Chapter 1213: 200. Not an Illness
“Calm down first.”
Muen hurriedly grabbed Morton by the shoulders and helped him steady his breathing.
“Miss Dragon and I are here. There is no need to panic like this.”
“Y-yes... yes.”
Only after Morton was able to speak coherently did Muen continue asking:
“What do you mean by a strange illness?”
“It is... a strange illness. A very strange illness. I do not know how to describe those symptoms... But in any case, it is extremely terrifying.”
Morton spoke haltingly. Although he could now make himself understood, he clearly did not know how to explain it.
Muen saw fear in his eyes.
Previously, even when facing Muen’s threats, this Proxy, the highest administrator of the city, had not shown any fear. Yet now, because of a “strange illness,” he was incomparably flustered and had even become afraid.
This was absolutely abnormal.
“Are those survivors causing trouble again?”
Running into Morton the moment they stepped outside and hearing him report this matter naturally made Muen recall Felimon’s earlier words:
“Judging by the time, it should already have begun...”
But Muen still found it somewhat difficult to understand.
Logically speaking, if the survivors had taken advantage of the time while he and Miss Dragon were conducting their inspection to cause trouble, then the ones who developed this so-called strange illness should have been those who had not yet been inspected.
After all, the remaining survivors were most likely hiding among them.
So how had a strange illness suddenly appeared among the people who had already been inspected?
“Could it be that it was not those survivors, but because this place has been sealed off for too long, we brought in some terrible virus or bacteria?”
Muen rubbed his chin and began thinking from a scientific perspective.
“But that does not make sense either. What kind of virus or bacteria could take effect so quickly? We have only just left.”
“We will know once we go and take a look,” Hamreign said.
“Huh? What about the inspection?”
Muen was rather surprised.
He had originally thought Miss Dragon would, at most, tell him to go back and take a look. Yet judging from this, she actually intended to temporarily abandon the progress of the inspection and go with him.
“This will not delay us for long.”
Hamreign cast Muen a contemptuous glance.
“Otherwise, if this truly is one of those rats’ methods, can you solve it?”
“...And what if it is merely an ordinary illness?”
The corner of Muen’s mouth twitched. Even when facing the mightiest dragon, he still had to do his best to preserve the dignity of a real man.
“Can you treat illnesses?”
“Can Miss Dragon?”
“Do you think I am as useless as you? I also know a little about treating illnesses.”
Hamreign’s gaze became even more contemptuous.
“That is still better than someone who can do nothing.”
“...”
With a crisp crack, the dignity of a real man shattered all over the ground.
All right. He had almost forgotten that this was a dragon who had survived for a thousand years.
Some rare and complicated illnesses might truly be nothing serious before her.
“Then let us go back and take a look.”
Muen sighed and looked at the empty and silent street. A faint ominous premonition rose in his heart.
“Hopefully, it really is only... a ‘strange illness.’”
...
...
Muen and Hamreign followed Morton back to the familiar little courtyard.
This was none other than the first place they had inspected.
He had a deep impression of the woman whose head was filled with fantasies about men, as well as the two adorable little girls.
At this moment, however, the entire little courtyard had already been completely sealed off.
Additional walls had been constructed around the outside of the courtyard with magic. Even Morton’s subordinates and a golem had been transferred here, guarding the place so tightly that not even a fly could get inside.
From this alone, Morton’s response and capability could be seen.
Although the so-called “strange illness” had caused him to lose his composure somewhat, he had still handled everything that needed to be done perfectly. There was not a single fault to pick out.
“The first person to discover the situation was one of the people responsible for transporting supplies. His name is Ebra.”
Morton pointed toward one of the guards not far away.
“He was previously a member of the Dragon-Slaying Team and was responsible for transporting supplies throughout this district. It was while delivering supplies here that he noticed something was wrong.”
“He looks terrible.”
Muen looked over from a distance and discovered that Ebra’s complexion was also extremely pale.
This was likewise very abnormal.
Anyone capable of joining the Dragon-Slaying Team was definitely among the strongest people in this city. Yet even he had actually been frightened by a so-called “strange illness.
“Anyone would be afraid after seeing that kind of scene.”
Morton gave a bitter smile.
“Is that so?”
Muen’s gaze flickered.
“He knocked on the door at the time, but no one responded. He was worried that something had happened, so he directly climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard.”
