Chapter 56: Plague (3)

Since I had a fair amount of platinum grass, I made tea for the villagers.

There was no need for any other treatment, so that was all I did.

The villagers looked at me with doubtful eyes, but the effects would become apparent in a few hours.

I led the girl and her escort to the inn.

I barely managed to convince them not to tie her up, just in case.

Still, they couldn’t be stopped from setting up a perimeter around the inn to prevent her from escaping.

Still, the atmosphere wasn’t bad. The effects of the platinum grass would show in almost an hour.

The first people to drink the tea would be feeling its effects and telling those around them by now.

“Doctor!”

Suddenly, someone called out to me, and I opened the window and stuck my head out.

“What is it?”

“Can we boil more tea and give it to them?”

“Is it working?”

“Yes! I’m a bit tired, but I can see the blue spots fading!”

As expected. I didn’t expect her to come looking for me right away, but she must have a good constitution for the medicine.

I smiled.

“Have one more cup each. Too much medicine can be toxic.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

I closed the window. Since entering the village, the wind had been observing everything.

No one had left the village yet, and no one was watching me separately.

Do they have confidence?

If someone who knew the cure for the plague they created appeared, they would be quite flustered.

Hmm. Let’s see how things go. I turned my gaze to the girl at the back.

The guards stood on either side of the girl, their eyes full of suspicion as they looked at me.

“Thank you.”

The girl spoke first, her gratitude surprisingly brief.

The guards bowed their heads slightly after her, but their eyes remained sharp.

“Thank you. It must have been confusing.”

“It was confusing.”

“But how did you do it? Is the platinum grass really the cure?”

“Lord Hsin!”

The girl called out softly, but the guard’s expression didn’t waver. I shrugged.

“Didn’t you just see it?”

“...”

The guard pursed his lips but seemed to have something to say.

“It is the cure. Don’t test it; if you have questions, ask them freely.”

The guard sighed deeply.

“I know we shouldn’t be in this situation, but since you’re not a doctor, I have my doubts.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you don’t smell of herbs. Not even your bag does.”

He was quite sharp, despite not being able to see it. Doctors don’t carry herbs around when they move, but if you wear casual clothes like me, you naturally smell of herbs.

“Don’t worry. Whoever I am, I won’t harm you. And the platinum grass is the cure.”

“...What did you say earlier? You weren’t just talking about people possessed by madness.”

The girl stood up.

“Please leave. I will talk to her alone.”

“Maiden.”

“It’s fine. There’s no need for you to worry.”

“No. We are not fine.”

The guard shook his head firmly.

“The boy said there’s someone targeting us.”

“Lord Hsin!”

“I don’t know what the maiden saw. But if the boy is right, it means there’s an external threat, even if he’s not the enemy.”

I interjected before the atmosphere got too tense.

“That’s because the plague wasn’t natural.”

“...How do you know that?”

“I don’t have a reason to tell you.”

A moment of silence passed. If I hadn’t helped them, they might have drawn their swords.

It’s absurd, but I can understand their feelings to some extent.

“Hmph. I don’t know who they are. We’ll have to catch them and find out.”

“...”

“Muscular bald guy. Middle-aged woman with short hair in blue clothes. Young man with a scythe and tied hair. I’ve confirmed three so far.”

It seemed they recognized the people I mentioned, but they didn’t respond.

They looked deep in thought, appearing both convinced and unconvinced.

“Who are you?”

I smiled instead of answering.

“Enough. I won’t tolerate any more interference. Please leave.”

The maiden spoke firmly, anger in her voice. The guards averted their eyes.

They must know they’ve crossed a line.

Hmm. Since we need to work together, it’s best to lay some groundwork.

“I’m not a disciple of a famous doctor, but I am someone’s disciple. It could be someone you know.”

I deliberately let the information slip, not lightly.

“I learned about the plague from him.”

The guards, who had been silent, seemed to realize something and their expressions brightened.

They probably think I’m a disciple of a Swordmaster or someone of similar caliber.

Perhaps they even think Tuen is a Swordmaster, being the oldest.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive our rudeness.”

“It’s fine. I understand.”

Our atmosphere eased, but the maiden’s eyes were sharper than before as she looked at the guards.

“Please leave.”

The guards bowed slightly and retreated from the room. Now it’s time for me to get anxious.

I know I need to stay calm, but my heart is racing. I immediately moved the wind to prevent any sound from escaping.

“What did you mean earlier? About waiting for me.”

“Exactly what I said. The wind in the darkness. That’s all I saw.”

The girl said something incomprehensible. When I glared at her, she continued.

“I’m not a seer who can see everything. I see fragmented images suddenly.”

“Fragmented images?”

