chapter 65
65 – Resolving the Cause of the Epidemic
“Margaret, please drink some oral rehydration solution!”
“Umm..”
Margaret, who had been in a state of confusion, gradually regained consciousness after receiving divine power!
She probably had severe diarrhea due to norovirus, leading to dehydration.
I recommended oral rehydration solution to Margaret.
“Phew, luckily it came at the right time.”
Fortunately, Margaret regained consciousness.
If Margaret had been unconscious, I wouldn’t have been able to give her the oral rehydration solution.
If something is put into the mouth while unconscious, it can block the airway and cause choking.
Improper administration can lead to respiratory distress!
But fortunately, Margaret regained consciousness and was able to drink the oral rehydration solution!
The maids slightly raised Margaret’s upper body, and she swallowed the oral rehydration solution little by little.
“Gulp.. Gulp.. Phew…!”
Margaret seemed to have difficulty moving on her own.
After receiving some oral rehydration solution with the help of the maids, she soon regained her strength.
“Gulp…! Phew, much better.”
“Are you okay?”
“Umm.. Earlier, I felt extremely dizzy and thirsty, but now I’m fine.”
Dizziness and thirst are symptoms of dehydration!
By immediately replenishing the oral rehydration solution, Margaret’s dehydration symptoms improved.
I also asked Margaret about her norovirus symptoms!
“Thank goodness. Any abdominal pain or nausea?”
“Oh.. come to think of it, my abdominal pain has also improved. Victor, how about you?”
“Mom! My stomach was upset, but now it doesn’t hurt at all.”
It seems that the divine power treatment was effective!
Norovirus has diarrhea as a basic symptom.
It also induces vomiting in children.
Victor is now 6 years old, a child.
He was vomiting in the backyard of the clothing store, indeed a symptom of norovirus.
“From now on, wash your hands well and make sure to clean the dishes thoroughly. Wash the dishes in hot water once. This norovirus is a nasty disease. It disappears when heated at a high temperature for 1 to 5 minutes, right?”
I closely observed the symptoms of Mrs. Margaret and her son Victor, and educated them on preventive measures.
Norovirus disappears after heating at 75 degrees for 5 minutes, and at 100 degrees for 1 minute.
Not only food but also water should be boiled well before consumption!
“Got it, Mr. Cheolsu. I will definitely do that.”
“Thank you, Antibiotic Bath Uncle!”
“Yes, please be careful. Victor, wash your hands well too. And now, I’m not just Antibiotic Bath Uncle, I’m Double Antibiotic Bath Uncle.”
Ziiing!
I raised my hands with a sense of holiness and created a lot of bubbles!
Victor’s eyes widened in amazement at my magnificent holiness.
“Wow…! I got it, Double Antibiotic Bath Uncle!”
Seems like I’ll be boasting about my increased holiness here.
Victor stuck to me, asking how I did it.
The maids who helped me also congratulated me on my holiness.
Afterward, I went around the village just in case.
I treated about three people complaining of mild stomachaches with my holiness.
To the well I went.
The origin of all diseases caused by norovirus!
The contaminated well!
This villain must not function again!
Miss Catherine said she closed it, but I have to see it with my own eyes!
In the well, Father James, who had been contacted beforehand, and two familiar priests were praying.
“We beseech thee, Lord, to purify this well cursed by the devil.”
Ziiing!
Father James was pouring holiness into the well as if turning on a very bright light!
The villagers trembled behind Father James, praying fervently.
“Ah, indeed. They see infectious diseases as curses from the devil.”
Even though I’ve been diligently educating about diseases.
People in our region still think of “disease” as “curses from the devil.”
Since they’ve only seen it from a religious perspective since childhood, they interpret everything in a religious way.
“I’ll just leave it as it is.”
There’s no need to force a change in people’s perspectives.
Just inform the truth as much as people are willing to accept.
There’s no point in trying to explain, “Hey, this is all superstition! Norovirus is not a curse from the devil, it’s a virus!” It would be hard to make them understand.
I might end up being branded as a heretic, right?
“That’s a bit much.”
I’m content as long as the disease doesn’t spread.
Right now, Father James is pouring holiness into the well, calling it a curse from the devil.
Holiness has antiviral effects, so pouring it into the well should have a real effect on purifying it.
Jiiiiing.
Mr. James, who had poured all his sanctity into the well, finished his prayer in no time.
Praise like a false prophet~ Praise! After singing, people dispersed.
Some villagers, though finding it distasteful, couldn’t resist gossiping about this rare village event.
I approached Mr. James and asked!
“Father of the parish, is this well perhaps connected to the river?”
The well draws groundwater.
There are two types of groundwater.
