Kino brushed the cat fur from his clothes and inquired, "How may I act on your behalf?"
Ramos gritted his teeth, his expression one of deep resentment: "I am a miner from the upper-tier quarantine zone, renowned for my tireless work ethic—this, you may verify with the foreman. I often carry the workload of four or five men, laboring without complaint, for I must support not only the blood treatment fees for myself and my daughter but also send money to my wife outside to cover household expenses."
"Last month, my wife wrote to me, saying she had encountered business difficulties and needed some money to tide her over, promising that she would soon recover the investment. I love her deeply, truly, and trust her utterly. Therefore, I asked the foreman for an advance, hoping to borrow six months' worth of wages. The foreman, seeing my dedication, granted my request. I sent the money to my wife."
At this point, Ramos' gaze darkened, his eyes cold as though poisoned: "But I later discovered that, due to my long confinement here, she had taken another man. The two of them gambled away their money and racked up a considerable debt. When she could no longer pay, she conspired with her lover to drain the last of my hard-earned money, and then they both fled, leaving the town of Xilin."
Kino flicked the last piece of cat hair from his clothes, casually asking, "Do you hate her?"
"To be honest, if she had simply left me, I wouldn't hate her. I understand the loneliness and poverty of waiting in an empty home. If she found someone else to love her, I would even be relieved." Ramos lifted his head, his emotions unraveling. "But I hate that before she left, she had to deceive me out of my hard-earned money! My daughter is still so young, she has never done anything wrong in her life. And yet, the gods, blind to justice, allowed this disease to fall upon her! And that vile woman? She ran off with her lover, abandoning our daughter here, leaving her to rot with me. Is that fair?!"
If it were just the money from that month, Ramos wouldn't have broken down like this. But what his wife took from him was the advance of six months' wages.
This meant that for the next six months, no matter how hard he worked, he wouldn't earn a single iron coin from the mine, and he wouldn't be able to afford the blood treatment fees.
Without treatment, the disease would remain unpurified in his blood, its infectiousness would return, and both he and his daughter would be cast into the lower-tier quarantine zone, where they would be consumed by the plague, turning into something neither human nor ghost.
If he were alone, death would not be such a tragedy.
But he could not abandon Luca. He could not bear to see this little life, whom he had watched grow from childhood, suffer a miserable existence or a sorrowful death.
Ramos cast aside his dignity as a man, fell to his knees, and pleaded, "My lord, I have but one request: Please send someone to bring my wife back, so she can return the money! I've heard that her lover is from Pro, and they must be there now! Please, I beg of you... help me..."
Kino sighed deeply. "Your plight is indeed pitiful. As a civil official, I will hold those responsible for any unlawful acts in Xilin Town, provided the circumstances are as you say."
Ramos' eyes flickered with hope.
"But," Kino extinguished that hope with two simple words, "my duty is to the town of Xilin. I issue wages to my soldiers, and they are accountable only for the unlawful acts within this town. Your wife has fled to Pro, a town over four hundred miles away, far beyond Xilin's jurisdiction. I regret to inform you that there is little I can do."
"My lord!" Ramos cried.
Kino raised a hand, signaling him to cease. "Mr. Ramos, I hope you understand that the soldiers of Xilin Town are not at your sole service. Someone will take charge of this matter, but it will not be me. What I can offer is to write a letter to the civil officer in Pro, instructing the courier to expedite its delivery. I will ask him to investigate the matter and hold those responsible accountable."
Ramos stared blankly. "How long will this take?"
Kino glanced at Paladin, who immediately understood and responded, "If it's urgent, the letter can reach the civil officer in Pro by tomorrow. After that, it depends on his pace. If he acts swiftly, it may take only a few days; but if he's slow... from what I know, the civil officer in Pro is rather fond of socializing and tends to handle official matters at a languid pace. It could take several months."
Ramos felt as though his spine had been wrenched from his body. His voice was hollow as he muttered, "But we must receive the blood treatment within three days, or the infection will relapse, and Luca and I will be cast into the lower-tier quarantine zone..."
Kino's voice was laced with a quiet sympathy. "I regret that."
Ramos, in desperation, pleaded, "My lord, could you spare me a little money? Just enough for me and my daughter to survive this month... Please, I beg of you!"
Without hesitation, Kino shook his head. "I cannot. Unless you have something of equivalent value to offer in exchange. If I simply give you money without cause, other infected people will come to me for the same. If I oblige, do you think I can give to each of the two hundred infected residents of the town? And if I refuse... they will accuse me of favoritism, and you and Luca will be ostracized, making life unbearable."
Ramos' eyes began to lose focus. "I don't want Luca to go to the lower-tier quarantine zone..."
"The lower-tier quarantine zone is not a death sentence," Kino said calmly. "As long as you protect her, she will be fine. I will immediately write to the civil officer in Pro, marking the letter as urgent, and will follow up on its progress. You only need to wait for news." Kino glanced at the sinking sun and nodded toward Paladin, signaling that they were free to leave.
But as Kino turned, Ramos, unwilling to relinquish the last thread of hope, crawled toward him, pleading, "My lord! My lord! Please don't leave! Save my daughter! I know what the lower-tier quarantine zone is like—I cannot protect her! The most severely infected are now little more than beasts. They've lost all sense of reason! She will be devoured alive!"
Kino, meanwhile, was discussing dinner options with Paladin. He recalled how delightful the cranberry bread had been at the restaurant they visited at noon, and he was considering going back for more.
Desperation clouded Ramos' mind, and with frantic eyes, he lunged forward, trying to grab Kino's sleeve. "My lord! Please, give me a chance!"
In his desperation, Ramos' hand—now partially transformed by the infection—shot out, and before Paladin could intervene, his claws tore through Kino's sleeve.
In that instant, the atmosphere grew heavy, as though the air had solidified into a suffocating mass of cement.
Paladin's only thought was: This fool is as good as dead.
Kino pressed his lips together, his face twitching in silent frustration. His hand hovered, frozen in mid-air, as he examined the damage. Not only was his sleeve torn, but it was now soiled with mud and grime from Ramos' claws, filthy beyond measure.
Several times, Kino reached out as if to brush away the dirt, but his hand remained suspended, as though recoiling from something intolerable. In the end, it was Paladin who stepped forward, severing the ruined sleeve.
Ramos, realizing his mistake, trembled and shrank back, his voice a quivering apology. "I'm sorry... truly sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Given the sincerity of your apology and the fact that it was not intentional, I forgive you." Kino turned, his expression devoid of anger or humor, perfectly neutral. "You seek a chance, do you? Very well, I will give you a chance."