"Are you really not going to try to get in touch with some anomalous power, even if it's just a little bit of power to protect yourself. "To be honest, I've not been feeling well lately...... Darkhaven isn't a good place either. ”

He's been a little worried lately. Hans thought.

They had been here for a short time at the invitation of the Lord of Darkhaven, Count Gavgario.

The worst affected area is around the Great Church – the Great Church itself, perhaps due to the work of the clergy, is serious but not as difficult as the surrounding area.

As epidemic doctors, their best place to work is naturally over there.

But the doctors, especially those in the Department of Surgery, did not have a good relationship with the Holy See. Hans, who had been visited by Mr. Zero, a wanted criminal of the Holy See, was really afraid that as soon as he entered there, he would be hanged on the gallows or something, and the "epidemic doctor" said that he would need some time to prepare, so they decided to come here temporarily after receiving an invitation from Count Gavgario.

Hans shuddered a little at the thought of the cruel methods he had seen the Earl to the priests when he first arrived, and felt that he agreed with the evaluation of the plague doctor.

Monsieur Count is said to be a fairly devout Catholic, and has a good reputation in the locality—but why is he so hostile to those in the church?

The plague can't be said to be their fault......

"It's probably not a good place to be," Hans shook his head, "but...... I still don't want to be a monster. I don't want to even die. At least my family ancestors died as human beings. ”

"Even if you imitate the anomaly to get mystery, you don't necessarily become a monster. Look at that Mr. Zero, isn't it normal?" for some reason, the plague doctor wanted to persuade Hans to get in touch with that side of the world.

"You said 'maybe,' right? And I can be like Mr. Zero? Listening to what you described before, he's actually a terrible being, right?"

The plague doctor was silent for a moment, then nodded and shook his head.

"You really can't be like Mr. Zero. But I can't figure out what he was like...... After all, he calls himself an ordinary person. It's just an ordinary person in his mouth...... I always feel that it is far from the normal concept. ”

“...... Let's continue the treatment. You've also said that losing control is the inevitable end of contact with mysterious mortals. And anomalous things seem to 'love' those who come into contact with their powers, don't they? Ordinary people are a little safer in terms of probability. Hans looked calm.

"Maybe so. However, you have already been reached. You've been living with me for so long, you don't think you haven't been contaminated with a single abnormal aura, do you?"

"I'm ......" After being stunned for a moment, Hans whispered, "I'll just say that Mr. Zero is hurting me......"

"Anyway, I'm not going to touch it. ”

“...... You're going to touch it. After another moment of silence, the plague doctor finally said as prophesied.

"No, it won't. ”

“......”

"By the way, I will never allow you to treat patients as consumables. This is medical ethics. ”

“...... Got it, got it. ”

The research on epidemic medicine is coming to an end. But until it's done, there are only two ways to cure it:

Use stronger anomalous properties to "squeeze" out the anomalous plague in the patient's body. But it is not worth it to directly confront the calamity of the gods, even if it is even a small split.

The other is ...... Kill one and live ten.

Using one patient's body as a container to introduce the symptoms of other patients.

Then the seeds of the disease are destroyed together with the "container".

As an anomaly with a not kind position, the "epidemic doctor" of course intends to choose the second and most efficient method.

Hans had been arguing with him for a long time.

But Hans also understood that as the disease worsened, the epidemic doctor could not support the frequent application of the first method, and finally had to use the second method.

It's just that his heart as a doctor makes him really unacceptable.

But having said that, his medical skills are among the top among his peers by relying on his family legacy, but he is definitely not enough in front of the "epidemic doctor...... No matter how much Hans disliked this, the doctor had to admit it.

After being "rewritten" by Mr. Zero, the level of medicine is almost equivalent to the summary of their countless generations.

What's more, he holds a mysterious power that transcends mortals.

What he couldn't do, so did himself.

You can't figure out a third way on your own.

Although he was discouraged, he could really only work as an "assistant".

I don't know if I've lost the face of the Mir family a little?

But fortunately, the epidemic doctor seems to have made some new discoveries on this side of the Darkhaven......

Just as he was thinking this, the room seemed to suddenly darken.

"It's strange, it's daytime, how can you ......?"

The room is not only darkened...... And it seems to be covered with an ominous layer of blood.

"Boom...... Click......" The patient who was being fiddled with by the epidemic doctor suddenly let out a strange moan.

"......" the epidemic doctor cleanly stabbed the scalpel in his hand into the patient's chest. The blood gushing out of the "poof" splashed the face of Hans, who rushed to check on the patient's condition.

The old and "colorful" robes of the "epidemic doctor" also added a touch of color.

Immediately, the patient fell silent.

