Chương 64: Public Dispute

My voice caused those nearby to jump and clear a path. Seeing me, Iris approached with a smile, explaining smoothly:"Asher, we're simply informing everyone about what we discovered last night. People need to know this as soon as possible." I had to exert every ounce of self-control not to explode at her.

"Lealia and I found it. You didn't do a damn thing. Since you know nothing, shut your mouth." This was the first time I had felt this truly incensed. Iris looked utterly stunned by my fury, stammering, "But... you said..."

"I only confirmed that the water from the spring on the northeast mountain is contaminated. There is absolutely no evidence that the wells are compromised. Speaking like this will only cause misunderstanding and panic!" I intentionally shouted this so the crowd could hear. Immediately, the murmurs shifted as people processed this new information. Iris stood frozen for a few seconds from the scolding, but she stubbornly doubled down.

"If one water source is contaminated, it's very easy for others to become tainted as well. There's nothing wrong with letting people know the risks." A few bystanders whispered in agreement with her point. This was exactly what I feared. Well water is groundwater filtered from various sources; there is indeed a risk of contamination. But since there was no proof yet, the best course of action was to remain silent to prevent mass hysteria while quietly solving the root cause.

Though Grasiva was a small town of only a thousand people, the chaos of a thousand panicked souls is a massive, unnecessary risk. I understood Iris's goal. In times of chaos, people desperately cling to a "Saviour," and Iris was confident her healing magic would grant her that title. I wasn't about to let her succeed. Lealia had managed to squeeze through the crowd to reach my side. I pulled her into the center and announced loudly:"Everyone, please do not panic.

I am the assistant to Hero Candidate Lealia, and we have identified the exact cause of the illness. According to every patient we've interviewed, they all confirmed using water from the northeast spring." I glanced at Lealia, signaling her to speak.

"Yes... that's right," she began, her voice trembling slightly as she addressed the large crowd for the first time.

"And the symptoms can be fully managed with herbs if detected early..." A middle-aged man nearby spoke up.

"I know that spring. Everyone used it when I was a kid. But everyone uses wells now, don't they?"

"Some still use it, believing the source water is purer. Unfortunately, that source is contaminated." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. A woman asked, "What about the well water then?" I replied, "There's no sign of trouble with the wells yet. The soil likely acts as a filter. I believe it is still safe to use." She looked unconvinced.

"It's not dirty now, but what if whatever poisoned the spring soaks into the ground?" I remained patient.

"We will find the cause and resolve it before that happens." Iris seized the moment to interject.

"We can't take that risk. I propose we notify the Church immediately and wait for clean water to be transported in." I looked at her coldly.

"There are nearly a thousand people here. Do you have any idea how much water a thousand people consume in a day?"

"I don't... but..." The Mayor, sweating profusely from the tension, stepped between us.

"Both of you, stop arguing. We need to speak calmly to reach a rational decision." I growled at him under my breath, "This could have been handled quietly if you two hadn't rushed to make a scene." The Mayor's face darkened at being rebuked by a youngster, but he couldn't argue. I wasn't wrong. The crowd seemed almost convinced by my logic. Sensing the tide turning against her, Iris refused to back down.

"And what if you can't find the cause before the wells are tainted?" she challenged.

"Who will take responsibility for those who fall ill because we weren't decisive enough to stop using the water from the start?"

"Preventing that from happening is our responsibility. We must succeed."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm to help, Asher," Iris said with a sharp edge to her voice.

"But this is the responsibility of the Hero Candidates. You can offer advice, but we are the ones who must make the decisions." Now that... was a low blow. Technically, Iris was right. I was just an assistant with no decision-making power. The Church-appointed authority rested with the Candidates; they were the ones legally and morally liable for the risks. I turned to Lealia, using my eyes to urge her to speak up. Creating chaos now was entirely unnecessary. When people are afraid, they do uncontrollable things.

Not to mention the "mass psychogenic" effect where people imagine symptoms they don't actually have, wasting the Candidates' time while the real source of Miasma goes ignored. However, meeting my gaze, Lealia spoke:"I... I agree with Iris. It's better to be cautious." After that, all I did was lean against the wall of a nearby house, watching Lealia and Iris discuss how to help the townspeople hold out until clean water could be brought in.

The Mayor assigned a group to fetch water from the neighboring city, while families with relatives outside the town considered staying elsewhere for a while. Forsaking the wells meant every aspect of daily life would be disrupted. Cooking, eating, bathing—everything required water. The mountains surrounding the town still held other streams and ponds, but since the exact source of the contamination hadn't been pinpointed, no one dared to use raw water from the wild.

Beyond advising everyone to boil their water before use, they tried several other methods, such as adding Lealia's herbs to the water or asking Iris to use her healing power to "purify" it. I stood with my arms crossed, forcing myself not to intervene. Their ideas were, fundamentally, a waste of time. Miasma cannot be removed by boiling or adding a few leaves, and Iris's power only works on living organisms.

Fortunately, I hadn't revealed that the poisoning was caused by Miasma to Iris or the others; otherwise, things would be far more chaotic than this. I only hoped Lealia wasn't foolish enough to blurt it out before finding solid proof. Nathan, who had appeared beside me at some point, suddenly spoke: "You've just been betrayed. What do you plan to do next?" I was feeling extremely irritable, so I shifted away to distance myself from him.

Nathan watched my movement without reaction and continued:"One doesn't need mana to guess someone's true mood and attitude. You understand that well, don't you?"

"..." I looked at him, confused.

"You've been avoiding me this whole time. Why approach me so suddenly now?" Nathan stared at the ground as if he didn't care what I said.

"Reading a few of a person's thoughts doesn't mean you understand their essence. People sometimes can't understand their own problems, yet a stranger can see them clearly." After mumbling that cryptic mess, he finally looked up at me.

"A tool cannot betray; it only injures the master when used incorrectly." With that, he walked away. Truthfully, I still didn't understand the purpose of his words.