The Plum Blossom Swordmaster Reincarnated into a Count's Family
"A plague has spread through this forest."
My mind snapped fully alert in an instant.
Plague.
An epidemic.
Even in the modern world, where science and technology have advanced, a single epidemic that truly takes hold is pure misery. But a plague spreading through a medieval fantasy world? An entire village dying en masse was the baseline; in severe cases, several cities could be wrecked outright.
Just because magic existed in this world did not make it all-powerful. Once a plague took root, resolving it would still take time.
I looked at the corpse again with serious eyes. Black spots bloomed across pale skin, and the blood staining the clothes, judging by its position, was almost certainly from coughing blood.
I don't know what disease this is. But the fact that a man this robust dropped dead means… the fatality rate is high.
I let out a sigh.
Vitrase's advance and a plague. Events that never happened in the original story had erupted at the same time.
The Beliac elf village might be facing the absolute worst right now.
I hammered through options in my head, trying to decide how to respond.
"Th-that's impossible. A plague in this forest…! Th-then the village…?!"
Elnoa was flustered. She clasped her own hands, not knowing what to do, and stamped her feet in place. I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down. We still don't know what state Beliac Village is in. This dead one isn't an elf—it's a human corpse. There's a chance Beliac Village is fine."
"Eugene is right. Treating plague patients is difficult for a mage, but preparing against the birth of a plague is not. Since it is an elf village, there will be mages or spirit mages. The chances they prepared for the plague are high."
Elena spoke calmly. Elnoa seemed to settle somewhat at those words.
Snap!
Elena flicked her fingers. The corpse burst into flame.
"E-Elena-nim?!"
Elnoa recoiled in shock at the sudden blaze. The flames curiously burned only the corpse. It did not take long for the bones to become ash.
"Burning plague corpses is best. There are quite frequent cases where leaving them carelessly causes the plague to spread again."
I checked their complexions. Elnoa was extremely anxious, Elena looked in a foul mood, and Yuria remained expressionless. She seemed uninterested.
Hoo. Should I call this fortunate? If I had brought the AM unit or other soldiers, it would have been a disaster.
Unless they were knights who had reached Expert rank. If the plague had spread among ordinary soldiers, it would have been a nightmare.
Elnoa is a high-ranking spirit mage, and Yuria and I are top-tier Experts. Elena is an outstanding mage and has Complete Recovery, so there is no need to worry at all.
Elena turned her gaze to Yuria.
"Yuria. If you can use runes, can you use purification runes as well?"
"You're trying to eliminate any possible plague germs. I can use purification runes, but… why are you making me do it? Elena-nim, you could purify easily, couldn't you?"
"Actually, I already tried rune magic and failed. The cause is probably because this is not my world. If I practiced rune magic for a few days it might work, but… that is bothersome. And I want to see the rune magic you use one more time."
"Purification seems necessary anyway, so I'll do it."
Yuria poked a finger into the empty air and moved it fluidly. A total of three blue rune characters were drawn. The runes shone with a soft, bright light, then burst. Particles of light vanished as if seeping into the air.
The surrounding temperature dropped slightly, and the air felt suddenly clearer. My mood became refreshing.
"…You combined three rune characters. You're already at expert level."
"I paid attention to safety just in case."
"How many times have you tried it?"
"This is the first time I've attempted it, and it succeeded."
Elena shook her head with a complicated expression. I smiled proudly as Yuria's master.
Yuria's talent is insane!
We walked through the forest again. Our footsteps stopped only after the sun had completely set and several more hours had passed. The forest was so dark it was hard to see even an inch ahead, and fighting monsters had piled up fatigue without us realizing it.
"I'm too sleepy to go on. Let's rest until the sun rises. It should be about three or four hours until dawn."
The one who actively agreed with my opinion was Elnoa. Even if she felt anxious, she was not stupid. She was the most exhausted among us, and she understood the need for rest. Since she was guiding us, maintaining her condition was essential.
We set up a tent summoned in a suitable spot. It was large enough for four people.
"Let's decide on night watches."
"Eugene, no need for that. We can use magic. Yuria. Engrave the runes of stealth and barrier around here."
"…I'm sorry. The stealth and barrier runes are beyond my capabilities."
"Is that so. Understood. I'll cast the barrier."
Elena moved. She held a staff formed of illusion magic and drew a magic circle on the ground near the tent. But it seemed far from easy; she tilted her head, then threw the staff aside.
"Elena! Why are you suddenly so irritable?"
"…This forest is strange, so magic is not working as well as I expected. It would be better to prepare physically instead."
Elena used illusion magic. Solid walls and a ceiling appeared around the tent. The material looked like metal, and its thickness exceeded thirty centimeters. There was a door on one side and small holes spaced along the walls to look outside.
I pounded the wall with my fist.
I don't know what material this is, but it is definitely not ordinary steel. We won't die with this.
We completely removed the tent and laid bedding on the floor. Elnoa, who had been leading us to Beliac, lay down first and passed out cold.
I also grabbed a pillow and lay on the floor. Elena and Yuria took the spots beside me as if they had been waiting. Their body scents hit me at once. My cock reacted with a sharp tingle.
"……."
My arms each moved toward them. My right hand settled on Elena's thigh; my left hand reached Yuria's ample breasts.
"Go to sleep."
