Towards evil creatures awaiting the hunt, Haida could maintain a near-absolute ruthlessness. But facing a dying person afflicted with a terrible disease, she could not suppress the faint sorrow arising from her heart.
Even if the other was merely a phantom long dead in the past.
Haida drew her sidearm, aiming at the person on the ground from a safe distance.
Just as she was about to pull the trigger, a person in heavy protective gear ran over and pressed down on her hand.
"Sister, what are you doing! Hastening the death of late-stage patients only promotes the spread of 'Lytic Disease' and increases spore concentration in the area. Also, why do you and that child only have standard-issue masks..."
The person's face was hidden within the black crow mask of the protective suit, unclear. But the urgent tone and voice were very familiar to Haida...
She pulled Haida and Flamel, bringing the two to the quarantine zone of a large medical station. This place was very close to the Secrets-Hunter headquarters, separated only by a wall.
"Sister, please wait here for a moment. We will test your and that child's infection status using the Oracle's Mouth."
"Mhm." This was the standard quarantine procedure for Secrets-Hunters; Haida did not resist.
Seeing this colleague's cooperative attitude, the woman in protective gear bowed to her and went to activate the ritual.
The Oracle's Mouth was a first-category ritual imbued with forbidden divinity, though itself leaning towards auxiliary functions. Though extremely difficult to set up, once completed it could exist for a long time, allowing relatively simple questions to be asked at some cost.
However, the Oracle's Mouth did not answer questions about the future or the past. Therefore, this ritual was typically used in the Medical Department for examining dangerous individuals.
"Offer the ashes and spirits of those as fleeting as dust, grant me the secret to see through false separation."
"...Have the two waiting outside the containment area been contaminated with the Divine Pestilence?"
As the various ritual materials were placed in the corresponding positions of the ritual array, a platinum-cast lips statue at the center of the ritual slowly opened its mouth.
"Secrets-Hunter, not infected, strong resistance."
"Girl, not infected, strong resistance."
Both not infected, and both with strong resistance? Hearing the answer from the lips statue, the woman, accustomed to the worst news, couldn't help but heave a long sigh of relief.
Simultaneously, she felt somewhat strange.
That tall Burial Attendant having strong resistance to Lytic Disease was somewhat reasonable, but why was that little girl also? Hmm... right. If they weren't immune, relying solely on this set of non-standard protective equipment, they would have been infected long ago.
Was this what the White Cup scholars often called "survivorship bias"?
Since Haida and Flamel weren't infected, after a disinfection procedure, they entered the Unblemished Land within the medical station.
The woman removed the black crow mask of the protective suit, took off the gloves, then brushed back sweat-dampened strands of hair and extended her hand to her.
Haida's eyes widened slightly, then returned to normal without a trace of change. The sister now knew why she felt such strong familiarity with the person before her...
The decisive, brooking-no-argument efficiency in action, and that beauty mark by the eye corner... she was a younger Ms. Marian.
"Good day, Sister. I am Marian. May I ask your name?"
"I am Haida."
The sister shook Marian's extended hand. The latter's gaze towards her suddenly became rather strange.
In the rush, it was only now that Marian noticed this Burial Attendant, who looked probably even younger than herself... had a brass signet ring symbolizing a supervisor on her index finger. Momentarily shocked, she didn't know how to respond.
Originally, Marian had intended to lecture this young sister a bit; now she could only admonish her in a gentler manner...
"Mhm... Supervisor Haida. If you still need to go outside, remember to prepare matching protective equipment. Outside the Unblemished Land is all hazardous area."
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."
Haida obediently nodded. Then she began inquiring about the situation during the Great Plague.
Although these were phantoms of the past, the people here possessed autonomous consciousness and could answer questions. At this moment, every word from the person before her might contain undisclosed secrets.
"Miss Marian, I am a Secrets-Hunter stationed long-term abroad and have only recently returned to Norlington. May I ask what exactly is the situation with this plague?"
Marian pondered briefly, then enthusiastically began explaining for this newly arrived hunter supervisor.
