How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Plague (2)

Frozen corpses were scattered throughout the eerie streets. They weren’t simply victims of the cold weather.

The bodies, covered in snow and frost, bore marks that couldn’t have been caused by hypothermia.

Grotesquely swollen limbs and ruptured torsos revealed internal organs, starkly exposed in the cold.

“Ugh……”

Jerit hurriedly covered his mouth and turned his head. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t bear to look at the scene.

“Oh my god……”

“God have mercy.”

The priests, accustomed to the comfortable life of Delphaud, a metropolis overflowing with wealth, magic, and power, reacted no differently than Jerit. A few Holy Knights tried to appear composed, forcing their trembling gazes forward as they walked.

Only a few experienced soldiers and plague doctors walked silently with grim expressions.

Meanwhile, I moved slowly, carefully examining the wounds on the corpses. With an expression that might be interpreted as scholarly interest by others.

For a Black Mage, this is nothing particularly gruesome.

After quickly scanning dozens of bodies while moving through the streets, I came to a conclusion.

‘This is no ordinary plague.’

Of course, I can’t make a complete judgment based on my knowledge from five hundred years ago. But judging from my experience of visiting countless plague-stricken cities, the scene here was certainly unusual.

Generally, the higher the mortality rate of a plague, the lower its infectivity. And it’s more likely to spread in the humid and hot summer than in the dry and cold winter.

But as if to mock such common sense, the plague that had spread in Ephesus was quite peculiar. According to the reports I read on my way here, both the mortality rate and infectivity were abnormally high.

The implication was simple.

‘Is this an artificially created plague?’

Of course, I’m not a professional plague doctor with years of study under my belt, so I can’t make a definitive diagnosis, but it seemed like a reasonable guess for now.

Ugh. I heard someone behind me retching, unable to hold it in. Of course, no one blamed them.

The expedition, which had come from the radiant city of Delphaud, where warmth was maintained by magic even in midwinter, took heavy steps into the heart of the city, filled with the chill of death.

🔹🔹🔹

The young nobleman who greeted the investigation team as they entered the city was named Rotten Meyer.

The man’s complexion was not good. He said he was leading the city in place of his father, who had recently passed away.

To put it coldly, he was not leading the city, but rather waiting for the imminent death that was approaching.

Cough. He coughed violently, glanced at us, and said,

“…… It’s already been quite a long time. Until about a month ago, there was still a glimmer of hope, but……”

He wasn’t saying it outright, but it seemed like he was blaming us for arriving so late. Well, it wasn’t difficult to guess his predicament.

He must have sent countless requests before the critically ill patients and the city’s plague reached their critical point. However, he probably didn’t know whether to glare resentfully at the expedition that finally arrived here after all that precious time had passed, or to express his gratitude for them coming at all.

The Holy See did not delay the dispatch of the investigation team out of malice.

The larger and older an organization like the Holy See was, the more time it took to form an expedition through their antiquated procedures.

Of course, if the same thing had happened in their city of Delphaud, their response would have been many times faster.

Hearing Rotten’s words, which seemed to contain a hint of self-blame, one of the bishops stepped forward and spoke. He was a high-ranking priest named Hegeria, the highest-ranking member of the expedition after the Saintess.

“How rude. Are you accusing us, who have come to save you by the will of God, of arriving too late?”

Bishop Hegeria’s words, directed at Rotten, who was at best a Baron and had only recently inherited his title, were quite authoritative.

“That’s not what I meant. I just meant that if the expedition had arrived a little sooner, fewer innocent people would have─”

“What an insolent remark! The one who dispatched us is His Holiness the Pope!”

At the Bishop’s words, Rotten’s expression hardened. Even though his position wasn’t that high, he was still a nobleman who governed the city. Even though this place was under the influence of the Church, the Bishop’s words, treating him as an inferior, were clearly disrespectful.

Of course, Rotten’s words directed at the expedition, who had come a long way, were not very polite either.

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became frigid at Bishop Hegeria’s shout.

It was the leader’s role to maintain composure at times like this. I turned slightly and looked at the Saintess.

“……”

Her expression was dark. It was the most serious I had ever seen, even though it hadn’t been that long. Her fair and delicate hands were trembling slightly.

‘Ah.’

