Chương 56: Poisoned

Those words were so Iris - sweet to the ear, but the intention was clear: fix the surface symptoms, get a shiny report for the Church, and leave. As for what happened after we left? Not her problem. At that moment, I abruptly turned to the one person who had been ignored since the start:"What about you, Nathan? Your skills are related to diagnosis, isn't it?" Hearing the mention of his name, Nathan finally looked up from the table and replied flatly, "I don't know what the illness is either."

He immediately retreated into silence, acting as if he didn't exist. But I wasn't about to let him slide; I had a nagging feeling he knew something. Being able to read and sense the emotions of others doesn't necessarily mean a person knows how to hide their own. Since we returned, I got the sense that Nathan was a bit more tense than usual.

"Well, did you discover anything new? Like the method of transmission, for instance?" Nathan shifted his narrow eyes toward me, pausing as if evaluating something. Then, he spoke:"It might not be a disease."

"You mean...?"

"Poisoning," Lealia suddenly interjected.

"Right?" The table fell silent as Nathan slowly nodded. Finding someone who shared her train of thought gave Lealia the courage to finally speak her mind.

"Their symptoms don't resemble an infectious disease; they look much more like toxic exposure. I suspected this but didn't dare say it, because the patients have no clear connection to one another..." Iris let out a gasp of feigned horror.

"Are you saying someone is poisoning them?"

"No, not necessarily," Lealia clarified.

"It could be a deliberate act, but it's also possible they all consumed something that happens to be toxic."

"Is that even possible?" Iris questioned.

"Over twenty people accidentally eating the same toxic thing? Especially when this has never happened here before?"

"The probability is indeed small, which is why I couldn't say for sure yet." Iris thought for a few seconds, then pivoted: If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Whether it's poisoning or a disease, it can still be cured by my healing skills. Right now, our top priority is getting the patients healthy again. We can worry about the rest later. Does everyone agree?" With no further objections, the nightly briefing came to an end. Everyone retired to their rooms, leaving only Lealia and me lingering in the courtyard. She turned to me and asked, "Asher, do you think..." She trailed off, so I finished for her: "Think that your theory about poisoning is wrong?"

"Yes. I'm not very confident. This afternoon, I prescribed herbs for the Martins based on detoxification. If they don't show any improvement tomorrow..."

"I think you're right. I think they were poisoned."

"... Huh?" The deductions made by Lealia and Nathan triggered a vital memory. I had seen these symptoms before, though in much, much more severe cases. These people might be suffering from Miasma poisoning. When an ordinary person is heavily exposed to Miasma, there are generally two outcomes. One: they lose consciousness and die. Two: they go insane and turn into ghouls. Typically, the number of people who suffer from unconsciousness after Miasma exposure is higher, roughly a ratio of eight to two.

Victims turn cyanotic, their bodies becoming freezing cold and their muscles rigid. Their veins bulge and can eventually rupture, causing internal hemorrhaging throughout the body. Because the final stages of their death progress so rapidly and tragically, I had forgotten the earlier symptoms. Those suffering from mild exposure would look exactly like the patients here in Grasiva. Henry had warned me that this might be a place where the Church experiments with Miasma resistance in commoners.

Has the Miasma leaked from somewhere? Miasma toxicity does not spread from person to person, so the bedridden patients currently aren't a major concern for transmission. Miasma poisoning can be fully cured with mana if it hasn't reached the terminal stage. As long as they aren't dead, their chances of recovery are high. The real danger lies with those who might suffer more severe exposure in the near future, and those who might turn into ghouls and harm others.

There might even be people who have already turned without us knowing. Unlike the virus-based zombies in Earth's movies, fortunately, Miasma ghouls do not spread their toxin through bites or bodily fluids. They simply lose their humanity, becoming nothing more than frenzied, violent beasts. I once witnessed a normal person transform into a ghoul. When the toxicity is high enough, the transformation takes only a few hours.

During the initial hours of that process, they can still be cured, but once the transformation is complete, even mana healing is useless. However, I wasn't sure if those with mild poisoning could turn into ghoul, or how long that process would take.

"Tomorrow, find someone to fetch the Mayor. Ask him if anyone has gone missing recently," I said.

"Huh? Why?" I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Lealia the truth.

"You were taught about Miasma, right?" Lealia covered her mouth with her hand.

"You mean... they've been infected by Miasma?" I nodded and asked, "Did you ever encounter anyone infected by Miasma during the battle at Marbour?"

"No... That time we hadn't yet set foot in the area with the miasma. But this place is so far from the Demon King's territory. How could there be Miasma here?" I didn't answer that question. There was no need to shatter her faith in the Church just yet. But if the Church already knew about the Miasma experiments here, and knew about the symptoms in town, then perhaps this was still "under control." That was likely why they had only sent healing-type candidates. I patted Lealia on the shoulder.

"Don't worry too much; it's just my speculation for now. Get a good night's sleep. You have patients to care for tomorrow."