After lunch, as Roland and the witches were about to head back to their rooms for a nap, Carter burst into the castle's main hall.
"Your Highness, the civilians from the Eastern Frontier who arrived from the capital have reached the dock!" "So soon?" Tasa seemed remarkably efficient in his work, Roland thought with relief—no wonder he had served in the patrol squad and had connections in both the underworld and the underworld. But seeing Chief Knight's sweat-drenched face and furrowed brow, Roland immediately sensed something was amiss.
"What's the matter?" "All the crew aboard have contracted a strange disease," Carter swiftly outlined the symptoms. "It started with a few individuals, but now it's spreading to two or three ships—even the First Army soldiers have been infected!" The patients developed black spots and could spread the infection. This sounded like the plague, the infamous Black Death. But the plague bacteria don't cause blood to turn black, let alone split the skin.
Roland frowned.
He immediately thought of Lily, but he was uncertain whether her abilities could combat this unprecedented infectious disease. If it proved incurable and she contracted the infection, the situation would become critical. He had to make a prudent decision, yet Carter's description indicated that these individuals would not survive for long.
In any case, the scene should be secured.
With that in mind, Roland ordered Carter, "Lead the First Army to deploy and establish a security perimeter outside the dock, barring all access. Reiterate to them: 'I'll be here shortly, and Miss Nanawa is en route.'" "Yes!" "Challenging?" Nightingale asked.
"It's still unclear. The outcome hinges on Lily's abilities," he said in a grave tone. "Summon all members of the Witch Alliance. I won't be able to sleep tonight."
After careful deliberation, Roland concluded that the patient must remain isolated until the efficacy of Lily's abilities had been verified.
Fortunately, her ability is of the summon-type, meaning it works without physical contact—similar to most witches' control range, approximately five meters.
With Anna's help, he summoned two carpenters and swiftly erected a rectangular box-shaped shelter. The room's central partition featured a small glass window at its top, offering a view of the opposite side. Below the partition hung a flexible curtain painted by Soloya, symmetrically perforated with two small holes for Lily to reach through. The soft sky-blue fabric tightly enveloped the girl's hands, effectively blocking air exchange between the two sides. By washing hands with alcohol after exiting, the risk of infection could be entirely eliminated.
The order at the dock was maintained by over fifty First Army soldiers aboard the ship. Their discipline under the terrifying epidemic was not due to extraordinary willpower, but because the majority of the soldiers firmly believed that Miss Nanava, like an angel, would surely restore them to their original state of health.
After the cabin was ready, a soldier who could still walk on his own, with the black spots only appearing on his arms, was selected.
He followed the instructions and entered the room, standing still. Lily reached over the partition to activate her power, while Roland stood beside her, watching through the window.
The magic's effect was imperceptible. The young girl nodded in agreement. When she signaled completion, Roland asked, "How do you feel now?" "Your Royal Highness?" The soldier recognized Roland's voice, stood at attention, raised his hand in salute, then froze. "Eh, I feel my strength returning. Goodness, Your Highness, I feel much better!" Roland noticed too—the dark spots on his hands were fading rapidly, clearly not plague symptoms. He remembered the latter's black patches resulted from concurrent sepsis and severe cyanosis. Even after eradicating the plague bacteria, these spots would take years to fade. Lily, however, had no ability to restore her body's vitality.
However, her newfound ability did show therapeutic effects against unknown diseases, which brought some relief to Roland.
"Let's get the others in—ten at a time, all of them, whether symptomatic or not, for a full treatment." "Yes! Your Highness," the soldier paused briefly before bowing again, "Thank you, Miss Nanava." "Not Nanava. This time, it was Miss Lily who saved your life," Roland corrected with a smile. "Only if the skin is severely torn and bleeding would Miss Nanava need to treat you." "Yes... yes?" He touched his head. "Then thank you, Miss Lily." After the soldier left, Lily shot Prince a glance. "Nanava's the one who deserves the credit. I don't need thanks." "Well then, why were you standing so straight just now?" Roland stared at her swaying ponytail and rubbed her head. To his surprise, she didn't protest—just let out a soft groan.
If it wasn't plague, then what could be causing this? As he stepped out of the box room, the Nightingale immediately leaned in. "Your Highness, I've just observed a strange phenomenon—the blood flowing from those people... shows signs of Magic Power." "What?" Roland froze in shock.
"Like twinkling stars in the night mist," the Nightingale affirmed, "I've never seen such delicate glimmers of Magic Power." This was an unexpected discovery. Any entity linked to Magic Power was either witch-related or tied to the Church. Now it was certain that the plague wasn't caused by natural bacteria or viruses.
"I see," Prince mused for a moment. "If that's the case, draw some blood to examine it." "No, you might get infected!" she protested nervously.
"Rest assured," Roland smiled at her, "Lily's new ability has completely suppressed the disease." The blood sample was taken from a comatose civilian. He inserted the glass slide stained with black blood into the stand and adjusted the distance. As the scene in the camera gradually became clearer—if the trigger of symptoms were about the size of bacteria, it would likely be invisible. But the moment the focus aligned with the target, Roland could hardly believe his eyes.
Within the narrow field of vision, several tentacled worms with swollen bellies glided slowly through the liquid, occasionally spitting out a sticky mucus that resembled fine strands of hair. Their size was comparable to that of unicellular algae, yet like the matrix created by Lily, their bodies were opaque, making it difficult to determine whether they belonged to the category of unicellular organisms.
Fortunately, the magical glow from the insects 'Magic Power doesn't interfere with the girl's abilities. When the blood mixed with replicants is added to the sample, the replicants even target these peculiar insects first, turning them into their own kind.
After all the soldiers of the First Army had fully recovered, Roland ordered that all refugees entering the boxhouse must wear headgear and be escorted by soldiers to avoid accidents. Meanwhile, another boxhouse was constructed, primarily used by Nana Wa to treat severely wounded patients with open wounds.
The treatment lasted from noon until dusk. When all five hundred people on the ten boats had fully recovered, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. Many knelt on the ground, shouting 'Long live Your Highness' in waves that lingered for a long time without subsiding.
"You don't seem to be in a good mood?" Nightingale winked at him.
"The ones who cured the epidemic weren't me, but Lily and Nana Wa—the Witch," Roland shook his head. "They deserve the applause." Still, revealing the truth to the public before these people fully embraced the Witch wasn't wise. He sighed softly, hoping one day the Witch would step into the spotlight too.
The Nightingale seemed to read Roland's thoughts. She patted his shoulder with a knowing smile, "No one will mind. You've done well enough. Besides, this day will come sooner or later, won't it?" She paused. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you another piece of good news." "What is it?" "The Witch Alliance might be adding a new member." The Nightingale grinned.