ALL NOVEL Chapter 66
Chapter 7: Peeling the Onion
Originally, Isaac thought Miss Vilyric was some big shot from the City of Angels.
After all, she showcased such incredible healing abilities that even the Bishop believed only those close to the Goddess, like high-ranking emissaries with six wings, could so easily save those afflicted by Dragon Blood Disease.
But Miss Vilyric didn’t wear any emblem or holy insignia, nor did she show any signs of devotion to the Goddess. Such behavior was absolutely unheard of among the high ranks of the Temple.
As the Bishop of Flame Dragon City, Isaac wasn’t like the kind of half-baked adventurer Lester, who only knew a part of the story; thus, he wouldn’t mistake the priestess for some saint.
So, the bishop was quite curious about this suddenly appearing black-haired girl, who wasn’t a priest yet could use healing magic surpassing even his own.
No, it wasn’t belief-based magic; the power of the Goddess has its limits. I simply haven’t trained enough—please forgive my wavering, dear Goddess…
With this thought, the devout bishop silently repented once again.
“Thank you for your assistance today, Miss Vilyric.”
“Of course, it’s no trouble at all.”
The three of them re-entered the clinic, and the priestess watched a group of people nearby donning protective gear, casually refusing the portion Isaac offered her.
Please, that thing is an absolute nightmare to wear; she had no desire to try it again. Since she had already effortlessly demonstrated her ability to cure Dragon Blood Disease, surely Miss Nastaia wouldn’t insist on the safety issue.
Moreover, Vilyric had certain doubts about the contagiousness of this disease.
Dragon Blood Disease may not be infectious to everyone, and the reason Nastaia insisted everyone wear protective gear was likely to cover up some fact.
A fact that Miss Vilyric hadn’t yet discovered.
The priestess had a feeling that if she could find this “anomaly” that distinguished whether one could contract Dragon Blood Disease, the truth wouldn’t be far behind.
One by one, Dragon Blood Disease patients were continuously brought before Vilyric. They recovered under her healing magic while she also inquired into the physical information of these residents of Flame Dragon City to gather effective information.
She noticed that the stronger individuals showed milder symptoms of the disease, and most of these patients were ordinary people below level 5, with only a small number who were higher-level being those who had multiple close contacts with the infected.
Strong physical constitution results in lighter rejection responses…
So, hypothetically, if one’s body were even more resilient, strong enough to withstand the transformation from the Dragon Blood, might they evolve into some new entity?
Yes, evolve! Although Mayor Nastaia or the United Kingdom wouldn’t accept the notion of humans transforming into different species, Vilyric saw Half-Dragons as an evolution further along the species line compared to ordinary humans.
If possessing equal or greater intelligence, superior physicality, recovery abilities, and combat talents isn’t considered evolution, then what the heck is evolution?
Furthermore, after sifting through massive data and seemingly random inquiries, Vilyric discovered another vital piece of information.
All the patients of Dragon Blood Disease were locals of Flame Dragon City, and they had lived in this place for generations.
Now that was interesting.
If these people were affected due to consuming crops grown from the blood-soaked lands of Flame Dragon City, why didn’t others from outside befall the same fate since they also ate the same food?
Conversely, if it was a hereditary issue, why hadn’t similar symptoms ever appeared for so long?
There’s no doubt; something must have happened during this time, creating a catalyst that led to the emergence of Dragon Blood Disease. And Nastaia definitely knows something about it.
That being said, judging from Nastaia’s demeanor last night, she wouldn’t readily open up.
Would Bishop Isaac know something?
Not really… he just seemed like some helping hand pulled in post-incident; he likely wasn’t involved in the series of events at all.
Forget it; since Nastaia doesn’t want to say, Vilyric doesn’t feel the need to force her. She has her own methods of investigation.
Besides, this matter was already showing signs of clarity, only one last key unknown detail remained.
“Phew… is this the last one?”
The priestess pulled her hand away from a child about seven or eight years old who had dozed off in front of her; the treatment was now complete.
Healing one patient took Vilyric merely a few minutes, most of which were spent moving and gathering information. The actual healing itself only took a few seconds.
In truth, the method was quite simple. The root cause of Dragon Blood Disease was a non-human bloodline causing turmoil, which simply needed to be suppressed and bodily injuries mended for an easy solution.
At such a rapid pace, the hundreds of Dragon Blood Disease patients that Nastaia originally predicted would take several days to treat had all recovered before the sun even set.
Bishop Isaac, who had seen it all, was a bit dumbfounded.
“Miss Vilyric… you don’t expend mana to heal? That sort of feeling, at least a third-tier magic, would be hard for even legendary figures to sustain after hundreds of continuous uses. Ah, sorry, I wasn’t probing into your secrets…”
The priestess didn’t mind, chuckling lightly.
“Of course, I need mana! I just happen to have more than average, and my recovery rate is faster, that’s all. You’re thinking too much, Bishop.”
“Since all the patients have been healed, I consider it a successful mission. If there’s no other issue, I’ll stay for another two days and get ready to leave… Um, there shouldn’t be any other unresolved difficulties, right?”
When she said “unresolved difficulties,” Vilyric deliberately slowed her tone and subtly glanced at Miss Nastaia.
“That’s everything. This time… really thanks to Miss Vilyric. As for the reward, I’ll personally bring it to your door tomorrow. You can stay in the city as long as you like; this favor will forever be remembered in Flame Dragon City’s records.”
Standard official talk.
The gracious lady wore a composed smile without revealing anything unusual, leaving Vilyric slightly disappointed.
Still deciding to bury everything, huh?
Well, she hadn’t harbored too much hope anyway.
Vilyric understood; after all, to the Lord Mayor, she really was just a stranger he had known for less than two days. Even if she healed many patients, it wouldn’t earn the complete trust of a deep-rooted noble.
Then, let’s uncover the secrets hidden within this city in her way. Vilyric already had a plan.
After bidding farewell to Nastaia and Bishop Isaac, the priestess headed straight to a certain place in Flame Dragon City before nightfall, taking her pet along.
The Adventurers’ Guild.
“Hey, when it comes to another world, this place really is a must-visit!”
Vilyric stood confidently in front of the towering three-story building, her silver-blue eyes shimmering with excitement.
Though she had already seen the highest-ranking, legendary adventurer Fiery Blossom and worked with her for quite some time, becoming an adventurer herself felt completely different.
As a former inhabitant of Blue Star, Vilyric was naturally eager for adventure; otherwise, the open-world RPG game “Mirage World” wouldn’t have captivated her so much.
“Master is going to become an adventurer? Is there a purpose behind it?”
A certain Little Dragon Daughter following Vilyric’s lead curiously poked her head out, thinking such behavior from her master shouldn’t hold any significance.
“Wrong! It’s not that I’m going to be an adventurer; it’s that the two of us are going together! Let’s go!”
“Wait, wait, what?!”
And so, the Little Dragon Daughter, completely bewildered, was dragged through the doors of the Adventurers’ Guild by her master.