Ch.138138. Evidence (1)

“Ugh… My whole body aches from forcing myself to walk.”

If I had to describe the pain, hmm… how should I put it? Like every muscle in my body is throbbing?

The truth is, walking was quite difficult due to pain so severe that I just wanted to climb into bed and rest deeply.

Well, still… I’m managing to walk somehow. I have things to do.

“Brother. Would you consider changing your mind even now?”

“Just keep guiding me, will you?”

“But… I’m really worried. You directly confronted Shanberesh, after all.”

“Kain.”

I firmly called the name of the anxious-eyed fellow beside me, giving him another warning.

“Hmm… I understand.”

I suppose I should say I was lucky.

I learned about the magic tool that the shopkeeper showed me today, and the moment I stepped out to purchase it, I ran into Kain.

I could avoid the eyes of other students, and with Kain’s help, I was able to retrieve that money.

I understand why Kain is anxious, but right now, time more precious than gold is passing by.

“By the way, Brother. I was going to ask… what did you mean by creating evidence for us?”

“Oh, that?”

Hmm. What should I do?

If I tell him right away, Kain might jump for joy.

So then.

“I’ll tell you when we get inside.”

“Brother?”

There’s no point in counting chickens before they hatch. Still, I need to be careful since Lumia’s condition hasn’t been properly confirmed yet.

I needlessly urged the somewhat dazed-looking Kain to help support me.

Of course, I did harbor such expectations inside.

A certainty that if Lumia could be cured, Kain’s remaining life wouldn’t be as dull as his past.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

.

.

.

“Ah… h-hello, senior.”

Lumia, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, looked even more haggard.

Her body, which had at least been able to squirm before, was now withered like a twig, and her voice, which had once been able to greet me, was now completely cracked.

‘How much time has passed since then?’

No, there’s no need to calculate. Just roughly estimating, I had met her before the Great Shute Subjugation began.

I was about to immediately check Lumia’s body when I realized I’d forgotten something, so I quickly withdrew my hand and turned my head.

I had made this mistake knowing full well how significant Lumia’s existence was to Kain.

Nevertheless, he deliberately steadied his voice and said,

“It’s alright, Brother.”

He gave me permission to check Lumia’s condition. Yet his eyes were dimmed with hollow sadness.

“…You’ve prepared yourself, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Actually, Lumia’s condition has been like this since before you woke up.”

His eyes were so dim. Like someone on a sinking ship waiting for their body to be submerged in the vast, inescapable ocean.

Now I can see his eyes clearly.

They’re even more sorrowful because he’s already convinced himself that nothing can be done to improve Lumia’s health.

Indeed, it was fortunate that I didn’t let him count his chickens before they hatched.

Prepared himself? Nonsense. Kain will start falling apart from the very day Lumia’s death is confirmed.

He may say he’s prepared, but I know from watching him up close that he’s not.

Swallowing, I gently lifted the blanket to check Lumia’s blue spots. The vividly spread spiral-shaped marks had almost completely covered one hand where the main mana circuits existed.

‘As I expected, Lumia’s infection is in its terminal stage.’

The Lemtert Plague is divided into early, middle, late, and terminal stages.

In the early stage, only spots appear. In the middle stage, the mana circuits gradually deteriorate. By the late stage, the spots transform into spiral patterns, and most of the mana circuits are damaged.

And then the worst—the terminal stage.

At this point, no medicine can cure it.

The mana circuits are completely destroyed, and the Devourers multiplying inside the body crave more mana, consuming anything containing even a trace of it.

At this stage, humans experience various symptoms including hypothermia and anemia as their blood is drained, bringing them closer to death.

When the rats realize their host is dying, they finally create large holes in the human’s abdomen to escape, then spread their bodily fluids to infect others.

This cycle repeats.

In other words, treatment is only possible up to the late stage when medication can still be taken. Even then, the mortality rate for late-stage patients was 60% even under Professor Dalia’s care, which makes this all the more disheartening.

If Lumia dies like this, Kain will… once again become that helpless person.

A fool who cares about nothing except fulfilling Lumia’s last wishes.

Terminal patients have no future. Various thoughts crossed my mind, including the need to find another patient, but…

That’s not really my style, is it? Not at all.

It would be like accepting a predetermined fate, and I couldn’t care less about that.

“Huh, right. We won’t know until we try.”

It was only natural that she would remain in the terminal stage since I had treated her once before the Great Shute Subjugation.

Let’s look at this positively. Just the fact that Lumia has endured until now.

Lumia has lasted much longer than the typically known grace period, and I did intervene a bit early.

“Brother? Is that… the time-capturing…”

“If you believe that urban legend about dying from this, erase it from your mind. It’s all nonsense.”

What a terrible person. Who came up with such rubbish?

If Lumia were to die immediately after using this, I’d soil myself right here.

