novelraw Chapter 39 : The Source of the Plague (3)
Chapter 39 : The Source of the Plague (3)
The Source of the Plague (3)
["Plausibility has been achieved."]
["Pharmacological Knowledge (Specialized in Disease and Poison) has been added to your profile."]
"... I did it."
A silver light fell, and now the familiar message appeared before me.
"I did it! I really did it!"
Up until now, I had gained abilities several times through Setting Addition.
The Hidden Star Sword, Divine Blood, and even Blood Magic.
Each had rather complicated requirements, and among them, Divine Blood was only achievable thanks to a stroke of luck.
[... You seem even happier than when you obtained Divine Blood?]
Grancesia spoke in a disinterested tone.
But I didn't really care about that.
This time, achieving plausibility had truly been a time of suffering for me.
==
〈Pharmacological Knowledge (Specialized in Disease and Poison)〉
Required Plausibility
1. Be afflicted with over ten types of diseases or ingest various poisons.
2. Acquire remedies for over fifty types of poisons and diseases.
==
The first requirement was actually simple. I merely needed to drink the various poisons received from Riya upon her request.
With Divine Blood, there was nothing to fear.
The problem was the second one.
'I trimmed the list to the simplest diseases possible and memorized them...'
Even so, it still took two days, sleeping less than two hours a day in brief naps.
On top of that, I participated in the matches at the Founding Festival in the afternoon... Frankly, closing my eyes now felt like I would fall asleep on the spot.
[Go home and rest quickly. The draw was in your favor on the first day of the tournament, but today is the semifinals, isn't it?]
Luckily, the matches on the first day of the main round had easy draws.
Wasn't it someone who had just reached the mid-rank of Sword Expert and a 4th Circle mage?
Both seemed to have made it to the main round by luck. Among the finalists, they were probably the weakest.
"Still, why are you suddenly worried about me?"
[... You really have forgotten that I am a priest, huh? I at least have this much compassion.]
At Grancesia's unusually serious words, I scratched my cheek.
Honestly, the relationship between Grancesia and me had the strong feeling of rivalrous friends, but now, some real affection had grown.
'Now, if I only knew where that guy was...'
After greeting the knights on guard, I left the princess's palace.
If anyone else saw, it might have looked suspicious, but there was no helping it.
Because achieving plausibility always involved a pillar of silver descending, I needed a deserted spot, and this was also the fastest place to get Riya's help.
Her Highness the Princess once said, in her own palace, nobody cared no matter what happened.
[I bet that girl has buried one or two people here.]
"Don't say such scary things. It feels too real."
As I was having that trivial conversation walking through the imperial palace, I felt someone's presence behind me.
"Who are you?"
When I turned, a man with the same platinum hair as Riya was standing there.
I recognized who he was instantly.
"I greet the Crown Prince, the Sun of the Empire."
"I asked who you were."
He replied arrogantly as I offered my respects.
Yet, his tone suggested he didn't actually care who I was even if I answered.
'He's worse than the princess.'
To be honest, compared to Riya, the crown prince left much to be desired in every aspect. I couldn't quite understand how this man was the Empire's crown prince.
"I am Clay Vanhart, a count of the Kingdom of Talua."
"Yes, Clay Vanhart... wait, what?"
The crown prince, who had been nodding arrogantly, suddenly froze.
"What did you say just now? Clay, Clay... Vanhart? You?"
"Yes, I am Clay Vanhart..."
"Hi... hiiik!"
Suddenly, the crown prince staggered back a few steps like having a fit and fell right on his behind.
'What in the world?'
At that strange reaction, I narrowed my eyes and checked the Crown Prince's profile, wondering if the reason for such behavior might be written there.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know! If I'd known you were Clay Vanhart, I never would have spoken to you! P-please don't tell Riya!"
'... Ho.'
I could roughly guess the reason for his reaction.
It wasn't just his words; there was an unexpected phrase written in his special trait.
"'The one who poisoned Princess Riya Asktalin. It was a poison enough to kill any ordinary human, but Riya Asktalin awakened her powerful dragon blood and survived. However, that led to her awakening as a calamity.'"
'So this bastard was the cause behind the awakening of the seventh calamity.'
Originally, he was supposed to be killed by Riya, who would have destroyed the Empire after awakening as a calamity.
[Surprising that the girl let this one live. There's no way she wouldn't know.]
And there was one more interesting point.
"Ah, anyway, I'll be going back. Please, keep our meeting a secret from Riya..."
"Your Highness."
"W-what is it?!"
"I'll keep your secret, but may I ask one question?"
