Dorothy’s Forbidden Grimoire

Chapter 703 : Plague Soul

“January 3rd. According to information brought by the trade caravan, some villages in the southern region seem to be experiencing a type of plague. Every year, diseases emerge from the miasmic jungles in the south. If the rumors are true, this would be the first outbreak of the year. Worth monitoring and verifying.”

“January 5th. Confirmed that the plague reports from the south are accurate.”

“January 6th. Based on analysis of newly acquired information, it's confirmed that this type of plague is already spreading among at least five tribes. The primary symptom is fatigue. Though it’s emerging earlier than the usual epidemic season, its contagiousness and pathogenicity seem low.”

“January 8th. Had a brief discussion with Lila and the others regarding the southern plague. Most believe it’s not worth much concern—low transmission and weak virulence. Bandit tribes are preparing for their yearly activities, and Busalet will soon face the season of heightened banditry. The constant movement of desert raiders will significantly hinder intertribal contact, which may naturally curb the spread of this plague. It might vanish on its own during this time.”

“Though this plague doesn’t seem especially impactful, its early appearance outside the usual epidemic window is still unique. After discussion, we’ve decided to designate this plague as BS61-1.”

“January 20th. Bugabi and Bulah have both reported outbreaks. The severity seems notable. Why are so many early plagues appearing this year?”

“January 21st. Something seems off. Reports from Bugabi and Bulah describe symptoms matching those of the southern village outbreaks. Could it be that the plague has successfully spread from there? Hard to believe—how did it transmit across settlements during bandit season? That’s not consistent with its previously observed transmission capacity.”

“January 22nd. New updates paint a grim picture. The plague is spreading rapidly. Ali has decided to organize a mission and send evangelistic aid teams to Bugabi and Bulah. I’m sending Zara along to gather information firsthand.”

“January 26th. Zara’s initial report arrived. The outbreak in Bugabi is massive—estimated over thirty thousand infected. The evangelist aid team is organizing local efforts for isolation and treatment.”

“Locals claim the plague was brought by the bandits who raided their settlements. Strangely, this time the defenders won handily—none of the bandits managed to steal anything. Yet shortly afterward, the plague began to spread. Its primary symptom is fatigue, with the first to fall ill being those who fought the bandits or handled their corpses.”

“It's confirmed the bandits were from the Tuman tribe, known for operating in the southern regions—overlapping with the earlier BS61-1 zones. So this is BS61-1? Did it really spread through brief encounters during combat and looting? That’s inconsistent with its previously observed behavior.”

“January 27th. After remote discussions with Lila and the others, we’ve decided to send additional personnel to Bugabi and Bulah, and implement preventive measures in our own settlements.”

“January 28th. The first BS61-1 infection discovered in Bastis.”

“Same day. Zara reports that the outbreak in Bugabi is under control. Effective isolation has slowed the spread, and new infections are declining. Though recovery is slow, the plague isn’t hard to treat. With mystical intervention, it can be cured easily.”

“January 29th. Observed BS61-1 cases in Bastis personally. Most symptoms match previously documented cases.”

“January 30th. For missionary purposes, Ali has ordered full use of supernatural healing to rapidly treat accumulated patients and showcase the Lord’s grace. I disagree. BS61-1 already exhibits abnormal traits—its transmission ability has clearly increased since early January. I’ve never seen a pathogen evolve this quickly. Among the many plagues emerging from the southern jungles, this one is... unusual. We should observe it more before intervening with mystical methods.”

“I, Lila, and other healers across Busalet have raised objections to Ali. We believe we need more time to study BS61-1 in natural conditions before large-scale mystical intervention. But Ali refuses to listen. He believes that delaying will damage public trust in the Holy Church. With patients piling up, it will harm the Church’s image in Busalet. From Ali’s perspective, the missionary effort comes first—relief is secondary.”

“February 1st. Ali issued an official order: all evangelist aid teams in Bugabi and Bulah are to fully use mystical healing to treat all remaining patients. I made one last appeal for caution—he ignored it. Ever since he inherited part of Lord Muhtar’s authority, Ali has grown more aggressive... Truly a disciple of his master. May the Lord grant that nothing goes wrong…”

“February 3rd. Reports from the epidemic front state that all accumulated BS61-1 patients in Bugabi and Bulah have been cured. The outbreak has been declared over. Ali has ordered the evangelist teams to begin large-scale missionary activities in those areas, and is already drafting a merit report to the Mufah Council.”

