In the depths of winter, the mountain road from Vikress Estate to Snowforest City had been closed.
Blizzards ravaged all the land north of Klein Town. Snow lay several feet deep, and the world was a vast expanse of white, leaving nowhere for the eye to settle.
The extreme weather had paralyzed every major transport route. Lord Arthur coordinated with the military and the Norwington Merchants' Guild to deliver one final shipment of supplies to Snowforest City before temporarily suspending freight transport.
It was simply too cold. Even horses and mules could freeze to death.
Joseph, archbishop of the Light's Hope Chapter in Boralus, had set out for Vikress Estate the day before yesterday. Upon hearing that Lord Arthur had contracted a strange illness, he had boarded a wagon in the Norwington Merchants' Guild's convoy and traveled through the night to reach the Vikress residence.
Today's winds were still bitter. Drust, usually mild and damp, showed no signs of warming at all.
Every fireplace in the residence was lit. The coal supplied free of charge by the Norwington Merchants' Guild had met the people's urgent need for warmth.
Dressed in thick white prayer robes and a fuzzy felt hat, Joseph carried a large stack of Holy Light Handbooks as he hurried across the courtyard toward Lord Arthur's quarters.
Lady Meredith had been waiting for some time. She had dressed her husband in a fresh set of clothes and prepared breakfast.
Lucille had also come to her father's room early, bringing some lightly seasoned pickled vegetables she had made.
Unfortunately, their devoted care had done nothing to improve Lord Arthur's condition. His outlook remained grim.
His temperature fluctuated wildly. Sensitivity to light, aching limbs, bouts of relentless vomiting, confusion-every imaginable abnormal symptom seemed to have manifested in Lord Arthur.
"Thank you