Clue (2)
No matter how many times I looked at it, the written words did not disappear.
While I was panicking, the agent was also watching the patient who had just entered, as if he had sensed something.
“Saint Ronan. Do you feel anything about that human?”
I pondered for a moment on what answer to give.
I don’t know exactly what Seed of Corruption is, but in the eyes of many years of web fiction readers, it was a name with a very strong possibility of being associated with a demon worshiper.
What if there really is a demon worshiper hiding somewhere in the city?
Even if I pretended not to know the patient’s condition here, it was no different than covering my eyes and saying “Aung”.
“I’m not sure since I’ve never encountered demonic power, but I have a feeling it’s not a simple illness.”
“That’s enough.”
The agent approached the two without hesitation and grabbed the patient by the collar.
“Ugh, what are you doing!”
“What are you doing all of a sudden? He’s a patient.”
“Shut up, human.”
The man caught by the collar fought hard, but the agent did not move at all.
Normally, I would intervene, but I calmly watched the situation, deciding that it would not be too late to do so after properly grasping the seriousness of the situation.
“Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”
Priest Rhys, who was looking at me, seemed flustered when I still didn’t say anything, and spoke to the agent to stop him.
“Ouch! I’m dying!”
“I should have told you to be quiet.”
The patient, who was still screaming loudly, fell silent when the agent gave another chilling warning.
Maybe it’s because I felt something was out of the ordinary.
Either that or not, the agent who brought his face to the patient looked like he was checking something by looking around the patient.
Such a confrontation for a while.
“You…human. When did these spots start to appear?”
Finally finding something, the agent tore off part of the patient’s clothing and pointed out a green spot on the patient’s shoulder.
“What the hell is this… what is… what is this?”
The patient, who was about to lose his temper when his clothes were ripped off, looked at his shoulder in amazement at the strange spots on his body.
It was a mark that would not normally be visible even at a glance.
It was a dark green spot that wouldn’t come out even if the flesh rotted away.
I also sneaked up and looked at the spot and asked the agent.
“Do you know any symptoms?”
“It’s a familiar symptom if you’re familiar with it, but I’m not sure because there are parts I don’t understand.”
The agent frowned as if he was uncomfortable with something.
“Eh, do you know what this is? Could it be that it’s a fatal disease? I should have recognized these quacks from the time they were faking illness!”
The patient claimed that he had been sick for a long time, but the doctors and pharmacists started to get angry saying that no one recognized it.
“When did you start getting sick?”
“I think it started to hurt… a little over a month ago.”
Wow, what an amazing coincidence. I got here around that time too.
I had the lowest confidence in this world to make such an optimistic judgment.
“There’s no way an ordinary person without a handful of mana, let alone divine power, can last for a month…”
The agent had a different concern than me.
It certainly seemed like he had some guess.
“Has there been anything memorable before and after you started getting sick?”
“Oh, if that had happened, I would have told the priest right away.”
At those words, the agent looked at Priest Rhys.
“Are you able to use intermediate or higher level purification spells?”
“That can’t be the case. How dare a priest like that use such a technique.”
Seeing him shaking his head as if he hadn’t even thought about it, the agent started asking for something else.
“Then, didn’t the number of patients who were sick about a month ago increase like this one?”
“There was no particular sign of that. However, it seems that there are many believers who are tired from the summer because there are people who complain of illness even though they are not sick like this person.”
“No, what do you mean, Father Reese? Didn’t you treat me every time I was sick?”
“That’s just a divine power put into it to boost the believer’s energy. It didn’t do any special treatment.”
“Well, then what is this spot about?”
To the patient who stuttered as if in shock, Priest Rhys gave an embarrassing smile.
“I don’t even know how far.”
“It lasted over a month just by constantly injecting divine power? Couldn’t it be…or was it because the divine power was pure…?”
Why have you been talking to yourself so much since earlier? I’m dying of frustration.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in the story, I finally decided to intervene.
“Rita-sama. If you know anything, can you tell me? I think she’s very anxious too.”
At my words, the agent looked at the patient and me alternately, then sighed and nodded.
“Anyway, it seems like a mutation process due to corruption, but the mutation of ordinary people without any resistance is much faster.
Uh…no matter how you look at it, I think that’s right, right?