"Hey, you, you......" Hans pointed at the epidemic doctor, unable to speak for a moment, and could not even wipe the warm blood from his face.

"Don't point fingers. Wipe your face. The epidemic doctor said calmly.

"Why did you kill him?"

"I've just tried to use spirituality to connect the patient with the mysterious...... Forget it, you won't understand it anyway. It's using anomalous power to probe his situation. And then the change that I don't know what was going on just now appeared...... So he's already tainted by that thing. ”

"By what?"

"Flesh, the source of this plague, God, whatever you want to call it. ”

"But, no matter what, you can't ...... either"

"If you don't kill him, wait for him to turn into a monster and devour you stupid hairy boy?"

"Don't think about it, even if I don't kill him, I can't save him. "The most important thing now should be to find out what happened." ”

Hans looked at the "epidemic doctor" blankly and turned away without hesitation, and then looked at the middle-aged man lying down.

After being sent here, I had always had a sad and painful face, but now my expression is so peaceful.

Finally relieved, the corpse seemed to illustrate such a sentence.

“...... While death may be a beauty, it certainly is not so for the family of the deceased. ”

This man, it seems, is his name Howell? or what?

I can't remember.

But Hans was reminded of the happy look on the pained face of the old-dressed laborer when he talked about his wife and daughter, as if to relax the patient, during the brief small talk that had been supposed to be intended to ease the patient.

During this pandemic, there are many people who have lost loved ones so suddenly. I don't know if they will be able to survive in the difficult time after the pandemic.

Ah, but have you seen less of this kind of moment during your medical career? This time I suddenly sighed because I was bloodied and felt the temperature of life most directly.

"......," Hans suddenly asked to the "epidemic doctor" who had re-entered the room, "what about the other patients?

In that case, it would be terrible. Here in Darkhaven, the lord's first reaction when the epidemic broke out was extremely good, including lockdowns, concentration camps, and other means were handled properly, and it was worthy of the earl's reputation here. Even so, Hans's conservative estimate is that at least one out of ten people contracted the plague.

"Don't worry. That's only because of the direct connection with the mystery...... It's just that the divine power has spread along the connection. ”

"It's better to worry about ourselves now. The epidemic doctor began to quickly pack some necessary and easy-to-carry items, "Leave quickly, don't stay for a moment." The atmosphere here is not right. ”

"......Isn't the atmosphere right?" Hans looked dazed, but over the years, he had come to trust the monster who had killed hundreds of people without blinking an eye—at least, in his eyes, he was no longer so "monster" now.

There may even be a bit of a division commander.

So he cleaned up as well.

It was only by chance that he saw that the mask of the "epidemic doctor" seemed to be shattered.

But even from that corner, it was still pitch black in the hood, and the face was not visible.

"...... your mask?"

"Just the price of that patient's link backlash. As for why I said it wrong...... You'll find out later. It was very dark just now...... But don't you think it's a little too bright now?"

Hans was reminded to find that the light in the room seemed to be back to normal.

"It's not as bright as it was before it was restored......"

"There is no sun in the sky outside. ”

"What?"

......

When he came outside, he saw a disgusting flesh-colored color in the sky.

Black clouds crush the city and want to destroy it...... But what about the blood cloud? What about that slimy, fuchsia that looked like rotting flesh?

Even Hans, who was supposed to be accustomed to seeing patients, couldn't help but feel his stomach churn.

But fortunately, there is still a thin layer of light under the flesh and blood, which barely prevents the real "catastrophe" from falling.

But the fragile film of light was clearly not supposed to make the town shine like daylight.

In the middle of the town, an incomparably pure light shone brightly, as if the sun in the sky was covered with flesh and blood.

"...... that?"

And in the light, a touch of black looks so dazzling.

Immediately, the light expanded infinitely, covering everything from near to far.

"Damn...... That's all there is to it. ”

"Either hide in the anomaly or die!" suddenly sounded the fierce voice of the "epidemic doctor" in his ears.

"What are you talking about......" Before Hans could turn his head, he felt himself being pushed from behind.

Then he fell...... No, and did not fall.

It's better to say that it's falling.

Plunge into the endless depths of the ocean.

Continuously, seemingly endlessly, falling in the heavy waters that squeezed his body.

The feeling of suffocation about to drown, as if to be squeezed into a meatloaf, seemed familiar.

It's like...... How did the plague doctor feel when he brought himself into that bizarre, twisted, and bizarre world?

What exactly did the epidemic doctor just do...... Could it be that the fierce nature that he has been suppressing and hiding all these days suddenly bursts out?

Although he can see it, he still believes that he will not hurt himself.

Is it the naïve naivety of wishful thinking that the doctor sympathizes with each other......?

It was the last thought that flashed through Hans's mind before he lost consciousness.