How the Cult Saves the World

Chapter 122

I felt an ominous sensation from the voice that was crying and screaming at the same time. Plus, it seemed I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Master."

"Ch-Church Leader."

Zain, the kids, and even Troy all got up from the table, following me. Their expressions were heavy, as if they instinctively sensed the gravity of the situation from the emotion in the scream.

"Let's go."

I left the restaurant with them right away. I didn't finish my meal, but that didn't matter right now.

This was the first time something like this had happened since the temple was established. Of course, anything can happen in a place where people gather. I just hoped it wasn't something serious.

As I hurried out of the restaurant and completely exited the temple building, I saw a man in his late 30s.

'What's going on with that guy?'

The man was holding a girl who looked about eight years old. As soon as he saw me, he ran toward me, tears streaming down his face.

"Ch-Church Leader! Please help me!"

I recognized the two people immediately. They were believers who had been visiting the temple since it opened in Rovel.

The man's name was Hervandes, and the girl he was holding was his daughter, Elenis.

"Oh, Brother. What's the matter?"

"My daughter, my daughter...she seems to be sick. Please help me."

Hervandes looked more disheveled than usual. His hair was a mess, as if he had been in a hurry, and his clothes barely covered him.

"I had nowhere to go at this hour, so I came to the temple. You preached a cure for Malone's disease, right? If so, I'm sure you can cure my daughter too."

The moment Hervandes desperately appealed to me, a quest window appeared.

[Sub-quest appears!]

[Sub-Quest 'Plague' 1: Elenis's Disease]

Content: A plague has broken out somewhere on the Continent. It is a terrible disease that affects only children. What is the cause of this disease, and what will be the result? (This is a linked quest.)

Objective: Find out why Elenis is sick.

Upon Success: Find traces of the next quest.

Upon Failure: -

Final Success Reward: ???

[Do you accept?]

[Yes/No]

The quest window had appeared after a long time. This was a quest I had seen in the original story.

Of course, the title was slightly different, but the content was the same as the one in the original HSAW.

'Could that mean that...no, there's no way it has already appeared.'

My heart began to beat faster as my ominous feelings started becoming a reality.

Still, I accepted the quest and approached Hervandes.

"Brother, I'll try my best, so please calm down."

"Yes, yes, Church Leader. Alright."

Hervandes nodded with trembling eyes. I met his gaze until the end and then turned my attention to Elenis.

Though I didn't see her often due to being busy, I remembered Hervandes' daughter Elenis. She always greeted me brightly and was friendly with the children.

Her smiling face was cute, and her prayers to Kyros were equally adorable, like, 'Please give me a delicious snack tomorrow.'

'...As I thought.'

I bit my lip. Green protrusions were growing all over Elenis's body. The child groaned, unconscious, and the protrusions looked like corns (calluses) but also like bamboo shoots.

-Oh my... What is happening to this child? Do you know what this is?

Kyros asked me in a low voice.

'...Yes. I've heard of it. It's probably the Goblin Disease.'

Yes. I knew what this was. It's called "Goblin Disease", a condition where green bumps grow on the skin, causing the appearance to change and resemble a goblin. What's unique about this disease is that it only affects children under 15, and there's a high chance of death within 3 months of the onset.

'... And it's a disease that shouldn't be appearing in this world right now.'

At least a year... No, if my calculations were correct, this plague should have started a few months later. But it appeared ahead of time.

That meant the Diego Church had begun to move. The source of this disease was in the Diego Church.

-Goblin disease?

'Yes. It's a disease that disappeared from the world about a hundred years ago. It caused numerous deaths at the time, and then disappeared on its own.'

-It's a disease that can go away naturally? That's fortunate.

'It's not fortunate. The reason it died out naturally was because all the children in the country where it was prevalent died.'

-Oh my goodness. I see.

Kyros sighed in regret. I sighed too.

It wasn't good that a disease that should have appeared much later had come so soon.

'Lord Kyros. Do Alphius, Chester, and Sasha also suffer from human diseases?'

-That's not the case. My angels are different from ordinary humans. They are children created by my power, so they won't catch human diseases. Don't worry.

'That's fortunate, then.'

As expected, since Alphius, Chester, and Sasha were senior members selected through a draw, I expected them to be related to the system, not be "human".

"Master, what should we do?"

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Zain approached with a worried look on his face. Both he and Troy looked surprised by the sight of the child.

Only Alphius, Chester, and Sasha remained calm.

"First, please guide them to the priests' quarters. This disease is highly contagious to children, so we must isolate them in a place where no one can enter."

"But, Master, what about Alphi, Chessy, and Sasha?"

Zain asked worriedly. I shook my head.

"The three senior members are fine. Lord Kyros's power is in strong touch with them."

I reassured Zain and advised the children to move the two.

"Brother, let's go inside first."

"Oh, yes. Thank you."

I headed into the temple building with them.

***

Although the Temple of Rovel was small, it had separate quarters for the priests.

In particular, the third floor of the temple building was designated for the priests' quarters. Since there were not many priests yet, more than half of the floor was still empty.

