Chapter 42

That day, we ended up camping outdoors.

"I managed to sell that troublesome food at a high price."

In the south, the famine had already been resolved, so it didn't sell, but it was only when we came to the north that we finally managed to do so.

There's still one cart loaded with food left, but this is for the foodie bird's feed.

"Dinner!"

The bird stuck its head into the cart covered with cloth and greedily devoured the contents.

"Delicious!"

It's an annoying phrase I've heard somewhere before.

This guy, even though he's finished growing, is a big eater. The daily food expenses are ridiculous. On the other hand, the movement is abnormally fast.

However, due to the reckless actions, the carriage breaks down quickly.

The repair costs are also quite high...

"What should I do?"

In this case, should I make it out of metal instead of wood? Filo is light and noisy, but considering durability, it would be quite expensive.

Raphatalia has overcome her motion sickness, but at Filo's full speed, the passengers get violently sick.

It might be good to add springs to cushion the shock.

Recently, I've saved up quite a bit of money. I'm looking forward to meeting the weapon shop owner.

What I've learned from traveling around this country is that the weapon shops in the castle towns, which are the heart of the country, sell the best items.

I don't know where other heroes buy their weapons and armor, but in the towns and villages I've visited, no better equipment is sold than at the old man's shop.

"Master!"

Muff... Filo's feathers press against me.

It's a bit chilly in the north. That's why Filo's feathers, combined with her body heat, are warm.

"Hehehe~"

"Mmm..."

Raphatalia sits down, clinging to me for some reason.

"Hehehe, everyone's warm and cozy."

"I'm already hot..."

Why are you all huddled up just because it's a bit chilly?

"Filo, move away. If you move away, it will be just right."

"No, Raphatalia-nee, if you move away, it will be better. It's not good to monopolize Master."

"I'm not monopolizing!"

It's noisy!

"Go to sleep. You two!"

"That's not fair..."

"Let's sleep together, Master!"

"I need to make medicine before we reach the eastern region."

I'm mixing a large amount of medicine in anticipation that the stock of healing potions won't be enough.

Even then, I'm not sure if it will be enough... This is the difficult part of being a traveling merchant.

"Boo..."

Filo pouts and moves away to sleep.

At the same time, Raphatalia also goes into the carriage. It's probably more comfortable than sleeping on the ground.

"Well then,"

I continue mixing the healing potion while keeping the fire.

"Naofumi-sama?"

"Hmm?"

I look at the carriage at Raphatalia's voice.

Raphatalia is beckoning me from inside the carriage.

"What is it?"

"Would you... like to sleep together?"

"You too... Really."

She looks like an adult, but inside, she's still a child. She must be lonely.

"Have Filo transform into a human and sleep with you."

"It's not because I'm lonely... It's just..."

Raphatalia looks down and whispers, blushing.

Come to think of it, she stopped crying in her sleep at some point... It's been quite a while since then.

"Naofumi-sama, do you... have someone you like... in your original world?"

"Huh? No, I don't."

What is she trying to talk about?

I can't grasp her intention.

"Why the sudden question?"

"Well... I was wondering what Naofumi-sama thinks of me."

Huh?

Hmm... A certain annoying woman pops into my head, making me feel irritated, but I have no reason to be angry at Raphatalia.

I don't understand why that woman pops into my head at a time like this.

"I've been forcing you to do too much in your position as a slave."

"What... besides that?"

"Is there something else?"

I tilt my head, and Raphatalia makes a rather awkward face.

"I believe in you. I also believe in you and cherish you."

"Y-Yes! ...Huh?"

Raphatalia nods with a smile but tilts her head as if she has a question, then returns to the bed in the carriage.

"Well then,"

I continue working for the next merchant trip.

Incidentally, due to the battles during recent merchant trips, our levels have been rising.

Me: Level 37

Raphatalia: Level 39

Filo: Level 38

Even Filo has surpassed me. Is my level-up really that slow?

No, the two of them are attackers. Especially Filo, who is more agile than Raphatalia and can instantly kill enemies.

That's probably why they level up quickly.

Raphatalia's steady attacks also contribute to this.

We arrived at the eastern region of the country.

How to put it... The trees around are withered, and the air feels heavy.

It's not particularly cold, but...

The earth is black, and it's like a dark land.

Looking up at the sky, the clouds are thick, and a large mountain range is gradually approaching.

It feels quite ominous.

"Um,"

The road split, so I check the map.

"Filo, head towards the mountain."

"Okay!"

"Both of you, cover your mouths with cloth as a precaution. There seems to be an epidemic in this area."

"Okay."

I also cover my mouth with cloth and take the minimum defensive measures before reaching the target village.

If I have to describe the village, it's dark. Dark clouds are rising, and the village is quite black.

"...Are you a merchant? I'm sorry, but this village is suffering from an epidemic, cough... It's better to evacuate..."

A villager explains to us while coughing painfully.

"I know. That's why I came to sell healing potions."

"R-Really! Thank you."

The villager runs off to announce the arrival of the medicine merchant.

...It's quite tense.

At this rate, I'm worried about the inventory.

My worries are confirmed as voices asking for medicine echo throughout the village.

"That's the famous carriage of the divine bird! This will save the village!"

Wow... The expectations are heavy.

If the medicine I made turns out to be ineffective, my credibility will drop instantly.

There's no choice.

"Who needs the medicine?"

I start by giving the medicine to those who bought it, one by one, to maximize its effectiveness.

"Over here, Saint."

I've been called a saint for a while now, but it makes me feel itchy. It's better than being looked at unfavorably as the Shield Hero, though.

I'm led to a building where the severely ill are gathered.

It seems to be a quarantine facility.

There's a cemetery behind the facility, with several new tombstones standing.

