Chapter 129
The clerics working in the cathedral, the patients receiving treatment from them, and finally, the tiny bugs hiding inside the patients' bodies all existed.
Having obtained information through mana detection, Franz could be certain. The cause of this plague was those nameless bugs.
If so, it was now time to make a move.
Franz immediately approached the busy clerics.
“How is the treatment of the patients going?”
“As you can see, it is not easy. The illness should be cured once treated, but in most cases, it returns after a day or two as the symptoms worsen again.”
He was answering while simultaneously treating a patient. The warm green light emitted from his hands was proof of that.
“A day or two…”
The cleric’s answer added certainty to Franz’s hypothesis.
Since the symptoms wouldn’t disappear unless the bugs were extracted from their bodies, it made sense that the symptoms would return a day or two later.
In the end, is physically removing the bugs the only cure…
As Franz was thinking that.
The cleric, having finished treating the patient, spoke.
“By the way, who are you? Do you perhaps know a lot about the plague?”
It was a question he hadn’t heard in a very long time. After subjugating the Demon Lord and rising to the position of Magic Tower lord, he had become quite famous, after all.
Of course, he still heard it often from cultists or demons, but it had been a while since he heard it from a human.
Anyway, he didn’t expect to have to say these words again.
Still, this would be the best way to introduce himself to a cleric.
“I am Franz, the saint.”
“Ah, so… You’re the one who recently became the saint…?”
The cleric’s face filled with confusion. It was only natural to be flustered when a person who suddenly appeared claimed to be the saint.
Franz continued his explanation in a calm voice. It was because he was worried that acting like his usual self might ruin the image of a saint.
“Yes, I came to offer my help alongside Yus - no, the saintess.”
“I am Dran. It is an honor to meet you, saint.”
The man named Dran bowed his head politely in greeting.
Just then, someone called out to Dran loudly. He seemed quite busy due to the swarming patients.
However, Franz spoke without paying it any mind.
“Brother Dran, if possible, could you gather the other brothers? I have something urgent to discuss.”
“Yes, I will call them over immediately.”
Dran immediately headed toward the other clerics.
The position of a saint certainly seemed quite convenient at times like this.
After all, if the Magic Tower lord had said such a thing, they wouldn’t have moved this quickly.
Before long, all the clerics, including Yusti-ah, gathered in front of Franz.
Was it because they heard from Dran that he was the saint? Everyone was glancing sideways at the patients' conditions, but no one spoke up.
Regardless of the bugs' presence, it wouldn’t be good to leave the patients unattended for long, so Franz immediately began his explanation.
“The reason I gathered you all is none other than to share what I have personally discovered about this plague.”
Franz took out a tiny glass bottle from his pocket.
Inside the glass bottle was a tiny bug, which was, of course, the cause of the plague.
“This bug is the cause of the plague. As few as one, and as many as three, are hiding inside the patients' bodies. They have the characteristic of absorbing mana, and that is why the patients' energy is waning.”
One of the clerics who heard Franz’s explanation asked.
“Does that mean the symptoms will continue unless the bugs are removed?”
“Yes, as of right now, that is the case.”
He didn’t know the creature’s lifespan or its ecology. All he knew was that it absorbed mana and that the symptoms would only disappear if it was removed.
But that was enough. Now that he had figured out the solution, all he had to do was put it into practice.
Dran spoke.
“However, saint, finding such tiny bugs inside the patients' bodies does not seem like it will be easy…”
“That will be fine. I can handle removing the bugs. You all just need to focus entirely on treating the patients.”
Hearing Franz’s words, the clerics exchanged worried glances.
And soon, one of them spoke.
“We know that your abilities are outstanding, saint. However, for you to handle this many patients alone is simply… Please, teach us the method as well. We will help you in any way we can.”
Their caring hearts were truly befitting of clerics. It was enough to make him feel proud to belong to the same Goddess Church.
But to be a bit blunt, it was a needless worry.
'Well, it’ll be faster to show them directly rather than to explain it with words.'
Thinking so, Franz reached into the pouch at his waist.
What soon emerged in his grasp was a staff made of wood. More accurately, it should be called the incredible staff gifted by the World Tree.
