Ch.120120. Winds of Plague (2)

I successfully relayed the information to the commander. But… Senia felt uneasy.

“Senia? Everything’s done, so why the long face?”

“…I just feel uncomfortable.”

“Well, that’s understandable. With all this rain. Coming to a place like this in summer and getting soaked—it’s the worst, absolutely the worst.”

It wasn’t about the heat or humidity. For Senia, this discomfort stemmed from a sense that something didn’t match what she had heard before.

-‘That thing as big as a rocky mountain keeps coming down, so I suppose we’ll have to change our location soon.’

She recalled what the Sirens had mentioned when they were at Lake Bevre.

Was it really the size of a rocky mountain?

***

“Sigh, this is giving me a headache.”

Muniher pressed his temples while looking out the window.

Since it didn’t seem appropriate to discuss outside, he had invited them into his private quarters for a conversation, but the information they conveyed was impossible to ignore.

“Senia, was it? Quite an impressive reading.”

At first, Muniher couldn’t believe Senia’s words either.

It was difficult to prove how she had read such a structure and what valid evidence led to such a conclusion.

It was mere conjecture. To attribute it to magical sight seemed like an excessive leap.

However, even if it was conjecture, drawing such a structure directly made her answer seem more plausible.

-‘What are you drawing?’

-‘The internal structure of the Scourge, including its magic circuit.’

-‘…Internal structure? This drawing?’

And when he naturally pointed out contradictions, she steadfastly explained.

-‘If it feeds on magic, it doesn’t need other organs. It only needs to consume the magic flowing through the blood of other living beings.’

It made sense.

Digestive organs, excretory organs—if magic is the only energy source needed, all organs except the circulatory system become unnecessary.

No matter what issues he raised, the girl responded sharply and conveyed her point.

-‘If Scourges cannot directly consume blood, they spread offspring contained in their bodily fluids to find other hosts, feeding on the host’s magic until they grow enough to bore holes and escape. It’s a method that Osoptera and Canolatl absolutely cannot counter.’

-‘Indeed… Then what’s the connection to the Lemterert plague?’

-‘The symptoms. Blue spots appearing as magic circuits gradually deteriorate is evidence that Scourges have infiltrated human blood.’

This is how the Lemterert plague and Scourges are connected.

That’s why his head was throbbing, forcing him to press his temples. If the Tembris team’s claim was correct, it meant that most of the subjugation force was already infected.

The Lemterert plague was not yet fully researched. It was only known to have an incubation period, with blue spots gradually appearing as magic was consumed from within, eventually damaging the magic circuits.

The subjugation was carried out believing Scourges were the source, but they never expected them to be magic predators.

“Perhaps we should rename them from the temporary name ‘Scourge’ to ‘Devourer’.”

Of course, the moment this fact becomes known, the soldiers’ morale would plummet, and afterward, no one would be willing to fight.

‘Come to think of it, that guy…’

While contemplating the soldiers’ morale and the panic that would befall the academy students, he noticed that Junon alone had shown a completely different attitude.

Though he thought this might also be an excessive leap… he wondered.

It occurred to him that Junon’s gloomy expression might have been because he already knew the truth and was hiding it.

That matter would have to be set aside for now. Damage control was the priority.

“Even with the most optimistic outlook, it’s a race against time.”

If what Senia said was true, they needed to contact the Empire as soon as possible.

They needed to inform Dalia and begin researching a cure immediately.

But there was a complication.

-Commander, I have a report.

“Come in.”

The adjutant opened the office door and entered. Unlike Commander Muniher, his face showed no awareness of the situation.

“What’s the status?”

“It looks difficult, sir. The downpour extends to Mount Utulum, and landslides have completely blocked our path.”

“I see…”

“It seems we’ll have to set up camp and return later. This subjugation operation will take time.”

Muniher looked out the window.

The drizzle had turned into a downpour drenching the entire area.

If they couldn’t pass Mount Utulum, the subjugation force would effectively be isolated.

Moreover, this northern border region received considerable heat, creating stifling humidity, and the falling raindrops only added to the humidity rather than cooling things down, creating the worst possible conditions.

“Tell them to prepare to return to the Empire tomorrow afternoon.”

“Sir? I just mentioned the rain…”

“There are more important things than rain. This is a matter that cannot be delayed.”

It truly cannot be delayed.

In this race against time, humanity’s chances of victory don’t look promising.

***

Late evening.

As the squeaking of rats gradually subsided, the encamped subjugation force began to regain some composure.

Even soldiers who had barely slept could now stretch out their legs and rest, which was practically equivalent to anticipating victory.

But that was just the surface.

To me, this situation didn’t look like victory at all.

