The Grand Gruen Volcano
Sand stretched on as far as the eye could see.
Hajime and his companions had finally arrived at the Gruen Desert. The grains of sand
were so fine that the whole thing looked like one unbroken brown sheet. The incessant
winds had covered the sky in so much dust that even it looked brown. Anywhere one
looked, all they would see is sand.
The only thing breaking the monotony was the dunes that undulated through the
desert like waves. The wind pushed them along at a steady pace, giving the desert the
semblance of one massive living creature.
The sun's harsh rays heated the sand below until it glowed red. It was easily over 40
degrees Celsius. With sand flying everywhere too, it made for an inhospitable
environment.
For normal travelers, anyway.
Brise tore through the dunes like it was nothing. And because it was completely
enclosed, none of the sand or the heat bothered Hajime and the others. Furthermore,
the magnetic compass Hajime had installed into the dashboard kept them from getting
lost.
"Thank god we're not traveling by horse. It looks miserable out there…"
"Indeed. I'm not so weak that a little heat and wind would hinder me, but… it certainly
is more comfortable not having to brave it."
Shea and Tio stared out of the window at the unforgiving wasteland they were
currently traversing. Tio may have been a masochist, but even she wouldn't welcome
that kind of discomfort.
"It's so different this time! Myu's eyes don't hurt, and it's not hot! Daddy's amazing!"
"That's right~ Daddy is amazing~ Myu-chan, do you want some cold water?"
"Yeah! Thank you, Kaori-oneechan~"
Myu was sitting happily on Kaori's lap. She was excited at how different this trip
through the desert was compared to the first time, when she'd been abducted.
Her reaction was only natural. For an aquatic species like Myu, the desert crossing
must have been doubly harsh. Considering how young she was, it was a miracle the
trip didn't kill her. However, she was traveling in completely different circumstances
this time. Brise was air conditioned, and it kept the wind and sand out.
Not only that, he'd stocked up on chilled provisions for the trip. It still bothered him a
little that his opinion had been completely ignored when Yue had agreed to let Kaori
join their party, but he was getting used to having her around.
Kaori pulled a bottle of cold water out of the mini-fridge Hajime had added to Brise.
"Hey, Shirasa… I mean, Kaori. Could you please stop calling me daddy? It just sounds
really creepy."
"But Myu-chan calls you that all the time."
"It's one thing if it's Myu, but you know, being called daddy by someone my age is
pretty weird…"
Kaori'd always been good at looking after others, so she'd ended up taking on the role
of Myu's caretaker. However, because of that, she'd also taken to using Myu's nickname
for Hajime.
It was acceptable, if still a little awkward, to have a little girl calling him daddy, but it
was another thing entirely when a girl his age was doing it…
As an aside, the reason Hajime was calling Kaori by her first name was because she'd
insisted until he'd finally given in. She'd thought it was unfair that he called everyone
else by their first names, but only her by her last name.
"Really? Alright, I guess I'll stop… Until we actually have kids of our own, at least…"
Kaori trailed off, blushing furiously.
An awkward silence descended upon the car. Hajime pretended he hadn't heard
anything, but Yue wasn't about to let this go.
"Too bad. I'm going to be first. Hajime promised."
"Hajime-kun, what's the meaning of this!?"
"Is it really that surprising? It's not like I'm planning on having kids anytime soon,
anyway."
"Fufu. I'm going to be the first to introduce myself to his parents too."
"Wha—!?"
"I've already planned everything out."
"Huh!?"
"Including all the dates we're going on when we get back."
"Ah!"
Yue's words were like daggers, stabbing through Kaori's chest one after another.
Still, Kaori was a strong girl. She wouldn't break from just this. She'd spent the better
part of her time in this world believing in Hajime's survival, and had even had the
courage to stand up to Yue. If someone hit her, she hit back.
