A Flat-Chest Believer Reincarnated in a World Where Women with Small Breasts Aren't Treated as Women ~ I Ended Up with a Flat-Chested Harem. - Chapter 31

At sunrise, Rita and I left the village, riding our horses through the dawn light.

The day before, we had successfully completed the treatment and purification in the second village. However, my mana was running low, and with the day coming to an end, we decided to stay the night in one of the village’s empty rooms.

A cold breeze blew, making me shiver. Early mornings were chilly. I pulled out a waterskin from my pack and heated the water inside with magic, turning it into warm water at about 60 degrees, then tucked it into my coat to stay warm.

Rita did the same for herself. Magic really was convenient.

Our next destination was a smaller village, with a population of about 80 people. It was clear that not many travelers passed through here—the road was narrow and barely maintained, more akin to a trail used by animals.

After about two hours of riding, we reached the village.

The process was the same as before. I introduced myself, ordered the gathering of the sick, and performed the treatment. Finally, I purified the buildings.

The third village was compliant, and everything proceeded smoothly without any confusion.

“Chief, we’ll be heading to Pireneba next. Make sure to take precautions to prevent the infection from spreading again. The purified water I gave you will only be effective for about ten days.”

The village chief here is still alive. He’s an elderly man, around 60 years old.

“Understood, my lord. We will be careful. By the way, I’m sure you have no trouble dealing with it, being a noble mage, but there’s been talk of bandits making camp in the nearby mountains. I advise caution, just in case.”

His words caught me off guard. Bandits? That was rare in the Rolique Kingdom.

“Thank you for the information.”

With that, I left the village.

“Rita, it’s not much of a threat, but let’s stay alert anyway.”

“Understood. Though, it’s surprising there are still bandits these days.”

“It’s not unheard of. They probably drifted in from another country. Bandits don’t usually last long before they’re hunted down by the local lord, but that doesn’t mean they never appear.”

Bandit gangs and highwaymen were common tropes in fantasy stories, and they existed in this world too. However, in well-governed territories, they were swiftly dealt with by the local authorities.

“I’ll cast a light protective spell to guard us against any arrows from afar.”

I constructed a magic shield and activated it, covering Rita in a faint white glow.

“Lord Folca, it will use up your mana, and as for me…”

“No. I’m sure you’d detect any attack, Rita, but I want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If you don’t like it, I’ll take the lead, okay?”

Rita didn’t argue further, letting out a small smile. “Understood.”

And so, we continued down the path.

Despite our precautions, the journey proceeded without incident, and soon enough, we spotted our fourth destination—Pireneba, a town with a population of about 600.

The town was surrounded by wooden walls, with a simple gate at the entrance. Standing at the gate were two men—an older man and a younger one, probably in his twenties—both holding spears. Their expressions were tense, and the atmosphere seemed almost hostile.

However, peasants weren’t much of a threat, no matter how agitated they were. As we approached, the younger man pointed his spear at us, but the older man quickly intervened, lowering the spear with a panicked look. It was a good thing he understood the danger of pointing a weapon at a noble.

“I am Folca Gles Gustique. I’ve come at the request of Count Rendolf to handle the plague.”

I spoke in a slightly lower tone.

“My apologies, my lord. Please, follow me.”

The elderly man bowed deeply, bending at the waist. Seeing this, the younger man awkwardly followed suit, bowing his head as well.

“Hmm. I need to speak with the town chief. Is he still alive?”

“Y-yes, my lord, but the town chief is bedridden with the plague as well.”

If the chief was alive, it would be best to have him help coordinate the town’s efforts. Even if he was sick, I could heal him.

“That’s fine. Lead the way.”

“Yes, I will guide you.”

The elderly man gestured with his hand, indicating the direction, and began walking.

As expected, the plague had taken its toll here too. The streets were almost empty, with only a few people out and about.

“Please excuse the behavior of the young man earlier. He was just on edge. We’ve been on high alert recently.”