“It’s clear now—Ali is desperate to gain the Mufah Council’s recognition. He wants to fill the power vacuum left by Muhtar and is pushing for promotion. He’s using this plague as a performance opportunity…”

“February 6th. The mass proselytizing in Bugabi and Bulah has continued for three days with no signs of stopping. Ali is even expanding the operation—sending more people and trying to spread the activities to surrounding tribes and settlements with traveling sermons and large public rituals. Hah… he certainly knows how to make the most of an opportunity…”

“February 7th. Zara and her team were all called back. Using the plague as an excuse for such grand preaching efforts—and not giving credit to the actual healers? That’s… disgusting. Ali, there’s such a thing as overstepping. Still, I suppose it’s good that Zara gets some rest…”

“February 9th. Something’s wrong. New infection reports are coming in from Bugabi and Bulah…”

“February 10th. The number of cases is growing. Confirmed as BS61-1—it’s back. Symptoms are more severe than before, and what’s worse—it’s reinfecting those who were already cured. Those recently recovered should’ve had resistance… but apparently not. It truly is abnormal…”

“Same day. Ali received the infection reports and didn’t react at all. I have to confront him.”

“Same day. Ali says he has secretly arranged quarantine for the patients. Lord above… What is he doing? This can’t be handled in secret! We need mass screenings immediately! He’s actually trying to cover up the second wave just to preserve the missionary campaign! Says it’s just a few isolated cases… My God…”

“February 11. Continued urging Ali to immediately halt the missionary campaign, restart screening, and send Zara and the others back immediately—but that bastard won’t listen. He claims this would damage the Holy Church’s authority. Says, ‘Why are you sabotaging me?’ Dammit! Can’t he grasp the situation? No… I have to speak with Lila and the others right away.”

“February 12. Lila and her team are already rushing to Bastis as fast as they can. As expected, things in Bugabi are deteriorating rapidly—it won’t stay hidden much longer. Ali is starting to visibly panic, but he still won’t cancel the preaching. He only ordered Zara and her team to return at top speed.”

“February 14. BS61-1 has broken out again in full force across Bugabi and Bulah. Missionary activity is now completely unsustainable; the infections are exploding.”

“February 17. Zara’s team made an emergency return to Bugabi and began treating the infected with all their strength. But strangely, their healing efficiency is now drastically reduced. BS61-1 has clearly grown stronger again. Compared to its earlier transmissibility and pathogenicity, its resistance has significantly increased. This plague is absolutely not some natural outbreak from the miasma jungles. This is without doubt the work of the southern cults!”

“February 18. The rate of spread is far beyond expectations. Because the missionary campaign had been so extensive, BS61-1 used that very campaign to massively expand its transmission footprint. Beyond Bugabi and Bulah, a slew of other settlements and tribes are now affected. Even Beja and Shefs are reporting cases. Bastis is also at serious risk.”

“The infection scale is now so vast, and the efficiency of Beyonder healing so diminished, that our existing healing capacity is starting to falter. I must propose that we call in Redeemers from the other Sanctuaries of Radiant Salvation across northern Busalet.”

“Same day. Filthy, wretched bastard! May your limbs be severed and sewn inside a dead camel’s belly, soaked in sewage and left to rot under the blazing desert sun! May your soul be forsaken by the Lord and eternally tormented in the Infernal Flames! May you never know salvation!”

“Damned Ali! He actually suspects that I’m the one sabotaging the healing operations in Bugabi—that I ordered Zara and her team to secretly resist him and slack off on purpose! He really thinks I’m secretly undermining him out of ambition for his power! He’s completely lost it!”

“It’s clear now—my recent clashes with him have completely destroyed his trust. He truly believes I’m deliberately opposing him… that I’m behind the plague’s resurgence… that I’m manipulating Zara’s group to sabotage him, spreading the outbreak just to bring him down…”

“That bastard’s gone so far to deflect blame, he’s ready to do anything now. It’s obvious—he’s going to come after me next. I can't just sit and wait… I need to disappear first…”

“February 19. As expected, Ali officially ordered my arrest. Fortunately, I acted in time.”

“February 20. Without even informing the Mufah Council, Ali unilaterally declared my crimes and continued hunting me through Bastis. But thankfully… Lila and her team have arrived.”

“February 21. That lunatic Ali cannot remain in power. But we need a proper plan to bring him down. Fortunately, many here in Bastis have seen through him. Many are willing to help us.”

