Plague III

"Please, share your findings with us."

"What was initially considered a plague is actually something much worse," Lith began to explain.

Lith revealed that what was thought to be a single plague was actually four distinct, man-made plagues, likely a result of advanced alchemy. He compared this to a previous case involving a magically laced poison resistant to light magic. Unlike that poison, these plagues spread throughout the body and remain dormant until the host uses magic, which then causes chaos in their mana flow, potentially leading to lethal effects.

Lith explained that the plagues are caused by a very small parasite that spawns and spreads in the host's body fluids. These parasites are difficult to detect because they don't cause immediate physical symptoms or tissue degeneration; they may feed on mana. This revelation shocked everyone, especially since normal diagnostic spells wouldn't detect these parasites.

When asked if he could find a cure, Lith admitted that he could not, as he was only a student and lacked the experience to tackle such a complex issue. This admission left the room in despair.

"What are your findings, Mage Leon?" Queen Sylpha asked, though inwardly, she doubted he would be of much help since his talent lay in combat.

"I have the same findings, and it seems someone intends to rule over the Garlen Continent," Leon said.

"What do you mean?" the King frowned and asked.

"The four parasites are designed to weaken the three kingdoms on the Garlen Continent, pushing them to the edge of despair. Then, someone will come forward with the antidote and, in return, demand the rulers' submission," Leon said.

"Not to mention, it seems the plague was unintentionally spread, and the parasites were still in the process of being perfected, as I found some of them less potent than others," Leon added.

"Before we proceed any further, I'd like to know why Mages Lith and Leon think these parasites are a product of alchemy." Queen Sylpha's curiosity was piqued by that particular statement, as she shared the same opinion.

"It's simple because the parasites are like alchemy labs themselves. They distort mana flow by secreting a toxin, and only alchemy can create such creatures. Whoever made this certainly did their work thoroughly," Leon said.

"Not to mention, according to reports, the plague started after the Coin Hartone alchemy lab explosion," Leon added.

Everyone nodded, finding his answer reasonable, at least for the last part.

As for the talk of toxins, it went over their heads.

"Can you cure it?" Queen Sylpha asked with a tense expression, fearing she would be turned down again, like with Lith.

"Yes, it's simple," Leon shrugged. With the vast amount of curse knowledge he now possessed, he could surely do it.

Not to mention, he had once read a similar book in the General Library about a parasite that kills from the inside by multiplying rapidly in the body. The spell used to remove it was called Wisen Cage.

"You can?" the King blurted, surprised. Like the others, he had thought Leon would say no, but it seemed he was wrong.

"It's quite easy. We just have to form a cage to trap the parasites, then remove the cage from the patient's body. Or we could leave it, as the cage will also kill the bacteria," Leon said.

"Will your method work?" Queen Sylpha asked.

"Well, if Mr. Kililan hadn't dragged me here, I could have shown him I already cured a few of my patients I diagnosed, but they're probably infected again by now," Leon replied, causing everyone to gape in astonishment.

The King and Queen exchanged glances while communicating telepathically, and then the King said, "Mage Leon, if you really solve this case alone, the Crown will grant you the title of Archmage and a family name."

Leon didn't reply immediately, and after some time, he said, "Hmm, though don't take it for granted that I'll help whenever you want. I'm only helping because I can't stand to see innocents die."

The King nodded, and then Kilian and everyone went to the last wing where Leon had treated the patient. She was an Archmage who handled the association's matters in Kandria.

After Leon's treatment, she stood up and checked whether she could use magic again or not, and just after using a single Tier 1 spell, she began to cry tears of joy while grabbing Leon.

Leon's face was a sight to behold as she was a bona fide hot and sexy woman. It would be a lie if Leon didn't feel anything, but he used light magic to keep his hormones in check and avoid raising another tent.

After successfully treating the patient, Leon and the others returned to the Colonel's tent.

"Marvelous, you solved what others couldn't in a matter of minutes, if not seconds," the King said with a happy smile on his face.

"Can you treat the others too?" the King asked enthusiastically.

"Do you want me to work to death?" Leon retorted, causing the King to choke on his smile, while everyone else stifled their laughter.

