Episode 72: Red Death (Part 1)
Vikir reminisced about a distant past.
In his mind, he saw strange outsiders similar to those seen by the Ballak hunting party in his past and a snake-shaped patterned dagger passing by.
.
.
Come to think of it, that incident happened around this time.
‘
Here, ‘that incident’ refers to the ‘Red Death.
‘ Once infected, the entire body turns red with spots, and the person experiences vomiting and diarrhea, ultimately succumbing to a gruesome epidemic.
The Red Death quickly spread throughout the forest, killing a vast number of indigenous people.
It was as devastating as the Black Plague that had afflicted the Empire in the past.
This dreadful disease rapidly spread, even reaching the Empire’s borders before Morg’s chief priest, spread the Flame Barrier to contain it.
Additionally, Sister Dolores, dispatched from the Quovadis Sacred Family, used her potent divine power to treat the afflicted.
However, her treatment was limited to the Empire, and the indigenous people living in the enemy and Black Mountain territories suffered a death toll of over 40%.
These circumstances favored the Baskerville Clan.
With the disappearance of the savage tribes that played a crucial role in the enemy and Black Mountain ecosystems, lower-level monsters proliferated, leading to a sudden increase in monster waves and civilian casualties.
As the number of monsters surged, the Baskerville Clan’s influence in guarding the borders grew, further solidifying Hugo’s political standing.
“I can’t stand to see that.”
So, Vikir intended to prevent this epidemic.
He had heard quite a bit about the Ballak tribe over time.
Meanwhile, within the Ballak tribe, the old and young generations were in conflict.
The dispute between the older generation, who wanted to perform a ritual to prevent the epidemic, and the younger generation, who wanted to abandon the village and move elsewhere, showed no sign of ending.
Chief Aquilla remained silent, her brow furrowed.
She, too, seemed reluctant to leave this village where the ancestors’ remains were buried.
And the village shaman, Aheuman, understood Aquilla’s feelings well.
“How can we abandon this sacred place where our ancestors’ remains are buried?
Moving is out of the question!
We have been here for nearly two hundred years!
There were over ninety-nine remains stored in the sacred sites around the village.
Aheuman’s central argument was how to manage and care for these remains if they were to move.
However, Aiyen, representing the younger generation, was not backing down either.
“What if the epidemic returns, and all our children die?
Who will carry on our tribe’s future when all the seeds of the future disappear while trying to protect the ancestors’ remains?
Who will be responsible for the tribe’s future?
Ballak’s children already had a high mortality rate.
Typically, Ballak women gave birth from the age of fourteen and had new children approximately every two years.
The number of children born in a lifetime was roughly ten to fifteen.
The problem was that more than half of them died within a month of birth.
Only about 20% of infants survived beyond three years.
Most children died from malnutrition, infectious diseases, war, accidents during hunting, and more.
In addition, many mothers died during childbirth or suffered from postnatal complications, making Ballak’s birth rate significantly low.
With the addition of the Red Death, the future seemed bleak, with no clear solution.
In the midst of the generational conflict, Aquila, who was unaccustomed to the situation, spoke up.
“The problem is how the Red Death arrives and afflicts us.”
What is the Red Death?
Why does it afflict humans?
Unless this question is resolved, finding a solution would be fundamentally impossible.
Various answers came from different sources to Chief Aquila’s agonizing question.
“It’s a curse!
Definitely a curse!
“No, it’s not!
“It’s an epidemic transmitted through gazes!”
“The vengeful spirits of hunted animals are seeking revenge!”
“It’s because we ate weird mushrooms!”
“Our negligence in tending to our ancestors’ graves angered them!”
“There must be insects spreading the poison!”
“The gods have forsaken us!
The Forest God!
”
“The Empire brought the disease!”
While the Ballak people did not know the answers, they refrained from saying that they didn’t know.
Offering some answer, even if it was baseless, was considered a virtue.
Initially, this came from a good intention of not wanting to disappoint the one who asked, but in this situation, it was not proving helpful.
.
Aquilla, her brow furrowed, was expressing her perplexity when a quiet hand was raised.
“Vikir.”
He met Aquilla’s gaze and spoke up.
“If you want to know how to stop the Red Death, I understand it.”
About ten days had passed since then.
Splash, splash, splash.
.
A tied-up monster struggled in its restraints.