This is enough evidence. Now for the next step.

“Kain. Get on top of Lumia and restrain her limbs.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“She’ll struggle violently due to extreme pain. If that happens, I won’t be able to treat her properly.”

“T-treat her? Now…!”

“Whoa, whoa. Don’t get excited. I’m just saying I’ll do everything I can.”

“Even that is good enough…! Please, I beg you!”

Yes. This is for three reasons.

First, rather than giving up on Lumia and choosing another patient, this approach will leave more definitive evidence.

Second, if we can treat even a terminal patient, the evaluation of Seirens could be completely reversed.

And third, for a personal reason… I’ve seen how someone who lost Lumia and gave up looked like a decaying old tree. I don’t want Kain to return to that state.

“────!!!!”

After confirming that the medicine had flowed down Lumia’s throat and infusing my mana, Lumia began writhing in pain.

The Devourers inside her body must be angry, biting and causing havoc.

So there’s only one chance.

“Kain, don’t let go. If you do, we’re in serious trouble.”

“Understood!”

I hope this method I used to treat Charlotte will work appropriately for Lumia as well.

***

One day passed,

Two days, then three,

And even by the fourth day, no medicine had been developed.

The root cause of the Lemtert Plague is a parasitic magical beast that inhabits the host.

One might simply think that carrying medicine that kills the magical beast would suffice, but since it’s also a living being, it would harm humans too.

If one drinks a deadly poison that kills the magical beast, the human would also die. But if one chooses something with milder effects, the Devourers won’t die. Having adapted to the human body, they develop immunity similar to their host.

“Mysterilis leaves? Not this either… it deteriorates even at human body temperature…”

Rows of medicine bottles lined up in front of Dalia’s laboratory.

Though she understood the principle, finding herbs with such medicinal properties, or even similar components, was not easy.

She was barely buying time by prescribing mana neutralizers with minimal effects, but already 60% of the current patients were showing middle-stage symptoms.

“We can’t delay any longer. I have no choice.”

Dalia, having no other option, was selecting ingredients with higher concentrations that would pose risks to humans instead of the existing mana neutralizers.

A visitor arrived for Dalia in the midst of this.

“Isn’t that Kain? What brings you here?”

“I’ve brought herbs that can cure the Lemtert Plague.”

“…!”

Dalia was aware that these elite magical beast hunters, who had gained fame by dealing with various high-level magical beasts, had been extraordinary since they began hunting Shanberesh.

Indeed, the Tembris. It seemed that even with such demanding conditions, they had somehow managed to find the right components.

But verification was necessary. Dalia told him to wait a moment and began her analysis.

Shortly after…

Dalia realized that something incredible had arrived before her.

“It doesn’t harm humans at all…?”

The components only target the Devourers residing in the human body.

Dalia had to ask about the identity of this blue flower, which seemed almost like a natural predator.

“Where did you get this, Kain?”

“To explain in detail… you’ll need to meet one more person. Would that be alright?”

“Of course. Feel free to bring them in.”

“…That’s not it. It’s impossible to bring them here. If you want to meet them directly, Professor Dalia…”

Dalia sensed a hint of something Kain seemed to want to hide, so she immediately took off her lab coat and said:

“You mean I have to go there myself, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then I must go. How could I not?”

She agreed nonetheless.

Both as a researcher dedicated to her studies and as a doctor who saves lives. She needed to discover the components that could determine the fate of the Empire’s people.

“Understood. Then, would you please change into inconspicuous clothes and follow me?”

Dalia had to walk for a long time, following the boy who had secretly brought this medicine.

What welcomed her was a small house built where no one would notice.

‘I can’t believe there’s a house here…’

This house seemed to have been built in a location isolated from the outside world, as if hoping not to be discovered by others.

A very harsh and inconvenient location.

With a house built in such a place, her questions only deepened.

When the door opened, Dalia finally understood why.

“Hello, Professor Dalia… is that what I should call you?”

“Y-yes… that’s fine.”

Dalia’s voice trembled in response to the trembling voice of a certain girl. She approached to see more clearly, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her.

They weren’t. It was exactly as she had seen from a distance.

“I see… so that’s why…”

A wanted criminal.

The only member of the Penarib baronial family who had not been found among those who had become criminals by helping Seiren.

It made sense why Kain had hinted at bringing her secretly, as Lumia Penarib was here.

While she understood this immediately, her mind hadn’t fully processed it yet.

Beside the confused Dalia, another female student’s voice was heard.

“This herb is Hipplisia, which only Seirens can cultivate. This medicine I’m holding is the proof.”

“Senia…?”

“Lumia is the first patient cured with this medicine. As evidence, here, traces of the symptoms remain in the lens.”

The three people were essentially asking Dalia:

Could she use these to immediately clear the false accusations against the Seirens?

Of course, the mastermind behind this plan was not present.