Chapter 128
Hearing Franz’s words, Yustia tilted her head and asked back.
“If you mean the plague, are you perhaps talking about the matter in the Western Region?”
“Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
“I do know about it, but why bring that up all of a sudden?”
Her question was valid. Even if a plague was spreading, it wasn’t something the Magic Tower Master would take an interest in.
Rather, it would be normal to keep away from it. Just because one excelled at magic didn’t mean one was immune to falling ill.
‘Would it be better to just tell her honestly?’
Since the facts he had uncovered hadn’t been verified yet, it was a truly awkward situation to tell anyone about.
But on the other hand, he felt it might be fine to tell Yustia. Rather, he might even be able to get her help.
So, he was about to speak.
Yustia spoke.
“Well, it should be fine to tell you. You are a saint, in your own way.”
He understood the Saint part, but what did she mean by 'in your own way'?
He felt a bit offended, yet he subtly understood it, leaving him with nothing to say.
“Actually, His Majesty the Emperor requested help from the Goddess Church. He asked us to quell the Western Plague.”
To think the Emperor had already made a move.
He had expected things to turn out this way, but the timing was quite fast.
Well, it meant the Emperor was taking the situation that seriously.
“So what did the Goddess Church decide to do?”
“Actually, when His Majesty the Emperor brought it up, we were already planning to make a move. It worked out perfectly. I imagine everyone has probably departed by now.”
Since the Goddess Church had started moving early, the damage from the plague would be minimized.
Whether they could completely cure it was unknown, but it was at least possible to keep people from dying. Even a vessel with a leak could maintain a certain water level if you kept pouring water into it.
But he couldn’t just sit still either.
‘I’ll have to wait several days for the results to come out.’
Rather than twiddling his thumbs and waiting during that time, he found it better to go and check it out himself.
If it weren’t for that bug, then that was fine in its own way. The Goddess Church’s power alone would somehow be able to quell the plague.
Having made his decision, Franz said.
“Yustia, the truth is: There’s a Mage who recently returned from a dispatch to the Western Region…”
It was the story about the sickly mage and the bug.
Hearing that, Yustia’s expression turned serious.
“If so, the cause of the plague is…”
“It’s still just a hypothesis, so it’s not certain. But I do think it’s a highly suspicious situation.”
“It definitely seems like we need to prove it.”
“So about that, I appreciate your coming to see me, but could we push back learning the doctrines a little bit?”
Of course, learning the doctrines was also an important matter. Especially since he was a Saint, not just an ordinary follower.
But wasn’t the plague an even more important matter than that? The Goddess, who was surely watching this situation from somewhere, would think so too.
Mmm-, Yustia groaned and narrowed her brow. She seemed to be conflicted.
She then let out a sigh, Haa-, and said.
“It can’t be helped. It is an important matter.”
It was a huge relief that Yustia accepted it.
Of course, even if she had refused, he would have pushed forward somehow, but it wouldn’t have been a very pleasant situation.
However, her words didn’t end there.
“Instead, promise me one thing.”
“A promise?”
“Never overdo it. It always seems like you try to handle everything on your own somehow. You have many people around you, including me. Please rely on us sometimes.”
He didn’t really think he had ever done that…
If anything, he had called Yustia out so much that he felt sorry about it. He had called her out during the World Tree Incident, and during the Duke Ishtar Incident as well.
Perhaps the memory of fighting the Demon Lord was quite deeply ingrained in her. He definitely had overdone it back then.
Well, one way or another, she was saying it out of concern. He didn’t feel too bad about it.
“All right, I’ll be careful.”
“As long as you know.”
Yustia said that and stood up from her seat.
So he naturally thought she would return to the Cathedral, but she just stood there firmly and didn’t move.
Was she perhaps asking him to take her back with magic.
But then again, didn’t she have an escort and a carriage waiting outside? That didn’t seem to be it.
‘Then what is it…?’
Just as Franz was pondering that
Suddenly, Yustia spoke.
“What are you doing? Weren’t you going to the Western Region?”
“What about you? Weren’t you going to return to the Cathedral?”
“Pardon? I never said a single word about doing that.”
She was certainly right. She hadn’t said she was going back.
