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nBishop Lazark also reached the hill and saw the burning city and the surrounding villages. “Why would the Grand Duke burn the very land he wants to rule? It contradicts all that he has done so far.”

nSylvester deprecatingly chuckled and rubbed his eyes in tiredness. “Grand Duke knows there is no such thing as taking over the Sorrow Kingdom after waging war against King Highland. But, I’m sure Grand Duke is hiding some secret moves even now.”

n“Let’s go. We must reach the Wailing City before we find any major hurdle in our way.” Sylvester could not do anything for the burning towns and villages as he was just a single man.

nHaving no time to waste, they passed by many more burning towns and villages. Some had already been turned into a pile of ash. Those who survived were on the streets, waiting for death to come. Just a look in the eyes of the people revealed many of them had given up already.

nTheir lives just don’t seem to be getting better. Every single time something happens, it’s something terrible. First the attack by The Patch, then the earthquake, then the plague and now The Patch using scorched earth. People had nothing already, and now they lost even the will to survive.

n‘Perhaps it’s time to play my game. But, ah… I feel so tired already.’

n“All those who hope for a cure, all those who desire food, and all those who finally wish to fight the evil Grand Duke — Follow me to the Wailing City. We will gather there for the last time.” Sylvester shouted all of a sudden, shocking Sir Dolorem and Bishop Lazark.

n“W-What are you doing? If they all come, the balance in the city will be broken. We don’t have enough food for them all.” Bishop Lazark reminded Sylvester in a warning tone.

n“We do have the money, so it’s better if they all come to us. We need to vaccinate them at the same time. Once we have done that, I shall arm them and march them to the borders to flank the Grand Duke while he’d be busy fighting the Highland Kingdom.” Sylvester revealed his rather crude plan.

n“They will all be butchered.” Sir Dolorem exclaimed. “Look at them; they can’t even walk straight.”

n“They are dying already, so why not die while fighting? Have faith in me, priests. We shall overcome this situation. It’s better if all the people gather at Wailing City so that we can manage them better. In fact, I hope you two can use your means to spread the word to all the people somehow — Come to Wailing City for a better life.” Sylvester decided to double down on his plan.

nSir Dolorem and Bishop Lazark shook their heads simultaneously, worried for Sylvester and his plans. They understood why he never divulged the entire thing to them, but sometimes they wish he did.

nAfter two more nights, they finally came closer to Wailing City. By then, a crowd of fifteen thousand was already following Sylvester in search of a better future. Thankfully, Bishop Lazark had already used his undead birds to send the missive to Saint Medico, suggesting that food be prepared in mass.

nWith preparations already done, as Sylvester arrived, makeshift tents were set up outside the city so people could stay. Efforts were made to keep things as hygienic as possible, and outpost towers were set up every few blocks to maintain high security.

nSylvester, meanwhile, took the cows and the family of eight into the city, beyond the lava moat and into the monastery to show to Saint Medico. He had already sent one letter with the bird, but it only revealed that a cure had been found.

n“Where is it? What is the cure?” Saint Medico jumped from his seat the moment Sylvester entered his office. “How did you find it?”

nSylvester let the old master of medicine be anxious for a while as he sat calmly, then poured himself a glass of water and drank it slowly. “I found it through observation, Saint. I saw that in a plagued town, one family didn’t get infected, not even a single member. Upon inspection, I found that they had eaten a cow recently infected with a disease similar to the current plague, but milder. The family revealed they had already suffered from the same illness the cow had. That made me realise that the disease they got from the cow made them immune to the plague.

n“Saint Medico, to fight this plague, all we need to do is mass immunise people with this cow disease. I have already invented the needles, so we can easily use them in mass. We just need to find more cows infected with the same disease, extract the puss in the blisters, and expose the people to it. We must also infuse solarium in the extracted substance to make it potent.”

nSylvester had already written everything down on a few sheets of paper, so he forwarded it. He then waited for Saint Medico to read it and give his answers.

n“Grrr…!”

n“Ah, you must be hungry after the long travel.” Saint Medico looked at him after hearing his stomach grumble.

n“It’s alright. I can eat later. This matter is more important.” Sylvester denied it, as the one with a grumbling stomach was Miraj, not him.

nSaint Medico continued to turn the pages and think. “I see some reason in what you have discovered. But I must confirm the findings before investing vast amounts of church resources. If this works, then I believe you have saved the world from a miserable and deadly plague that would have likely lasted years and killed nearly half of our population.”

