Chương 113: 109. Workers’ District

Revel walked through the city streets with Lira and four guards from her estate. Master Eldrich had decided to end the escort quest early, which meant her adventuring days were over, and she needed to start acting as the heir of Morcant. The real reason behind it was the letter that had arrived from her father. Master Eldrich was a merchant employed by her father. It had taken her two days before she managed to make up her mind, and with everything else going on, she felt drained.

She was certain that she would miss her old adventuring days, even though she hadn't been an adventurer for more than just a few months. The county and her family came first, and neither was doing too well these days.

"It really suits you," Lira said, a warm smile on her face. Revel tilted her head. Lira's smile widened.

"Your dress!"

"Oh… thanks," Revel said. It was the first time she had worn anything other than her mage's robes. Now, she was dressed in a black dress with silver engravings on the front. She had to uphold the standards of her station. She much preferred her mage's robes, but the dress wasn't as bad as she'd initially thought. It was also weird having the guards around. Two of them walked a few steps in front of her, while the other two were behind. They didn't allow anyone to get close. She exhaled slowly.

In just a few minutes, after they passed the merchant district… well, it was mostly just a street. She was still getting used to the capital's naming sense. The air around them changed. It was closer to that of the slums than the smell of oil and herbs from before. There was also a hint of rot... it reminded her of the smell of corruption, but it was only a faint resemblance. As soon as they passed the checkpoint that separated the better part of the city from the workers' district, the whole atmosphere changed.

Revel watched the streets, filled with countless people. Most of them looked sick and frail, lying on the ground. Some looked to be in better condition, but they too would be met with a similar fate soon. There were hundreds just on the first street, and countless more she would find on the next. The place looked more like the slums in the capital than the workers' district she had once known. Everything had changed after the corrupted had increased their attacks and taken a large part of her family's territory.

Most of the people around her were refugees, forced to flee their homes because of the corrupted and ending up in cities that were already far too overpopulated, with no work available. Revel forced herself to keep her gaze on them. It wasn't the first time she'd seen this sight, but back then, she was just an adventurer, and she couldn't do anything about it. As soon as she had been allowed to adventure, it was as if all the weight she had carried had been lifted, giving her a chance to start anew.

But now, even before the letter had arrived, she was already drowning under that weight again. They were her responsibility, and she would have to find a way to provide work for everyone so they wouldn't need to live in the streets, as well as build more shelters for those who couldn't work and provide for themselves. It would take a long time, but she was willing to see it through. The first step was finding a way to start, which was the hardest part. Lira stroked the back of her neck, dragging her feet.

The girl's mood had changed ever since they crossed the checkpoint. Revel got closer to her.

"What's the matter?"

"I-" Lira stammered.

"This place just… I'm not sure how to explain it. It feels like it brings back bad memories, but… I don't really have any bad memories of it." Revel wasn't sure how to reply to that. She knew a bit about her past and her addiction; she also knew that Dareth had somehow healed her, but she didn't know how.

"I can send you back?" Revel said.

"N-no… I'll be fine. I just need a minute or two…" Revel just nodded, and as soon as she saw a decent place that wasn't overcrowded, they stopped. She gave Lira a water bottle from her inventory while one of the guards took out a chair for her. Lira sat on the chair and stared at the ground, her hands holding her chin.

"My Lady," said Velion, pointing toward a girl on the other side of the street. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The girl was sitting on the ground, her back against the wall of the building.

"The girl?" Revel asked. Velion was the captain of the guard of the garrison of Wolk City. A fighter at the level of a high-level knight.

"Her left arm." Revel turned her gaze toward the girl's arm. It had black dots from her hand, going all the way toward her shoulder, where her shirt was torn and her skin was showing.

"The illness?"

"It could be," Velion nodded.

"At least, that's how the report references it." The break took them more than fifteen minutes before she stood and nodded toward Revel. Their journey continued afterward. During the break, she'd noticed at least three more people who had the same black marks on their bodies. She decided not to do anything until she'd heard what the city's healer had to say about it.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah… Dareth did say that there might be some side effects, but… I didn't expect this to happen. I'm sorry for wasting your time," Lira said, her head held low. Revel slowly patted her head.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing." The rest of the journey was spent in silence. The closer they got to the healing center, the more the number of ill people increased. They were literally everywhere. The guards walked a few steps farther away, increasing the distance between themselves and the people around them. Revel was certain that they didn't want anyone affected to get anywhere close to her or Lira.

"My Lady, I don't think it's safe enough for you to visit the center. I can get the lead surgeon here," Velion said.

"No… I want to see it for myself." Velion looked like he was prepared to argue, but after she gave him a stern look, he gave up.

"My lady, we're here," one of the guards said, pointing toward a larger building. It was a taller building than most, but it was also quite long. It took up enough space for almost three buildings of the average size in the workers' district. Revel nodded as they began to approach. She studied the people around the building. Most of them had black markings on their bodies, while some had bloodshot eyes. Coughing came from all around her, and the air smelled of rot.

The guards halted, while Velion moved toward her and gave signals to the others. The guards formed a small circle around her within moments.

"My lady, we should retreat to the estate. I don't think it's smart to stay here. Whatever it is, it's certainly spreading," he said.

"I…"

"Please, my Lady," Velion said as he stood in front of her, blocking her path. Lira kept glancing around them, her hands gripping her sleeves.

"This… this is a lot more than I expected," she muttered. The coughs continued all around them. Revel wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't want to leave, but at the same time, she didn't think staying and catching whatever the people had would be good for the city. She wouldn't really be of help if she was stuck in bed, draining all the resources the city had to deal with her instead of finding a cure for the sickness.

"Who's that?"

"I think it's the lady of the city. But she looks too young to be her." Conversations were happening all around her, but Revel was still struggling to make up her mind. She knew it was dumb, but… for some reason, she still wanted to continue and enter the building. Why was that? Was it because she had finally decided to make a change?

"Revel," she heard Lira's voice.

"We should go," she said, motioning around her. A lot of the ill had started approaching them.

"Back!" a guard yelled. Shrring! The guards unsheathed their swords and raised their shields.

"I saw Lady Ellen once, and it does look like she's her!" a young boy shouted.

"Lady!" an older woman shouted, walking toward them.

"When will the priests help?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"My son… my son is sick and…" She let out a dry cough that lasted a few seconds. The older woman wiped her mouth and took a deep breath.

"Please, can you get the priests involved?" she pleaded.

"Yeah!" someone else shouted from the gathering crowd. The crowd continued shouting and approaching, while the guards kept shouting for them to move back. It was a total mess. Revel wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. They saw her as the Lady of Wolk—Ellen. She took a deep breath and felt Lira's hand on her shoulder.

"Lady, we should go." Revel wanted to say something, promise anything. But… she couldn't. She didn't have enough sway with the priests, and looking at the number of the ill, she was certain she couldn't afford to pay the priests to help. She already planned to visit the Temple, but what if they declined? Dareth came to her mind. If… what she thought of him was true, then even if it wasn't, he had already demonstrated a lot of power in healing. He was the only one who could help them if the church refused.

"Step back!" Revel looked around and noticed the people getting closer to them. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder before she was whisked away by Velion. Revel looked around and noticed the people getting closer to them. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder before she was whisked away by Velion. In front of her, the guards were pushing away the crowd that stepped in their way.

Lira was running next to them while the last guard was a few steps behind, stopping anyone who tried to approach them from behind. She allowed herself to be taken away by Velion. It… she didn't know why. It somehow felt easier. A few seconds passed, and their speed slowed until they stopped.

"Out of the way!" the guard shouted, his sword hitting his shield. The guard continued shouting, but they didn't move for a few seconds. Velion released her hand.

"Stay here," he said.

"I need to check out what's happening up front." Revel nodded as Velion glanced behind them before moving toward the front.

"What's happening?" Lira asked.

"I'm not sure." Noises erupted from behind as the guard in the rear handled some of the civilians who were approaching him. A few ill people approached him and started talking to the guard. The man shielded himself with his shield while trying to get them to retreat. Revel returned her focus to the front, trying to see what the holdup was.

"Lady," came from beside her. She turned and saw an old woman approaching her, a small child cradled in her arms. Most of her body was covered in black, and her eyes were bloodshot. The kid looked unconscious, while he, too, was covered with the marks. Revel's hands shook as she stared at the woman. She wasn't sure how the illness could spread so far without her being notified. She knew that… she didn't have any authority until a day ago, but still… she should have known before coming here. Or…

perhaps no one knew the severity of the illness.

"Please," the woman said, her voice low.

"Save my grandson." In moments, she was already a step or two away from her. Lira stood next to her, but she, too, was just staring at the kid in the woman's arms.

"Please…" she repeated before a hard, rough cough shook her. The cough turned bloody in moments as Revel felt wet drops all over her. No. She turned toward Lira and saw dozens of bloody dots covering her face. Her eyes widened. Revel raised her hand, taking out the staff from her inventory… but it was already too late.