The Baby Isn't Yours

A sense of gloom hung over the faces of everyone in the room.

It hadn’t been long since the outbreak of the disease, so the exact mortality rate wasn’t yet known.

However, it was clear that the condition was worsening as time went on.

“Where are the people who contracted the disease?”

“Well, the number was too high, so we divided them into two groups.”

“You divided them?”

“Yes. Half of them were isolated in the Lord’s castle, and the other half were quarantined in an empty farmhouse owned by the forest keeper.”

“That’s why the village feels so empty.”

On the way to the Magic branch, the village, which was known for its bustling commercial activity, was eerily quiet.

It was as if no one was there, as if it was an uninhabited place.

“I heard there are rumors that it might be an epidemic, so people have locked their doors and nobody comes out. Even half of the shops have closed their doors due to suspension of business.”

Kalia, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, interjected.

“Is there any way I can see the patients? I still haven’t seen how severe the disease is, what kind of skin condition it is, and I want to observe the patients’ condition.”

Allen interrupted her.

“Miss Kalia!”

With a weary expression, he tried to dissuade her.

Kalia quickly nestled Sasha in Allen’s arms and said.

“Allen and Hemmie are taking care of the babies here. I’ll go there with Simon.”

“But…! Wouldn’t it be better for me as a doctor to go and examine them first? If someone has to go, I’ll go.”

“I’ll decide that after I go there first. It’s less risky for me and Simon to go.”

“Miss Kalia!”

“For now, I’ll entrust the babies to you, Allen. Okay?”

He couldn’t persuade her.

In the end, Allen decided to stay with Hemmie and Derek to take care of the babies and examine the collected data at the branch.

As Allen was examining the box of documents handed to him by Hendrick, he hurriedly grabbed Hendrick, who was about to leave.

“Is there something called Akan Cream here?”

“Oh, Akan Cream.”

The medicine that was said to be the only one effective against the demonic disease.

Only Akan produces and distributes it, so the supply on the market was scarce.

That’s why both nobles and commoners alike were going crazy trying to get their hands on it.

Fortunately, there was an announcement that Akan would provide additional supplies, along with a promise of full support for the cream…

But even that was mostly monopolized by the wealthy and nobles.

At this imperial meeting, it was announced that Akan would bring additional supplies, so the people were eagerly waiting for it.

Not only those who were already sick but also those who weren’t, in a preventive measure, were buying and using it without hesitation.

As a result, even the most cunning merchants moved to acquire Akan Cream.

The same was true for merchants in Lakoa; they were no exception to leaving for the outside.

As a result, the interior of the city looked even more empty.

“To be honest, it wasn’t easy to acquire. Maybe due to anxiety, there were no sellers no matter how much money I offered.”

Saying that, Hendrick took out a small pouch that he had hidden inside his cloak and held it out.

“I did manage to acquire two more, but the rest got stolen, and I barely saved this one.”

“Stolen? From here?”

“When you’re offering more than 100 gold for something this small, there are bound to be a few sneaky individuals lurking around.”

Hendrick said with a bitter smile.

Of course, strict punishment was later imposed, but the punishment wasn’t the issue.

The fact that such an incident happened within the branch he managed indicated a weakness in the system.

Magic was a destructive force, and even among magicians, the chain of command was as important as in the military.

Of course, physical punishment wasn’t imposed, but there were far scarier methods for the magicians.

Hendrick shook off his thoughts and looked back at Simon, who was waiting for him.

The days at the academy were long gone.

Hendrick had to seek permission from his superior first.

“I was keeping this as a reference in the archives. What should we do with it?”

Hendrick glanced at Simon as if asking if it was okay to hand it over to this doctor.

Simon glanced briefly at Allen and turned back, shaking his hand roughly as a response.

“Please handle it with care. I heard that even the folks at the Mage Tower haven’t been able to acquire a few.”

Without hesitation, Simon handed over the important data to him.

Simon also trusted Allen to that extent.

Allen escorted them as they descended the stairs of the magical branch, firmly holding the Akan Cream in his hand.

In the lobby, Hemmie, who had come down first, was scolding Kalia while hugging Sasha.

“No matter how invincible you are, miss Kalia, you still need to be careful. Got it? My goodness, I have to follow you just in case something happens!”

Hemmie puffed up her cheeks and followed Kalia, who was going out, step by step.

Click.

When they opened the door and went outside, they saw an empty street with no one passing by.

Despite being in the heart of the city, the Magic branch, it felt as if they were in a ghost town with not a single person nearby.

Hemmie grabbed onto Kalia’s dress, who was looking around the empty square with a serious expression.

