For the next two days, Tasa shuttled between the Margarete Chamber of Commerce and the outskirts of the royal capital.
The boats for evacuees were provided by Margaret, while the First Army would disguise themselves as mercenaries and head to the canal wharf at the agreed time to arrange their boarding.
When it comes to spreading rumors and luring people into traps, Black Hammer and his crew were already well-versed in such tactics, and Tasa had no concerns about it. The rats were far more adept at this than outsiders, though their operations were confined to the northern district, the fugitives would inevitably pass the word among themselves. Moreover, he couldn't possibly take everyone away at once. His Highness had instructed that the operation could proceed gradually, sending off one group after another.
When the fleet finally arrived, nearly a thousand displaced refugees gathered at the dock—a turnout that caught Tasa off guard. He had expected the First Army's propaganda efforts alone to barely convince a hundred people.
Following Your Royal Highness's screening protocol, he first admitted children, then families with children, and finally adults. As for the elderly... He noticed almost no gray-haired seniors in the crowd—either unwilling to risk a remote area or unable to escape from the Eastern Frontier to the capital.
The first fleet set sail with ten single-masted sailing ships carrying over five hundred people. The remaining crew were driven back to camp, though they managed to deliver the message that 'the fleet will return.'
We thought the first mission Your Highness had assigned would be completed smoothly, but soon after the merchant fleet evacuated the second group, Tasa found himself in a serious predicament.
The royal capital was suddenly struck by an unusual disease.
The first discovered victim lay sprawled on the roadside, his body covered with dark patches, teeth missing, skin cracked, and blood that had turned a ghastly hue—just as terrifying as when a Witch was consumed by demonic forces. Yet the victim was not a woman, but a male civilian residing in the North District.
Subsequently, several more corpses exhibiting identical symptoms were discovered. Some individuals who had contact with these bodies developed black spots on their skin, which could not be alleviated by either herbal remedies or ice application. Even during bloodletting therapy, the blood appeared dark red with a blackish tint, as if heavily impregnated with ink.
Fear spread rapidly through the crowd, and the number of people heading to the church for prayers grew steadily. However, all efforts proved futile. More and more individuals developed black spots on their skin, and even the refugees outside the city exhibited the same symptoms.
The high priest of the Church stepped forward, declaring it a witch conspiracy. They unleashed the Devil's power to infect innocent people. No cure exists to resist the demonic force, and those corrupted will perish in excruciating agony. Yet the Church will not stand idly by. They have developed a Holy Spirit remedy capable of suppressing this hellish demonic force.
This message gave the infected a glimmer of hope, and they would sit around the church door every day, waiting for the distribution of the holy medicine.
Though deeply skeptical of the Church's claims, Tasa decided to temporarily halt the evacuation of refugees as a precaution.
"Why stop?" Blackhammer asked in confusion. "Those guys are already corrupted by evil Magic Power. If we don't move them away now, will we let them stay outside the city as seeds for the Witch?" "That's the order from above," he said impatiently. "Ordinary refugees are fine, but if the Western Frontier gets infected too, what would happen to the kingdom?" "Uh—" Blackhammer hesitated slightly. "But what happens to the Western Frontier isn't our concern. Lord Tassa, why don't you pretend you didn't hear the order and drag them all away? Think about it—any contact with this damned stuff could corrupt us. I don't want to be surrounded by hell devils, even if they're behind a wall." "Pretend you didn't hear? I only have one head," Tassa said coldly. "You only have one too. Do as I say!" After leaving the tavern, he found a shop bearing the Margarellian caravan's emblem and showed his token.
"I want to meet your boss, as soon as possible." Before long, he met the female merchant again in the secret room of the shop.
"This disease has nothing to do with witches," Margery declared. "If the released evil Magic Power could overwhelm even the God's Stone, they'd have turned Hermes into a wasteland by now." "I agree, but the top priority is to report this to Your Highness Roland. Though the two groups aboard showed no signs of the black spot, this condition doesn't appear to have occurred instantly. If anyone on board contracts the evil force, Border Town must act immediately." Tasa pulled out a folded letter from her bosom. "I need your help to deliver this letter to Your Highness as soon as possible." "Certainly," she nodded. "Word travels fastest among merchants."
The continuous sailing for several days made Lucia feel nauseous.
For the past month, she has been fleeing ceaselessly—first from the eastern frontier to the royal capital, then from there to the western border. Yet the former was driven from her homeland, while the latter remains her last hope in her heart.
"Sister... water, I'm thirsty..." Ling let out a painful moan and grabbed her arm.
"Alright, I'll fetch water for you." Lucia grabbed the cloth bag at hand and staggered out of the cabin, crouching at the lowest point of the deck. She plunged the bag into the river, but the acid in her stomach surged up again. Unable to hold it in, she vomited it all out in one go. The scant amount of porridge she had eaten was completely drained, and her nose was dripping with sour liquid. Suppressing the urge to burst into tears, she clenched her teeth and wiped her face with the back of her hand before continuing to soak the bag. Only when the bag was fully soaked did she pick it up and dash back to the cabin.
"Water is coming, open your mouth." However, Ling's facial complexion deteriorated further compared to before, with abnormal erythema appearing on both cheeks and a scorching sensation on the forehead. She tightly clenched her lips and emitted intermittent moans.
Lucia had to forcibly pry open her mouth and tighten the cloth bag, allowing the water droplets to fall into her sister's mouth.
"Stay away from her. The dark patches have already spread to her neck. She won't last much longer," said a middle-aged man in the cabin, his breath faint. "We'll all die here. You'd better keep yourself safe." Shortly after leaving the capital, the ship began to see cases of a terrifying disease. The patients first developed fever, then black spots on their skin. Within three to four days, their condition would rapidly worsen, causing them to fall into a coma and infect those around them. By the fifth day, the fleet had specially arranged a sailboat to transport the sick. Lucia suspected that the infected refugees hadn't all been thrown into the river because even among their own people, infections had emerged.
After black spots appeared on her neck, she ignored others' advice and resolutely followed her sister to this ship filled with patients.
She has hardly slept for two days to care for her young bell.
Lucia still did not give up, she believed that everything would be better once she reached the west.
If the rumor is true... the Gongzhu Association is her last hope.