1. Water just collected in the ground.
2. Water connected to a river.
If this contaminated groundwater is connected to the river, things could get serious.
Will the virus spread to the river?
“This well is not connected to the river. It’s water collected in the ground.”
“Ah.”
“I see what you’re worried about. Afraid the curse will spread to the river?”
Mr. James is surprisingly quick to understand!
“Yes.”
“Just groundwater collected in one place, so don’t worry.”
Fortunately, closing this well could prevent the Norovirus from spreading!
“I understand why the virus spread in the well.”
Water collected in one place is prone to rot.
Well water needs to flow into a river to be purified from various bacteria and viruses.
This well seems contaminated because it’s water collected in one place.
“I’ll continue to infuse sanctity, so it should be usable within a week.”
“What? Are you saying you’ll make the contaminated water drinkable again?”
“Stagnant groundwater… So, even contaminated water becomes fine when purified with sanctity.”
“Hmm…”
I understand the sanctity effect, but still, drinking water from a well that caused a Norovirus outbreak is a bit…
Could it lead to another epidemic if done wrong?
Mr. James just chuckled at my sense of danger!
“Kim Cheol-su still can’t use it, right?”
“What? Use what?”
“When you focus sanctity in your eyes, you can roughly see curses.”
“You can see curses with your eyes?”
“Yes. When you concentrate sanctity in your eyes, the world appears white, with black visible. Black is the devil’s curse. Infuse sanctity into black, and it disappears. The curse is purified.”
Is this some kind of thermal sensor?
The curse Mr. James speaks of is a bacterial virus!
It means you can see this bacterial virus with your eyes.
Curious, I tried infusing sanctity into my eyes as Mr. James suggested.
Giiii.
The sacred power concentrated in my eyes, and suddenly my eyes became scorching hot, as if they were on fire!
“No, my eyes!!”
My eyes feel unbearably hot, as if they might melt and become ingredients for spicy stew.
I immediately spread the sacred power in my eyes!
“Hold on. It’s your first time, so it’s not familiar. Put a little bit of sacred power in and get used to it. You’ll see the curse.”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
“By the way, Kim Cheol-soo, your sacred power has increased tremendously, hasn’t it? Are you training hard every day?”
“Huh… Yes, I have been training consistently.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I finally found relief from the pain.
Ouch, it hurts so much.
Did I accidentally put too much sacred power in my eyes?
I blinked my eyes, trying to follow Mr. James’s advice.
Don’t rub your eyes with your hands, especially if they have foreign substances.
If any foreign substances get into your eyes, blink rapidly. It will become clean when you open them again!
Because eyelashes act like brooms to clean the eyes!
“Kim Cheol-soo, do you have any thoughts of becoming my successor?”
“Huh?”
With a smile I had never seen before, Mr. James offered me the position of his successor!
He was impressed by the sacred power I wielded with both hands!
“Haha… How can I possibly take on the role of the successor to the esteemed Archbishop Damang?”
“You’re doing fine, young man. Just accept it.”
Mr. James sighed and seemed a little disappointed.
“Please consider someone else as your successor, someone more deserving.”
I already have enough work to do. I can’t take on temple duties too!
I strongly refused!
“Well, then anyone else can take it.”
Mr. James murmured with regret.
“…Please choose someone else as your successor.”
I declined the temple abduction mission.
* * * *
For the next week, Archpriest James diligently infused the well with sacred power every day.
To restore the well.
During that time, I gradually practiced putting a little sacred power in my eyes, as Mr. James had mentioned, and I became able to detect a faint black color.
Giiii.
“Wow.”
Sure enough, the world turned white, and I could see black floating in the well.
‘Is that the Norovirus?’
Feels like observing cells through a microscope.
I used a microscope to observe epithelial cells during practical hours at the nursing school.
The black gooey stuff inside the well is the Norovirus.
Geez.
Injecting the divine power into the black area made the black color evaporate.
‘What Mr. James said isn’t entirely unbelievable, is it?’
It seems possible to capture and eliminate bacteria and viruses in real-time.
‘If this were brought to modern times, it would be incredibly useful, wouldn’t it?’
There are aspects of the divine power that surpass modern medicine!
I harnessed the divine power, feeling invigorated.
My eyes quickly became hot and painful.
I’m still not used to injecting the divine power into my eyes.
“Phew!”
I blinked my eyes hard, opening them slowly, and patrolled the village.
I started patrolling the village and the castle when I had spare time, just in case the Norovirus reappeared.
‘If the Norovirus breaks out, I can treat it immediately with the divine power.’
In fact, there are no special antiviral drugs for the Norovirus.
There is also no vaccine to prevent this Norovirus.
Mostly, it doesn’t require treatment as it naturally recovers within a few days.