Ch.57Black Blood – 2

How the black blood monsters appear is a fact that has yet to be uncovered.

While the analysis of ordinary monsters has been more or less completed to the point where their origin locations can be roughly specified using the term “dungeon,” black blood monsters were different.

This was because there were too few specimens of their appearance, and it wasn’t even certain whether they would appear again.

The last time they appeared was 93 years ago, when Charlotte was holed up in the royal palace conducting all sorts of biological experiments on me.

Out of nowhere, news came that a city at the edge of the continent had been annihilated, and Charlotte, who was busy experimenting with various magics while manipulating my body, instructed the surrounding lords to organize and send appropriate reinforcements.

Not long after, word came that those reinforcements had been instantly wiped out, and even the territories that had sent them were reduced to ashes.

Charlotte, coldly enraged at having her time with me interrupted, personally descended and swept away all the surrounding monsters.

The problem began afterward.

All living things in the areas where the monsters had passed, both animals and plants indiscriminately, began to rot and decay.

Humans died instantly as their skin rotted away the moment they inhaled, and plants shriveled up black, turning into mere piles of garbage.

Even Charlotte’s healing or recovery magic didn’t work. Physical protective gear like helmets were nothing but useless burdens.

Magical protection through magical barriers could somewhat block these bizarre phenomena, but the barriers eroded so quickly that no one except Charlotte could handle it.

Immediately after the incident, no one knew why such phenomena were occurring.

But after Charlotte personally captured one of the monsters and conducted various experiments, she discovered that the blood of these monsters had extremely lethal effects on all living beings, including humans.

That was the first appearance of the black blood monsters.

The mere act of these black blood monsters breathing made the surrounding air toxic, and just a few drops of their blood being absorbed into the nearby soil turned wide areas of land into barren wastelands where not even a single blade of grass could grow.

Even their skin and the hair growing on it were deadly poisons to humans. Just brushing against their hair would cause flesh to melt and ooze.

Their very existence was lethal to humans.

Naturally, unlike ordinary monsters, using their corpses as materials was out of the question. Rather, there was serious concern about whether the land would be contaminated.

Moreover, as if that wasn’t enough, they even strengthened ordinary monsters around them. Increased size, enhanced strength, faster speed, and much greater ferocity.

According to Charlotte, a 1-meter monster would grow to over 1.5 meters, which was truly an absurd level of enhancement.

Blessings and miracles through holy power worked reasonably well, just as they did against ordinary monsters, but unfortunately, these creatures had unimaginably tough constitutions.

Weak miracles performed with inadequate holy power couldn’t stop them, resulting in many priests being sacrificed in vain during the early stages of the crisis.

However, holy power remained the most effective countermeasure against monsters.

Magic was difficult to use efficiently unless wielded by a mage of the royal mage corps caliber, and close combat was tantamount to suicide.

In the end, holy power was the only option left.

It was no coincidence that the period when the Holy Order significantly increased its influence overlapped with the appearance of black blood monsters.

As monsters gained power, the need for priests who could wield holy power naturally increased dramatically, and the Holy Order, being the most powerful religious organization, produced numerous priests and grew even larger in a continuous cycle.

Thanks to the Holy Order, which quickly rose to become the continent’s largest religion, and Charlotte, who began to exert her power in earnest, the black blood monsters were completely exterminated.

However, land that had once turned barren never recovered, requiring extreme measures such as destroying the crust itself and rebuilding it with magic.

For nearly 100 years since then, black blood monsters hadn’t appeared, and the sense of crisis had almost completely dissipated. I had mentioned it just in case, but I never expected Christine would actually rediscover them.

“…That’s about it.”

After I finished my explanation, Serena, Charlotte, and Christine each showed different reactions.

Serena looked as if she had merely listened to the explanation, Charlotte displayed displeasure as if reminded of the Holy Order, and Christine seemed pleased just to have heard my voice.

“I think it’s probably nothing special to you three. Even though their bodies are extremely poisonous and they strengthen nearby monsters, they’re far inferior compared to you three. Charlotte was fine, so Serena, you probably will be too. And Christine, you’re obviously unaffected.”

Christine, in particular, was completely outside the equation.

If Charlotte and Serena could overwhelmingly defeat black blood monsters, Christine was the reverse—a being whose very existence was lethal to monsters.

When I asked what happened to the monster she had discovered before I started my explanation, she said it had flailed around after falling into the lake where she had been soaking, then dissolved without a trace.

I decided not to ask why she had been soaking in the lake in the first place.

Given that holy water created by Christine’s divine power had such potency, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what would happen if she wielded that power directly.

“So, do you have any more questions?”

“No, my lord.”

“Christine, what about you?”

“I have none, my god.”

I didn’t bother asking Charlotte. Any knowledge I had, she would also possess, and probably more perfectly than I did.

After finishing the explanation, fatigue suddenly washed over me. Thanks to my ultra-regeneration ability, my body never gets tired no matter what I do, so this was a mental issue.

I sighed deeply and leaned back against the backrest.

For reference, Charlotte was sitting on my left, Serena on my right, and Christine was kneeling at my feet.

Thinking this wasn’t a conversation to have while standing, I had found an intact bench to sit on, and the three of them had taken their positions accordingly.

I could understand Serena and Charlotte, who had fought fiercely upon arriving here and then sat like this as if competing with each other, but when I asked Christine why she was on the floor, she said it made her feel like she was beneath her god.

I had long given up trying to understand, so the situation was fine as it was.

“It’s tiring when so many incidents happen simultaneously. Did this really need to escalate this far?”

At first, I thought I’d just need to come up with a few excuses about the dragon, but suddenly things escalated, and before I knew it, we ended up here.

It felt like the backlash from eight years without major incidents had finally caught up with us.

“Do you regret it?”

“Regret what?”

“Searching for the dragon. When you think about it, isn’t that action what led to this situation? I asked if you regret it.”

“If I were dead, I wouldn’t. Since I’m alive, I’ll say I do.”

“Dead people cannot feel emotions, so that’s correct. Do you want praise for speaking the truth?”

“No thanks. What’s the point of getting praised for something like this?”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Seeing how the roles were reversed—with the recipient refusing and the giver expressing regret—her intentions were obvious.

“By the way, Serena. You’ll need to postpone leaving the Royal Knights for a while.”

“Understood, my lord.”

“You’re not going to ask why?”

“Why would I question my lord’s orders? I simply follow your commands.”

To minimize casualties from the black blood monsters, Serena’s power would be essential.

I was going to explain that being in the Royal Knights would be much better than being an adventurer since she could command subordinates if necessary, but it seemed unnecessary now.

“I’m still worried about keeping you and Charlotte together.”

At least this time, they wouldn’t be together in the royal palace, as Serena would likely be traveling around the continent, which might be somewhat better.

The time it would take me to return to the royal palace would probably be shorter than the time needed to resolve this incident.

“Then the issue would be resolved if you were at the palace as well.”

“I wish I could be.”

“Which means you cannot.”

“I need to see with my own eyes.”

I pointed my finger at Christine.

Quickly withdrawing my finger to avoid Christine’s slightly parted mouth trying to bite it, I heard the sound of teeth snapping together in the air.

“If there are related culprits, I need to deal with them.”

The other half of the reason I was so concerned about the black blood monsters was that I had to confirm it with my own eyes.

This was a task I couldn’t entrust to Serena, Charlotte, or Christine.

Black magic.

That accursed magic must not be revealed to anyone.

No matter what it takes.