Chương 62: Spring Water

First, it must be clarified: the only thing capable of completely resisting Miasma is the Hero's Holy Mark. The Marks held by Candidates do not yet possess that power. I had forgotten to ask Halunar whether the crest on my hand still retained its resistance to Miasma, but my guess was no. After all, my starting attributes in this current isekai run were entirely too low for someone possessing a true divine blessing.

During my first isekai lifetime, I hadn't been able to monitor my stats, but reviewing them now, it was evident that my utility skills had progressed rapidly once the original crusade commenced. My endurance and strength had increased, though not as overtly as the actual combatants in the party. And clearly, those "teammates" had profited immensely from my cooking and first-aid skills. If I couldn't retain the divine blessing on my skills, I reasoned that I likely lacked Miasma resistance as well.

The mark on my hand was probably nothing more than a useless tattoo now. Additionally, some individuals with mana-based healing abilities have a slight natural resistance to Miasma. However, if the concentration of Miasma is too dense, they will still be affected like anyone else. Nathan is not an official Hero, nor does he possess any healing skills. The moment I heard him say he might have been poisoned, I immediately dragged him to Lealia's door and knocked.

"Lealia? Are you awake? It's an emergency." A few seconds later, Lealia opened the door, wearing her nightgown.

"What's the matter?" I felt it wasn't quite right for two guys to barge into a girl's room, so I said, "Come to my room; examine Nathan. He thinks he's been poisoned." Nathan was told to sit on my bed while Lealia performed her examination. Having gained experience with numerous patients over the past two days, it took her less than ten minutes to confirm.

"There are indeed symptoms of mild poisoning." Nathan furrowed his brows tightly. I asked, "How serious is it?" She replied, "It's not severe. I think just asking Iris for a quick treatment will suffice. But the real question is, how did he get infected...?" The three of us looked at each other. The only place Nathan had visited all day was the Dempsey manor. But he had barely done anything there; the person who had roamed the house the most was me.

"Do you remember doing anything specific? Did you eat or drink anything?" Nathan pondered for a moment, then spoke: "I drank the tea the butler brought out. It was a high-end blend, very delicious, so I drank quite a bit of it." Lealia and I began to search our own memories. I don't care for tea, so I had only stuck to plain water, while Lealia said she had only taken a few small sips. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"So the tea was contaminated? But was it the tea leaves or the water source?"

"I don't know, but we must inform Butler Hamlett immediately. If the patients are exposed to more Miasma, their condition will become irreparable." I spoke and prepared to leave right then, but Lealia said, "Wait! Let me change my clothes first!"

"... It's very dark out there; are you sure you want to go?"

"It's better if the two of us go together."

"Fine. Nathan, go find Iris and get treated as soon as possible." And so, the two of us left the inn for the Dempsey manor. I could see in the dark, but Lealia couldn't, so we had to call for a soldier to lead the way. The people of this era go to bed very early, especially in a remote, secluded town like this. All the houses along the way were dark and shuttered; only a few still had lamps lit to finish up indoor chores.

A few faint lights still flickered within the Dempsey manor, so I called out loudly to be let in. Butler Hamlett was somewhat surprised to see us visiting at such a late hour, but he remained a hospitable host. The lamps throughout the house were quickly lit as we stepped inside.

"Have you come at this hour to re-examine the masters and the young mistress?" he asked. I replied, "That's right, and there's something else we need to confirm. Have any of them regained consciousness since this afternoon, and have you given them anything to eat or drink?"

"The mistress woke for a brief moment; I only had time to give her a little water." I turned to Lealia.

"Go ahead and check on the patients' conditions; I'll handle the questioning down here." Lealia nodded, picking up her herbal kit and heading toward the patients' rooms on the first floor. The butler was about to follow her when I stopped him.

"There's no need to follow her. I have a few questions for you."

"Of course, sir. Ask away."

"Nathan, uhm, the other Candidate who was here this afternoon. You remember him, right? He fell ill immediately after returning." Hamlett started slightly.

"He caught the disease? But myself and many other servants have been caring for the masters in close proximity, and none of us are affected."

"Because this isn't a plague, it's poisoning." Upon hearing this, Hamlett's expression shifted instantly, looking somewhat affronted.

"Are you implying that I poisoned my own masters? That's impossible!" Realizing my phrasing had caused a misunderstanding, I quickly corrected myself:"No, that's not what I meant. Poisoning here can come from many sources. Perhaps food ingredients or a contaminated environment. As the person who manages this household, can you think of anything they use that differs from the majority of the townspeople?" Hamlett calmed down and thought for a moment.

"The masters are wealthy; everything they use is of higher quality than what others have."

"What about the tea they drink?"

"They are very fond of tea, particularly leaves from the Collium region. The brewing process must be very disciplined as well; we cannot use well water. We must use spring water from the source, and there's the rinsing of the leaves..." I interrupted him immediately.

"Wait. Did you just say they don't use well water, but spring water instead?"

"Yes, that's correct. To the northeast of town, there is a very clear stream; its water is famous for being sweet and cool. In the past, before wells were dug, it's said the whole town drew water from there. Later, the flow changed and the spring water grew scarce, so once the townspeople dug wells, they stopped going there for their daily needs. But the masters insist that tea must be brewed with that water for it to be fragrant and flavorful."

"And the tea you brought us this afternoon, was that also brewed with spring water?"

"... Yes, we still keep a supply of spring water in the house. Over the past few days, I've also been using it to cook porridge for the masters and the young mistress..."

"You must absolutely stop using that water for anything at once." I spoke to the butler with extreme gravity, then hurried upstairs to find Lealia. She had finished checking the three patients and confirmed that their conditions had not worsened.

"It's the spring water," I told her, pulling her out into the hallway.

"It's likely that the people falling ill in this town are using spring water contaminated with Miasma."