We headed straight to the market.

The streets, once bustling with shops, were now deserted. Most of the shops had closed their doors due to the outbreak of patients or deaths.

“Look, there’s a light on over there.”

In the distance, a faint light leaked from a shop. We headed straight towards it. Edrish knocked on the door roughly.

“Who’s there!”

A voice shouted from inside without opening the door.

“We’re not doing any business, so go away!”

There was a sense of caution, not unusual when there’s a belief that an epidemic is spreading everywhere. Even during such times, crime tends to occur more frequently.

What should we do? We can’t force the door open.

That’s when Edrish took a step back, then threw himself at the door with a bang.

“Ah!”

I screamed without realizing it. The sturdy door that had just divided the inside and outside so securely fell backward with a dull thud.

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

Edrish patted my cheek as if comforting me.

Well, I don’t think I’m the one who needs comforting. It seems like that middle-aged man is more surprised than I am.

The shop owner stared at us without realizing that the water in the cup in his hand was dripping. Edrish, leaving him be, stepped over the fallen door and went inside.

Uh, I don’t know. It’s already done.

I also stepped on the door and went inside.

“Wh-who are you!”

The man urgently covered his nose and mouth with one hand and held a teapot in the other, stepping backward. Is he going to attack with that?

Edrish lowered his hood.

“I’m Edrish Artigra. I’m the one who will become the king of this country. I’ve come to solve the epidemic in Central, so cooperate.”

The shop owner, seemingly unable to comprehend reality, blinked his eyes like a fool.

Edrish, leaving him alone, went straight to a money pouch. He looked like a ruthless bandit.

He plunged a silver spoon into the money pouch. The collision of metal against metal made a noisy sound. I held my breath, waiting for time to pass.

The sound of the spoon being pulled out again reached my ears, and Edrish turned towards me.

“Cecilia, you were right. The money is tainted with poison.”

The spoon was stained black in some parts, as if mold had grown on it.

The next day, as soon as the sun rose, we headed to the central square. Compared to other places, there were sporadic people there. Everyone seemed to be hunching their shoulders, walking quickly as if the epidemic would catch up soon.

Among them, we chose a conspicuous spot on the ground.

There was no danger of exposure thanks to the hoods. I wore a yellow one, Edrish wore a pink one, and I instructed the escort knights to stay hidden nearby.

Of course, I could have asked the knights to do it… but whatever it is, doing it myself would relieve my frustration.

“Come, choose! Choose! A day like today doesn’t come every day! Handmade socks made by laying hands directly on the wool!”
I clapped my hands.

“…Cecilia, you don’t have to go that far.”

Edrish murmured in a low voice from behind.

“No, it’s necessary to let everyone know that there’s a merchant here; otherwise, the culprit won’t come soon.”

I took Edrish’s hand on a whim. Edrish stood next to me, looking too big and robust to be a merchant selling goods on a stall, but… somewhere in the world, aren’t there merchants this huge?

“Beautiful, lovely. Mister, you want to be favored by your wife. Come and buy some socks.”

I called out to a passing man. He glanced at me as if he were in a bad mood and quickly passed by.

“Hmm, was he unmarried?”

A half-day passed. It wasn’t difficult to be outdoors because the weather wasn’t as cold as before, but I felt a bit tired.

“I guess I’m not cut out for sales. How can I not sell a single thing? No one is coming.”

The most effective and straightforward way to pass money is through a merchant. Did I trip over my own feet?

“Now that the atmosphere is grim, it’s natural not to buy anything other than essentials.”

“Then if a customer comes, there’s a high probability that they’re the culprit, right?”

“That’s right.”

Edrish took my hand. A pleasant warmth emanated when his skin brushed against mine.

I smirked.

That’s when it happened. Edrish’s pupils moved from me to the left. He seemed to be staring at something, then looked back at me. He subtly glanced behind me.

Has he come? Is he here?

I turned around nervously.

The woman with a bent posture was standing in front of the stall, seemingly out of nowhere. She lowered her head and examined the socks spread out.

Ah, she really looks like a customer.

“The socks are very pretty, aren’t they? I’ve been taking a break from selling for a while, but I thought I might starve to death, so I brought them out. I’ll give you a good deal, so please buy them.”

The woman pulled up her hood to keep it from falling and looked up to the level of her eyes.

“Yes, the socks are very pretty. I want to buy thirty… no, forty pairs.”

Forty pairs?

This person is…