Chapter 59

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When Luria and Sara had fallen asleep in their room, Curo, the Spirit King, was in the nearby forest of the secondary residence.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me?""Bubo?""Moo?"

In front of Curo stood a goat, a boar, and a cow that had come from the forest near the main residence.

Even the smallest of the three, the cow, was twice the size of a horse, and the boar was like a small hill. The leader, a golden goat, was even larger than the cow and the boar.

"Still, how did you manage to... not be noticed?"

"Me-me (We have a spell to hide our presence... it's no trouble at all)"

The goats, boasting with a proud look, were extremely skilled in magic.

They usually used the spell to hide their presence and lived without being noticed, despite their size.

For the goats, secretly moving to the secondary residence was not difficult.

"Luria-sama, I understand you want to see her... but..."

"Bubo-bo (I had a bad feeling, so it was right to come)"

"Boar, what do you mean by a bad feeling?"

"Moo~ (There's an ominous presence in this forest, almost like a curse)"

"It's not there at all. Is the cow just making it up?"

"Me-me? (Not at all)"

The goat tilted its head cutely, trying to dodge the question.

"I understand you want to be by Luria-sama's side, but..."

"Me~""Bubo-bo""Moo"

"Well, the forest near the secondary residence is larger and less likely to be noticed, right?"

"Me-me"

Hearing the goat's confident "Leave it to me," Curo felt a vague unease.

◇◇◇◇

A few hours before Curo met the goats, the sun was setting, dyeing the western sky red.

Baron, Sara's father, was suffering alone in his room on the second floor.

Although it was a curse, the symptoms were those of red pox.

He had a high fever and swellings all over his body. Swellings in his throat and mouth made it hard to breathe and caused intense pain whenever he tried to eat or drink.

The room grew darker as the sun set, as no servant had come to refill the lamp.

"Is... is anyone there?"

In the dark room, the baron called out for a servant, but no one came.

No one would come, as he was believed to have the highly contagious red pox.

Like Marion, the servants only placed food outside his door and did not open it.

This infuriated the baron.

He had only just fallen ill and still had the strength to ignore the pain in his throat and shout loudly.

"Is anyone there! Come when I call!"

The baron's voice reached the servants' quarters, but they all ignored it.

No one wanted to catch the red pox.

The baron's servants were all hired after Marion, who had been Sara's nurse, began to spend more time away from the manor five years ago.

The baron had replaced the old servants who had served Marion to prevent them from interfering with his affairs.

As a result, no one stopped him from cheating, abusing Sara, or bringing in his mistresses.

Naturally, the servants' loyalty to the baron was almost non-existent.

"Why... why isn't anyone coming..."

Not only the servants, but even his beloved mistress did not come.

It was natural that she could not come close, as she was pregnant.

But the baron had forgotten this and was raging in anger.

"This is ridiculous! Ridiculous! I am Baron Didier, the master of this house!"

After shouting for a while, the baron gave up and crawled out of bed.

His whole body ached as if his bones were broken.

He crawled to the door and opened it.

On the corridor floor were a bowl of porridge and a glass of water.

A sturdy wooden barrier had been installed to prevent him from leaving.

The baron's vassals had installed it to keep the red pox patient from going outside.

He glared hatefully at the barrier and took the porridge and water back to his room.

"Ugh"

Drinking water alone was painful due to the dozens of sores in his mouth.

"But I must eat... or I will die"

Crying, the baron ate the porridge. It had no taste, only pain.

Despite being soft and cold, the baron could not eat more than half of it.

"Why... why did I get the red pox..."

The baron groaned, forgetting that he had cursed someone.

His suffering was the same as what Marion had endured.

◇◇◇◇

Meanwhile, at Marion's cottage.

"Are you feeling well, Lady Marion? Can you eat?"

"Thank you. I feel better after talking to my daughter."

Marion was eating porridge, cared for by a healer specializing in red pox.

The sores in her mouth, which had tormented her for hours, were all gone.

"Just not being in pain... makes it taste so good"

"That's the best news of all"

The healer continued to examine Marion while she ate.

The healer was a young woman who had nearly died from red pox as a child.

Because she had been isolated and not treated, she had decided to become a healer for red pox.

"Is there no pain after swallowing?"

"No"

"The swellings on your face have gone down, and you have no fever. To me, it looks like you have fully recovered"

"Really? Then, can I see my daughter..."

The healer smiled gently at the joyful Marion.

"Of course, you can see her soon. However, there is a quarantine period..."

Even after the symptoms disappear, a two to three-day quarantine is required to monitor for a relapse.

However, this period is shorter than the quarantine for close contacts.

"A few days. Three or four days. If this continues, you can see your daughter"

"Yes, thank you"

Marion shed tears of joy.

"Still, you must not be complacent. Eat well and rest as much as you can"

"Yes, thank you"

The healer had been requested by a high-ranking noble, the Grand Duke, through the High Priest.

Moreover, the Grand Duke had personally asked, "Since she is critically ill, please treat her with care and help her."

Feeling the weight of the responsibility, the healer arrived to find Marion already healed.

"I can give the Grand Duke good news"

The healer smiled and sighed in relief.

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