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Chapter 6
The moment Manager Yuz received the document regarding the case from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, he frowned deeply.
“Tsk. What in the world is the Ministry of Health and Welfare even doing? They know perfectly well that the Proposal Department is already buried in miscellaneous work, yet they have the nerve to dump an urgent and dangerous case involving a mysterious epidemic on us? Healing-type mages are extremely rare to begin with, and priests capable of advanced treatment are usually only Cardinals or High Priests. It’s not like they’re too stupid to know that.”
Bang!
‘Here we go again.’
Manager Yuz was once again expressionlessly pounding on the poor office desk.
‘Even though he’s complaining like that, he’ll still end up sending a support request anyway.’
Lizzie, who had become my friend because we were about the same age, muttered beside me.
“At this rate, don’t you think the manager’s going to have to order a new desk soon?”
“Yeah. I heard the staff have already started placing bets on when that desk will finally break.”
I was about to casually brush off Lizzie’s comment when Manager Yuz emerged from his office, looking even more exhausted than before.
He handed documents to every worn-out civil servant in the Proposal Department before speaking.
“Is there anyone willing to volunteer for the support request regarding the mysterious illness in Morphe Village?”
Silence filled the office.
The mere mention of a mysterious epidemic was enough to freeze the atmosphere.
No one wanted to go to a village where an unknown contagious disease was spreading and risk becoming an unfortunate victim themselves.
After all, everyone valued their own life.
Among all of them, however, I was the only one whose ears perked up.
‘Morphe Village?’
Wait.
Why did that village name sound so familiar?
‘Where have I heard it before?’
As I searched through my memories from my previous life, a particular story surfaced.
‘Ah! It has to be that episode!’
In the original novel—better known as Long Live the Savior—the village briefly mentioned in the very first arc was Morphe.
‘Originally, Floreta was just the eldest daughter of a fallen noble family struggling to support her household. Then a plague swept through the village, killing her entire family. That tragedy became the catalyst for her awakening.’
Afterward, Floreta wandered across the Vinosh Empire, using her awakened divine power to eradicate the plague and eventually becoming revered as the Holy Saint.
‘She was only able to do that because an old man told her where the plague had first begun.’
Having reread Long Live the Savior countless times, I could still remember the dialogue perfectly.
“Miss, you look like a kind soul. Did you know? That cursed plague first began in a village called Morphe.”
“Morphe?”
“It was a peaceful little village in the northeast. My son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild all lived there… Sadly, when the plague first broke out, they all lost their lives.”
‘There’s no mistake.’
This was definitely the same Morphe Village from the original novel.
‘If it’s the place where the plague first erupted, then naturally I should stay as far away from it as possible…’
But I couldn’t ignore what came next in the novel.
“Didn’t the Imperial Family do anything?”
The old man let out a long, heavy sigh.
“They did. They dispatched officials to investigate the cause of the plague…”
“Then why…”
“It was all useless. No one ever discovered the cause. The nobles were too afraid of catching the disease to even set foot there. Every official sent to Morphe ended up dying alongside the villagers.”
The old man stared blankly into the distant sky.
“The Imperial Family needed someone to blame for the disaster. So they dismissed everyone connected to the incident—including the officials who had died.”
…Dismissed!
‘If this case isn’t solved, every civil servant in the Proposal Department—including me—will be dismissed!’
That absolutely could not happen.
I’d worked too hard to get this precious job!
‘Once you’re dismissed from public service, you’re basically branded as a criminal. It’s like having a permanent stain on your record.’
If you were dismissed once, you could never become a government official again.
And if that happened, I’d lose the only place where I could safely hide from Evelyn.
‘No matter what, I have to solve this epidemic.’
But while the novel’s heroine, Floreta, possessed overwhelming divine power, I wasn’t a doctor.
How was I supposed to stop a plague?
As I wrestled with the problem, Manager Yuz’s gaze met mine.
“…Uh.”
“Hmm… Come to think of it, Miss Beatrice, didn’t you graduate early from the Imperial Academy’s Department of Magic?”
“I… did.”
“In that case, how about volunteering for this mission? You’re a mage after all, so I imagine you’d be a considerable asset.”
Is this old man serious…?
‘He read my application, so he knows perfectly well what illness I have. And he’s saying this in front of everyone?’
“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Healing magic consumes an enormous amount of mana. Saving that many patients would require casting healing spells countless times. If I did that… I’d die with one hundred percent certainty.”
Saving that handsome trespasser the other day had taught me something.
Using healing magic was no different from giving someone else my own life.
My honest answer made the already gloomy meeting room grow even heavier.
Several of my coworkers looked at me with sympathy and pity.
‘I don’t care.’
I wasn’t going to waste what little time I had left shrinking under looks like that.
Life was too precious.
Manager Yuz seemed to realize he’d misspoken and immediately apologized.
“My apologies, Miss Beatrice. I had no intention of upsetting you.”
“…I’m sure you didn’t.”
“However, I wasn’t recommending you because of healing magic.”
“…Then what were you considering?”
“Alchemy and Magical Pharmacology.”
“…!”
“I’ve heard you displayed exceptional talent in both subjects during your time at the Academy. That’s why I thought perhaps you could discover a clue to solving this mysterious illness without relying on healing magic.”
That’s it!
Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner?
Manager Yuz’s words finally gave me the breakthrough I needed.
‘I don’t have to rely on magic alone. This epidemic can be wiped out in its early stages!’
Which automatically meant goodbye to the future where I was dismissed and eventually murdered.
The meeting ended without accomplishing anything.
In the end, not a single person volunteered to go to Morphe Village.
Manager Yuz returned to his office, muttering,
“…I may have to draw lots and assign people by force.”
That single sentence terrified everyone in the Proposal Department.
“What should I do? If my name gets picked…”
“No way. I have a sly fox of a husband and an adorable little daughter waiting at home.”
“Like you’re the only one with family? If I die, my family won’t even have enough to survive.”
Everyone secretly prayed that someone else’s name would be chosen instead of theirs.
Only I remained completely calm amid the chaos.
Lizzie looked at me curiously.
“Riche, aren’t you worried?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“Worrying won’t accomplish anything.”
“B-But if you’re assigned to this mission… you might even lose your life…”
“I won’t die.”
“…What?”
“Everyone might come back safely.”
Lizzie tilted her head, unable to understand the meaning behind my confident words.
I asked her,
“Lizzie, this epidemic mission is far more dangerous than our usual assignments. If we successfully complete it, there’ll be a special performance bonus, right?”
“Huh? Y-Yeah. I think Manager Yuz was hoping to recruit volunteers because of that. Everyone has families or livelihoods depending on them, so they’re naturally hesitant when faced with something this dangerous.”
“I see. So if people knew they could come back without a scratch, quite a few would volunteer?”
“I… suppose so? But why are you asking?”
I simply gave her a mysterious smile.
“Oh, no reason. I was just curious.”
A little while later.
Together with several of my coworkers, I went to see Manager Yuz.
“What is it?”
Kiara, the tallest and strongest among us, stepped forward as our representative.
“We’d like to volunteer for the mission to handle the mysterious epidemic. We’ll go to Morphe Village.”
