Savage Forest - Chapter 56 - Belle Reservoir

Confronted by Piache’s fierce and resounding voice, akin to a howling beast atop the man’s back, the woman from Servia had no choice but to prepare the Gerpan as requested.

Suddenly, Enya and Ihita appeared, mounted on the prepared Gerpan, and set off to explore the outskirts of Servia’s region. Accompanying them like a faithful shadow were Rigata and his subordinates.

The residents of Servia’s region initially appeared taken aback by the larger group than anticipated but quickly regained their composure and allowed them entry to the location where the ailing child lay.

Indeed, just as the woman from Servia had described, the child’s condition, writhing in pain on the bed, appeared dire.

Piache swiftly examined the child, her expression growing even darker than before as she surveyed the surroundings.

“Oh no… it’s already too late.”

The mother of the child sobbed when she heard those words.

Enya felt her heart burn at the shocking sight. She slowly approached the place where the child was breathing hard. Seeing that, Piache stopped her with a surprisingly loud voice.

“Wait! Don’t come closer! As expected, it is very likely to be a plague.”

A sudden sound reverberated through the room, causing everyone present to freeze in their tracks.

In that moment, Enya keenly felt the weight of the eyes naturally fixated upon her. Memories of a nightmare from several decades ago flooded her mind. She gritted her teeth and bowed her head.

It was during a devastating plague that had struck Aquilea long before she had even met Tarhan. Countless Aquileaans had succumbed to excruciating pain, their bodies decaying before their very eyes. The lifeless forms of the afflicted had been left scattered in barren fields, serving as grim reminders of the plague’s relentless grip.

Regardless of how much time had passed, the people of Aquilea still regarded her as a carrier of the plague. Some, aware of her physical disability that had rendered her powerless, had gone as far as blaming her as the source of the plague itself.

“I-I am not. I am…”

Enya clenched her teeth and swiftly raised her hand, attempting to interject and plead. However, Old Lady Piache, paying no heed to the suspicious glances directed at her, ordered.

“What the hell are you trying to bring up from years ago?! She didn’t become like this because of the plague. Rather, it is important to plan to deal with the plague quickly. I’m sorry, but this child and the house must be isolated. If things go wrong… we may have to burn it whole.”

Upon hearing Piache’s callous words, the child’s mother crumbled to the floor, weeping. The people around her didn’t say anything after that either.

* * *

Following the incident, simple treatment centers were established in Servia’s region.

Piache, along with Enya, Ihita, and a few assistants, took charge of caring for other patients with symptoms similar to the child. They diligently tracked down other patients displaying similar symptoms and isolated them in separate barracks, rotating the caregivers who were carefully selected from the region.

Although the caregivers held fear in their hearts towards the plague and Enya, they dutifully followed Piache’s instructions and worked diligently.

Due to the prevailing fear, nobody wished to come near the barracks. Piache and the women who were enlisted for assistance wore peculiar-looking overalls that enveloped their hands and feet, with cloth wrapped around their mouths and heads.

“The most important thing is to never touch the skin.”

With Piache’s orders, they were careful not to touch the skin whenever they cared for a patient whose skin was covered with boils and pus. This was not an easy task when the hands and feet were tied with a cloth despite the cloth being thin.

Nevertheless, they exerted their utmost efforts to prevent the further spread of the disease.

At a time like now, with all the men previously engaged in hunting now conscripted for the battlefield, the availability of supplies dwindled to a great extent. The situation grew increasingly dire as they rationed the limited food supplies they possessed.

Reports even surfaced of women engaging in disputes over the scarce resources within Servia’s region.

To make matters worse, the number of patients, initially around ten, steadily increased, necessitating the construction of additional barracks.

In the end, news came that even in the place where the Perugian women of Avisak were living, patients were appearing one after another.

The plague even struck the people of Nervana Forest.

When one of their people began to have red spots, the people of the forest also selected a few to serve as caretakers and sent them to the shared treatment barrack.

Among them was Fiarca.

Wearing protective garments, Fiarca and Enya attended to the patients. Observing the dire quarantine situation in Aquilea, which was rapidly deteriorating, Fiarca muttered with beads of sweat trickling down her temples.

“If it keeps going like this, it looks like we will be wiped out before the army even return…”

Enya forgot the time spent consciously ignoring the Nervana people and found herself cooperating with them as before. The people of Nervana Forest naturally assisted in combating the plague, offering their support to the pharmacy without bringing up what happened at that time as well.

The caregivers tirelessly attended to the patients, often working without being able to consume three proper meals a day. They took brief breaks, chewing on cold food or dried beef jerky to sustain themselves.

During the day, Enya worked alongside the caregivers, and at night, they took turns. Rigata and the other men formed a supportive circle around her, lending their assistance.

Enya couldn’t sleep every night.

Boils characteristic of plague patients appeared in the dream. It wasn’t her skin, it was Tarhan’s scarred skin. Every time she had such a dream, she jolted awake with a horrifying scream, her back drenched in cold sweat.

At dawn, she would stare blankly at the ceiling, consumed by worry for Tarhan.

Did he sustain any injuries? Was there another wound? If he were to die because of it, she would surely die as well.

