Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 42. Mary on a cross.

(From Maxwell)

When we arrived at that temple, Quejada informed us that the patients in the worst conditions were members of the cult of Lilith. Twelve individuals were found in that same place, already showing signs of the curse.

—It looked like they had practiced some sort of ritual, they had drawn a magic circle on the floor with symbols I haven't seen before —he said.

—Considering the state in which they are... —I replied. They were barely holding on to their humanity— they are probably among the first to get infected. How long ago was that?

—Must be around half a year ago, maybe a little more.

—Then perhaps they are the patients zero. The ritual they were doing could have been what caused the curse in the first place...

If that was the case, they would be responsible for everything that had happened, all that suffering had been caused by them. I took a deep breath. I needed to remain calm and objective. I had swore to treat anyone who would need it, even if they had caused such a pandemic. Furthermore, I got the feeling there was still someone behind their actions, I couldn't believe that the mastermind would be so foolish to get themselves infected. Once they had been healed, we could interrogate them to find out who had given them their orders, and punish them accordingly.

I occupied most of my time keeping the patients' mana flows stable, teaching the nurses, volunteers, and Ingrid how to treat them. The people in the worst stages had bouts more frequent, and they were harder to control. I was trying to improve the method I had developed, but anything I could think of only helped marginally. As I was focused on this, a donut materialized in front of my face. It took me a second to realize it was actually being held by Ingrid.

—Here, you need to eat something —she said.

—Thank you.

—Eh, thank your madame, she bought them all. And thank the little girl as well, she is the one who brought them.

I threw a glance towards where Rosanne was, talking and playing with the little girl.

—Maybe later, they seem to be having fun, I don't want to intrude on their conversation —I said.

I had perceived that Rosanne was missing her daughter and feeling the pressure of the situation we were in. I wanted to talk with her, but at the moment I had my hands more than full. It was so frustrating. But with the help of that little girl, she seemed to have recovered a bit of her energy. That's all I needed to have some peace of mind.

As I ate the donut, I returned to my work, but even with food in my stomach, I couldn't think of anything. This curse attacked their souls, the changes in their bodies were just a side effect. It couldn't be caused by any physical pathogen, it must be magical in nature. It was a genuine curse. But even the greatest mages at the capital were unable to find any trace of the spell. What else could affect someone's soul?

One of the patients near me started to have an attack, breaking my concentration. I was about to start treating them, when I noticed it was not just them, but everyone who was cursed in that room. There was no way I could calm them all in time. And according to the description of Deucalion, some of them were already at the last stages of the infection. They could either die... or become monsters.

I needed to tell Rosanne and all the others to get as far away as she could while I treated the worst patients, that was the most logical thing to do. But I have to admit, I was frozen by fear. I wanted to run away, even though that would mean our pursuers would be more. I feel so ashamed of it now, but I can't deny that thought crossed my mind, my self preservation instinct was blaring in the back of my head. Then I heard it.