Chapter 66
Chapter: 66
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 66
>Chapter Title: Gray Plague (2)
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>A plague had broken out among the prisoners transferred from the Heresy Tribunal!
-If they were in the Heresy Tribunal prison with the other inmates...
-Most of those prisoners are devil worshippers, aren't they? It might be a demon that's infected them!
The tribunal erupted into chaos in an instant.
The guards, who had been frantically calling for exorcist priests and holy water, finally calmed down only after Francis, the holy knight, repeatedly explained that not a trace of demonic energy—the evidence of devils—was detectable.
In any case, Ashly Becher and Jonathan McAlpin were isolated in a remote empty cell.
The fact that the other students who had been with them weren't swept up in the isolation wholesale was thanks to the high-ranking priests they could name-drop as their backers.
Seongjin was immediately chased out of the tribunal.
Before he could even figure out what was happening, Francis had shoved him straight out the building and nailed it down.
"We've contacted the Pearl Palace, so Masain will come to escort you shortly. Just stay put here!"
To cover the off-chance that the plague was contagious, Francis added that he would remain inside until the plague doctors arrived, then slammed the door shut.
'What the... things are blowing up all of a sudden...'
Seongjin broke out in a cold sweat.
Had he dragged Francis into this by suggesting they come to the tribunal? Francis had been the first to examine the patients up close— what if he caught it?
[Want me to take a look inside?]
Before Seongjin could respond, the Demon King's presence vanished with a pop. He seemed downright thrilled for some reason.
"Hmm..."
Seongjin stared blankly at the closed gates of the tribunal for a moment, then staggered over to the nearby flower bed and crouched down miserably.
The Holy Emperor had told him not to cause trouble.
Well, this wasn't his fault, of course.
But Sir Masain was definitely going to be furious...
...This was depressing.
Seongjin buried his face between his knees and quietly closed his eyes.
How long had he been like that?
The guards at the tribunal entrance occasionally glanced at the prince slumped on the ground. Even without wind blowing, the grass in the flower bed around him seemed to sway oddly.
Was it an illusion?
As they tilted their heads, the rapid clip-clop of hooves approached from afar.
The sound closed in instantly. Soon, they spotted a burly knight charging toward the tribunal like a storm.
"Sir Masain!"
Overawed by his momentum, the guards snapped to attention and saluted.
But before his horse even stopped, Sir Masain leaped down and strode toward Prince Mores, who was crouched on the ground—barely acknowledging the salute.
His face looked ready to erupt in a shout at any moment.
Yet as he drew closer to the prince, his expression shifted strangely step by step, eventually turning to one of utter exasperation.
Masain stood before the prince for a moment, looking down at him, then spoke.
"...Meditating in a situation like this?"
"Ah, Sir Masain."
Snapping out of his trance, Seongjin finally looked up at him.
"I just reached the fifth layer of aura."
"......"
"Seems like if you've got the will, you can turn even negative emotions into fuel for growth."
Masain furrowed his brow.
"What the hell is that?"
What else? Training's the best when you're feeling down.
Masain shook his head.
"Anyway, Your Highness truly has a knack for stirring up incidents. How long has it been since you left the Pearl Palace, and now it's plagues? Plagues! I can't take my eyes off you for a second."
What did this guy take him for?
He hadn't spread the plague himself.
"But we caught it early thanks to me, right? Without me, you'd have found out after it spread through the whole tribunal."
"Yes, yes, of course you did. Are you feeling alright? You didn't go near the patients, did you?"
At least the initial fury had considerably subsided.
Sir Masain must be the type whose anger cools quickly if you miss the timing, just like the Holy Emperor. Good to keep in mind.
As Seongjin dusted off his clothes and stood, he spotted a group of people in bizarre outfits approaching the tribunal.
They wore thick, dark maroon protective robes, long leather gloves reaching their elbows, and bulky leather masks covering nose and mouth completely.
It looked a bit makeshift, but they were properly geared for protection.
Step by step. Each carried a sprayer of some sort, large or small.
"Plague doctors from Liora."
