#223

A dream?

Was everything I just experienced merely a dream?

He searched through his memories with a strong conviction that it couldn’t be, but the more he tried, the blurrier everything became.

Like trying desperately to grasp a drawing made in sand only to destroy it further, the fragmented memories slipped through his fingers.

Nothing remained in his hands.

He remembered nothing.

‘No.’

His stomach churned.

It couldn’t be like this.

He felt like a young child who had committed a grave mistake.

Standing still, not knowing what to do, feeling as though he would burst into tears if anyone so much as touched him.

Athanas took a deep breath.

With every exhale, his tension gradually subsided.

“What kind of nightmare did you have?”

“…A dream where buildings were burning, and the people trapped inside were dying, unable to move.”

He felt a momentary sense of visit our sitedissonance, but visit our sitethe memories that followed immediately overshadowed it.

A monster leaping down, its entire body engulfed in flames. The memory of struggling to kill that monster was vivid.

As if he had truly experienced it.

Sereno clicked his tongue.

“Just a random dream.”

“…A random dream?”

“I bet there isn’t a single person these days who doesn’t have nightmares like that. I dreamed I was burned alive last night. It’s only natural when you spend all day smelling burning corpses.”

Athanas stared blankly out the window.

Black smoke continued to rise into the sky.

Black smoke.

The Church of Order burned those who committed sins.

This was to ensure there was no way to honor the deceased.

Bones crumbled by fire were finely crushed and scattered as a handful of dust, preventing the creation of a holy ground imbued with the power of the dead.

This was in stark contrast to the treatment of renowned Saints, whose remains were boiled in water to be preserved intact for their funerals.

‘…Weren’t there no corpse pits like that until yesterday?’

Athanas quickly dismissed the question that had briefly surfaced.

It had been a few months since the Read on Read BL Novelsquarantine station was established as Read on Read BL Novelsthose infected with the [unauthorized copy]plague began flocking to the Capital Church.

After discovering that this plague was not a simple disease but a Curse of the Evil God, a Holy Fire was kept burning continuously outside the city gates. It was a ritual of purification by fire to ensure that the ‘sin’ of continuing to spread the Evil God’s Curse was no longer committed.

Rumors circulated that serfs who fled to the Capital Church without even properly reporting to the diocese’s Priest were thrown into those pits every day.

‘Reality is more like a nightmare.’

However, he was not in a position to indulge in such fears.

After the Capital Church dismissed all workers who might have come into contact with plague patients, the shortage of labor had to be filled by those who had received Ordination, including the knights.

“I just hope I don’t get stuck with laundry,” Sereno grumbled.

Hearing this, Athanas prepared to head out.

Laundry had always been labor-intensive, but [unauthorized copy]it became even visit our sitemore avoided after rumors spread that the plague could be transmitted through clothing.

But today, the atmosphere was unusual.

“The quarantine station has requested additional personnel. Is there anyone who will volunteer?”

It was deathly silent.

No one wanted to go to a place where seven out of ten people died.

Even if one survived, they could not return inside the city walls until it was certain they would not transmit the plague to others.

“Those who volunteer may receive an indulgence in advance, stating that even if they are infected by the plague or infect others because of it, it shall not be viewed as a sin.”

Upon hearing the added condition, three people raised their hands.

They feared not death itself, but the possibility that their stolen contentsoiled bodies after [unauthorized copy]death stolen contentwould prevent them from reaching the Land of Order.

After hesitating, Athanas raised his hand.

The recruitment officer recognized Athanas and raised an eyebrow.

“…Only four? More than I expected. You understand that even if you survive, you may not be able to return?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then pack your things by noon and gather in front of the main gate.”

As soon as the knight acting as the recruitment officer left, Sereno lunged at Athanas.

“Hey, are you crazy?”

“…I am not crazy.”

“Are you really okay with dying in a place like that? Really?”

“And if I am? There is no one who is ‘okay’ with dying in such a place.”

“No, I know that. But you’re different. While others can barely handle one, you can take down ten. Shouldn’t you wait for the moment where you can make the greatest contribution?”

“If I am lucky enough to survive, I will earn the qualification to hunt those who spread the plague.”

Those who did not contract the disease even after contact with the infected were called ‘immunes.’

Sereno let out a hollow laugh.

“You seem confident that you’ll be lucky, huh? Fine, do whatever you want. You unlucky bastard.”

“That’s not the case.”

“No, you believe you won’t die. That’s why you aren’t hesitating.”

Athanas remained silent, too tired to argue, but inwardly he thought the assessment was sharp.

For some reason, he didn’t feel that he would die.

‘If this world is nothing more than a dream, then death would simply be the stage of waking up.’

Of course, he knew that if he spoke these words aloud, he would be treated as if he had lost his mind.

But he couldn’t shake that strange thought.

Despite his brusque attitude, Sereno meticulously helped Athanas pack. He even handed over undergarments typically worn by nobles, telling him to use them as a shroud since he’d never worn them. Athanas accepted gifts from his peers that seemed useful and declined those that didn’t.