But hadn’t she said something to that effect, telling him not to overdo it, telling him to rely on her.
It would have been strange not to misunderstand.
‘Well, it doesn’t really matter, but…’
Rather, there was an advantage in that she could treat the plague patients.
The clerics in the Western Region were probably working hard, but they were bound to be short-handed. A Saintess would definitely be a huge help.
Thus, Franz made up his mind to go together with Yustia.
However, not everyone shared his thoughts.
“Saintess, wouldn’t the followers be waiting for you?”
Arian said with a smile and picked up her teacup.
Naturally, she was not pleased with Yustia accompanying Franz.
If she could accompany Franz herself, she might have considered it a little, but unfortunately, she couldn’t because she had work to do.
So what else could she do? She had no choice but to stop someone else from going.
Of course, Yustia had no intention of backing down easily either.
“The followers do not come to the Cathedral to see me. They come because they believe in the Goddess and wish to receive her teachings.”
It was an answer that felt like it would be written in large letters if there were such a thing as a Saintess’s bible.
Furthermore, she was even smiling gently, and that sight made Arian feel even more displeased. It felt as if she was being ignored.
But if she got angry here, would it be any different from a complete defeat.
So she hid her emotions as much as possible and spoke in a soft voice.
“You seem to be spending a lot of time with the Magic Tower Master lately, and I worry that it might cause misunderstandings. It would be a disaster if rumors spread that the noble Saintess of the Goddess Church is going around with a man.”
“It seems I have caused the Ducal Daughter to worry. But it is fine. It is only natural for the Saintess and the Saint to be together. One could even consider it a bond forged by God.”
“Isn’t it a bit much to consider it a bond…?”
“It is not a bit much at all…?”
Arian and Yustia’s conversation was practically no different from a war of words, just without swords and guns.
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if they grabbed each other by the hair, but it was fascinating, if anything, how strictly they maintained their manners toward one another.
Watching the two of them from the side, Franz just thought, ‘Here we go again’, and appropriately let it slide.
Breaking up their fights was only fine for a day or two; now he was even tired of caring.
How much time passed like that.
“…Then it can’t be helped. I’ll allow it just this once.”
“…Alright. Thank you.”
Eventually, the two poured out everything they wanted to say and entered a lull. It seemed just watching them had been the right call after all.
One way or another, the two of them had a good relationship, which was why he had just let them be.
If they were truly bitter enemies, he would have stopped them right away.
Anyway, how did those two end up arguing in the first place? Was there even a reason to fight?
Franz had that question, but he soon decided not to care.
He didn’t want to try to understand something he couldn’t.
It wasn’t that important to begin with anyway.
“Arian, I’ll be going now. Contact me if anything happens.”
“Yes, please have a safe trip.”
With that, the conversation ended, and Franz snapped his fingers.
Snap-.
The crisp sound echoed through the Magic Tower Master’s Office, and Yustia and Franz’s figures immediately disappeared.
The place the two arrived at shortly after was, naturally, the Western Region of the Empire. To be exact, it was the Rudelia Dukedom, known as the epicenter of the plague even within the Western Region.
‘Are there not that many people…’
The city streets were frighteningly deserted.
He didn’t know what this place was like before the plague spread, but it was certain that the situation was serious.
Franz raised his head and looked around.
What he was looking for was the Cathedral. He wanted to talk with the clerics, and at the same time, it was a place where he could observe many patients.
Not long after, Franz spotted the Cathedral and moved his steps toward it with Yustia.
The closer they got to the Cathedral, the thicker the ominous feeling of mana he had felt from the bug became.
A situation where what had been a hypothesis was gradually turning into certainty.
The Cathedral they eventually arrived at could not be called fine, even as a joke.
“I’ll be right there!”
“Lana! Help me over here!”
Many people were lying down, and clerics were running around. It was truly an atmosphere reminiscent of an emergency room.
“Franz, I’ll go help them for now.”
Yustia said that and immediately ran toward the people.
Left alone, Franz immediately used Mana Detection.
The Mana Wave gradually expanded its range, gathering information.
‘So it was like that after all…’
It was the moment his hypothesis turned into absolute certainty.