Even though it was a thought she always had every time he went out, the meaning of that moment was different.

Tarhan, as the leader of the vast allied army, carried the weight of countless lives on his shoulders, and she understood the immense pressure he must be experiencing. Determined to alleviate the burden of the impending plague upon his return, she pushed herself harder and sacrificed her sleep.

Seeing her, the Nervana people, including Fiarca, expressed their concerns about her.

“Enya, are you okay? You look very pale. I haven’t seen you eating lately.”

“I’m okay. I think I need to change the bandage on the leg of the Perugian patient in the second barracks. The ooze was so thick that I couldn’t even fully recognize the shape.”

“I’ll do it, so you go and get some rest.”

Reyhald interjected, his brawny arms carrying two large water jars, each dwarfing his upper body. He had been recently enlisted from Nervana Forest and was lending his assistance in the treatment efforts.

“You move this jar quickly!”

Ihita’s voice chimed from behind him.

She, too, struggled to be seen amidst Reyhald’s imposing stature, but she valiantly held a jar nearly as tall as her own body, emitting soft whimpers.

Seeing her, Reyhald let out a sigh and skillfully balanced Ihita’s jar atop the ones he already carried, effortlessly managing three in one go. In an instant, he carried three jars at once and pointed at Ihita with a wink.

“I’ll do this, so you can go and have a look, then.”

Glaring at Reyhald with a fierce glare, Ihita grumbled and walked toward the second barracks as he said.

Enya noticed that the atmosphere between the two of them was unusual these days but decided not to pay attention. The fact that Reyhald was the only male member of Nervana Forest not to go to the battlefield also seemed to have something to do with it.

“More than that, Enya, there are really bad rumors going around.”

As Fiarca came up to the tree where she was resting and spoke to her, Enya asked as she got used to moving to the spot next to her and made a place.

“What rumors are you talking about?”

Fiarca’s expression was vaguely sunken as she answered.

“It’s a strange rumor that the plague that’s circulating now has the same symptoms as leprosy that occurred decades ago and that the cause was that the host was living among the healers when Old Lady Piache was alive.”

As soon as Enya heard that, her face darkened at once.

“Don’t, don’t mind it… They’ve been like that for a very long time. They’re always blaming me and Tarhan. This time, too, they are just trying to find a victim.”

She said so, but her hands trembled.

Leprosy that began decades ago. The whole body decayed, and the sagging limbs got separated from the human body. Thinking about it, a chill ran through her body.

Fiarca watched Enya with sharp eyes and then opened her mouth.

“I agree with that. Though from now on, you need to be more careful with yourself. I would like to increase the protection for you from the Nervana Forest, what do you think?”

Fiarca insisted that it was part of her job to protect the daughter of the forest, so Enya could only nod her head.

Nevertheless, the situation inside only got worse and worse.

“Get, get away…! Don’t touch my son…!”

An Aquilea woman was frightened as Enya’s hand was approaching her son, who was visiting the clinic for symptoms of the plague. Ihita, who was there with her, put her hand on her waist at once and screamed.

“What is this…?! Enya was just trying to take care of your son. She was just trying to treat it at her risk!”

With Ihita’s shout, even Reyhald, who was nearby, ran. At first, the woman tried to scream towards Ihita, too, but she shut her mouth as soon as she noticed Reyhald approaching the barracks with a grimace.

“Disgra… Get rid of those people!”

Fiarca and Yaru, who heard the story later, also protested furiously, but Old Lady Piache shook her head, saying she couldn’t do that.

“The plague spreads. We have no choice but to put them together in an isolation facility. If we let them out, more will come. If so, it’s only a matter of time before everyone here dies from the plague.”

Enya also reassured them and persuaded them. It was because Old Lady Piache was right.

Still, it stayed that way.

After hearing that strange rumors had started to circulate, the number of people rejecting Enya always increased.

“For the time being, Enya, you take care of Perugia and other tribesmen. You must not enter the barracks on Aquilea’s side.”

Despite Piache’s attempts to reassure her, Enya found it difficult to disregard the feeling of rejection. She had dedicated herself tirelessly to caring for the patients, yet it seemed her efforts were met with indifference.

To make matters worse, the other tribesmen, influenced by the rumors, started to regard Enya with suspicion. The growing sense of mistrust weighed heavily on her, further adding to her burden.

“Shameful b*stards…! All of you should get sick with the plague and die!”

Ihita huffed and cursed at them.

Enya was so exhausted that she couldn’t even stop Ihita’s madness. Physically, her condition deteriorated day by day, her once robust figure visibly dwindling. Her nights were plagued with restless sleep, haunted by Tarhan’s concerns. In the daytime, she faced not gratitude but a barrage of insults from those she cared for.

Even if it wasn’t, she continued to feel uncomfortable that she ate so much less. With such mental and physical tension added, her body couldn’t stand it.

Eventually, Enya asked Piache to let her stop treating patients.

“…I can’t help it.”

Since Piache was also well aware of the situation, she placed Enya back in the pharmacy. There, Enya resumed her original role of growing and harvesting herbs and managing the storage.