"I know all sorts of things about Hajime-kun that you don't! Like what he wants to be
in the future, what his hobbies are, and even what genres he likes the most! I bet you
don't know what his favorite anime and manga are, Yue!"
"Hmph… I… That doesn't matter. None of those things exist here. I just have to learn
about them when we go to Japan."
"Oh, but they do. Just look at Hajime-kun. His appearance practically screams anime
character."
"Gah!?" Though Yue and Kaori were the ones arguing, it was Hajime who was suffering.
That last statement had gone right for his jugular.
"White hair, an eyepatch, even a magical fake eye… I'm pretty sure Hajime's favorite
character had all of those too… Even his weapons, those Cross Bits. They're definitely
based off of the ones in Gundam… It doesn't matter what world we're in, Hajime-kun
will always be an otaku!"
"Guh!? K-Kaori…"
"U-Ugh… To think Hajime's weapons were based off entertainment…"
"Hehe. You don't even know what kinds of things the man you love likes."
"You've got guts, Kaori. But do you know what kinds of positions Hajime likes in bed?"
"Wh-Wh-What!? In bed!? Ugh, you've already gone that far…"
"Fufufu. That's how big the gap is between you and me."
Everyone had gotten used to ignoring Kaori and Yue when they started arguing like
this. At first Shea had fussed over the two of them, trying to mediate and make them
get along. Eventually, however, she'd come to realize it was more trouble than it was
worth. Especially since the two didn't seem to actually hate each other.
In fact, the only person really suffering because of their arguments was Hajime. As
almost all of their arguments were centered around him, many of his embarrassing
secrets were turned into ammunition to make a point. All the things he was selfconscious about were poked and prodded at until he couldn't take anymore.
Kaori covered her ears, trying to shut out the truths Yue flung at her. Painfully gripping
his heart, Hajime tried to break the two of them up. However, before he could do
anything, Myu spoke up.
"No, stop fighting Yue-oneechan, Kaori-oneechan! I hate it when you fight!" Myu
hopped off of Kaori's lap and crawled to the back where Shea was sitting. She glared,
pouting all the while at the two girls in front. They both looked at each other
awkwardly. Having a little girl tell them she hates them was a surprisingly effective
weapon.
"Sheesh, you two. You could at least stop when Myu-chan's around. You're a bad
influence on her. I can understand getting worked up about Hajime-san, but you could
at least act like adults about it."
"Unbelievable… To think I would be scolded by Shea…"
"I-I'm sorry, Myu-chan, Shea."
Never in her wildest dreams had Yue thought she would sink so low that Shea would
be scolding her.
While Shea was Yue's best friend, Yue also treated Shea like a younger sister. Though
she was also vying for Hajime's affections, Shea loved Yue just as much. It was a slightly
different relationship than the one Yue had with Kaori.
On the other hand, Tio was just a pervert.
In a sense, Kaori was the first true love rival Yue had ever encountered.
Yue was confident that her bond with Hajime was stronger than anything. She had
unwavering faith that only she was special to him. That was why, at first, she'd seen
Kaori as a mere challenger. And she'd believed that it would be easy to beat her down.
And while her confidence remained unshaken, Yue had noticed Hajime and Kaori
reminiscing about the life they'd had in Japan from time to time.
This was the one advantage Kaori had over Yue. She'd known him for longer.
And it was the one thing that let her fight Yue on equal footing.
For her part, Kaori was jealous of the fact that Yue was Hajime's current lover, but she
was too honest and good-natured to try anything underhanded.
Because neither of them wanted to "cheat" their way to victory, their squabbles never
escalated into anything truly serious. However, they were so frequent that they grated
on the rest of the party. And today, Myu and Shea had finally had enough.
Normally, Hajime put an end to most arguments by professing his love for Yue, but
he'd taken too much damage in a short span of time. He simply stared off into the
distance, ignoring everyone else.
"Hm? What could that be? Master, there appears to be some commotion to your right."