I arranged for the father and daughter to stay in the innermost quarters and gathered with the senior members in the reception room on the same floor.

"Church Leader, do you know what Sister Elenis's illness is?" Alphius asked.

I nodded at his question.

"The disease is called 'Goblin Disease'. It's a disease that disappeared from the world long ago. I don't know how it's resurfaced, but...it only affects children. We need to keep children away from this floor as much as possible."

"It's a disease that only affects children? That's terrible."

It was actually Diego Church who had brought the disease back into the world, but I couldn't tell them that yet. I couldn't explain how I knew.

Fortunately, Troy, Zain, and the other children nodded without any doubt, accepting my explanation, which had no concrete basis.

I felt a little relieved and continued speaking.

"Goblin Disease is highly contagious. We need to disinfect the temple first."

"Disinfect?"

"Yeah, Alphi. You never know where germs might be lingering," I said.

I opened my inventory and began looking through the ingredients. Luckily, I had the materials to make disinfectant.

Since returning from my grandmother's house, I had been collecting ingredients, thinking I might need them.

"Everyone, just wait a minute."

I worked quickly, chopping and grinding the ingredients, and managed to create nearly ten bottles of disinfectant.

"Each of you, take one. Alphi and Chessy, you each get an extra."

I distributed the disinfectant to the senior members and set aside the rest.

"You never know where germs might be lurking, so always be careful. Wash your hands as much as possible."

"Understood, Church Leader."

"Okay, Church Leader."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind, Master."

After hearing their responses, I stood up.

"I'll take care of Elenis on my own. We can't let germs spread inside the temple unnecessarily. So, you all disinfect the temple and warn the other senior members about Goblin Disease."

"But, Leader, will you be okay alone?" Zain asked.

"Yes, Master. Wouldn't it be better for us to help out too?" Troy added.

I shook my head.

"No. In situations like this, we need to be extra careful. Other children could get sick for no reason."

At that, Zain and Troy had no choice but to nod.

After assigning tasks, I left the reception room and stood in front of the room where Elenis was staying.

'Goblin Disease...'

I never expected to encounter this disease so soon.

In the original story, the origin of this disease was the Diego Church. It was a weapon created by the Sixth Apostle, who was obsessed with experiments.

The fact that Diego Church had done something like this, even though it was known for not not typically harming humans despite being known to worship an Evil God, meant they were preparing for a full-scale plan.

'...Shit.'

Why are they acting so soon?

After finishing that thought, I then knocked on the door of the room where Hervandes and Elenis were.

When I entered, I saw Elenis lying in bed and Hervandes standing next to her.

"Ch-Church Leader!"

Hervandes greeted me with a bright face, a stark contrast to his sorrowful demeanor earlier. I felt a little uncomfortable because he seemed to see me as a savior.

"Brother."

"Oh, Lord Kyros! Surely you have found a way to cure my child, right?" Hervandes exclaimed.

It seemed he thought the senior member meeting was held so a cure could be found.

I shook my head.

"It seems like it will take some time."

"Ah, I see..."

Hervandes looked visibly disappointed. I grabbed his shoulder and asked,

"Do you know where Elenis was and what she was doing before she got sick?"

"Oh, yes. Of course."

Hervandes smiled faintly and began his explanation slowly.

"As you may already know, I'm a coachman. On my days off, I often take Elenis to other villages to play."

According to Hervandes, the two had visited a town called 'Prell' a few days ago for some leisure time.

They had been exploring a valley in the village because it was beautiful, but Elenis misstepped and fell into the valley.

Hervandes hurried home with her, and from that day on, Elenis started to feel unwell.

"At first, I thought it was just a cold, since she had a cough and a high fever. But a few hours ago, these green bumps started appearing..."

After hearing Hervandes' story and the quest update, I became certain that the Diego Church was responsible for spreading this plague.

Because in the original story as well, the source of Goblin Disease was 'Prell'. The valley's water in Prell, which served as the village's drinking water, had been contaminated with the disease, spreading the infection rapidly. No one can survive without drinking water.

'That means the infection likely started in Prell a while ago.'

If that was true, it wasn't just Elenis who was at risk. Goblin Disease would already have begun making its way toward the Holden Estate, including Rovel.

I quickly said goodbye to Hervandes and left the room. As I did, the quest was updated.

I couldn't help but be stunned by the new quest details.

[Sub-Quest 'Plague' 1. <Elenis's Disease> Cleared!]

[Sub-Quest Rewards Will Be Given To You.]

[Sub-Quest Appears!]

[Sub-Quest 'Plague' 2. <Stop the Goblin Disease!>]

Content: The goblin disease, which is highly contagious, has already reached Holden Estate. If the number of infected patients increases, the future of the estate will be in jeopardy. (This quest is a linked quest.)

Objective: Cure all Goblin Disease patients in Holden Estate (Currently cured: 0/4)

Upon Success: Find traces of the next quest.

Upon Failure: -

Final Success Reward: ???

[Do you accept?]

[Yes/No]

Damn it, there are already 4 patients with Goblin Disease within our estate?