Chapter 74

"Aboo!"

"Kyarlek!"

Wenli woke up late in the evening.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Of course, big brother. My body is as strong as ever."

"Stop being silly."

"Hongdani! Hongdani snores too!"

"Che. Cheongdani too!"

Hearing that even the sword had been snoring, it really felt like a ghost would weep.

The children were running around the room, laughing and making a ruckus, clearly very happy.

"It's really amazing. Maybe it's because those kids are here... I feel better than usual."

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but the amount of mana in her body had likely increased.

As a mage, Wenli must have absorbed a small amount of the energy emitted by the two children, who were like massive energy sources.

"That's good. Kids, do you want to go play outside for a bit?"

"Sure!"

They answered in unison and ran out of the room. I slowly turned my head.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, thanks to your concern."

"How far did you come? If you had contacted me, I would have come instead."

"Wh-Why would you do that! Big brother is so busy..."

She pouted and bowed her head deeply.

"Alright, tell me what happened step by step."

At my words, she nodded quietly with a tearful face.

The story she told was not a light one.

"At first, I called the priests. But they said it was a disease that couldn't be cured with holy power... So I called a doctor, but he also said it couldn't be cured..."

"It couldn't be cured?"

Perhaps feeling relieved, Wenli finally began to share her worries.

Fortuna, her bodyguard and close friend, had taken a poisoned arrow meant for her. At the time, Wenli had recklessly pursued the attackers and fallen into a trap. If Fortuna hadn't taken the arrow, Wenli might have been seriously injured or even dead.

"About the antidote?"

"The priest used an antidote spell to remove the poison... but after that, dark blue spots started appearing all over her body... and she kept coughing up blood... black... h-hic... hic..."

But the real problem began after the antidote. When they returned to the camp, Fortuna suffered from a high fever all night, and dark blue spots started appearing all over her body. She began to cough up blood frequently and rapidly became emaciated.

Neither the priest's holy power nor the doctor's medical skills had any effect on this unknown disease. During this time, one of the priests treating Fortuna mentioned that perhaps a high-ranking priest with a holy mark might be able to cure her.

This was the reason she had rushed to the Haines estate.

"..."

-Dave?

Perseus called out to me with a puzzled look as I listened to her story.

-Why do you look like that?

'No, the symptoms are familiar.'

Unable to find the right words to calm Wenli, who had started crying again, I could only stroke her fresh green hair in silence.

"You've been through a lot. No one is perfect. Learn from this mistake and make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Hic... hic, big brother. What... what should I do now? Because of me, Fortuna... hic... hic... haaaan!"

I patted her back as she sobbed in my arms, and I narrowed my eyes.

The symptoms had appeared about two weeks ago. Initially, the unknown poison had only made her feel lethargic, but even after the antidote was administered, it had turned into a disease that continued to torment her.

Dark blue spots had started appearing all over her body, and she frequently felt exhausted and coughed up blood.

The priest had said that the disease could not be healed with holy power. They had tried to rely on medical skills, but the doctors had no idea what the disease was.

Feeling helpless, one of the priests had mentioned that perhaps a high-ranking priest with a holy mark might be able to cure her.

Naturally, the only person with a holy mark who could treat her on this continent was me.

Feeling desperate, Wenli had rushed to the Haines estate without rest.

Currently, I was the only one who could help her.

"Don't worry. I'll take a look."

"R-Really?!"

Hearing that I would treat her must have been what she had been hoping for.

It must have been painful to see someone she cared about dying because of her mistake.

I could only comfort her until she calmed down.

"Steward Bernil."

"Did you need me?"

In the quiet study, I quietly spoke while organizing the documents detailing the estate's various issues.

"There should be an information guild in the estate. Find the most reliable and well-informed one and bring the branch leader to me."

"Understood."

Despite the potential surprise, Steward Bernil bowed and accepted my order without a word.

* * *

There's something called intuition.

Sometimes, without any evidence or signs, you just get a feeling that something big is about to happen or that something will go wrong.

Why am I bringing this up now?

Because the cold feeling I've had since hearing Wenli's story is exactly that.

"I keep getting the feeling that something big is about to happen."

"Whenever something happens, don't you usually turn it to your advantage?"

"That's true, but..."

I sighed, feeling a bit bitter.

"An increase in patients is not something to welcome."

I muttered to myself and stood up.

"Just looking at the symptoms, there's one disease that's very familiar."

-Is there really such a disease?

"The problem is that it shouldn't exist on this continent."

That was the most confusing part.

-What does that have to do with calling the information guild?

She tilted her head, not understanding my point.

"Cause and effect, there's no result without a cause. She was hit by a poisoned arrow and received an antidote spell, but then suddenly fell ill with an unknown disease the next day? And both the priest and the doctor couldn't identify it... It's ridiculous."

How could the barbarians, who survive by raiding the outskirts of kingdoms without a stable base, have obtained such a potent poison?

If it was a poison that could make both the priest and the doctor give up, it must have been extraordinary.

-In such a case...

"Someone must have given the barbarians a special pathogen."

I trailed off and sighed before continuing.

"Or there was a cause for the disease that she didn't mention."

My gut feeling leans towards the former.

No matter what disease it is, the solution lies in the cause. This is one of the first things you learn in medicine.

Understanding the context.

"Come in if you're here."

I threw the stack of papers aside and spoke quietly while standing there.

"Don't try to hide."

As if speaking to the empty air, I muttered, and soon a man in a black mask appeared before me, his presence barely noticeable.

'Not bad, you have some skills.'

"..."

He bowed silently. He was dressed in black, with a mask covering his face. The only visible parts of his body were his large, strong hands and sharp eyes.

Most people would instinctively tense up at the suppressed killing intent he exuded.

But his hiding skills, while impressive, were not enough to make me truly nervous.

"I heard you need something."

"Yes, I'm sorry to call you here when you're busy."

"Finding you is an honor."

"Sit down."

I gestured to the chair opposite me as I slowly sat on the sofa, but he remained standing.

The emotion in his eyes seemed to be... tension.

Of course, he must be tense after I found him despite his efforts to hide his presence.

Assassins are known to be extremely cautious of anyone who can find their position.

"I'll be direct. I want to buy information. What can you provide?"

He answered without hesitation.

"Everything has a price."

Yes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

"If I pay the price, can you get me anything?"

"As long as you pay enough, I can even tell you the color of the princesses' undergarments from nearby kingdoms. If you want, I can even get you the undergarments themselves..."

"Tsk, what would I do with such dirty things?"

I chuckled at his confident but matter-of-fact tone.

He was certainly boasting about his guild's information and action capabilities.

What a bold way to express it.

Perseus, looking displeased, crossed her arms and pouted.

A short silence filled the study.

The information guilds operating in the capital of the Round Kingdom were excellent but were only on the level of a small kingdom's guild.

However, the guild this man belonged to seemed to be on a continental scale.

It wasn't unexpected given the size. This place was a hub of numerous merchant guilds, the Mage Tower, and the Alchemy School, making it a center of exchange and growth.

Naturally, the shadows grew deeper with the light.

Information guilds, known for their quick response to the scent of money, were even faster than merchants.

This place was a chaotic ground where new information was constantly being created, so it wasn't surprising that a continental-level information guild would be interested.

Thus, it was reasonable to assume they had the resources to quickly and efficiently provide what I needed.

As I met his gaze, a hint of tension flashed in his eyes behind the mask.

He must know something about me.

Therefore, he wouldn't take my words lightly, especially since I had seen through his hiding.

His tension was visible, and I felt a bit sorry for him, but I had to ask what I needed to know.