Hajime, who'd been muttering "I'm not an otaku" to himself over and over like a dead
fish, suddenly returned to his senses and turned to his right. Kaori and Yue stopped
trying to show Myu how well they really got along as well, and turned to see what was
happening. Shea too, craned her neck to get a better look. They all spotted something
in the distance.
A large number of sandworms, earthworm-like desert monsters, were congregating
on a sand dune to their right. Their heads poked out of the top of the hill.
Sandworms were twenty meters long on average, and some of the really large ones
grew up to 100 meters. They could only be found in the Gruen Desert. Normally, they
lived underground and only surfaced to swallow their prey with their triple-layered
jaws. Travelers who crossed the desert lived in fear of their nigh-imperceptible sneak
attacks.
Fortunately, the sandworms didn't have very good perception abilities themselves
either. Unless someone was unlucky enough to walk over their lairs, they wouldn't be
spotted. If they're all surfacing now, they must have found some unlucky sap to prey on.
But from the looks of it…
"Why are they circling around like that?" Had they just come up to feed, Tio wouldn't
have considered it something worth pointing out either. Hajime's skills let him sense
incoming attacks himself, and Brise could easily outpace a sandworm. What was
strange about this particular colony was that they'd surfaced, but were hesitating to
attack their supposed target. They simply circled around the hill.
"They seem uncertain, as if they are unsure of whether their prey is safe to eat."
"Looks like it. Does that happen often?"
"Not to my knowledge. They can eat most anything, so they normally don't hesitate…"
Tio might have been a masochist and a huge pervert, but she had also lived longer than
even Yue. And since unlike Yue she hadn't been sealed for most of her life, her
knowledge of the world was vast. Including the habits of obscure monsters. So if this
had even her confused, it was definitely something worth taking note of.
However, it was also true that there was no reason for Hajime to get involved. He
decided to leave before they got wrapped up in something troublesome.
Just then—
"Wha—!? Hang on tight, guys!" Hajime gunned Brise's accelerator. A second later a
giant brown creature erupted from the earth, grazing Brise's rear. A sandworm had
just tried to swallow them whole. It looked like Hajime and the others were on the
menu too.
Hajime swerved sharply, zigzagging through the dunes. Sandworms erupted one after
another from the ground, each of them coming out from the spot Brise had been
seconds before.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
"Hiii!"
"Wawawawah!"
Kaori, Myu, and Shea all screamed. Worried about Myu, Kaori turned around to check
up on her. At the same time, Hajime made another sharp turn. Kaori lost her balance
and tumbled forward… right into Yue and Hajime. She collapsed with her butt in Yue's
lap and her head in Hajime's.
After a few surprised blinks, Kaori blushed slightly and clung to Hajime's waist. Much
to Hajime's chagrin. His expression stiffened, and he tried not to think dirty thoughts.
The lower half of Kaori's body was still sprawled across Yue's lap.
"Hey, Shira… Kaori! What are you doing!?"
"It's dangerous, so I'm hanging on to you for safety!"
"Kaori, you vixen. To think you would stick to Hajime while sealing my movements at
the same time… You're craftier than I gave you credit for."
While they were fleeing for dear life, Yue and Kaori were still only interested in
winning points with Hajime. Yue spanked Kaori's defenseless behind, but Kaori
refused to loosen her grip. Instead, she buried her face in Hajime's crotch.
Having failed their initial ambush, the three sandworms began an overland pursuit of
Brise. They moved far swifter than their size would suggest.
Had Hajime and the others been riding in a normal carriage, they would have been
toast. However, Brise was an artifact with all of an otaku's ingenuity poured into it.
Even if they managed to swallow it, it wouldn't suffer a single scratch.
Moreover…
"Come to think of it, this is a good chance to test that thing out." Hajime drifted so hard
that he was driving in reverse, and then began pouring mana into another one of the
attachments he'd put on Brise.
A series of metallic clunks reverberated throughout the car. Brise's hood slid back to
reveal a quadruple rocket launcher.
