Chapter 148
Though varying in severity, everyone except me and Bibi suffered internal injuries, large and small.
Even Nielin and Gerald, who had only drunk alcohol and a few sips of cold water, couldn't escape it.
The contaminated water was identified as the cause. No one knew if the symptoms would end after one occurrence or continue to bring pain. After all, no one had heard what happened when one drank water contaminated enough to react to holy water.
The scout who recovered fastest went to find villagers but returned empty-handed.
"The village and ritual grounds are completely empty. Not a single person can be found no matter how much we search."
"We should have killed all those madmen," Nielin lamented belatedly, but it was already too late.
Everyone's faces showed they only realized they'd crawled into a devil's cave after vomiting their guts out.
Though we needed to cross several waterways to reach the Principality, the rain showed no signs of letting up. Waiting for the water to recede was pointless. The guard's time and food weren't unlimited.
Like it or not, we had to move. The answer was to push through the rain and move as close to the Principality as possible.
Gerald collected himself and issued follow-up instructions. He hurriedly distributed emergency potions and sent a Stitch requesting urgent support from the homeland.
I watched flower petals being washed away by muddy water. Whether god was truly angry or not, spring had ended early. Barbisia was gradually transforming into the hellish landscape we'd heard about.
Though we had tried every possible countermeasure, I had a feeling it would be an even harder fight than I'd imagined.
***
Even as dawn broke, the guard continued moving, soaked in rain. Having moved through the night, everyone was worn with fatigue.
Since carriage wheels kept sinking into the wet earth, we abandoned all carriages and moved while carrying only some supplies. When even a single step sank to the shins, carriages had no chance of moving.
The guard kept only food, tents for camping, and a few other survival essentials, abandoning everything else.
Bibi was in terrible shape too.
Her luxurious clothes became completely ruined like rags in the muddy water, and she finally had to discard them and change into a maid's more practical clothes.
"Someone remove this."
Bibi lifted her robe to reveal her pure white side.
There, a leech the size of a thumb was attached, sucking the most precious blood in the Principality.
The knights all hesitated, not daring to touch the Duchess' body carelessly.
"It's fine, so hurry and remove this damned leech already."
Unable to watch anymore, I removed the leech and stopped the bleeding with a potion.
Bibi had now abandoned concerns of dignity and formality, struggling to adapt to the harsh environment.
Leeches were just the beginning. Other soldiers were already covered in hives on their necks and forearms from mosquitoes and other poisonous insects, as if suffering from plague.
All sorts of pests attacked as if they'd been lying in ambush just waiting for us.
A patrol guard returned to the main unit with a middle-aged villager they'd captured.
Finally, they'd caught someone connected to the Spirit Festival.
Nielin and his lieutenant interrogated him with near-torture level violence.
Was this all a plan targeting the Duchess? Who’s the mastermind? Who controlled the priestess?
But they couldn't get proper answers.
"Must get away from the Duchess... must get away right now."
Only after repeated beatings did he give a different answer.
"The curse, the curse has already begun. It can't be reversed. All we can do is stay as far as possible from that cursed Duchess. We must leave before the anger swallows this place. If you want to live, abandon the Duchess and run. God will take her."
Until then, no one believed the curse would be realized. The problem was that the locals had poisoned them, they thought—if one had to count curse omens, there was only the rain.
That night, the guard set up camp in an abandoned village. The interior still showed clear signs of life, as if not even a week had passed. The bedding and dishes were all intact. Only the people had vanished.
The next morning, one scout and two night watchmen disappeared.
"I heard clearly. He s-said he was going to relieve himself, but never came back."
Whether they fell into the swamp, were caught by magic creatures, or deserted, no one knew. Not even traces could be found despite thorough searching.
Hearing this news, Bibi collapsed as if her legs had given out.
Gerald urged her, "My lady, you mustn’t show weakness in this situation."
The first unexpected desertion. But this was just the beginning.
By noon, soldiers were vomiting black liquid again. They couldn't properly eat anything.
The guard was slowly falling apart.
***
Everywhere was swampland covered in muddy water and mire.
"Elisha? Elisha!"
A knight broke formation during the march and ran toward the swamp. When nearby companions grabbed him and slapped his face several times, he came to his senses.
"I definitely saw Elisha..."
"There's nothing here. Get a grip."
The severe symptoms spread like an epidemic. Even Gerald, who seemed likely to maintain sanity longest, occasionally turned around sharply as if hearing something.
Each time, he asked me, "Did you hear that too?"
"I didn't hear anything."
Gerald at least could distinguish between hallucinations and reality; others couldn't.
"I saw it. Saw it clearly. That beheaded priestess was standing alive behind that tree! I must inform the Duchess at once. I must cut off that evil demon's head."
They were going mad regardless of whether they were knights or mages.
There was an even more serious problem.
"Urgh!"
I, too, began vomiting black liquid.
What’s the cause? Is it from putting my hands in contaminated water? Or is it from drinking rainwater due to lack of drinking water?
The guard had no water reserves. If I hadn't drunk rainwater, I probably would have died of dehydration before detecting anything wrong.
If drinking rainwater was the cause, the problem became even more serious.
It meant all this wasn't just poisoning from drinking pond water, but contamination of all Barbisia.