This was her first mission, wasn’t it? Well, the corpses strewn about the streets in a gruesome state must have been quite a harsh winter wind for a flower that had just left the greenhouse for the first time.

However, as someone who bore the fate of a Saintess, it was a cruel reality she would have to face someday.

Regardless of the Saintess’ s feelings, having just realized a small fraction of the world’s harshness, someone had to take control of the situation. I stepped forward and said,

“Now.”

Everyone’s attention focused on me.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries and hear about the city’s situation. Isn’t it an urgent matter?”

Bishop Hegeria glared at me with a sharp expression at my attempt to bring the situation to a close. On the other hand, Rotten Meyer nodded. He must have been the one who wanted to avoid wasting time here the most.

Baron Meyer, turning his gaze to me, spoke hesitantly.

“You’re right. I was being rude. Excuse me, but are you a…… Knight? A Priest?”

Baron Meyer hesitated, unsure how to address me since I wasn’t dressed as a Priest or a Holy Knight. I informed him of my exact identity.

“I am an Inquisitor of Hesterica. I joined the expedition at Archbishop Frinagen-nim’s special request.”

“……!”

The man’s eyes widened at my words. Based on my past experiences, it wasn’t a very positive reaction.

Sure enough, he spoke hurriedly.

“We, we swear we haven’t had any contact with heretics whatsoever!”

Rotten Meyer’s haggard face was filled with injustice. It was a common reaction when commoners or powerless nobles faced an Inquisitor.

‘Ah.’

I looked at Baron Meyer and laughed bitterly to myself.

Sometimes, no, often, the cause of a spreading plague was attributed to devil worship or pagan idolatry, and those connected to it were all burned.

Of course, this judgment was mostly applied to small shifting cultivator villages. No matter how small the scale, burning an entire city would cause considerable backlash and future trouble.

However, Baron Meyer seemed to know well that the danger of the plague spreading in this city was serious enough to offset all those disadvantages. After all, justifications were often just excuses made by the powerful.

However, the purpose of the expedition I was currently part of was to truly identify the cause of the plague spreading in the city and resolve it with minimal damage. If the goal had been the annihilation of the city from the start, they wouldn’t have placed the Saintess as the leader of the expedition.

I raised my hand reassuringly to Baron Meyer, whose face was filled with a mixture of injustice, fear, and worry.

“You don’t need to worry, as I’m well aware that the people of Ephesus have nothing to do with heresy.”

“Ah……”

At my definite answer, he breathed a sigh of relief after his surge of emotions and staggered for a moment. Then, he clutched his chest with a pale face.

“Cough!”

As if the tightly wound tension had loosened, he coughed violently, his complexion, which hadn’t been good from the start, worsening.

He slowly lowered his hand, which had been covering his mouth, as if he were choking.

His trembling hand was covered in clotted, semi-coagulated blood. It couldn’t possibly be a cough from a common cold.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight. It was a characteristic I’d seen before.

As expected, it was an artificially created plague.

“……!”

At that sight, everyone except for two people stepped back. Those who saw Rotten’s pale face seemed to recall the gruesome corpses they had seen while walking through the streets.

In an instant, they moved away from Baron Meyer.

It was half instinctual, but at the same time, unnecessary.

Whether it occurred naturally or was artificially created by someone, there were only two types of people who were safe from most plagues.

Priests and Holy Knights who possessed the holy power of Divine Power within their bodies, and Black Mages who were intimately familiar with the energy of the negative dimension, Magi (demonic energy).

Therefore, most of the people here, those who possessed a considerable or slight amount of Divine Power within their bodies, were relatively safe from the plague.

However, psychological resistance appeared regardless of that fact.

Even if a bug didn’t bite, who would want to put their hand in a box teeming with creepy crawlies?

“Ugh─!”

While Baron Meyer continued to vomit something horrible that looked like pieces of his internal organs.

Step.

Someone walked forward, not backward.

One person, excluding me, who didn’t step back from Baron Meyer.

It was Saintess Sophia.

The Saintess, with a hardened expression, walked forward and reached out her hand towards Baron Meyer.

Hwaaaak!

A warm light spread through the gloomy room. Along with the visual effect, a warmth that actually warmed the body was felt.