n‘That was the plan from the start.’ Sylvester thought and gave an invisible pat on his own back.

n“Thank you, Saint.”

n“But!” Saint Medico put the papers away, and his face turned furious. “You have brought hordes of people to our doorstep without prior notification, yet more continue to arrive unabated. We are simply not equipped to handle this unprecedented influx, young bard.”

nSylvester knew this was coming. So he put another bunch of papers on the table. “I know, Saint. That is why I am planning on arming these people and marching them to The Patch as soon as they are immunised from the plague. They have lost everything to the Grand Duke, and it’s about time they get it back.”

n“They will all die, young bard. Sorrow Kingdom has already lost more than half its population. You want total extinction now?”

n“Look at the plan first, Saint.” Sylvester insisted.

nFollowing that, the Saint silently read every single word with much care and worry. His face constantly had a frown, and from time to time, he shared a glance with Sylvester. Occasionally, his brows rose in amazement, and sometimes they fell in doubt.

n“Are you sure? You seem to be underestimating The Patch.”

n“I am not, Saint. But I did promise King Highland that he would not have to fight more than one Grand Wizard at a time. I intend to keep my word, for it was I who suggested he makes the dam in the first place. Not for politics, of course, but to make his lands fertile again.” Sylvester clarified his position. “This war with The Patch was inevitable, and now that the Grand Duke is cornered, it’s time we end this mess and bring order to the Sorrow Kingdom once again — under the direct administration of the Holy Land.”

nSylvester’s words were too big and echoed in Saint Medico’s ears. He was no spymaster or a politician, but being a member of the Sanctum Council, he knew exactly what Sylvester was offering. “Did you discuss your ideas with anyone? His Holiness, perhaps?”

n“There was no plan until I arrived in the Sorrow Kingdom and saw the situation first-hand. King Highland’s actions are his own, but we can’t allow a good King like him to suffer at the hands of someone vile like the Grand Duke. If the Holy Land does not intervene today, it will be too late tomorrow. I do not ask anyone to come to fight, Saint. I just wish to lead these people and fight alongside them.” Sylvester stood up and gave a formal salute. “We have come this far already. It’d be sad to retreat now.”

nSaint Medico stayed silent in his seat for a good while. “I am nobody to stop you from doing whatever you desire, young bard. You are an Archbishop and a Special Judge in these lands. Your word is the law, so you may decide matters yourself. I will not step in your way. You have my word.”

n“Thank you, Saint. I will be on my way now. I hope the cure can be utilised in numbers soon.”

nSylvester bid his farewell and left the office room. Outside, he took a sigh of relief and proceeded towards his room. The first thing he did there was write a letter to Kaecilius, the slave in Riveria. Sadly, he could not send him the words directly, so he was going to have to wait.

nThen the second letter he wrote was addressed to King Highland. It detailed Sylvester’s plan and reassured the King that Sylvester would keep his end of the deal.

n‘If everything goes well, not only the Sorrow Kingdom and the Patch will be united, the whole region will become the Church’s second home ground. If I play my cards right, I might just be allowed to be its first official administrator, nothing short of a king.’ ｎｏｖ𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

nMany ideas lingered in his mind, as there was a lot he needed to achieve before walking the more dangerous path.

n‘Ah, I feel too sleepy all of a sudden.’ Sylvester moved the light crystal a little closer to his work desk and rubbed his eyes. ‘Maybe I should go and just eat something first.’

nSylvester looked at the two beds in his room. On one, Amy was sleeping soundly. “Get up. It’s time to eat dinner.”

nAs if she rose from the dead, she got up instantly and rubbed clean her mouth from the drool. “Where?”

n“Come with me.” Sylvester put his things away and proceeded out of his room. He carefully locked the door with not just keys but also magic.

nAmy quickly caught Sylvester’s hand and started walking alongside him. Her world had changed a lot, although there remained much uncertainty. She still enjoyed time with Sylvester as he never harmed her, yelled at her or made her do tiring chores.

n“What are we going to eat, mister priest?” She asked jovially.

n“Oh, we will eat some e— Ugh~”

nThud!

nSylvester suddenly stopped in the middle of speaking and fell to his knees. “I… My vision is so blurry!”

nAmy frantically held onto him and supported him. “Mister priest! What happened?”

nSylvester raised his arms a little, but soon they lacked energy. His eyes got heavier, and eventually, he fell to the floor completely.

n‘Fuckers! When did they poison me?’

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nPlease send all your Golden Tickets! Help this Gorilla reach the top 25!

nThank you!

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