Chapter 247

* * *

Back in time, at the point when the plague had just begun to settle down.

A few soldiers from the Aishias Army were burning the bodies of fallen comrades who died for reasons other than war. The smell of rotting corpses was something they now felt everyday as a matter of course.

“Everyone! In the end, it’s God! God will save us! This tragedy has come upon us because our faith has grown lax. That’s right! All of this ultimately means that God exists! Let’s rebuild the church! Let’s worship God at least one day a week. We can only be saved if we don’t abandon our faith even during wartime! Everyone! Let’s proclaim to God that we still have faith!”

The putrid stench of corpses.

The acrid smoke and foul odor from burning flesh.

The ravaged land due to endless small-scale skirmishes before the disease spread.

And the flies buzzing around like zealots clinging to the remnants of a defunct church’s shallow authority.

Is there really any other place that could be called hell?

This very place where we breathe right now is hell.

A hell where everyone is dying, and those who haven’t yet are punished simply for surviving.

“That guy Dave… seems he finally kicked the bucket.”

One of the soldiers spoke to the man disposing of the bodies.

“Yeah? That guy was always talking about women, but in the end, he passed away without ever losing his bachelor status.”

“At least in the afterlife, he’ll keep being a playboy. What else can you do?”

“Tch. He should’ve just gone with a prostitute. Why did he hold back all that sexual frustration?”

“He had someone back home. A girl he liked since he was young.”

“…What a waste. No, the real waste is that Dave never got laid properly and died like that.”

“What nonsense, you bastard.”

And so, they exchanged these not-so-funny jokes, forcing their lips to move.

If they didn’t do this, if they realized what they were doing day after day, it would become far too difficult to maintain their sanity.

“What can we do? Even healthy people are dropping left and right.”

“Haa…”

“If only there wasn’t a war, we might’ve handled this better.”

“What good does that do now? Hoping for no war in such times is unrealistic, and you know that.”

“Yeah… damn.”

Silence fell again.

The soldier continued speaking, not out of desire for conversation, but because staying silent felt like going insane.

“Dave’s body?”

“We’ll burn it. Haven’t heard anything since he went into quarantine.”

“Got it?”

How many more lives will be taken?

Will we… ever return to our old lives?

Of course, even a soldier could predict that normalcy might return eventually. Diseases far deadlier and more contagious than this one had been eradicated in history books.

But the reality staring him in the face made it hard to breathe.

“By the way, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“General Emma. She passed away, didn’t she?”

“Ah… yeah. I heard.”

Emma Eldrun.

He’d never fought alongside her unit; he was usually under General Epinal’s command.

Still, within the Aishias Army, he knew who she was and what she looked like—but surely she wouldn’t remember him, just another grunt.

Not that it mattered much. Despite appearances of a crumbling aristocracy, the rigid class system was still alive until the split, and he was part of it.

“I heard they haven’t dealt with her body yet.”

“Huh?”

“The corpse, I mean.”

“Really? Shouldn’t diseased bodies be burned as soon as possible?”

“Orders from the Lord.”

“…”

Wasn’t Heinrich’s body just cremated without ceremony when he died recently?

Heinrich wasn’t exactly the most reliable commander, but he still worked hard under her leadership.

The soldier scowled briefly but then sighed deeply, letting go of tension.

Some lives are worth more than others.

Besides, he didn’t have any particular affection for Heinrich anyway.

What could a lowly soldier like him do? He lacked both the energy and the qualifications to question things.

As they kept burning bodies, something suddenly came to mind.

“Come to think of it, hasn’t this disease skipped over the Serpina Army?”

“They sealed off their borders.”

“Sealed off?”

“Yeah. Before the disease spread, they issued an early lockdown. As far as I know, it never reached the Northern Continent.”

“Why did they seal themselves off?”

“Dunno. Serpina isn’t the type to think things through too carefully.”

The soldier paused thoughtfully before replying.

“No… isn’t that strange?”

“What’s strange?”

“They locked down before the disease spread… and now they’re safe? Does that make sense? Serpina may be a tyrant, but she’s part of the royal family, and considering how she killed her own brothers, she’s not dumb.”

“So what? What are you trying to say?”

“Her… Did she know the plague was coming?”

“…Huh?”

The soldier talking seemed confused by the implication.

“Dude, does that even make sense? How could Serpina know if she’s not a god?”

“Not so fast. Think about it. Who’s here? A mage!”

At the mention of mages, the soldier who had been nodding along suddenly widened his eyes dramatically.

“…What?”

* * *

A plague swept through Central Continent.

