Chapter 78 – The Holy Maiden (1)

Dolores L. Quovadis, commonly known as Dolores Quovadis.

She’s a 16-year-old Holy Maiden, the most promising woman to inherit the QuoVadis faith.

A prodigy who graduated from the Empire’s Academy Colosseum and, thanks to the early admission system, has never missed the top rank since entering as a first-year student.

Now, as a second-year student, she serves as the vice president of the student council.

Vikir was able to recall his memories of her based on her appearance.

In the distant future, she would go to the front lines of battle against demons and demonstrate what it truly meant to become a saint by saving lives.

She was called the Angel of the Battlefield, a living example of goodness who saved countless lives.

Although still young, her appearance showed a strong heart and a pure spirit.

Like everyone who had survived the era of destruction, Vikir also held deep respect and affection for this young Holy Maiden.

As Vikir nodded his head, nearby Holy Knights were startled.

Dolores also seemed a bit surprised.

Her keen senses allowed her to detect the scent of beasts, blood, oil, violence, anger, and even the deep scent of profound sadness hidden at the core of all these swirling emotions emanating from Vikir.

“Are you really a lost lamb?”

“Yes…”

Vikir replied with a choked voice.

Dolores nodded.

“More like. A lost puppy.”

“A wounded little puppy.”

After Dolores finished speaking, the expressions of all the Holy Knights gathered on the first floor turned into bewilderment.

Even Mozgus shouted,

“Holy Maiden!”

He’s not a puppy!

“He’s a wolf consumed by blood!”

“You should step back quickly.”

“Please bring some tea.”

Dolores raised her hand to stop Mozgus from speaking and said firmly,

“I need to have a conversation with him.”

Soon, a small sitting room was set up with a table, chairs, and two tea cups.

Steam rose from the peppermint tea, giving off a warm aroma.

At the entrance of the sitting room, Mozgus stood in an awkward posture.

When a cute teapot with flower patterns was handed to him, it looked like a massive ring in his hand.

At the center of a small table, Vikir and Dolores sat facing each other.Dolores spoke, looking somewhat surprised,

“I came here when I heard that Mozgus was involved.”

“I thought you might be seriously injured.”

Mozgus, who had a firm and philosophical demeanor as the Inquisitor-General, was responsible for the Clan’s military core.

His body was no different.

So there was no reason to treat a visitor with such a suspicious appearance kindly.

But who could have known?

That he would be defeated so brutally.

Then Mozgus stammered and said,

“Holy Maiden, I am not defeated. If it had been a prolonged battle, there was a chance that I could have turned the tide.”

The fact that such words were coming out of his mouth was evidence of his defeat.

Dolores thought to herself, ‘Mozgus was an exceptional Graduator among the Clan’.

If Mozgus can be defeated this easily by someone with such an unusual appearance.

She stared intently at Vikir’s mask in front of her, but there was nothing she could read from it.

As Vikir continued to gaze down at the teacup in front of him, Dolores spoke again.

“Drinking tea through that gas mask seems impractical.”

Vikir nodded quietly.

From his attitude that had been silent all along, Dolores knew she couldn’t continue to beat around the bush.

She got straight to the point.

“I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

Vikir raised his head at her words.

What could be causing her so much stress?

Was it because of her studies at the academy?

Or perhaps her lessons in the Quovadis family?

But Dolores shook her head.

“I’m taking a break from school and family matters since it’s the vacation.”

“The ones who are making it really hard for me are the nobles and merchants you just saw.”

They were uninvited guests who came, demanding that she treat their ailments, using money and influence to plead their case.

“The things they’re asking for treatment are quite obvious. Erectile dysfunction, sexually transmitted diseases, side effects from drugs, and the like. There isn’t a single serious illness among them.”

Dolores’ opinion was that if she had the divine power to heal, she would rather help those who were truly suffering and in pain.

“Justice and righteousness, compassion and equality, isn’t that what God’s will is? But people tend to only see what’s right in front of them.”

Vikir agreed with a nod. When they met on the front lines of the battlefield before his regression, he had heard similar words from Dolores.

“Studying theology is originally about understanding human beings, so it’s inevitable.”

This was something he had heard from her before as well.

