Ch.121121. Winds of Plague (3)

“Haha, my friend. Your mouth corners are practically ascending to heaven, aren’t they?”

“Well, how could they not? When I return, my beloved wife and pretty daughter will be waiting for me.”

“Daughter? Since when do you have a… Wait. Don’t tell me…!”

“She was pregnant the day I left for battle. Begged me to return safely no matter what. That’s why I was determined to make it back.”

“Wow, congratulations! This calls for celebration!”

Something’s strange.

“What are you planning to do with your bounty reward when we return?”

“Well… I suppose I’ll take care of the comrades who fought alongside me first. We’ve been through some dangerous times together.”

“Come on, remember when that exceptional soldier appeared just in time when one of us was hanging between life and death? Take care of him first.”

“…It was dangerous, but I don’t recall anyone being on the brink of death. Are you just fishing for compliments, calling yourself an exceptional soldier?”

“Haha! Am I that obvious?”

“I appreciate your help, but that kind of self-praise isn’t popular with women.”

This is truly, truly strange.

“Food’s ready! Come get it while it’s hot!”

“Can’t we eat later?”

“Oh? You think so? Let’s see if you still feel that way after seeing this!”

“Whoa…! This, this is…”

“Caught fresh from the mountain today. If you don’t eat quickly, all the meat will be gone. Think about it.”

No matter how I look around, I can’t shake this strange feeling.

The expedition is nearing its end, with victory in sight, and everyone seems relaxed—which is absurd given the circumstances.

“Senior~! Come on, walk with me.”

“…”

“Why are you running off so quickly? Oh, wait, are you just really hungry?!”

Though Renias was clearly teasing with her usual playful expression, her words didn’t reach me.

‘It’s not there. None of it.’

As Renias said, not a single person among the expedition members showed any signs of panic.

And that’s precisely what makes this so serious.

“I-I’m just kidding, senior. Why such a scary face…”

By now, Senia should have drawn the internal structure of the rats for Professor Muniher, proving the connection to the Lemtert plague.

If so, the formal name “Devourer” should have been revealed instead of “Scourge,” and everyone should be on high alert.

Even considering the potential drop in morale, Professor Muniher would have informed everyone to maintain vigilance.

The symptoms of Lemtert plague would soon inevitably strike them all.

They should have realized this wasn’t over yet, keeping their minds sharp and disciplined.

They should even have adopted a humble attitude, prepared for the worst—death itself.

That’s what should have been reflected in those dark eyes of someone who had experienced the past and reached the present.

But… it wasn’t being revealed to any of them.

Only one person could conceal this fact—the person in the position to oversee everything from directives to reports and decisions.

The only one who could receive information first and relay it to everyone is none other than the commander of this expedition.

‘Professor Muniher… why?’

Although Tembris had defeated Shanberesh, they would inevitably encounter remnants of the plague on their return journey.

The longer the battle continued, the more the soldiers would be exposed to infection routes, and symptoms would naturally accelerate.

By the time they reached the duchy, it would be too late—the commander must have foreseen the Lemtert plague symptoms consuming the soldiers, as had happened countless times before.

The infection spreads through the bodily fluids of self-destructing Devourers.

They could try to counter this by focusing on physical attacks, but would that alone be enough against these rats?

Before the regression, instantly killing Devourers by severing their central nervous system to prevent blood splatter from pregnant ones wasn’t an option for those who had only fought with magic—they couldn’t even consider using weapons.

That left only one option: technique.

Professor Muniher had developed a technique to counter these Devourers in this short period.

Based on the hypothesis that if the rats consume human mana and damage mana circuits, then conversely, damaging the rats’ mana circuits would prevent them from functioning—that technique was Anti-Cast.

Though few could adapt to and use this hastily created technique, it would be enough to set foot on the duchy’s borders.

For this reason, this time should have been dedicated to mastering Anti-Cast—for their sake and for the duchy’s future.

So why was this different judgment made now?

What changes by not implementing Anti-Cast?

After the previous failure, when the truth about the Lemtert plague was revealed, I was prepared to face blame…

It’s strange.

Something is clearly going wrong.

“Um… senior?”

“Sorry, Renias. I need to see the professor. Can we talk later?”

There’s no other way but to ask directly.

***

The connection between the Lemtert plague and the Scourge was known to all Tembris members thanks to Senia’s mana sight.

Yet, for some reason, this information hadn’t been shared with the expedition force.

-‘Keep this information confidential. Revealing it could lower the soldiers’ morale.’

Professor Muniher, the expedition’s commander, had ordered all Tembris members to keep this fact secret.

But some people can’t help being restless by nature.

‘One person should be… fine. He’s good at keeping secrets.’

I find myself nervously biting my nails.

