Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 46 Mission: 05-3 Plague Bringer

A moment later, the two sides officially met in a devastated forest.

"It seems I was right."

The heroic spirit who came before Ritsuka was wearing a jet-black high-necked military dress and a feathered soft hat. His long purple hair was simply tied into a side ponytail, and he wore a monocle on his left eye.

She doffed her hat and saluted, the snake-shaped gold ring on her right index finger gleaming. She continued, "Nice to meet you, Master from Chaldea. I am the Archer's Heroic Spirit, my true name is Hernán Cortés, and I greet you."

Just as Mashu had discovered, the captain responsible for spreading the plague was none other than the "Conqueror of the Aztec Empire." After the captain's self-introduction, Mashu's projection appeared beside Ritsuka and added, "According to records, this captain landed in Mexico with a small group of 600 men and quickly took control of several Indian tribes along the coast."

"Then, with the help of these tribes, Cortes once forced the Aztec monarch Montezuma to try to offer courtesy and negotiate peace. But..."

The captain sighed and helplessly interrupted Mashu: "Don't talk about this shameful history in front of others."

"Oh, sorry..." Mashu covered her mouth cutely.

However, the introductions just now were enough to arouse Li Xiang's interest. If she wasn't in a hurry to return to Ratwinchi Town, she would definitely ask here.

It is worth mentioning that everyone present did not question the fact that the conqueror was a woman... It seems that they have long been accustomed to this kind of thing.

"The situation is urgent now, so I won't waste any more time." Li Xiang said directly, "Ms. Hernan, you can control the plague, right?"

Hernan frowned slightly and replied cautiously, "This is one of the abilities of my Noble Phantasm. Why do you ask?"

"A plague is about to break out in a town not far from here. If possible, could you please use your Noble Phantasm to try to control it?"

Faced with Li Xiang's request, Hernan was stunned. After a brief moment, she nodded solemnly: "Okay."

"Then let's hurry. Devil dear, you lead the way. Doctor Georgos——"

Li Xiang looked at the Living Saint beside him and said, "We've finally made it here. It would be a shame to go back directly. Could you please explore the cave over there? Don't go too deep, just a brief reconnaissance will be enough."

"understood."

Georgos turned with his sword in hand and disappeared near the cave in a few blinks. Ritsuka and Hernan followed Mephistopheles on their way back.

At the same time, this also means that Ritsuka can finally relax a little and start chatting about some gossip.

"Miss Conqueror, is it okay for me to call you that?"

Hernan shook his head and said, "You should just call me Hernan. Conqueror or something...it's really not a very honorable title."

This was a strange person. It was the first time that Ritsuka had seen someone who considered his own military achievements shameful.

"Okay, Miss Hernan."

Ritsuka readily changed the address. At this moment, Mephistopheles, who was walking in front, turned around, held the back of his head with his hands, and walked backwards while laughing: "Wow? Don't you think that was a time adorned with gold and glory?" His smile looked particularly unpleasant.

"Of course I like gold, but it's worth nothing compared to friendship and ideals."

Hearing Hernan's resolute answer, Mephistopheles' smile grew even more unbridled. "What about friendship and ideals... Would those natives who were killed by the smallpox you spread think the same way?"

At that moment, the expression on Hernan's face vividly illustrated what it meant to be "broken defense." She bit her lip lightly, her emerald pupils drooping, her eyebrows trembling, and she said nothing.

After a moment, she sighed heavily and whispered, "I really want to tell you that I had no choice but to do it. It was my revenge for Montezuma. But... you are right."

Hernan laughed at himself and said, "I couldn't even become friends with Montezuma, so how could I have the nerve to ask for revenge for her?

"But one thing is true: it was the Aztec gods who spread smallpox. Those gods the Aztecs believed in sent the plague... through my hands."

"Quetzalcoatl?"

Ritsuka remembered a god he had seen in ancient Babylon, and his eyes fell on Hernan's finger. There was a golden ring in the shape of a snake. A snake covered in feathers.

"You noticed."

Hernan didn't hide anything. He raised his hand and displayed the ring openly. "This is the golden ring I received in my youth...when I first heard the legend of the Golden Kingdom of Eldorano. As you can see, it represents the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs. It is my Noble Phantasm, a microcosm of my life."

In other words, the reason why Hernan went to the American continent, the reason why he made the local natives surrender, and the reason why Montezuma treated him with courtesy... were all because of the existence of this ring?

Ritsuka's gaze left Hernan's hand and turned to her eyes: "Is its power only to control the plague?"

"Not only that, it can also control celestial phenomena within a small range, just like the sea breeze I summoned earlier."

Quetzalcoatl, one of the Aztec gods, is variously depicted in various legends as the god of good, the morning star, the sun, rain, harvest, and life and death. The ring in Hernan's hand possesses powers similar to these realms.

According to legend, this good god was quite disgusted with human sacrifices, which is why the Aztecs believed that the plague brought by Hernan, who ordered them to stop human sacrifices, was a punishment from God.

Since the power she used to spread the plague came from this ring, from Quetzalcoatl, the god of life and death, then since life and death are one, it should also be able to suppress the plague and cure diseases and save lives?
It really is a timely help.

"Then I'll have to trouble you with the plague in this town later."

"Since I've agreed, I will naturally do my best."

"But..." Ritsuka suddenly remembered something, "Is it okay for you to leave your boat on the coast? It's your Noble Phantasm, right?"

"Perhaps," Hernan said with a faint smile, "but there's no way I can avoid staying there. It was summoned from this singularity with me. Once I reach shore, I can no longer continue sailing."

Mash's voice chimed in at the perfect moment: "Legend has it that after Captain Hernan landed in Mexico, he immediately ordered the ship to be sunk to prevent his men from abandoning their positions."

(End of this chapter)