“Only fools would further weaken themselves just to please another so that the other wouldn’t visit violence unto them. All that does is to turn yourself into a slave in all but name.” - Saying attributed to Xaliburnus the Conqueror, First Emperor of the Elmaiya Empire.

“I thought it was bad here before, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad,” stated Kino after they stayed in Jarah for another couple of days. During those days, they stayed at their contact’s place, which conveniently also served as an inn for travelers, and perused the various reports said contact provided them about the local situation. “Are we not going to do anything, Miss Aideen?”

“We are not in a position to do anything here, and honestly speaking? These people are in a hell of their own creation. Only they themselves could get them out of it,” said Aideen with a shake of her head. “Even if someone from the outside forces a change, unless these people choose to change themselves, they would just fall into the same routine all over again, perhaps for a different master, but the same regardless.”

What they had learned from the intelligence their local contact offered was rather damning. While there remained a few who voiced their discontent, most such groups merely did so in a bid to destabilize the country’s internal situation for their own benefits. Most of the country had pretty much submitted to the demand of their more powerful neighbor, with no alternatives considered.

At the rate things went, chances were that if the Vusilans either triumphed or otherwise reached a truce with Assadun, they would most likely swallow Jarah up in short order. The nation was practically already bowing and scraping before the Vusilans, so such an invasion would likely end quickly, with minimal resistance.

It was just the fact that the Vusilans had to concentrate on the south that they had yet to take down the easy prey they saved up nearby.

If Aideen wanted to, she likely could induce a regime change in the country. That would do nothing with the resigned attitude of the populace in general, though, and that would just lead to a similar situation developing once more in the future. There was no point to act because of that, and also why she answered that way to Kino.

Kino was younger and more sentimental in general, and she was still of the mindset of doing what little she could to help people out. Aideen had seen far more, however, and she knew that sometimes there was no helping people until they helped themselves first. It was such a case with the people of Jarah, which was the main reason behind her refusal.

The nation was in greater trouble than just having a powerful neighbor, though, as from the reports she had read, Aideen learned that the nation also faced a plague that ravaged its eastern parts, presumably one that originated from the Jarldom it bordered. The plague had forced the locals to isolate many of their eastern villages, and even forcefully burn some of them along with the villagers when they refused to be kept isolated.

It was a horrible solution, and the isolated villages were pretty much condemned to die, but on the other hand, it was also the most effective way to contain the plague and prevent it from affecting the rest of the country, so Aideen couldn’t fault the locals for taking such drastic measures. That didn’t mean that she would do nothing about it though, especially with Kino clearly wanting to do something to help out.

In truth, a Mortality affinity healer like Aideen was far from omnipotent when it came to healing. Mortality affinity was poorly suited for handling diseases in general, which was one reason Aideen learned all sorts of remedies and herbal cures to supplement her abilities. Fortunately, this plague in particular was one she was familiar with, and was within her power to handle.

The plague itself was horribly virulent and would infect people who came into contact with an infected quite easily, especially if they made any kind of contact. That said, it was also one of those diseases where if one survived it, they would be pretty much immune to it, so as long as someone survived the plague itself, they would no longer have to worry about it for the rest of their lives.

Which was something easier said than done, unfortunately. The disease caused the infected victim’’s body to deteriorate rapidly, often leading to multiple organ failures and death. It was possible to mitigate the disease’s progress with certain remedies, but Aideen knew that the locals likely didn’t know of said remedies. It was one discovered by Molin shortly after Kino had been brought to the Lichdom back then, and while they announced the discovery openly, many nations still viewed the Lichdom with distrust and prejudice and thus ignored the announcement.

After a short stay at the capital, Aideen led the girls to head towards the eastern side of the nation. They passed by burnt villages on their way, which dampened the mood, but went on until they found a village under quarantine, with armed soldiers keeping guard around the village. The guards around the village were volunteers who chose to take the risk and knew that they themselves might not get out of the mission alive, and warned Aideen about the plague situation when she approached.

They shook their heads sadly when she explained that she was a healer who could help with the situation at first, but after much persuasion – and insistence – finally allowed her and Kino in, at their own risk. Eilonwy stayed behind because she wasn’t an unliving and thus would risk getting infected herself if she had gone with them.

Aideen immediately went to work. While Kino prepared and concocted the herbal remedy to Molin’s recipe and exacting requirements, Aideen herself went around the village and used her magic to undo the damage the disease had done to the bodies of the infected victims. Without the remedy, all she would be able to do was to prolong the victims’ lives and keep them healthy until their body fought off the plague, but with the remedy, they rapidly improved and even the bedridden ones were able to walk again on their own after a mere three days.

The feat she showed garnered the trust of the guards outside who then allowed her to also treat them in turn.