Morton secretly glanced at Hamreign.
Although he did not say anything, Muen could roughly guess that what Ebra had been worried about was whether Miss Dragon and he had done something to this family during the inspection.
After all, they had been isolated and placed under house arrest. Ebra already held a prejudice against Miss Dragon, so he certainly would not have ignored something as obviously abnormal as receiving no response after knocking.
“He entered the courtyard and then discovered that the people inside had developed that strange illness?”
“Yes.”
“Did he encounter any other suspicious people along the way?”
“No.”
“Then aside from him, did anyone else enter this place?”
“Only me.”
Morton replied seriously:
“Ebra climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard on his own initiative, which can be considered a violation of the orders given by the two of you. But aside from that, I assure you that everything was carried out according to your requirements. Every person responsible for distributing supplies and patrolling has remained under my strict supervision. There could not have been any problems.”
“Relax. I am not suspecting you.”
Muen patted Morton on the shoulder again and praised him:
“You have done very well. Without you, this city would not have remained so stable until now.”
“Th-thank you.”
Morton let out a long breath.
“This is only what I should do.”
“Then let us go directly inside.”
Muen exchanged a glance with Hamreign.
“Talking for half a day is not as useful as seeing it with our own eyes. I want to see exactly what kind of strange illness could frighten all of you like this.”
“Understood.”
The three of them did not use the front entrance, nor did they make contact with anyone.
They directly crossed over the wall and swept into the courtyard.
The entire courtyard was extremely quiet, but it was already completely different from how it had appeared during Muen’s previous visit.
The carefully maintained feeling of everyday life was gone.
All kinds of scraps and debris were scattered everywhere. Even the flowers in the corner had been completely ruined.
It was a complete mess.
Muen’s gaze swept across the surroundings, but his footsteps did not pause. The ominous premonition in his heart only grew stronger.
At last, following Morton’s directions, he and Hamreign arrived at the innermost room.
They pushed open the door and entered.
A faint smell of blood filled the room, mixed with another strange odor.
Two figures, one large and one small, lay silently not far from the doorway. They seemed to have fainted.
“I knocked them unconscious.”
Morton said:
“They suddenly attacked me for no reason. I had no other choice but to do this.”
“Mm.”
Muen nodded lightly.
The two people beside the door were clearly the middle-aged man and his daughter, one of the two little girls.
From the outside, neither of them had suffered the slightest injury. Their breathing was also steady. It was obvious that Morton had exercised excellent control.
And since the father and one daughter were here...
Muen raised his head and looked toward the other side of the room.
On a chair deeper inside, the woman sat there like a statue, holding the other little girl in her arms.
The woman did not move, but faint sobbing came from within her embrace.
The faint smell of blood and the other strange odor also seemed to be coming from there.
Muen glanced back at Morton.
Morton nodded.
“It is that little girl who developed the extremely strange illness. I did not dare act recklessly, so I immediately went to find you.”
“I understand.”
Hamreign remained where she was.
With her strength, she had already understood everything the moment she entered this room.
No, perhaps even earlier.
But her features remained indistinct, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Therefore, only Muen walked toward the woman.
The room was very small, yet Muen felt as though he had walked a very long distance.
Even his footsteps felt heavy.
Finally, he arrived before the woman.
He raised his hand and gently lifted a small corner of the clothing wrapped around the little girl.
The sobbing gradually stopped.
The little girl raised her head. Her large, innocent eyes blinked, filled with misty tears as she looked at Muen.
“Big Brother?”
“...”
This should have been an extremely adorable sight.
Yet Muen fell into a deathly silence.
Because the little girl’s large eyes blinked and blinked...
Blinked and blinked...
Upon a mass of twisted flesh, they blinked and blinked.
That mass of flesh looked as though all its skin had been completely peeled away. Crimson muscles and pale veins were exposed, and the smell of blood came from there.
Deep within that flesh, countless granules of flesh writhed densely, spreading outward like sea anemones.
Those granules of flesh rapidly grew and rapidly died. They even tore at one another, then fused into other bizarre shapes while tearing each other apart.
The chaotic growth and division had completely reconstructed the originally adorable face.
Apart from those eyes, Muen could hardly find anything that still resembled the little girl from before.
Yet the little girl herself seemed completely unaware of what she had become.