...Does the smell of death convey the message? I'm certain that the unpleasant atmosphere in hospitals and cemeteries is the cause.

I'm unsure if the healing potion alone will be enough.

I shouldn't be too confident just because I decoded an intermediate recipe.

If the healing potion is ineffective here, there will be no other means.

However... Although it will be expensive, if I give the high-cost medicine, it should be effective.

Still... I want to be able to handle it. Even if the decoding is difficult and expensive, it's better to have a means than to have none.

Next time, I'll ask the medicine shop if they can sell me an advanced recipe book.

"Please help my wife!"

"Alright."

I wake up the woman who is coughing uncontrollably due to the illness and give her the healing potion little by little.

A light spreads from the woman.

I wonder if it had any effect. Her complexion seems to have improved. Good, it seems to be effective.

"Next!"

When I look up, the villager who guided me is staring at me in shock.

"What's wrong?"

"T-That..."

He points to a child lying next to the woman.

The child, who was coughing just like the woman, has stopped coughing.

Huh?

Did the child die...?

I check the child's breathing.

...Good, the child is still alive.

However, the child is much more stable than before, despite coughing just a moment ago.

"What's going on?"

"When the Saint gave the medicine to the woman, it seemed like the breathing of the child next to her also eased almost simultaneously."

Hmm... Could the "small area effect" of the medicine refer to this?

The range is too powerful.

From what I can see, it seems to have the same effect within a radius of about one meter around the person who took the medicine.

How much potential does this shield have?

However, in combat, there's a high possibility of being out of range. If we huddle within one meter, we'll be wiped out unless we're overwhelmingly stronger.

"If that's the case, it's easy! Give the medicine to those within a one-meter radius. Hurry up!"

"O-Okay!"

Since there aren't enough people, I have Filo and Raphatalia carry the sick and give them the medicine nearby.

This saves medicine, and the treatment of the people in the quarantine facility ended much faster than expected.

However... It's a tough situation that, even after some time, the symptoms have only improved and not fully recovered.

"I guess my healing potion has its limits..."

"Thank you!"

I'm grateful, but I can't say I'm completely satisfied with the situation.

There's still a risk of infection, and it can't be eradicated.

"By the way, where did this disease come from? Is it a local disease or something? No, it's usually an epidemic."

If the healing potion is only this effective, it must be a serious disease.

We are also at risk of infection.

In the worst case, we may have to leave here quickly.

"Actually, the healer explained that the wind coming from the mountain where monsters live is the cause."

"Tell me more."

"Then, I'll call him..."

The healer is similar to a doctor in my world, skilled in recovery magic and pharmacology.

This healer was compounding effective medicine for the disease in the village and happened to be helping with the treatment when we arrived.

"Can you make a higher-level medicine than the healing potion?"

"Yes. I'm currently working on it. The medicine the Saint gave showed significant improvement in symptoms, so I put it on hold."

"Restart the work quickly. Since the treatment is not complete, it will recur eventually."

"Y-Yes!"

"Wait."

I stop the healer, who is about to run and continue his work.

"You said the cause of the disease is the wind from the mountain. Why?"

"Yes. About a month ago, the Sword Hero defeated a giant dragon that made the mountain range its territory."

I remember hearing that rumor.

"The dragon usually makes its nest in a remote area, but this one was a stray."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"For a while, adventurers gathered in this village to see the Sword Hero's feat. They climbed the mountain and brought back materials from the dragon the Hero defeated."

If they made excellent weapons or armor from the dragon's materials, that would be great...

I'm a bit envious.

"So?"

"Here's the main point. It was fine until the materials were stripped. Thanks to that, this desolate village became quite prosperous. However... When the dragon's corpse started to rot, problems arose. At the same time, the adventurers who went to see the corpse fell ill."

"...I see. The corpse is the cause of the disease, then."

"Probably..."

Even with the materials stripped... It's easy to imagine what parts of the dragon's corpse might be left.

The meat, of course. No matter how strong the dragon, the meat is the first to rot.

Some gourmet enthusiasts might want it, but most adventurers wouldn't want rotten meat.

In stories, dragons are said to have no waste and their meat is delicious, but how is it in this world?

The internal organs are also likely to rot quickly, especially the liver.

Since the focus was on the materials, the internal organs were probably ignored.

At most, the heart... a part with high magical effects, I suppose.

"If you know the cause, you should dispose of it quickly."

"But... It's a mountain range where dangerous monsters live, a place adventurers don't usually go... It's impossible for the nearby farmers to remove it."

"Then, ask the adventurers."

"By the time we realized, the mountain's ecosystem had changed dramatically. The air is toxic, and the disease's effects make it difficult for ordinary adventurers to enter... Moreover, adventurers are wary of the epidemic and won't approach."

Sigh...

Ryuen, you should properly dispose of the monster's corpse.

Ryuen is the youngest among the heroes.

When I was in high school, I wouldn't have thought about the problem of rotting things.

Moreover, he is the one most familiar with games among the heroes.

Especially with VRMMOs, a product of science fiction.

If you say he is the furthest from the difference between games and reality, this result is inevitable.

"Saint, what should we do?"

"Have you reported to the country?"

"Yes. Medicine is expected to arrive soon."

"...What about the heroes?"

"Given their busy schedules, it's likely they will put it off."

Both Mototaka and Ryuen are infuriating.

"Have you already paid the request fee to the country?"

"Yes..."

"Will it be refunded if you cancel?"

The healer looks at me straight in the eye, wide-eyed.

"Are you going, Saint?"

"Since it will take time to make the medicine, right?"

"Yes... It will take at least half a day."

"Understood. I'll go dispose of the dragon's corpse in the meantime. In return, send me the request fee for the country."

"U-Understood."

Thus, we decided to go to the mountain to dispose of the dragon's corpse.