Everything is going as planned.
The Theocracy is in dissarray with the virus I started. If I wanted then I could have just made it so that all of the people will begin to show signs of severe symptoms, leading to deaths, but I let it play out as any Plague would behave.
I let them fester hope, that the Cardinals will try to solve this issue, but as time goes on, as more people dies and no help is given, they'll loose faith, their hopes shattered.
Then, I come in, Save them and Lead them to salvation! Of course all thanks to Ainz Sama!
'Hahaha! As expected of Ainz Sama!'
"Haha, what am I even thinking." I sighed as I walked through the woods into a village of the Theocracy.
I was in my human disguise, wearing a purple gold accentuated robe that resembles the western priest robes. Two lines of fabric extended from my left shoulder and down behind me till it almost touched the ground.
Currently I looked like a charitable father that anyone could put their trust on, my silver hair was dyed purple at their ends, a silver cross earing on my right side. And the emblem of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild ony chest shash.
Walking into the village, I was almost instantly recognised by the people. Who promptly led me into their Hut where the sick was kept.
"Lord Healer, please" The village head pleaded, his old hands grasping mime as if it were the only rope he could hold onto before falling into the Abyss.
The family of these victims behind him, their eyes almost on the verge of crying out due to the suffering that they had to witness until now.
'Strange isn't it? If were my original self, human, I would have never been able to look into their eyes, knowing I was the one to cause it.' I thought.
'Yet, now a small feeling inside me has the urge to chuckle, Cackle in their sufferings....is this the side-effects of being a negative Karmic being?'
Such thoughts swirled in my head but my consciousness didn't seem to focus on it, instead I smiled at the Villagers.
"Don't worry, unfortunately I couldn't save the deceased because I had to lay in hiding due to the Slane Targetting me, but my God had asked me to cure this nation. To bring you poor lambs to his embrace, to Salvation." My words made the humans' eyes sparkle with newfound hope, completely forgetting the fact that a foreigner was preaching a foreign God's teaching.
In the Slane Theocracy nonetheless.
"Please!! Lord Healer!" One of the victim's mother pleaded as she fell on her knees on my feet.
"Please, no need to lower yourself." I lifted the mother by her shoulder as I then turned to the Sick.
There were 10 in the room, each of varying degrees of stages. On average each village had around a hundred or two inhabitants, but here, only thirty were alive and 'well'.
I approached the one with the most severe stage.
"Hmn...this...." I put on a serious face as I hesitated.
"Lord Healer... is there a problem?" The head asked, unsure of why I was hesitating.
"This illness is something completely new. Currently I have no proper way to cure them, I can only hope to suppress the plague." I spoke, a frown on my face.
"Even the healer?.." one of them gasped, but was quickly shushed by his friend.
"It is not so easy to cure something like this. This is not a normal plague but a curse."
I revealed.
"Curse!!" Shock rippled in their hearts as they took my words.
"Yes. An ancient curse recorded in the old testament." I answered.
"Long ago, far before the Six or the Great Evil walked the earth, humans were ruled by dragons. Humans were seen by them as lesser beings, cattles raised for slaughter. But one day, in a small settlement where a terrifying Dragon Lord ruled tyrannically, a brave hero rose.
He quickly gained fame and power, with his allies, he confronted the Dragon Lord terrorising their city. After a long and grueling battle lasting 10 days and 9 nights, the dragon finally fell on the earth, never to rise once again.
In it's final breath, it cursed the very land it fell on, promising to return as a Plague One day to reclaim it's terror once more."
My story immersed the villagers into a world of the ancient era, the scenes I describe playing in their mind. As I ended the narration, they simultaneously looked at me, as if asking for more.
"Um..Lord Healer, who was that Hero and..and where is this land??"
One child hesitantly asked, his question mirrored in the eyes of the rest.
"I don't know. What I know is that The Hero was a Half Human, his other race was unknown. As for the Land...you all should have already come to the same conclusion right?" I answered as realisation dawned on them.