As I spoke with a gentle smile, the crown prince's face, which had been filled with fear, turned red.
I must have sounded fairly arrogant, and it stung his pride.
"H-how dare you show such disrespectful behavior to the imperial crown prince...!"
"Please take a look at this."
I slowly took off the glove from my right hand and raised my hand so the crown prince could see the back of it.
"This is the mark personally left by Her Highness the Princess."
"Gasp!"
The crown prince's eyes widened in shock and he gaped in disbelief.
"I-I thought you two weren't that close... but to this extent..."
"I heard this black dragon signifies the authority of Her Highness. So I have just one question."
The crown prince could no longer show any anger toward me.
No, he simply couldn't.
His anger proved to be so easily quelled.
"Then I'll take that as your permission to ask."
I calmly spoke to the crown prince, who looked frozen.
"Where did you obtain the poison used to poison Her Highness?"
"...!"
"Oh, I've asked the wrong question."
I smiled in a friendly way at the man, who was frozen like a statue.
"Where is Edward Williams now?"
* * *
When you think about it, it's actually simple.
How did Edward, who lived in the slums, create a plague?
Of course, he had his own talents. As the calamity of disease and demons, he must have had some abilities.
But ultimately, what he achieved would be impossible without resources.
It was strange, too, that Edward's whereabouts remained unknown for so long.
I considered that someone might be backing him, but I never expected that person to be the crown prince.
[But isn't that crown prince crazy? What was he thinking, supporting the plague?]
'He didn't know.'
[Didn't know? That?]
'The only poison the crown prince received from Edward was the one he used to try to kill Riya.'
[Then why would he continue to deal with Edward afterward?]
'It wasn't continued dealings. He was keeping him under surveillance.'
The crown prince tried to poison Riya using the poison he'd gotten from Edward.
Although it was not his intention, the Curse of Dragonification broke out, resulting in her being banished from the Empire.
If this fact became widely known, the crown prince could never keep his title.
[Ah, I see. Since Edward is proof that the crown prince used the poison himself.]
'According to Riya, the evidence was circumstantial but not concrete.'
She said that's why she let it go with a light punishment.
[... So that's why the crown prince survived.]
'Exactly. Otherwise, Riya would have killed him already.'
The rest unfolded as we knew.
When the princess began searching for Edward with the knights, the crown prince tried to hurry Edward away.
Or perhaps, he was considering getting rid of him.
'At any rate, it worked out for us. Like catching a mouse while backing up blindly.'
I organized my thoughts and looked at the knights before me. They, too, looked exhausted from the ongoing search.
"According to a report from a certain kind person, Edward is currently hiding in the Empire's underground waterways—those in the north in particular."
"Ah! It would definitely be easy for him to hide in a place like that!"
The empire's waterway system was like a maze and boasted considerable size.
If someone was moving through there, even if the knights searched for a hundred days, it would be difficult to find them.
"But who is this kind informant?"
"For the informant's protection, their identity is confidential."
"Ah, understood."
I cleared my throat and looked at the knight order commander.
"Commander, have you found everyone who ingested the crystals yet?"
"For now, we've gathered all those near the slums. We'll have to inoculate them as soon as the antibody is developed."
"That's a relief. In that case, from now on, I'll map out some districts. Please cordon off the marked areas. Everyone there will need to be inoculated, after all."
"... Has the infection already spread?"
"I'm fairly certain. Soon, there will be patients showing symptoms. We must make sure everyone stays inside their homes. Especially households with children—pay close attention."
Edward didn't just scatter the crystals among the slum children; he also handed them out at random to kids on the streets.
The regions marked on the map were mainly the areas Edward had visited.
'It's fortunate the crown prince had been watching Edward.'
Thanks to that, I was able to narrow down Edward's range of movement.
"Thank you."
"Excuse me?"
As I was lost in thought over the map, the knight order commander suddenly bowed deeply.
"What is this all of a sudden...?"
"This incident has nothing to do with the Kingdom of Talua. It's a matter for Asktalin Empire alone. But Count, you're acting as if it's your own nation's problem and doing your utmost."
"Well, that's...."
If I didn't stop this, the world would face a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions—how could I possibly ignore it?
But the commander seemed to have decided on his own reasons for why I was helping.
"If you bring this matter to a successful close, his Majesty the Emperor will surely acknowledge the relationship between Her Highness the Princess and the Count! I'll do everything I can to help!"
[He seems to think you're in a romantic relationship with the princess?]
'Otherwise, he'd have a hard time guessing why I'm going this far.'
Besides, Riya's attitude toward me probably fueled the commander's delusion.