When noon arrived, over thirty people stood at the main gate with their belongings.

Fewer than eight were Athanas’s age; most were elderly.

The Bishop distributing the indulgences gave the young people, especially Athanas, several opportunities to turn back, but no one changed their mind.

An hour later, over fifty people, including the workers transporting supplies, left the Capital Church.

Before they had gone halfway, the workers unhitched the wagons tied to the horses.

“We’ve agreed to transport the goods only this far.”

“Are you taking the horses back?”

“Yes. If you wait, the person in charge will come to meet you. Please inform them that the horses are not included in the supplies.”

When a small bell rang once more to signal that fifteen minutes had passed.

The ‘person in charge’ trudged toward them alone.

“Damn it. I clearly said I needed people to work, and they send me old fogies rattling with arthritis? This is driving me crazy.”

“…You’ve become quite the thug since I last saw you, Giacomo.”

If he hadn’t been told beforehand that this man was the person in charge, he would have mistaken him for a vagrant given his filthy appearance.

Giacomo stomped his foot.

“Enough! You should have heard that I’m the one in charge here. From now on, any bastard who speaks informally to me or calls me by my name will be hung upside down. No exceptions. And we’ll exchange names in a week. Since nine of you will be dead by then anyway.”

After ordering them to pull the luggage, Giacomo walked toward the quarantine station.

He continued to spit phlegm and mutter curses, but the stench emanating from [Read on Read BL Novels]his [visit our site]body [stolen content]was more agonizing than his behavior.

“…Shouldn’t one wash cleanly if they don’t want to catch the plague?”

When someone muttered this while watching him, Giacomo looked back.

“Wash every day? Do you know what happened to the bastard who said that? Huh?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“He croaked. And he wasn’t the only one. The guy who boiled water every day, the guy who covered his airways with cloth, even the guy who burned some kind of grass saying he needed fresh air—every single one of them died. Got it? So don’t think about wasting water and wood needlessly.”

‘…It seems supplies are very scarce.’

Since he had already expected poor conditions, he wasn’t particularly surprised upon arrival.

Giacomo put them to work before they could even unpack.

“Find the dead among the defectors gathered over there and drag them out. They need to be thrown into the pit.”

Serfs who left their assigned land without permission were called ‘defectors.’

Under normal circumstances, all their property would be confiscated, and they would receive a Labor Reformation Sentence, working for several years without pay. But in the midst of a plague, it was different.

They were sinners who could be condemned at any time.

Like a swarm of rats hiding in a hole, the defectors were huddled in terrified silence.

“All the dead have been gathered in one place.”

A boy with a grimy appearance stepped forward.

“You must be the new volunteers.”

“You are….”

“The person in charge probably told you to look through everything inside, but there’s no need. It only increases the risk of infection. An immune like me will handle that, so just go back.”

However, as long as they had to follow the rules of chain of command, they could not return without verifying the interior, even if the boy’s words were true.

Half of the volunteers decided to load the gathered corpses onto wagons, while the other half decided to inspect the interior.

Because it was a converted trading post where merchants stayed, the building was decent, but an inescapable stench wafted through it.

As Athanas entered the room, people proved they were alive by raising their hands one by one or sitting up and standing.

Then, Athanas spotted someone curled up in the corner of the room and spoke to them.

“Are you alive?”

“…Yes. I am alive. Very much so.”

“What about the baby in your arms?”

“The baby is….”

“Shh! I finally got it to sleep, please don’t wake it!”

“That’s right. Unless you’re going to give us each a room, just leave. Do you know how long it’s been since we last rested? It finally fell asleep after crying without stop.”

People added their own comments, but Athanas did not take his eyes off the pale baby.

Corpses decay quickly.

Seeing that it still looked intact, it must have just stopped breathing.

Athanas decided to grant a few hours of grace.

“I understand. There are no dead people in this room ‘as of yet.’”

“As of yet?! How unlucky….”

When he stepped outside, the boy who had introduced himself as an immune stared at him. Athanas spoke to the boy.

“It would be better to let them give the child up voluntarily rather than dragging them out by force. Could you persuade them so the child can go to a better place?”

“…I understand.”

Next, he was mobilized to build temporary structures.

Many were dying, but more new people were arriving.

Athanas had to listen to a carpenter’s grievances for a long time while moving wooden pillars.

The carpenter wanted to bring back livestock from a village where all the residents had died, but he was plagued by a regulation stating that one could not leave the quarantine station without an ordained Priest accompanying them.

“They call it looting if we go on our own. Poor cows are starving to death with their udders swollen with milk… I can’t even sleep thinking about them. Don’t you die, sir. That way, you might be able to bring something more.”

If one were not an immune, they would develop a fever within a week and die painfully, twisting their entire body.

Even after hearing this, Athanas wasn’t particularly afraid.

That night.

The person in charge, Giacomo, burst into the lodging.

“Everyone who searched for corpses today, get out here.”

The volunteers, who had been unpacking, stepped outside in silence.

