“Hahahaha, I had forgotten. What a miracle Sir Shatien performed! Is this not truly a blessing from God? To encounter a plague in the territory of Count Shatin while we were heading down to the Holy See together, of all things.”
“Ahahaha. That is indeed true. God surely has a plan.”
‘A plan……. Is that really right?’
If such continuous trials were called a plan, anyone would turn dark. Of course, Shatien did not voice this irreverent thought.
“Then what will you do? Will you head directly to Count Shatin?”
“Hahaha. No. Would it not be a discourtesy to drop in without prior notice? We shall send a messenger first, and we will wait in a nearby village.”
As the envoy spoke, Shatien nodded and then looked at Branch Manager Marhen.
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
“No. I was wondering if I could use some of the goods you brought on this merchant trip.”
“The goods?”
“The envoy of the Holy See said he would look after the poor lambs; how could I dare to stand still? I wish to purchase food and some supplies to provide relief.”
Since things had turned out this way, he had to earn points. Especially since he was being called a faithful and benevolent miracle worker out of the blue, he needed to act the part.
“Ooh… you are indeed faithful.”
Look at this.
Was the envoy of the Holy See not moved to tears while praying?
Of course, Branch Manager Marhen whispered mischievously after seeing that.
“Wow. Have we a saint born here? Hnng?”
“Ahem, ahem. I did it because I have a plan. Would I do this just for my own sake?”
“Yes, yes. I am sure you did.”
Whether he knew of their conversation or not, the envoy of the Holy See, who had been praying in a moment of emotion, spoke with a bright smile.
“How could I let Sir Shatien bear this burden alone? I will support those costs. Since I am sending a person to the Holy See in advance anyway, I will be sure to mention this. Hahaha.”
“My, is that not too much of a burden?”
“How could it be a burden? Do not give it a second thought, Sir Shatien.”
“I am merely grateful. I will strive to follow the voice of God even more, Envoy.”
“…….”
Branch Manager Marhen thought that the two of them were a surprisingly good match.
* **
A messenger carrying the letter from the Holy See envoy departed for the castle of Count Shatin.
The group led by Shatien headed to a nearby village under the guidance of Voltion, the captain of the Lily Mercenary Company.
It was a village that was relatively safe as it had not yet been affected by the plague. They planned to set up camp there, look after the local people, and wait until a reply came from Count Shatin.
“Hm, do you not intend to enter the village?”
Voltion, who had come this far with them, asked cautiously. This was because Shatien had suddenly ordered the troops to line up near the village and instructed them to camp.
In fact, it was almost like a petulant protest.
They had come all the way to a village, yet he wanted to camp? Would it not be right to receive a warm village house and rest comfortably?
However, the knight's answer made Voltion's head ache.
“We came here to catch the plague and help the villagers; does it make sense to harass them? If this many people enter, the village will not be able to handle it.”
“Then how about letting at least the envoy in? I will escort him.”
“Hmm. Certainly.”
Shatien nodded at the somewhat logical suggestion. Voltion looked at the Holy See envoy with inward expectation. However, the answer that returned defied Voltion's hopes.
“Hahaha. How could one who serves God pursue comfort? I shall camp with Sir Shatien and comfort the villagers.”
“Ooh. Will you join us? It is an honor! Envoy.”
“Hahahaha. The honor is mine. To think there would be a knight who follows the Gospel so well. He is indeed a faithful knight.”
“…….”
What a mess this was.
Voltion thought he would end up suffering after following along just to earn some points.
“Hey, you vulgar mercenary. Why are you rolling your eyes like that?”
“Right. Do you dare to harbor dissatisfaction? Protecting these lambs is the virtue of us knights!”
“Aw, dissatisfaction? How could that be? It is a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding. I will go quickly and drag the village chief over.”
Since when did knights, especially Elf knights famous for being tyrannical, act like that!
Voltion grumbled inwardly and hurried to the village.
Of course, regardless of Voltion's complaints, Shatien's decision was something to be grateful for from the village's perspective.
“Oooooh! Benevolent and honorable Knight!!”
“Thank you truly for visiting.”
“We will spread this virtue far and wide and praise you for generations to come.”
The village chief, who learned of the circumstances, had hurried forward with the people and began to praise them.
The saving grace was that they had enough sense to serve quite decent wheat bread and meat together.
The Elf knights, who felt better thanks to that, spoke gruffly while tearing at the bread.
“You foolish things. The envoy of the Holy See here took pity on you and decided to help, so follow him gladly.”
“Ahh. Yes, yes. Just give us the orders. I will have the villagers follow your commands.”
“Good. Then first, if there are any sick people nearby, search for them quickly. Right?”
