A Snake’s Life Ch 75

Chapter 75

 

“Could it be the food? I thought about it after hearing what Shuiren said. Aside from the air, we all shared the same meals. If even those who recovered started showing symptoms again, wouldn’t it be after they ate?”

It was a blind spot. I was about to spring to my feet at Paul’s idea, then collapsed back down. Zerpell quickly caught me. I reached out and tapped his chest as a gesture of praise. Zerpell added his own thought.

“It’s worth checking out.”

“The master didn’t eat yesterday, did he? I didn’t see him…”

“I went to the forest then. I suspected poison first, so I searched the nearby woods for toxic plants. I ate what I found there. With food being scarce, it’s better to forage if possible.”

His foresight impressed me, and I ended up patting his head without thinking. Though his hair got messy, Zerpell didn’t dodge. Come to think of it, I remembered feeling uneasy while eating the soup yesterday.

“Actually, yesterday… While eating the soup, something felt off.”

“What exactly was it?”

“I’m not sure? Just a weird feeling, I guess… The bread seemed fine though.”

Cedric looked at me questioningly. Suddenly, something from my studies flashed through my mind. A disease from history, one spread through water. Cholera. I slapped the table and stood up.

“Cholera!”

Everyone stared at me in confusion. I awkwardly sat back down. Of course, they wouldn’t know what cholera was. I cleared my throat.

“Shuiren, what do you mean?”

“I mean the water.”

“The water?”

“It’s just a theory, but… the bread seemed fine. That leaves the soup… and soup is made with water, right? It doesn’t have to be food. You said they were building houses now? Then they’d be tired and thirsty. They’d drink water, wouldn’t they?”

“You’re saying the water is contaminated?”

I nodded vigorously. Cedric added thoughtfully.

“Your Highness, that would also explain why the neighboring village is unaffected. This village has a large well at its center, doesn’t it? It seems they live communally off that water. We drank from the stream, which is likely why we remained fine.”

“That makes sense. Alright. Let’s go check it out.”

Early that morning, we set out to inspect the well. The visible white breath in the air hinted at the time. I shivered and rubbed my arms, and Zerpell draped his cloak over my shoulders.

“Thanks.”

The well was at the village center, and even at this early hour, people were drawing water. I was worried about them, but shouting that the water was poisoned without confirmation would only cause chaos. Cedric fetched a bucket from the well, scooped up some water with his hand, and tasted it.

“Hmm…”

Zerpell gave me a concerned look. I silently gave a thumbs-up. I could feel it—my intuition told me we had found the source. But Zerpell didn’t look relieved. His sigh wasn’t one of relief, but the kind that came when facing yet another challenge. I tilted my head.

“What’s wrong? Is there another problem?”

“If the water is indeed contaminated, then we can’t use it anymore… I worry about the villagers’ drinking water.”

Ah… I let out a small sigh. I hadn’t thought of that.

“And even if we say the water is contaminated, will the Pope believe it?”

It was just a hunch, not a certainty. Just then, we heard footsteps approaching from behind. I turned around, startled. It was Royte.

“You’re all up early. What are you doing here?”

He had two buckets in his hands—clearly headed for the well.

“Ah… well…”

I scratched my head awkwardly. Glancing sideways, I saw Zerpell give a nod. It was a sign that it was okay to speak. I briefly explained to Royte what we’d found.

“What?!”

He exclaimed in shock. I remembered how tenderly he had cared for the sick yesterday. No wonder he was alarmed.

“But…”

“I’ll go report to His Holiness!”

Clunk. His buckets clattered as he bolted off. I reached out, but he was already too far. I could only watch, stunned. Then I pointed in the direction he’d gone and said:

“Shall we follow him?”

We walked to the church. When we arrived, the Pope was already coming out, likely informed by Royte. Unlike Royte, who had rushed, the Pope’s steps were leisurely.

“Your Highness. I’ve heard the report from the priest. Is it true the water is contaminated?”

“That’s something that needs to be investigated further.”

“But I was told the Divine Envoy confirmed it himself.”

“…”

“Then it must be true.”

It felt like he was jumping to conclusions. But the Pope said no more. Zerpell frowned at the Pope’s suspicious behavior.

“It’s too early for a definite answer. We need to identify exactly how it was contaminated to prevent future incidents.”

“Shouldn’t alleviating the villagers’ suffering come first? If the water is bad, then just stop using it.”

“Water is precious. Surely you understand that.”

It was a pointed remark. But the Pope brushed Zerpell’s comment aside.

“Then how about this—why don’t the Divine Envoy call forth rain? It hasn’t rained outside of the rain ritual day, has it? This would be a good time for it.”