"Its type is 'Divine Pestilence,' meaning... it originates from a certain plague deity. The academic name jointly decided by us and the White Cup cult is 'Lytic Disease.'"
"The symptoms of the infected are being hollowed out internally by fungi, becoming living carriers of spores. That person you wanted to give a final release to earlier was a late-stage patient. As you saw, inside his skin only fluid remained."
Lytic Disease... Haida felt somewhat puzzled.
Later, the Secrets-Hunter cult only used "Divine Pestilence" to refer to the illness and didn't widely use the term "Lytic Disease." Given that the General Affairs Division never performed meaningless actions, there might be some reason for this.
Besides, she wanted to know another question.
"Miss Marian, forgive my bluntness. But... why not perform neutralization on terminal patients who have become sources of infection?"
Executing and burning patients contaminated with Lytic Disease might be cruel, but its effectiveness was undeniable.
As if having expected this question, Marian simply let out a light sigh.
"Most common knowledge about infectious diseases cannot be applied to Lytic Disease. Rash incineration or burial will only increase spore concentration in the air of the area. They are less like spores and more like particles of some kind of 'spirit.'"
"In low concentrations, it can only spread through material contact."
For a moment, a flicker of lingering fear crossed Marian's expression.
"If the 'spirit' of Lytic Disease dispersed in the environment reaches a certain concentration, it can penetrate through thought, infiltrating the mind..."
Haida gravely nodded slightly and asked her final question.
"May I ask where Doctor Viola is?"
"Hmm?" Marian raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat surprised that Haida knew Viola.
After a moment of contemplation, she still answered.
"Viola just participated in emergency treatment for nine Lytic Disease early-stage patients and has been working for over 20 hours without rest. She's probably recovering her psychic sense near the flower garden... Best not to disturb her."
After saying this, Marian couldn't suppress her curiosity, wanting to know how the sister knew Viola.
"...Supervisor Haida, how do you know her?"
"We met once, five or six years ago. At a small medical station in the North District. It was snowing heavily then, and many children were around her warming themselves by a wood stove."
Strictly speaking, what Haida said couldn't be considered the truth.
The "memories" manifested in each building were independent vignettes. Even though Viola treated Haida in the last memory, upon changing to scenes from other memories, the two were still unacquainted.
Because in "reality," the two originally had no interaction.
But Haida wasn't lying either. After all, she was merely truthfully recounting her experience in the second building.
"That time..."
Marian habitually lightly touched her beauty mark, revealing a somewhat nostalgic expression; her gaze softened a bit.
"I'll take you to see Viola. But if you wish to greet her, please wait until she finishes resting. She's too tired..."
"And one more thing, Supervisor Haida. I think you probably can't believe it."
She slightly pursed her lips, her expression taking on a subtle nuance.
"In just five or six years, she has become the youngest Chief Physician of the Medical Department, which is this term's... 'Medicae Primus.'"
"Is that so... I understand."
Haida lowered her eyes slightly, her mind clear.
Though this conjecture had long been nearly solidified, it was only upon confirmation by Marian that she genuinely felt a sense of reality. It was likely precisely because of meeting Fran that Viola could become the Medicae Primus within five years.
"Why do you seem not surprised at all? Previous Medicae Primus were at least fifty or sixty years old."
Seeing Haida react so calmly, Marian instead raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Haida didn't answer, so she didn't dwell on the issue.
The Unblemished Land wasn't large; nearly every space within the building that could house patients was already full.
The flower garden was enclosed by the headquarters building on one side. Among the clustered flowers stood a long bench where Viola leaned back, resting with closed eyes. Her breathing was quiet and even; seemingly exhausted for a long time, once relaxed, she fell into a dreamless deep sleep.
It could be seen that beneath almost every cluster of flowers beside her stood a small grave mound.
Small wooden markers bore names; beside them were placed the deceased's personal belongings from life—a deflated ball or a paper pinwheel.
—
Viola slumbered amidst flowers and graves, the surroundings quiet and nearly serene, with only a gentle breeze passing by, leaving a silent breath.
