Having a considerable amount of Platinum Herbs, I brewed tea and fed it to the villagers.
No other treatment was necessary; that was all it took.
Though people looked at me skeptically, the effects would become evident after a few hours.
Guiding the girl and the escorts, I headed toward the inn.
I had barely managed to tear off the rope they intended to tie me with, just in case.
Still, I couldn’t prevent them from setting up guards around the inn to make sure I didn’t escape.
Nonetheless, the atmosphere wasn’t too bad. The effects of the Platinum Herb would show in less than an hour.
By now, those who had taken the tea first would likely be feeling its effects and telling those around them.
“Doctor!”
I opened the window at the sudden call and leaned out.“What’s wrong?”
“Would it be okay to make the tea a bit stronger?”
“It’s effective, isn’t it?”
“Yes! I feel a bit tired, but the blue spots are fading!”
As expected. I hadn’t anticipated they would seek me out so soon after entering the room; they must have a good tolerance for medicines.
I flashed a wry smile.
“Just have one more cup. Too much of the medicine can be toxic.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
I closed the window. Since entering the village, my Winds had been observing everything here.
No one had left the village yet. No one seemed to be observing me separately.
Were they confident?
If someone who knew about the antidote to the plague they had created appeared, it would be quite surprising.
Well, let’s observe the situation for now. I turned my gaze to the girl behind me.
The escorts stood on either side of the girl. Their eyes were full of vigilance as they looked at me.
“Thank you.”
The first to speak was the girl. Her thanks were so succinct that it was almost surprising.
The escorts nodded slightly in response, but their gaze remained sharp.
“Thank you. It must have been surprising.”
“It was a bit.”
“But how did you do it? Is it true that Platinum Herb is a cure?”
“Hasin!”
The girl almost shouted, but the escorts’ expressions didn’t waver. I shrugged.
“Didn’t you just see it?”
“….”
Though the escort bit back their words, it was clear they had something to say.
“It is a cure. If you’re curious about something, feel free to ask rather than wonder.”
The escort let out a deep sigh.
“We know this isn’t the ideal situation, but the fact remains that you’re not a physician, which raises questions.”
“Why do you think that?”
“There’s no scent of herbs coming from your body. Not to mention your bag.”
It was quite sharp for something so hidden. I didn’t always carry herbs around like a doctor would when moving.
But even if I dressed freely as I do, the scent of herbs was likely to emanate naturally.
“Don’t worry. Regardless of who I am, I wouldn’t bring harm to all of you. The plague’s cure is genuine.”
“…What was that you said earlier? It wasn’t just about people being ensnared by madness.”
The girl stood up from her seat.
“Please leave. I’ll talk to him alone.”
“Nun.”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to worry.”
“No. We’re not okay.”
The escort’s head shook firmly.
“He said that there might be someone targeting us.”
“Hasin!”
“I don’t know what Nun saw, but based on what the boy said, it implies an external threat, even if the boy himself isn’t an enemy.”
I intervened before the atmosphere became tense.
“I said that because this plague isn’t a natural one.”
“…How do you know that?”
“There’s no reason for me to tell you.”
A moment of silence passed. If I hadn’t been helping them, wouldn’t they have drawn their swords?
It was quite absurd from my perspective, but I could somewhat understand their feelings.
“Fine. Let’s leave aside who he is. There’s no choice but to catch him and find out.”
“….”
“A muscular bald man, a middle-aged woman in blue clothes, a young man with short hair tied back and carrying a sickle. For now, I’ve confirmed three.”
They seemed to recognize who I was referring to, but they didn’t answer.
Their faces reflected deep contemplation. They appeared both trusting and distrustful.
“Who are you?”
Rather than answering, I smirked.
“Enough. I can’t allow any more interference. Please leave.”
The Nun said firmly, her voice laced with anger. The escorts averted their gaze.
They probably knew they had crossed a line.
Hmm. Still, they were people I needed to work with, so it was better to lay some groundwork.
“I may not be a disciple of a physician, but I am someone’s disciple. It could be someone you know.”
I intentionally lowered my tone, not taking it lightly.
“I heard about the plague from him.”
The guards, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened their eyes as if they had realized something. Their expressions brightened noticeably.
They probably think that I was a disciple of a Swordmaster or someone of similar standing.
Perhaps they consider Toun outside as a Swordmaster. He was the oldest among us, after all.
“I apologize if this has caused any inconvenience. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“It’s alright. I understand.”
Our mood had relaxed a bit, but the girl’s gaze on the escorts was more intense than before.
“Leave.”
The escorts slightly lowered their heads and withdrew from the room. Now it was time for me to get anxious.
I knew I had to stay calm, but my heart rate quickened. I immediately moved my Winds to prevent any sound from leaking.
“What was that earlier? You said you were waiting for me.”
“Exactly as I said. Winds in the darkness. That’s all I saw.”
The girl spat out incomprehensible words. When I stared at her, she continued.
“Just because I’m a nun doesn’t mean I can see everything. Suddenly, I see fragmentary forms in the darkness.”
“Fragmentary forms?”
“When I arrived here, I saw a darkness I couldn’t escape from.”
Her green eyes locked onto me.
“And within that darkness, there were winds coming towards me.”
“Was that me?”
“Since you were there following that path, I assume those were your winds.”
“….”
So, the winds she mentioned weren’t my Mystic, apparently.
It was quite coincidental. Was this really a nun?
It fits incredibly well that I, who possesses winds, would come to a place with devil worshipers.