Masain, following Seongjin's gaze, explained.
"The only plague society officially recognized by the Delcross Orthodox Church as non-heretical."
Most plague societies tracing lineages from various schools weren't free from heresy accusations. They often openly denied the Church's stance that plagues were the Lord's punishment or a devil's curse.
But the Liora School preached that plagues were filth to be purified and cleansed—a relatively church-friendly doctrine.
They drove out patients' foul odors with incense and perfumes, drew out the bad blood from their bodies to purify them. Compared to other schools mixing herbs into strange concoctions, it suited the Orthodox Church perfectly.
Thanks to that, Liora plague doctors enjoyed the most freedom in Delcross, even having a small department in the administration for them.
When a plague broke out in the capital like now, that department dispatched them immediately.
As the maroon-clad plague doctors drew near, Seongjin reflexively pinched his nose. The sharp scent of medicinal herbs and perfume wafted strongly from them.
Step by step.
While the plague doctors filed into the tribunal in formation, one walking at the edge turned toward Seongjin's group and approached. Despite the bulky robes, her small, dainty build suggested a woman.
With her face mostly hidden by a large hood and leather mask, only round eyes peeked out. She regarded them briefly, then spoke in a muffled, buzzing voice through the thick mask.
"For plague prevention, I'll spray some incense."
What?
Before he could process it, she aimed a large sprayer at Seongjin and Masain. Soon, an overpowering rose scent showered over them.
Sssss.
Even the finest fragrance turns nauseating in excess. Seongjin barely held back a retch.
"Plagues spread through smells. Remove the stench, and you block the disease."
"...Thank you."
Masain grimaced as he replied, and the plague doctor nodded lightly before turning and vanishing into the tribunal.
"I need to wash this off right now. I want to go back to the Pearl Palace."
Knowing Earth's medical common sense, Seongjin was well aware scents didn't drive out disease. Masain seemed to share the sentiment, nodding in agreement.
"I've got priests and physicians on standby at the Pearl Palace. The carriage will arrive soon—get examined there first."
They'd come together, but Masain had raced ahead on horseback.
Standing idly waiting for the carriage, Francis soon emerged from the tribunal. He too was drenched in perfume, face twisted in disgust.
"I never knew lavender could smell this revolting."
As long as it banished stench, the scent type didn't matter much. Each plague doctor carried their preferred perfume.
"How are Ashly and Jonathan?"
Francis shrugged.
"Not looking great. Their temperatures keep dropping, and they're unconscious. And now the plague doctors are here. Doesn't look promising."
What? Usually it's the opposite.
Why so pessimistic with doctors on the scene?
"They're about to drain all their 'bad blood.' They're already in rough shape—imagine the blood loss."
"Uh..."
Wait. Shouldn't he stop this?
"Francis, don't scare him. They've got plenty of patient experience; they'll know where to draw the line."
Seeing Seongjin's face change, Masain scolded. Probably worried he'd rush inside.
But Francis scoffed.
"Even on the manpower-short southern front, these Liora plague doctors are the only ones not welcome. They're doctors of death."
"Doctors of death? That's harsh!"
"Is it? You've heard the rumors from the front too. How many of those in their hands survived...?"
"Not in front of His Highness! You can't slander a church-recognized plague society based on unverified rumors..."
As the two bickered, Seongjin asked an out-of-left-field question.
"What about the Adelheit Plague Society's reputation?"
It was a sudden curiosity.
One of the groups Prince Mores sponsored was the Adelheit Plague Society. If they were as weird as Liora, he'd track the funding source and cut it off immediately.
Masain's face stiffened.
"They are heretics, Your Highness."
But Francis's take differed slightly.
"They're damn good apothecaries. Young ones at the core, efficiency-focused but cautious—stick to proven treatments. Probably the most favored on the front lately. At least they don't lead the charge in killing patients."
Oh, really?
Seongjin perked up, but Masain warned.
"As a holy knight blessed by the Lord God, mind your words."
"Why? Just stating facts. Anyway, I don't get why the Orthodox Church pushes places like Liora over them."
"Francis!"
