Volume 1, Chapter 40 – A Fool’s Folly

“I’ll go right now!”

The five healers from the Temple were already groggy from overusing their magic.

I was the only one who could still move.

After storing additional MP Recovery Medicines, we hurried toward the central commercial district.

The infection had been discovered in a male employee working for a wholesaler dealing in foodstuffs in the central commercial district.

Apparently, the shop had transactions with a store quite close to Dale-kun’s house in the slums, and he had gone there to make a delivery three days ago.

So the disease’s incubation period seemed to be around 2 to 3 days.

We hurriedly treated the patient and cast Cleansing Magic on everything—the building, the delivery carriage, and even the goods.

“Shopkeeper, pleased to meet you. I am Fiene Argentata, a healer dispatched from the Temple. This is Guard Captain Scott and Holy Knight Christina, my escort.”

“Fiene-sama, Guard Captain-sama, Holy Knight-sama. I am Henry, the shopkeeper. Thank you for saving my employee.”

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The shopkeeper seemed to be named Henry.

He looked profoundly relieved as he turned to us. But we couldn’t leave it at that.

“First, please tell me everyone who has come in and out of this shop since the day before yesterday. Also, please tell me all the places your employees have visited. To stop the spread of the infection, we need to purify every location.”

“Th-that… If word gets out that a Mummy Disease patient came from our shop, which handles food…”

Henry-san paled, but the situation was far more serious than that. The Guard Captain interjected from the side.

“Fiene-sama, pardon the interruption while you’re speaking. Henry-dono, the situation is a grave crisis that could lead to the ruin of the Royal Capital. In any case, we will be sealing off this block, and now that a Mummy Disease patient has emerged here, a notice will likely be issued from the royal palace as well. And in the worst case, this entire block may have to be burned to the ground. Please, cooperate with us.”

“Tha…t…”

“If you cannot cooperate, then, much as we would regret it, we may have to resort to other methods. Please, make your decision while you can still receive the Saint-sama’s mercy.”

“I… understand…”

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Thus, thanks to the Guard Captain’s skillful and peaceful negotiation tactics, we obtained a list of all business partners, places visited, and the addresses of the employees and everyone connected to them.

We immediately set out to handle every location on the list before the night was through.

Several business partners and places the employees had visited tried to turn us away, insisting it had nothing to do with them and that no Mummy Disease cases had appeared there.

But once again, the Guard Captain’s skillful and peaceful negotiation tactics won the day.

We mercilessly stationed guards to seal off shops that were closed for the night and unmanned warehouses.

In this way, we finished everything we could that day and prepared for tomorrow.

In that single day, I felt we had shared a sense of solidarity and mission, becoming comrades standing together against this terrifying epidemic.

◇ ◇ ◇

Then, on the morning three days later, news arrived as if mocking all our efforts.

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“Fiene-sama, this time Mummy Disease has broken out at Viscount Alhony’s estate in the western noble district. A request for treatment has come to the Temple in secret. It seems the Viscount’s second son, Clive-sama, upon hearing about this Mummy Disease commotion, independently delivered relief supplies to the slums three days ago. His purpose was likely to showcase his own compassion and fearless bravery in the face of disease, probably for the sake of the succession dispute.”

What the heck is that supposed to mean? Is he an idiot? We’re desperately trying to contain the disease, so why is he doing something so unnecessary?

“It seems he took many servants with him at that time, and they have also been infected with Mummy Disease. Furthermore, some of them have apparently taken time off, and we cannot locate all of them.”

“Eeeehhh…”

My strength drained away, and I slumped forward onto the desk.

“We’d finally stopped seeing new patients in both the central commercial district and the northern slums…”

Yes, our efforts of casting Disease Treatment on everyone who was merely at risk of infection and thoroughly cleansing places likely to harbor pathogens must have paid off.

Compared to past outbreaks, we had Managed to control this Mummy Disease epidemic remarkably well.

Also, alcohol disinfection, using alcohol separated from liquor, seemed to be effective as well; even alcohol disinfection alone had so far prevented the spread of Mummy Disease.

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This had opened a new door in this world’s Mummy Disease countermeasures.

Priest Laurent had been telling the Pope that if we could contain it like this, it would be a historic achievement.

And then one fool went and ruined it all.

“Everyone… worked so hard…”

“Fiene-sama… I understand how you feel, but this is the moment to persevere.”

“…Yes.”

Somehow pulling my nearly broken spirit back together, I headed off to provide treatment.

Translator Note

Aha~ I could just punch that guy if that was me~