A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 229 : The North (8)

Flap-

“Kuaaaaaaaak!”

As soon as the tent flap at the entrance to the barracks was lifted, a soldier's terrible scream could be heard.

It seemed he hadn't just started screaming; a barrier-type Divine Magic had apparently been cast around the tent beforehand.

Whoosh-

Sure enough, as soon as the group had entered and the flap closed, a faintly colored magic circle appeared.

It seemed they had judged it as a factor that could lower the morale within the camp, which had just seized momentum and was boosting its spirits.

“…Sir.”

“No need for a salute.”

The healing priest who had been observing the patient's condition tried to salute the Commander, Christopher Christian, but he shook his head and gestured for him to stop.

“What happened here?”

He already had a rough idea.

That his adjutant, Nolan, had disregarded etiquette, unlike his usual self, and thrown open the tent flap—it wasn't done for no reason.

Well, even without considering such circumstances, anyone would have focused their attention upon hearing such a scream.

“Well…”

The patient's condition was severe, even at a glance.

His mouth, from which ragged breaths escaped, was already foaming, and cold sweat was pouring from his entire body.

Of course, nothing was more natural than having patients on a battlefield, but the nature of these symptoms was different from what one would call a simple aftereffect of war.

There didn't seem to be any notable external wounds either.

“He's a close-combat soldier named ‘Hamel’. He came to me after the battle, saying he thought he had a fever. At the time, I was busy treating patients with severe injuries, so I just gave him a few fever reducers and sent him back.”

As expected.

The subsequent explanation from the healing priest proved that his condition wasn't simply due to battle wounds.

“But a little while ago, he returned and collapsed with an exhausted face. When I checked him myself, I realized it wasn't just a fever. His condition continued to worsen, leading to his current state.”

“…”

“I examined a few symptoms and felt something was seriously wrong, so I reported it directly to the adjutant. I thought it would be best for you, Commander, to see for yourself.”

“…So. What's the conclusion?”

“…I haven't diagnosed a specific illness yet, but he's showing respiratory symptoms like rapid breathing, dyspnea, coughing, and phlegm. A moment ago, he coughed up blood, and hemorrhagic spots and black necrosis of the extremities have appeared. I tried using healing Divine Magic, but far from improving, it only had the effect of worsening the symptoms…”

“In short.”

As the Commander held up a hand and cut him off, the healing priest, who had been rambling on about the symptoms, cautiously stated his conclusion.

“I believe…”

“…”

“It seems to be the Black Blood Disease.”

* * *

Although it would eventually be cited as one of the main reasons for the great defeat that led to the collapse of the Church Allied Forces.

The 'Northern Subjugation War' of the first timeline had not been on a path to failure from the very beginning.

It was a plan that had been prepared for a very long time, and the number of troops mobilized was not small.

The early stages of the subjugation war were a series of victory reports, perfectly fitting the description of a 'triumphant march'.

They crossed the Black Sea without difficulty, landed in the Demon King's Territory, and succeeded in capturing all the adjacent areas, continuing their momentum in the subjugation war.

…Yes.

Just like the current situation.

It was at this very moment that the tide of the Northern Subjugation War began to turn.

The first trap prepared by Isaac Einstein at the Southern Anti-Demon Front, .

From the outbreak of the 'Black Blood Disease'.

“…I see. The Black Blood Disease.”

“…”

As if he had spoken the unspeakable, the healing priest who mentioned the Black Blood Disease was watching his superior's reaction nervously.

However, the reaction of the Commander, 'Christopher Christian', upon hearing the words was calmer than expected.

The reason was simple.

“…Yes. It seems so, even to my eyes.”

He had already suspected it to some extent from the visible symptoms, the priest's insistence that he see it for himself, and the overall atmosphere.

That the terrible disease that had annihilated the entire North had reappeared before his very eyes.

Step, step-

Nodding, Christopher Christian slowly approached the soldier and tore open his clothes.

The buttoned undergarment was ripped apart.

Rip-

On his exposed chest were reddish spots interspersed with black ones.

Swoosh-

He turned his head to look at the soldier's feet and saw that the extremities were turning black, as if rotting from frostbite.

Those were, without a doubt, the symptoms of the Black Blood Disease.

‘…’

Anyone unfamiliar with it would probably not understand the current situation.

Due to the nature of war, it was natural for many to die and for diseases to break out in environments that could not be kept perfectly sanitary.

It was even difficult to define death from such causes as 'uncommon'.

But that was a sentiment only someone who didn't know about the 'Black Blood Disease' could have.

