Chapter 14 Plague and Human Relationships: The Medusa's Rash
Everyone around was whispering, Leonard was still squatting at the door, and Ye Wan continued to read the full report:
Iron Curtain Daily front page headline
——【Silver Blade】Falling From Here: Paladin Leonard Alistair Leonidas was sentenced to five years in prison for spreading the plague
[Royal Capital News] At noon today, the Royal Capital's Supreme Court held a public trial of Leonard Alistair Leonidas, captain of the third division of the Paladin Order. The arbitration panel found him guilty of "dereliction of duty and condoning the spread of the plague." He was stripped of his knighthood and sentenced to five years in prison, and his Purple Iris Knight emblem was permanently removed.
According to the allegations, when Leonard blocked the southern Emerald Valley Village last month, he blatantly violated orders and released a pregnant woman without permission. Although he argued that the pregnant woman had contracted the disease in her childhood and would never be infected again, this move caused panic among the people and posed loopholes and risks.
According to our interview, the defendant remained silent from beginning to end.
According to reactions from all sides, the Knights Templar's Vice-Grandmaster, Carl Witte, publicly stated that "the Knights Templar's discipline always outweighs human feelings," while most people in the community believe that the Knights Templar were too radical towards a poor pregnant woman. We noticed that some nuns from Notre Dame stood outside the courtroom and knelt to pray for Leonard, and protested against the final verdict.
This newspaper's short comment: When the knight's sacred faith and warm human nature become a paradox, should the light of God favor the code or shine on people's hearts?
(This issue of the newspaper comes with a plague-prevention mugwort bag)
—From our reporter Luna Essel
Ye Wan quickly finished reading the newspaper, his eyes fixed on the last photo in the report, which showed Leonard walking out of the courtroom in shackles, with his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking.
Ye Wan wanted to argue for him, but someone beat her to it.
Granny Katya stood up with a cane, her eyes flashing with great anger, but her expression was full of sadness. She limped to Leo, raised her head and faced everyone:
"He didn't spread the plague intentionally, he just let me go out of sympathy!"
The ugly scars on Katya's face were still there. Dorothy stood beside Ye Wan, clasped her hands together, and whispered, "Goddess of the Earth, those are Medusa's rashes."
The story gradually became clear. Fifteen years ago, in the south of the kingdom, villagers in a village called Emerald Valley suddenly contracted the Medusa rash.
It was a terrible plague that caused people to develop a dense, gravelly rash on their skin.
It is said that the magic power emitted by Medusa's eyes can turn people into stone instantly, so this plague is also called Medusa's rash.
This plague spreads extremely quickly, destroying an entire village overnight, and has an extremely high mortality rate.
Of course, there are a very small number of patients who are cured. Although these patients will have indelible scars on their faces and bodies, they will never be infected with the rash of Medusa again in their lifetime.
After listening to Dorothy's explanation, Ye Wan understood that this was equivalent to chickenpox, or even closer to the extinct smallpox.
Katya contracted this disease when she was a child. Although the ugly scars on her face cannot be removed, at least she survived.
So when Leonard led the third squad of the Knights to surround Emerald Valley Village, the village chief pleaded, "Katya had it as a child and won't be infected again. Please let her go. She's pregnant."
Katya was 40 years old when she became pregnant with her first child, which was considered an older mother. A terrible plague broke out in the village, and her husband also died in the plague. She was malnourished and urgently needed the best doctor.
The village doctor had already run away upon hearing the news, leaving only the elderly, the weak, women and children.
Katya sat on the ground like a dead leaf blown down by the strong wind. Her pale forehead was covered with cold sweat, and her sweat-soaked hair stuck to her forehead. Her belly was already very big and tightly wrapped around her gray cloth skirt.
Leonard stood at the village gate, separated from the villagers who were begging in pain by a trench.
The muscles on his face tightened, and he stroked the sword in his hand again. The purple iris on it, representing the glory of knights, sparkled.
"Let him go," he heard his own voice say.
His subordinates came to persuade him that according to the order from the royal capital, not even a bird could fly out of this village. It seemed that they wanted to implement the principle of "it is better to kill by mistake than to let the criminal go" to the end.
"I will bear the consequences alone." Leonard said firmly: "Let him go."
Grandma Katya was released from the village. Others discriminated against her and refused to touch her, so Leonard had to take her to a nearby hospital by himself.
When they heard that the patient was from Emerald Valley Village, the doctors and nurses refused to admit him. Leonard had no choice but to draw his sword again and put it on the doctor's neck.
Unfortunately, the medical technology at the border was too poor and her child could not be saved.
Soon, the deputy commander of the Knights Templar led the first squad to the border, took over the Emerald Valley Village, confiscated Leonard's sword, and threw him into prison.
When Grandma Katya said this, she was already in tears. Leonard stood up silently and put his hand on her shoulder: "Don't say anymore."
