BGFV Chapter 148

Chapter 148

“This herb is usually used as the cure.”
The elderly doctor, who knew a lot about bloodpox, willingly shared the treatment.

“What’s this called?”
“It’s called Ruberu.”

The herb he handed over had red tips on its leaves.
Even Hestia, who had seen many herbs while working with Jerome, had never seen it before.

“Oh? This is what we use to treat colds here.”
A nearby doctor made an unexpected comment.

“Colds?”
“Yes. In Novelli, we usually mix this herb with others to make cold medicine.”
“It’s such a common herb that we sometimes use the petals to make tea.”

“They don’t use Ruberu in the Empire?”
“…No, I’ve never seen it before.”

“Even for the same illness, treatments can be different in each country. But honestly, Novelli hasn’t been using it for that long either. As I said earlier, our country also suffered badly from bloodpox in the past.”

Hestia nodded, listening carefully.

“After that, Novelli started giving Ruberu to anyone showing cold-like symptoms.”

Bloodpox’s early symptoms were very similar to a cold.
Since Ruberu worked well for both colds and bloodpox, Novelli began using it for even mild colds.

“Once the skin starts turning black, bloodpox is hard to cure. That’s why you must treat it quickly when the skin first turns red.”

“Elder, I have one more question.”
Hestia explained the current epidemic in the Empire in detail.

“So the whole Empire is under emergency. The number of patients is still increasing. Can we completely eliminate bloodpox from the Empire?”

“Of course,” he replied casually.

His confidence eased Hestia’s worries.

“Please, Elder, we need your help! Your knowledge is vital. Would you be willing to come with me to the ducal estate?”

“Since the Pastin Empire has helped our people before, I won’t refuse. If this frail body can help, I will gladly do so.”

“Thank you, Elder!”

“My name is Felix,” he introduced himself.

Felix agreed to go, and Hestia decided to also bring two Novelli doctors and one herbalist, knowing their medical knowledge would be useful.

“But… didn’t you say bloodpox is spreading everywhere now?”
“Yes.”

Felix thought for a moment, then checked past medical records.
“Ah, I knew it.”
“What is it?”

“Two weeks ago, a child with bloodpox came here.”

Everyone was shocked.

“Remember the girl with the red scarf?”
“Oh! You mean Marin?”
“Yes. It says she had red spots on her back—probably not just a rash, but bloodpox symptoms. She had a high fever and cold symptoms, so she was naturally given Ruberu.”

They had unknowingly treated a bloodpox case.

“Anyone else besides her?”
“No, I don’t think so.”

“Marin… I heard she was brought here after someone reported a refugee child wandering the streets.”
“…A child couldn’t have crossed the border alone.”

Suspicious, Hestia asked, “Where is she now?”

Marin was still recovering in the facility, so they found her easily.

Even though the room was heated, she was still wearing her red scarf and holding a worn doll.

“She’s shy and doesn’t talk much,” one doctor explained. “She might not tell you much.”

When the adults approached, Marin tensed up.

“Hello, Marin?”

Her eyes widened when she heard a gentle voice—Hestia’s. The beautiful woman in front of her looked like someone from a fairy tale.

“I’m not a bad person. I just want to ask you something…”
“Princess,” Marin whispered.

“…Huh?”

Hestia noticed Marin’s doll—a ragged one in a skirt—and got an idea.
“Basil.”
“Yes?”
“In the carriage, under the seat, there should be some toys. Bring the prettiest doll you can find.”

Basil returned with a porcelain doll in a fine dress. Marin’s eyes sparkled even more.

Hestia smiled and shook the doll in front of her.
“Hello, Marin. My name is Vivi.”
“Vivi?”
“Yes, a princess from a faraway country. Vivi wants to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”
“Yes!” Marin answered boldly.

The doctors whispered in surprise—this was the fastest they had seen her open up to anyone.

“Who were you with before you came here?”
“My mom and dad.”
“Are they here too?”
“No… we got separated.”

“Did you lose their hands by accident?”
“No. I was in my mom’s arms, but some bad men took me away from her.”

Hestia’s brow twitched.
“So those bad men caused you to be separated?”
“Yes. I chased the carriage they put my parents in, but I couldn’t catch it.”
“They were locked up? Where?”
“In a really big birdcage!”

Marin explained that she, her parents, and others were all trapped in what she called a birdcage—probably a large barred cage.

“My mom said we were tricked. They promised us a boat, but the bad man betrayed us. Everyone else in the cage was the same. And after a certain man came into the cage, everyone got sick. I had a high fever too.”

From her story, Hestia pieced together the truth:
Marin’s family hired a smuggler to enter the Empire illegally. The smuggler betrayed them—kidnapping them and locking them in with infected people to deliberately spread bloodpox. After crossing into the Empire, unknown people scattered the captives across the land.

“…This is a crime,” someone muttered. “Using refugees to do something this horrible…”

Even Felix, Basil, and the doctors were outraged.

Hestia kept her voice gentle.
“Marin, do you remember anything special when you left the ship? A mark, a face, a name?”
“Name? Mark? Um…”

After thinking hard, Marin suddenly pointed to her red scarf.

“This scarf?”
“Yes! I dropped my doll when I was in a new cage. A boy picked it up and gave it back to me. He said I looked cold and gave me this scarf.”

She didn’t remember much else clearly, but she remembered that boy well.

“Do you know his name?”
“I think it was Zipper? He got scolded by a tiger-looking grandpa after talking to me.”

‘Zipper? Strange name.’

“Oh, and the scary men listened to the tiger grandpa. They called him Count.”

Hestia’s eyes flashed.
“Could that boy’s name be Zephyr Humphrey?”
“Oh! Yes, that’s it! Zephyr, not Zipper!”

The moment she heard it, Hestia felt the blood drain from her face.
Malrus Humphrey. Even in death, he was still causing trouble.
Now she understood why he hadn’t attended the palace’s New Year’s banquet, why Valeron was suffering the worst, why Malrus, Anna, and Zephyr had bloodpox—and why Malrus had died. She also knew who was behind it all.

“…Thank you, Marin. You’ve been a huge help.”
“Really? I helped a princess?”
“Yes. Without you, many people might have suffered.”

Marin beamed.

“If it’s okay, could you give me that scarf?”
“This?…” She hesitated.

Hestia stopped pretending to be the doll’s voice.
“If you give me the scarf, I’ll give you this princess doll instead. How about that?”

Marin still held the scarf tightly.
“Zephyr… he has reddish-brown hair and light brown eyes, right? I know him well. That scarf is very important to him. He’s been looking for it, so I want to return it to him.”

Marin’s eyes showed hesitation, but she finally loosened her grip.
“Will you really give it back to him?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll give it to you. This doll was important to me too, but Zephyr found it for me, so I’ll give this to him.”

“Thank you, Marin. As promised, the princess will stay by your side forever.”

Though a bit reluctant, Marin was happy to get her new doll.
“Tell Zephyr the scarf was really warm!”
“…I will.”

Hestia patted her head and stood up.