Corruption is not just a rhetorical expression for a cleric turning into a demon worshiper, but one of the dark magics of demon worshipers.
So this means you can’t even take it out and there are real devil worshipers out there.
“What is a stool?”
With my head cold as if I had been covered with cold water, I asked again to understand the seeds of corruption.
“It is one of the tricks of devil worshipers to bring destruction to the world. If they had high divine or magical powers, they could maintain their appearance, but in the case of ordinary people like this, they usually transform into strange monsters. Orcs for humans, goblins for dwarves, and goblins for elves. Ramen trolls, beastmen become suitable monsters according to the origins of their race, and so on.”
Such a needlessly verbose setup.
“Then how does it take to fall?”
“There are many ways. Directly receiving energy from demons, being baptized by demon worshipers, carrying or consuming items containing demonic energy…”
“Wh-what are you talking about? A devil worshiper. I think you misunderstood something.”
Upon hearing the agent’s bloody words, the patient broke into a cold sweat and began to slowly back away.
“It’s amazing. I think I’m better now. Priest Reese, I’ll go back.”
However, as soon as I saw that, the agent who grabbed the patient’s shoulder and stood it up
“Ahh!”
A patient writhing in pain, clutching his shoulder no matter how hard he gripped it.
“Human. You should go with us.”
“Oh, I really don’t know. Help me, please.”
“Anyway, if the symptoms of the corruption are true, you will soon become a monster.”
“Why are you doing this to me? I really don’t know.”
“It’s not you who judges that.”
If you push yourself like that, who would want to follow you?
I know I’m rolling my eyes because it might be devil worshipers, but can’t you be half-kind to me?
I sighed and put my other hand on top of the hand the agent had grabbed the patient from.
“Rita-sama. Can I talk to you?”
“Saint Ronan. You may be uncomfortable with the character of a saint, but mercy is a luxury for demon worshipers. They are the easiest to exploit those feelings.”
I have no intention of trolling, such as letting this person go by showing unnecessary sympathy.
I just want to reduce the waste of time because I know that the patient’s words are not false by the aura I see.
He also plays the role of a good cop and a bad cop.
“Let’s just talk for a moment. Didn’t I ask if I trust Rita? What about the opposite? Does Rita trust me?”
“…you know how to make an offer you can’t refuse. I see.”
After speaking, the agent took a step back and stared fiercely at the kneeling patient.
“I hope you don’t even think about running away, or trying to do any harm to this person. If you want to walk out limbs unharmed.”
This is a clergyman, a gangster. These days, even a gangster won’t make such direct and bloody threats.
Kneeling at eye level with the frightened patient, I put my hand on the shoulder that the agent had overextended.
The patient, who was flinching, made a surprised face when I instilled divine power right after.
“This, this…”
“I’m sorry. But it seems like my colleague got a little emotional because we’re in a very urgent situation.”
“No. But seeing that you treated me the same way as Priest Reese, you seem like a priest, but I feel really unfair. You’re a devil. I’ve never been with criminals, let alone a devil worshiper, in my entire life.”
“believe.”
The patient whimpered to see if he was relieved by that short word and started to complain.
Playing the role of a pseudo-counselor who returned after a long absence, I fell into trouble.
It didn’t seem very difficult to treat this patient itself. It’s not a strange curse like a divine reversal, so I’m sure it won’t be as difficult to treat as last time.
The catch is that this patient is our only lead right now.
What if I treat this patient and something goes wrong and the real devil worshipers find out and dig deeper?
Usually, if this kind of thing ends with a tail end, it will come back as a problem several times bigger later.
You may think it’s heartless, but you must see the end of this situation.
“Are you sure you can’t guess anything? It doesn’t matter if it’s a big story like a devil worshiper. Any little things will help.”
“Even if you say so…”
Actually, it wouldn’t be easy to think of a trivial thing that happened a month or so ago.
I waited without rushing.
And as if looking back at that time, the patient’s aura, which had been floating various auras, turned into embarrassment at some point.
Embarrassment?
“now.”
“yes?”
“What were you thinking?”
It may seem a little out of the blue to others, but as the situation was a situation, I made full use of my abilities.
“Oh, nothing. It was nothing really.”
