Katan quickly approached Satina, checking her complexion."Your cheeks are flush. Do you have a fever?""It's nothing like that."When Satina avoided Katan's hand, he obediently withdrew.However, his gaze remained fixed on her face."You might be overexerting yourself. You're quite delicate, after all.""I'm not so weak that I'd collapse from this.""But you still have a fever.""It's probably just because it's a little warm.""I understand. But please let me know if your condition worsens at any time.""And what will you do if I tell you?""I'll escort you back to the estate.""The estate, huh..."Naturally, the faces of her family, including her younger brother Sharan, came to mind.'If I go home when I'm sick, it feels like the illness will only get worse.'A small chuckle escaped her."By the way, everyone has been looking for you. Shouldn't you head back?""No, it's fine.""Are you sure you're not unwell?""It's not that... I just..."'Useless...'Mixed voices echoed in her mind—her father and mother from her past life as Yusuha...The jumble of voices sounded eerie, like a broken instrument."It's just that things feel a little unfamiliar.""I don't know... I think you're someone who could handle this.""Because I healed the illness?""That, and... you're also beautiful. So much that I can't take my eyes off you.""If I could just hear your songs, I wouldn't care what happens to me."A deep longing shimmered in Katan's eyes as he spoke.Although his face remained expressionless, his words felt all the more sincere as a result.But Satina didn't believe Katan's sweet words.Every kind thing he said was ultimately for his own freedom.Even so, thanks to him, the anxious feeling that had been swelling inside her started to settle."...I need to find Hazzle. I remembered something I needed to tell him."Satina turned back and went to find Hazzle in the common area.He was busy discussing the patients' conditions and what to do next with his colleagues."Hazzle."When Satina called him, Hazzle was so startled he nearly jumped, his tail practically standing on end."Wh-What! What is it!""I need to talk to you. Can we speak for a moment?"Without waiting for his response, Satina left the common area again."W-Wait! Hey, everyone, just handle it like I said earlier! Got it?"Hurriedly, Hazzle asked his colleagues to take care of things and scrambled after Satina.She walked without hesitation, her eyes fixed on the translucent system window in front of her.[You have begun exploration of a contaminated area.][Guiding you to the contaminated area.]"Hey, where are we going? Could you at least tell me?"Hazzle chased after her, demanding answers."The number of people getting sick is increasing fast, right? You can't figure out the cause, and you thought it might be an infectious disease, but it's not."When Satina brought up the illness, Hazzle's expression grew serious."Yeah, that's right.""The time it takes for people to lose consciousness after coughing varies wildly. Some might collapse a week after showing symptoms, while others stay fine for months.""You seem to know quite a lot about it. Does that mean you know the cause too? And where exactly are we going? There's nothing in this direction but the well we use."Hazzle wore a troubled expression as he watched Satina head deeper into the area.This was supposed to be her first time here, yet she navigated it as if she'd been there dozens of times."That well is the problem.""What?"Finally, Satina arrived near the well.Though it was small, it was equipped with a filtration system, diverting water through a dug-out path.As soon as she looked at the well, an alert flashed.[You have arrived at a 'Contaminated Area'!][Staying here for an extended period may lead to contamination. Proceed with caution.][The divine power within the player protects you from contamination.]"Dig here."At Satina's command, Katan and Hazzle rushed over and began digging near the well.As they removed the hard stone, dark, rotting ground was revealed."W-What is this!"Unlike the startled Hazzle, Satina nodded calmly."As expected. The land is contaminated."Contamination was said to be proof that the gods had abandoned humanity.Generally, monsters were rooted in the underworld, but they still existed under divine laws.Though vulnerable to divine power, they could still be defeated by knights' swords or archers' arrows.But contamination was different.It rotted the land, leaving no living being able to survive on it. A peaceful death was the best one could hope for.On rare occasions, a strong life form might survive on contaminated land, but it would only become a mindless monster that craved flesh and blood.The only thing that could purify contaminated land was divine power.The bloody coughs and darkened skin of the dying were all symptoms of living beings succumbing to contamination."C-Contamination? Isn't that just something from stories?"Hazzle looked at Satina, his face filled with disbelief."Well, it might be from stories, but it's right in front of us now.""But you said nothing can survive on contaminated land!""There's still some distance between here and where you stay, and the land isn't fully contaminated yet. Judging by the symptoms, the water you've been drinking must have been slowly contaminated, affecting all of you.""Those who frequently visited the well are probably the ones who got the worst of it.""Come to think of it! Lara and the others were always here, either cooking or doing laundry!""See?""If we leave this unchecked, the entire capital will be affected. We need to inform the temple immediately and request purification."Katan, who had been watching the situation, spoke in a calm voice."What? Are you out of your mind?"Hazzle shouted in outrage."If the temple gets involved, they won't just purify this contaminated land! They'll comb through every inch of these underground waterways looking for more contamination! What do you think will happen to us?"Katan responded coldly, "So you're saying we shouldn't inform the temple?""That would be better!""That's nonsense. This time, our master healed you, but she can't continue to show such kindness. Do you plan to get sick again? I suggest you move to a new place as soon as possible.""Do you think it's that easy?"Unable to hold back his rising anger, Hazzle stomped his foot."Do you think we are welcomed anywhere? You think we like living in these underground tunnels? We're here because we have nowhere else to go! It's hard enough just to earn enough money for a loaf of bread, let alone to find a new home! Do you know how hard it was to settle here in the first place? And now you're talking about contaminated land? Once people find out we lived here, they'll accuse us of causing the contamination! They already try to chase us away, saying we're spreading disease. And now you expect us to move? Do you really think that's possible?"Hazzle's endless rant made it clear just how desperate his situation was.As Satina watched him, she recalled the details of the quest.'No wonder the quest was to treat Hazzle's companions and purify their home. It's practically impossible for them to leave this place.'"But if you stay here, you'll all fall sick again.""I know! I know that!" Hazzle collapsed to the ground, clutching his head."Damn it! Damn it! What should I do... What should I do?"Then, as he caught sight of the hem of Satina's dress in front of him, he suddenly lifted his head and looked at her."Th-That's right!"He crawled on all fours and grabbed the hem of Satina's dress."You're a saintess! Just like how you healed my companions, you can purify this contaminated land, right? Right?"Hazzle clung to her dress as if Satina were his only hope.She looked down at him and slowly shook her head."Sorry. It's impossible right now."Satina's current skill, *Song of Healing,* allowed her to heal the body and mind of those within a 1-meter radius once a day using divine power, but it couldn't purify contaminated land."You're lying!"Hazzle angrily threw aside her dress and stood up."Don't lie! What are we supposed to do? Are we just supposed to die here?""I never said that."Hazzle let out a hollow laugh at Satina's calm reply."Hah! Haha! Then what? You're telling me to call the priests after all? Is that the only solution?""No, I said 'right now' it's impossible."Satina spoke as she looked at the quest window in front of her."So just wait a little longer."Quest: Help 'Rina' and obtain a divine-infused gem.Tip: You can find the location of the divine-infused gem on the map.Want To Read Ahead?
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