The launcher swiveled back and forth, seeking out its prey. After a few seconds, it
locked on to the nearest sandworm. With a flurry of red sparks, the launcher unloaded
its salvo.
A glowing trail of orange followed in the rocket's wake. It sailed through the
sandworm's open mouth and exploded. Chunks of flesh rained from the sky, spattering
across Brise's windshield.
"Bleh… Shea, cover Myu's eyes, please."
"Already on it~ Ah…! Myu-chan I know it hurts, but don't pinch me there." Shea had
buried Myu's head inside her ample bosom to shield her from the horrors Hajime was
inflicting on the monsters. However, Myu had found it too suffocating, and pinched
Shea in a rather sensitive spot. Hajime did his best to ignore the moaning coming from
the back. Dealing with his own comrades was more mentally draining than fighting
monsters.
It didn't help that Kaori was still clinging to his waist either. After a herculean effort,
Yue finally pulled Kaori off and strapped her into her seat belt, locking her in place.
She was blushing bright red, surprised at her own boldness.
"U-Umm, Hajime-kun. Sorry about that. I just acted on instinct… I wasn't purposely
trying to do something dirty. I just wanted to know what it would feel like to hug you
once…"
"And if you saw your chance, you'd push him down then and there?"
"Exact… No! Yue, please don't say such strange things. I'm not as lewd a woman as
you."
"You're calling me lewd? Well, I suppose I can't really deny it, considering the things
we do at night."
"Could you two shut up for a second? Also Yue, quit talking about our sex life."
Hajime blasted the remaining sandworms to bits with his rocket launcher. Hearing the
explosions, the other sandworms atop the dune turned to look at Brise. He steeled
himself for another fight, but Kaori and Yue's arguing distracted him. Their constant
bickering was wearing away at his mental fortitude. And now he'd finally hit his limit
and snapped at Yue.
Though nothing she'd said had actually been false. Hajime doubted anyone could beat
Yue when it came to sexiness. Kaori could tell what he was thinking about, and tears
welled up in her eyes.
Yue smiled victoriously and licked her lips. Kaori groaned, lamenting her defeat.
Hajime's annoyed outburst had only fanned the flames of their feud.
Shea leaned forward and sympathetically patted Kaori's shoulder.
"I know how you feel, Kaori-san."
Hajime ignored the lot of them and gunned Brise toward the sand dune. He could tell
there were more sandworms moving around underground. The ground bulged
slightly at their position, so it was clear they weren't trying to be stealthy anymore.
Right now, speed would avail them more than stealth.
Hajime retracted his rocket launcher and activated a new weapon. This time, a long
rectangular box came out of the hood. Metal grated against metal, and the box
transformed into a long-range rifle. It looked strikingly similar to Schlagen.
Red sparks ran down the length of the gun barrel. The robotic arm it was attached to
adjusted its aim and fired. A dazzling streak of red cut through the muddy brown air.
A plume of sand rose into the sky as it slammed into the ground. Chunks of flesh and
droplets of blood rose up with it. Hajime's bullet had found its mark.
Hajime reloaded and fired again, then again. Each bullet created another eruption of
sand and blood. The sandworms were obliterated without even a chance to surface.
"Hajime-kun, look over there!"
"Is that… a person?"
As Hajime retracted his rifle, Kaori suddenly shouted and pointed to a spot in front of
them.
Yue's guess was correct. Some distance away lay a humanoid figure clad in all white.
It was likely they were the person the sandworms had been trying to eat. However,
from this distance, they couldn't make out anything out of the ordinary. Nothing to
indicate why the sandworms had hesitated, anyway.
"Please, Hajime-kun. I'm a Priestess… I have to at least try and help him."
"Might as well, I guess. I'm kinda curious, honestly."
Kaori looked pleadingly up at Hajime. As he was interested in why the sandworms
hadn't attacked the man himself, he saw no reason to refuse.
