Chapter 41: A Glimmer of Hope in Tedles Town

A wave of relief washed over me at the sight of a living soul.

I had been dreading the moment I opened the door, half-expecting a horde of zombies to burst forth.

“I am a priest dispatched from the Royal Capital.”

Sally unclasped the cross necklace from her neck and offered it to the person.

A faint glow emanated from the cross, instantly verifying her identity, and we were promptly ushered inside.

“It’s truly you, you’ve finally arrived!”

“Indeed, the Lord still watches over us.”

The nun, her face alight with fervent emotion, closed the door and clasped Sally’s hand, tears visibly welling in her eyes.

“What exactly is happening here?”

Sally’s brow furrowed slightly as she discreetly withdrew her hand.

“I observed the streets outside; they were utterly deserted, which suggests the situation here is far from normal.”

Beyond the entrance lay a simple church hall, sparsely furnished with a few dilapidated pews.

Its decorations mirrored those of the Royal Capital’s churches, differing only in their modest scale.

“I am Sheila, a nun from this place.”

“The peculiar illness is worsening by the day, and most of the town’s inhabitants have fallen ill…”

As the nun guided us deeper into the inner chambers, she continued to elaborate on the dire circumstances.

“Even our Archpriest Simon succumbed yesterday.”

“No one possesses the knowledge to treat this disease; we are utterly helpless and thus must rely on external aid.”

‘Is the situation truly so dire?’

I observed Sally’s expression growing increasingly solemn.

We soon arrived before a room that appeared to be a resting area.

Sheila pushed open the door, revealing a pitch-black interior illuminated only by a single candle flickering on a table.

In the weak candlelight, I could vaguely discern a figure lying on a bed beside the table.

“Archpriest, the people from the Royal Capital have arrived; salvation is finally at hand.”

Sheila rushed inside, promptly helping the Archpriest sit upright.

“Is this illness contagious?”

Witnessing her directly approach and touch the patient without any protective measures, I felt a prick of unease and could not help but inquire.

“I’m not sure,” Sheila replied, shaking her head in genuine uncertainty.

“We implemented isolation measures at the very beginning, but they proved utterly ineffective.”

“People outside continued to fall ill one after another, with no discernible difference from before the isolation.”

‘So, it’s not a contagious disease then? No, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge; what if the isolation measures simply weren’t thorough enough?’

As I pondered these possibilities, Sally, who stood nearby, reached a conclusion with unwavering certainty.

“This is not contagious.”

She had already approached the bedside and examined the Archpriest’s body before turning to me and speaking.

“It’s quite evident; these are symptoms of dark corruption.”

“Really?”

I followed her into the room and observed the patient on the bed, realizing that even without drawing near, I could sense the dark elemental aura permeating their body.

Though the presence was still faint, it was undeniably distinguishable.

“May I ask… who are you?”

Archpriest Simon had only just roused from his unconsciousness.

He appeared quite elderly, at least over sixty in my estimation, and his condition seemed exceedingly frail.

Upon noticing two unexpected strangers in the room, he naturally felt compelled to inquire.

“They are from Partington Church in the Royal Capital…” Sheila reiterated her earlier introduction.

When asked for specific names, Sally was the first to speak.

“I am Sally, a priest specifically dispatched to investigate this matter, and as for her…”

She glanced back at me, where I stood behind her.

“Consider her my guard.”

‘What did she mean, ‘consider’?!’

‘I felt a surge of exasperation; could this young lady not temper her caustic wit?’

“How could you be so fast?” Simon asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice, his eyes filled with doubt as he looked at us.

“It’s been less than a week since the messenger was dispatched with the news, and you’re already here?”

“And the messenger… where is Kane? Why did he not return with you?”

‘His suspicion was not unfounded; by conventional transport, Kane would most likely still be on the road.’

“Well… we arrived by special means, and Kane did not accompany us.”

Sally paused for a moment, ultimately deciding against revealing my identity.

“That’s right, they’ve shown me the token from the Royal Capital Church; their identities are indeed genuine!”

‘That token must have been Sally’s cross necklace, which she had since replaced around her neck.’

“Then… I implore you for your help, cough, cough, cough…”

Simon, overcome with emotion, suddenly erupted into a violent fit of coughing, even expelling a clot of dark, black blood.

I found the sight somewhat horrifying and instinctively recoiled a step.

It was my first time witnessing a patient in such a critical state; he appeared on the verge of collapse, struggling for breath.

“Don’t worry, he won’t die just yet!”

Sally shot me a disdainful glance, clearly unimpressed by my timid reaction.

She simultaneously soothed the Archpriest, urging him to conserve his strength, and offered an explanation.

“The symptoms of this dark elemental corruption typically have a prolonged course; patients can usually survive for at least a week.”

