6 The Republic of Aska 6

The term "Black Death" struck with such force that Phyllis remained stunned for a long while.

The game she was currently involved in developing, though set in a medieval-like backdrop, blended elements from various eras to enhance its appeal, with the Renaissance period being the most prominent.

After all, most people play games to relax, not to attend a lecture. Compared to the rigid feudal times that stifled thought, the more open Renaissance era was naturally more acceptable to modern players.

Because the Black Death erupted during the early Renaissance and was so terrifying, artists over the following centuries infused this profound fear into their work, creating murals and prints themed around the "Dance of Death" that have been passed down through time.

It was for this reason that Phyllis, while researching, came across quite a bit of information about the Black Death.

The Black Death generally refers to the plague pandemic that began in the year 607 and ravaged the Old Continent for several years.

This overwhelming plague struck with ferocity, sparing almost no country in the Western Lands, wiping out one-third of the entire population at the time.

The most horrifying fact was that the one-third was not just the mortality rate among the infected; legend held that those who contracted the disease almost never survived.

And that one-third was merely an average. In reality, countless cities and towns were left deserted, farms abandoned… Contemporary writers described how the sheer number of dead and the speed of death were so great that people sometimes collapsed and died while walking in the streets. There was barely enough energy to dig graves, and corpses piled up on the streets, creating a true hell on earth.

Aska, Aska…

Upon thinking of the Black Death, she finally damned well remembered where she had seen that name before—right there in the Ituenno travel guide!

The late medieval Ituenno was unlike other countries in the Western Lands. Though thought was somewhat constrained, this ancient empire’s birthplace retained the legacy of its sages. With fertile lands and geographical advantages, merchant ships from the Eastern Remu Empire had to pass through its ports to continue westward, bringing advanced knowledge along with their goods.

Free trade allowed the people of the Ituenno Peninsula to amass great wealth, and the originally stable social structure changed, giving rise to "great merchants" who were wealthier than ordinary traders.

Except for the few born at the top of the social pyramid, everyone sought to climb upward, including these early capitalists.

The ancient Remu Empire had once been a republic, and building on this ideology, combined with the decline of the Holy Remu Empire—which had previously controlled the Ituenno Peninsula but could no longer maintain actual rule—the peninsula’s cities gradually declared independence and became free city-states or republics.

Aska was one of them.

Like its neighbor, Vilis—dubbed the “City of Spring” and considered the cradle of the Renaissance—Aska was a free city-state jointly managed by early capitalists, once called the "Aska Republic."

Phyllis remembered it among many city names in the travel guide not only because it was close to Vilis and preserved its historical buildings intact, making it a top recommended destination for trips around Vilis, but also because the guide mentioned how the city had been nearly destroyed by the Black Death.

The former Aska Republic and the Vilis Republic were geographically close and both had started their wealth through wool trade. They had long looked upon each other with disdain but, being evenly matched in strength, neither could completely defeat the other.

The turning point came with the Black Death. This dreadful plague struck both cities indiscriminately. Vilis lost one-third of its population, but Aska suffered even more terribly, losing nearly 70% of its inhabitants.

In an age before the mechanical revolution, human labor was the primary workforce and wealth. Losing so many workers so suddenly was enough to collapse a loosely governed free city-state.

After the Black Death, Aska never regained its former glory. Plans to expand the cathedral were forced to stop, and the construction remained unfinished for over seven centuries, becoming one of the world's most famous unfinished buildings.

Phyllis had enjoyed commenting on the cathedral’s unfinished walls in the travel guide, but now that it was all real and right before her eyes, she could no longer think so lightly.

A death toll exceeding two-thirds chilled her to the bone. Facing a true disaster, she dared not gamble on whether she would be among the lucky one-third survivors.

The only consolation was that this disease, now known as "plague," had been medically unraveled in modern times.

Like many diseases, its culprit was a bacterium, most commonly spread through blood via parasitic bloodsuckers found on animals.

Compared to airborne diseases, preventing parasites was considerably easier.

