The tension at the town gate cut through the cold morning air like a knife. At the very front of the line, the burly guard commander—wearing the most magnificent form of the Luxaris sun on his armor's chest—raised the parchment in his hand and roared toward the crowd:
"Listen to me well! Anyone who sees the girl in this drawing, knows her whereabouts yet stays silent, harbors her, or gives her the slightest help will be tried for treason against the Supreme Empire and the throne! The punishment will be executed as an exemplary execution in the square, with the blood not only of yourselves, but of your entire family!"
While these words had the effect of a cold shower on the crowd, Devranna's steps involuntarily slowed. Her mind was rapidly calculating the probabilities with centuries of combat experience. Her hands beneath her cloak formed into fists; her nails were digging into her palms. The cursed "chain" seal was circulating in her veins like poison, preventing her from reaching her massive, godlike power. If she walked all the way up to that gate, the moment they pulled down her hood, her bright copper-colored hair and those strange, orangish eyes would give her away.
She stopped. She turned her eyes to the guards, and then to the forest right behind them. Just as she decided to change direction and return to the darkness of the forest at all costs, a hand stronger than she expected grabbed her arm.
It was Elian. The elderly herbalist's calloused fingers were squeezing Devranna's arm like a vise.
"Don't even think about it," Elian whispered through his teeth. Without turning his head at all, he pointed at the guards at the gate out of the corner of his eye. "These are not ordinary town patrols, my child. The elite guards of Luxaris... Their eyes are as sharp as an eagle's. Do you see the armored horses right behind them? If you try to turn and run now, you will be crushed under the hooves of those horses before you even reach the edge of the forest."
Devranna looked at the old man by gritting her teeth, but Elian was right. Swallowing her anger, she matched her steps to his again.
"Clearly, you are hiding a secret much bigger and more dangerous than I thought..." Elian muttered as he continued walking toward the line. With a deft movement, the old leather bag on his back was slid forward. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now."
Quickly rummaging through the bag, the old man pulled out a small glass vial filled with a dark-colored, pulpy liquid and slipped it secretly into Devranna's palm.
"Take this," he said hurriedly. "Open the cap and immediately apply it to your face, your neck, your hands... everywhere your skin can be seen. Hurry up, we are approaching the line!"
Devranna didn't question what was happening; the seriousness in the old man's voice was enough. She flicked open the cork stopper of the vial with her thumb. The liquid inside smelled of rotten leaves and heavy sulfur. Pouring it onto her fingertips, she quickly began applying it to her face, cheeks, neck, and hands.
The moment the liquid touched her skin, it foamed slightly and left a burning sensation. Within seconds, Devranna's smooth skin turned into disgusting, bright red, inflamed-looking spots and blisters. As the liquid dried, her skin took on a terrifying appearance, as if it were cracked and pus-filled.
Elian gave a brief glance at the grotesque state Devranna's face had taken and nodded. Taking out a thick, dirty piece of cloth from his pocket, he tied it to the lower half of his face so as to tightly cover his mouth and nose, while grabbing Devranna's arm again, this time in a protective manner.
"Listen to me well," Elian whispered—they were now very close to the end of the line. "You are my mute granddaughter. You won't say a single word, you won't take your eyes off the ground, and you will constantly shake as if you are in pain."
As Devranna looked at the old man from beneath her hood, Elian delivered the final blow:
"Red Rot... We are going to play with this disease. They know this damn plague well. They are so afraid of catching it that instead of opening your hood and examining your face, they won't even dare to come near you."
Elian was a smart man. He knew very well that standing in fear in the queue right under the hunters' noses, waiting, and going through that heavy inspection would end in disaster. Therefore, he gripped Devranna's arm tighter and, completely bypassing the long line formed by the tense crowd, began stepping directly toward the side of the gate.
As expected, a heavily armored guard instantly blocked their path. Striking his long spear hard against the ground, he roared, "What do you think you're doing? Don't you see the line, old man? Move to the back, quickly!"
Elian stopped his steps; in his eyes visible above the mask on his face, there was only a tired and anxious grandfather expression. Raising his free hand gently and respectfully, he said in a calm yet worried voice, "My apologies, sir. I am the herbalist of this town, I have a shop inside. The reason I didn't get in line is not out of disrespect... Unfortunately, my granddaughter has caught the Red Rot affliction. If she is in the contagious stage, having her wait among this many people would be a disaster for all the townspeople and for you. With your permission, I would like to take her directly to my shop without letting her touch anyone."
The moment the words "Red Rot" spilled from his lips, a murmur of terror broke out among the people in line. When the heavy sulfur and rotten leaf smell radiating from the liquid on Devranna's face reached them with the wind, those in line slowly started sliding to the left and moving away from them as if there were a monster in front of them.
The guard's stern expression instantly faltered. He, too, had caught the foul smell. Reflexively, he covered his mouth and nose with the back of his hand and took a step back. "Alright, alright," he grumbled, withdrawing his spear. "Stay away from trouble, pass through quickly."
Right at that moment, the guard commander—whose golden sun emblem on his armor was much more ostentatious—pushed through the crowd and arrived there. "What is going on here? No favoritism for anyone!" he thundered. However, as soon as he caught that heavy, rotting flesh smell, he also had to cover his face with his armored gauntlet.
The commander's eagle-sharp eyes scanned Elian. "Pull down your mask. For a while," he ordered.
Without any objection, Elian pulled the thick cloth on his face down toward his chin. Turning to the townspeople standing right beside them and cringing with fear, the commander asked harshly, "Do you know this man? Is he really the herbalist of this town?"
A few of those in line nodded hurriedly, continuing to cover their noses. "Yes sir, he is Elian. Herbalist Elian..." they confirmed.
Although the commander looked satisfied, he had no intention of leaving his job to chance. He told Elian, "Put your mask on." Then he pointed his thick finger toward Devranna. "Now uncover her head. I'm going to see her face."
The muscles beneath Devranna's cloak tightened like a spring. She was watching what was happening by playing the role of a trembling young girl with her head bowed down, but if that hood were opened and the commander suspected her hair or eyes, she would have no choice but to tear the armored man's throat out with her bare hands.
Without showing the slightest sign of panic, Elian reached out with utmost calmness. He slowly pulled the black hood on Devranna's head backward.
When the bright copper-colored hair appeared in the morning light, the commander's eyes narrowed for a moment. But this scrutiny lasted for only a second. Because the face right beneath the hair was... simply terrifying. Devranna's skin had turned bright red, covered everywhere with pus-filled blisters and cracks. The grotesque appearance brought by the disease and the foul odor hitting the nose made both the hair color and the eyes completely insignificant.
The commander's face twisted with disgust. It was obvious from the rapid rise and fall of his chest under his armor that his stomach was turning. He waved his hand violently, as if trying to banish that sight from his mind.
"Cover it! Cover that, alright!" he shouted in disgust. He took a few more steps back. "Pass through quickly! If you spread that disease to the town, I will find you myself, herbalist. Did you hear me? Disappear from my sight quickly!"
Bowing his head respectfully as he quickly pulled Devranna's hood back up to cover her face, Elian said, "Don't worry, sir," and holding Devranna's arm, they slipped through the terrified crowd making way for them and entered through the wooden gates of the town.