The girl smiled mischievously.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll also keep an eye on Hasin.”
“What?”
“Everything about benefactor, including the fact that you are the son of Winds.”
I tried to hide my surprise.
Western locals often referred to those with Mystics as someone’s son or daughter.
So, the girl knew that I could manipulate winds.
Was she teasing me earlier?
“The words I just said are true. I understood their meaning after meeting the benefactor.”
“What does that mean?”
“I see Winds surrounding the benefactor. They are very fond of benefactor.”
“….”
How should I handle this?
Information about my Mystic was top-secret. The proper course of action would be to deal with the girl and the escorts.
However, my heart wasn’t in it.
Game information surfaced in my mind. Nuns kept their word. Maybe it’s okay.
Should I see for myself?
From the eagle to the nun’s words. It felt like I was caught in a current of superstition.
I should think logically as a spy, but in times like this, it seemed best not to go against that current.
No, even logically.
If her foresight ability was true, she was quite close to having a Mystic.
For the sake of the future, I needed to make her more on my side.
“Alright, I understand.”
I smiled and nodded.
“But if my Winds were visible, did the darkness here become visible too? I mean, the people who sense the darkness.”
“Yes.”
“What was the darkness like?”
“It felt dangerous and frustrating.”
The girl slightly shivered.
“Why didn’t you tell your escorts?”
“I didn’t see that path.”
The girl said so and shrugged.
“And even if I did, it wouldn’t have been a good thing.”
Again, I felt it, the girl was quick-witted and had good judgment.
Even if she was strong, she was still just a nun candidate escort within a community.
The villagers would likely handle it without much trouble, but she was definitely weaker than Vasco or Toby.
The escorts who heard the conversation would have become anxious, and there was a high chance the devil worshipers sensed something.
The girl’s judgment was correct.
“Do you know anyone other than the people I mentioned earlier?”
“Among those who didn’t come outside earlier, it’s the young wife of the village chief.”
“Really?”
It seemed it was not them. Or maybe they were just simple collaborators.
I needed to check.
“But can I ask one more thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Did you come here to meet me?”
The girl had talked about coming here and seeing darkness and winds that pierced through that darkness…
But if she had originally come here seeking the winds, her words weren’t false.
The girl’s eyes widened in surprise, then she tilted her head.
“No, I didn’t. Even though I came here and saw darkness and winds that surrounded me within that darkness. I was just waiting for the winds.”
Well, I guess that wasn’t it.
In that case, did this mean that in the game, this girl ended up in the hands of the devil worshipers?
“I won’t forget your favor and will repay it many times over in the future.”
“In the future?”
“The darkness I saw here isn’t just about them.”
“….”
I put on a serious expression. Just how far could this girl see?
In any case, with this level of ability, there was a good reason to maintain a good relationship with her.
“I’m Carlyn. That’s my real name.”
“I won’t talk about this anywhere else.”
The girl smiled as if she was genuinely pleased.
“I’m Ines.”
* * *
I’d figured out who the devil worshipers were. All five of them. The two I suspected were just close friends.
When the others gathered separately and had conversations, I didn’t intervene and took a nap.
‘There’s no need to eavesdrop anymore.’
With enough tea leaves, by tomorrow morning, the villagers would all be restored.
Tonight, I’d decided to deal with all the devil worshipers in this village.
The plan was simple. Toun, Vasco, Toby, and I would first handle one devil worshiper outside.
Then we would return to the village and catch the rest.
We’d already communicated with those outside. It seemed one-sided, but surprisingly, we could converse.
Since I could tell what Toun said with Winds. I got up from bed and checked the time.
’15 minutes left.’
There was no need to wait until midnight. I was planning to move around 10 o’clock.
They had dinner and had some more tea. The healing effects would make them sleepy.
People took naps during the day too.
I knew this from experiencing the game. I calmly prepared my weapons.
Hmm?
At that moment, I felt the movement of the devil worshipers. They were holding weapons and confronting us in the alley.
-The plan to take over the village is scrapped. Kill them all. Let’s start with the ones outside.
-Shouldn’t we catch the ones inside first?
-Hollin, you dumbass, if the ones outside notice and escape, the problem will get bigger.
Listening to their conversation, I immediately sent a message to Toun, telling him to move right away.
This was also something I had taken into account. They might be thinking the same thing.
-No, but what’s this guy doing? How did he know the real cure?
-He calls himself Jimang’s disciple, like a self-proclaimed disciple. The plague was discovered in the ruins, so if it’s a skilled physician, he might know.
-It’s Zikang.
-Damn it. Is that important right now?
-Hollin, Marge. Shut up, both of you.
Feeling Toun starting to move, I focused my attention again.
-He’s not a physician. He’s not someone who handles herbs.
-Then?
-I don’t know. They didn’t talk to us until they saw us. The young one is the most important. Capture him alive. We need to confirm.
As I walked toward the door, the escorts looked at me.
I didn’t know what Ines said to them after meeting me alone, but their atmosphere had changed considerably.
“The guys are moving first.”
The escorts got up from their seats.
There was no need to ask how they knew about my relationship with a Swordmaster.
One by the window, one by the door.
It was agreed that they would protect Nun while we dealt with the devil worshipers.
I felt Toun thrust a knife into the throat of a devil worshiper outside.
Originally, the plan was to capture them alive, but the situation suddenly became urgent, so I had no choice.
‘We should catch the remaining ones.’
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