As he channeled mana into the staff, the blue crystal attached to its tip began to glow softly. It was a bizarre light, difficult to describe.
Soon, he lightly tapped the floor with the tip of the staff.
Tap-.
At first, it was just a single point. But it soon became a massive circle, eventually growing large enough to envelop the entire city.
The mana wave that started from the tip of the staff had grown so massive.
Was that all? Thanks to the World Tree Staff, his ability to manipulate mana was also significantly enhanced.
It was truly an unprecedented feat. Even if eons were to pass, magic of this caliber would likely never be revealed to the world again.
If one were to ask what he intended to do with such grand magic…
“Bug hunting.”
If anyone heard it, they might call it truly trivial. It was a purpose far too disconnected from the level of the magic.
However, in this moment, it was more necessary than anything else.
Snap-.
As Franz snapped his fingers, the sources of the plague that had spread throughout the entire city gathered in front of him all at once.
He had detected the ones with the same mana traits as the one in the glass bottle and gathered them using Spatial Movement Magic.
“Wow, gross.”
Since he had gathered everything in the entire city, the sheer quantity was substantial.
With all those things wriggling around wildly, how could it not be gross?
It was enough to make one turn one’s head away instinctively.
Franz wasn’t the only one who felt that way; the clerics, and of course Yusti-ah, were turning their heads away as well.
'Let’s get rid of them quickly.'
Unable to look at the bugs any longer, Franz lightly tapped the floor with his staff, tap, tap.
Then, the mass of bugs was engulfed in blue flames and began to burn.
With this, all the causes of the plague had been eliminated, so the only thing left was the treatment of the patients.
Franz spoke.
“I have disposed of all the bugs, so please focus entirely on treating the patients.”
“Ah, yes…!”
The clerics, belatedly grasping the situation, returned to the patients once again.
If there had only been people like them, Yusti-ah wouldn’t have had to suffer such wounds.
As Franz was having such meaningless thoughts.
Yusti-ah spoke.
“Are you going to other places too?”
“Well, just fixing things here doesn’t mean the plague will disappear. I suppose I’ll have to.”
“You aren’t planning to leave me here, are you…?”
He hadn’t particularly thought of doing that, but hearing her say it made him feel strangely like a bad person.
He had never left her behind anywhere they went, after all.
Anyway.
“Are you sure you don’t need to help out more here?”
Compared to the number of patients, the number of clerics was woefully insufficient, making them look quite busy.
He didn’t know when the people dispatched from the main branch would arrive, but until then, this situation would continue.
Perhaps Yusti-ah was also inwardly concerned, as she narrowed her brow and began to ponder.
Franz let out a short sigh and thought.
'Since I’ve already stepped into this…'
In truth, it was an incredibly simple task for Franz.
He could just summon the clerics traveling by carriage straight to this place from wherever they were.
However, he had tried to refrain from such actions as much as possible.
“There are many people who think continued goodwill is a right.”
If he kept transporting the clerics with spatial movement, they might naturally come to expect it later on. If possible, he didn’t want to create such a situation.
But for this matter, he thought he might make a slight exception.
Leaving struggling people behind weighed on his mind, too.
Now that he had gotten involved, he also wanted to resolve the problem quickly.
Having reached that conclusion, Franz spoke.
“Yusti-ah, wait just a moment.”
“Pardon? Wait… Are you really planning to leave me and go right now?!”
“I’m telling you to wait because we’re going together.”
“Are you sure? If so, swear on the Goddess.”
He wondered what the Followers would think if they knew, for someone who was the saintess of the Goddess Church to demand he swear on the Goddess…
Well, Yusti-ah wasn’t that deeply religious in the first place, so perhaps she didn’t think much of it.
But the same went for Franz.
“I swear on the Goddess. I’ll be right back.”
Why would he serve a goddess who arbitrarily placed him in the position of a saint?
Rather, it was a relief he could at least use her name at times like this.
“Understood. Have a safe trip.”
In the end, Franz was only able to move after receiving Yusti-ah’s permission.
Snap-.
With a crisp sound, his figure disappeared.