But now, in front of him, Dolores’ eyes widened.“Genesis, Azmoser Chapter 6, Verse 9, right? It’s a very philosophical and mysterious saying.”

“…”

“It’s surprising that someone knows this ancient saying. You must have a deep knowledge of theology. Are you a follower of the Rune, by any chance?”

Vikir remained silent for a moment. He had no interest in or knowledge of the Empire’s state religion, Rune. It seemed like a good idea to change the topic.

“More importantly, there’s an epidemic in the Saint Mecca’s slums.”

“Is that information reliable?”

“Have you seen the beggars’ water? It’s drawn directly from the slum wells.”

“You weren’t involved in this, were you?”

“If I were, why would I have come here on my own?”

Vikir emphasized once more.

“I don’t like innocent people suffering. And this place is my hometown, so even more so.”

“Oh, this is your hometown? I’m from here too.”

Dolores’ eyes sparkled at Vikir’s words. It was the first time she had heard about his hometown, so Vikir simply nodded in response.

“I also believe in the Absolute One’s existence. I hope the epidemic can be contained as soon as possible.”

“Your soul may be coarse, but… you’re a good person.”

Dolores suddenly wore a serious expression.

“Earlier, you mentioned seeing suspicious individuals, right?”

“Yes, I saw them pouring a liquid from glass bottles into the wells.”

“If this epidemic is indeed artificial… who could have done it and for what purpose?”

Dolores seemed deep in thought. An epidemic was not a simple matter. Once it started, it caused the most damage in communal institutions where people lived together, such as monasteries or schools. If an epidemic broke out in a monastery, the number of clergy would decrease, and heresies, sects, and superstitions would thrive. More clergy would be needed, and inexperienced clergy would be sent to the front lines, leading to a proliferation of heresies, sects, and superstitions.

Therefore, if an epidemic broke out, it would be politically disadvantageous for the QuoVadis family. In order to prevent such a situation from happening, they had to suppress the “Red Death” as soon as possible.

Vikir replied succinctly, “Those who wish for the decline of the Quovadis family. Those who benefit from it, I suppose.”

“It’s not easy to pinpoint.”

Dolores furrowed her brow, lost in thought.

Predicting the future course of events with her renowned genius intellect from the Academy seemed to be a challenging task for Dolores. However, Vikir had a comprehensive understanding of what lay ahead. After all, he had experienced all of this before his regression.

Finally, Vikir took out a map from his pocket, showing the positions of the seven major families centered around the Imperial capital.

“First, those who will benefit the most are the ruthless Reviadon family and the industrial conglomerate, the Bourgeois family.”

The Reviadon family, known for their use of poisons and medicines as their main weapons, would seize this opportunity to collect samples from numerous patients, study and research the epidemic, and improve it to use as their own weapon. As a family originally specializing in poisons and medicines, a severe epidemic outbreak would be highly beneficial to them.

Furthermore, the industrial conglomerate, the Bourgeois family also had a high chance of gaining significant indirect benefits. Gold and silver never disappear even in the face of an epidemic. With the deaths of laborers, landowners would go bankrupt, and they would take over their warehouses filled with gold, silver, banknotes, various production facilities, and real estate.

After people died and empty factories, farms, stores, guilds, and various real estate properties were swallowed up by the Bourgeois family at low prices, they would use the accumulated capital to start new businesses. Businesses catering to the newly wealthy, such as fashion or health supplements, would see their revenues skyrocket.

“I remember the Bourgeois family’s merchants visiting Ballak Village to buy items like ginseng and exotic tales, right?”

Vikir thought to himself. The ones who spread the Red Death were undoubtedly the ruthless Reviadon family. And the industrial Bourgeois family would most likely be their ally. These people were likely exchanging information and plotting behind the scenes. The Saint Mecca Quovadis and the indigenous people of the jungle were their sacrificial lambs.

“Therefore, for these reasons, I think they are closely involved in the epidemic situation. Of course, this is just a hypothesis.”

Vikir presented his hypothesis, adding some details based on the events and their aftermath that he had actually witnessed before his regression.

However, there seemed to be no particular reaction from Dolores.

“…?”

Vikir raised his head slightly, wondering why.

Then, beyond the gas mask, he saw the faces of Dolores and Mozgus. Both of them were frozen in place with their mouths partially open, without saying a word.