Volume 1, Chapter 42 – An Unexpected Reinforcement

“Twenty…?”

I somehow Managed to squeeze out the words.

My own voice was surprisingly thin and trembling.

“Yes. It seems infections occurred at every location where Viscount Alhony’s servants took action. Eight cases in the central commercial district, four in the eastern commoner district, three in the northern commoner district, two in the northern slums, one in the noble district, and three in the southern workshop district.”

“It can’t be…”

“Fiene-sama.”

Chris-san peered at me with a worried look.

“My apologies, Fiene-sama. This is due to our guards’ incompetence. We failed to discover that fool and our containment was insufficient.”

“…That’s not…”

I couldn’t think of what to do at all.

If this was really an AnnyOn event, I wished someone would tell me how to handle it.

Even though it’s a game… it should be a game… and yet I couldn’t help feeling frustrated that I couldn’t protect this town.

“…Ugh.”

For some reason, my vision was blurry.

——Wait, could it be that I’m crying?

Ah, I see. Without realizing it, I had come to love this town, this world, so much.

Even though I thought I was just being casual about it because it was inside AnnyOn’s game, because it was my first test character.

Rеаd оո КatRеαdіnɡCаfе

I met Chris-san, I met Shishou and his wife.

And I met all sorts of other people.

“This is no time to be hanging my head. Let’s go for treatment and purification now. Starting with the area with the highest number of cases, the central commercial district.”

“Fiene-sama…”

Chris-san accompanied me without saying anything.

——Thank you, Chris-san. For being so kind to me, a Vampire who could never become a Saint.

We drove our exhausted bodies onward and headed into the town as dusk approached.

◇ ◇ ◇

From there, it was the beginning of hell.

The royal palace, viewing the situation seriously, declared a state of emergency and prohibited all non-essential outings.

However, it seemed only those with higher education obeyed this, and it was difficult to enforce it thoroughly among the general populace who could barely read.

People understood that Mummy Disease was a terrifying illness, but the desire to know whether their family, lovers, friends, or that person who had been kind to them were safe still drove them to go out.

Of course, they couldn’t walk openly on the main streets due to the vigilance of guards and knights, but there were still a fair number of people walking through back alleys.

And through those people who walked the back alleys, the infection spread.

A dark cloud now hung over the room in the Temple that had become the Mummy Disease Countermeasures Office.

Infection reports weren’t decreasing at all—on the contrary, they kept increasing one after another.

Treatment and purification couldn’t keep up, and an atmosphere of utter despair, that all was lost, hung in the air.

Rеаԁ оn КаtRеαԁiոɡСаfe

I too finished today’s treatment and purification work and returned completely exhausted.

I’d become quite accustomed to the taste of MP Recovery Medicines.

“I’m… back…”

Upon returning to the countermeasures office, I would report today’s results, only to receive reports of new infections more than ten times that number.

Furthermore, what became clear from this was that Mummy Disease could infect the same person multiple times. In other words, this disease didn’t confer immunity.

I knew it was pathetic, but I slumped over the desk. An endless battle against a disease.

I didn’t know if it could infect me, a Vampire, but I honestly felt my limits approaching.

——Maybe… I can’t do this anymore…

The option of giving up and running away was starting to feel frighteningly real.

And realizing that I might actually choose that easy way out, I trembled in fear.

How many times had I repeated this self-interrogation now?

It was at such a moment that I heard unusually energetic, firm footsteps and voices that sounded like they were debating something.

And just as I thought they had reached the front of this room, the door was flung open with great force.

“You look quite pathetic, don’t you? Fiene. Now that Charlotte du Gatilue, the next Saint, is here, you can rest assured.”

Um, what are you here for now, of all times?

“Ah, Charlotte-san. I’m sorry. I’m tired right now, so can we talk later?”

Rеаⅾ оո KatReaⅾiոɡСаfе

“Hah? What are you saying? I have come here to end the Mummy Disease epidemic! With me here, it’s practically already solved. And Fiene, I told you to call me Char, didn’t I? Are you still my rival or not?”

Huh, what’s that? I don’t remember being told to call you by a nickname.

“Um, well then, Char-san. I’m tired right now, so—”

“Char! Not Char-san, just Char. How many times must I say it? Honestly, this is why commoners are such a headache.”

“Um, Char. I’m sorry. I’m tired right now, so after we finish—”

“Fiene! I have come to end it!”

“Huh? Well then, starting tomorrow, please take charge of one location. Priest Laurent over there is handling the assignments.”

What a pain. Besides, if I don’t rest even a little and recover some stamina, my body will suffer.

“That. Is. Why. I will fundamentally end it for you. Really, Fiene, you are such a stubborn person who doesn’t listen. If we gather the wisdom of the Gatilue family, ending an epidemic like this is nothing!”

Huh, what’s that? That’s amazing. Then I wish you’d done it sooner.

“What? Charlotte-sama, just what method is that?”

When Priest Laurent reacted, Char declared with the most triumphant face possible.

“We will isolate all the patients. I have already arranged for the Gatilue family and the nobles and major merchants who agree with us to provide all the locations and carriages for transporting the patients.”

“Su-such a thing?”

“I personally persuaded the stubborn nobles, being the next Saint. And furthermore, I will take over as head of this countermeasures office. To move stubborn nobles, the authority of the Gatilue family is more effective than the Temple’s authority, you see? Priest Laurent, you will continue to assist me.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Priest Laurent seemed impressed, so it must be fine.

Rеаⅾ oո KαtRеαdіոgCаfe

And if you isolate the patients, they won’t be spreading new infections around.

I see, indeed, this might actually work.

“…Char, you’re actually pretty reliable.”

Ah, oops. My true feelings slipped out.

“My, Fiene. What exactly did you think of me?”

“Um, a doll?”

“Wh-wha, th-that, forget about that!”

Char’s face turned bright red as she got angry. But somehow, she seemed happy. Yeah, I feel energized too.

“Char, thank you. You’ve saved us. I’ll be counting on you starting tomorrow.”

“Eh, wha? Hmph. This is merely the natural duty of a noble. Fiene, this is not for your sake or anything, you know?”

“Yes. That’s so like Char.”

When I said that, Char turned bright red and looked away.

Now that’s what you call a proper tsundere.

Yeah, thank you. Thanks to you, I think I can keep going tomorrow too.

Translator Note

A tsundere has joined the party~