Feeling a gaze upon her, Iris raised her head, and the darkness around her seemed to shift.
So scary…
Men and women, old and young, covered in pustules, were peering at her.
But I need to collect as many as I can.
Iris steeled herself.
“I am collecting smallpox scabs. Could you please cooperate with me?”
She called out into the darkness and bowed deeply.
“What for?”
“I want to make a vaccine… a preventive medicine.”
As she answered the voice from the darkness, it stirred, mixed with voices of suspicion and resentment.
“A vaccine? Prevent now? Make a cure! Can you create a cure?”
“What more do you want from us? We’ve lost our jobs, our families, and now, at death’s door, you want our scabs too?”
Iris looked up sharply.
“Indeed, we were too late for us. But if we can make a vaccine, we can save our families! If it works, it might even help those who’ve just contracted the disease!”
Raising her voice, Iris bared her left arm, around which dancing fairies glowed softly.
“You there,”
“I am the same as you. I am a survivor too.”
The darkness fell silent.
Out of the shadows, a rough-looking man with a scarred face stepped forward. Even such a man could succumb to disease.
“If mine are okay, then you can have them.”
“Thank you.”
Iris took his arm without hesitation, scabbed and scratched.
Gently aligning the silver knife along his arm, she scraped off the scabs. After carefully collecting them, she applied Camille’s Oil with gratitude, as she had done for the mother and child.
“Ahh, this feels good.”
That started a chain reaction, and more people gathered around. Iris had those in the early stages of the disease inhale the scab powder.
The smallpox vaccine, if administered soon after onset, could prevent severe complications.
If effective here, it could validate its efficacy as a vaccine.
After collecting as many scabs as possible, she shared the water and fruits she had brought—her way of thanking them for their scabs.
“If only we had clean water available all the time, it would be a bit better…”
“There is,” Serj remarked nonchalantly as if it were nothing.
“Eh?”
“Follow me.”
Led by Serj, they stepped outside the cave.
A short distance away, water trickled from the rock face.
“Unfortunately, this won’t work for drawing water. If only it flowed a bit farther from the rock face…”
“If we had something hard and tubular, we could manage.”
Prompted by Serj, Iris thought for a moment.
“I have it! Let’s use this sheath!”
She took out a small knife, handing its brilliantly golden sheath to Serj.
“Is this alright? I won’t be able to return it.”
Serj chuckled wryly.
“It’s fine. I really don’t need it.”
Iris answered without hesitation.
“You really are interesting. Wish as you did before.”
Iris placed her hand on the sheath held by Serj and made a wish.
Like a faucet, let clean water flow abundantly!
Serj smiled at Iris, pulled the blade from the sealed sheath, and drove the sheath into the water-seeping rock face. The sheath emitted a golden glow.
Then, cutting cleanly with Iris’s small knife at its tip, water gushed forth.
“Wow…!”
Can the leader of the fairies really do this?
What is this? It’s like cheating. Why isn’t this in the games?
Watching the astounded Iris, Serj grinned confidently.
“What about this sword then?”
“Wrap it in cloth for now.”
“Use this.”
Serj handed her a purple cloth he wore around his neck, embroidered with sage.
“Isn’t this… supposed to be invisible to people?”
Then, isn’t it dangerous to wrap the sword in it?
As Iris hesitantly accepted it, the strap became clearly tangible where she touched.
“Huh? It materialized?”
Iris was surprised, and Serj laughed, amused.
“We are always materialized. Just invisible.”
“That may be true, but…”
I’m still not used to this fantasy…
As Iris thought this, she wrapped the sword with the strap. The strap was quite long, bulking up as she wound it. Serj laughed even more.
“Seems too long.”
“Let’s cut it then.”
At Serj’s suggestion, the strap neatly cut itself to a more manageable length.
Iris hurriedly caught the falling strap and rewrapped it around Serj’s neck. He accepted it with a broad smile.
“Serj-sama, you really do laugh easily.”
Iris pursed her lips.
“Now, go tell them about the water. Dawn is approaching.”
Prompted by Serj, Iris rushed back into the cave to spread the news. The air was chilly for summer, beginning to brighten faintly.
From that day on, Iris, with Serj’s help, began making regular visits to the Cave of the Death in the Black Forest.
Although she merely checked on their condition at night, collected scabs, and delivered necessities, the progress of those who inhaled the scab powder was promising, confirming its effectiveness as a vaccine. The mother and child had recovered well and returned to town. Camille’s Oil proved highly effective, leaving almost no scars if used from the start of recovery.
Those who recovered wanted to repay the “Holy Maiden” by delivering food and Camille’s Oil. The scar-faced man organized these efforts, significantly improving the conditions in the cave.
He was inspired by Iris’s dedication to risking herself by visiting the cave, although Iris was never made aware of this fact.