People around him also began to blame Jack, saying that it was really not fair to do such a thing. Jack panicked and ran away with his people.
After Leonard comforted Grandma Katya, he solemnly said to everyone, "I will pack my bags immediately and never set foot here again."
"No!" Dorothy was the first to speak anxiously. "You're doing a good thing. Why are you leaving? You can't leave. That scumbag named Jack will never set foot in Honey Alley again!"
Everyone around nodded and agreed with her loudly.
Leonard looked around at everyone and nodded: "Thank you."
He opened the door of the bakery and helped Grandma Katya go in to rest.
The door was suddenly closed again.
Ye Wan and Dorothy looked at each other in bewilderment, and had no choice but to help disperse the crowd of onlookers: "Disperse! Disperse!"
Ye Wan's admiration for Leo increased, and he felt even more sympathy for Grandma Katya: "How about I make some more cookies and visit her every day?"
Muffin stood across from her and nodded vigorously.
Leonard's reputation has completely turned positive. He is a hero from the Paladins, full of love, who gave up all his glory to save others.
His bread-making skills haven't improved much, it's just okay but not particularly delicious, but there is always a long line in front of the store every day.
Because another reporter came to interview him and was about to write a report similar to "Paladin's laid-off and re-employment", but was ruthlessly kicked out.
In sharp contrast to his bustling shop, Katya's jam shop suddenly became deserted.
Ye Wan liked her shop very much. The shop was not big, but it was decorated very warmly. There was a rocking chair in the corner, and various jam jars were placed on the wooden shelf against the wall. Each one had a label. Grandma Katya marked the jam flavor, production date and sweetness on the label.
Grandma Katya carefully wraps her hair with a floral headscarf every day, and then stands there and slowly cooks various jams in a small copper pot. She carefully selects each fruit so that the fruit can release the most rich sweetness in the pot.
Ye Wan felt that her shop was like a warm and sweet corner. She liked to run there. When she opened the door, she could smell the sour and sweet raspberries, the sweet strawberries, and the rich aroma of peanuts.
Grandma Katya would look at her with a loving smile and then serve her a cup of hot fruit tea.
But recently there have been no customers buying jam, and Ye Wan is a little distressed.
Emma came to the tavern for lunch and said very impartially, "Oh, that must be the Medusa's rash. It's terrible. My father told me that a small country was destroyed by this plague. People are right to be afraid."
"But once that thing is cured, it will never come back." Ye Wan argued anxiously, "I think Granny Katya is safer than everyone else."
"That's what I said." Emma looked a little embarrassed: "I also like Grandma Katya, and I don't mind having afternoon tea with her."
Ye Wan nodded with satisfaction.
"But," Emma said, changing her tone, "prejudice is like weeds, hard to pull out of stubborn soil. I think it's also hard to eliminate other people's prejudices."
Ye Wan felt depressed when he thought about the fact that Grandma Katya, who was cheerful all day and could talk to hydrangeas, was discriminated against.
Seeing her dejected, Emma hurriedly said, "Let's visit her from time to time and let her know that at least the neighbors in Honey Lane love her very much."
Ye Wan strongly agreed with this.
The two baked a lot of cookies along with muffins, went out and turned left to go to Grandma Katya's Honey Lane.
The door is locked.
Ye Wan was surprised: "Why is it closed in the afternoon?"
Pancake climbed onto the roof in two or three steps, rolled into the room down the chimney with two "gurgles", then ran to the door, kicked his legs, jumped onto the copper door handle like a cannonball, and pressed it down hard.
The old spring catch snapped open, and it was flung outward, somersaulting on the wooden floor, and then lying on its back with its paws waving in the air.
Ye Wan hurried in and picked it up: "Well done, Pancake."
Pancake's face was covered in coal dust, and he was a little dizzy from the collision. He dazedly gave her a thumbs-up with his paw.
Ye Wan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Emma looked around the room, opened the cupboard, and said anxiously, "Don't laugh, this cupboard is empty. Where is Grandma Katya?"
Ye Wan quickly put down the pancake and ran over. The cabinet that was originally filled with various kitchen utensils was now empty.
The two searched inside and out and had to accept the fact.
Grandma Katya went on a long journey with her suitcase.
"She's so old, where can she go?" Ye Wan was very worried.
Soon the news of Grandma Katya's departure spread throughout Honey Lane, and everyone gathered at Ye Wan's small restaurant to find a solution.
"We have to find a way to bring her back." Penny from the tailor shop looked distressed. "I've never met anyone as good-tempered as Katya. I know she lost a child before, but I didn't know she was so...sad. I hope she comes back and tells her we love her."
The pub fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Leonard drained a large glass of beer in one gulp and said, "Everyone who goes out to become a king needs to verify their identity. I'll contact my old friends and see if I can get her address."
After all, he was once a knight, and everyone can trust Leo's connections.
He looked very determined: "I must bring my mother-in-law back."
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