Chapter 20, The Plague

Just before I walk away from the window to go inside, the guard stops me.

"My apologies, but before you enter our city you are required to wear this mask" He said as he lends me the smiling mask covered in black fabric he's wearing.

With the only difference being an "H" on the side of the mask.

"Wear that mask every time you go out on the streets. You may only take them off inside buildings and the like"

"Oh ok thanks"

I wear the mask and despite its looks, it feels quite comfortable actually, not as stuffy as I thought it would be.

"Wait... I can still clearly! It's as if I never wore the mask in the first place. Wait... does that must mean all of their masks are magic items!?"

Now that I think about it, I wonder if Mr.Jugo also wore this when he came here.

"Never mind that, I'm getting off track! I need to deliver this book to the Servant Of Order as fast as possible!"

"I hope our city pleases you well dear visitor" The guard said as he waves goodbye.

I enter the city and the first thing I see is an empty cobble street with lanterns stationed on top of poles. The buildings brim with faint warm candlelight, the atmosphere was quiet, a bit too quiet.

"Although the 6th sun has just set not moments ago, everyone's already inside" I muttered.

I wonder if something like this is the norm here.

I readjust Kana on my side and head straight for the White Spire that's in the middle of the city. Although carrying Kana is heavy enough, carrying the rig sack filled with that skeleton's stuff is much, much heavier.

I didn't know books could be this heavy.

But somehow I've become less and less tired as time goes on. It's as if I never have the need to feel tired of doing anything in the first place.

Even so... Kana with the Rug sack combine are heavy as hell...

***

"Hmm, I suppose all of these be enough to get us by for around... 1 in a half week or so" I said as I put the last Anti-Light Potion down inside one of the crates.

With this, we should be able to cross the plains for a long while without having to retreat back south to the forest too early in case we run out.

Assuming that we are still near it that is.

I order Williams to pack the alchemical tools and set off immediately. I climb back inside the carriage after a long night of brewing potions and look at the map once more.

"Assuming we are in this edge of the Elven Forest, just to the left of Sylfia, all we need is to go around Sylfia and continue west to Falna" I point out to Roberto and Vilna which were snuggling beside me.

"However, it may be faster... And would be greater if we aid the Monsters in their siege of the city and go through it. It would also help us gain more alchemical supplies that weren't present in Galan's Apothecaries" I add as I tick my finger on Sylfia on the map.

It is... A risky and not a very wise choice... But! This may be the only chance I have to test whether my theory on the Cluster Of Souls is correct or not.

If I were to be correct, then the Abomination I implanted on the undead should run amok, growing nightmarishly grotesque limbs from its body. The only way to defeat the abomination would be to scorch it in flames.

I have little to no information on whether the light of the Suns would burn the fellow which is worrying.

But, if I can study it... Pin it down maybe... Then I may be able to weaponize it to my benefit, better not, I may find secrets unknown to Necromancers and Alchemists alike.

After Williams finished cleaning up, I order him to do a risky detour to go to Sylfia.

"This decision of mine may finally be the one to banish me to the land of the dead, where I will spend an eternity of wandering around the deserted and foggy Blight Lands"

"The place where judgment awaits"

The carriage shake unconditionally as we move at high speed towards the city.

Thankfully, I have turned the horses into undead, now I won't have to worry about horse feed.

I take a peek outside the carriage and notice that their flesh have started to rot. Their skin once brown and wild are now stained with red and dark green.

I look to the city, now not as far away as we were with it before.

Hopefully, the monsters had won the battle or at had at least managed to whittle down the number of soldiers and guards stationed inside the city.

"I pray the savages won" I muttered.

I stop peeking and return to the elven warrior's body I am augmenting. I plan to make turn his body into the abomination that shall rampage inside Sylfia were we to be attacked by either Humans or Monsters. I doubt they would be able to take on an undead capable of regeneration, a very fast one at that!

And to make sure I will be able to take down the abomination.

"These iron bolts imbued with fire magic should prove useful in bringing down the abomination when it too goes after us next" I said as I try to forcefully insert a bolt on my newly acquired Crossbow from Galan.

If this doesn't work however... then I suppose running with tails between our legs will be the conclusion.

°°°°

"No guards? Well now, that would certainly mean that it is the monsters victory"

The city walls were undamaged and intact, albeit gravely smudged with splashes of blood.

"Was it an Orc siege? Orcs do have that inhumane strength, no mere human other than the Heroes of legend could withstand a blow from them head on"

Well there was my special test subject who managed to survive it, barely...

"Hm? Even the gates themselves are intact? Then was it an overwhelming army of... No, Goblins aren't so smart as to hide bodies"

I order Williams to open the gates and slowly but surely I hear no screams, no grunts, no yelps for help, not even a shriek from neither a Goblin nor an Orc.

That's because there weren't any in the first place.

The first thing I saw weren't human meat shields or corpses. What I saw were Flesh Slabs, identical to the ones from Galan.

"I-impossible, I'd never infected anyone outside of Galan with Solasthemia!"

Why? No, HOW!? How come there are flesh slabs Sylfia!?

"Could the recipe and secrets for Solasthemia been found out after Galan's fall?"

"No, it's impossible for the kingdom to have found the solution to Solasthemia this fast, Healing spells also wouldn't work on Solasthemia since it increases its lethal efficiency"

No wait, the question shouldn't be of how the kingdom cured Solasthemia, it should be how Solasthemia found its way over here instead!

"Has it been weaponized by crime organizations? No that wouldn't be possible, simply getting near to an infected-"

Suddenly, a Flesh Slab nudges at my trousers with the disfigured fingers of its victim.

"Hm? Ah yes, why think when I could ask!" I said as I raise the flesh slab off from the ground.

"Tell me Flesh Slab, how did you and your friends find their way over here?"

"*Incoherent Grunts*"

"P-pardon!? From other adventurers!? No not just that! You've been here for days!?"

Oh dear... I.. I may have doomed myself accidentally it seems. If what it says is true then I will without a doubt, be showered by praise by the undead back in the Blight Lands, but I will now also become a target to subjugate by all the races in Seralia.

I never thought of the possibility of adventurers going from city to city seeking for help, I'd assumed that the kingdom would wisely put the city under lockdown!

But now... Now it seems... Now I have become the very bane of the living, I have created an international pandemic all across Seralia.

No wait! Perhaps the amount infected by Solasthemia aren't that much, since it has only been a few days.

Since Solasthemia is actually a Hive mind type of undead, much like Haunts and Wraiths which are common in the labyrinth, they share their information and knowledge they have gathered once infecting someone.

Once they fully took over the brain that is.

I should be able to know the exact amount of people infected with it.

"Now flesh slab, tell me, how many have you all infected?"

***

"I see, so according to this journal, an Undead calling himself Sol Van Heim is the cause of this recent plague" I muttered.

I call over one of my servants and told him to store the journal in the city library. The contents seem genuine and it even explains a way to cure this Undead Plague.

But I don't see the need to tell my alchemists to make a cure for this Plague.

As long as I am still a Servant Of Order this plague is nothing more but a mere inconvenience.