Perhaps the soldiers' vomiting, auditory and visual hallucinations, and delusions were part of becoming part of Barbisia’s circulation system.
We might not be able to escape no matter what we do.
The fortunate thing was that I hadn't experienced hallucinations yet. But even this, I couldn't be sure how long it would last.
When even I, who had been relatively fine, showed symptoms, Bibi was greatly shaken.
Now only Bibi remained normal, while everyone around her suffered problems. As if fulfilling part of the old woman's curse, those around her were experiencing pain.
That evening, the guard had to face despair.
It started with a knight discovering the remains of a Stitch.
"That's... a Principality Stitch."
A Principality Stitch hung in a tree with its wings torn apart. Gerald's request for support had crashed before reaching the Principality.
The Stitch was covered in claw marks.
The guard was isolated.
Even the hope that support would come from the Principality if they just held out had been completely shattered.
Perhaps the guard was more easily shaken because none could maintain their sanity.
From then on, suspicion began growing in the guard that the Duchess might really be cursed.
During the march, a knight suddenly collapsed face-down, his eyes rolling back as he convulsed.
Then, as if possessed, he began spouting strange words.
"Offer what's most precious to you. Cut off its head and scatter its entrails across this land."
It was an inexplicable phenomenon. Perhaps we were indirectly confirming the existence of the supernatural being we'd half-doubted.
Following that, when even Commander Nielin suddenly lost his mind and began slashing wildly at the air, the guard's hope completely broke.
Because everyone was going mad.
And me too.
"Urgh!"
I started vomiting black liquid again. My body seemed to be having a chain reaction following them.
My head grew dizzy and my body tilted forward against my will.
The last thing I heard was Bibi's urgent cry.
"No!"
And I lost consciousness.
***
The guard set up camp on a hill.
Bibi sat frozen in her tent, face covered by both hands.
Everything was deteriorating rapidly, like sliding downhill. What was happening was beyond her common sense understanding.
Her most trusted Nielin had broken down, and even Damian, who seemed like he wouldn't flinch if the sky fell, couldn't hold out.
She could no longer find the same loyalty in the soldiers' eyes when they looked at her.
It was also painful that Bibi herself had no problems. If she had suffered like the soldiers, she could have encouraged them to overcome it together.
Then Nielin entered the tent.
"My lady, you called?"
Bibi spoke, erasing the painful emotions from her face, "How is Silveryn's disciple?"
"Far from waking. He proved weaker than he looked. But there's good news."
"...What is it?"
"The missing knights have returned."
Bibi jumped up.
"Have they really returned? Are they truly alright?"
"Yes. They're healthy without any injuries. They wish to see you now."
Bibi put her hand to her chest and sighed in relief.
"That's wonderful. Tell them to come in."
"Not just them, other soldiers also wish to see you."
"...?"
Only then did Bibi notice something strange.
Nielin's eyes, which had always been clear and unwavering through rain or snow, were unfocused.
"They say they want to deliver god's message."
Nielin threw open the tent entrance.
And beyond the entrance, the entire guard waited with weapons drawn.
"...Why?"
Detecting killing intent in their eyes, Bibi slowly stepped backward.
And Nielin too drew his sword and faced the Duchess.
"The master of this land says he needs a sacrifice."
***
"He desires a blood festival."
"The master desires the goddess' blood."
Someone muttered nearby. My eyes snapped open on the temporary sickbed.
Is it a dream? Or am I hearing hallucinations too?
I turned my head. Through the slightly parted tent entrance, I saw people. Not just one. Many were moving in line toward one place.
Swaying their bodies as if drugged. And in their hands were swords.
"Offer the Duchess as sacrifice."
What I heard wasn't a hallucination. It was clearly words from the guard's mouths. Something was about to happen.
I could sense that the scene from my prophetic dream was now right before me.
I tried to rise but my body wouldn't listen. Trying to leave the sickbed, I collapsed back to the floor from dizziness.
Potion. I needed to find a potion.
I moved toward the luggage piled in a corner of the tent.
From there, I barely managed to pull out my personal chest.
I opened the chest and checked its contents. My wooden sword wrapped in cloth. And Griffin Potion and Frost Wind Bombs. Fortunately, everything was as I'd first brought them.
This wasn't a situation to worry about hiding my identity.
I immediately drank the Griffin Potion and grabbed the wooden sword.
My arms holding the sword trembled. Whether all my strength had been drained, I could barely stand, let alone fight.
Then I found something strange in the box. A small leather pouch I'd brought without thinking. A faint blue light leaked from inside.
As if entranced, I opened the pouch.
Inside was a glowing blue herb.
It was the Blue Soul Herb I'd received at the end of the circulation system practice.
***
Nielin approached Bibi step by step as she backed away.
"Why, why are you all doing this? Everyone come to your senses!"
She sobbed as if about to burst into tears.
"You swore loyalty to me and my father."
She fell backward. Bibi's face sank deeper into despair.
Nielin paid no attention.
"We must offer payment to the god."
Just then, a sphere rolled under the tent and bumped against Nielin's feet.
He lowered his head to look at the object.
Detecting condensed mana inside, Nielin quickly pulled his body back with quick reflexes.
Soon after, the sphere exploded, spraying white frost everywhere.
And someone leaped through the torn tent into the scattered frost.