Within those misty, pitch-black eyes, there was only the innocence of a child.
Muen said nothing.
The premonition in his heart had completely come true.
...This was not an illness at all.
This was Pollution.
The Pollution of an Evil God.
Morton simply did not know what Pollution was, so he had mistaken it for a so-called “strange illness.”
And it was precisely because of this that, after seeing the little girl in this state, Ebra of the Dragon-Slaying Team and Morton had become so terrified.
After all, if “Pollution” were classified as a type of “illness”...
Then it was indeed somewhat too overwhelming by comparison.
“Big Brother, you came back again.”
The little girl remained innocent and ignorant, merely giggling.
“Do you still have candy? I want to eat candy.”
“Beasts...”
At this moment, Muen had no idea what emotion he was feeling.
Anger?
No.
Just now, when Felimon had used an innocent infant, he had already been angry.
Sadness?
Not that either.
After witnessing far too many similar cases of Pollution, he would no longer have his mind shaken by a single scene of Pollution.
He merely squeezed those words out through clenched teeth without thinking.
“Those bastards... They are all beasts!”
Muen was extremely familiar with this Pollution.
It was clearly the same as the Pollution afflicting those pitiful people in Annabawei. They came from the same unknown Evil God.
And here, within this city that had already been sealed by Miss Dragon, there could be only one possible source.
—Those survivors whom the residents here worshiped as heroes.
Those bastards had actually begun polluting the city they had personally built.
They had begun polluting the people whose growth they had witnessed with their own eyes!
In order to achieve their objective, they had already begun resorting to any means whatsoever!
“L-Lord Muen?”
Morton’s voice brought Muen back to his senses.
“Can this illness... be cured?”
There was expectation in his words.
Although, with his intelligence, he had clearly realized that the little girl’s transformation was definitely not as simple as a so-called “illness,” he still held on to that hope.
It was the trust in Muen that he had maintained all along.
“Can she be cured?”
“Probably... yes.”
Muen’s voice was hoarse.
“Probably?”
“Yes. Although I have not yet found a way to cure it completely, it can still be controlled for now.”
That was right.
It could still be controlled.
And for him, this was something he was extremely familiar with.
Those beasts had even begun using Pollution as a method...
But so what?
If he could temporarily stabilize the situation in Annabawei, then he could likewise stabilize the situation here.
Just as he had done in Annabawei.
As long as he stabilized it, he could thwart the conspiracy of those beasts.
Whoosh.
Black flames began to sway.
Muen took a deep breath and grabbed the little girl’s hand.
The black flames spread from the place where the two of them touched and moved across the little girl’s body, beginning to struggle against that Pollution.
This was also Pollution.
Pollution belonging to Muen.
But Muen knew that this alone was not enough.
His level was sufficient, but his power was far too weak.
Therefore, his Pollution had not yet reached the point where it could completely erase the Pollution of an Evil God.
He could only suppress it.
And in order to suppress it completely, he also had to seize the upper hand on the level of consciousness.
“Little sister, listen carefully.”
Muen tightly held that small hand, which felt slick to the touch, and said seriously:
“Next, you must listen to Big Brother and silently repeat after me.”
“Silently... repeat?”
The little girl tilted her head, clearly confused.
At that moment, her neck suddenly split open.
The granules of flesh inside began writhing madly.
Under the stimulation of Muen’s Pollution, the Pollution within her body had clearly become even more active.
“Big Brother... it hurts...”
The light in the little girl’s eyes immediately dimmed.
“It hurts... My body hurts so much...”
“It will not hurt... It will stop hurting very soon.”
Muen comforted her:
“Do what Big Brother tells you. Big Brother will give you candy in a moment, all right?”
“Mm. I am very strong. I am not afraid of pain anymore.”
“That is wonderful.”
Muen hurriedly said:
“Do not think about anything else. You must silently repeat it in your heart. You must repeat it sincerely. You must pray to the Black Sun. As long as you pray, I will be able to help you...”
Slap.
Although this was clearly the crucial moment, Muen’s words abruptly stopped.
Because a hand suddenly struck his hand away with great force.
He raised his head in astonishment and met a face twisted by extreme rage.
“Get away!”
The woman, who had awakened at some unknown point, glared at Muen with bloodshot eyes and roared:
“You villains... Stay away from my child! You are not allowed to touch her!”