“…Surely, such a thing happened, didn’t it? My apologies.”
“No, there’s no need for that… Cough. Since nobody has died yet, it’s at least fortunate. Ah, for some unknown reason, a couple of days ago, a young man started coughing, and then everyone began to fall ill one by one, and now suddenly they’re all like this…”
Listening quietly to the conversation between those girls and Myungho from the side, I roughly understood what had happened in this village.
A young man who had gone to a nearby city for trade came back sick, and unfortunately, the illness turned out to be contagious, filling the entire village with sick people.
Since I was standing right next to Myungho with my arm linked through his, I was certain about the situation. For some reason, their friendly chatter irked me, so I subtly butted in.
“So… does that mean everyone in the village is bedridden?”
“Yes. From elders to children, everyone is suffering from an unknown high fever and coughing. The young man who first got sick doesn’t even know where he caught it from. Ah, it’s worrying.”
Even while coughing repeatedly, the girl glanced at us anxiously as if asking for help. Though we had no obligation to assist…
I looked at Myungho. As for me, I might not care, but Myungho isn’t the type to just walk away from something like this. He made a serious expression as if pondering, then turned to look at us with an apologetic expression before attempting to speak.
“You don’t need to explain. I already know what you’re trying to say. You want to help, right?”
“At least until someone gets better. Akashi and Mari are here too, so it shouldn’t take too long… Hmm. Sorry, Alterra. Can you help these people?”
Myungho eventually asked awkwardly whether it would be okay to spend time helping these villagers. It wasn’t anything urgent, and he suggested taking a little rest.
We’ve had too many things happen over the past few days—sad things, happy things. Maybe it’s fine to take some time to sort ourselves out.
“Thank you. Is Yuna okay with it too? If she says she’s fine, then let’s at least take care of the people here until the village can function again.”
Akashi complained loudly that no one had asked for his opinion, but no one paid him any attention. At least the village girls stared at him intently.
…But that girl with the bandaged arm, her eyes just flashed a moment ago, didn’t they? Must have been a mistake… Right? Now that I’m looking directly, it’s clearly nothing. Just a misunderstanding.
That must be it. Letting go of doubts like the wind, I suggested to Myungho that we first visit the house of the young man who initially fell ill.
“It probably doesn’t matter where we go, but if you insist, let’s check it out. There might be something useful. Was he a merchant since he went for trade?”
“A merchant… well… yes, he was a merchant. Cough, the villagers sell things they make to the mayor of the city, and he brings back money.”
When Myungho asked the girl why she seemed unsure if the young man was a merchant, she apologized, saying it was because she lacked knowledge of the world due to ignorance.
“Oh, no. That doesn’t necessarily make you ignorant…”
“Ignorance isn’t wrong, but refusing to learn is. Don’t use ‘I don’t know’ as an excuse. It’s better to diligently learn.”
On the way, seeing them getting along so well, I interjected once. Myungho said my words were too harsh, but did I say anything wrong? Ignorance cannot be an excuse.
You shouldn’t give up just because you don’t know; instead, you should find out. The girl blinked her eyes and replied somewhat reluctantly, thanking me for the advice.
There’s no need to thank me. It’s only natural. If I hadn’t learned from Myungho, I’d still be relying on him to translate everything. But now that I’ve learned, I don’t have to. Still, this girl will likely be tied to this village for life…
But learning is still better, right?
Pretending to be close to Myungho, I tightened my arm around his. Though I could feel him feeling burdened, I had no intention of letting go. And Myungho, though he seemed uncomfortable, didn’t push me away either.
Then that means it’s fine. Sticking closely beside Myungho, we entered someone’s house. In the corner of the room, a young man lay in bed, groaning and coughing continuously.
Myungho immediately let go of my arm and approached the young man to examine his condition, but I told Myungho to send Mari instead. What if the disease spreads?
“Well, Mari would indeed know better than me. Alright. Mari? Can you go check on this person’s condition?”
Mari continued humming an incomprehensible tune, then walked toward the man. Without warning, she pulled out her finger and tried to stab it into the man’s forearm.
“What… is this?! Get away! Cough, is this some kind of hallucination?! No, please stop with the hallucinations…!”
