125 The struggle of the second prince.

After seeing off the Nacht we decided to carry Marx inside.

The two knights advance in support of Marx from both sides, and I keep following while holding the luggage that I have kept from the Nahats.

After passing the stone gate, I saw a building made of wood and thatch.

The knights bring Marx to the house in the foreground.

Once I entered, I frowned my eyebrows with a stinking nose. What jumped into my sight, whose eyes had been curled up, were the men who had been rolled to a place where only poor cloth was laid on the floor.

As you can imagine, all of the men who may belong to the Frontier Knights are all red-hatted. At first glance, I knew that she had developed it.

"That's terrible ..."

Not only the place is small, but there is also a problem with hygiene. The smell of sweat and dust was likely to get worse just by sniffing.

I go to the back and open the window. The wind flows in, and the room's stagnant air is replaced. At last, I felt able to breathe.

"I don't have enough supplies or manpower."

One of the knights said, while Marx was lying down.

After all, no additional supplies or supporters seem to have been sent.

"I can draw water for now. Where is the well?"

"I'll help you"

I go to the well, accompanied by one of the knights.

The inside of the village was quiet. The figures are sparse, and even those who occasionally walk have a tired face and lack vitality.

The occasional groaning was eerie.

When you arrive at the well, throw the tub on the end of the rope into the inside. An unknown woman rushed in while raising.

"Hey, you. You've never seen me, but maybe you came from outside !?"

The knight hurriedly stopped the woman trying to crawl on me.

However, the woman does not seem to be scared and reaches for me.

"What is the medicine? Did you bring the medicine? My cute little boy is suffering. Please, help me!"

"... I see. I will go soon."

I hand the rope to the knight and return to pick up my luggage.

I grabbed the bag with the medicine and hurried to the woman's house.

It was a boy, about five or six years old, who was lying in a simple bed. The child, with a red face, is throwing his thin limbs and lying limp. Pant or thin breathing is likely to stop.

"..."

It's harder to imagine that a small child is dying. I scolded myself for a brief moment and knelt beside my child and wiped my sweat on my forehead with a cloth.

Touch the soft cheeks gently and it is amazingly hot. A lightly squeezed cloth was pressed to cool.

"A boy, a boy ...!"

When the mother called out on the other side, her child's eyelashes shook. The eyelids are slowly pushed up, revealing unfocused light brown eyes.

"...?"

"Can you drink water?"

The dim eyes catch me, and the child blinks with a strange face. When I asked while smiling, I nodded small.

Give water while supporting your back. I want her to take medicine, but she is a small child. At least I want to put something in my stomach, but apparently it will return.

I handed the medicine and changed my mother.

"Don't drink water frequently to avoid dehydration. It's a good idea to keep the water warm and mix a little salt. Be careful not to get things stuck in your throat. ''

"Oh, thank you!"

I was thankful and felt bitter.

With the medicine I gave you, there is a possibility of alleviating the symptoms, but it can not be cured. But now I don't tell it honestly. If even a little hope breaks down, the ones that survive will be gone.

When I opened the door to return to the knights, there were people waiting outside.

"I heard that there is medicine!"

"Please split it with me!"

"Do you have any food !?"

We push ourselves and reach out.

Everyone has blood running in his eyes. Everybody was desperate for me and my loved ones to live.

"Please calm down! The child is sleeping"

When I said so, the fuss calmed down a little. There seems to be reason to care for the child. He managed to calm the people and explain that they would come back to the knights' home.

With the help of the moving knights, distribute medicine and food to each and every one.

We ran around for those who couldn't move, going to see them, nursing them, and by the time they came back, it was already midnight.

Drag your tired body, lean against the wall of the doorway and sit down.

At the same time as sighing, the cup protruded in front of my eyes. I saw that one of the knights was presenting. Surely the name was Hermann?

"Is cheers for good work"

"Thank you"

Receive and breathe. The steam shook and the scent drifted.

When you drink a sip, you will notice that the hot liquid runs down the esophagus. He lost his shoulders and leaked a long breath.

"Thanks to Johan-sama, everyone seems to have revived a little. Thank you."

Certainly, their expressions, which took medicine and food, got a little better.

But it's temporary. With the amount of food and medicine I bring, I can only surpass it.

"... that's no use. It's not a fundamental solution."

I muttered bitterly while sipping thin tea.

Today is good, but tomorrow? What happens tomorrow, but one week later?

We cannot expect relief from Grenze. The supplies and medicine at hand are running out. You have to endure until Nahato comes back, but there's no concrete way.

"Do you know Heinz in the first place?"

“…………”

Herman goes down silently to my question.

But the answer came from another place.

"Heintz-sama should not have been told anything."

The answer was Marx, who thought he was just sleeping.

"Deputy leader, you got up. Would you like to dry yourself?"

"Thank you"

Marx wakes up and receives the water provided by Hermann. Watch as he drinks water, pauses and talks.

"What does Heinz do not know?"

"Heintz had a bad heart about a year ago and was lying in bed. Since then, his son, Philip, has ruled on behalf of Glenze."

Apparently, it was not a hoax that Heinz was ill.

But there are some parts that I understand. If Heinz is alive, he cannot afford to conceal the sick.

"Philipp was desperately trying to take over for Heinz. He was working hard to pick up Grenze. Originally, he would have neglected us by Heinz-sama. "

There was a long-standing relationship of trust between Heinz and the Knights. That's a certain bond that can't compete with blood alone.

How cruel and humiliating it was to Philip, his real son?

"Even if we weren't there, Philip said that he would prosper in his own way. In fact, Glenze began to develop as a cornerstone of trade. It became fashionable. ''

"I tried to cover it up."

Marx smiled with a cold tone.

Temporary silence. Jiji, the sound of the old lamp core burning.

"I didn't try to cover up the sick from the beginning. I thought it was just a fever, so I arranged for medicine and alerted the people, but the disease spread rather than settled. I went. "

If rumors spread to other countries, no one will visit Glenze.

Realizing a crisis like never before, Philip came up with the idea of isolating the sick.

Right now, in the town, villagers in the depths of the forest have begun to be rumored to be the root of the disease. They decided to cover them up, and apparently appointed Marx and a member of the Knights of the Frontier Knights on their guard.

I guess they tried to dispose of people who were inconvenient for them.

"……So that's it"

I drank the contents of the cup and looked up at the ceiling.

The back of the head hits the wall. You don't have a headache because you hit it physically.

"I understood that the situation was worse than expected."

On the contrary, you can't expect any help, but you're aggressive.

"the worst"

Mutter like a solitary word.

Almost simultaneously, the door rang. The door is beaten wildly from the outside. We looked down at the face, and then put our hand on the knob.

.