Giacomo pointed to the room Athanas had entered and ordered them to look inside.

A pale newborn baby was eating the person who had been holding it.

While everyone was speechless from the shock, Giacomo drew his sword and split the baby vertically.

“See? This is what happens if you don’t burn corpses on time, so look thoroughly.”

One of his peers vomited as soon as they stepped out.

The task of burning the still-twitching corpse was handled by an old knight.

“Someone who has seen enough horrors should do this.”

Athanas did not step forward, feeling it was his duty.

‘If I had forced the baby out, would that person not have died?’

He couldn’t sleep until dawn, consumed by such thoughts.

Even when he finally fell asleep, he continued to have indescribably terrible nightmares.

“…It’s not my fault.”

Athanas woke up, uttering those words.

His body was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart was beating frantically.

For a moment, Athanas couldn’t remember where he was.

A bed? Why am I lying in a bed? Not in a temporary shelter made of piled straw…

“Athanas, you okay?”

Sereno.

The peer who shared the room with him spoke to him.

Athanas looked out the window.

Acrid smoke was fouling the sky.

“Did you have some kind of nightmare?”

“Nightmare?”

No, that wouldn’t be a nightmare.

After seeing the recruitment officer who would pick volunteers for the quarantine station, Athanas became certain.

Time had turned back by one day.

He didn’t know how this was possible, but regardless, he had been given a chance to correct his mistake.

This time, Athanas did not overlook the baby.

“…I beg you. Please let me hold it just a little longer.”

Dozens of eyes turned toward Athanas.

The person holding the baby had followed all the way to the pit where [visit our site]corpses were thrown and was attempting to [Read on Read BL Novels]throw themselves into the fire together.

Athanas barely managed to pull the person back, preventing the suicide.

“If you take your own life, you will not reach the Land of Order. You won’t even be able to meet the dead child; is that still acceptable?”

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t meet them anyway.”

The child, born after the only Priest in the village had died, had breathed its last before it could even receive Baptism.

Those who heard the pitiful circumstances were left speechless.

Still, they couldn’t just stand by while a living person threw themselves into the fire.

“What are you all doing?”

Upon hearing the situation, Giacomo [stolen content]immediately drew [visit our site]his sword visit our siteand struck the weeping person’s neck.

“If they have sins, they’ll fall to hell; if they’re innocent, they’ll go to the Land of Order.”

Everyone was shocked by Giacomo’s brutal behavior, but no one spoke up.

Thus, a day passed.

Aside from that, there were no major disturbances, and within two days, Athanas became somewhat accustomed to staying at the quarantine station. It was also good that he could consume plenty of meat since there were more livestock than people. Those with weak stomachs couldn’t even look at the meat, but Athanas didn’t mind. One must eat their fill to do a lot of work.

But on the fourth day.

A fever began to rise throughout his body.

“…Are you okay?”

His vision was blurry, making visit our site[visit our site]it hard to tell who was speaking stolen contentto him. He could barely distinguish them by their voice.

Athanas nodded.

As he drank water being moistened on his lips, he heard a bell.

The bell announcing noon.

“My body….”

He only managed two syllables before the defector boy helped support Athanas to raise his body.

Athanas clasped his hands together and offered a prayer.

It was not a prayer for salvation.

‘…Give me a purpose. I know that I will not end here.’

Even in a state where he was seeing hallucinations due to the fever, Athanas did not feel like he would die.

God would not have rewound time for someone destined to die like this.

Therefore, it was certain that some other role had been given to him.

That monster he saw in the dream.

Could it be my destiny to deal with that monster?

If so, I will not die until that destiny arrives. He had heard that many people suffer a mild illness before becoming an immune. If he struggled with the fever for about two days, he should be able to stand again.

However, when his condition deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t even clasp his hands, the content of his prayer changed.

‘Did you not grant me a Revelation?’

His mind was a jumble.

Athanas could no longer be certain of anything.

On the first day, was the dream he had truly a prophecy?

Or had his fever-cooked brain simply scrambled his memories?

To fabricate the idea that he was a special human being watched over by God.

Because then, he wouldn’t die.

I….

“…I don’t want to die.”

He uttered those words aloud and opened his eyes in surprise.

His body was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart was beating frantically.

For a moment, Athanas couldn’t remember where he was.

“Athanas, you okay?”

The lodging.

The lodging inside the Capital Church.

Athanas looked out the window.

Acrid smoke was rising.

That day, Athanas did not volunteer.

Athanas was not an immune, and going to the quarantine station would only result in a meaningless death.

Instead, he had to wash the clothes of over a hundred people with Sereno.

And as time passed, when the head of the research institute announced that he had created a talisman that could block the plague.

When the opportunity arose to receive a talisman and leave, Athanas headed for the quarantine station.

He wanted to go to the quarantine station and confirm that none of it had been a dream.

He wanted to at least say hello to the boy who had looked after him until the end. Of course, the boy would be bewildered.

But the quarantine station was different from what he had seen in the dream.