People cheered again.
"Wow!"
"God bless that brilliant man!"
So Raymond headed to the town where smallpox had occurred.
***
Ten kilometers is only a short ride to griffin, Lord of the Skies.
Shuttlphon dropped Raymond off near a village.
[We have arrived, good human. I'm hungry and will be eating nearby].
With a graceful departure, Shuttlefin soared off into the horizon, leaving the group to survey the village with apprehension.
A pall of death hung over the settlement.
"We proceed cautiously. Hazmat suits, everyone."
Despite their prior vaccination, prudence dictated the use of protective gear.
Donning specially crafted hazmat suits, the group prepared to enter the village.
As Raymond took a deep breath, a knot of nervousness clenched in his stomach.
'I'm immunized and suitably protected. There's no cause for concern.'
Raymond turned to reassure his students.
'If I'm doing it, they're going to do it.'
But what was this?
Their eyes blazed like molten lava (except for Lyndon). Their expressions radiated determination rather than fear (except for Lyndon's).
Raymond simply shrugged and forged ahead.
"Yes, Master!"
"We'll venture into the village."
As they stepped into the village, they were met with a throng of villagers, their faces etched with fear and despair.
"W-Who are you?"
"I'm a healer, here to save you."
The villagers murmured amongst themselves, incredulous at the unexpected arrival of a healer.
Then, an elderly man stepped forward, his voice quivering with emotion.
"T-Thank you, but it's futile. Our village is plagued by the Grim Reaper. Please, leave. If you stay, you'll meet the same fate as us."
People were skeptical, with despair in their eyes.
But then Hanson intervened.
"This is Raymond. Mr. Raymond has personally come to help you."
At the mention of Raymond's name, the villagers froze.
"Ray... mond?"
"Is it really him, the hero of Houston?"
Hanson nodded solemnly.
"Yes, indeed. Mr. Raymond, the esteemed hero of Houston, has come to your aid."
"A miracle!"
Quivering voices echoed from the villagers.
"I can hardly believe it. How could he be here, in this cursed place?"
"Are you truly Raymond?"
Raymond hesitated for a moment, then briefly lifted the face shield of his protective suit.
'First, we must quell the agitation among the people.'
Trapped in the village and gripped by the fear of death, everyone was utterly exhausted.
Deciding to calm the villagers first, Raymond was interrupted by a message popping up.
[You're trying to help your patients!]
[Skill, Doctor's Charisma and Skill, Silver Tongue are manifested, the two skills form a combination!]
A warm, charismatic voice nestled into the hearts of the villagers.
"Yes, it is I, Raymond."
"...!"
"You can rest assured that I will save you."
The villagers' eyes widened at his assertion.
In quivering voices, they inquired,
"Sir, the Grim Reaper has reached our village; can you truly deliver us from it?"
Raymond nodded earnestly.
"Yes, I have a solution."
"....!"
"I solemnly vow, by the name of my mother's surname, Penin, that no one shall be lost to this disease henceforth."
The villagers' eyes glistened as they listened.
At the brink of despair, they glimpsed a glimmer of hope.
It was a warm, reassuring light.
One by one, silent tears welled in their hearts, and soon the village was awash with tears.
***
Raymond sprang into action immediately.
He commenced the vaccination process.
'In times of smallpox outbreaks, the standard protocol is to vaccinate all individuals within the affected area.'
The village housed a total population of 198 people.
With sufficient vaccines prepared, Raymond immunized each and every one.
"A-Am I truly protected from smallpox now?"
The villagers regarded him with incredulity.
Raymond nodded resolutely.
"Yes, this is the Vaccine, an extraordinary elixir crafted by me using ancient wisdom. It will shield you from contracting smallpox."
"...!"
A chorus of astonishment echoed through the crowd.
Yet, despite the initial fervor, the first few days brought forth new cases.
Some individuals began to grow anxious.
"After all, can anyone truly defy the Grim Reaper? May the heavens save us!"
They harbored doubts about the efficacy of the vaccine.
Fear, much like the disease itself, spread rapidly.
"Calm down! The symptoms of the previously infected patients are just coming out now, and soon the new ones will be completely gone."
Raymond and his students hurried to calm people down.
With Raymond's warmth and strength, the villagers could barely contain their anxiety, and after a while, the number of new cases actually plummeted.
Then, when no new patients were coming in, people looked at him in disbelief.
"Dr. Raymond's assurances were not in vain!"
"Alas!"
They shed hot tears.
They thought they were going to die, but they were miraculously saved.
"It's all thanks to him. The miraculous elixir he gave us, the vaccine, made the Grim Reaper retreat."
