"You ate it?!"
The man of the family stepped back in fright from Sylvester's sudden reaction. He tried to clarify himself. "T-That… We had nothing else to eat back then, respected clergyman. Forgive us…"
Sylvester quickly calmed down and took a few steps back. "Don't be afraid, my brother in faith. I am not here to steal your food or such. I come in peace, looking for a cure to the plague by the orders of Saint Medico of the Holy Land. A few unique cows may have a naturally occurring substance that may cure the plague. Isn't that the case with your family? None of you has fallen to the plague yet."
The man and his family looked at each other's faces in confusion and some hope. They hoped Sylvester was right, which would mean they need not worry about the plague anymore.
"Clergymen, if you are fine, I have more cows in my barn. I am Benjamin, once the biggest dairy farmer in this region… before the invasion. You may look at them if you wish to."
Like a light bulb lit up on Sylvester's head, he walked straight into the poor family's house. "Show me the cows."
The family frantically led the way to the backside of the house, where a large wooden fenced field was situated. Benjamin opened the barn doors and led them all inside.
"Moo!"
Instantly, the cows looked at the noise. Yes, cows, as there were nearly five of them. But they all looked weak.
"We haven't been able to feed them well since the plague started. Before, we used to take them near the riverside so they could eat whatever was left of the grass there. We were planning on surviving on their meat this coming winter." Benjamin said, sorrow and fear evident in his voice.
Sylvester didn't reply as he was too busy inspecting the cows. He made a quick move and started to fondle the udder. He turned it and looked at all its sides one by one.
"W-What is he doing?" Benjamin asked Sir Dolorem in confusion. After all, the first thing Sylvester did was go for the cow's teats.
"Please be patient." Sir Dolorem had no idea either.
They watched Sylvester go from one cow to another and inspect their udder. He eventually did the same with all five of them and returned to the family with some questions.
"What I am going to ask you is utterly important. It is in the best interest of humanity that you answer me honestly. Did the cow you ate also have those blisters on the udder? Did you also eat the udder?"
"Y-Yes… We could not afford to waste any part of the body, not even the bones, for they could be used to make soup." Benjamin answered.
Sylvester rubbed his beardless chin and nodded. "Did any of you suffer from symptoms similar to the current plague in the past? Similar, but much less deadly."
The whole family silently thought about it. That was when the woman of the house exclaimed aloud. "Ah! Didn't Lareck have that a few months ago? Before the plague? He had a fever and blisters."
Sylvester faced the oldest of the children, thirteen merely. "I presume he is Lareck?"
"Yes, my oldest is Lareck. What is the matter, clergyman? Is everything alright? Did we do something wrong?" Benjamin felt tense and asked.
"Did you feel any symptoms resembling the current plague recently?" Sylvester asked further.
"We did for a few days, but it all disappeared. We thought we were going to die, but we survived. Since then, we have never gone out of the house." Benjamin replied truthfully, as he was still a believer and dared not lie with clergymen.
'Ah, so it's not as strong yet. But if I infuse some solarium in it, the trick should work.' Sylvester's mind raced with ideas.
Eventually, he decided to go on with the findings and report them back to Saint Medico. "You all are lucky. The blisters on that cow's udder are also a disease similar to the current plague. I call that Cowpox. It's a less violent version of the plague, so when you get infected with Cowpox, you develop immunity to the more extreme and dangerous plague."
Benjamin looked at his arm, where some small spots from the cowpox were still left. "The disease from the cow saved me? One disease saved me from another?"
"That's the magic of the human body, my friend. One's poison can be another's elixir. Now, we know that we have a cure. But we need to get it around the world to everyone. This will take a lot of effort and expertise. So here is my offer, you and your family can come with me to Wailing City, the current headquarters of the Holy Land inside the Sorrow Kingdom. There, you will find employment and food. Just bring your five cows along." Sylvester offered the man. He wished to show the cows and the family to Saint Medico as proof of the cure.
"We will come!" Benjamin responded in a split second. There was nothing left for them in the dying lands anyway. The prospect of work, safety and food was too enticing.
"Good, then start packing. We leave at dawn."
Sylvester left the family and proceeded to find a place to rest nearby. He felt much better, however, as he had found what he was looking for.
"Are you sure those ugly blisters will stop the plague?" Sir Dolorem inquired.
It was nobody's fault that they could not believe it. The world did not possess much knowledge about virology and immunology. To them, what they could not see with their eyes did not exist.