Gone was his gentle smile. The Pope tilted his head slightly, his eyes full of defiance. Did he think I couldn’t summon rain? He wasn’t wrong. Between training and preparing for the banquet, I hadn’t even thought about making it rain.

“So that was his plan all along?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Zerpell’s words were laced with sarcasm. A silent war was brewing between him and the Pope. We returned to the well without another word. Zerpell gently took my hand.

“Shuiren, will you be alright?”

“Well… I mean, I am the only one who can make it rain now. It’s for the villagers…”

I rested my arm on Zerpell’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, shielding my mouth with my hand so the Pope couldn’t hear.

“But… I think the Pope did this. Don’t we need to find proof?”

“He’s probably already destroyed any evidence. Let’s watch for now. We’ve stepped into the trap he set.”

Thanks to my efforts yesterday, some people who had recovered came running over. But I could tell from their coughs that their symptoms were already returning. It was obvious their condition would worsen later. A man who appeared to be the village chief stepped forward.

“Is it true? Is the water really contaminated?”

The villagers murmured in concern. Contaminated water meant disaster. The Pope, understanding their fears, pointed at me and declared:

“But we have the Divine Envoy! He will save us.”

“….”

My face twisted with irritation. The villagers fell for it instantly and looked at me with blind trust.

“That’s right!”

“Please save us, Divine Envoy!”

Was this how he always gave his speeches? Every single person clasped their hands together and bowed their heads to me. I couldn’t exactly curse them out, but my brows twitched in annoyance. Zerpell felt the same.

“What now? Should I make it rain?”

“Hah…”

Zerpell sighed softly, then stepped forward. He had many suspicions about the Pope’s behavior, but with no visible evidence, there wasn’t much he could do.

“There’s no concrete proof that the water is contaminated, so…”

Just then, one of the villagers stepped forward and spoke up.

“Actually… I think I saw something! The day before the sickness spread, an outsider came and put something in the well!”

The man spoke with conviction.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Who knew the water was the problem? I only remembered after hearing everything.”

The Pope shook his head with a sorrowful smile.

“It seems the contamination is confirmed. Such a shame… In a time of water scarcity, to have our supply poisoned… It can’t be helped. Divine Envoy, won’t you bring rain for the people?”

This wasn’t a climax—it was the Pope pushing for rain again. I couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with it. I was certain he was behind this, but there was no evidence. Investigating further would be difficult. To the villagers, more than knowing the truth, what mattered was getting rid of the illness and securing water. Both were life-threatening problems. I understood that. Figuring out the cause of the illness within a day was already a small miracle.

“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard. Will you be okay?”

“Let’s just get this over with. It’s obvious all he wants is for me to make it rain… Remember the Empress last time? She said something about the rain too. They’re probably just curious if I can actually do it. It hasn’t rained since then. This place feels strange… Like something’s off. My strength isn’t recovering quickly either… Let’s wrap this up and leave.”

The Pope’s tyranny annoyed me, but there was no point talking to someone who wouldn’t listen. The faster we resolved this, the better. Zerpell patted my head gently, like he was proud.

“Don’t overdo it. Once this is over, let’s rest properly.”

“Yeah. Let’s finish this and go on a date.”

Without even pretending to listen to Zerpell, the Pope was already rallying the people to demand rain from me. I didn’t want to see his face anymore. My energy wasn’t recovering either. Was it because we were too far from the sanctuary and beyond the god’s range? That thought crossed my mind. When I raised my hand and announced I would bring rain, everything moved quickly. First, all the contaminated water had to be discarded.

Since there weren’t any tools, people had to scoop out the water manually, which took time. Everyone cooperated, and soon the well was empty.

“We’re ready.”

Everyone was staring at me. Seeing how intact the church was, it seemed this village had deep faith. The priests and villagers were all kneeling in prayer, like I was some great stone statue in their chapel. I found it ridiculous, but what could I do?

This is why I hated being called the Divine Envoy. I closed my eyes and focused my energy. All that pondering on how to summon rain was pointless—just repeating “Rain, rain, fall down,” over and over in my head, and a raindrop touched my cheek. The villagers’ cheers rang out loud and clear.

But I couldn’t open my eyes. My powers were surging strangely. Then, threads of light began streaming from my body, drifting toward the church. It was like my energy was being siphoned off, the thin strands wrapping around the church.

As I took a step forward, dizziness hit me hard. I could feel myself collapsing sideways. Zerpell’s face was beside me, his expression so cold it looked frozen as he shouted something.

I instinctively knew—I was going to lose consciousness.

‘Ah… I’m falling asleep again… Don’t worry too much. I’ll wake up soon…’

And with Zerpell’s raised voice as the last thing I heard, everything went black.