After parting ways with the uncles in front of the lecture hall, my father and I headed to the priests’ room where the seriously injured were lying down. This was my first time going to the place where the priests sleep, even in the royal capital.
“We share a room with six people, but we don’t have enough rooms or beds right now, so some people are sleeping on cloths laid out on the floor.”
The temple in this town where the Saint does not reside does not have many priests since she is not there to look after.
“Maybe they’re all orphans?”
“Yes. Everyone except the director.”
And the director fled to the royal capital…
The town doesn’t even have a resident saint, and the person in charge here may be a useless person who was originally sent to the countryside. And when it comes to orphaned priests, Alfie comes to mind. … Will they be able to maintain their own will when infected with the mushroom disease?
My father must have had the same concerns as me, because he had a very complicated look on his face.
It’s possible that Alfie was the type of person who was particularly likely to obey someone, but even when there were seriously injured people, he stopped thinking about what would happen if they turned into monsters, and just continued to do as he was told, which seems like a typical example of someone who easily obeys.
And now that my father had spoken forcefully, he was now following my father, an outsider, without any hesitation.
And in front of the refugees who see these priests as a helping hand, they start growing mushrooms on their heads and planting them… This is no good. There’s just too much going on, it could lead to panic.
“Hmm. It’s quite contagious. For now, I’ll lend you spare masks, goggles, and gloves, so please wear them. I’ve brought mushroom remover just in case, but it’s best for priests to avoid infection as much as possible. Well, if they turn into monsters, they’ll have no choice but to become infected.”
“mushroom?”
“Yes. The mushroom disease, which causes mushrooms to grow from the head, suppresses the progression of monsterization. However, people who are infected with mushroom disease gradually begin to listen to the mushrooms’ commands and start multiplying the mushrooms, and if not treated, they will eventually die and become a breeding ground for the mushrooms. That’s why it’s necessary to remove the mushrooms once the monsterization treatment is over. It takes a relatively long time for the person to die from mushroom disease, so it’s not something to worry about too much, but I recently discovered that the timing at which the mushrooms start to grow and the mushrooms’ commands varies from person to person…”
Hmm. If there is someone who needs to be infectedwith mushrooms from the slightly injured, the infection will spread from that person.
What should we do to prevent them from panicking when the priest becomes useless due to mushroom disease?
It would be best if everyone could move to the village, but that’s probably not realistic, considering the capacity and what would happen afterwards. It would be better for those who don’t need urgent medical treatment to leave through the south gate and rely on relatives.
However, it’s highly likely that monsters are currently concentrated around the south gate, making escape difficult.
But for now, let’s think about the seriously injured.
I could hear groans coming from the room I was shown to, even though the door wasn’t open.
“There are people with serious injuries in every room here.”
There were four rooms in the place I was guided to. They had probably moved all the luggage inside to accommodate the injured people. There was a lot of luggage at the end of the corridor.
“We don’t know how far along the monster transformation has progressed, so we’ll forcefully infect everyone with the mushrooms. After that we’ll examine their wounds, so Amelia, when you open the door, use magic to sow fluorescent mushroom spores. You please leave behind your mask and goggles.”
“Y-Yes!”
My father said, opening the door further and further.
“Sylph, spirit of the wind. Grant me the power to dispel the stagnation. May the new wind fill this land.”
I frantically casts a spell, scattering mushroom spores across the room. Since this is unavoidable in a sealed room, the infection rate is likely 100%.
Unlike when it was done outside, the space is smaller, so the magic itself is over in an instant.
I looked in the nearest room and saw people moaning, people with wide eyes, people not even moving. All of them had mushrooms growing on their heads. This time they were fluorescent.
Right now it’s white from the light outside, but at night it glows a blue-green… It’s surreal to imagine what it must be like tonight.
“I will check the injuries in order before treating them. Those who don’t need to be treated right away and are not in any danger will be treated later. Those who need urgent treatment, such as those who can’t stop the bleeding, will be given top priority. Those who are already dead, or those who cannot be treated in time no matter how hard you try, should be left for later. After the treatment, I will transport the seriously injured to the village, so Amelia will be in charge of protecting the wagons and people from monsters. Use your magic carefully so that you don’t run out of magical power.”
“…I understand.”
No matter how hard you try, sometimes it’s too late to treat them.
I have to be careful not to end up missing out on helping people who could have been saved. And if I am too focused on healing and run out of mana, I won’t be able to safely transport the injured to the village. I have to strengthen my body and keep up with the wagon, so I have to be on the safe side. No matter how much mana I have more than other people, there is a limit.
So if I were to use magic here, I have to choose one that consumes little energy and suites my attributes.
“Excuse me. Hello. My name is Amelia Clarke, and I am a magician. I will be examining everyone now. Those who are difficult to treat here will be moved to the clinic in my village after first aid. Treatment will be prioritized for those with serious injuries, so although there are some people who cannot be treated after the examination, I will definitely help those who I can. Thank you in advance.”
As I enter the room, I explain out loud who I am and what I am going to do.
The gazes directed at me are scary, but I still need to make sure they follow my instructions, so I hold her chest out so they don’t underestimate me and think I’m just a little girl.
“Wait a moment, Miss. Just now, after I heard the spell in your voice, mushrooms suddenly sprouted from my head. Was this your doing?!”
“Please call me Amelia or Clarke, not Miss. I was the one who infected you with the mushroom disease–”
“What are you doing to an injured person?!”
Suddenly, he started yelling at me, and I bit my lip. To be honest, I was scared when a grown man threatened me.
It’s scary, but I can’t let him think that I’ll listen to anything if they threaten me.
“The reason I infected you with mushroom disease is because once you are infected with mushroom disease, the progression of your transformation into a monster stops.”
I speak loudly, but I try to be careful not to get emotional and yell.
“Monsterization occurs from wounds inflicted by monsters. For that reason, I have decided that those here are at high risk of becoming monsters and have infected them. Even if treatment is not administered in time and they pass away and become undead, if they are infected with the mushroom disease, their urge to attack others will be suppressed and they will only exist to plant mushrooms.”
“What? Plant mushrooms?”
“What kind of monster is an undead?”
Most people look confused when I explain it to them. Do they even know about mushroom disease? Some people don’t even know about the undead?
If you don’t know, where should I start?
My grandfather doesn’t hold back on his words. He says to make sure they understand and make their own decision before treating them, but is that necessary now?
The person in the other room still needed treatment, so they had to be moved to the village while there was still daylight.
“Mushroom disease is a disease that causes mushrooms to grow from your head, and eventually causes you to start growing mushrooms yourself. It looks strange, but it is curable! Is that okay? It can be cured, so don’t complain and let me examine you before you die. Once you die, that’s the end. The dead will become undead. Undead attack others, so we will burn them with magic. If you don’t want to be burned, keep growing mushrooms. Treatment is top priority so you don’t become undead, but the time I can stay here is limited. Does anyone have any questions?”
I got fed up and started talking fast, and the people who were complaining fell silent, so I nodded in approval and started the examination.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