“His advanced age and inherent physical frailty are simply making him unable to withstand it as well.”

With that, she straightened up and moved to the bedside, producing her staff.

“I will treat him now; please keep your distance.”

I pursed my lips, realizing it would be inappropriate to disturb her, and so I retreated another two steps, settling at the edge of the room.

She closed her eyes and murmured something silently, and soon, a stream of white light traveled from her hand to the tip of her staff, coalescing into a small, luminous white halo.

The halo intensified, growing progressively brighter and whiter.

Once the light reached a peak intensity, Sally gently tapped her staff against Simon’s body.

The white circle instantly adhered to him, then abruptly expanded and burst forth, illuminating the entire room with a dazzling flash.

After the blinding flash subsided, I sensed that the Archpriest’s dark corruption had indeed significantly diminished.

Though a slight residue remained, I was confident that one more treatment would restore him to a normal state.

“Phew…”

Sally let out a long breath, evidently having expended considerable energy, and slowly eased herself onto a nearby seat.

Sheila, who stood beside her, immediately reached out to steady her.

Having witnessed the spectacle, her eyes now shone with an unmistakable reverence.

“The Priestess is truly formidable; in all my life, I have never before witnessed such beautiful magic.”

“It is said that the high-ranking members of the Royal Capital’s Church are all masters of Light Magic, and their reputation is clearly well-deserved…”

Simon, despite his continued weakness, echoed the praise, his complexion appearing considerably rosier than before.

‘My own sentiments were identical; this spell was far more visually stunning than any Holy Light Bullet Sally had ever cast.’

‘However, her casting process…’

As I could distinctly perceive the light elements moving within his body, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the method of application was strangely familiar.

After resting for approximately ten minutes, Sally’s breathing gradually steadied, and she promptly rose, preparing for another treatment.

“After this round, he should be entirely free of the affliction.”

Having spoken, she straightened her staff, reiterated the previous steps, and recited the incantation once more…

Following the flash of white light, she collapsed heavily into the chair this time.

Her appearance suggested she had just completed an arduous 800-meter race.

“That was a Purification Spell, wasn’t it?”

I had ‘seen’ it clearly.

After repeated observation, I finally recalled why it seemed so familiar: it was essentially identical to the Purification Spell in my memories.

“You know the Purification Spell?”

Sally glanced at me, seemingly astonished that I possessed knowledge of this magic.

“But mine isn’t a Purification Spell; it’s merely a simplified Dispel Spell.”

‘A Dispel Spell? A simplified Purification Spell?’

‘No wonder it felt subtly different; while her method of manipulating light elements was broadly similar, the Purification Spell was clearly far more intricate and refined.’

‘Yet, I had never successfully cast a Purification Spell myself.’

‘Each time I attempted to condense light elements in my palm, they would disperse entirely before I could even release them.’

‘It was like being on the verge of a breakthrough, always lacking that final, crucial component.’

“Are there many people currently ill in your town?”

Sally inquired, observing Simon’s gradual recovery.

“I need to tally the numbers so I can report the situation back to the Royal Capital.”

She spoke while simultaneously confirming the lingering aura around him.

“The situation here appears exceedingly grave; I alone cannot possibly heal everyone.”

“Therefore, more people will need to be dispatched.”

“Thank you, I feel much better now.”

Simon could clearly perceive the improvement in his own body; though still unable to leave the bed, his voice now carried renewed vigor.

At this moment, Sheila could not help but interject.

“Priestess, more than half the town has already fallen ill, and many exhibit symptoms far more severe than the Archpriest’s.”

“I fear that by the time reinforcements arrive, they may not endure, especially those who were first afflicted…”

‘Her concern was indeed valid; if people were to die from this, they would turn into zombies, exacerbating the problem significantly.’

“However, my current magical reserves are sufficient to treat only one more person.”

Sally’s expression turned troubled, and it was clear she was also grappling with a more significant concern.

“Furthermore, we still don’t know the source of this affliction; the origin of these corrupting dark elements remains undiscovered.”

“If the source isn’t severed, even those we cure will likely be re-infected and fall ill once more.”

“Are these dark elements appearing abnormally?”

I couldn’t help but ask, assuming, given their familiarity, that this was a common ailment.

“Not at all,” Sally replied, shaking her head.

“While dark elements are typically omnipresent, their concentration is usually very low.”

“For them to cause illness in such a short time, their concentration must be hundreds of times higher than normal.”

“This is absolutely not a normal phenomenon.”

“Even though Tedles Town lies north of the Royal Capital, it is still very far from the national border, at least several hundred kilometers away.”

“Only beyond the border do we reach the adjacent ‘Barren Lands’, yet even there, the concentration of dark elements does not reach a level capable of causing illness within days.”

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