A place filled with grim silence was broken by the approaching footsteps of patients or words of sympathy offered to the diseased as they groaned in pain.
Along the corridors, there was a great hustle and bustle. Doctors and nursing sisters in their white uniforms were moving up and down with tired looks.
Even if medical science had advanced by leaps of bounds, many diseases weren't curable by the use of modern methods.
A plague had broken out of nowhere. People who came from the south were suddenly found suffering from a disease in which dark black spots similar to mould appeared on the skin along with lesions.
It was a place where life and death intertwined with one another. If not handled properly a nationwide crisis may occur suddenly.
So, instead of handling themselves, they requested aid from the Church.
"I hope the disaster may be averted."
"Don't worry, The Holy Lady is here. Believe in her."
While doctors and nurses consoled the patients inside the infirmary.
.....
With hair that looked purer than gold and a smile brighter than the light of the sun, the golden-haired lady stared at the group of people lying on the floor with various dark spots.
"Does it hurt?"
"Yeah, it hurts a lot."
"My skin itches.''
"It's even difficult to get up."
"You all have suffered a lot."The golden-haired lady spoke with a disheartened expression.
She joined her head and started to pray.
"May the Goddess alleviate your suffering and lead you to a prosperous life."
She then waved her hand over the patients. Golden particles aggregated over her hands and a strong austere encased her.
A warm and fuzzy feeling coursed through the body of the patients. The dark spots over their body slowly started to disappear.
"I am healed."
"We are alive."
"Long live the saintess."
"Long live the Saintess."
"Saintess, you are kind. While others refused to help us, you descended into our lives like an angel."
"Shees! It's nonsense. I am just a mere human doing my duty. Nothing more, nothing less."She refuted them with a smile.
"Hahaha!As the Saintess said."
After a small hearty chart, she stood up and walked away.
Coming out from a rugged refugee camp, her expression changed.
The Paladins, noticing her odd expression, asked.
"Saintess Luna, is everything all right?"
"Who said this was a plague?"Luna asked in a grim voice.
"The local authorities."
"Ask them to search the city of Valco once again. This is not a plague. The people here were exposed to the black magic power which had caused a sudden plague."
"As per your wish!"The Paladin nodded.
After the Paladins left, she started to think about the blessing ceremony.
'Julian is also coming there. I haven't seen her for so long. Let's see if you still have that icy-cold expression. I just hope nothing is wrong in the City of Valco, otherwise, people's lives might be in jeopardy."
'Oh Goddess, just what is your wish? Just where is the world heading to?'
........
In the Church of Ivan.
Searching around, Lucas finally came across the Priest he was looking for.
In the white room, James stood at the side watching the interaction between Lucas and Priest.
"Priest Luce, please help this poor soul." muttering softly, Lucas stared at the Priest with a pitiful gaze.
"No, we are too busy. It will depend on your request."
Lucas pushed a small piece of parchment toward him, seeing which his tongue-tied.
There was a check for 100,000R before him, seeing which heart was satisfied a bit.
"We followers of God have already risen above worldly desire.."
His speech stopped seeing another cheque of 500000 R.
" I don't think bribing a Priest is a good thing."
Lucas stared at Luce's blank expression deeply and sighed.
"My bad. Forgive me for misunderstanding you."Lucas muttered, pulling back the cheque.
"Let's go, James, we will look for another Priest."
Luce's blank expression faltered and he spoke hastily"Wait...Wait!I can help."
"If your request isn't too much, I will try to fulfil it to the best of my ability," Luce spoke with a flustered expression.
Letting out a foxy smile, he pulled back the cheque from Lucas's hands and put it back in his pocket.
'Greedy bastard.'
Lucas maintained an amicable expression, signalling to James.
Getting his signal, James put two storage rings in it.
"Please bless the things in it."
"What's this?"
"Flash bombs," James muttered nonchalantly.
Priest Luce fell into deep thoughts for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.
"Now, coming onto the next request. I want Holy Water. The purest Holy water you have.Not the ones you generally sell."
Aside from being a Priest, Luce is also a second-hand dealer who sells large quantities of things to the black market.
He was an acquaintance of Reynolds however as Lucas knew this from the novel, he didn't need to look for Reynolds's help otherwise that greedy fox would take middleman fees from him.
Priest Luce rubbed his chin.
"Did you know something? You came to find me particularly and requested this as if you knew it."
Flashing out an innocent smile, Lucas gave a brief nod.
"I see. I will prepare it but why do you need this Holy Water of the highest calibre."Priest Luce asked in confusion.
"For an unforeseeable situation."
Giving an ambiguous answer, Lucas and James walked out of the place.
"This was nerve-wracking,'' James complained and asked, "Scotch looked for signs of undead and black magic, however there weren't any so why are you so agitated?"
"When you don't know what to expect, you should prepare for the unexpected. You should put yourself in such a position where you have a couple of options available so that when the time comes, you don't die with regret and lament for not preparing well enough."Lucas advised James.
"Hey, Lucas, aren't you being too serious? Don't forget you are a kid. You need to be free-spirited rather than having a dampened gloomy serious mood."James advised and then spoke with a grin.
"Use the time of your youth well and enjoy the feeling of spring. Catch a girlfriend and go on a date."
Halting his steps, Lucas gave James a weird gaze.
"Aren't you old enough to have a child? So, why don't you marry and take a wife."
James choked upon hearing Lucas's words and spoke with drooped shoulders "It's because I...I am a special being like you who is called an introvert."
"Shut up. I am not an introvert."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."James mumbled but his eyes signalled something else.
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