“It’s fine, but why is everyone so tense? Is it just the plague?”

“Well… actually, last night, bandits broke into the town, and we suffered some losses.”

“A town of this size?”

The response was unexpected. It must be the same bandits the previous village mentioned, but normally, a town with a population of 600 wouldn’t be targeted.

“Yes, the bandits were only around ten men, and normally we’d have been able to repel them. But with so many people sick, we were in disarray. They took advantage of the chaos during the night and made off with whatever they could steal.”

I see, it would indeed be difficult under those circumstances.

“My lord, this is the town chief’s house.”

The elderly man pointed to a house that was about twice the size of those around it. This appeared to be the chief’s residence.

He rushed ahead and knocked on the door rather urgently. A middle-aged woman answered.

“Yes? How can I help you?”

“The noble lord has arrived. Please take him to the town chief.”

“Uh, but, the town chief is…”

The middle-aged woman raised her voice in confusion, so I stepped closer to her.

“I am Folca Gles Gustique. I know you’re sick. That’s fine, but I need to speak with you.”

With an air that allowed no argument, the middle-aged woman responded, “Understood,” and led us inside.

The room we were shown into contained, as expected, a middle-aged man lying in bed, his face pale and sickly.

“Chief, I know it’s hard, but wake up.”

The woman shook the chief’s body gently, saying, “Dear, a noble has come to see you.” So, she’s the chief’s wife, it seems.

The town chief slowly opened his eyes, though his gaze was unfocused, and he still seemed rather dazed.

“I am Folca Gles Gustique. I’ll heal you first.”

I placed my hand on the man’s abdomen and cast purification magic, followed by a healing spell. Light returned to his eyes as the effects took hold.

“This is Holy attribute magic…! Th-the Gustique Marquis… I-I deeply apologize…”

Noticing the family crest on my coat, the town chief tried to sit up but lost his balance.

“Stay as you are. I’ve come at the request of Count Rendolf to contain the plague. I intend to heal all those infected, but how many people are we talking about?”

“A-all of them, you say? There are likely around 200…”

Even though I had an immense amount of mana, I was already running low from consecutive days of casting magic. I also needed to keep some mana in reserve for self-defense, and my supply of magic water was already depleted. Treating 200 people in one day wasn’t feasible.

“I can treat around 50 people today. We’ll need to prioritize the most severe cases—those who may not make it through the night. Can you organize that?”

“Y-yes. I’ll have the young men help gather them. We’ll prepare the guest room for you as well.”

“Good. I’ll leave it to you.”

The chief’s wife hurried out of the room to make the necessary arrangements. Shortly after, we were led to a guest room. It was a simple space with a table, two chairs, and two beds separated by wooden partitions. For a town of this size, it was sufficient.

“Rita, let’s sit down.”

The two of us sat down on the chairs, taking a brief rest. The town chief’s wife brought us some tea.

“It really does wear you out, doesn’t it?”

I said as I rolled my shoulders. I didn’t dislike horseback riding, but doing it for long hours over successive days was certainly exhausting.

“Lord Folca, please don’t overexert yourself. You’ve always had a tendency to push yourself too hard, even since you were young.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine. You should save your strength too, Rita. This is going to take a while, so why don’t you get some sleep?”

“No, I need to stay on guard.”

“Then, consider this an order: get some sleep and focus on recovering your strength. Don’t worry, I can keep watch myself.”

With a slightly reluctant expression, Rita obeyed the order and lay down on the bed.

It was better for her to rest while she had the chance.

I kept a quiet watch, making sure to stay vigilant.

About an hour and a half had passed. I heard footsteps approaching, followed by a knock on the door. I turned to wake Rita, but she was already up and had quickly moved to my side in a swift motion. Fast.

When I said, “You can come in,” the town chief entered.

“My lord, we’ve gathered 50 people in the town square as per your instructions.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”