Chapter 244

Logan’s declaration caused a huge stir.

The Temple immediately called a meeting of the Bishops, deciding to deploy an additional 120 priests, including the existing 18 priests that had already been dispatched.

Among them were 20 high priests, and also the Bishop of the Sea and Change, the god Amunda, named Iliya.

The response was dramatically different from before Logan had decided to make the visit.

Certainly, the promised donation of ten million gold must have played a significant role in their sudden action.

However, the public believed that the King’s announcement to venture into a fiefdom stricken with the plague played the biggest part.

It was utter chaos at the Royal Palace.

“Your Majesty! What are you saying! You mean to visit a territory plagued by disease!”

Dwayne’s eyes were wide with dismay.

Logan, expecting Dwayne to first discuss the donation, couldn’t help but smile fondly at his vassal’s worry, patting him on the shoulder.

“Do you worry for me, a superhuman? It’s unnecessary fretting, Dwayne.”

“Superhuman or not, what kind of plague will avoid you!? There’s nothing concrete known about this disease!”

“There hasn’t been a superhuman who has died of the plague either.”

“Is it your wish to be the first then?!”

“If I go personally, the nobles and the Temple will have no choice but to show at least some respect. And the handling of affairs will certainly speed up. For an early suppression of the plague, this is the best course of action.”

Though Logan spoke in the heat of putting pressure on the Temple, he realized right after speaking that this was the best move.

Of course, those around him felt differently.

“Your Majesty. Is it truly necessary for you to go in person? Allow me to go in your stead. That should produce a similar effect to what you’re thinking…”

Even his mentor spoke up, for the first time his voice tinged with urgency.

[We’ll muster the resources of the Maclaine fiefdom to help. Why does the King himself need to go?]

Even Maclaine’s father, from afar, expressed his worry.

“If it must be so… then I will accompany you.”

Eileen insisted on joining, though she was difficult to dissuade, claiming it was simply part of royal army training.

While Logan reassured his closest supporters,

Preparations for the plague relief group leaving the capital were completed in an instant, and its scale was much larger than anticipated.

“Is His Majesty truly going himself…?”

“Look over there, it’s real.”

“How could someone so esteemed go to such a dangerous place…?”

The murmuring voices of the capital’s residents swirled, as they gathered to witness the King’s procession upon hearing the rumors that he would visit a land afflicted by the plague.

Initially skeptical, the gathering crowd fell silent upon seeing the king crowned and knights holding aloft banners of flame, watching the procession in awe.

Seeing the lengthy procession and the scale of the relief team from behind, Logan bit his lip.

‘This should suffice.’

120 priests, more than 300 healers, 200 knights, and a thousand soldiers.

With the Royal Guard’s training incomplete, the elite forces from Maclaine and Esperanza, who had been stationed in the capital, now clung to the King for protection.

And with that, the food and necessities, alongside the herbs brought by the healers, filled the carriages that stretched from the inner to the outer city gates, forming a massive procession.

Taking stock of the supply, Logan steeled his resolve when suddenly, he caught sight of Dwayne coming to meet them and asked,

“Did we have the surplus to take this much food from our current stock?”

“We took from the prepared military rations. But don’t worry. We’ll be able to replace it soon enough. After all, we’ve put ‘that asset’ to create a little surplus, and I’ve instructed Philip to purchase more food.”

Seeing the deeper shadows under Dwayne’s eyes, Logan could only pat his shoulder in a compassionate gesture.

And then.

“Set forth!”

The relief team, larger than anticipated, set off for the southeastern fiefdom of Laphitan on a tight schedule.

* * * Beneath a particularly cloudy night sky, where stars were scarcely visible, fields below were lit.

Flames crackled.

Campfires sprung up across the elongated procession.

At its heart, Logan approached a blue carriage adorned with the elegant pattern of the waves.

“Your… Your Majesty?”

“Is Bishop Iliya there?”

“I will announce your presence!”

A Temple soldier scurried off and shortly after, a woman with silver hair wearing a blue clerical robe emerged from the carriage.

With a countenance difficult to age, she held a charm reminiscent of youth, but atop her head lay the headdress of a judicature symbolizing her status as the head of a local diocese.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Were you seeking me, Your Majesty?”

“Good to see you, Bishop Iliya. We didn’t have the chance for proper greetings earlier due to urgent matters.”

“Understanding the urgency of our situation, how could one fuss over formalities? I’m grateful you’ve come to visit. But it seems you’ve not come only to say such things?”