While other diseases might be overlooked, anyone who remembered the great plague that occurred in the North decades ago could never think of it on the same level as a common illness.

“…To think that demon's plague has appeared again.”

In the past, there were many reasons why the Order's northern region helplessly collapsed under the Demon King's Army's offensive, suffering Constellation hunts and being pushed back beyond the Black Sea.

But if one were to pick just a single, core reason among the many, it would be the 'Black Blood Disease'.

One might ask what's so special about a single disease, but the Black Blood Disease was not something that could be defined as merely one illness.

It was the worst disease in the history of the Guardian Cross Order, having caused the most deaths since its founding.

Using the Order's Divine Magic didn't cure it but only aggravated the symptoms, boasting a virtual 100% fatality rate.

The plague's transmission speed was faster than any disease the Order had ever experienced, infecting the entire northern region.

It completely ignored the usually inverse relationship between fatality and transmission rates, simultaneously holding the titles for the highest fatality rate and the highest transmission rate of any disease in history—truly a 'demon's plague'.

It wasn't for nothing that the Commander and the healing priest were reacting so gravely.

At the time, unable to find any way to improve the condition even when Divine Magic failed, they had ended up leaving all those infected with Black Blood Disease behind on the other side of the Black Sea, taking only the uninfected across. This remained a dark chapter in the Order's history.

Many might have forgotten its existence by now, but anyone who was part of the Order at that time remembered its terrifying name.

“Commander… this soldier.”

The healing priest's low voice addressed the Commander.

Seeing the healing priest opening and closing his mouth, as if debating whether he dared to say what was on his mind.

“…I know.”

The Commander replied in a heavy voice.

It was about how to deal with the 'Black Blood Disease'.

The transmission vector for Black Blood Disease had not yet been clearly identified, but according to the Order's data, the most likely culprit was 'physical contact'.

It was believed that some substance released from the skin surface of an infected person reacted with mana, causing the transmission of the Black Blood Disease.

Since experiments were impossible under the circumstances, no clear research results existed.

But based on numerous field cases, it was a cause that was accepted as almost established theory.

Therefore, upon discovering someone infected with Black Blood Disease, the best way to stop its spread was…

“…I suppose I must do it.”

The death of the infected.

One might think it was too harsh a measure for a disease one didn't contract willingly, but considering its incurable and contagious nature, it was practically the only way to suppress it in the early stages of an outbreak.

Moreover, death did not completely eliminate its infectiousness.

The exact mechanism was not understood, but the Black Blood Disease showed even stronger infectiousness during the coagulation process after death, so burial had to be completed within 30 minutes of death.

The reason the healing priest had spoken so cautiously to the Commander stemmed from this.

Only the Commander had the authority for summary execution of a soldier, and if this man was truly infected with the 'Black Blood Disease', killing him on the spot before he suffered further and burying him was the best course of action.

Of course, there was a chance it wasn't.

While the symptoms were nearly identical, one couldn't rule out the possibility of a 'cocktail infection', where the overlapping symptoms of several simultaneously contracted diseases mimicked those of the 'Black Blood Disease'.

However, the potential damage if it spread was too immense to take that risk.

The Black Blood Disease had already annihilated the lands beyond the Black Sea once; there was no guarantee it wouldn't do so again.

It was a situation where if the Black Blood Disease wasn't dealt with here and now, it wouldn't be strange if the entire Northern Subjugation War, which the Order had prepared for so long, fell apart.

The Commander's face was grim.

“Commander, I…”

Was it because he saw the look of resolve on his face regarding the soldier's fate?

The adjutant urgently called out to the Commander, but Christopher Christian shook his head.

“No. Everyone, leave. This is my duty.”

“…”

“Sir Seo U-jin, I must ask you to leave as well… Please wait in my barracks. I will finish this quickly and join you there. It won't take long.”

-Kuaaak!

The soldier was still screaming.

The healing priest, who had been watching silently, shook his head with a deep sigh and left.

*Shing-*

The Commander, 'Christopher Christian', drew his sword.

Its sharp, cold blade reflected a brilliant light, and the soldier, who had already lost his mind and was thrashing about, had the whites of his eyes showing, unaware of what was about to happen to him.

Gulp-

“…Let's go, Sir Hero. I'll guide you.”

The adjutant, obeying the Commander's words, began to lead U-jin outside. Hearing this, the Commander raised his drawn sword a little higher.

And at that moment.

“That's not a very good choice, Commander.”

“…?”

U-jin's low voice stopped the Commander in his tracks.

“You'll regret it, probably.”