“I’m not trying to push you. Isn’t there something on your mind right now?”
“that is…”
“human.”
Just in time, the agent saw the hesitant patient and began crushing the corners of the chairs lined up next to him with one hand.
“Answer meekly. This time, if you don’t want your shoulder completely torn to pieces.”
Even if I know that the use of force was not directed at me, I am a bit scared, but the person concerned is horrified.
“Hey! I’ll tell you!”
I don’t want to discuss partnership with the agent yet, but it was a good role sharing.
“About a month ago, I did something a little bit bad…”
A patient who starts confessing like that with a somber face.
Bad thing? I think this is a joke.
It doesn’t matter how bad you do.
If Orion punishes them or the devil approaches them, human society has already been destroyed.
“About a month ago, there was a food distribution event at the church.”
catering event? platform?
Could it have anything to do with the real church?
As the story jumped out to a place I didn’t know at all, my embarrassed gaze reflexively turned to Priest Reese.
Receiving my attention, Father Rhys explained the food distribution event faithfully, as if he thought he was asking about the food distribution event.
“When there is a special event or something worth celebrating in the church, there is something to distribute food to common people.
Priest Rhys ended his words bitterly.
In a word, it’s a policy for condescension. It’s not that important right now.
I nodded and turned my gaze back to the patient.
“That’s right. We shared food once when high-ranking people from the academy came. But the next day, I went home from work and I couldn’t see how many beggars brought so much meat. There’s no way I’ve taken any meat.”
Is that right? Doesn’t it have anything to do with the church?
“Of course I thought it was stolen, so I took the meat from them.
The last one wasn’t all that important.
In the first place, the beggar must have taken the meat because it was easy for him to hold the meat.
To say it proudly in front of the priest is to make an excuse that you tried to find the owner because you were stabbed, but it was difficult and you couldn’t even eat meat.
From what you’ve heard, I don’t think you’ve come into contact with a demon worshiper.
Unless those beggars went to the devil worshiper and asked him to put a curse on the man who stole his meat.
Is it a joke too?
As I was about to come to that conclusion, I looked at the patient again with an awkward feeling.
“Have you not seen anyone claiming to have lost their meat?”
“Sure! If there were such a person, of course I would have returned the meat!”
lie.
Is it a lie that such a person existed? Or is it a lie that he would return the meat?
“You really haven’t seen it?”
“Yes, yes indeed!”
truth.
I don’t think anyone ever said they really lost their meat.
The uncomfortable feeling didn’t go away.
Even though it was the day after the food distribution event, he said that he was taking ‘a lot’ of meat so that he would think it was stolen.
But nobody lost meat.
Of course, beggars may have stolen at all in a remote area, so it did not overlap with the patient’s radius of action.
But since it’s only family, let’s keep talking nonsense. I’m good at it.
It wasn’t even the most outrageous nonsense. Ronan’s earliest childhood memories start in back alleys, so he’s not totally ignorant of beggars’ physiology.
Beggars also have their own district. It is easy to be buried if you get caught stealing through someone else’s territory.
What if beggars really didn’t steal meat?
What if you received that much meat from someone?
If there is a person who secretly distributes meat to beggars that no one in the city cares about under the good pretext of a food distribution event, what kind of intentions does that person have?
My brain wasn’t pure enough to think it was pure goodwill.
Is there anyone else like me who wants to get away from the church by making a famous work that started in the back alley?
Suddenly, I remembered what the agent had said earlier.
In order to be affected by corruption, you must receive direct energy from demons, be baptized by demon worshipers, or carry items with demonic energy…
or ingested.
I casually looked at the agent.
“Why is that?”
“Could it be possible to put the energy of corruption into meat for human consumption?”
“It won’t be as easy as you think. The meat will rot quickly due to the effects of corruption, so unless you force feed it, who will eat the meat that smells rotten…”
The agent’s eyes widened with realization.
Yes, normal people would throw away meat if it was rotten.
But… in this world, there are people who can’t even eat meat, who rummage through trash cans to eat less rotten food, and even if mutations occur, no one cares right now. No, there were quite a few.
When I turned my gaze back to the patient, he was just looking this way as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.
I asked the patient a question.
“The beggars, where did you see them?”