She could see the eyes watching her.

Kalia smiled slightly, as if saying it’s okay, and ruffled Hemmie’s hair, petting her like a child.

Then, she kissed Sasha’s cheek, who was staring at her intently.

“Mom will be back soon, Sasha.”

“Boo!”

As if telling her not to worry, the baby let out a spirited coo.

Though his expression was serious, not befitting a baby, his chubby and round cheeks made him look adorable.

While Kalia laughed softly at Sasha’s cuteness and straightened her posture, a tiny body, about the size of an acorn, jumped under her feet.

“Pl-please!”

Trembling, the small body, a baby so tiny that it could barely roll around, lay prostrate at Kalia’s feet, extending its tiny hands and shouting.

“P-p-please give me something to eat!”

* * *

With small hands clasped together, the boy looked up with frightened eyes, now barely four years old at most.

A very small child, covered in grime and wearing tattered clothes.

Having plucked up a lot of courage on such a subject, he crouched at her feet and begged.

Unconsciously, Kalia stared at the child frozen like a statue.

Under the tangled, messy hair, there were plenty of dandruff and stains.

Kalia’s heart ached as she looked at the child.

“You…”

“No, don’t!”

Just as she reached out her hand to lift the child.

From somewhere, as if watching over, a slightly older girl, a little taller than the boy, quickly ran out and embraced the child before stepping back.

“Don’t touch him.”

Two even smaller children, trembling, looked up at her near Kalia’s waist.

While Kalia stood frozen, hesitating, Simon’s group came out through the lobby door.

“What’s going on?”

Startle.

The two children, who were clinging tightly to each other, alternately looked at Kalia and Simon’s group, then tightly bit their lips.

The younger-looking child, unable to hold it any longer, burst into tears and spoke.

“I-I haven’t eaten anything for three days. I’m h-hungry. Huuuuh!”

“Michelle, don’t cry!”

“S-sis!”

The child addressed as ‘sis’ bit her lip tightly and looked at Kalia.

Despite the fear in her eyes, her words were mischievous.

“In fact, we also have that skin disease! If you don’t give us food, we’ll cling to you! We might even infect you! S-so, please give us food quickly and kick us out!”

…What is this? Is it a threat or a plea?

Kalia’s face looked as if the world was collapsing as she listened to the child’s words.

Whether it was a threat or a plea, it was painful to hear such words from the child’s mouth.

‘Ha.’

She wiped her contorted face with one hand and bent one knee to be at eye level with the children.

“You have a skin disease? Can I take a look?”

“But, but… we might infect you.”

When they threatened to spread the disease, it was at some other time, but now, when they hesitated, saying they might spread it…

They were good children.

Although she uttered harsh words out of hunger, it was clear that girl’s nature was gentle and kind.

Kalia smiled as if everything was fine and spoke.

“From what I can see, it seems you’re not affected by the disease. Can you show me your condition?”

Hemmie, who was holding Sasha, took a step back, and Simon and Hendrik quickly approached Kalia.

Soon, several magic circles appeared above the children’s and Kalia’s heads.

Although Kalia said it was fine, Simon seemed to have cast various protective spells just in case.

However, the children were frightened by the shimmering magic circles above their heads.

“Eek! P-Please don’t kill us! We’re sorry!”

“Ah, this wasn’t cast to harm you. These uncles created a defensive barrier just in case of any unforeseen circumstances.”

“But, but…”

“Look, kids. If it were a harmful spell, would I have the same magic circles on top of my head?”

Convinced by Kalia’s words, the siblings stared in awe at the shimmering magic circles above their own heads.

How many times had these poor siblings encountered magic?

That’s why they were scared, and that’s why they were even more fascinated.

While staring blankly at the magic circles, the older sister seemed to have made up her mind and first showed her condition.

“Here.”

The younger brother also extended his condition, following his sister.

The younger’s right forearm had turned a pale gray, and the sister’s fingertips had also turned gray.

Hendrik, who was examining them, shook his head perplexedly.

“It’s strange.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, it seems like it could be that skin disease, but… it doesn’t seem severe. People with severe cases have completely black skin.”

“But what’s strange about it?”

“Well, it’s just that we’ve rarely seen cases like this before. Maybe it’s because the disease is progressing…”

Kalia asked again in response to Hendrik’s words.

“When did this… start? Can you tell me?”

Arin, Michelle’s older sister, hesitated and then spoke.

“Um, it started the day before yesterday. Michelle originally fell and got a bruise, but the bruise hurt. So I got scared and applied ointment… and it turned out like this.”

“Ointment? What kind of ointment?”

“…It’s called Akan Cream.”