Chapter 140: The City Where Black Rain Falls Part 5

We decided to have lunch together as recommended by the temple in order to hear the temple's story. While waiting for the meal to be prepared, I opened the old book.

[Quest: Our Green, Green Dihid]

"…"

This rhythm sounded very familiar. Why does the quest name sound like this? Does the one giving the quest not know how serious the situation in Dihid is? Or…

…Do they just not care?

It was as if they were treating this like a "game" where they could ignore the disasters and calamities just to "enjoy" themselves.

But now that it was reality, it was impossible to enjoy it. People were truly suffering and dying. After confirming the reward, I closed the old book.

Since the whole city is involved, the reward should be substantial.

The reward for this quest was [Starfish Leather Gloves]. While it wasn't much use to warriors or knights who dealt closely with metal, it was incredibly useful for me as a druid who was relatively weak against metal.

With the [Starfish Leather Gloves], at least my hands would be protected from harm. The leather was incredibly tough and strong and it should be impervious to any arrows or spears. If I blocked a sword while wearing these gloves, my bones might break, but my skin would never be cut. They boasted absolute durability against metal damage and were also immune to acid and poison. The only weakness was fire.

The only way to kill a starfish was by burning it. In this aspect, it was similar to a troll. Since the creature was weak to fire, the gloves made from its leather were naturally weak to it as well. They would be helpless against fire attacks, so I had to be cautious.

But the most important effect is something else.

It provided immunity to hallucinations, including nightmares.

The starfish was a tricky and dangerous monster to deal with, but it was also famous for dispelling nightmares and boosting morale. There was a legend that placing a single strand of starfish hair in a pillow would prevent nightmares and that putting one of its claws in a pillow would protect against nightmarish attacks.

The most important effect of the [Starfish Leather Gloves] was this "hallucination immunity". If I had obtained this earlier, I might never have fallen into Didier's hut trap in the Silver Mountains.

…Well, that's all in the past. Besides, I did gain something from those nightmares.

Anyway, if I succeeded in this quest and obtained the [Starfish Leather Gloves], they would be incredibly useful for me in many ways.

Oh, and as a bonus, I might also gain favor with Donar, the god of rivers and seas.

Could I ask Donar to get rid of my seasickness?

As I chuckled at the silly thought, the meal was prepared. It was quite simple; it was just chicken stew and rye bread…. But I couldn't quite complain since it was a free meal. I tore the bread in half, soaked one part in the stew, and then tore the other half into smaller pieces to soak in the stew and feed Legion on my shoulder.

Legion who was once a cat has now transformed into a small lizard. He quickly snatched the bread piece with his long, whip-like tongue and shivered before whispering to me.

[Theo. Me. Not tasty. This.]

"Shh. You need to get used to this kind of food."

[Theo. You. Torment me.]

"I'm not tormenting you… How can you eat delicious food all the time?"

[Theo. Me.]

"No, we have to eat unappetizing things sometimes, like now."

[Not tasty. Not tasty. Not tasty.]

"You have to eat a variety of foods to stay healthy."

Did I spoil him too much? Legion kept patting my shoulder with his tiny paw and shaking his head repeatedly. No matter how much he tried, it didn't hurt at all. I kept dipping the bread piece in the stew and feeding it to Legion. I also fed some bread crust crumbs to Beepy, who was quietly nestled in my bosom.

Not just Legion, but even El didn't seem pleased. Lloyd… well, his expression was always the same, so he was an exception.

Haaah…

Honestly, it tasted terrible. Bland and watery… I was relieved that I could use the excuse of sharing to feed half of it to Legion. Of course, this was a secret from him.

"Is the meal too simple?"

As if reading my thoughts, the high priest quietly asked.

"Oh, no. I'm enjoying it."

"Since the black rain began, fewer people have come to the temple. They are likely suffering so much that they can't even find their way here. We chose this method to share their pain, even just a little."

"I see."

He had a clever way of saying they were out of funds. The wealthy were too scared to come to the temple for fear of getting sick, and the poor were already too ill to make it here. Some might even have lost their faith after seeing that the Donar Temple's waterfall was no longer working.

The temple seemed to be in a state of panic due to the cut-off funds. That must be why they welcomed me so warmly. Although, it was hard to see this lunch as a warm welcome… I didn't come here for a delicious meal anyway.

Time to get to the point.

"Have you seen the people who got sick?"

