Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"The skirt is left four? *Pillow Saki's father (8) <Are you going to your death?

"But don't many people go to the Angry World to pan for gold every year? That means there is still a place there where people can live."

"...What about the monster? It's a monster that even the general can't defeat."

"Is the general very powerful?"

"He is a man who defeated countless heretics with a purely human body."

"We can do that too."

"Haha, anyone can talk big."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Xiangzi stepped forward, knelt down on one knee in front of Xiaosu Shi, and took her hand. "From now on, you are mine."

========

squeak-

Xiangzi opened the heavy door, jumped off the carriage, turned around and took Xiao Sushi, who was carrying a gorgeous skirt, and carefully walked down the stairs.

"Should I change my clothes?" Xiao Su Shi frowned. "It's not very convenient to run in."

“Normally, you don’t need to run. But if you can’t run anymore, I can carry you.” Xiangzi said with a smile.

She loves this outfit so much, she can't just change it so easily.

"...Aren't you ashamed?"

Despite saying that, Xiao Su Shi still handed her hand to Xiang Zi, letting her lead her away.

The sounds of fighting could always be heard in the distance, accompanied by the occasional sound of buildings collapsing. Xiao Su Shi gripped Xiang Zi's hand tightly and shrank behind her.

If he happens to see a corpse lying on the road, he will close his eyes, stay close to Xiangzi, bury his head in her waist, and dare not look out.

Xiangzi remained unmoved.

She had already witnessed it last night, and now... well, although she still felt nauseous, she was used to it.

She glanced at the corpses lying around her and frowned.

Xiaosu said that Cerberus was a powerful monster that invaded from the Wrathful World, but is that really the case?

Xiangzi had noticed since yesterday that there were corpses everywhere on the street, each with a different appearance.

Some of the corpses had bite marks on their bodies, or were simply pieces of flesh that had been violently torn apart, scattered in various places, which was exactly what Cerberus, that three-headed dog monster, was capable of doing.

This part matches Xiaosushi's speculation, but the other part... Although most of the corpses were rotten beyond recognition, eaten by insects, gnawed by rats, and infested with fly eggs, piles of tender white maggots were wriggling in the cavities, and some were even swollen up like balloons, making them awe-inspiring.

but.

but!

Their bodies were intact, with no gruesome wounds or bite marks—if there were, they belonged to rats, not Cerberus.

These people have been dead for too long. Xiangzi couldn't figure out the specific cause of death, but it couldn't possibly have been Cerberus who did it. That violent monster couldn't have left such gentle corpses.

This raises serious suspicions.

What kind of situation could lead to a city littered with corpses, half of whom died from monster bites and the other half whose cause of death is unclear?

Xiangzi, holding Xiaosushi's hand, continued to stroll through the dead city.

Su Shi stayed behind her the whole time, not daring to look up. She thought that as long as she hid behind Xiangzi and followed her, she could avoid the unsettling corpses everywhere. However, the corpses were not only horrifying in appearance, but they also emitted a nauseating stench... Su Shi did not smell these odors.

The pleasant fragrance wafted into my nostrils, unexpectedly bringing a sense of calm.

Gradually, Xiao Su Shi's emotions calmed down, and she began to dare to peek at her surroundings through her fingers.

Unseen by her, Xiangzi was holding a tiny seed in his hand, which was hidden in his sleeve and had grown many feathers.

Offering: Seeds of Healing

The seeds, which emit a calming fragrance, are often used as the filling for sachets. When offered as a sacrifice, their aroma is believed to restore energy, purify the body's internal environment, and heal minor wounds.

Enveloped in a calming fragrance, Xiao Su Shi naturally felt no longer afraid.

"Where are we going?" Xiao Su Shi asked after following Xiang Zi for a long time.

“The square,” Xiangzi said.

"...What are you going there for?"

"They'll fight there later, with Cerberus," Xiangzi continued.

"Ah, are we really going to confront it head-on...?"

"We are not ordinary people."

Xiangzi smiled and was about to comfort Xiaosu when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and his expression changed drastically.

"What's wrong now?" Xiao Su Shi noticed her face suddenly turn dark and looked curiously in the same direction.

"Don't look," Xiangzi said, covering her eyes.

buzzing-

She grabbed Xiaosu Shi's shoulders, positioned her facing the wall, placed the glowing healing seed into her hand, and instructed her:

"If you don't want to see something bad, don't turn your head. Let me take a look."

"What on earth did you see?"

"Dead people." Xiangzi twitched the corner of his mouth. "Lots of dead people."

The truth made Xiaosushi's fear overcome her curiosity, and she obediently pressed her neck, not letting it turn backward even a degree.

Xiangzi patted her shoulder and walked out of the area of ​​the Healing Seed.

The moment she stepped out, a foul stench assaulted her nostrils. Xiangzi showed a look of disgust as she walked toward the huge tent in front of her, where flies were constantly coming and going.

Generally speaking, tents of this design only appear when a plague breaks out in a city.

Its function is also very simple and clear.

To accommodate the patient.

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child - Chapter 349 The Guard

Xiangzi lifted a corner of the tent flap.

Swarms of flies swarmed out, accompanied by an indescribable stench. The smell was probably even more unbearable than a garbage room that hadn't been cleaned for two weeks in midday in August.

She suppressed her nausea and created a new seed of healing, dispelling the unbearable stench.

