IARMDH - Chapter 37


I flinched at the unexpected name.

If you're the 'red wine medium', then aren't you one of the rebels that told me to come to find you last time because you were possessed by something evil?

“He is not a medium that anyone can see. He is a medium among mediums. He is a medium with exceptional skills. This red wine is proof that you bought something from him.”

Although it was a little bigger, the red tassel that Ceres held out was also hanging in the rebel's tent.

Not knowing that it was a sign of a traitor, Layla absentmindedly reached out her hand.

I grabbed Layla's wrist from under the table so Ceres wouldn't see.

“Ahem.”

I coughed softly. As if I understood the unspoken signal, Layla pushed the red tassel with her outstretched hand toward Ceres.

There was no need to accept the red wine in this situation. Having it could put you in danger.

Let's take a look at Ceres first, and then come back here once Erne gets better.

“I didn’t expect that much.”

“Yes? Then why did you come..."

Ceres tilted his head in confusion. Under the table, Layla poked my hand. It was as if she was trying to stop the refund, so try anything.

I spoke in Layla's stead.

“Actually, I came today because I had something to do. Young Lady came to give me directions and to apologize.”

"Yes?"

“Do you think Baroness Briggs would come here to ask for a refund because she was sorry for losing such a small amount of money? She said an apology would be sufficient.”

When I winked at Layla, she nodded with a look of confusion in her eyes.

“Then why did you come to me?”

“I was wondering if you knew anything about immortal corpses.”

I threw the bait.

I wanted to find out if Ceres was in league with the red wine medium, or if they were really just doing business as he claimed.

Erne's body was taken by a group of followers and made into an incorruptible corpse. If Ceres was in league with them, he would have responded to this question in some way.

You can either pretend not to know, or you can ask them in return if they have seen an incorruptible corpse.

I cast down my fishing rod and studied Ceres's expression closely.

But unexpectedly, as soon as he heard the words 'immortal corpse', he smiled slightly as if he had expected this story to come up.

“I heard that the capital has been in an uproar recently because of an incorruptible corpse. The Count who bought the incorruptible corpse is dead?”

Instead of talking about Erne's corpse, which was like a living corpse, Ceres started talking about the mummy.

For a moment, I began to feel confused. Was Ceres, not a follower? Was it really just a simple transactional relationship?

“I also heard that the police are investigating this diligently. But it’s not something they can investigate and solve. It’s a kind of curse, a curse.”

“Just a moment,” Ceres muttered as he stood up and opened a wooden chest. He rummaged through the chest, which was filled with books.

“Two days ago, the lady who lives next door to the Hustleton family came and bought this.”

Ceres, who had found the book she was looking for, returned to the table and handed over a thin book.

“This is a book written by a scholar who has spent his life studying the immortal corpse and desert tribes. This will prevent you from being cursed by the immortal corpse.”

The thick book, bound in shiny leather, did not look all that rare, except for a few frayed corners.

“The book doesn’t look that expensive.”

“Even though it looks like this, it’s a pretty hard item to get. I’ll find it for you right away. If you want to buy it, Young Lady will have to wander around the used bookstore for more than half a day.”

So, it was something that could be bought at a bookstore. Judith took the book with her, intending to take it with her and read it.

“Please give me ten copper coins.”

“It’s surprisingly cheap.”

The reaction that it was cheap, of course, came from Layla, not me. It wasn't cheap at all for me. But it wasn't very expensive either.

“Didn’t I sell you something defective? You said you wouldn’t accept a refund, so I’m being sincere.”

Ceres was polite until the end.

“If you ever want to end the curse, come see me.”

On the table, the red wine that had not yet been cleared swayed strangely as the new tent breeze came in.

I took the books and Layla and hurried out of his tent.

Given the circumstances, it seemed that Ceres was simply in a transactional relationship with them rather than a follower, but just in case, it was best to avoid the situation for the time being.

“What on earth was that, Miss Harrington?”

As soon as the carriage door closed, Layla questioned me.

“Don’t be alarmed. The red wine medium is in league with the traitors.”

