what, since she is one of the original heroines, her nature must be good.

Well, even so…

The ugly karma hidden beneath those innocent smiles of yours.

I have no intention of forgetting the mocking laughter that flowed as you looked down at me as I died.

— Thud, thud, thud….

Around that time.

A middle-aged knight approached where the party of warriors were gathered.

Huebel, the holy knight who is the commander of the Purification Knights and the overall leader of the expedition.

— Thump….

After sitting down comfortably next to me, he opened his mouth with a tired expression.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your kind words. You have worked hard, sir.”

“I’ve heard rumors of a plague in the North… but I never thought it would be this serious.”

“Cream too…. Haa…. If I had known the situation would be this serious, I should have come sooner…. This is the biggest mistake of my life….”

“If Vincent Village, located on the outskirts of Yeongji, is in this state, the other villages must be in a more serious situation… I don’t know if it will be possible to resolve the situation within the schedule.”

“That’s what I’m saying….”

At that point.

Huebel began to speak in a more subdued voice, then glanced around furtively before continuing.

“Let’s give up on treatment and leave tomorrow.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no… What nonsense are you talking about….”

“Are you saying that we should just leave the suffering residents alone? As a person engaged in the priesthood, how can you do that….”

Party members reacting violently to Huebel’s bombshell(?) remark.

However, Huebel listened to their story with a calm expression, and when things calmed down a bit, he resumed his story.

“This is a story that is only told here, so be careful not to leak it out.”

“……….”

“………..?”

“The great lord of the north… His Majesty the High Lord has been infected with the Ghoul Plague.”

“Your Majesty the Prince…?”

“That’s right. It was announced externally as a journey to cleanse the northern region of the plague…. In reality, the reason His Holiness permitted the saint to be sent was to cure the Count’s illness. ”

“……….”

“I heard it’s still mild…. But considering the symptoms of the Ghoul Plague, the later it gets, the more dangerous it becomes. We need to see the Count as soon as possible and treat his condition. I can’t waste any more time in a place like this.”

After Huebel’s bombshell statement.

A heavy silence fell over the dining table where the warrior party had gathered.

For several minutes, no one opened their mouths and only the occasional clanking of dishes echoed in silence.

The one who hesitantly moved his lips apart was… Krimhild.

“I….but….”

“……”

“No matter what… shouldn’t the patients in this town be treated and then left… To just leave so many citizens suffering like that, that’s just too much…”

Huebel bowed his head to Krimhild.

“I’m sorry, Guardian. But think about it calmly. Even if you treat them with all your might all day, you can only cure three or four seriously ill patients… It will take more than 20 days to cure everyone.”

“………”

“I can understand the pure heart of the Guardian Knight. However, please consider reality. The Count is the best general in the kingdom and the shield of the north. If he loses his life, the northern defense line will likely collapse. If the Demon King’s army invades because of him, there will be hundreds… thousands of times more victims than the patients here. ”

“………..”

“Please understand. I beg you.”

I guess he doesn’t have the eloquence to persuade Huebel or turn the situation around.

Krimhilt closed her mouth with a look of disbelief.

“……..”

Well, I think the situation is pretty ripe at this point…

Let’s start by slowly joining in.

— Swish….

“If you’re going to give up on treatment, won’t you give me some time?”

“What…?”

The next day, early in the morning.

I led the half-hearted knights and set up a D-shaped magic barrier in the center of the church.

Type D magic barrier.

A type of consumable commonly used by adventurers, it has the effect of preventing the invasion of undead monsters or spirits.

A popular magic barrier that even beginner adventurers can purchase without much burden due to its low price.

“What are you going to do with something this cheap….”

Ignoring Hyunwoo who was grumbling next to me, I called Krimhilt over and had her sit in the center of the barrier.

“Here… are you asking me to pray…?”

“Yes. Just pray as you usually do… with gratitude to the goddess. ”

“……..”

Even with a puzzled expression.

Krimhilt slowly recited the prayer with her eyes closed….

After a while.

— Paaah….!!

The D-type magic barrier was enveloped in the splendid brilliance of divine power.

“Ohhhh…!!”

“Ah, no… What the heck is this…?”

The voices of people filled with bewilderment.

With the brilliance spreading out.

The plague patients, who had been panting and making painful noises, began to show signs of stabilizing little by little.

“What the heck…what’s going on?”

“I once read a paper about the D-type magic barrier at the capital’s magic academy. It said that if you combine pure divine power with the structure of the barrier’s magic, you can draw out resistance to various curse-type magic. An ordinary priest wouldn’t be able to draw out enough power to fight against the ghoul plague… Fortunately, Krimhilt is with us now. I thought that if we did well, we could suppress the ghoul plague.”

“That’s right…. That sucks….”

Huebel nodded, unable to hide his surprised expression.

Well, actually, in the original game, if you have Saint Eterna or Krimhilt in your party, the effect of the D-type magic barrier’s plague resistance is tripled…

I left him behind and approached the village chief to give him further explanation.

“If they are inside this barrier, the patients’ symptoms will gradually improve. Be careful not to damage the barrier, and manage their physical condition with continuous treatment and care.”

“Yes…. Okay.”

at that time.

“Hey, hey… Hi, oppa….!!”

After finishing her prayer, Krimhilt followed me and spoke to me.

“What is it?”

“That… Thank you so much for your help…. I think Cream misunderstood you a little bit until now. I didn’t know you were such a warm-hearted person….”

“I just interfered because I thought it would be annoying if I stayed here any longer. I didn’t do it for you, so stop having delusions.”

“……….”

“But….”

“Yes?”

“Your attitude of dedicating yourself to the patients is not bad. I will also try my best to help you during this expedition.”

“…..Yes. Thank you.”