My FAIR Lady |FAIRVERSE Book ~ 1|✓

Chapter ♦ 41

REUBEN. [II]

Drizzles of raindrops wetted the dusty roads of the port city of Calavaria with splashes and gently tapped against the window of my dwelling room at present. I looked out at the soft evening shower trickling down my window with a grim temperament, there was a laziness about the drizzle that somehow brought upon an inadvertent gloom about them.

"Sire, the recount is ready in its utmost detail. We have uncovered everything that is to be uncovered about this bizarre scenario." Gilbert reported in a grey manner while I languidly held my bare arm out of the little bedroom window and let the droplets splatter on my outstretched fingers.

I silently urged him to continue on his report and as he got the cue, he continued, "This plague called Corrodes disease starts with mild chills and fever, slowly developing into an excruciating pain afflicting the person's bones in the next few days. It is said that the pain is so intolerable that it feels like they are being fed on by termites from the inside out. After the onset of the pain in the person's bones, the person starts developing seizures and within a week after the initial symptoms' death claims the person's life undoubtedly. The fief lord of Calavaria invited many great physicians to solve this malady, but to no avail. They were left utterly clueless about this illness that seemed to spread through the air, and some of them even got infected by it. Before long, no physician dared to venture into Calavaria even if they were to be offered half the fief lord's fortune in fear of their own lives. And as such, the people were left to their own miserable devices. Three months after the plague first hit the city, the fief lord invited a holy abbot to take a look at the situation. The abbot is known for his varied miracles and the fief lord thought that the abbot might be able to get rid of this demonic plague. They said that even if the abbot was not able to get rid of the plague, he was able to bring back the people who had lost their lives back to life."

I raised a brow and tilted my fingers upwards as I silently watched the remnants of the water droplets run downwards my hands like tiny rivers. The crackling sound of the rain on the cedar roof, very tumult to the ears.

"Very soon, all the people of Calavaria started revering and venerating the abbot and to help aid himself in his undertaking to help and revive the increasingly dying number of people, he summoned his disciples and took root here in Calavaria. No one knows who or where did the wondrous abbot came from but the fief lord with the grateful people of Calavaria built him an extravagant palace and gifted him with all the riches and comforts they could possibly provide for. Now the people had nothing to fear for, but the abbot had a condition for helping the people of Calavaria. They should never let his existence be known to anyone outside of Calavaria. If ever they broke their promises, the people that he had brought back to life would once more fall back dead and he and his disciples will leave this place to fend for itself forever. The desperate people readily agreed and as such, they didn't let a soul know about the plague or the holy abbot." And I raised both my brows at that. No wonder I was not informed of this ordeal.

"Very soon, the plague slowly started to spread throughout the neighboring regions of Calavaria. But only those who got infected came to know of the existence of the holy abbot and after they were brought back to life, they and their families never breathed a word out of their mouths about this abbot or his disciples. To avoid the pain that came with the horrible disease, people even started to kill themselves at the early stages of the disease. They thought that they could be simply revived without much hassle if they committed suicide on the early onset of the illness as suffering through the disease till the last stage for it to claim their lives was very frightening and agonizing. Little by little, the influence of this abbot palace grew in exceeding proportions and before the people could even realize what was going on, the abbot took control of the high powers and authorities of Calavaria. The abbot and his disciples increased the taxes and their services now did not come free of charges like before. To save their dear ones, the people were forced to cough up the high demands of the abbot palace. The people who revered and worshipped the abbot soon started fearing him but there was nothing they could do anymore. If they tried to go against him, he would simply leave them to die from the horrid plague, and hence, six months after the abbot's arrival, the abbot Era in Calavaria began." Gilbert mouthed out the details of the report that he had collected in a composed steady manner, as though he was not reporting me events of a callous conspiracy but just a children's common tale. I sometimes had the urge to laugh at his unduly poised demeanour during major crisis, but I didn't want him to nag me anymore about it, so I held back.