Elena's irritated words came. My right hand stopped its action on her thigh. Elena hated having sex in front of others. Sexual harassment was the same.
When it's just the two of us she doesn't hesitate to say vulgar things…
I moved my left hand. I groped Yuria's breasts. A faint rustle sounded as my hand met her clothes.
"I said go to sleep."
A touch of irritation laced Elena's voice. When I turned my head to the side, Elena had her eyes closed. I stopped with my hand still on Yuria's chest and quietly waited for Elena to fall asleep.
After about ten minutes, Elena's even breathing reached my ears.
"Honey."
Yuria called me in a very small voice by my ear. I trembled slightly. Her voice was sweet, and her breath was sweeter still.
"You can do as you please with me. Touch me however you want."
I turned my head to the side and met Yuria's blue eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her face gradually drew closer. What she wanted was obvious.
Grip.
A soft hand from the right seized my cheek and forcibly turned it. It was Elena. She looked at me and pulled up the corners of her mouth.
"Good grief. I told you to sleep."
Before I could make an excuse, her mouth covered mine. Suck, peck. As if she intended to do it properly once she started, it was intense. Elena's tongue invaded my mouth and ran wild.
"……."
I felt Yuria's gaze. She did not stay still either. With skilled hands she stripped off my pants and wrapped her fingers around my erect cock. The feeling of Yuria's hand stroking me gradually heightened. Then Elena's hand suddenly appeared and kneaded my balls. Yuria buried her head against my neck and kissed with soft smacks.
They seemed to be competing with each other over me. I briefly wondered what to do. The conclusion came quickly. Enjoy this moment.
And for four hours I received their caresses. Without sex, that is.
Elnoa, who woke late, had both cheeks flushed red. She seemed to have somewhat noticed the situation.
The fishy smell of semen is vibrating inside these walls; it would be stranger if she didn't know.
I looked at Yuria and Elena. They prepared to leave as if nothing had happened. Both were so neat it was hard to believe they were the same women who had been toying with me so thoroughly.
"Master. I'll help you."
Yuria approached and adjusted my clothes.
"Your hair is sticking up. How sloppy."
Elena fixed my hair.
"……."
Elnoa quietly watched for cues.
We roughly finished a simple breakfast and headed for Beliac Village.
We advanced while killing the monsters that charged us. We discovered several corpses of dead humans and elves. They had not been killed by monsters; they had died from the plague.
Elnoa grew impatient. Her footsteps quickened without her realizing it. I did not particularly point it out. If the plague had spread to the Beliac elf village as well, arriving even a moment sooner would be beneficial for me too.
"The night has grown deep. Shall we rest here and go?"
"Master! There's not much left now! We'll arrive at Beliac Village around morning!"
Elnoa said urgently. She seemed to want to keep moving without rest. Since no one was exhausted enough to need rest, we omitted it as Elnoa wished and continued toward Beliac Village.
And on the morning of the third day, we arrived at the Beliac elf village.
Beliac Village, which had been tightly hidden in the Forest of Polemp, was large. It was natural, since the number of elves living here alone exceeded six thousand. Yet for how large the village was, there was no vitality. It gave off an atmosphere thick with death in every direction.
"Who goes there."
As we entered the village, armed elves jumped out from afar. There were twelve of them, two of whom were women. As expected of elves, both men and women possessed beautiful appearances. All of them had faces soaked in fatigue.
"Zegner-ssi!"
The platinum-blond elf man at their front opened his eyes wide.
Zegner. He was a character who appeared in the original work. As the guardian captain of Beliac, he was a mid-level Aura Master.
"Elnoa?! To think you would return. It seems you came after hearing the news that the village is in danger. But what is with that outfit? It looks just like a maid's clothes. And who are the humans behind you?"
Zegner did not rejoice even at Elnoa's homecoming. He glared at us with eyes full of wariness. I stepped forward. His gaze focused on me. My hand trembled minutely under the presence of an Aura Master.
I'm instinctively shrinking back.
The minute trembling vanished the moment I recognized it.
Behind me stood Elena. Even if a fight broke out, there would be no problem.
"I am Eugene Frucus. Elnoa's master."
"…Elnoa's master? You bastard, are you treating Elnoa as a slave!"
Zegner shouted and drew his sword. The elves around him also drew their swords in unison.
This was only wariness so far. Zegner had drawn his sword but did not swing it carelessly. The atmosphere was too strange to simply dismiss Elnoa as a slave.
"I am Baron Eugene Frucus of the Rapheli Kingdom. Elnoa is a maid working under me, and I came to help you at her request."
"…Why would a noble of the Rapheli Kingdom help Elnoa? What is your scheme."
"Elnoa is a maid I cherish. She earnestly requested it, so I simply granted it."
I rested my arm on Elnoa's shoulder. Elnoa did not panic even at the sudden contact.
"Zegner-ssi! Master's words are correct! I asked Master to help! Since Master has come, there is a way! Please let us meet the elder!"
"…This is not something for me to decide. Follow me; I will guide you to the elder."
Zegner and the elves sheathed their swords. That did not mean the wariness disappeared. They kept their eyes wide open and watched us warily the entire time.
"I'll warn you. Do not do anything suspicious. Elnoa, that goes for you too."
"…Yes. Zegner-ssi."
Elnoa nodded as if she understood Zegner.