It was a goblin, the weakest among the humanoid monsters.
The goblin was tied up with its limbs and hung upside down, enduring torture.
[No, no!]
[Stop!]
Kyaaaah!
The goblin was repeatedly submerged in a large pot filled with water and pulled out.
It thrashed around violently for a while but suddenly calmed down.
Gradually, red spots began to appear on its skin.
The goblin vomited and stopped gnashing its teeth, the aggression it had shown just moments ago.
Then, it slowly shuddered in anticipation of the impending death.
On the other hand, Ballak warriors threw the goblin, now afflicted by the Red Death, into a pile of firewood soaked in oil.
There was no room for sympathy since it was a vile monster that kidnapped and ate human children.
Before long, the Red Death-afflicted goblin burned to death.
Then, the Ballak warriors turned their attention to the next goblin. In front of it stood Aiyen, holding the rope that bound the goblin.
“Vikir, is it true that the Red Death is really transmitted through water?” she asked.
Vikir, next to her, nodded, “Yes, that’s right. Contaminated water is the primary cause. But if you boil the water once, there’s no problem.”
“Is that so? Really?” Aiyen looked at Vikir with a trusting gaze.
Then, she placed another goblin in a different pot filled with the same water, using it as a comparison.
Suddenly,
[Splaaaash!]
The goblin perished instantly.
Vikir touched his forehead with his hand and said, “You have to heat the water back up before putting them in.”
“Ah, I see,” Aiyen nodded, also touching her forehead.
Soon, the water in the pot was boiling again. The Ballak warriors carefully placed another goblin into the pot.
Despite ten days passing since the onset of the Red Death incubation period, this goblin did not become infected. Chief Aquilla and all the Ballak warriors, astonished, cheered.
“We’ve found a way to overcome the Red Death!”
“The answer was in the water.”
“Simply boiling and drinking the water can prevent the epidemic?”
“Vikir, you’re a hero of our tribe!”
Praises and admiration poured in, along with looks of respect. The elders were pleased, and the younger generation looked up to Vikir.
Vikir, who didn’t particularly enjoy being in the spotlight, complied with the customs of the Ballak, where everyone surrounded him, spitting on their hands and showering him with praise.
He responded with polite applause and gratitude. “Anyway, be careful with the water. Don’t let it touch your mouth or eyes. It can also infect through the respiratory system, so be cautious of morning mist.”
Always boil and drink the water. Avoid approaching swamps. Simply following this rule significantly reduced the incidence of the Red Death. It was common sense not to come into contact with the excrement or corpses of the infected.
“You know everything, huh?” Aiyen exclaimed in admiration.
Vikir didn’t offer any specific response. Chief Aquila spoke up.
“Tell the other tribes about Vikir’s teachings, to be careful with the water.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was important for as many people as possible to know this fact.
Then, Aquilla got up and approached Vikir. Vikir lowered his head quietly. When he first faced her, it felt like a massive mountain pressing down on him. However, he no longer felt that oppressive weight. It was more like the warmth and tenderness of homecoming, the kindness of a real mother welcoming him.
Aquilla spoke with a gentle smile. “Thanks to you, we can see a way out of this crisis. I genuinely appreciate it.”
Just judging by her current expression and tone, one would never think of this woman as the ‘Night Fox.’
Vikir simply lowered his head in response.
Then, someone spoke up. “Hmph! How do you plan to stay away from the water when the rainy season is coming soon?”
It was Aheuman, the shaman. He stared at Vikir with a stern expression, clearly even more resentful due to a previous incident where a curse was wrongly attributed to the side effects of drugs brought by merchants. Vikir’s claim that the Red Death was not a curse but a preventable disease seemed to threaten his position.
However, Aheuman’s point was not entirely wrong. When the rainy season arrived, the rivers would flood, and countless raindrops would fall. The air would be filled with humidity, and numerous aquatic creatures would crawl out onto the land. If they carried the disease, there was no way to withstand it.
Boiling and drinking water and washing with it had clear limitations.
The Ballak warriors began to murmur.
Aheuman smirked, watching them become increasingly uncertain.
…However.
“We need to carry out civil engineering work before the rainy season comes,” Vikir continued calmly, firmly advancing to the next step of his plan.
Hydraulic engineering.
It was a necessary task for Vikir’s future plans, no matter what.
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