Ch.313Shocking Front-Page News

Finally arriving at the western front of Grantis.

The area around the eastern entrance of the planned 8th Western City was bustling with tents and wagons of all sizes.

Though called an entrance, it was merely a crude structure made of iron frames with wooden doors attached, but perhaps because of this, the city guards were scrutinizing everyone passing through with vigilant eyes.

“The rain has really made a mess of the ground around here.”

“Yeah. We need to be careful not to splash mud on others.”

The rain that started yesterday afternoon continued until sunrise, leaving our path here a complete mess of mud and puddles.

Despite not encountering any monsters, it took us over five hours to travel just 40 kilometers.

Even that was similar to the average speed of other wagons on clear days.

“Halt! Where are you coming from?”

“We set out from Westend Seventh, went monster hunting, and came straight here.”

The city guard who stopped us at a considerable distance from the entrance asked about our wagon’s route, and I showed him the magic stone from the Cruel Vulture as I answered.

I couldn’t yet reveal anything about Technopolis.

According to Morgan, Technopolis was planning to soon reveal its existence to the pioneer society and gradually begin exchanges, starting with limited items.

But that would only happen after a stable living foundation was established and the sealing of dangerous technologies was completed.

Until then, I was asked to keep not only the location but the very existence of Technopolis a secret.

“Everyone show your Frontier License Cards. We’ll need to inspect the wagon interior as well.”

“Do we all need to get out during the inspection?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. However, even after the inspection, you’ll need to park this wagon outside the barrier. We haven’t yet built a place to store such a large wagon.”

“So we’ll have to camp out… can’t be helped.”

The camping wagon was thoroughly inspected by three guards.

They questioned the purpose of anything that looked like a magical tool or artifact, and we managed to get by with vague answers, calling the mana supply a “natural-charging crystal magic tank” and the purifier a “dark magic measuring device.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, as the mana supply did serve as a magic storage, and the purifier did have measurement functions.

“Hmm… I don’t see any prohibited items or magical tools that could be used for suspicious purposes. You may enter the city. However, as I mentioned earlier, park your wagon outside the barrier.”

“OK. Thanks for your hard work.”

Since the spaces near the entrance were already occupied by other tents, we had no choice but to go around the barrier and park our wagon in a somewhat remote location.

The passenger compartment could be locked, and there was no chance of the wagon being stolen with Ancestor on board, so it wasn’t a major problem, but Jessica seemed troubled by something.

“…The inspection was unusually thorough. I wonder if something happened?”

“So that wasn’t a normal situation after all?”

“It’s true that planned western city sites have stricter security than other cities. But having three people rush to inspect a wagon’s interior and question the purpose of magical tools and artifacts… I’ve never heard of such a case.”

“Hmm… now that you mention it, the gazes and attitudes around us do seem strangely tense.”

Sethi silently nodded at Phyllis’s observation.

Of course, adventurers struggling in places like this might not welcome our arrival, given our rising reputation.

After the recent overflow incident, Ancestor’s identity and our camping wagon had become widely known, and our party’s diverse racial composition certainly gave us advantages over ordinary adventurers.

‘But if that were the reason, there would be no need for even non-adventurer types to be on edge.’

It seemed clear that something unsettling was happening here at the planned site of the 8th Western City.

And we discovered the nature of this “unsettling matter” as soon as we entered the barrier and purchased a newspaper.

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[ Fourth Victim! Can the Terrifying Serial Killer Ever Be Caught? ]

An unidentified serial killer who has plunged the planned site of the 8th Western City into a cauldron of fear has claimed a fourth victim.

The latest victim is Ms. Rose Walter (39, married), a renowned potion maker.

Like the three victims before her, her throat was slashed with a sharp blade and her wallet stolen, but she managed to survive by pouring her trauma treatment potion onto the wound.

After regaining consciousness at the emergency clinic, Ms. Rose seemed unable to speak due to her throat injury and answered the sheriff’s questions about the assailant’s appearance by writing:

‘I saw nothing. The moment I thought I saw a silver reflection flash before my eyes, I found myself lying on the ground bleeding.’

Based on this testimony, the sheriff is convinced the perpetrator is using magic or magical tools to conceal their presence.

He announced plans to strengthen checkpoints inside and outside the barrier and deploy magic detection devices for a full-scale search operation.

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“Heeek! A serial killer?”

“It seems our timing of arrival wasn’t the best… Ms. Jessica?”

Mina exclaimed in shock while Iris expressed concern.

But Jessica, holding the newspaper, didn’t seem to hear them. With a pale face and trembling hands, she stared fixedly at one part of the article.

When we realized what she was looking at, all our expressions instantly hardened.

“Rose… Walter?”

“J-Jessica! Don’t tell me this name is…”

In response to her companions’ urgent questions, Jessica covered her mouth with one hand and replied in a tearful voice,

“That’s… my mother…”

After answering, she threw down the newspaper and hurriedly ran off somewhere.

“Jessica!”

“Let’s follow her. She’s probably heading to the emergency clinic mentioned in the newspaper.”

