The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Chapter 278 - 278: 278 - Investigation [2]

"The situation about the meadow, huh."Cole mumbled as he looked down.

"Yes, you know about it, right?"

Raye asked.

"Well, yeah... I live here after all."

"But I don't really know the details— like how and why it happened, you know."

Cole replied with a shrug.

Raye nodded his head after hearing his words, he didn't expect much from the kid anyway.

But then—

"Ah...!"

Cole's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered something.

Raye and the others immediately caught on that. They didn't need to ask Cole what it was, after all—

"I do remember that a group of suspicious individuals visited the village a week before the incident in the meadow happened...! Maybe they did something!"

He exclaimed that as soon as he remembered it.

"Do you know who they are?"

Sofia asked, trying to get more information.

"No, I just saw them, but I didn't approach them at all."

"They're all wearing white robes, they're a weird bunch."

Cole said as he shook his head.

But fortunately—

"Sir Justo did meet them privately once, two days after they arrived."

He added that.

Raye and the others immediately looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"Hmm, then we'll just ask him about them."

Raye said that with a calm look on his face.

"Yeah, I'll bring you guys to him now!"

Cole responded, and with that, he led the group to the second floor where Justo is.

*****

"Sir, the guests who arrived yesterday are here."

Cole called out. Then, from inside of the office—

"Let them in."

Justo responded calmly.

Cole then opened the door, he let Raye and the others enter, and after that, he bowed his head and excused himself.

Raye and the others sat side by side on the sofa, in front of Justo's desk.

And as soon as they're seated—

"Did you all have a good sleep?"

Justo asked them that. He wasn't even looking at the group, he was doing some paperwork.

Not that Raye and others minded, after all— they fully understand that they're the one invading his time of work.

"We did, thank you for the accommodations you provided us."

Raye replied, representing the whole group.

This is when Justo stopped what he was doing and looked at them.

"I'm glad then."

He mumbled, a small smile on his face.

After this, Raye opened his mouth, he was about to ask the question in his mind.

But before he could even do—

"So, I'm guessing you're all here to ask about the incident on the meadow of roses."

Justo spoke first and said that!

"..."

Raye and the others were surprised when they heard that, but their faces didn't change one bit.

"So you already knew."

Lycus mumbled.

Justo nodded his head before opening his mouth again.

"I also know that you guys are one of the [Hero Parties]— Sir Kyle and Sir Devin already gave me and the others a heads-up."

He explained.

"I was already planning to ask for your help about the situation of this village, but of course, knowing that your group travelled for days to get here— I decided to let you all rest first, that's why I didn't mention anything about it yesterday."

Then he immediately followed with that.

"Thank you for your consideration."

Raye said as he slightly bowed his head at Justo.

"Oh no, what I did is lacking for such esteemed heroes."

But Justo immediately shot that back, slightly teasing.

Raye, Jerusha, Lycus, and Sofia smiled seeing him be like that. They're glad that Justo is such a friendly fellow towards them.

"Anyway, since you already know why we're here, then let's start with the details."

Lycus said.

Justo agreed with him, so he stood up from behind his desk, and with a nod of his head—

"Then... It all started three weeks ago—"

He started explaining to the group what he knows about the situation in the meadow of roses.

*****

Justo first talked about the illness that spread along with the black roses.

It was a mysterious disease that gives the patients dark spots all over their bodies that grow in size by time.

Everyone that gets these dark spots slowly loses their strength, in just a few days, they become skin and bones, and after a few more— they die.

Everyone thought it was poison or something similar at first, but even after Justo hired some doctors and alchemists to find a cure for this disease...

Nothing came out of it.

They weren't able to identify what the dark spots were, let alone cure it.

And day by day, it just continues to spread throughout the village.

"So far, more than a dozen villagers have already died, and about twenty more of them are infected."

Justo ended his explanation with that.

"..."

Raye and the others went silent for a while. They processed everything they heard in their heads.

"If I might ask, you said you hired some alchemists and doctors to find a cure for this disease. May I ask why?"

Just then, Sofia spoke up and asked that.

Everyone turned to her, but with confidence—

"I'm not doubting your kindness toward the village and its people Sir Justo, but I just feel that there's more about it."

She just said that.

Justo smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I wasn't offended or anything."

"I was born and grew up in this village, I have some attachments in it. Also, I'm actually the acting chief of this place, the townspeople voted so. I was just doing my job."

He declared.

But after that—

"Though, I do have a third reason."

His smile faded as he lifted the left long sleeve of his white polo.

And there, underneath his clothes—

Revealed dark spots that almost engulfed his whole arm. His skin was wrinkly and the arm was thin.

Seeing that—

"..."

Raye and the others frowned.

But not Sofia.

"Hmm, just as I suspected."

She calmly said.

"You barely move that arm, like you don't have any strength behind it. I thought it was just nothing, but after hearing your story, I just thought that maybe you caught the mysterious disease as well."

Sofia mumbled.

She stood up from the sofa and approached Justo. Justo was taken aback, but he just let her.

"How long has it been since you got the disease?"

"About five days ago."

"Your condition seems better than what you told in the story, why is that?"

"Although the alchemists and doctors couldn't cure it, they were able to find a way to slow down its spreading."

Sofia and Justo talked back and forth.

The others just watched them.

Then after a while, Sofia turned to Lycus and the others—

"I'll leave the investigation of the meadow of roses to you guys."

Then she declared that.

"I'm not going to be a big help if I come anyway."

She added.

And before the three could even say anything—

"Instead, I'll remain here to help the infected. I'll also study the disease and keep you all informed about anything I discover."

She explained that, a resolute look on her face.

"..."

Raye, Jerusha, Lycus.

Their eyes are slightly wide at the sight of Sofia. They didn't know she could make such a look on her face.

They didn't expect her to be this assertive about the situation as well.

"I say we let her... What do you think, leader?"

Lycus asked as he turned to Raye with a proud grin on his face.

Raye smiled back at him, and with a wave of his hand—

"Stop acting weird, you're creeping me out."

He told Lycus that. Then, shifting his attention back to Sofia—

"Sofia, we're counting on you on this."

He declared that.

Sofia smiled and nodded, she looked at Justo again, and without wasting any moment—

"Show me where the patients are. Also, the medicine that you're taking to slow down the symptoms of the dark spots."

She demanded that to him.

"...!"

Justo was frozen in confusion.

"We need to act fast, every second is important."

But Sofia didn't care about that.