“Indeed, I came to inquire something from you.”

“How could I refuse when Your Majesty has come personally? Please speak freely; should I know the matter, I will offer any answer.”

Iliya’s respectfully bowed her head, expectation glimmering in Logan’s eyes.

‘With her around…’

She had become famous as the youngest Bishop ever within the Grandia, now Maclaine, diocese.

Known to be well-versed in the doctrine of the Temple, possessing formidable divine power, and renowned for wisdom.

And.

‘The only Bishop who sometimes volunteers in the slums.’

Of the nine Bishops in Maclaine, she was the only one whose name the slum dwellers knew, even revered by some as a saint.

She might be able to alleviate some of his current distress.

With that hope, Logan nodded.

“No one else seems suited to answer my queries but you.”

Encouraged by Logan’s affirmation, Iliya drew a deep breath before speaking, her expression tinted with melancholy.

“The trials that kill the faithful, claiming them to be testaments from the gods, should not and cannot exist.”

With that stern look, Logan finally understood why she had dismissed the Temple knights.

“So, what are your thoughts on the origin of the plague?”

“Each case is different. Not all plagues fall under one category. However, researching historical records in the Temple, they seem to have certain things in common.”

“Commonalities, you say?”

“Though other Bishops may scoff at this, based on those records alone, my analysis overlaps with the views from the Healers’ Guild.”

Her gaze turned to a group of healers huddled together, discussing amongst themselves.

‘It’s certainly surprising.’

Logan was aware of the prevailing logic in the Temple that Iliya alluded to.

– All diseases can be overcome by divine power; thus, disease is a trial for unbelievers.

A notion often dismissed as the delusions of fanatical priests.

And contradicting their stance were these healers.

– Every disease has a cause, and if the cause is known, it can be treated. Disease is not a trial from the gods but a natural occurrence on Earth.

As a result, the Temple did not officially recognize the Healers’ Guild.

For using folk remedies without foundation, slower and more limited in effectiveness than the divine power of healing.

That was the official stance of the Temple towards the Healers’ Guild.

Which made the presence of Iliya, a Bishop, all the more remarkable.

“Do you, as high as the position of Bishop, acknowledge the Healers’ Guild?”

“…While the priests indulge within the sanctuary of the Temple, those who heal the people for little money are them. A true child of the gods has no choice but to acknowledge them. As Your Majesty also knows, in reality, it’s the healers rather than the Temple who bring tangible aid to the people.”

Her words were shockingly unconventional for a Bishop.

“The Temple’s official standpoint is different, I believe.”

“That is why I share this only with your ears, Your Majesty.”

Iliya smiled wryly, an unexpectedly candid visage before Logan.

‘How did such a priestess rise to the Bishop’s rank? Is her ability even greater than rumored?’

However, Logan’s intrigue in the Bishop’s unusual biography paled next to his curiosity about the true nature of the plague.

“So, the causes of the plague, as thought by the healers and you, are?”

“…Many diseases have plagued mankind, but those called plagues are particularly noxious. According to history, most have something in common.”

It seemed burdensome for Iliya to speak against the Temple’s teachings; she paused and sighed softly, but Logan silently awaited her reply.

“Nearly all plagues began in desperately poor mountain villages or slums in large cities, in other words, places where it’s hard to make a living.”

“What do you mean?”

“The commonality in both primary locations is hunger and poor sanitation.”

“….”

“In the past, a plague in the western part of the continent, called Pestian, was said to have started when the starving ate rats. Most plagues begin among the desperately poor.”

Her words left a heavy weight on Logan’s mind, especially the mention of hunger.

“…It was said that the current disease is similar to the past ‘Restaboom’ plague. Is there a known cure?”

“There has never been a disease that couldn’t be cured by divine power. Even if weak divine power failed, stronger divine power would suffice. Therefore, the Temple doesn’t bother researching diseases.”

“And the Healers’ Guild?”

“If a disease were curable without divine power, it wouldn’t be called a plague, would it?”

In the end, there was no surefire way to deal with it.

“I apologize for not being able to clear up your questions, Your Majesty.”

Iliya’s rueful expression soon mirrored on Logan’s face.

‘Hunger… A plague born from eating rats due to hunger.’

Might this echo his kingdom’s situation, albeit slightly different? Was this the reason for a plague that hadn’t existed in his previous life?

A suspicion that emerged in Logan’s mind now pierced his heart with growing pain.