“When I arrived here, I saw a darkness I couldn’t escape.”

The girl’s green eyes focused on me.

“And there was a wind piercing through that darkness, coming towards me.”

“Is that me?”

“Since you were at the end of that path, the benefactor must be the wind.”

“...”

So the wind the girl mentioned wasn’t about my secret.

It’s quite coincidental. Is she really a seer?

The fact that someone with the ability to control wind has come to this place, where demon worshippers exist, fits too perfectly.

The girl smiled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll keep Lord Hsin’s mouth shut too.”

“What?”

“Everything about the benefactor. The fact that you are the son of the wind.”

I tried to hide my surprise.

The western natives called those with secrets the children of something.

So the girl knows I can control the wind.

Was she teasing me earlier?

“What you said just now isn’t a lie. I understood its meaning after meeting the benefactor.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can see the wind surrounding the benefactor. It really likes the benefactor.”

“...”

What should I do?

Information about my secret is highly confidential. According to the rules, I should deal with the girl and the guards.

But I don’t want to.

Information from the game comes to mind. The seer keeps her word. It should be fine.

Maybe it’s because I saw it firsthand.

From the eagles to the seer’s words, it feels like I’m caught in a flow of superstition.

As a spy, I should think rationally, but it seems better to go with the flow in this situation.

Or, even rationally, it’s the right choice.

If the girl’s precognition is real, it’s almost a secret.

Thinking about the future, it’s better to have her on my side.

“Alright, I understand.”

I nodded and smiled.

“But if you saw my wind, did you also see the darkness here? The people who feel the darkness.”

“Yes.”

“What was the darkness like?”

“Sinister and frustrating.”

The girl shuddered slightly.

“Why didn’t you tell the guards?”

“Because it wasn’t the path I saw.”

The girl shrugged.

“And even if I had told them, it wouldn’t have been a good thing.”

Again, the girl shows good judgment and quick thinking.

She’s strong, but she’s just a seer candidate and a guard for the community.

I can easily handle the villagers, but she’s definitely weaker than Vasco and Toby.

The guards would have panicked and the demon worshippers would have sensed something.

The girl’s judgment is correct.

“Do you know anyone else besides the people I mentioned earlier?”

“The young wife of the village chief, who didn’t come out earlier.”

“Really?”

It seems the two I was unsure about earlier are just close friends, or maybe just collaborators.

I need to confirm.

“Can I ask one more question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you come here to meet me?”

The girl said she saw the darkness when she came here and the wind piercing through it...

But if she came here to find the wind, it wouldn’t be a lie.

The girl, wide-eyed in surprise, shook her head.

“No. I saw the darkness when I came here and the wind coming to wrap around me. I was just waiting for the wind.”

Hmm, that’s not it.

Then, in the game, does this girl die at the hands of the demon worshippers?

“I won’t forget your kindness and will repay it in the future.”

“In the future?”

“The darkness I saw here isn’t just about them.”

“...”

I wore a serious expression. How far can this girl see?

In any case, with this level of ability, there’s enough reason to maintain a good relationship.

“I’m Kaelin. My real name.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

The girl smiled genuinely.

“My name is Ines.”

* * *

I’ve identified all the demon worshippers. There were five in total. The two I was suspicious about were just close friends.

When the others gathered separately to talk, they didn’t interfere and just took naps.

‘There’s no need to wait any longer.’

The tea leaves were sufficient, so by tomorrow morning, the villagers would all be recovering.

I decided to deal with the demon worshippers tonight and leave the village.

The plan was simple. Tuen, Vasco, and Toby would first deal with the demon worshipper outside.

Then they would return to the village and help me catch the rest.

I had already discussed this with the ones outside. It seemed like a one-sided conversation, but it was possible to have a dialogue.

I could feel Tuen’s words through the wind. I got out of bed and checked the time.

‘15 minutes left.’

I didn’t need to wait until midnight. I planned to move around 10 PM.

After dinner, I made them drink the tea again. The healing effect would make them sleepy.

They had all taken naps during the day.

I knew this from my experience in the game. I calmly prepared my weapons.

Huh?

At that moment, I sensed the movements of the demon worshippers. They met in an alley with weapons in hand.

- The plan to infiltrate the village is canceled. We’ll kill them all. Start with the ones outside.

- Shouldn’t we catch the kid inside first?

- You idiot, if the ones outside sense something and run, it’ll be a problem.

I listened and immediately sent a message to Tuen, telling him to move now.

I had considered this possibility. They might have the same idea.

- But what are they doing? How did they not know it was a real cure?

- He’s a disciple of a famous doctor, Mengk. He might know about the plague found in the ruins.

- Zikang.

- Damn. Is that important now?

- Meng, Maji.