It was possible he had some unique item that warded off monsters, or knew some
unknown form of magic. After all, if things like verdren crystals existed in the sea of
trees, who knew what other strange wonders existed in this world. It might even be
that whatever this man had been using possessed more potent effects than those
verdren crystals.
Hajime made a beeline for the collapsed man.
He was wearing something resembling a jellabiya, a traditional Egyptian dress back
on earth, and a big hooded overcoat on top of it. The hood was covering his face and
he was lying face-down, making it difficult to discern his features.
Kaori hopped off Brise, dashed over to the man, and rolled him onto his back.
"What on…" Upon taking off his hood, Kaori discovered that he was young, probably
in his early twenties. However, what had surprised her wasn't that. It was the state he
was in.
His face was locked in a painful grimace, sweat beaded down his forehead, and his
breath came in short, shallow gasps. He was so feverish that steam was rising off his
body. His blood vessels were all straining against his skin, as if they were being pushed
out from the inside. Furthermore, blood was dripping from his eyes and nose. There
was obviously something wrong with him. And it wasn't just heatstroke.
Hajime was worried Kaori might get infected with whatever this guy was suffering
with, but as she was the healer, he left handling the situation to her.
Kaori cast Magical Diagnostics on the man. The spell used her mana to investigate the
condition of her target, and displayed its findings on her Status Plate.
The results that came back were unexpected.
"Mana overload? The poison in his body is causing his mana to go berserk?"
"What'd you find, Kaori?"
"L-Look. This is what it says…"
Kaori showed her Status Plate to the rest of the party.
Status: The target's mana has overloaded and he is incapable of releasing the excess.
Symptoms: Fever, fainting, body pains, and ruptures of the capillary vessels.
Cause: A foreign liquid in the target's body.
"My guess is he drank something poisonous and that's what's causing his mana to go
berserk. And because he can't get rid of any of it, it's destroying his body from the
inside. At this rate all his blood vessels will rupture and he'll die. Even if that doesn't
kill him instantly, the blood loss will… Heaven's providence, grant succor to the
doomed— Renewal!"
Kaori cast the healing spell Renewal. It was an intermediate-rank healing spell that
dispelled status debuffs.
However…
"Oh no, it barely had any effect. How come? This spell can cure almost all status
effects… Does that mean the poison is too deeply ingrained into him now?"
Though it had succeeded in preventing the poison's spread, Kaori's Renewal had been
unable to actually cure him. The man groaned feebly in pain. His bleeding hadn't
stopped either. Kaori ground her teeth in frustration. She couldn't think of a way to
cure him, so for now she began to perform emergency treatment measures to keep his
condition from worsening.
"May the grace of light bless you in this holy sanctuary. No evil shall pass so long as I
hold the gates— Sanctorum!"
The high-level light spell Sanctorum allowed everyone within a set area to transfer
their mana to one another. Normally, Kaori used it to transfer her mana to her allies
and support them if they didn't have enough left to continue casting large-scale spells.
However, there was no restriction on who could transfer mana to whom. Furthermore,
the caster could forcibly transfer mana from one target to another, if they so wished.
In other words, it could function as a mana drain. But it took more time to drain mana
from a target than it did to transfer mana to them. Because of that restriction, it wasn't
suited to be used as a drain spell in combat.
Thanks to Kaori's extensive training, though, she'd shortened the incantation to the
point where it was fast enough to be practical even in combat. Hajime could tell just
how hard she'd worked to reach that point.
With Sanctorum in place, Kaori could begin siphoning mana from the young man.
Though the Status Plate had said it was impossible to release his excess mana, Kaori
hoped a powerful light spell would be able to forcibly drain it out of him anyway.
Purplish-white light enveloped the young man, making him look ethereal.
It made for a wondrous sight. Kaori closed her eyes and placed her hands over the
man's chest. After a few seconds of furious concentration, Kaori too began to be
enveloped in the same lavender light.