“Ah, senior. Did you sleep well?”

“…Why are you here?”

“I just came out for a break too. It’s a coincidence.”

It didn’t seem like a coincidence, as she appeared to have been playing with her magic out of boredom while waiting.

It was obvious she had been waiting and got bored.

Noticing that I caught on, Renias hastily stopped her hand play, hid both hands behind her back, and began making excuses.

“Ah…? This is just… heh, hehe…”

Well, putting that aside.

“Why were you looking for me?”

When Renias comes looking for me, it’s usually to seek advice on training or because she’s bored.

But this is a battlefield.

There’s no reason to seek me out for such purposes when we’re acting as soldiers here.

“Um… I was wondering if you were hurt.”

“Why?”

“Well, senior, you were fighting much further back than the main force.”

Originally, we had expected that even if we encountered magical beasts, not many would come, so our unit didn’t have many personnel.

With that kind and caring heart, this girl was worried I might have been injured by an unexpected number of enemies.

“Senior?”

“…I wasn’t injured or anything.”

“Really? That’s a relief then.”

The bitter taste of failure doesn’t disappear even when faced with pure, well-intentioned concern.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that the plague would soon engulf the subjugation force.

But… this silver-haired girl always does something unexpected at times like these.

“Wait, Renias? What are you—”

“Senior, for someone who’s relieved, you don’t look very happy.”

“No, wait…”

I was taken aback.

Her fair hands grabbed my face and pulled it close.

And I met them.

Those suspicious eyes narrowed at me.

“I told you before, didn’t I? No lying in front of me. But you’re lying right now, aren’t you?”

…I can’t bring myself to admit it.

But more importantly, isn’t this the bigger issue…? Since she seems determined not to listen if I ask her to let go, let me carefully point it out.

“Um… Renias? May I ask why you’re doing this…?”

“Doing what?”

“That… aren’t you too close?”

“Close? What’s close about—”

The tension in Renias’s narrowed eyes relaxed, and waves of embarrassment washed over her.

Just like when she denied waiting earlier.

Only now realizing that our faces were too close, Renias quickly withdrew her hands as if shocked by static electricity.

Apparently quite embarrassed herself, she turned away abruptly, crouched down, and covered her face.

The girl who had transformed into a rabbit hiding its face spoke in a shrinking voice.

“I, I heard… that people’s pupils shake when they lie…”

So that’s why she suddenly pulled my head close to match eye levels.

“That varies from person to person…”

“R-really…?”

The way she timidly glanced back was quite adorable.

Thanks to someone’s impulsive action that turned her into a rabbit, my gloomy mood had somewhat lifted.

As I always feel, meeting Renias for reasons like this brings a certain peace to my mind.

I really think I benefit a lot from Renias. Just like now, she makes me forget my gloomy feelings and look forward again.

“I wasn’t hurt, but the results weren’t good. That part was a lie.”

“Eh… what happened?”

What happened… that’s quite a difficult question.

I can’t exactly say, “Soon, the entire subjugation force will show symptoms of the Lemterert plague.”

I told her that there were some deserters, and Renias jumped up, making a fuss again about whether I was injured somewhere.

“By the way, is there any news that came in while I was sleeping?”

“Umm… there is, but it’s a bit…”

Shockingly, unlike before my regression, the truth about the Lemterert plague wasn’t being disclosed at all.

***

Rumble rumble rumble─

“Oh no, it’s starting again!!”

The ground shook, and the lake water splashed in all directions, creating chaos throughout the area.

The Sirens still hadn’t found a definitive way to deal with this.

“Hi-Hipplisia is…!”

The barrier that had been keeping the Devourers out was weakening due to the collapsed ground.

An entrance had formed for those squeaking rat swarms trying to invade right in front of them.

“Let’s proceed as we always have. While the young ones hold them back, fill in the ground and then raise it!”

─Yes, Elder!

Despite abandoning their previous lake and moving south, the Sirens were once again being pursued by these predators that persistently targeted them.

Devourers, literal predatory spirits. Because they fed on magic, the very source of life, the Sirens, as a different species, were high-quality prey for these magical beasts.

Where could the Sirens, rejected by humans, turn for help?

Thus, they resorted to using the ritual to summon guardians, which humans had declared taboo, and from then on, they employed every means at their disposal in desperation.

They received great help from a girl who wasn’t even of age yet, and they lived with her, trying to find a solution somehow.

But that was all.

They had only succeeded in “avoiding” the threat, not actually surviving in a sustainable way.

Was there truly no way to survive these rats?

‘O Guide, please extend your hand of salvation to these pitiful servants…’

The Elder prayed.

Prayed that someone would completely erase the foundation of this plague, which was like a moving rocky mountain.