As the mood soured, the carriage from the Pearl Palace arrived. As they approached, the coachman flinched and pinched his nose.
Anyway, Liora Plague Society—what quacks. What a public nuisance.
The three rode back to the Pearl Palace with windows wide open, sitting as far apart as possible.
Back at the Pearl Palace, Seongjin bathed thoroughly, then rolled around early on his bed for once.
He'd accidentally stacked the fifth aura layer, looking forward to afternoon training, but Ninnias the physician, after examining him, insisted on absolute rest to prepare for any contingencies.
But he couldn't just mope. The info from the Demon King, who'd scoped the tribunal interior, was unsettling.
'Parasites?'
[Parasites! Size aside, it's a full-fledged demon beast. In Sigurt 34 District's terms, closest to a parasitic wasp.]
According to the Demon King, faint demonic essence emanated from the collapsed pair. Curious, he checked closely and found tiny demon beast eggs, pinky-nail-sized, inside them.
Called [Lofelum], it was a Gehenna demon beast—a pathetic parasite in other demon beasts' eggs.
'But I haven't seen one in decades?'
[They don't hatch in humans, so no reason to go near them. Only parasitizes eggs of certain insect-type demon beasts.]
That's why even the Demon King hadn't been sure at first.
'You sure it's not a mistake?'
[Hey! Who do you think I am? I commanded all of Gehenna as its king! Nothing about its demon beasts escapes me!]
If so, something was off.
Why were eggs from a beast that doesn't infect humans inside Ashly and Jonathan?
And with the Bantra Moss incident too, why were Gehenna demon beasts popping up everywhere?
The Demon King, however, didn't find it odd.
[Sigurt 34 isn't the only place with humans, nor Gehenna the only with its beasts.]
True.
[Plus, it might tie to the prior incident. Lofelum loves Bantra Moss eggs too.]
So, perhaps the two got coincidentally infected near an already infested Bantra larva.
But it doesn't lay in humans?
Can eggs just enter people nearby?
'What if someone deliberately put them in?'
[Possible if forced, but why? Without another demon beast egg, they won't hatch and just die.]
Human body temp was too high for the parasite anyway. The ones in Ashly and Jonathan were nearly dead.
So, the kids wouldn't die from parasite infection right away?
As long as Liora's doctors didn't drain too much blood.
He was starting to relax when the Demon King whispered urgently.
[Yi Seongjin.]
'Yeah?'
[Someone's infiltrated the Pearl Palace.]
'What?'
He sensed nothing.
[One person. Heading straight for this room.]
Seongjin heightened his senses, scanning around.
Indeed, faint but unmistakable—an unfamiliar presence inside the Pearl Palace.
'...They got this close without me noticing?'
Seongjin sprang from bed, grabbing the nutcracker propped nearby. An intruder meant no good intentions.
'Even with me distracted, how'd the guarding knights and Sir Masain miss it?'
[Incredibly good at masking presence. I see the soul approaching clear as day—that's how I know.]
Without the Demon King's alert, even Seongjin might've missed it. This intruder fooled the eyes of one of humanity's last hunters, Yi Seongjin—impressive skill, even if rusty.
[Balcony!]
Shing. Seongjin drew the nutcracker, glaring at the balcony.
Sure enough, a figure in black dropped from above with a thud. Bypassing the second-floor corridor, they'd infiltrated the relatively lax third floor straight to his room.
The all-black intruder, face masked, cautiously opened the window—then froze, locking eyes with Seongjin aiming his blade.
"Huh? The knights said you'd be extra cautious, but I didn't expect the prince himself to spot me."
A slightly husky woman's voice. No hostility in it.
"Don't worry. I'm not an enemy."
She raised both hands to show no weapons, approaching slowly and stopping just one step from Seongjin's sword range.
"You think that holds water with a mask on?"
"Haha. Fair point."
She laughed brightly and readily pulled off her mask.
Long, wavy black hair and chocolate-dark skin emerged. Her white teeth gleamed in the shadows.
"Hello, Your Highness. I've brought Bremen’s reply from Monkey Tower."