Yue and Tio murmured in exclamation at Kaori's impressive display of skill. As fellow
mages, they were even more appreciative of her abilities than Hajime.
"So pretty…" Myu muttered in Shea's arms.
Kaori didn't even notice her new comrades praising her. She was focused fully on her
task. She diverted the mana she drained from the man into the mana-absorbing
bracelet Hajime had gifted her with. It appeared Kaori's magic was able to overcome
whatever symptoms were preventing him from venting mana normally.
As an aside, Hajime had given her a bracelet and not a ring because he didn't want to
be misunderstood again.
The man's breathing began to sound less labored. The swelling of his blood vessels
stopped, and he stopped bleeding from his eyes and nose. Once she'd siphoned off
most of his mana, Kaori dispelled her Sanctorum and cast Heaven's Blessing on the
man to heal his internal injuries.
"He should be good for a little while, but I've only alleviated the symptoms. I still don't
know how to cure him. If I took too much of his mana he would've died from
exhaustion, so I could only drain a little bit. It's possible his mana might surge up and
go berserk again… Or he might start leaking mana until he dies. I've never seen these
symptoms before, so I'm not sure, but… Yue, Tio, do you two have any idea what this
could be?"
Kaori turned to Yue and Tio for help. A temporary fix like this was pointless if they
couldn't cure the underlying cause of his symptoms.
The two girls searched their vast memories, but nothing came to mind. In the end, they
still didn't understand what was wrong with him.
"Kaori, could you check us too, just in case? It's possible whatever he's sick with is
infectious. Well, if it's something that just makes your mana go berserk, at least Myu's
safe."
"Yes, that should be the case."
Kaori nodded and began diagnosing the rest of the party. Fortunately, it seemed none
of them were infected. Whatever the disease was, they were certain it didn't travel
through the air. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Around the same time, the young man groaned and opened his eyes. It seemed he'd
recovered enough to regain consciousness. He looked around slowly, his gaze stopping
on Kaori.
"A goddess? I see, you've come to take me…" he mumbled to himself.
He reached out a shaky hand toward Kaori. Annoyed, Hajime kicked him in the
stomach. The heat and sand had made him even more irritable than usual.
"Urgh!"
"H-Hajime-kun!?" Hajime ignored Kaori's outburst and asked the man what had
happened to him.
From what Hajime remembered, the man's clothes were the traditional garb of the
Ankajians. Ankaji sat at the largest oasis in the desert. All that knowledge he'd
amassed when he'd still been "useless" was starting to come in handy now. If Ankaji
had been struck by some unknown disease, that made Hajime's crossing much more
perilous. He was a lot more interested in the man's circumstances now.
Hajime's kick brought the man back to his senses, and he took a closer look at his
surroundings. Seeing Brise almost sent him into shock again, and he didn't calm down
until Kaori explained what was going on.
"I thought both me and the dukedom were doomed, but it seems god hasn't
abandoned me yet." The man muttered quietly.
I wonder what he'd think if he learned that god of his was actually a heartless monster?
Hajime looked up at the sky. If anything, that disease of his was probably a "present"
from his god.
"Hajime-kun. Let's move him to the car for now." The poor man was having difficulty
even standing. The heat of the desert had left him dehydrated. Hajime still had
questions he had to ask the man, so he couldn't have him dying just yet.
Sighing, Hajime nodded. He tossed the young man over his shoulder and carried him
to Brise. When he laid him down in the air-conditioned backseat, the man exclaimed
in surprise, "Is this the land of the gods!?"
Looks like he's still got some life left in him.
After chugging down a few bottles of water, the man had finally recovered enough to
speak coherently. His expression grew grim as he began to talk.
"First, let me thank you for saving my life. Had I died back there… Ankaji would have
been finished. My name is Bize Feuward Zengen. I'm the son of Ankaji's duke, Lanzwi
Feuward Zengen."
Well that's a surprise. Didn't think he'd be royalty.