Northern Continent avoided it thanks to an early lockdown.

Recently, a mysterious mage appeared among the Serpina Army in the North.

It wasn’t just the soldiers of the Aishias Army who noticed the oddities in these three truths. Families who lost loved ones, commanders of the Chel Army, and residents of the Kalintz-controlled territories also began to piece things together.

And eventually, a single conclusion emerged:

―Serpina deliberately unleashed the plague using a mage.

Though it sounded absurd upon serious reflection, to those grieving the loss of loved ones due to natural disasters, Serpina made for an easy target to direct their anger towards.

The infamous villainess who slaughtered her own kin.

The heartless tyrant.

The root cause of the continent’s descent into chaos!

There was no better scapegoat than her, and so the cruel rumor spread faster than usual.

* * *

Eventually, the rumor reached Yuri, who had stopped eating after losing Emma.

“There’s no way… It’s ridiculous. How could she be so cruel?”

“It’s just a rumor, but the likelihood is high.”

“Serpina… I’ll never forgive her… Our grudge from the academy… And now Emma’s life too!!!”

Epinal watched Yuri sob uncontrollably with stoic resolve and responded with fiery anger.

“Yeah. It’s definitely her doing. Think about it. That meaningless lockdown order was genius from her perspective. She probably decided to kill everyone cruelly once she resolved to withdraw troops…”

Epinal hesitated mid-sentence, lowering her head as her rage cooled.

‘Hold on. Didn’t Serpina relocate her citizens…?’

Why would she do that if her goal was to kill everyone?

Something didn’t add up.

There was something she didn’t know.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but her ‘instinct’ warned her loudly.

“…Epinal.”

“Huh? Yeah?”

“I’m going public.”

Yuri wiped her tears on her sleeve and declared resolutely.

“I’ll announce that the mage from the Serpina Army is responsible for the plague.”

“Wait. Public announcement means…”

“I’ll inform the entire continent. Since they’re our enemies anyway, there’s no need for formal declarations.”

Public announcements carried significant weight.

Like when Lin and Serpina publicly announced their alliance long ago, news would quickly reach neighboring nations.

In this case, if Serpina truly caused the plague, our army might gain favor with surrounding countries. Public sentiment among our citizens could improve. Redirecting blame toward the Serpina Army amidst the worst situation caused by prolonged war and plague could be divine strategy for our side.

However, if Serpina didn’t actually do it or lacked solid evidence…

Our standing with the citizens and other nations could plummet drastically.

“Calm down, Yuri. We don’t have proof yet.”

Right then.

“…What?”

Yuri stared at Epinal in disbelief.

“…Epinal. Are you serious? When we clearly know what Erhandorf… and Emma… our enemy’s actions… and you’re suggesting we just sit here and take it?!”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Animus will be back soon. Her condition improved, and she passed the critical stage… So at least let’s consult her opinion first-”

“Epinal.”

Yuri cut Epinal off with an unusually cold tone.

“I am the ruler of this nation.”

“…!”

“Unhappy, Epinal? You said it yourself. The leader of the Aishias Army is me. The one who acts… and takes responsibility… is me.”

“That, that’s…”

Yuri turned away sharply.

“…For Emma’s sake, please don’t hold me back… Understand?”

With that, she exited the Royal Palace with an expression colder than ever.

Epinal watched Yuri’s retreating back silently.

With two out of five key members gone, there was no way she could stop Yuri.

‘…Animus, please come back soon…!’

* * *

“Ah, hello there!”

Reika bowed nervously to me as I greeted her with a smile.

“We already ate breakfast together today. No need to greet me again.”

“A-ah, but…! Still… I think it’s proper to greet you since this is a consultation…”

Despite her timid demeanor, which frustrated anyone watching, her presence had grown endearing over time.

“It’s fine.”

I gently patted Reika’s head.

She quietly lowered her head, accepting my touch without a word.

Then, in a barely audible voice, she unintentionally murmured,

“…Feels nice. Hehe.”

“Huh?”

“Ah?! N-no…! Ah, nevermind!”

Though I’d already heard everything, I decided to pretend otherwise and sat across from her on the couch.

“So, what’s your consultation about?”

“It’s about… Do you remember what happened a while ago?”

“What happened a while ago?”

“When Lady Serpina came to visit.”

“Ah, yes.”

Around the time we received news of Erhandorf’s death.

“I remember.”

“I want to talk about that…”

“Talk about what?”

Reika took a deep breath before addressing me.

“Master!”

It had been a while since she used that title.

“Is there… perhaps… a healing magic that can cure diseases?”

She asked earnestly.