"This whole affair is growing more intriguing. Miss Stuart was generous enough to let me consult some records in the royal library. We reviewed the accounts of the undead plague from thirty years ago. That one came without any warning. By the time the Church realized what was happening, the plague was already completely out of control. I imagine that starting tomorrow, Nolan City and its surrounding towns will begin preparations to face the plague. No one wants a repeat of that tragedy."
Alexia explained, raising her teacup to Miss Stuart in a gesture of thanks. Flustered, Miss Stuart quickly raised her own in response.
"So, how will they prevent it? Will the Church distribute some foul-tasting but effective medicine?"
"Of course not. Nolan City's population is simply too large."
Alexia shook her head. "You see, even with the Church's considerable resources, it would be impossible to produce enough remedies for the entire city on such short notice. If it's confirmed that the sword has reappeared, the first step will be to publish warnings about a great plague in the newspapers. Then, they'll have respected professors or doctors publish articles advising citizens on preventative measures."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Jenkins and Miss Stuart nodded in unison. Jenkins then added, ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ noⅴelfire.net
"We can be certain that the sword has indeed reappeared. Which means the Church and City Hall must be in an uproar. I'll bet that when I get my milk and newspaper tomorrow morning, the plague will be the front-page headline."
Aside from the few lucky souls like Robert who managed to recover, death was almost certain within seven days of infection. However, one theory suggests that resistance to the plague can be passed down genetically. That was the opinion of a medical journal from thirty years ago, and if it's true, then at least the Williams family—aside from Mary—shouldn't be in any great danger.
No real cure was ever found for that plague. It only stopped because the Church found the sword's wielder and all the quarantined infected eventually died out.
Even now, older people who remember it turn pale at the mere mention of that disaster. Consequently, prevention should be far easier than thirty years ago. At the very least, people are fully aware of what they're up against.
"After the disaster thirty years ago, cremation was promoted across the entire continent. But implementation in the Fidektri Kingdom has been... difficult. It worked for the first few years, I suppose, but now..."
As Jenkins spoke, he thought of the tragedy that befell the Gaerte family in the suburban cemetery. If Mr. Gaerte had been cremated before burial, at least his wife and child wouldn't have been killed by his reanimated corpse.
"The situation with cremation in the Hamparvo Kingdom isn't much better, actually."
Miss Stuart, who also knew a bit about the situation, sat ramrod straight in her chair, a stark contrast to the relaxed postures of the other two.
"From what I understand, the cremation rate in the southern part of the kingdom is less than ten percent. In the north, there's practically no data on cremation at all. Mr. Williams, are you aware that we even have a tradition of leaving our dead exposed on the ice fields? You can't imagine what the wolves on the far northern ice caps subsist on."
The Hamparvo Kingdom is located in the northern part of the continent. Unlike the other two major kingdoms, while it has the largest landmass, about a fifth of its territory is extremely inhospitable to human life. Of the remainder, another third is also quite unsuitable for habitation. These regions are mostly populated by the true indigenous peoples of the northern continent.
Some researchers believe these people are born with a natural resistance to the cold. And their burial custom is to lay their dead out upon the ice caps.
"Let's hope the Church finds the damned wielder soon, at least before he grows too powerful."
Jenkins muttered. He no longer possessed his divine power; if he faced that opponent again, he wasn't sure he could win. All he could do now was actively join the search and pray that the demigods of the diocese could handle it.
Jenkins absolutely could not allow a great plague to ravage the city where his family, his friends, and his cat lived. To that end, he was prepared to dive headfirst into the trouble to find any clues he could.
As things stood, neither the Orthodox Churches nor the human kingdoms had yet mastered a widespread cure for the plague from thirty years ago. Certain rituals or Extraordinary abilities could certainly save an individual, but they couldn't be implemented on a large scale.
Although the plague had little to no effect on Benefactors, especially one of Jenkins's level, the ladies still urged him to be careful.
Jenkins wasn't particularly worried on that front; he didn't believe the plague could affect him personally.
"Oh, but can animals, like cats, get infected?"
The thought of Chocolate made Jenkins's brow furrow with worry.
"Of course. Any living creature can be infected."
Alexia knew exactly what was worrying Jenkins, but she had no answer for how to protect their pets.
Even though the Skull Sword had only just been discovered, the panic it carried had already infected everyone who knew of its return. Jenkins could imagine the state of things inside Nolan's churches right now. The only real solution was to find and recover that sword.
Even the Legacy Sage Church had no records on the specific origins of A-12-1-0044, the Skull Sword of the Departed Soul. It was an exceedingly dangerous Cursed Item. If one were to rank all the Cursed Items cataloged by humanity according to their level of danger, it would easily be in the top ten.
The plague was merely a side effect of the sword; Jenkins believed the true terror was the tide of undead it could raise. Thirty years ago, the undead legion was destroyed before it could fully form. He wondered if the Church would be so lucky this time around.
An organized legion of the undead is far more terrifying than any mortal army. They maintain perfect morale, feel no fear of sacrifice, and have no aversion to returning to the dust—all things the living cannot claim.
Humanity has no known method for defeating A-12-1-0044 head-on, but it is, after all, just a weapon. Killing its wielder is the best way to resolve the situation. As for defeating the Skull Sword itself... Alexia believed humanity simply didn't possess that kind of power.
"Are you saying that divine power could?"
Jenkins concluded, his mind already racing, wondering where he could possibly get his hands on another drop of divine power.