Though lice and fleas were common there, maintaining personal hygiene—bathing frequently and washing clothes and bedding—gradually reduced their numbers.

She had tested this before; Katarina, who cared for her, did not react with surprise or hold the stereotypical medieval belief that not bathing was better. This gave her a modicum of hope in combating the plague, at least enough to persuade little Phyllis's grandfather.

Of course, the best solution was to widely publicize the cause of the plague to prevent more infections and slow its spread.

But even in her original era, humanity had only begun to seriously study microbes a little over a century ago.

Now, lacking a microscope or the means to make one, living in an age when the Church’s scripture was considered the ultimate authority, even if she knew the truth and spoke it outright, would anyone believe her?

"Phyll… Phylliciana! Come down here, quickly!"

Just as Phyllis was racking her brain for solutions, a woman's anxious call from downstairs abruptly broke her train of thought.

Professor Paleruso, floating nearby, noticed her hesitation and lowered himself to the first floor doorway to peek out. Then he floated back up and said, "Someone’s at your door."

By now, Phyllis was like a startled bird; the mention of a stranger immediately alarmed her. "Who is it? What do they want?"

"Don’t be nervous. They’re probably not bad people," Professor Paleruso tried to calm her, puzzled by her sudden panic. "The one leading them I know—Giovanni Dacia, a famous sculptor and architect. I recall nine years ago he was invited to Aska to design and oversee the cathedral expansion. I’ve met him once…"

Someone of such standing wouldn’t do anything wrong openly in broad daylight.

Yet Katarina had mentioned that little Phyllis’s grandfather was currently working on the cathedral site. Why would the architect responsible for the expansion come here instead of visiting the construction site? Just the thought filled Phyllis with a dreadful premonition.

Sure enough, the premonition was confirmed when she went downstairs and saw the famed architect.

"Phylliciana!"

The moment the girl appeared, the architect took a few hurried steps forward, anxiously scrutinizing her and even reaching out to grab her hand.

A complete stranger, Phyllis reflexively brushed his hand away, terrified, and ran behind the only adult she recognized—Katarina.

The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned by her reaction but soon seemed to recall something, bending slightly with an apologetic yet anxious look.

"I'm sorry to have scared you, Phyll… do you still remember me?"

Phyllis glanced at his compassionate expression, then around at Katarina and the young apprentice following behind him. Both appeared surprised by her reaction. It seemed the original "little Phyllis" did know this man.

"Giovanni…"

Looking at the man’s relatively youthful face, she hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to call him uncle or grandfather, then silently pursed her lips.

"It’s me! Thank the Virgin, you remember me…" Giovanni smiled but looked on the verge of tears. Regaining control, he continued, "Massimo… your grandfather cannot come home recently. He asked me to take you to stay at my house for a few days."

If Phyllis were truly a child, she might have naively followed this so-called "acquaintance." But she was not.

Whether because the man was genuinely unfamiliar or his excuse was pathetic, she could not feel safe leaving with him.

Most importantly, she had just seen little Phyllis’s grandfather. They had spoken, and he clearly cared deeply for his granddaughter. For something to happen so quickly that he couldn’t come himself but sent someone else to take her… it didn’t add up.

"...I want to hear it from Grandfather."

After a long silence, Phyllis lowered her voice timidly, "He just told me he would have dinner with me…"

Though an ordinary sentence, Giovanni fell silent.

The apprentice beside him seemed about to speak but was quickly hushed and sent away.

"Your grandfather will come soon," Giovanni said gently. "But for your own good, my child, when you see him, remember: don’t get too close, don’t make eye contact, and don’t speak to him. Understand?"

His words were baffling—no looking, no talking? Phyllis suspected he was planning to fool her with a "fake grandfather."

Before she could react, Professor Paleruso suddenly uttered a short sound and looked at her with pity.

Though the ghost said nothing, Phyllis understood from his eyes. Her heart suddenly sank.

In that moment, her mind went blank… Perhaps as a defense mechanism, even though the answer was right there, she deliberately turned away as if not looking would make it disappear.