She was truly too exhausted, both body and psychic sense had reached their limit... so much so that she didn't even notice someone approaching.
However, the person entering the garden at this moment wasn't Haida or Marian, but someone else...
A hunter wearing a leather tricorn hat stood by the camphor wood bench, silently observing Viola, his gaze as placid as an ancient well without ripples.
Ahern slowly sat down on one side of the bench, his movements precise and deliberate, carrying a hint of carefulness, as if afraid to disturb her this rare moment of respite.
The hunter maintained this upright, seated posture like a stone statue long standing there. Viola slightly tilted her head, quietly resting it on his shoulder.
Marian, who had been silently watching the entire time, turned to exchange a glance with Haida.
Neither spoke, yet an inexplicable tacit understanding arose...
The two paused briefly, pretending to coincidentally pass by, then left the flower garden together.
Since there was nothing important, it was better not to disturb their time together.
Although Viola certainly wouldn't mind, and Ahern probably wouldn't care either, this kind of unappreciated and "third-wheeling" thing... was better avoided.
To alleviate the slight awkwardness, Marian quickly brought up practical matters.
"Ahem, Sister Haida. You've just returned to Norlington, so you probably need to resupply and restock. Shall we head back to the Burial Court first?"
"And this girl... do you wish to keep her with you for now, or have the Medical Department take care of her?"
She glanced at Flamel, who had been closely following Haida, and didn't ask about the girl's parents or background.
Too many people had perished in the Great Plague; rashly asking such questions would almost invariably only add to sorrow.
"I wish to keep her with me."
"Is that so..."
This was an unexpected answer. Marian tilted her head slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled.
Based on her understanding of Burial Court supervisors, Haida, after casually saving this little girl, should have handed her directly over to the cult.
After all, during this period, tasks requiring supervisors generally involved high danger.
Bringing such a young girl while executing purge orders would not only potentially cause her to die in vain but also very likely burden oneself.
For what reason was Supervisor Haida so insistent?
Marian had naturally also noticed the black linked chain of Hand Reaches the Moon connecting their wrists. But when this thing wasn't moving on its own, it was no different from a rubbery braided cord; for the moment, nothing unusual could be discerned.
Before she could think of any clues, Haida spoke, shifting the topic.
"Ms. Marian, how long has this plague been ongoing?"
"How long? Let me think, hmm... nearly two years. For exact dates, you'd need to check the Medical Department's chronicles. Sorry, workload has surged recently; my memory is a bit unreliable."
Marian recalled when the plague first appeared, made a simple calculation, and answered.
Haida's gaze grew grave as she pondered.
From the cult documents she knew, the total duration of the Great Plague was two years. Meaning "Lytic Disease" would vanish soon? But outside the Unblemished Land, the fungal clusters flourished, thriving vigorously, showing no signs of receding...
Besides, she had another question.
"Ms. Marian, with this level of mortality and contagion rate, how has your medical and logistical support sustained for two years?"
"Hmm... Because at the very beginning, the disease's symptoms were completely different from now."
Marian rubbed her temples somewhat wearily, then began explaining the details to Haida.
"When the Divine Pestilence first began spreading, it was nearly completely harmless. Only after infecting a portion of people, and the concentration of 'spirit' in the area enriched to a certain level, did its lethality slowly manifest."
"Over two years, 'Lytic Disease' fed on the lives of all infected individuals in all of Norlington, gradually growing to its current state..."
"Although we have also mastered certain countermeasures and can now cure early-stage infections, and control mid-stage conditions from progressing to late-stage... we are still powerless against late-stage and terminal patients."
The ability to nearly self-evolve in a targeted manner and possessing mystical properties—this was 'Divine Pestilence'... Even from the fragments of these sealed memory phantoms, Haida still felt a sense of it being tricky to handle.
Marian raised her hand to glance at her watch, then let out a somewhat helpless sigh.
"Sister Haida, I need to go patrol the infected areas and participate in drug development work later... I'll take my leave now. You probably haven't forgotten the way to the Burial Court, have you?"
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T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL