Chapter 83: Black Death: Miracle [VIP]
clang--
The evening bells began to ring, and the people who were waiting in agony of silence glanced at each other unconsciously, then immediately looked away, as if they didn't want to see each other's faces.
But their hearts—
(Finally…finally…)
(Is it finally starting?)
(Will a miracle really happen?)
(What exactly is this “miracle”? When will it begin?)
People's hearts rustled like rolling waves. Even Adlon, who had always been calm, felt his heart beating faster and his palms sweating. He couldn't help but grip the hilt of the sword.
The attendant saw this and said: "Sir, would you like to drink some wine to relieve the pain--"
"I don't need anything!"
Adlon interrupted the attendant angrily.
(I wonder what happens next.)
Adlon opened his mouth and tried hard to catch his breath.
Seeing this, the members of the Knights placed their right hands on the hilts of their swords, gathered behind their master, and waited nervously.
"There's only one more bell left until the appointed time."
Haras, the chief staff officer and intermediate magician who followed Adlon, reminded him.
"Yeah, I know."
Adlon placed his left hand on his chest, forcing himself to remain calm. He smiled and looked up at the clock tower in the center of the square.
clang--
The final bell rang.
As the sound echoed, Haras suddenly let out a short, sharp cry of surprise.
"Sky!"
"Ah, I know—"
Adlon paused mid-sentence and looked up at the sky in disbelief.
The knights who were traveling with them all held their heads high, their eyes wide open, and remained motionless, turning into stone statues standing in the deepest part of the Death Desert.
The patients with the Black Death lying in all directions in the square had completely forgotten to breathe.
In their dying struggle, they tried to raise their heads to look up at the sky, reaching out their hands longing for a miracle towards the daylight that should have gradually dimmed with the sunset but was abnormally brighter today, and shouting in pain from their throats.
“Oh my God! God, God—”
(Has it started yet?)
Adlon tried to remain calm, his right hand on the hilt of his sword, looking at the miracle of the day. He whispered to Haras, "What do you think this is?"
“…I, I don’t know.”
Haras opened his eyes wide and said bitterly, "I'm sure this miracle is a massive magical display, but I don't understand it. It completely exceeds my understanding and imagination of magic... It, it..."
"Is it dangerous?"
"No, I mean it's completely different from the conventional understanding of magic... It's more like—wait!"
Haras suddenly opened his arms and rushed out excitedly as if a martyr had seen the long-desired God of Truth. He knelt on his knees in front of the steps of the bell tower, prostrated himself devoutly, kissed the dust on the ground, and let out a sharp cry.
"—Ah! I see you! The one in the prophecy! I finally see you!"
"The man in the prophecy?"
Adlon couldn't help but squint his eyes, staring at the bright daylight as bright as a star that appeared out of nowhere in front of Haras. It was as if his tongue was stuck. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
The strong light of day gradually faded, revealing a tall and slender human figure wrapped in light.
Adlon was stunned for a moment, and instinctively took two steps back, with his hands spread out helplessly, forgetting his original intention of drawing the sword.
(…How could this happen! How could this happen! What’s going on!)
In fact, even if the one who appeared before Adlon at this moment was the real Flash, who symbolizes light and order among the twin gods, Adlon would not behave so out of control.
However--
The young man in the white light has a rare delicate, beautiful and romantic face.
His cheeks were smooth and white, his nose was handsome and straight, his shiny dark brown curly hair fell to his shoulders, and his eyes, as deep and vast as the ocean, sparkled with an innate brightness and loveliness.
This man is more of a bard than a nobleman.
(…No! He shouldn’t be here! Why is he here! He, he…)
Adlon stared painfully at the young man who absolutely shouldn't be here, and at several pointed-eared Ya people behind him who looked like mythical elves. His Adam's apple rolled and he breathed weakly.
(This is a trick of the Dark Mage!)
(Yaris’s brother should still be waiting at the border with his Gaola convoy! He can’t be here! Impossible! Impossible! No—)
Confusion, hesitation, fear, trembling——
All sorts of emotions battled within him, leaving Adlon and everyone he brought with him as silent as stone statues.
At the same time that Adlon fell silent, the Black Death patients in the square woke up from their slumber one after another.
They stretched out their twisted, convulsed, and blackened hands, and with great piety, they crawled dully but firmly towards the young man who, according to the prophecy of the "Dream", would bring incredible miracles to Dalavia.
"Help me! Help me!"
!”
"God! Let me live!"
"Heal me! Heal me!"
“…”
The sounds of the dying were not loud, and some were so weak that they could go out at any time. Their bodies were blue and black, their limbs were deformed, and their surfaces were covered with sores and scabs, like those of a deceased warrior. Seeing such a group of creatures that were neither human nor ghost surrounding them, they had to scream in fear.
The young man in front of the clock tower smiled at the Black Death patients.
"People of Dalavia! Even suffering from the Black Death and famine, you steadfastly adhere to the faith of your ancestors. This is the faith of the Twin Gods, the 1347th head of the Holy Family, Jaris Aldo-Saints, the younger brother of the 1st Grand Marquis of Gaura."
", led me to you and granted me the privilege of healing you with the light of God."
“…”
"God... God's glory..."
"God! I love you...ah! God..."
"God...heal me..."
The patients rushed to the young man standing at the foot of the bell tower, crying.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Adlon quickly ordered the knights to form a human wall to surround Lucien, isolating the young man from the Black Death patients who were in a hysterical state. Bai Ji strode up to Xiao Yun.
"What do you want to do! Are you crazy? Even if it's the High Priest... well! Even in the years with the High Priest, this is the first time that the Black Death has broken out on such a large scale in the Western Continent!"
Adlon yelled at him, "Get back to Gaola or Maga! Don't cause me any trouble!"
"Adlon, I really want to save Dalavia."
"Save Dalavia? How? Everyone knows that there is no cure for the Black Death! Those who contract the Black Death will only die!"
Adlon roared, "Didn't you discuss this decision with your brother before you made it? I can't imagine what he would do after knowing you did something like this—"
"He supports my decision."
"What!"
"He said he supported everything I thought and that he would help me save Dalaviya at any cost."
"--you!"
Adlon choked.
(This guy actually... In other words, since everyone in the city had the same dream, everything was a trick of Yaris, the son of the devil! He really is...)
(But—if this was all Yaris's conspiracy, why did he unleash such a powerful magic only to make everyone have the same dream? With the powerful power he displayed in making everyone have the same dream, if he wanted, he could have used magic to instantly hypnotize my army—even let them kill each other in their sleepwalking! But he...)
(Damn it! I can’t understand his thoughts at all! What on earth are these brothers trying to do!)
The more Adlon thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
What annoyed him even more was...
The Black Death patients, blocked by the human wall, were desperately charging at the fully armed knights in order to grasp the elusive healing light.
"Let me through! Let me through!"
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
"God sent him to rescue us! He belongs to us! He is ours! Ours!"
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
“…”
These people could die at any time, but they are not afraid of any threat, unless -
"You guys line up."
A clear voice like the sound of nature rang out, and the group of Black Death patients who were as crazy as zombies in the previous second suddenly became the most docile lambs. They no longer rushed into the human wall. With tears in their eyes, they looked longingly at the face in front of the clock tower that was smiling brightly at them.
Xiao Yun walked to the front of the human wall.
"Send them over."
"Owner--"
The knights looked at Adlon inquiringly.
Adlon waved his hand in frustration.
Swish!
As soon as the human wall relaxed, a patient with the Black Death slipped through the gap, crawled in front of Xiao Yun, knelt on the ground, and carefully kissed the dust at his feet.
"God, please bless me! Shine on me! Have mercy on me! Save me!"
"I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Xiao Yun smiled compassionately at the patient suffering from the Black Death, took the pills he had prepared in advance, knelt on one knee, and gently fed them into the patient's mouth.
"Eat it, and you will gradually recover."
"real?"
The patient choked up as he looked at the beautiful face before him, the only one he had ever seen in his life.
"Yes, you will recover gradually."
After saying that, Xiao Yun waved his hand, and the Ya Clan attendant stepped forward and helped the Black Death patient who had taken the medicine up: "Please follow us over there."
“Oh God… God…”
The patient burst into tears.
When the other patients saw this scene, they all burst into tears and could hardly breathe. Even the knights in full armor shed tears silently under their helmets.
Without any guidance, the patients with the Black Death lined up in an orderly manner, one after another, reverently took the pills from Xiao Yun's hands, swallowed them, and followed the Ya tribe servants to the edge of the square, got on the carriage, and left the city of Ted.
…
…
The news of the miracle spread throughout the city like waves.
People flocked to the scene, most of whom were Black Death patients who had been hidden by their families.
Among them were elderly people, children in their mothers' arms, and disabled people who could not walk lying on stretchers, carried to the square by their relatives.
It was an indescribably strange scene.
Nearly ten thousand people gathered in the square, but it was so quiet that only breathing and heartbeats could be heard. Everyone was silent, waiting expectantly for their own miracle.
…
Night had completely fallen, but because torches or lights were lit around the square and on the clock tower, it was still as bright as day.
Looking at the silent crowd that filled the square, waiting for a miracle, Adlon suddenly felt a strong sense of fear and dizziness.
(A scene like this... a scene where he wins everyone's hearts without even saying a word... isn't that the ultimate scene every emperor dreams of?)
(No promises or orders are needed, everyone looks at themselves with eagerness and yearns for themselves...)
(At this moment, as long as one person says in the slightest voice to those around him, "I hope that Lord Lucien will become emperor," the entire square and even the entire city will respond with shouts like "Let Lucien become emperor" and "Long live His Majesty Lucien"...)
(That would be the most horrific development...)
Adlon thought sadly, covering his chest with his hands, as if his heart was pierced by a sharp sword.
As a knight of the Duke of Dalavia and Grand Duchess Anna, I am well aware of the irreconcilable conflict between Edmund and Yaris. Civil war in the empire is inevitable... If civil war breaks out prematurely due to Lucien's actions today, Edmund will definitely concentrate his forces to attack Maga City first, bringing Yaris, who requires external assistance to cast large-scale magic, as a valuable hostage and prisoner, and imprisoning him in the deepest part of the palace...
As Adlon imagined, horrifying scenes gradually emerged before his eyes.
...The army was about to attack the palace. Knowing that defeat was inevitable, Edmund ordered his confidants to set fire to the palace. He put on his most formal dress and crown, forcibly held the incapacitated Yaris in his arms, and sat upright on the throne.
Jarris tried to struggle, but his limbs had long since been broken, and his torn vocal cords couldn't even utter a cry for help. Even breathing became increasingly difficult due to the raging fire all around him. Like a white bird that had unfortunately fallen into a sea of fire, he watched with relief as Lucien, struggling to reach him, gradually died in the midst of immense despair and pain...
The palace began to collapse, burying Edmund, who refused to leave the throne until his death, along with the corpse in his arms...
(I don’t actually know what kind of bond there is between Jaris and Lucien, but even if their relationship is just the most ordinary brotherly love, seeing his beloved brother end up in such a tragic way... I’m afraid it would be difficult for Lucien as a younger brother...)
(Besides, Jarris’s body is even more delicate than a woman’s, like a flower that could be blown away by the wind at any moment… Even I, thinking that such a delicate and beautiful person might be whipped all over by Edmund with a thorny whip and suffer all kinds of terrible torture in the future, can’t help but feel heartbroken…)
(So, did Lucien really discuss what he did today with Jarris? Did Jarris know what his brother was doing?)
The more Adlon thought about it, the more uneasy he became, and his body began to stagger.
Staff Officer Halas supported him in time: "Master?"
"I'm scared..."
Adlon whispered, "I'm scared of what's happening here..."
"Why?"
Haras was puzzled. "For the past two months, all of us, including you, have suffered greatly from the Black Death epidemic, unable to sleep day and night. Now we finally see the dawn of hope... Why are you..."
"Is this really the dawn of hope? I don't think so."
Adlon stared at Haras, his eyes filled with fear: "... Yaris has always been smart and calculating. He shouldn't have let his brother do such a blatant and dangerous thing at such a sensitive moment... Unless..."
"Unless what? If it wasn't His Highness Yaris who made the entire city have the same dream at the same time, who else could have such a powerful and terrifying power?"
"I don't know...but..."
Adlon paused and said sternly, "Harras, do you remember the terrible tragedy that happened between Jaris and Lucien a year ago? The assassination and hypnosis, the mastermind of which has yet to be found!"
"Master, are you worried that Young Master Lucien has been controlled by the Dark Arts again?!"
"He looks lucid, not like he's hypnotized. Perhaps... I can..."
Adlon narrowed his eyes and looked at Lucien who was surrounded by the fanatical crowd.
…
…
After two days and nights of endless busyness, the Black Death patients gathered in Balvia Square finally received the pills that represented hope. After taking the medicine, they left the city of Ted in a carriage and headed for the border area. During the time when they were denied entry by Adlon, the people of Gaura followed the lord's orders and built dozens of isolation wards along the border to accommodate patients. They were equipped with a full set of disinfection and cleaning facilities, as well as fortifications to prevent patients from escaping uncontrollably. These were called temporary hospitals.
Now that the border is open, the aid from Baigaola and the first batch of supplies sent to Dharavia by the followers of the Twin Gods in response to the call of the temple have entered Dharavia in an orderly manner, greatly alleviating the originally precarious supply of materials.
All volunteers obeyed the orders sent by Yaris through the temple system and stayed in the newly built temporary hospitals along the border to assist the doctors and scholars who came to Baigaola in caring for the patients with the Black Death.
"--It looks like the Black Death outbreak in Dalavia is improving."
Adlon said in plain words.
At this moment, he had countless questions that he wanted answered, and he even had the dangerous idea of killing Lucien and nipping the flames of civil war in the bud.
But he was a military commander with noble character after all. Even though he was full of doubts and anxieties, when he saw Lucien's face full of fatigue and relief after he worked for two days and two nights without closing his eyes to create hope called a miracle for the patients of the Black Death, he slowly put the half-drawn sword back into the scabbard.
"Lucien, you should come back with me to the castle and rest."
"Thank you for your kindness... I, I..."
Fatigue struck Xiao Yun, and he fell straight down, and was caught by Lance and Richard who were following closely behind him.
"Lord Duke Adlon, please arrange a room for our master in your castle."
"My pleasure."
Adlon blurted out.
…
In the quiet darkness, Xiao Yun slowly opened his eyes and saw the crystal amulet on his chest sparkling. The air was filled with the sweet and elegant fragrance of Yaris's unique blend of Bisalua and Rosamari, with a hint of enchantment.
"Yaris?"
【Um. 】
The voice in his heart flowed into his brain, and a white figure emerged from the darkness, condensing into a translucent consciousness body, and walked to Xiao Yun's bed.
Lucien——
"Why did my brother suddenly appear here?"
Xiao Yun asked in confusion.
What do you think?
Yaris's inner voice was mixed with irritable anger.
"Lucien, you're being reckless. Even if the substance within you possesses the immense energy of a star, and you have renowned swordsmen like Lance and Richard to protect you, your actions in Balvia Square were still far too bold."
What if an enemy disguises themselves as someone with the Black Death and blends in with the crowd to get close to you? What if Adlon suddenly kills you out of hatred for me? What if the things in your body can't completely protect you from the Black Death?
"Brother, I won't do that again next time—"
"You're still thinking about next time! Just this once, I've already..."
"But brother, aren't you doing something dangerous right now? Using the power of the ninth floor of the Divine Tower and the pendant you gave me as a medium, you're sending your conscious avatar to me through dreams... What if He notices and takes advantage of the opportunity..."
[…I know what I’m doing.]
Yaris interrupted Xiao Yun eagerly, a rare shy expression appeared on his translucent face, and his teeth lightly bit his lips.
"elder brother……"
【……】
After a brief silence, he simply sat down, stretched out his translucent fingers and stroked his brother's cheek.
How do you feel now? Are you feeling better?
"My body is slowly recovering."
【That's good. 】
Yaris breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yun took the opportunity to raise his hand and hold the translucent palm: "What about you? Are you okay? That large demon from before——"
[I borrowed the power of the gods, so the cost of my physical body was not much.]
Yaris lowered his head, forehead touching forehead, and explained gently.
After the miracle at Balvia Square, Adlon, despite deep reluctance, had to accept you and make you the commander-in-chief of the White Territory of Dalavia's fight against the Black Death.
"Well, he was indeed quite dissatisfied with me, but he had to cooperate with me because of the miracle in Balvia Square."
Xiao Yun shrugged helplessly.
You don't need to worry too much about Adlon. Although he's Mother's knight, he doesn't harbor any particular resentment towards you. His dissatisfaction with me is also limited to his personal sphere and won't escalate easily.
In truth, Adlon dislikes me not only because he still deeply loves his mother, but also because he's a traditional, old-fashioned man. He firmly believes that men should be tall, strong, upright, and brave, and he takes pride in charging into battle. He detests the delicate, refined, and elegant aesthetic currently prevalent in the capital, and stubbornly believes that I'm the one who started this aesthetic trend, which poisons young people and weakens men.
"That's prejudice! People are different. Besides, although my brother is frail and delicate, his heart is more resolute and powerful than a general charging into battle!"
He's unwilling to even glance at me, so how could he possibly take the time to understand me? But this is all for the best. Precisely because he harbors so much resentment towards me and a certain amount of prejudice against you, and because of the Black Death, he's forced to collaborate with you, it's easier for him to develop a liking for you because of your excellence and excellence. Together with his son Adrian, he's gradually become our helper.
"I don't care if he becomes our friend just because we helped him solve the Black Death, but I must correct his prejudice against my brother! This idea is terrible! How can we assume that a person's heart is also..." just because he looks weak?
[Brother, calm down, calm down... Excessive excitement will prevent you from falling asleep.]
Yaris put his hands over his brother's and pressed them against his translucent cheek.
"I'm leaving now. Remember to get some rest. We still have a lot of things to deal with tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Good evening."
"good evening."
(Dear brother.)
Xiao Yun added silently in his heart.
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