The old man warmly invited them in. “I am the mayor,” he said. “Your Highness, you have finally arrived.”
It turned out that Krumlov suffered from continuous rain and, unlike Kane, the sick could not gather in the countryside; those infected with the witch disease could only stay at home, leading to entire families being affected.
“My name is Barron, and I have been the mayor of Krumlov for over twenty years. This is the first time I have encountered such a serious contagious disease.”
“Every night, the entire town is filled with the pained cries of the sick. The healthy cannot rest, while those afflicted are in agony. The day before yesterday, I received a message from Alge, informing me that Your Highness was on your way here. You have no idea how happy I am. Krumlov is finally saved.”
“Your Excellency Barron, has a pharmacist ever been here in Krumlov? He wore a dark green robe and has never shown his face,” Aysiborn asked.
Barron thought for a moment. “It seems a pharmacist did come over a month ago; many people bought eczema remedy from him.”
“Did anyone notice where he went? This is very important.”
Barron shook his head. “I am not sure.”
Shuaichang recognized Aysiborn’s anxiety and comforted him by patting his shoulder. He then turned to Barron and said, “Mayor, please take us to the homes of the sick. Your Highness will cure them.”
Due to the unpredictable rain, Aysiborn could not gather the patients for treatment at once; he had to treat them one family at a time, which took much longer than it would have in Kane.
After Aysiborn healed each family, Shuaichang would inquire about what happened before they fell ill and ask if they had any impression of the green-robed pharmacist.
After curing ten households, Shuaichang finally discovered a commonality: they had all found fresh lamb meat at their doorstep.
“The rain in Krumlov washes everything away. He brought the lamb from the mountain behind Kane, which he had poisoned, to ensure that people would become infected,” Shuaichang frowned.
Aysiborn brushed away the wrinkles on his forehead, asking, “But wouldn’t he become infected himself?”
Shuaichang and Aysiborn exchanged glances and spoke in unison, “He has the antidote!”
“There are more and more infected people throughout the continent of Hughes. It is unrealistic to rely solely on your treatment. As long as we find the green-robed mage, all problems can be solved.”
Shuaichang and Aysiborn stayed in Krumlov for a whole month, finally curing all the patients.
Aysiborn shared their means of infection through the mayor, ensuring that they would learn that the pharmacist could both save and harm people invisibly.
“Dark mages aren’t all that bad, are they?” Aysiborn commented quietly.
Shuaichang, lying against his lap, looked content. “There are no absolute good or bad people in this world. Among the six elemental mages, some are good and some are bad. People fear having their souls controlled, and because of the Church’s strong propaganda, they harbor extreme hatred towards the dark mages.”
Aysiborn’s delicate fingers traced Shuaichang’s thick brows, and soon his fingertips were rubbed a rosy red. “The Church worships the God of Light. Since Pope Lucius I took office, the atmosphere inside the Church has grown increasingly tainted. Even as the Son of the God of Light, I am treated as a mere tool for healing. Not only can I not resist, but I also have to appear happy to be used by them just because they know that I would not sit idly by while others die.”
Shuaichang turned to sit up, gently kissing Aysiborn’s finger, “Are there many patients at the Church?”
Aysiborn, blushing, nodded and tried to pull his hand back but found it held tightly by Shuaichang.
“What types of diseases are they suffering from? Are they related to dark magic?”
Shuaichang not only held Aysiborn’s hand but began to trace each finger with his tongue, wetting the tips until they gleamed.
Aysiborn inexplicably felt Shuaichang’s actions were very seductive; his breath became gradually heated, and his collarbone was tinged with a passionate blush.
Shuaichang bit his collarbone lightly, “Aysi baby, you haven’t answered my question.”
Aysiborn’s voice trembled, “Anyway—it’s not dark magic—uhm—”
Shuaichang suddenly fell into thought at his words, “Do you think the green-robed pharmacist could be connected to the Church?”
Aysiborn was taken aback. “Are you joking? Although the Church is chaotic internally, the people in it are constantly trying to find ways to heal others.”
“Have you considered that the patients you’ve treated could be test subjects? They are ingesting the poison developed by the pharmacist, wanting to create a poison that you cannot cure.”
“Why would they do that?” Aysiborn replied, “They have no reason to do so.”
“Aysi baby, don’t fret.” Shuaichang held him close, soothingly stroking his frail back.
“Listen to my analysis. The Church has been inciting the other four nations to stand against the Dark Empire. You know the power of dark mages; when the fighting starts, they can directly control the enemy to kill each other. Once the four nations have exhausted the dark mages’ magic, the Church will easily take them all down.”
Aysiborn looked up at Shuaichang, his pale green eyes filled with panic. “Doug, if what you’re saying is true, what should I do?”