But avoidance changed nothing.

After a strange silence, a figure appeared at the window.

"Don’t go over there!"

Seeing the girl seemingly about to approach the window, Professor Paleruso quickly warned, "If he really has the plague, even a glance could infect you!"

Phyllis stopped but did not avert her gaze.

Though the man’s back was turned, they had been apart less than an hour, and he hadn’t changed clothes. She could not forget a person’s features so quickly.

It was indeed little Phyllis’s grandfather, Massimo—a man who had been so overwhelmed by joy upon seeing her awaken that he was at a loss, now forced to stand with his back to her, barely showing half his profile, too afraid to look inside.

"Blessed Virgin, please watch over my poor granddaughter Phylliciana… I cannot care for her now, so I must send her to Master Giovanni’s house for a while." The slightly stooped figure spoke, "He is my dearest friend, my most trusted person. He will take good care of her… Please, Virgin, protect my poor child and keep her safe from all calamities…"

Phyllis stared intently at the figure, listening to the weary, choked voice. In a daze, she seemed to see someone else.

Whether from empathy or lingering emotions in this body, her feelings suddenly fractured.

Her heart remained calm, even cold. Yet tears flowed steadily from her wide-open eyes, silently tracing down her cheeks.

After standing quietly for a long while, until her tears dried, the girl finally moved.

Giovanni saw her lips move. Rationally, he wanted to stop her—after all, Massimo might have the dreaded plague, and conversation could infect her—but he hesitated, thinking this might be the last moment between grandfather and granddaughter. He could not bring himself to intervene.

That brief hesitation cost him the chance to stop Phyllis from speaking.

What surprised him most was that the girl turned her gaze toward him.

"…………"

"Master Giovanni, please tell my grandfather that I will listen to him. Tell him not to worry." Phyllis tried to steady her trembling voice as she spoke haltingly, "Also tell him, no matter how busy he is, he must eat well. Eat delicious food, drink clean water, drink hot boiled soup with salt… only then can he stay healthy…"

The figure at the window slowly crouched as she spoke, letting out a barely audible sob.

Giovanni’s eyes reddened, and he took a deep breath to steady himself before solemnly nodding, "I will tell him. Don’t worry."

Thus ended a simple farewell.

Phyllis did not even pack anything. She was taken by Giovanni and his apprentice to a house on another street, where Giovanni prepared a private room for her.

Phyllis conscientiously kept her distance from everyone.

Since arriving at the new residence, she locked herself in her room, playing the part of a withdrawn child who even ate alone.

Giovanni’s pregnant wife initially worried about her husband’s rash decision but relaxed upon seeing the girl’s self-isolation and said nothing further.

The days shut away in her room were not easy.

Fortunately, Professor Paleruso, a ghost, remained by her side, allowing Phyllis to learn a bit about the outside world.

But the old professor dared not venture too far.

According to him, many zombie-like monsters still roamed outside. However, they seemed frightened of Phyllis and avoided her, so being near her was safest.

Phyllis didn’t mind having a ghost companion.

Especially since the old professor, having taught for so long, often began lecturing spontaneously, which to Phyllis was a useful way to gather information.

More than such minor matters, she was deeply concerned about little Phyllis’s grandfather.

But Massimo’s current location was too far for the professor to risk going, so Phyllis could not learn anything in advance.

Whatever the future held, whether she would be exposed or not, Phyllis wanted Massimo to survive.

Not only because he was little Phyllis’s kin, but because he was her only support in this world, the only person she trusted.

She had yet to ask him what little Phyllis had gone through, what she had witnessed, what he knew about the child…

Too many questions remained unanswered. If he died now, everything would remain a mystery.

Most importantly, it was a life.

Whatever her feelings, she did not want to see someone who had just stood alive before her suddenly perish without reason.

After two days spent in anxious waiting, she finally received the news.

Massimo had indeed contracted the dreadful plague and passed away on the night after sending her away.

Master Giovanni personally delivered the grim news and informed her that the funeral would be held the next day.