[Heh. But you could deny it if you wanted, you know?]
'What's the point? It's not true anyway.'
With time, people would forget.
I knew Princess Riya Asktalin was fond of me, but... as for whether it was anything like what the commander pictured, I still couldn't be sure.
And now was no time to worry about such things.
After I marked all the districts mentioned by the crown prince on the map, I handed it to the commander.
"If you locate Edward, please inform me immediately."
"Leave it to me!"
Thumping his broad chest, the commander spoke with confidence.
As expected for the Empire's knight order commander—he was very capable.
... His imagination seemed vivid too, though.
'Now, after the semifinals... I'll need to meet with the medical scholars as soon as the match ends.'
Essentially, I would have to create the cure in a single day.
Allowing time for clinical trials left precious little time.
'But it's doable.'
Because I had the ability to look at profiles.
* * *
"Sir Hersel, too bad. It just wasn't your day."
"Not at all. Sir Shane, you actually lost by the narrowest margin."
Alex Shane and Floria Hersel chatted as they sat in the stands.
Though it was the usual greeting, their faces weren't so bright.
'To think I'd lose in just thirty exchanges.'
'To lose to that arrogant Darsha bastard.'
Both had made the quarterfinals in the imperial tournament—a respectable achievement—but they both failed to advance to the semifinals.
Alex, in particular, shook with humiliation, having lost to Arsabin, whom he was determined to defeat.
'And I dropped out at the round of sixteen.'
Eric Pedro, who had lost alone in the round of sixteen, sat awkwardly nearby, unable to even speak to them.
"Hahaha. No need to worry. We've already achieved more than enough for our kingdom. Especially you, sir Hersel—you fought splendidly."
"Truly? Are you sure?"
Count Ribina, sitting next to them, said this with a smile, and Floria's eyes sparkled as she asked again.
Count Ribina was sincere. Everyone who had faced Ian Sylvest so far hadn't lasted ten exchanges.
"Absolutely. Your only fault was that your opponent was at another level. The Empire has raised a monster."
"... He was indeed extraordinary. It felt as if he could see right through all my movements."
Floria's expression hardened as she remembered facing Ian.
Count Ribina, sighing softly, spoke up.
"'See right through,' you say... Sir Hersel, have you ever heard of something called the Eye of Insight?"
"No, it's my first time hearing that term."
"Long ago, there was a legendary martial artist. After reaching an unfathomable level, he was said to gain the Eye of Insight—the ability to read and control the flow of all things."
"To read and control all things...?"
Count Ribina continued with a gentle smile.
"The flow of magic power, one's breathing, muscular contraction and release—he could see all of it. With the Eye of Insight, he could move as if he foresaw the future."
"Are you suggesting Ian Sylvest possesses the Eye of Insight?!"
As Floria's eyes widened in shock, Count Ribina burst out laughing.
"Ha! No matter how amazing he is, that's still a stretch. But it's certain he's reached a state close to its signs. Across the continent, few could properly duel him."
Count Ribina spoke as if Ian Sylvest had reached a realm far beyond the others.
"... He's not a Sword Expert, is he?"
"Certainly not. He is a Swordmaster."
"My goodness! A Swordmaster...!"
Ian Sylvest was twenty years old.
Reaching the level of Swordmaster at that age—such a thing was only heard of in heroic legends.
"... But if the Swordmaster Ian Sylvest has only reached the precursor state to the Eye of Insight, then does that mean the martial artist who truly obtained it was at an even higher level?"
"That's right. It must be a state so deep that it's impossible to even imagine. I myself have only seen hints of the Eye of Insight."
"Who was he?"
Count Ribina let out an easylaugh at the sight of the young talent showing such curiosity.
He, too, had shown that same curiosity when he first heard of that martial artist.
"I don't know."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know. While there is a clear record that such a figure existed, other records seem to have been erased, as if wiped away."
"So..."
He'd long wondered why he had never once heard of such a figure, and now that mystery was resolved.
"But why?"
As Count Ribina said, it meant that records of such a person had been deliberately erased.
It was hard to understand why the chronicles of a legendary figure who deserved to be spoken of for generations had been concealed.
"I don't know. Maybe... the gods could not tolerate a mortal stepping into their realm."
Becoming a Swordmaster—the dream of all swordsmen.
To become even more than a Swordmaster, reaching the rank of Grand Swordmaster, someone of whom only a single one exists at any given time.
As far as Count Ribina knew, even the strongest, the Grand Swordmaster, had not obtained the Eye of Insight.
In other words, the martial artist had surpassed even that level.
Truly, the realm of the gods.