Chapter 37
My heart began to race.
Damn.
I only realized it now.
The novel had already started!
I quickly tried to remember everything about this incident.
In the novel, this illness had spread rapidly through the northern region.
Many villagers had fallen sick, and the situation had become difficult to control.
That was when Aurora appeared.
She had used her divine power to help the villagers and eventually discovered the cause of the illness, stopping it from spreading.
I turned toward Cassian.
"Have you already requested help from the temple?" I asked.
Cassian nodded.
"Yes. They're already in the village treating the sick, but the illness is still spreading," he answered.
He paused.
"That's why I'm trying to find the cause. If we can figure out what's causing it, we might be able to stop it from spreading."
I thought for a moment.
"Do you have a list of the priests helping in the village?" I asked.
Cassian looked at me curiously.
"Why?" he asked.
"I know someone from the temple who might be able to help with this," I answered.
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"Who?" he asked.
"Aurora," I answered. "I want to know if she's already there."
Cassian picked up the documents and began scanning through the list.
After a few moments, his eyes stopped on one of the names.
"There is someone named Aurora among the list," he confirmed.
I felt relieved.
"Then everything should be fine..." I murmured.
If Aurora was already there, she should be able to solve the problem.
Just like she did in the novel.
....
At least, that's what I thought.
Several days had passed.
The illness didn't stop.
In fact, it continued spreading.
"You said everything would be fine," Cassian said, looking at me. "But somehow, things have only gotten worse."
I froze.
"Well..." I muttered.
According to Cassian, more villagers were falling sick, and eventually, reports came in that the illness had reached areas closer to the capital.
I couldn't help but wonder.
What the hell was Aurora doing?
She was supposed to solve this problem.
According to the novel, Aurora ate a meal with the villagers.
Later, she became sick.
That was when Aurora began to suspect that the bread might be connected to the illness, since it was the only thing she had eaten.
She investigated and discovered that the wheat used to make the bread had been contaminated by the irrigation water used to grow it.
The authorities quickly traced where the wheat had been distributed and stopped the remaining supply. They also warned the villages that had already received it.
That was how they managed to stop the illness from spreading even further.
I frowned.
Could something have changed this time?
What if Aurora hadn't eaten with the villagers?
If this continued, I would have no choice but to get involved.
"Do you know where Aurora is right now?" I asked.
Cassian looked at me curiously.
"Why are you so interested in her?" he asked.
I hesitated.
"I just want to know if she's still helping the villagers," I answered.
Cassian studied me for a moment before answering.
"She's still there," he said.
I nodded slowly.
"You have an alchemist, right? Is there no progress?" I asked.
Cassian shook his head.
"I've already brought in three more alchemists to help," he answered. "But they still haven't found anything."
I fell silent.
Even the alchemists couldn't figure out what was causing the illness.
The situation was getting out of hand.
I couldn't wait for Aurora anymore.
I turned toward Cassian.
"Can I go outside and see the situation for myself?" I asked.
Cassian frowned slightly.
"It's too dangerous," he said.
"I'll be careful," I assured him. "I'll wear a mask, and besides, the illness isn't airborne, right?"
Cassian fell silent.
He seemed to think about it for a moment.
"I'll be going there myself to investigate the situation."
He paused.
"If you stay close to me and follow my instructions, I suppose it should be fine," he said.
I nodded.
"Alright."
~~
The next morning, Cassian and I prepared to leave.
I changed into a simple dress and tied my hair back.
When I stepped outside, Cassian was already waiting.
He glanced at me before turning toward the carriage.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yes," I answered.
Cassian handed me a pair of gloves and a mask.
"Put these on before we get there," he said.
I took them from him.
"Alright," I replied.
We climbed into the carriage, and soon, we were on our way.
I leaned against the seat and looked out the window.
The closer we got to the village where the illness had started, the quieter the roads became.
Several shops had closed their doors, and there were fewer people outside.
My expression slowly became serious.
The village was already in sight.
Cassian looked ahead.
"We're here," he said.
Cassian stepped out of the carriage first.
I followed him, adjusting the mask over my face.
The moment I stepped into the village, I noticed how quiet it was.
There were no children playing in the streets.
Most of the doors were closed.
A few people walked past us, all wearing masks.