“Uh, that is right. Instead, those who are sick, especially those with the plague currently spreading, must be quarantined separately.”
“You heard him, yes?”
“Follow the Knight's words at once!”
While doing so, they tilted their heads back arrogantly and fluttered their ears, and Shatien thought they somehow looked like puppies wanting praise.
“Now, now, we will set up camp while we wait! Set it up comfortably and snugly so the envoy faces no inconvenience!”
“Yes! Understood, Captain.”
At any rate, while they were organizing the temporary camp and waiting for the messenger sent to Count Shatin, they encountered a sick person faster than expected. The villagers happened to know a sick person who had sought them out nearby.
They said it was a person who had been expelled to prevent the plague from spreading, and for the person themselves, being discovered like this was truly fortunate.
However, the problem was.
“Hmm?”
The moment he discovered the sick person, Shatien could not help but frown. Some traces of the symptoms clearly showed the typical characteristics of a plague, but…….
‘Could it be a curse?’
A murky and sinister mystery was writhing faintly but clearly on the sick person's body.
Furthermore, this suspicion soon became a certainty.
“It is an honor to meet you, Count Shatin.”
“Cough, cough. The honor is mine, Envoy. Originally, I should have held a grand banquet for you, but the current situation is not good… cough!”
“Dear me…. How is your health so poor? I will quickly send a person to the Holy See to invite a distinguished doctor.”
From Count Shatin, who continued to let out harsh coughs, an even thicker sinister mystery was writhing. It was like a brand.
* * *
If it was a curse, the problem was quite serious.
It was not something Shatien could handle.
This required the help of an existence that dealt with mysteries and a wise one who knew of all phenomena in the world.
Specifically, the help of Agpiel, who was called the Sage of the Forest, was needed.
“So you called me?”
“Yes. Mage Agpiel. To be honest, you are the only mage I know well enough to call. Hahaha.”
“…You are quite remarkable in many ways.”
Mage Agpiel massaged his tired body and let out a sigh.
Originally, nobles, or rather most people, disliked mages. Or more accurately, they feared them. Who would not fear seeing someone do things they could not while dealing with mysteries?
However, this knight before him was a bit different. He even acted friendly with a lot of nerve.
It was quite refreshing.
‘Well, that is why I view him favorably, too.’
Thinking of everything they had done together since their first meeting, it was certainly so.
“Sigh, fine. Since I made a promise to you last time, I shall help you specially.”
“Aigo. Thank you, Mage Agpiel.”
Shatien, who knew how difficult it was to utilize a mage of this caliber and how much money it cost, was truly grateful.
“So, you say this incident appears to be caused by a curse?”
“Yes. Not only for Count Shatin but also while looking over those who are said to be sick, a sinister mystery is writhing in all of them.”
“Hmm… is that so? May I look around for a bit? I think I especially need to see Count Shatin.”
“I will speak to the Holy See envoy and arrange a meeting.”
“That would be even more convenient.”
A short while later, Mage Agpiel, who had a meal with Count Shatin and the Holy See envoy, stared at the Count for a bit and then whispered in a small voice.
“Hmm……. To be honest, when I heard the story from you, I thought Count Shatin was the culprit behind this curse commotion.”
“Count Shatin?”
Mage Agpiel nodded.
“Usually these kinds of curses, especially widespread ones, are often done by the rulers of the region.”
“The rulers?”
“Yes. The more widespread the victims of the curse are, the more powerful the mysterious force one can wield becomes. That is the nature of dealing with wicked mysteries. Because of that, they eventually catch the eye of the Church and are hunted down.”
“Huh…….”
Shatien thought it was a relief that he had proceeded without telling the Holy See envoy about this issue.
He had secretly called Mage Agpiel while treating the plagues, fearing he might get into trouble.
“Then at least in this case, it means Count Shatin is also a victim?”
“Certainly. To call it a backlash from dealing with the mystery of a curse, he is definitely under a curse himself.”
That was a stroke of luck.
If that was the case, it was perfectly easy to achieve the envoy's goal of helping Count Shatin and making him indebted to the Holy See.
“Then is there a way? From what I know, to break a curse, one must find its medium.”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It seems you have come to know quite a bit about mysteries yourself.”
“It is what you taught me, Sage.”
Then Mage Agpiel shrugged his shoulders.
“Even if I teach, how many would listen closely? in that sense, you are a truly peculiar person. Hehe.”
And then.
“Ah, and don't worry about how to find it. Do we not have the most accurate and certain person for the job right here?”
Mage Agpiel pointed to Count Shatin, who was eating on the other side.
“We just have to ask him directly. Call him over secretly. While saying, ‘Unless you want your fief to be devastated.’”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter