"You mean to say, the person possessed by the devil is actually me."
Old Leicht still sat in front of the house, with an axe placed beside his chair. He raised his eyes to look at Ethan, who had returned once again, appearing much more stable than Ethan had expected.
Ethan said, "We investigated Blanche’s corpse, found the wolf pack that attacked it, and discovered this inside their bodies."
The red tapeworms in the glass jar continued writhing tirelessly. Old Leicht stared at the glass bottle, lost in thought.
Parasites, viruses, infections—these unfamiliar terms were difficult for a farmer who hadn’t read many books to understand, so he filtered Ethan’s words into language he could comprehend, sifting out some comforting news.
His son wasn’t possessed by the devil; the reason he could see these visions was that the devil had tainted his eyes.
And Blanche’s bizarre death seemed to have now received an explanation he deemed reasonable.
Old Leicht felt a weight lift off his shoulders. For the first time in five days, he genuinely relaxed his body, leaned back, closed his weary eyes, and let out a long sigh.
While Ethan and Old Leicht were in conversation, Rowena, enduring the smell, went to the stable. With Little Leicht’s help, she retrieved some of Blanche’s leftover mane.
"Blanche ran away, which saddened the old man greatly."
Little Leicht sat on top of a high stack of hay. He didn’t resent his father’s recent odd temper at all. Whenever hunters came by, he would cooperate with their investigations as much as possible. Those people used silver knives to cut his skin, leaving scars on his left arm.
He had also ingested large amounts of purifying salt, rendering his tongue tasteless for a long time. "When Blanche first arrived at the farm, she was just a foal. The old man raised her to adulthood. To us, she was like family."
Talking about Blanche brought a smile to Little Leicht’s face. He gazed at the empty stable as if Blanche had never left. "There must have been a reason why she suddenly ran out of the stable, Miss Divination. You’re a good person. Thank you for telling us these things."
Rowena wondered, "Aren’t you curious why she wanted to run away?"
She couldn’t understand why someone would consider a horse as family. This farm always gave her a strange feeling. After learning about the red tapeworms, the Leicht family ceased further inquiry, as if they already knew the answer.
Yet she couldn’t comprehend, feeling surrounded by riddles.
So Rowena placed the tan mane on the crystal ball, allowing her to clearly see what exactly had happened on this farm.
Her vision carried her back to the night five days ago. It seemed like just an ordinary evening. Little Leicht was sitting atop the high haystack, just like now, narrating recent events in the town to Blanche. He mentioned the Knight Order from the empire, clad in impressive armor, and recounted the tragic incident in Riverside Town, mourning the lost souls.
Blanche lay quietly on the ground, tilting her head as if she truly understood what Little Leicht was saying. Each time he finished a story, Blanche would let out a soft whinny like an audience.
Little Leicht kept talking until he grew a bit sleepy, then jumped down from the haystack. He patted Blanche on the head, energetically telling her that winter was approaching, and he and the old man planned to renovate the stable in a few days.
After Little Leicht left, Blanche stood up from the ground. She appeared in pain, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid. Before long, she lowered her head and coughed up blood.
She stumbled out of the stable, which wasn’t difficult for her since the Leicht family didn’t tie her up with rope nor lock the stable. They never seemed concerned that Blanche might escape the stable when they weren’t looking.
The night was deep, and Blanche stood on the farm for a long time, turning her head to watch the house until the last light went out.
The image in the crystal ball stopped.
Rowena had an unbelievable thought.
This horse knew it was going to die, so it quietly left the farm.
But it was just a horse, not something transformed through magic nor a cursed being like Miss Keroy.
When Rowena left the stable, Ethan and Old Leicht’s conversation was also coming to an end.
"You’re the most knowledgeable person in the town, I trust you."
Old Leicht picked up the axe and handed it to Ethan, looking at him with clouded eyes, his entire demeanor relaxed. "Now it’s my turn, I only have one request. You must ensure that these damned worms in my body don’t infect anyone else."
Ethan took the axe and set it aside. "Things haven’t gotten that bad yet. It’s just that in the following days, you probably can’t stay on the farm. Please, let your wife and Little Leicht temporarily stay at the Guild. We need to conduct a thorough inspection of the farm."
"Then you better hurry."
Rowena pointed to the corner of Old Leicht’s mouth, which had already started to bleed. She approached and said, "Mr. Leicht, open your mouth."
The blood seeped from his gums. On the last night Blanche left the farm, she coughed up blood. Rowena speculated it was a sign of terminal illness. Judging from the time, Old Leicht had been parasitized for five days.
"Anywhere else uncomfortable?"
Old Leicht still sat in the chair. After a moment of hesitation, he pointed from his chest to his abdomen, "A complete mess, perhaps I’m about to be defeated by the devil."
Luckily, before being defeated, he heard some good news, which eased his anxiety.
"I can start researching immediately. It might be some kind of witch’s magic."
Rowena said, "If you need."
"Then I’ll leave this to you for now. I’ll be back as soon as possible."
Ethan first returned to the apartment and informed Ave of the findings from his and Rowena’s investigation, and the latter immediately put on her coat and headed straight to the Leicht farm.
He then changed his outfit, evaded everyone’s sight, and arrived before the mailbox in Ximu Town.
The ’Slaughtered Lamb’ remained lively, and when Ethan entered, the patrons were in high spirits.
Too many major events had occurred recently in the Empire.
The riot in Haywood Mine, the assassination attempt in Dark Furnace City against the Chief Priest and Count Jialan, and the spread of the Red Death in Gear City all indicated one thing—their good days were coming.
As before, Ethan’s arrival brought a brief silence to the tavern. He didn’t linger in the tavern.
Upon entering the ’God be with you’ shop, the meatball rolled out excitedly once more.
"Chosen of God, we have all heard of your feats in Haywood Mine and Gear City."
The meatball prostrated on the ground, "Let the Scarlet Plague descend upon the world once more!"