Sure enough, inside the tent were rows of neatly arranged beds, and on almost every bed lay a human-shaped figure.

It's probably because the environment inside the tent is relatively enclosed. The decomposition of the corpses generates heat, which raises the indoor temperature. Combined with the moisture they carry, this provides a good environment for the growth of some small creatures.

Swarms of flies buzzed through every corner of the tent, scattering at the first sign of someone entering, making every inch of space restless. There was hardly any room to step; she had already crushed a plump, white maggot, its juices staining the soles of her shoes, attracting a swarm of rats. The surrounding reptiles, however, wisely avoided the enormous creature, wriggling their fat bodies to one side.

"yue..."

Even though the smell had been purified, Xiangzi still couldn't help feeling nauseous.

I've seen dead people before, but this is the first time I've seen something so disgusting.

After Xiangzi stepped on a few maggots, she no longer wanted to walk any further.

Fortunately, there was a counter-like structure on the outermost part of the tent, where you should find what you want.

She suppressed her nausea and carefully tiptoed across the maggot-infested mountain and rat sea, but even so, every time her toes touched the ground, a small life would die under her feet.

"I can not stand it any more."

Xiangzi's face turned pale, and his expression became almost numb.

Fortunately, the counter was located at the outermost edge of the tent, not the innermost edge, so she only had to endure a few steps to reach it. And... there really was something she wanted here.

She picked up the notebook on the table, and several flies that had been resting on it scattered in a flurry.

Xiangzi dusted himself off and turned to the first page.

[Medical Log]

Yes, that's it.

She continued flipping through the pages.

[On [date], three new patients were admitted, name...; one person died, name...]

[On [date], five new patients were admitted, names...; three patients died, names...]

[New patient admitted on [date]...]

Flipping through the pages, the records, spanning about three months, showed that patients mostly either entered the hospital or died; very few recovered.

It was indeed a plague.

The tent and the medical log in his hand confirmed Xiangzi's guess.

The plague experienced at the Gate of Wrath is the same plague that the entire world of desire experienced recently. This plague directly led to the birth of Saint Hughia and has not been completely eradicated to this day. Instead, it has transformed into one of the epidemics that are spreading all over the world, with its lethality reduced to an acceptable threshold, and it is no longer of concern to the public.

It seems that the loss at the Gate of Anger is related to the plague.

Then... what does this have to do with Cerberus?

As Xiangzi flipped through the notebook, he suddenly came across a page on the back.

She originally thought the rest of the page would be blank, since there wasn't much to write down, but there was one last page... a page filled with writing.

The pupils dilated slightly, focusing on the notebook in his hand.

Xiangzi temporarily forgot about the harsh environment around him and focused intently on reading what he had written in his notebook.

As I read line by line, the fog in my heart gradually dissipated with the words, and I became more cheerful.

"So that's how it is... everything makes sense now," she murmured.

Xiangzi closed the notebook, carried it outside, and rubbed his feet hard on the ground to remove the sticky residue from the soles of his shoes.

She walked back to Xiao Su Shi's side and patted her on the shoulder.

"Is it all done?" Xiao Su Shi looked up.

"More or less." Xiangzi handed the notebook in his hand to Xiaosushi. "Do you remember the plague at the Pass of Anger?"

Xiao Su Shi took the notebook and glanced through it briefly.

"...At that time, the whole country was plagued by an epidemic, and the Pass of Anger was no exception."

Xiao Su Shi was merely a mascot, but she still had to attend court. Every day, she listened to the Regent and ministers discuss state affairs, and through this constant exposure, she learned quite a bit. She pursed her lips, looking at the numbers representing the lives recorded above, her feelings complex.

She had never met these people, nor did she know the despair they had endured. In the face of such a disaster, human lives truly become just a number.

“I thought this place, like other places, had resolved the issue on its own,” Xiao Su Shi said. “I didn’t expect it was the plague that allowed the monsters to take advantage of the situation.”

“No, the monster didn’t sneak in.” Xiangzi shook his head. “It was born in this city.”

Why do you say that?

“On the second-to-last page of the notebook, someone wrote a suicide note,” Xiangzi said. “It must have been written by the nurse in charge of taking notes.”

Xiao Su Shi turned to the second to last page.

It was a nurse's suicide note written in despair, revealing her despair over the plague and... her anger towards the city's guards.

When the plague struck, they had no chance to leave the city and were trapped inside.

It wasn't because the empire issued a decree to seal off the city, nor was the plague in the city originally so severe that it would have degenerated to the point of corpses strewn everywhere. All of this was simply because the guards at the border were preventing them from leaving.

"guard......"

Xiao Su Shi blinked.

"Now that you mention it, I remember you. I know the guard at the Gate of Anger."

"Oh? Tell me."

Xiangzi, holding Xiaosushi's hand, continued walking towards the city center square.

“The barbarians of the Wrathful World come to harass the Empire every now and then, so the person guarding the border must be a capable person. He was born here and his strength is no less than that of a general. He has been guarding the Wrathful Pass for many years and has made the barbarians return in defeat countless times. With his military achievements, he originally had the opportunity to be transferred to the Kingdom and join the Centurion Corps, where he could be on equal footing with the general.”

"The results of it?"

He declined the offer of promotion and stayed in Guankou City, his hometown, to continue guarding it.