"It will, trust me. Let's just hope the Holy Land can mass immunise people because this isn't a cure but mere prevention. Once someone gets infected, there is no saving." Sylvester added, before finally closing his eyes.
However, he didn't sleep, for there was much to think about, much to plot and consider for his next steps.
…
For some, the plague was the greatest threat. For some, the discovery of its cure would have been the greatest news. But the talk of the town and wide around the Sol was something else.
King Highland finally finished building the twin dams on the Snake River, and without wasting any time, he deployed them to stop the river water. Effectively, he started submerging his lands in the water.
That effectively reduced the water levels further downstream on the Snake and the Tame rivers, both of which were important for The Patch. The entire reason The Patch used to be the bread and basket of the Sorrow Kingdom in the past was the river water. Without water, The Patch was no different from the Sorrow Kingdom.
Following the blocking of water by King Highland, The Patch sent many envoys to the Sand City to negotiate a deal with the wise, mighty King. But the King didn't budge and banned any more envoys from entering the Highland Kingdom.
Following that, slow escalations began to occur. Fishermen from the Highland Kingdom started getting attacked and killed, and cargo ships headed to the Highland Kingdom were looted. But none of that had any effect on King Highland.
Thanks to Sylvester, King Highland was able to form favorable and respectable relations with Riveria and Gracia, so the wounds The Patch tried to inflict didn't do much harm but rather only showed The Patch as the bigger aggressor.
The fact that the Holy Land was using information warfare to spread negative propaganda towards The Patch didn't help the Grand Duke either.
So, with no more ways out, there was only one thing remaining.
In the year 5118 of the Lord, on the seventh month, Grand Duke Victor Zee Maverick, publicly made the call for full-scale war against the Highland Kingdom. Letters were sent, the coffers were checked, and the blades were sharpened.
Three Grand Wizards of The Patch to Two Grand Wizards of the Highland Kingdom. That was where all the confidence of the Grand Duke rested. However, neither he nor any other could realise that they were mere pawns in a great game that was being played out by someone they couldn't even imagine.
With pieces in place and the waves high, it was time to make the final moves.
…
Sylvester left for the Wailing City at dawn, just as planned. With multiple carts behind him, he escorted the family of eight carefully to the city in the south.
Thud!
Thud!
"Incoming!" Sir Dolorem roared.
Sylvester took out a sword and prepared to make contact with the enemies. Soon, he noticed an enormous horde of men approaching them on horses. All were wearing the red robes of Windowmakers, the scums who deserved to die.
'An ambush?'
"Prepare to strike! Benjamin, bring your family behind me!" Sylvester commanded and prepared to use his Wrath of Heaven's beam.
There were hundreds, and with their fluttering red capes, they appeared like a sea of blood. At the galloping speed of their horses, they charged forward.
"Ready!" Sylvester roared.
He tried to smell the scent, and all he sensed was rage. But then he noticed something strange.
'None of them have their swords out.'
Woosh!
Soon, the crowd of men reached them and, without reacting, just passed by as if they were in a rush. In no time, they left Sylvester and the rest confused and in a little cloud of dust.
"What was that?" Benjamin questioned in fright.
"They are retreating to The Patch." Sir Dolorem interjected. "It seems the war has begun."
Sylvester, however, could smell something else coming from a distance — the scent of death. It was so overwhelming that he could smell it from far away. That meant something tragic had happened.
"Move! Fast!"
Sylvester commanded and galloped his horse ahead, leaving behind Sir Dolorem and Bishop Lazark to escort the family.
He rushed closer towards the scent of death. Eventually, he saw smoke rising in the distance, so he knew what to expect.
"Maxy, I see something!" Miraj shouted while standing on Sylvester's head. "There is a lot of fire… So much fire."
Sylvester expected that already, but he needed to see it himself. So finally, after crossing the last few sandy hills, he appeared on the higher ground to see the view.
At the top of that hill, he stayed still on his horse, not saying another word or thinking. All there was to see was fire engulfing the entire Dying City and the towns surrounding it in the distance. From the beginning to the end, each and every structure was covered in fire, with the exits sealed shut.
"W-What is going on here?!" Sir Dolorem eventually arrived beside Sylvester and saw the scene.
Sylvester sighed and looked to the far distance, and similarly, he could see faint smoke rising in many directions.
"All troops of The Patch are returning to their homes, Sir Dolorem. But not before showing their true evil — they have opted to utilise scorched-earth — destroying all they find on their way back."
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