In a matter of a few hours since their arrival, someone had made contact with the prisoners, likely struck some sort of deal, and then proceeded to help free them—potentially supplying them with the poison and aiding in taking a hostage.

All the while, Joshua was sleeping on his ears, oblivious to what was developing around him.

And now there he was, long after everything unfolded; chasing after the wind.

This revelation not only caused him much pain and distress, but it also confirmed to him the fact that he was too complacent.

Joshua took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, catching himself before guilt could cloud his mind. First, he needed to figure out what to do.

Others in his position would stomp out: shouting and yelling and tossing accusations around.

"Yeah, and announce to the perpetrators that I'm on to them. what a great idea!" He reflected.

Moreover, lacking any sort of evidence other than a piece of string, not only will everyone dismiss his accusations as the ramblings of a paranoid child; thus damaging his credibility. It would also deprive him of his only advantage.

The fact that he knew there was a third party involved was now an invaluable card, one that he planned to play at an appropriate moment down the line.

He needed to rescue Jasmine; this was the most important task of his life so far. And Joshua knew it's gonna take his everything to achieve that, and then some.

He needed to be tactful, keep his cards close to his heart, and discern any irregularities. All this in the hope of flushing out any hidden intentions.

Joshua hid the rope in his bag and headed out to rejoin the others, he figured that the rest of his siblings were likely unsuccessful in their search as well and was eager to rejoin them.

As soon as he opened the wagon door, he saw the physician in the distance, heading toward him with his mask and gloves still on.

"Let's get started." Joshua whispered to himself before stepping outside and greeting him.

The physician inquired with a concerned tone: "How are you holding up?"

"I'm...I'm alright," Joshua took a breath, his lips twitching, struggling to keep his composure before he continued,

"I wanted to thank you for letting Jasmine help you in your work. She has gone through a lot recently and it was amazing seeing her smile again"

"Physicians witness immense pain and suffering, and they gradually become desensitized to it," he admitted.

"Seeing her so full of joy and conviction in helping others reminded me of a time when I, too, had dreams and aspirations." The young physician paused, visibly disgusted by the incident.

"We need to make sure we get her back, did you find anything? "

Joshua shook his head. "It's as if they just up and disappeared. What about you, Did you find out how the poor man died?"

The physician scratched his head before saying, "Well about that, I did find what poison was used, but..."

Seeing his hesitation Joshua inquired, " Well what's the poison called?"

"I'm certain it's crimson clover, but the thing is—"

"That it doesn't cause a rash"

"Yes, that's right! How did you..."

"And isn't it supposed to be slow-acting? "

"That's what surprised me too—it shouldn't have taken effect so quickly, especially given the deceased's, um, abundant figure."

A clamor of raised voices had filled the air for a while now. Though entangled together, a few words could still be discerned, each carrying the anger and frustration they conveyed.

Joshua asked: "What's going on back there?"

"Before that, tell me—how did you come by this knowledge?"

"Why? Do you think I had anything to do with this?"

"I don't know what to think, which brings us here"

"All I know are the things I've read in books. It's called 'The Compendium of Vitality through the Chains of Mortality,' by someone named Rudolf..."

"A kid your age read the vulture's book?"

"... The vulture?" Joshua asked, confused.

"Yes, that's what we call him in our field"

"Did he steal someone else's work?"

"Hah! That lunatic doesn't even acknowledge other physicians. No, that's not why he's called that."

"Then Why..."

"Corpses"

"What do you mean—corpses?"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Yes, unlike other physicians, he refuses to treat patients. Well, living ones, at least." The physician’s voice lowered, as though weighed down by the memory.

"He got the nickname during the previous war between the Aternos league and the Caehdel kingdom. He roamed around the battlefield, tricking dying men into surrendering their bodies to him, deluding them with promises of salvation. He then proceeds to ... well let us just say that they didn't have a serene ending." There was more, but he wasn’t ready to say it yet.

"Did you know him personally?"

"Not really. he was once a respected professor in the Central Medical Conservatory, but that was long before my apprenticeship. by the time I started, his name was all but banned.

The repercussions of his actions reverberated across the continent, branding physicians as grave robbers and necrophages."

"How did things turn out for him?"

"When word of his experiments spread, he was arrested and put on trial before a tribunal. Do you know what he said in his defense?"

"That it's for the advancement of science?"

"That's true! Let’s just say it didn’t do him any favors, nor did cussing out the entire medical tribunal. So naturally, they stripped him of his sigil to appease the public outrage."

"What about his book?"

"The knowledge accumulated in his book was deemed invaluable, regardless of what method was used to obtain it. So it was decided to include it in the curriculum, stripped of its attribution."

The physician started rummaging through his bag before producing a small iron rod, depicting a small hatchling that had just broken out of its egg, being fed by its mother.

"Now all books in circulation bear this mark. The one you read must have been an early copy"

Choosing to keep the fact that the book he read was signed by hand, Joshua simply replied: "I suppose...it was pretty wrinkled!"

By this point, the noise had become too unsettling to ignore. Which prompted The physician to wrap up by answering the original question:

"When I left, they were arguing about what to do with the body"

Seeing that the answer was as confusing as the lack of one, the physician further explained.

"The concoction used is potentially highly contagious, and with the blizzard's end nowhere in sight I suggested cremation."

Joshua thought that this was a sound suggestion, aimed to minimize exposure and ensure no further infections occur.

Moreover, after successfully treating the merchants and guards after the attack. The physician's influence in the group must have increased immensely—enough to be a determining factor in cases that require medical expertise.

When he eventually returned to the gathering, he decided to stay out of view and observe the situation first. He discreetly veered to the sides towards a nearby wagon, he was surprised to find the horses were still harnessed to it.

Thankfully, they were exhausted from the long trek and too absorbed in their meals to notice his approach as he silently climbed onto the wagon.

The crowd had split into three parts: Jaylar and most of the merchants supported the decision to burn the corpse, while the guards opposed it.

Joshua's eyes scanned the crowd, there were fifteen guards left; a couple of them were still in bandages. Each one of them was a potential suspect.

Joshua noted from the prior engagement that they didn't keep a strict dress code when it came to armaments.

While spears were still the most common weapon, many of them carried scimitars and shields instead, while others resorted to bows with a short sword at the hip.

The choice of armor however was pretty much the same. A thick, padded gambeson reinforced with interwoven chain mail to protect the arms and sides.

The head guard stood apart from the others, clad in a full mail hauberk that draped down to his knees. At his side hung a long-sword, his arms ever resting on its worn mahogany hilt.

"We lost more men in this one journey than we did in the past ten combined. The accursed bandits didn't leave us time to mourn, let alone bury our dead.

When I think of the families’ cries when we return...” The head guard’s voice cracked, laden with guilt over the heavy price his unit paid—and the fate their families will suffer.

Jaylar kept an uncompromising stance announcing "It's better to be safe than sorry, we've got to take the body to burn it "

"Rolland served this merchant company with loyalty and pride for nearly a decade! I won't allow his body to suffer further mutilation."

"And what do you intend on doing with it, huh? Will you deliver him to his family looking like this? Do you intend to spread the poison to the rest of us?"

Joshua noticed one of the guards pacing back and forth, his legs shifting restlessly the few moments he remained stationary. This continued for a while before the guard broke down in a fit of sobs. 'It’s all my fault!'

This took everyone by surprise. The guard was then taken by the neck by the head guard, his legs scraping the ground as he dragged him close "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I was supposed to be guarding that wagon, but I talked him into covering my shift. I just wanted to catch some sleep" he replied sobbing "He left a pregnant wife back home, and I... I have nothing." He threw himself near the corpse, his hands trembling."I'm sorry, buddy. Damn it! It should have been me!"

The head guard barked orders at his men "Get him away from here before he gets himself killed"

The priest and his followers initially stayed out of the conversation, not wishing to step on anyone's toes. But upon seeing the tension rising, Lorkin stepped forward saying,

"I didn't know Rolland, but a man's worth shows after his death. For his comrades, who went through so much together—fighting side by side against bandits and sharing countless journeys—showing him this much respect and grief is evidence enough of the caliber of man he was.

It saddens my heart to learn that such a loyal warrior met his end not in honorable combat, as he deserved, but through treacherous means like poison, robbed of his dignity and subjected to an agonizing death."

His words pierced through them like daggers, causing Jaylar and the rest of the merchants to keep their gazes on the ground.

"The church of divinity burned its followers in flames to satisfy the greed of the angels", Lorkin added in disgust as he glared at Jaylar "I don’t know whether Rolland was a religious man, but every human deserves a tombstone—something for their family to lay roses upon, a symbol of the life they lived and the memories they left behind."