Ch.115115. The Great Shit Extermination (1)

‘They’re gone… Looks like the disguise worked well.’

It seemed I had succeeded in hiding the webbed-ear girl.

“Sob, sob…”

“Oh dear. I covered your mouth for too long. Sorry.”

“Haaah…”

If I hadn’t heard this information from Lumia, this child would likely have met a terrible fate.

I need to warn her.

“You. Don’t come around here anymore.”

“W-what?”

“People frequently pass through here. And take this one with you too.”

“Ah, Chiru!”

-Chiru!

The lizard nestled back into the girl’s arms. Lizards don’t usually follow humans so well… Perhaps being a different species means she’s good at raising pet lizards.

“Um… why did you help me?”

“Why did I help you?”

“Well, I’m a Siren…”

Siren.

Unlike elves and dwarves who have lived alongside humans for decades, I’ve heard they’re a race that once committed great crimes, and completely left the borders of the Duchy when the Penarive Barony lost their court case.

‘Those who remained were all executed, I believe.’

I don’t know the full story, but they’re currently at odds with humans.

A non-human race that bore guilt when the Penarive Barony lost their trial. That’s about all the information I’ve been able to gather so far.

Anyway, the immediate fact is that humans and Sirens are in conflict.

That’s probably why this girl is asking with suspicion.

“When two sides are on bad terms, nothing good comes from them running into each other. I just helped out a bit, that’s all.”

True to my words, I didn’t have any special thoughts about it. There was nothing to gain from letting them encounter each other. That’s all.

As long as both sides avoid meeting, nothing bad will happen like this.

“So go now. And be careful not to get tracked by that shed skin or whatever in the future.”

“Ah… okay…”

That was the extent of my meeting with the young Siren.

However, Junon would meet that girl again before long. And in a much more complicated encounter.

***

“Excuse me, Countess Beryl. I’m from the Grand Temple. Could you spare a moment of your time?”

An unfamiliar voice comes from outside the office.

When Denis asks Dalia if it’s alright, she nods.

“The door is open, please come in.”

Judging by the priest’s appearance, he seemed to have rushed here for an urgent reason.

“Pardon the intrusion. Oh, Marchioness Emerald is here as well.”

“Should I leave?”

“No, actually, this concerns both of you.”

“What matter brings you here in such haste?”

“Well… I apologize. Let me check something first.”

The priest quietly looked around to see if anyone was listening outside, then locked the door and carefully broached his business with the sisters.

“After interpreting the oracle at the Grand Temple as best we could, we determined it’s related to this academy.”

“”At Levrant Academy…?””

An oracle was like a message from a deity.

They had forewarned of great tidal waves in the eastern continent, allowing preparation of breakwaters to reduce casualties.

They had identified notorious criminals through the Executor’s designation, and the Executor, taking pity on the bereaved families of those murdered by these criminals, revealed where their bodies were hidden.

The gods’ role was closer to indirectly judging, governing, and protecting humans.

Therefore, it was somewhat surprising that an oracle had fallen upon Levrant Academy, as they had expected it would surely be directed at the Artena Empire.

“Please continue. What kind of oracle is it?”

The priest explains that it involves the constellation containing seven stars that symbolize both the Artena Empire and the Ardelion Duchy.

Also, it came from the brightest part of the Milky Way.

The clock-shaped oracle created from these two constellations by the temple. It was from the highest deity.

An oracle from the Great Bear and Sagittarius constellations that occupy the northern and southern skies.

“And… one more oracle has fallen to us. It is…”

“Ah, Dalia. I’ll hear this alone. It’s about a matter I was handling.”

“Alright then. Should I step away?”

“Yes, yes… please.”

As the nervous priest whispered the contents into Denis’s ear, her expression changed as if she’d been struck.

“What?!”

“Sister…?”

“Y-your voice is too loud.”

“The volume of my voice is hardly the issue here!”

If one were to grab a random passerby and tell them this, they might dismiss it as mere bluster.

But to her, a survivor of the Mirum Island Decisive Battle where countless imperial citizens had their flesh torn and became prey to monsters, the content of this oracle could not be dismissed as mere exaggeration.

Unlike moments ago when she was conversing with Dalia, Denis’s face was now contorted with severity.

“Calm down and tell me. Sister, what’s going on?”

“…This isn’t something to discuss here. More importantly, are you certain about this?”

“Yes, yes… I’m not sure about the clock oracle… but I’m certain about the interpretation of this one…!”

“I need to see for myself, so let’s go to the temple. Dalia, come with us.”

The oracle of clock hands and a clock face that fell upon the academy. And something else.

This foretold a great ordeal approaching the Ardelion Duchy, which had been established less than 20 years ago.

***

Two weeks after the students arrived in Schütt Province.