The Dukedom of Ankaji was responsible for transporting all of the marine goods that
came out of Erisen. And Erisen was where 80% of the northern continent's marine
products came from.
In other words, Ankaji had a near monopoly on humanity's supply of seafood. Their
nobles were highly respected even within the Heiligh Kingdom.
Bize was just as surprised to hear the credentials of the people who'd saved him. Kaori
was one of Ehit's warriors, while Hajime, Yue, Shea, and Tio were all gold-ranked
adventurers.
"I see now, God! You sent your messenger down to save me!" The man exclaimed upon
learning who Kaori was.
She stared at him blankly. She hadn't realized he was addressing her.
Hajime activated his Intimidation and once again pressed Bize to explain what was
going on. Sweating profusely, Bize cleared his throat and began explaining.
According to him, this was what had happened:
Four days ago, many people in Ankaji succumbed to a fever of unknown cause. It had
come out of nowhere and struck 20,000 of the city's 270,000 people on the first day
alone. Of those 20,000, 3,000 had symptoms so severe they'd lost consciousness.
Doctors worked around the clock to try and figure out what the cause was, but it
eluded them. All they could do was delay the symptoms like Kaori had.
As the days passed, more and more victims appeared. Worse, many of the doctors fell
prey to it as well. Soon, there weren't enough doctors left to look after all the patients.
Finally, casualties started appearing. The remaining doctors were unable to siphon all
of the patients' mana, and those who went without treatment for too long died. The
city despaired. No one had heard of a disease that killed within two days of symptoms
first appearing.
On a hunch, one of the city's pharmacists cast Appraise Liquid on the city's water
supply.
Upon doing so, he discovered the wells had been tainted with a poison that made its
victims' mana go berserk. Fearing the worst, they quickly assembled an investigation
team to examine the oasis. As they'd expected, the oasis too had been poisoned.
For desert cities like Ankaji, oases were their lifeline. They were guarded twenty-four
seven, and maintaining them was the city's highest priority. It would have been nigh
impossible for an intruder to sneak past the guards and poison the oasis.
The investigation team couldn't fathom who'd done such a thing, or why. However,
they had bigger problems to worry about. This meant that the only drinkable water in
the city was whatever they'd gathered before the oasis had been poisoned. Plus, they
still had no idea how to save the people already infected.
Actually, that wasn't strictly true. They knew of one way that might save those already
infected.
A mineral known as stillstone. It was a special mineral that could silence mana near
it. It grew in small quantities inside the Grand Gruen Volcano to the north, and was
extremely valuable. Magical researchers often used it as a safeguard against accidents.
By crushing it into a powder, they could feed it to the patients and calm their
rampaging mana.
However, the distance between the city and the volcano was great. A round trip would
take one month at the least. And all of the adventurers skilled enough to delve the
Grand Gruen Volcano had already been knocked out by fever. Most adventurers didn't
even possess the strength to make it past the eternal sandstorm that raged around the
volcano.
Besides, even if they had capable adventurers left, they didn't have enough water to
outfit them for the journey there. Their only remaining option was to ask the kingdom
for help.
Of course, hoping the kingdom would provide Ankaji with enough water to slake the
city's thirst for a month was a long shot. However, hoping they would dispatch
adventurers capable enough to harvest stillstone in the meantime was even more of
one. Ankaji may have been a vital outpost for the kingdom, but it would still be normal
procedure for them to send an investigation team first. But by then it would be too
late.
Hence why it was necessary for someone of the influential Zengen family to personally
relay the situation and ask for immediate aid.
"Father, Mother, and even my sister were infected on the first day. We used what little
stillstone we had left to cure them, but they still haven't fully recovered from the
ordeal. They're definitely in no state to travel. Which is why I left Ankaji with my guard
yesterday to head to the capital. Since I hadn't shown any symptoms, I thought I hadn't
been infected… but I guess they were just delayed for me. I guess how long it takes for
symptoms to appear varies from person to person. I had been so preoccupied with the
events happening in the city that the possibility had never even occurred to me. I
should have taken some stillstone too, just in case. Every second wasted is another
precious Ankaji life gone… I can't believe I was so foolish!" He slammed a fist against
his knee, lamenting his own helplessness.