"Defeating even the Grim Reaper, what about you, Raymond? Are you saying he's not human?"
"He is a light from the heavens!"
They reacted furiously.
The unthinkable had happened.
"Come on, we should be thanking him."
"He is the benefactor of us all!"
But Raymond didn't receive their thanks.
He was too busy trying to heal his patients.
It prevented new cases, but existing patients with smallpox remained.
They had to be saved.
***
The total count of smallpox cases tallied to 21.
'At least my instructions kept the number of cases down.'
Raymond had instructed Macapell III to sequester the smallpox patients in the farthest corners of the village when he ordered the town's closure.
He believed they had succeeded in minimizing the number of infections.
Moreover, they had administered vaccinations to alleviate symptoms.
'There is no specific antiviral treatment for smallpox, although early vaccination can improve symptoms. The main treatment is conservative.'
Conservative management entails administering medications and fluids to alleviate symptoms.
Does the vaccine prove efficacious?
Fortunately, a majority of the patients recovered smoothly and without significant complications.
However, some did not, particularly among the initial cases.
They had been exposed to smallpox for an extended period, rendering the vaccine ineffective.
'He claimed to be a nobleman from the Kingdom of Katal?'
Following a brief exchange, Raymond discovered that he hailed from the Kingdom of Katal, a constituent of the League of Nations.
He had halted in the Free City Alliance to broaden his experiences and found himself in the Kingdom of Droton.
"I-I beg your pardon for causing you such inconvenience."
The young nobleman cleared his throat.
Arriving in a foreign land only to encounter a smallpox outbreak is a dire situation, both for him and for the local populace.
"I've heard of your esteemed reputation, Marquis, and indeed, you are truly remarkable. You are the pride of the Four Pillars."
The young noble cleared his throat softly.
"I would be honored to return to the Kingdom of Katal and regale everyone with tales of meeting such a distinguished individual as yourself, but alas, it seems that won't be feasible."
The young noble, Roian, offered a weak chuckle.
"I fear it may be too late for me, so I beg you to save those who accompanied me. Please."
But Raymond clenched his fists determinedly.
'No, I will save you.'
Kingdom of Katal.
The Kingdom of Katal, along with the Kingdom of Houston, comprised two of the Four Powers.
However, despite their shared status, the strength of these four nations varied significantly.
Among them, the Kingdom of Katal stood as the largest and most prosperous.
As a noble hailing from such a prominent realm, there must be something that could be done to rescue him.
"No, I will definitely save you."
The young noble, Roian, expressed gratitude.
"That's very kind of you to say, but... I think it's too late."
Roian's condition was dire, evident even to the patient himself.
Complicated by pneumonia, his symptoms included breathlessness and severe shock, a prognosis that would typically spell doom.
Yet Raymond refused to yield.
Antibiotics were administered to combat the bacterial pneumonia, while fluids were provided to restore depleted levels.
In the face of plummeting blood pressure, epinephrine was administered, and as pneumonia worsened and oxygen saturation dipped, an enchanted balloon delivering oxygen was swiftly brought in.
In addition, a series of healing spells were used, their combined effect proving invaluable in this critical scenario.
Raymond's relentless efforts prompted Roian to question, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"W-why are you... exerting such effort?"
Raymond maintained a stoic silence, his motive undisclosed.
Why indeed?
There was a purpose—a calculated strategy to preserve Roian's life for potential future gain.
"I'm trying to take advantage of you. "
Was it because he hadn't slept in days?
Raymond, exhausted as he was, spoke his mind uncharacteristically.
"So, you'll definitely owe me later."
But Roian burst into laughter.
"You're quite the jester. If you truly had such intentions, wouldn't you have neglected the other patients and solely focused on me? Yet, you remain devoted to all equally."
Raymond merely shrugged.
Indeed, his dedication extended to all patients, not just Roian, making his claim dubious at best.
Acknowledging his own motives, Raymond admitted to himself that his actions were not solely driven by the pursuit of gain.
'As a Healer, I'm supposed to do my best, whether it's for profit or not. I don't want anyone to die.'
He is a healer.
He was always very, very interested in the rewards, but he also had a heart for his patients.
He didn't want anyone to die.
'I'm going to save them all, and I'm going to have a joyous beef party with them!'
With that in mind, he tried desperately, and time passed.
Roian and the other patients had their ups and downs.
Each time, Raymond and his students clung on desperately.
Of course, Raymond knew.
It was impossible to save everyone.
By now he had lost countless patients.
He was well aware that there were circumstances that were beyond his control.
This time, too, there would be patients he would have to lose.
But as always, he would try not to lose a single patient.
It wasn't long before a miracle happened.