“February 22. …We’ve begun preparing our operation…”

“February 25. The operation was a success. That madman will never rant from the podium again. May the Lord forgive our sins. If the Mufah Council demands accountability afterward, I will bear the full responsibility…”

“Same day. We’ve successfully taken control of Bastis. Thankfully, aside from a few of Ali’s die-hard loyalists who were executed, most of the Holy Church brethren in the city supported me. Power is now in my hands. I must act before it’s too late. It’s time to rally all Salvationist forces the Church has in Busalet and head south.”

“March 3. It’s too late… all too late. The days wasted clashing with Ali cost us our last chance. BS61-1 has become unstoppable. The scale of infection is now beyond control. Southern Busalet is essentially fully overrun. The north is also reporting outbreaks in many cities and settlements. Total spread across the region is now inevitable.”

“March 4. All external healing efforts are now meaningless. I’ve ordered Zara and the others to return. We must consolidate all healing efforts in one place—at the very least, we must protect Bastis.”

“March 5. Many who had fought alongside me during the operation are upset with my decision to abandon everyone outside of Bastis. They confronted me. I tried to explain—but it was useless. They insisted on continuing relief efforts outside the city. I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t want to become another Ali… So I let them go. Regretfully… Lila was among them.”

“March 8. The areas surrounding Bastis have now completely fallen. Even with strict lockdowns, new infections continue to emerge within the city. How is the plague getting in?”

“March 10. The difficulty of healing the infected is increasing. BS61-1—or as the people now call it, Withering Plague—is growing more resistant to mystical treatment at a shocking rate. The cost of treatment is rising rapidly.”

“The Mufah Council’s response… isn’t promising. No one is coming to help us. This can’t go on. I can’t afford to focus solely on treatment anymore—I must begin serious, full-scale research into the plague.”

“March 11. I’ve delegated Bastis’s administrative affairs to Zara, with Arima assisting her. Research has officially begun. We’ve successfully extracted the pathogenic entity of BS61-1. Next comes testing it in biological experiments using Redeemer power…”

“March 12. Using Redeemer power to enhance biological resistance, I devised multiple strategies for eliminating BS61-1. We’re also creating various microbial enemies targeted against BS61-1, and dividing them into separate incubators for distinct elimination trials…”

“March 18. In test group 1, against Strategy No. 1, BS61-1 initially showed weak resistance. But after large-scale exposure and the death of many pathogens, mutations rapidly emerged within the group. The new variants developed clear resistance to Strategy No. 1 and began proliferating swiftly. The effectiveness of Strategy No. 1 dropped sharply.”

“It is confirmed: BS61-1 has an extraordinarily strong adaptive mutation capacity. Its evolution is directly tied to environmental pressure—namely, the host’s resistance, especially when reinforced with Redeemer power. Our repeated healing efforts are indeed accelerating its evolution.”

“March 19. The new variant’s proliferation speed is beyond expectation. In less than half a day, the entire test group was replaced by the new strain. The original variant had completely vanished.”

“Same day. The replacement speed is… abnormal.”

“Same day. In test group 2, which was being tested against Strategy No. 2, BS61-1 unexpectedly showed resistance to Strategy No. 1—despite no exposure to it. The pathogens in groups 1 and 2 now show no meaningful differences. There is no sign that group 2’s pathogens independently evolved—yet they already possess resistance to the strategy used in a completely different group.”

“Simultaneously, pathogens in group 1 are beginning to show signs of resistance to Strategy No. 2.”

“Same day. Infections within Bastis are also exhibiting resistance to both Strategy No. 1 and No. 2—even though those treatments were only being tested inside the lab…”

“March 20. A terrifying conclusion: unlike ordinary plague strains, which mutate slowly as beneficial variants replace older ones, BS61-1 shows signs of a transcendent connection among all its strains. It operates as a collective—a singular entity undergoing synchronized mutation and evolution…”

“March 21. BS61-1 seems to possess a form of shared will—a collective intelligence of sorts. It can make autonomous decisions. When any individual strain evolves a beneficial trait, that trait is soon expressed throughout the entire population. With each new adaptation, the entire species evolves together. BS61-1 doesn’t mutate individually… it mutates as one.”

“Collective mutation… collective evolution… collective adaptation…”

“Though microscopic and countless in number, BS61-1 is unified. It shares one single… Soul.”