"Yes, I have."

"What were they like?"

"Those who get sick suffer from high fever. After enduring the fever for a night, their fingers and toes turn black. From that point, it becomes uncontrollable."

"What do you mean?"

"Those who can't endure the high fever and die might actually be considered blessed. Those who endure the fever and have their fingers and toes turn black, their skin begin to slowly melt away. Maybe 'peel off' is the right term? Or perhaps 'flow off' might be more accurate."

"…That's horrible."

"It's too early to call it horrible. Those whose symptoms progress are isolated to prevent the spread of the disease. However…"

"..."

The priest, with a serious face, seemed to struggle with how to explain this before finally speaking.

"I'm not sure if 'died' is the correct term. Those who get sick melt away; they leave behind only their fingers, toes, and 'skin'."

"…Melt away? Are you saying there are no bodies?"

"Yes. No bodies are left. All that's left are blackened fingers, toes, and skin."

"Has anyone seen them completely melt away?"

"There are those who stay by the patient's side all night, saying they don't care if they get sick, but in the brief moment they looked away, the patient 'disappeared'. They found only fingers, toes, and skin left behind."

"...."

High fever.

Blackened fingers and toes.

Melting skin.

No remains.

Without a body, we can't properly investigate…

It's a difficult situation.

But…

"Then the temple must be heavily affected too? What about the priests who went to treat them…"

"Fortunately, all the priests are safe. Not one has contracted this terrifying plague. It's probably because the god Donar is watching over us."

"...."

Is that really true?

It can't be.

It's impossible to avoid a plague with the "blessing" of a god.

Surely, there were devout people among the dead too.

The priests were unharmed for another reason. Although they were meeting patients to treat them.

Maybe it's not even a plague.

Is this thought too far-fetched?

However, the fact that there are no "bodies" left is concerning.

If it wasn't those who died from a high fever on the first day, then in the end…

If the ones who endured the high fever had no bodies left, how could we know if they were dead or alive?

If their bodies had completely melted, there would have been clear traces.

But all that remained were fingers, toes, and skin.

Did the patients truly meet their "death" because of the plague?

Or…

"Sir Theodore."

I was lost in thought, but I belatedly raised my head when I heard the priest's call.

"Oh, yes. I was just thinking about something…"

"I have someone to introduce to you."

"Huh?"

"Connie, come in."

At the priest's gesture, another priest wearing a dark navy robe appeared. Under the deeply pulled hood, a youthful face appeared in contrast to the bulky frame; it was somewhere between a young man and a boy. The priest looked nervous and kept glancing around anxiously.

"His name is Connie. He is a beloved priest of ours. Although he is the least skilled among us, he is the healthiest. I'm sure he will be of help to you, Theodore."

Healthy, huh? In our current situation, health is important. But if he lacks the abilities of a priest, is there any point in taking him along? I hid my true feelings, smiled naturally, and nodded my head in greeting.

"I see. Nice to meet you."

Well, even so, he should know much more about Dihid than we do, so he will be helpful. Being "healthy" is also important.

"The priest who observed the patients I mentioned earlier is Connie."

"…Aha."

This changes things.

To have personally observed so many patients and yet remain completely unaffected by the plague. Now I understand why he emphasized the word "healthy".

"Please take care of me, Connie."

I stood up and extended my hand to the young priest. He hesitated for a moment, then, after the high priest nodded his head, he finally took my hand and shook it.

"Please take care of me, Sir Theodore."

After the high priest left, we talked with Connie for a while. I asked various questions about the black rain and the plague, but Connie's answers were similar to the explanations given by the high priest. He didn't know the details either.

"And nothing unusual?"

Connie had actually inspected various parts of the city, so wouldn't he know more? In response to my question, Connie fell into thought for a moment before muttering as if it were nothing.

"…I don't think I've seen anyone from Altan infected with the disease."

"Is that so?"

People from Altan, huh. So, does that mean that barbarians and beastmen don't get sick?

"Maybe they just didn't seek help from the temple… But yes, I've neither seen nor heard of any Altan people getting sick."

"That's remarkable."

Connie smiled awkwardly at my words. There was a touch of bitterness on his otherwise innocent-looking face.

"…Perhaps I don't get sick because I'm also from Altan."

When Connie removed his hood, what had been hidden beneath it was finally revealed.

Brown dog-like ears. Just like a retriever's!