Chapter 65 - Sixty-Five ... The Councillors’ Curse

Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty-Five ... The Councillors’ Curse

Chapter Sixty-Five ... The Councillors’ Curse

What on earth was this nonsense? The leaders of the canton council, struck by a curse?

It sounded like a very poor joke.

"It’s the truth, my lord."

The steward was sweating heavily, but he pressed on all the same.

"The members of the canton council once put together a party in secret and went up into the Arpen Mountains. Ever since that day, the plague spread through the canton and every one of the councillors shut himself away. If that isn’t a curse, what is?"

"Hm..."

Jan only swallowed a skeptical laugh as he listened. The councillors might simply have gone up into the Arpen Mountains for some discreet entertainment, for all anyone knew.

The steward’s claim sounded rather far-fetched. A curse, of all things.

"Look here, steward, that’s a bit..."

"That’s plausible. It could well be a curse."

"Exactly, Master Agphiel. A curse is hardly... Pardon?"

Wait. Something wasn’t right there.

Jan turned and looked at the old mage.

Did Agphiel actually think that far-fetched story was true? The mage asked back, as though it were Jan who was being strange.

"What’s wrong? Isn’t it suspicious at a glance? They come back from the Arpen Mountains, fall ill, and a plague breaks out. It’s a classic case. The Arpen Mountains still hold mysteries handed down from ancient times, and the ruins of heathen temples. It’s only natural."

"Couldn’t it just be a coincidence, Master Agphiel? Things happen at the same time without one causing the other."

"Hm. That’s possible too, but..."

At that, the steward practically leapt to his feet.

"N-no, my lord! The citizens have all recovered, and only they haven’t. If that isn’t a curse, what is?"

"Oh...?"

"What’s more, as far as I know, the councillors’ symptoms are completely different from the plague’s! If you have someone ask around, you’ll see for yourself!"

"Hm. Is that so?"

"Yes, my lord. It’s the truth. Please believe me."

"Hmm..."

Jan stroked his chin, humming thoughtfully. He had to admit it made a certain sense. Judging by that alone, it did sound like a curse.

Just as he was thinking so...

"Human lord!"

Captain Lampard came hurrying in, out of breath.

"I-I’ve found out their secret! They say a curse has spread through the council!"

Jan closed his eyes briefly.

It was news that turned his suspicion into certainty.

In his past life, Jan had learned that most of what people called curses turned out, in the end, to be nothing more than plagues. Very few of them were anything else.

That was why, despite what the System’s messages had said, he had still suspected a plague...

"So... you’re saying it really is a curse?"

"That’s right, human lord. I sent someone to my family to ask quietly, and it turns out the councillors have all collapsed under a curse. That’s why the place has been sealed off like this. Hmph."

Captain Lampard snorted through his nose as he spoke. They might be his own kin, but all this discourtesy on account of a curse! For Captain Lampard, it was a rather shameful thing.

"Hm... Don’t let the bishop find out about this. If Graham learns of it, things could go very badly."

Jan let out a sigh as he said it.

The usual way of dealing with a curse, especially one as widespread as this, was purification. In plain words, seize the cursed and burn them.

And the ones who insisted on that most strongly were the Papal See, the very institution the bishop belonged to.

If it turned out that a handful of individuals’ misdeeds had caused the curse to spread, the Papal See would gladly burn them, rulers or not. There was no doubt of it.

"Ah! That’s true. I’ll have to be careful. Thank you for the advice, human lord!"

But then, of all the timing...

Bang!

The door flew open.

"My lord!"

Bishop Graham came rushing in, wide-eyed and out of breath.

"Huff, huff. My lord! Something terrible has happened!"

"..."

’I think I can guess what this is about...’

Jan’s expression soured. For the bishop to be this shaken at this exact moment...

"What is it? Something about the canton council?"

"Wh-what? How did you...?"

"And I suppose what you want to tell me is about a curse. Am I right?"

"Incredible! My lord has worked the miracle of reading minds again!"

Sure enough, he had guessed right.

Jan let out a quiet breath. Lately, it seemed, one headache simply led to the next.

"What would you advise, Master Agphiel?"

Leaving the bishop to his exclamations, Jan asked with a sigh.

Agphiel shrugged as he answered.

"What else can we do? We treat them, ’for now.’"

Oh? He seemed to have put a subtle weight on that one word. Apparently there was a way to treat it.

"So there’s a way to cure the curse?"

"Who knows? Honestly, I’ll have to see it first. We don’t even know yet how the curse came about, do we? If it’s a curse I can deal with, it can be cured. If not, it’s impossible."

"Hmm..."

The answer was so logical and reasonable that, for a moment, Jan had nothing to say.

’He’s right, but...’

Somehow, he had the feeling that if it couldn’t be cured, the mage would turn to other measures without a moment’s hesitation.

"Then let’s at least try to treat them. What do you say, Captain Lampard?"

"Th-thank you, human lord!"

As Captain Lampard thanked him, Bishop Graham, who had been quiet beside them, cut in.

"A curse must be purified! Purified! In the name of the faith, it must be purified!"

Jan’s gaze hardened.

True to form as a zealous man of the Church, Bishop Graham went on with his harsh words.

"They’ll surely be grateful to be purified! Better to rest in the embrace of the faith than to suffer under a curse! My lord! Purify them at once!"

"Save that kind of talk for a more fitting moment. Can’t you see Captain Lampard standing right next to you?"

"Ah... I see. My apologies."

Bishop Graham scratched his head with an awkward laugh. He truly was no help at all.

"What do you think, Master Agphiel? You were invited here to heal the sick in the first place, weren’t you?"

"Hm. I came to treat the ’curse’ that spread through the canton, so strictly speaking, I’ve already done what I came to do...?"

"Pardon?"

At Agphiel’s rather cold words, Jan was momentarily taken aback. Without the mage’s help, lifting the curse would surely be very difficult.

After all, he had no idea how to do it! What could he do besides burn them in the name of "purification"?

’But if I did that, there’d be no dealing with the consequences.’

Just as the System’s messages had warned, his Infamy would soar.

"Heh heh. You look troubled too. How very amusing. Surely you don’t think I’d turn my back on something like this? I am called the Great Sage, after all."

Seeing the look on Jan’s face, Agphiel laughed heartily.

"Since it’s come to this, it would be good to put the canton council in our debt. I’ll help, my lord. Let’s go and see about curing this curse."