An overwhelmingly pure power that would impress anyone who handles holy power.

Color began to return to Baron Meyer’s pale face, who had been staggering as if he would collapse at any moment.

“Rozalin-nim!……!”

“By the grace of God.”

Before that brilliant light, some Holy Knights and priests hurriedly knelt and made the sign of the cross.

“Keoheok—!”

Baron Meyer clutched his chest. His complexion had almost returned to normal, but he seemed to be in great pain.

Seeing this, the Saintess bit her lip and raised her hand once more. The moment a more powerful holy power was about to emanate from her hand.

“Wait.”

I stepped forward and blocked her path.

“What……?”

The moment confusion appeared on the faces of the surrounding people and the Saintess.

I took out a small silver dagger from my bosom.

“……!”

The Saintess’ s expression was colored with bewilderment.

Shwik!

The dagger I lightly swung grazed Baron Meyer’s chest. Then, something pitch black spewed out from Baron Meyer’s chest.

Chwaaaak!

Black blood, gushing out as if erupting from the Baron’s slightly swollen solar plexus.

The dead blood, emitting a foul odor, splattered onto my face and clothes, which were blocking the space between the Saintess and Baron Meyer.

“Th, that……!”

“Inquisitor-nim!”

People, including the Saintess and Jerit, shouted in surprise. Meanwhile, as if the internal pressure had disappeared, Baron Meyer’s complexion, who had spewed out all the dead blood, returned completely to normal.

Of course, if the Saintess had poured more holy power, she would have purified even that pitch-black blood, but it would have been a considerably inefficient waste. It was a hundred times more efficient to make a cut and let the dead blood pour out.

I silently rolled up my sleeve and wiped the blood off my face as I confirmed Baron Meyer collapsing on the spot.

The wicked plague, artificially concocted, couldn’t harm me.

“……”

However, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. As I turned around to change my clothes, I saw the Saintess looking up at me with a dazed expression.

“Ah……”

“This is much more efficient. In any case, the Baron is completely healed.”

I spoke as if concluding. As a few drops of blood that had spewed from the Baron’s wound seemed to have splashed, a fishy taste of iron was felt in my mouth. However, the slightly bitter and tingling sensation on my tongue was definitely different from normal blood.

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat solemn. No one stopped me as I headed outside.

I could feel the blood remaining on my face dripping stickily. The moment I was about to step out of the entrance to wash my face. I felt someone grab my arm from behind.

“He, here……! This!”

It was Saintess Sophia who came running in a hurry. She held out something tightly gripped in her hand to me.

What the Saintess offered was a handkerchief. A small handkerchief embroidered with clumsy needlework.

Did she make this herself?

I looked alternately at her, who was turning her head away in embarrassment, and the animal embroidered on the handkerchief, and then spoke briefly.

“Is it a fat Wyvern?”

“……It, it’s a Griffin!”

I nodded at the Saintess who shouted while blushing and replied.

“I’ll use it gratefully.”

I answered simply and then went outside. Instead of the warm air inside, the chilly air of the hallway cooled my head. The moment I roughly wiped the sticky blood with the handkerchief the Saintess had given me.

“I, Inquisitor-nim!”

I saw a soldier running towards me, panting, from afar. He wasn’t a city soldier, but one belonging to the expedition.

After looking around and finding me, he hurriedly approached and caught his breath.

He paused for a moment, seeing the bloodstains on my face, then brought out the reason he had come running in such a hurry. The soldier who had come running in a hurry had sought me, not the Saintess, who was in charge of the expedition, nor Bishop Hegeria, the second highest-ranking person, and the reason was simple.

“We, we detected a suspicious individual trying to enter the expedition’s temporary barracks and stopped him! According to his claim, he’s an Inquisitor and he’s being forceful—”

An Inquisitor?

I frowned as I listened to the soldier’s subsequent explanation. I wondered if some crazy guy was impersonating an Inquisitor, but the possibility was low.

Aside from the fact that impersonating an Inquisitor was a serious crime, this wasn’t the right place for it. This wasn’t some rural village, but a city where a large number of people dispatched from the Holy See were staying.

My contemplation didn’t last long. I just had to go and see for myself. I spoke briefly to the panting soldier.

“Lead the way.”

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