Layla's beautiful eyebrows furrowed at my explanation.

If you get involved with a traitor, you will basically be taken to the Imperial Knights and subjected to a lengthy investigation.

If you had any financial dealings with traitors or even a small amount of help, you would be framed as part of their gang and have your property confiscated, or if you were unlucky, you would be beheaded. She shook her hands as if she was unlucky.

“It was worth saving Miss Harrington’s life.”

“You can’t turn a regular customer into a traitor.”

I'm one of only two customers, so I can't let that be taken away by a traitor.

“Should I report this to the police?”

“There is someone secretly following them.”

I heard from Erne that there is someone within the imperial family who is helping the followers and that Marquis Mosley is secretly investigating the followers.

As soon as I returned, I planned to tell Henry the story of Ceres.

There may be people in the police force who help their followers.

***

As soon as I returned, I went to Erne's room.

“How is Erne?”

Henry shook his head quietly instead of answering. I lightly touched Erne’s forehead. There was no fireball. Erne was breathing more irregularly. It wouldn’t be strange if he stopped at any moment.

“Erne.”

Yesterday, when I called his name, he flinched and reacted, but now, even that was gone.

“Did you buy some fever reducer?”

“I bought it, but I don’t think it will work as an antipyretic.”

I took out the book I had received from the medium.

“It could be the mummy’s curse.”

Was it really Mummy's curse? Henry's eyes widened.

As I opened the book, the preface began with an old story that could be told to children.

If someone comes knocking and calls your name, never open the door. The evil God will take you away.

“Oh, I heard that too when I was little.”

“Look, Sir Henry. Similar stories have been handed down not only in our empire but also in other kingdoms.”

It is a story about teaching children not to open doors to strangers without permission, and the subject of the arrest was slightly different. In some cases, it was a bad God, a fairy, and in some cases, a monster.

“It’s a distorted version of the legend of an ancient God believed in by a tribe herding camels in the desert.”

The name of the ancient God served by the desert tribes was Clopper, which meant 'the knocker'.

It was said that the camel herding tribe was mostly related by blood, living together up to the eighth cousin level and moving around.

However, as they lived in small, wandering tribes, each tribe had a different legend about Clopper.

Some tribes worshipped Clopper as a God, while others portrayed him as an evil God.

The tribe that worshipped Clopper said that he would knock on the door of the human home that he was leading to the afterlife.

On the other hand, the tribes that viewed him as an evil spirit thought that he was knocking on the door and taking humans to hell.

Whether depicted as good or evil Gods, Cloppers had something in common.

“Knock on the door with a familiar voice. The moment you answer, you are already possessed, and once you answer, you will unconditionally open the door.”

As I read the sentence, I praised myself for not answering yesterday and also felt confident.

Erne and all those who died with the same symptoms were visited by the ancient Gods.

“Look here, Madam. The reason for making mummies is different from what is known.”

It was said that the punishment for sin was mummification, but the book claimed otherwise. It was written that it was often the priests, not the sinners, who sacrificed themselves to call upon the ancient Gods.

“Then the priest who became a mummy was successful.”

Because wherever he went, he summoned the ancient Gods. I let out a short sigh and turned to the next page.

"Uh?"

“Why are you doing that?”

“There is an ancient God prevention method.”

The Old Gods come in the darkness, so never be alone in the darkness. I slapped my knee as I read that sentence.

“I slept with candles lit in every room because of my research on incense. That’s why Erne’s symptoms appeared late.”

I had not lit a candle in Erne's room since the night before Erne's fever began.

Although the candle experiment wasn't completely over, Erne complained so much that he couldn't sleep because it was so bright that I didn't bring any candles into his room.

However, I kept the candle burning in my room, so the ancient God appeared late.

'Oh my, if only you had listened to me and lit the candle. It would smell good and ward off the ancient Gods.'

I clicked my tongue inwardly. But it was too late. What mattered now was whether there was a way to save the man who had been possessed by the ancient God.

“Well, here’s a recipe for a fever reducer.”


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