Mission:054 Uninvited Guest

Mission:05-4 Uninvited Guest

Hernan smiled and replied, "That's true. It's as if this has become some kind of curse. Once the summoned me leaves my ship and sets foot on land, the ship I was aboard drops anchor on its own and can no longer set sail."

As they talked, the group had unknowingly walked quite a distance. Giorgios, who had been acting alone, finally caught up with them then.

"Master."

She called out to Ritsuka and shook her head. "I can't enter that cave. It's been sealed by some kind of power."

A seal. Then after they resolved the town's crisis, that would be their top priority. Ritsuka looked at the people beside her and asked, "Do we have anyone here who can undo seals... No, we don't."

In that case, they needed to find a new companion. Breaking it by brute force was one option, but the uncertainty was too high.

By the time the sun had passed its highest point of the day and begun to tilt westward, Ritsuka returned to the town together with the three Heroic Spirits.

At this point, nearly half a day had passed since Nero discovered the first patient with the Black Death, and most of the people who had been attacked by the Rat Swarm that day had already fallen ill. On the lord's orders, they had been thrown into a long ditch outside the town. Most of the town's people were now gathered inside the church, praying together under the priest's guidance.

This was the best way they could handle an epidemic. Of course, the town did have a doctor, but when faced with the Black Death, which he had never seen before, the only treatment he could propose was bloodletting. So Nero drove him away. That also spared them one more infected person.

Naturally, Nero had not gone to the church. At that moment, she was keeping watch beside the abandoned patients. She could not cure illness, nor did she understand how to deal with plague, but at the very least, she could cool these patients' burning heads. When she saw Ritsuka return, she let out a breath of relief and hurried over to meet her.

"Miss Hernan, please."

In truth, there was no need for Ritsuka to say anything. Hernan had already raised the Golden Ring in her hand. For someone who had once personally spread a plague, the scene before her was all too familiar.

"Its form has been lost, its voice has scattered; that ancient legend remains only in the reflection upon the lake."

As Hernan chanted in a low voice, the ring lit up. In this deep autumn season, a gentle breeze as warm as spring wandered through the streets, wrapping around the town.

She clenched her right fist and solemnly, firmly spoke the true name of the Noble Phantasm in her hand.

"El Dorado."

Nero and Ritsuka both stared intently at those dazed patients. In the gentle wind summoned by the ring, those who had still been groaning in pain gradually calmed down and sank into peaceful sleep.

"The pathogen has been temporarily suppressed."

Her work was done. Hernan looked at the patients and said in a low voice, "As long as no new pathogen appears, these people will not fall ill again."

"That's enough." Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief, and Nero and Giorgios did the same. Everyone here clearly did not want Rattvench Town to become a dead city. Even Mephisto.

Nero stepped forward and reached out to test the patients' foreheads. Sure enough, their temperature had already fallen somewhat. If a little more time passed, the bruising on their bodies would probably gradually disappear as well.

"Let's go to the church and take a look. Everyone else is there."

Hearing Nero say this, Ritsuka nodded. "Let's go."

The group walked through the silent streets and arrived before the only building in town from which voices could still be heard. They pushed open the door, and sure enough, the residents were still praying. Nero swept her gaze around but did not see the lord.

After a brief discussion, everyone decided to have Giorgios stay there for the time being to reassure the people. If this saint did not step forward, the residents would probably find it hard to believe that the plague crisis had been resolved so quickly. Afterward, as long as those who had fallen ill recovered, Rattvench should be able to return to its former state.

The others headed to the Lord's Mansion, preparing to find the lord and tell him that the crisis had been resolved.

Inside the lord's residence, Nero and Ritsuka met the worried Baron Rattvench. When he heard Nero tell him that Giorgios had returned and had already cured the sick serfs, the baron's furrowed brow finally relaxed, and he sighed.

"Thank heaven. It's fortunate you were here," he said. "I only wonder, how should I thank you?"

His gratitude meant nothing to Nero and Ritsuka, who would leave the Singularity sooner or later. The only thing that had truly helped them was arranging lodgings for them. As for his wish to "show his appreciation," Nero merely said they accepted the sentiment. At the same time, she reminded the baron that the devils were still watching the town hungrily and told him to pay more attention to his own safety and that of the others.

"Of course. But thank you for the reminder all the same."

"It's good that nothing happened."

After that, the Singularity Capture Team's third strategy meeting was held inside the room.

It was also then that Nero learned of Giorgios's reconnaissance results regarding the cavern.

"It's been sealed?" Her expression looked rather grim, because whether it was her, Giorgios, or Hernan, all of them clearly knew nothing about magecraft or similar techniques. As for Ritsuka... as a mage who had taken it up halfway, she was naturally the same.

If they could not find a new companion, then it seemed they could only...

Nero looked at Mephisto and asked, "Can you undo that barrier?"

Mephisto smiled faintly, his tone provocative. "Of course I can. But who can pay the price for it?"

This fellow really was a devil who fit the stereotype. If they wanted it to do anything, they had to pay a price.

"Then we can only keep looking for other Heroic Spirits?"

As she spoke, Ritsuka also looked somewhat troubled. "Speaking of which, Miss Hernan, why did you happen to appear near the cave?"

If the answer was that she had also sensed the Demonic Aura near the cave, then they could expect to encounter other Heroic Spirits there.

Unfortunately, Hernan shook her head and denied that guess. "I was only summoned at sea, so I kept wandering along the coastline by ship. Discovering the abnormality there was just a coincidence."

Then they could only continue going out into the wild and try their luck. It was a pity that Sphinx had not appeared again since the first day. As a Ruler, she could grasp the locations of all Heroic Spirits. If they could obtain her help, they should also be able to learn which of the other Heroic Spirits could break through this troublesome seal.

Suddenly, Mash looked at the monitor and cried out in surprise. "Wait, a new Heroic Spirit signal has appeared—"

Before her voice had fallen, a figure surfaced inside the room along with a faint glow. Faced with the crowd who had drawn their weapons, that uninvited guest did not change expression, merely nodding slightly.

It was Sphinx. She had actually appeared.