Naturally terrified, the man pushed Mari away. Despite being so sick, he still had enough strength to do that. Meanwhile, the girl with the injured arm decided she should help and headed toward Mari.
When I asked if the taller girl wouldn’t be better suited for the task, she explained that although she might be smaller, her strength was far greater, so I let it slide.
I may be shorter than Myungho, but I’m much stronger. So that could work. The girl approached the man and muttered something while looking at both Mari and the man.
The man calmed down instantly. Mari then cooperatively stabbed her finger—needle—into the man’s forearm, drew some bl**d, and reattached her finger to her own hand.
After a short pause, Mari turned to look at Myungho and hummed again.
“So, what does Mari say? Is it some fatal disease? Or maybe a terrifying infectious disease that leaves people crippled?”
Myungho listened seriously to Mari’s report—or whatever it was—and then relaxed his expression, speaking.
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just a common cold. He’ll keep groaning for about a week or five days, but there’s no need to worry too much.”
“…Is that so? Then we can just leave, right?”
It wasn’t exactly because I wanted to rest immediately—well, not really. However, Myungho shook his head and pointed at the man.
“In cases like this guy, where the symptoms are more severe, it’s difficult for them to move, so we should bring them some gruel or water. Alterra, you just need to take care of them for up to five days. Please help.”
Severe case? He still has the strength to push people away…
Ah, right. He looks emaciated, like he hasn’t eaten or drunk anything after falling ill. With the strange smell coming from him, it seems he hasn’t been able to manage his waste properly either.
No, something feels off. I don’t even know what’s off, but while claiming to fetch water for the villagers, I stepped outside.
Yuna said she would check other houses to see if there were others in critical condition.
Ignoring the uneasy feeling, I examined the well. It looked old and cracked in places, as if it might collapse if I kicked it with my foot.
Still, it seemed they managed it well. The water I drew up was clean and free of impurities. I poured it into a freshly carved stone basin.
Ah, something’s strange. But what is it? The girl’s shining…
No. That girl with the broken arm never had glowing eyes, did she? Or did she? Why do memories of things that didn’t happen keep popping up? Questions kept arising, but I decided this was enough and carried the water back.
I don’t know how many people are groaning like that man earlier, but this should be sufficient.
After making a small bucket, I filled it and returned to the man’s house. I left it by his bedside, telling him to drink if he was thirsty.
He’s not a child; I don’t need to feed him. Anyway, where did those girls go? They were with Myungho earlier. Where did Myungho go?
Why do questions keep coming up? But when I saw the girl with the broken arm, all the questions disappeared. The tall girl was wandering alone somewhere.
“Hey, wait. Where did Myungho go?”
When I called out to the girl, she stared at me in a way that made me uncomfortable. I don’t swing that way, so it was unpleasant. After staring for a long time, she finally responded.
“…If by Myungho, you mean the man who was with you…”
“Yeah. Where did he go? He was with you guys just now.”
“Was he? Yes, he was. Right now, he’s with Alize, searching for those with serious symptoms. You should probably help Akashi.”
Is that so?
Should I help Akashi?
Then, let’s help Akashi.
…Wait a minute.
“How do you know Akashi is a mage? We never mentioned that.”
This is strange. Thinking about what felt off, it was this girl. Every time I tried to pinpoint the strangeness, her face would flash in my mind, interrupting my thoughts.
I immediately pulled out my greatsword from the ground. Whatever trickery you’ve done, I’ll cut off your head and…
“Your group leaked the information that he is a mage.”
…Tha…t’s right. Probably.
Why was I holding a sword again?
—
There’s no obligation to help the demon tribe women. But when I asked myself why I was bothering to join them, one answer came back.
Because it’s interesting. How long can a dragon’s spirit resist hypnosis? When will the hero awaken from the hypnosis? And if they recognize the discrepancy, how will they deal with it?
Even knowing that this insatiable thirst for knowledge caused my original form to be banished, I couldn’t help it. A god’s nature is to “know everything in the world,” after all.
And perhaps it’s fitting that I originated from dwarves whose fervor for knowledge drove them to gamble with their race.
While cooking delicious porridge with barley, wheat, salt, and spices…
…maybe I should extract that witch’s knowledge from the sword while she’s under hypnosis. Indulging in slightly mischievous thoughts…
—