Cassian looked around carefully.
"Stay close to me," he instructed.
"I will," I replied.
We walked deeper into the village.
Several priests were gathered near one of the houses, treating the sick.
My eyes scanned the area.
I needed to find a way to wander around without making Cassian suspicious.
"Let's go over there," Cassian said, gesturing toward the priests.
We walked toward them.
As we got closer, I noticed someone familiar among them.
Aurora.
I hadn't seen her since she was still called Celeste.
Her training had been completed long ago, so she should have already been given the name Aurora.
Just like in the novel.
She was kneeling beside a sick villager, gently placing her hands over them.
A soft white light surrounded her hands as she healed them.
I watched her silently.
"Lord Cassian, may I speak with you for a moment?" a priest asked as he approached Cassian.
Cassian nodded.
"Of course," he replied.
The two of them stepped aside and began discussing something quietly.
I turned my gaze back to Aurora.
"I need to get towels and a basin to clean them up," Aurora said, quickly standing up.
Now is my chance.
"I'll help you," I offered.
Aurora looked slightly surprised, but she nodded.
"Alright," she replied.
Aurora led me toward a small storage area behind the house.
She picked up a basin and a stack of clean towels.
I reached for the basin.
"I'll carry it," I offered.
Aurora suddenly pulled it away from me.
"There's no need," she said coldly. "I can handle it myself."
I froze.
Aurora glanced at me with an annoyed expression.
"If you're only here to show off in front of Lord Cassian, you can forget it," she added.
I was taken aback.
What was her problem?
Then suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind.
Rishima.
The dungeon.
Aurora's cold expression as she stood before her.
The way she had treated Rishima.
My eyes widened slightly.
Was this really what Aurora was like when no one else was around?
I stared at her for a moment.
Was the kind and gentle Aurora everyone knew just an act?
"Damn," I muttered.
Since she didn't want my help, maybe I could use this opportunity to find that wheat.
I'll worry about her strange behavior later.
I watched Aurora disappear into the house.
Then I turned around.
I slowly wandered around the village, keeping an eye on the surrounding fields.
According to the novel, the contaminated wheat had already been harvested and distributed by this point. That was how the illness had spread so quickly.
I searched the fields, trying to find where the wheat had been harvested.
But I couldn't find anything.
The wheat was still growing.
I frowned.
This wasn't the field.
The contaminated wheat had to be somewhere else.
I glanced back toward the house.
I had been gone for a while.
Cassian might start wondering where I was.
I decided to head back before he came looking for me.
I quickly made my way toward the house.
Hopefully, I could search another area later.
When I returned, Cassian was still talking with the priest.
He noticed me approaching.
"Where did you go?" he asked.
I paused.
"I needed to use the restroom," I answered.
Cassian nodded.
"Alright," he replied.
I glanced back toward the house.
Aurora was standing by the doorway.
Our eyes met.
She stared at me with a cold, displeased expression.
I quickly looked away.
She was really acting just like the Aurora from Rishima's memories.
"Is something wrong?" Cassian asked.
I shook my head.
"No, nothing," I answered. "So... what did the priest say?"
Cassian's expression turned serious.
"It's worse than we thought," he replied.
I frowned.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The priests have been ordered to return to the capital," Cassian explained. "With the illness reaching the capital, the royal court has decided they need to concentrate their efforts there."
My eyes widened.
"They're leaving?" I asked.
Cassian nodded.
I looked around the village.
If the priests left, only the magic healers would remain to treat the sick.
But their healing magic wasn't enough to completely deal with the illness.
Things were getting more serious by the minute.
I had no choice but to tell Cassian what I knew.
Or else more people would get sick.
Screw the butterfly effect. Everything was already fucked up in the first place.
I turned toward Cassian.
"You need to investigate the wheat," I said.
Cassian frowned.
"The wheat?" he asked.
I nodded.
"The contaminated wheat is the cause of this illness," I explained. "We need to find out where the wheat harvested from this village was sent."
He studied me for a moment.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
I gave him a small smile.
"Let's just say there are things I know that I can't explain," I replied.
Cassian stared at me for a moment.
"That's not much of an explanation," he said.
I smiled faintly.
"I know," I replied.
There was no way I was telling him that I knew about this because of some damn novel.