How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 55.1
I hurriedly waved my hands and blurted out an excuse.
“It is just that I feel a little warm. There is no breeze, you see.”
Speaking of it now, a refreshing wind had been blowing coolly all along. Tristan fell silent for a moment. Among the sailors, someone swallowed nervously, the sound unusually loud. Well, even to me, my explanation sounded awkward.
Regardless, Tristan continued to look at me with a displeased expression. Unable to endure the awkwardness, I took a small step back and quickly changed the subject.
“More importantly…… I heard the situation with the sailors is serious. What has happened?”
“Hmm.”
Tristan was silent for a moment, then exhaled deeply. He slowly scanned the area around him before answering.
“I cannot fully grasp what is happening either. The most serious problem seems to be that a significant number of sailors are bleeding from their gums.”
“Bleeding from the gums? Is it because their teeth are damaged?”
“At first, I thought it was that kind of issue. But it is strange that so many sailors have the same problem at once, and more importantly—”
Tristan paused and took a breath. A dark shadow passed through his deep eyes.
“Some have lost multiple teeth entirely. It is not just a simple toothache; there are even cases of gum necrosis.”
“I see……”
So that is why he inspected my mouth as soon as he saw me. Shouldn’t he have explained it first? I panicked for nothing.
But now was not the time for such thoughts. I continued to fiddle with my warm earlobes and nodded.
“I see. This is not an ordinary matter.”
“That is not all. Some cannot move because their limbs are too weak. I heard that a few even collapsed while standing. At first, I thought it was fatigue, but seeing it worsen…… it is indeed concerning.”
His voice was calm, yet I could faintly feel the anxiety and helplessness behind it. Tristan shook his head as if to regain composure.
“However, our destination is not far now. If we continue, we should reach Ashurana within a few days. Of course, you might have another plan…… but even if the problem is not resolved, once we reach the port, we can immediately find a doctor. So there is no need to worry excessively.”
“Tristan……”
Even as he spoke, his gaze was dark. Rather than being optimistic, it seemed intended to reassure me and ease the burden. I glanced around the deck with a serious expression.
Groans continued across the deck. Some sailors knelt clutching their heads in pain, others leaned against the rail gasping in cold sweat. Some had blood soaked under their darkened fingernails.
‘I should not have ignored it back then.’
Not long ago, when I had checked on the sailors because of a bad feeling, I had dismissed the situation as trivial. Now it seemed far more serious. Their skin had turned pale gray and rough in just a few days. Blood-streaked saliva oozed from slack mouths. Blackened, necrotic gums were visible inside weakly opened mouths.
“This…… does not seem like simple exhaustion.”
I muttered unconsciously as I carefully inspected the sick sailor.
It felt as if their entire body was decaying from the inside. Those who had been strong sailors were suddenly emaciated. Their muscles weakened, and bruises appeared across their limbs.
As Tristan had said, Ashurana was close. But judging by the state of the sick sailors, the situation could deteriorate rapidly within hours, not just days. They might all die before reaching the port. I had to find a solution somehow.
As I continued surveying the ship, a strange thought struck me.
‘Why have Tristan and the knights not fallen ill?’
Even if they were especially robust, the question remained. It was especially strange that even young Constantine, who naturally had weaker immunity, and I myself were perfectly fine. Especially considering I officially had the traits of ‘poor stamina’ and ‘sickly constitution.’
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