The curse, the plague, the story. It now came together to spin a tale of the Dragon's Dark Resentment cast upon the Hero and the land he died on, the Land now called the Slane Theocracy.
"Then...is there no cure for this Curse?" The village head asked.
"There is..but it is something that will need me to Pray to my Lord. Only he can help us." I closed my eyes as if giving a brief prayer.
"Lord Healer....what is His Name?" The same child asked, his eyes now showed no fear, only curiosity.
"His name...once upon a time, it was a name that was in the Heart of Every Soul. It was...Ainz Ooal Gown, the God of Death." I smiled.
'The play has just Begun.'
-------
A few days later.
The plague seemed to be unstoppable as the Cardinals struggled to contain it. No matter what they did, the plague didn't stop, it only got worse, deaths happend more often and corpses piled up rapidly.
When one of the city with the infected were reaching a critical rate, the Cardinals made a decision----To cull the whole city before it spread any further. This decree wasn't issued for only this particular city but for every city where a large number of victims were present.
Villages and other places weren't spared as whole families were rooted out and executed on the spot using Angels to prevent from further spreading.
This was a hard decision on their part that involved a heated quarrel between the Cardinals, but ultimately for the greater good of the majority, they made their decision.
The moment such a decree was announced, public riots happened, nobles questioned the sanity of the Cardinals, asking them if they even veiwed those infected as humans.
But all these oppositions the cardinals expected as they dispatched the Scriptures to quickly silence the discord as they issued a compelling statement that, though calmed the mass, the anger was just beginning.
As for the cities who were subjected to this decree, an out right civil war occurred between the inhabitants of the city and the execution army. Fire rose as buildings burned, the sky filled with holy rays as they were struck down on the very civillians they sworn to protect.
Screams and wails echoed in the very city walls made to protect them, now a prison and grave for them. Not even the one not infected were spared. They were killed by the Angels who were summoned by the mages who stood on the walls, their hands trembling.
Even though they wore masks, it was clear they showed no enjoyment in this. Some even muttered repeated apologies or some even cried. What will happen to this Nation?
------
A few more days passed since the Purge. The nation was now a shell of its former vitality and vigor. The cities gloomy, people walked the streets in silence as if a heavy sword loomed over them. The silent anger, brewing slowly.
And all this was what the Cardinals expected. They even imagined the worse where an all out Nation wide Civil War will occur. But this was how they planned to stop the Plague, by giving it no more victims to infect.
That was why they ordered the mages to use Angels and themselves to stay away.
It was until a shocking news reached them via their spies.
A few days after Hyortr left that village on the context of Contacting his God for Solutions to this Plague, some of the villagers ventured to neighbouring villagers to spread the good news of Hyortr's arrival.
This made the others hopeful that he will save them of this disaster they also came to know of the legend of the Hero and the Dragon and about the Curse.
Something which quickly spread as it soon reached the ears of a spy who quickly investigated the authenticity and reported it to the cardinals.
From his appearance as well as his conversation with the Villagers was instantly reported to the Cardinals who held another meeting.
Although they didn't get to make contact with the Healer. They instead learned crucial information on this plague.
Now that they knew it was a curse and not a disease, they could now begin focusing on curse removing spells. But it all seemed naught as no holy magic or Artifact used helped.
They also grew more frustrated as they didn't find any evidence on Hyortr's tale of the Hero and the Dragon due to it predating the era of the Six Great Gods, and information at that time wasn't recorded.
But nonetheless they felt like they were being played by a hidden figure, just a few days ago they ordered the purge, creating a rift between the higher authority and the people, sowing resentment and anger. And now such a news comes out.
All this made them even more suspicious of Hyortr and his origins, but they were reluctant to act now. No, they couldn't. Now they were trapped in an impasse where they could only observe the Healer's actions.
Any drastic measures they take against him now will lead to further animosity and resentment of the people against them.
Just what will happen to this Nation?
★★★★★★★