As Sethi predicted, Jessica went straight to the emergency clinic, cutting across the still-unfinished main street, and we followed her inside.

The clinic staff were startled when six people suddenly entered.

A red-haired woman with bandages around her neck was lying on one of the beds, and a middle-aged man who appeared to be her husband was staring at us.

“Mom! Dad!”

“Jessica? When did you get back?”

Jessica ran to her parents’ side with tears streaming down her face, finally catching her breath. I explained to the clinic staff that she was the patient’s family, then approached the bed after getting their permission.

“Are you Jessica’s parents?”

“Yes, but who are you?”

“We’re her adventuring companions. I’m William J. Kim, and these are Sethi, Mina, Phyllis, and Iris.”

“Steve Walter, magic scholar. This is my wife, Rose.”

Steve, Jessica’s father, introduced himself on behalf of his wife who couldn’t speak due to her throat injury.

He had chestnut-brown hair combed back and the same sky-blue eyes as Jessica, while her mother Rose had bright red hair and dark brown eyes.

Jessica’s captivating red hair and sky-blue eyes were apparently inherited from each parent.

“I had many things I wanted to say upon meeting you, but this doesn’t seem to be the right situation. Is the madam’s throat injury serious?”

“Thanks to quickly applying the trauma treatment potion to seal the wound, she avoided a fatal injury. However, she lost a significant amount of blood even in that short time, and ordinary potions seem unable to completely heal the vocal cord damage…”

“Hmm… Jessica, what about Heal Touch?”

“I’ll try. Mom, please don’t move for a moment. Heal Touch!”

Jessica placed her right hand on Rose’s bandaged throat and opened her grimoire with her left hand to cast a healing spell.

But the light flowing from Jessica’s hand disappeared in just a few seconds, and she shook her head in disappointment.

“It’s not working. The voice-producing organ inside the throat must be damaged. Heal Touch just can’t handle such delicate areas…”

Jessica’s voice trailed off as she began to sob.

Rose gently stroked Jessica’s head, then picked up a notepad and pen from the bedside table and began writing.

[ Don’t worry too much. The regeneration potion from Atelier should work somehow. I plan to go there for treatment after I’m discharged. ]

“Atelier’s regeneration potion? Can that medicine restore damaged vocal cords?”

“That’s what I understand. However, since the potion’s ingredients can’t be stored long-term, there’s no point in ordering it here. One must go directly to Atelier to take it.”

“Will, could that be…?”

“Ah, yes, that must be the advanced regeneration potion that Phyllis risked her life to gather ingredients for.”

When I suffered serious internal injuries from the dark elf attack, Phyllis had taken me to Atelier’s clinic in Ancestor, then ventured alone deep into the swamplands to gather rare medicinal herbs.

The ingredient for the advanced regeneration potion, something called Bloody Mandrake, couldn’t be stored long-term in either raw or processed form, so it could only be prescribed at Atelier.

With that potion, Jessica’s mother’s vocal cords could be healed.

“Madam Rose, would a slightly lower quality advanced regeneration potion be ineffective for treatment?”

After considering my question briefly, Rose wrote her answer on the paper.

[ No. As long as the potion itself is properly made and some efficacy of the Bloody Mandrake remains, even a somewhat degraded potion should be sufficient to treat this level of damage. ]

“I see. Then just a moment…”

Having received confirmation from a potion maker herself, there was no need to hesitate.

I took out the Cup of Glory from my bag, channeled magic into it, and created an “Advanced Regeneration Potion.”

If I could successfully make a strength enhancement potion during the fight with Kaiser in Beckyah, an advanced regeneration potion should be possible too.

‘…!!’

Rose’s eyes widened as she saw the red liquid filling the Cup of Glory.

She wasn’t surprised by liquid appearing in an empty cup, but rather because she recognized what the liquid was.

“Here, an advanced regeneration potion. I’m not sure what the proper dosage is.”

“Is this real? How did you get such a precious medicine that’s only available at Atelier…”

“It’s from an artifact we obtained during our adventures. You can trust it.”

Reassured by Jessica’s guarantee, Steve took the Cup of Glory with trembling hands and passed it to Rose, who drank about a third of the liquid before setting it down.

“W-well, Rose? Do you feel any better?”

[ The regeneration potion doesn’t work instantly, dear. We need to wait at least 1-2 hours. ]

“Ah… r-right. That’s how it works.”

[ You can leave the rest to the clinic staff. In the meantime, why don’t you take Jessica and the young people to a restaurant or something? Having too many people crowded around is inconsiderate to the other patients. ]

Faced with this unexpected dismissal, Steve looked troubled as he glanced between Jessica and us, then stood up with a short sigh.

“If you say so, I suppose we have no choice. Jessica, come along with your friends. Dad will treat you all.”

“…Okay. See you later, Mom.”

Rose smiled in response to Jessica’s words, bowed politely to me once more, and continued waving until we left the clinic.

I hope the advanced regeneration potion created by the Cup of Glory fulfills its purpose.