"Indeed. So can you at least share your method?" the King asked.

Leon frowned, and seeing this, the King added, "Of course, you would be rewarded for your spell."

Leon sighed and then said, "Only this time, as many lives are at stake." He then asked if he could use water magic.

The Colonel shook his head, prompting Leon to say they could find the cure themselves.

The King sighed and gave in to Leon's demand.

Soon, Leon got access to water magic, and using it, he inscribed all the details on a paper in the fake magic way.

For him, it was easy to convert his true magic into fake magic using his Analyst skill.

Kilian looked over the spell Leon gave and said in surprise, "Even I can use it?"

Hearing this, the Colonel and Velagroa went to him, checked the spell, and nodded.

"Of course, I toned it down so that those peanut-sized brain healers could also use it," Leon sneered.

While the King ignored Leon's rant and sent Kilian to test it out.

Leon went with him, and seeing him heading to the commoners' tent, Leon sent a pulse of darkness and erased the paper from Kilian's hand.

Kilian jumped back and looked at Leon apprehensively. Seeing Leon's cold look, he understood he had messed up.

"I will treat everyone myself," Leon said and began walking towards the tent where the commoners were kept.

Kilian started sweating bullets, wondering how he would explain this to the King.

Eventually, he sighed and went back to the tent, explaining what happened.

"Are you a fool? Why would you go and experiment on commoners!" the Queen was outraged and told the King to execute him on the spot.

"Experimenting on commoners? No wonder Leon got angry," Solus said.

"They deserve it," Lith nodded in agreement.

"Mage Lith, can you convince your brother?" the King sighed and asked.

Lith shook his head and then said, "Forgive me, but I don't think he'll listen to me."

The King sighed heavily. "At least he can cure it," he thought and let the matter go, but after a week, he regretted it heavily.

"What do you mean he left?" the King roared at the Colonel, who was kneeling along with two other captains.

"He left after curing all the commoners, and from his residence, we found this note that says, 'Not just this kingdom, but all of Morgar will have fewer scum if all nobles die,'" the Colonel said while showing the note Leon left.

"He's becoming too dangerous," the King thought as he looked at the note.

"Should we kill him?" he asked the Queen.

"And then what? If he escapes, do you want another Balkor as the kingdom's enemy?" the Queen replied, silencing all his thoughts of killing Leon.

"Tell me you three remember the spell Leon showed," the Queen asked in a stone-cold voice, implying that if the answer was no, their lives would no longer be needed.

"I remember half of it," Kilian raised his head and said, while the Colonel and captain bowed lower.

The King slammed his hand on the throne's armrest and then ordered Lith to be called.

Fortunately for them, Lith remembered the spell. Then, all the healers from White Griffon were summoned, and using Leon's spell, everyone was cured.

At the end of the day, when all the patients were cured, and every trace of the plague was destroyed, everyone celebrated with a small party.

All the healers and army personnel from Kandria enjoyed it.

At one end of the hall, Professor Marth, Vastor, and Lith were in a heavy discussion.

"I really wonder how your brother came up with this idea. This spell of his does not end here; it has various applications even in the future," Marth said.

"Hmm, we can now use it to perfectly extract any defect in a patient's body without damaging it," Vastor nodded.

At another side, the royal couple stood on an elevated platform.

Everyone was enjoying themselves, but the King's anger surged when he saw the useless nobles attending the party, while Leon did not.

The party was meant for him, and when they read his reply letter, both of them realized Kilian had messed up more than they thought.

The letter said, "Shove your useless title up your useless royal asses."

If not for the King stopping the Queen, she would have stormed to Kilian's house and executed him on the spot.

They watched the party pensively until Royal Constable Jirni came to them.

She is a petite woman with a cute face, but she is also the most dangerous constable.

"Your Majesty, I have learned about the group that sent the Talons," she said, passing the file to the King.

The King read the file and asked, "Is he captured?"

Jirni shook her head and replied, "He was long gone before we could capture him."

The King simply nodded and threw the document back to her. "Then go back and declare Lukart and his associates as criminals."

"I want them publicly hanged," the Queen added.

The King nodded in agreement, and then Jirni, smiling like a madwoman, left.