Despite Junon spending several days investing time in the search, there were few flowers that could be used as medicinal herbs according to the apothecary’s assessment.

Among the few, he thought some might be what they were looking for, but they were completely useless. These herbs with clear uses were not what Professor Dalia had discovered.

And so time passed quickly, bringing them to D-day.

『Shocking! Blue Spot Symptom Victims Are All Having Their Magical Power Devoured!』

『The disease, which began in Lemtert Village, is known to incubate before suddenly causing illness…』

『Many institutions and key soldiers have already been exposed to the disease and cannot use their powers, leading to a state of emergency. Is this the end for humanity?』

『The disease has been named the Lemtert Plague after its place of origin…』

All information agencies, including the press, are in turmoil.

Scourge.

A temporary name given to these rats because they seemed to charge and self-destruct to spray bodily fluids.

With a significant portion of the population infected by these Scourges, most major institutions were paralyzed, and the Duchy was struggling against this silent attack.

Everyone from border guards to scouts and those who had contact with them had been exposed to the disease.

The Ardelion Duchy was facing its worst crisis ever.

The enemy had been identified, but the soldiers and mercenaries who should fight them had all fallen.

The only ones who could step up were the academy students.

And even they were just beginning to gain practical experience and barely adapting to the first stage of magical armor release, known as the Mirage state.

“Us…? You’re saying we’ve been assigned to the subjugation force against monsters in Schütt Province?”

“That’s right. Until now, we were only considering your participation, but it’s been decided to fully incorporate you.”

-How can this be…

-Can we really subjugate monsters with our skills…?

-I don’t know either! Don’t ask me!

Everyone was bewildered by the sudden deployment notice.

For these third-year students, it was still a time to focus on their incomplete magical armor, and even when handling monster subjugation requests, they had only chosen non-threatening ones.

So they couldn’t help but be confused when told that they, still so inexperienced, would be used as soldiers.

Muniher delivered a sharp rebuke to these immature minds.

“Is it reasonable for you, who have built your strength to protect the Duchy, to fear and cower before monsters?”

The murmuring gradually subsided under the stern reprimand.

Thanks to this, even if they were still confused, discipline was properly established. Indeed, even with raw recruits, results can be dramatically different with a single general present.

After a few words of serious advice, the students were ready to receive their instructions.

“The situation is urgent, and we must completely annihilate these Scourges. That is why you will also participate in the subjugation.”

Among the tense students, only one person was deeply lost in thought.

Junon knew better than anyone that if they failed to stop the Scourges, Levrant would be breached.

He hadn’t been able to pass on techniques for dealing with Scourges or knowledge of their weaknesses.

It would become known soon enough, but by then it would be too late—he had tried to teach it, but no one could master it.

He had succeeded in collecting samples to warn of the danger, but hadn’t reached the point of accelerating treatment development.

The only option left… was to confront them head-on.

“I will now assign you to squads. Pay attention!”

This was the beginning of the Great Schütt Subjugation.

***

As the Scourge subjugation began, teams on standby were also deployed to the front.

Tembris was no exception.

“They’re coming! Six Scourges ahead!”

Not being at the very front lines, Tembris encountered the Scourges later than others.

Caution was necessary when facing these Scourges, about which detailed information had not yet been fully revealed.

“Should I blast them all at once with my lotus?”

“We’re facing an unknown enemy, Aris. Using magic first is forbidden. Understanding our opponent comes first.”

“I’ll face them with you. Cain.”

“Yes. Then I’ll stand by just in case. Though I doubt it will be necessary.”

Though they didn’t look like much, Goden approached them quite cautiously. Senia also agreed with her team leader and joined in.

The two frontliners each take on three Scourges.

They succeeded in dealing with them without much difficulty, but both immediately sensed the magical power of the Scourges and shouted simultaneously.

“Senia! Behind me!”

“Erika, put up a barrier around yourselves!! Now!!”

Shortly after Goden and Senia shouted, all six Scourges exploded with a splat!

It wasn’t a typical fire-attribute explosion with flames.

It was an explosion of infection, spreading viscous liquid everywhere.

“…I only sensed it instinctively, but Senia, you know what’s going on, don’t you?”

“Yes. I confirmed it with my lines.”

The two who had faced the Scourges up close became much more serious.

“To suddenly explode like that… ugh, we would have been in trouble if we’d been touched by that.”

“What’s going on, you two?”

Goden gave Senia a look indicating she should explain.

“The magical power rapidly concentrated in the hearts of the dead Scourges’ bodies. As if to spread something.”

“And? There’s more, isn’t there?”

“…That’s right. These rats are growing offspring in their blood. If the blood that just spread during the explosion had touched our skin, we would definitely have been infected.”

The spines of the team members listening chilled.

Indeed, the Scourges were monsters that exploded to spread their offspring and parasitize hosts.