Beyond my personality, I couldn’t just move on while carrying such a burden of guilt toward Junon.

-‘I don’t know why command authority came to someone as useless as me. But with one decision, dozens or hundreds of people died so easily.’

-‘As you know, I was nothing but baggage. But do you understand my position, having to watch people die without being able to do anything? Do you know the guilt of having to ask others to fight in place of me, who had lost all strength?’

Even now, remembering that time makes me clench my fists, wrinkling my clothes.

The difference between someone who doesn’t remember and someone who remembers everything, bearing the full burden, is this immense.

The words that pierced Aris’s heart most deeply were:

-‘But what can I do? What I know is incomparably more terrible and grim than what we’re discussing now.’

It meant Junon’s end was certainly not good. Whatever happened afterward, only bad and worse options remained for him, which is why Aris still feared meeting Junon.

But they had to meet.

Even if harsh words awaited, Junon needed to know.

Senia had speculated that most of the expedition members were already infected with the Lemtert plague.

Even though Junon was positioned at the rear, he would be no exception. If told to take the mana neutralizer Senia mentioned immediately upon returning to the duchy, Junon’s time could be extended.

‘I think it was around here somewhere…’

Looking for Junon’s quarters, Aris checked nameplates while trying to stay inconspicuous.

Thinking this wasn’t the right way, Aris turned a corner and bumped into someone, causing them to fall.

“Ouch… Sorry… Huh?”

“It’s okay… Oh?”

Though they collided equally, only one person fell—likely due to the difference in build.

“Charlotte?”

“Sister Aris?”

The two recognized each other but both flinched momentarily, minds racing.

‘Why is Sister Aris here? Ugh… why did I say that earlier…!’

‘Charlotte here…? It’s dangerous…’

But what reason would there be for a familiar face to appear here? Aris wasn’t the only one looking for Junon to tell him about the Lemtert plague.

Of course, both had lied to their teammates about having business elsewhere, so they had both been dishonest.

“Charlotte…? What brings you… here? This isn’t the lumber storage…”

“What about you, sister…?”

“I… I have an acquaintance in Junon’s unit… What about you?”

“I was just… checking if there might be someone to scout for the merchant group…”

They both made excuses, but their stories were completely different from what they’d initially said, clearly revealing their deception.

Unable to disobey the order to keep silent, they both continued to rack their brains.

Their awkward moment was interrupted by the voice of a silver-haired beauty approaching their target.

“Senior~! Come on, walk with me.”

“…”

“Why are you running off so quickly? Oh, wait, are you just really hungry?!”

From near the corner, Aris and Charlotte fixed their gazes and unconsciously let out gasps of admiration.

Neither had met her before, so this was their first direct sighting.

But from rumors and her appearance that could enchant anyone regardless of gender, they could guess who she was.

“Is that her…? From the Lantana ducal family…”

“Yes… Renias Posterior von Lantana, one of only two members of the Arcab party…”

Both Aris and Charlotte spoke in dazed voices, though neither realized it.

Even Aris, who rarely showed surprise, and Charlotte with her merchant’s temperament, were speaking this way.

From head to toe, it was as if all nearby light gathered to illuminate just this one person—such was the radiance surrounding the silver-haired girl even in this gloomy weather.

Like a protagonist straight out of a fairy tale, her visual impact momentarily stunned them before they simultaneously closed their mouths and regained their senses.

“…Sorry, Renias. I need to see the professor. Can we talk later?”

“”…!””

Junon’s voice finally reminded them why they had come.

Aris and Charlotte’s perked ears, slightly parted lips, and dazed gazes returned to normal.

The two who had been worrying about what excuses to make now completely forgot about that, instead focusing elsewhere as they hid behind the wall corner to eavesdrop.

“Okay… But, um, earlier…”

“I’m sorry. If you mean earlier, I was lost in thought and missed it. I’ll properly apologize for that later too.”

“Ugh, again, senior! Well, at least you’re not angry, so that’s good… Or maybe you’re just not showing it because my joke went too far… Hmph…”

With that, Junon quickly walked away and disappeared.

He vanished too quickly to follow, but he had clearly said he was going to see the professor.

Most likely, he was going to meet Professor Muniher.

With the destination determined, Aris and Charlotte finally looked at each other awkwardly.

By now, they would have figured out who each other was looking for.

Since they were searching for the same target, all that remained was to cooperate.

“…You’re coming too, right?”

“Yes…”

They also tacitly agreed to overlook each other’s lies.

***

As Muniher gazes at the distant mountains, footsteps approach from behind.

‘So you’ve come.’

He doesn’t even turn his head. Muniher simply stands with his hands behind his back, staring at the far mountains.

When the footsteps stop, he exhales softly and turns around.

“What brings you here, Junon?”

He had already guessed who would come.