Worse, his guards had died protecting him from the sandworms. Nice to see that the
next duke of Ankaji is someone who cares about his people.
In a way, Bize had lucked out by being infected. It was the only thing that had kept the
sandworms from eating him too. The poison had made him collapse, but it was also
what had kept him alive, and what had led Hajime to investigating his location. Fate
truly was a fickle mistress.
"I would, that is to say, the dukedom of Ankaji would like to formally submit a request
to you. Please, lend me your strength."
Bize bowed his head low. Silence fell inside the car.
The sound of sand hitting the windows felt unnaturally loud. As the son of a duke, Bize
knew bowing his head to others wasn't to be done lightly. However, this might have
been his only chance to save his countrymen, so he couldn't afford to let pride get in
the way.
Everyone turned to look at Hajime. Though they were leaving the final decision to him,
it was obvious Kaori and Shea wanted to help. Kaori especially. As a Priestess, she felt
duty-bound to assist those in need. Tio and Yue didn't seem to care one way or another.
Myu was even more direct than the others.
"Daddy, we're going to help him, right?" Myu asked with all the innocence of a small
girl. She honestly believed that Hajime could do anything, no matter how absurd. He
was basically her hero. Seeing how both Myu and Kaori were clearly in favor, Hajime
shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
"Guess that settles it."
Shea and Tio giggled happily. Hajime turned his gaze to Yue and found her staring at
him with the same deadpan expression as always.
No matter what Hajime chose, Yue would always wholeheartedly support his decision.
Even if she didn't say it, he knew that was what she was thinking. He gently brushed
Yue's cheek before turning to Bize and accepting his request.
Hajime had been planning on visiting the Grand Gruen Volcano anyway. Plus, he'd
been planning on leaving Myu behind at Ankaji while he did so. Strong as he was, he
didn't want to bring a four-year-old girl somewhere that dangerous. He could easily
pick up the stillstone Bize needed during his quest to reach its center, and since Myu
was from a beastman tribe, she was safe from the epidemic that was ravaging Ankaji.
She didn't have any mana after all. Either way, all of Bize's problems were something
Hajime could solve without going out of his way.
"Hajime-dono, as you are a gold-ranked adventurer, I have no doubt you could easily
procure the stillstone that I need. However, we also need to solve my city's water
problem. Can anyone operate this Artifact, or only you, Hajime-dono?"
"Well, everyone here except Kaori and Myu can drive it, but… There's no need to go to
the capital. I'll do something about your water problem, so let's head back to Ankaji
for now."
"What exactly do you mean by 'do something about it'?" Bize had no doubt of Hajime's
prowess, but he doubted even a gold-ranked adventurer could procure enough water
to sustain hundreds of thousands out of nowhere. His doubt was to be expected.
However, there was one way to procure water that Bize hadn't thought of. Using strong
water magic to collect the moisture in the atmosphere.
Of course, most mages wouldn't be able to draw nearly enough water for that many
people, but Hajime had a genius magician within his party.
Yue.
And because she had multiple ways of restoring her mana quickly, she wouldn't even
tire doing it. At the very least, she'd be able to provide the town with water long
enough for Bize or his father to appeal to the kingdom for aid.
When Hajime told Bize as much, he was skeptical. However, it was also true that he
was in no condition to make it to the capital. So with a little persuasion from Kaori,
one of Ehit's trusted warriors, he finally gave in and agreed to return to Ankaji.
Bize was shocked to see how much ground Hajime could cover with Brise. However,
at that point, it was just one surprise among an endless parade of them. He had no
idea why a warrior of Ehit was traveling with these adventurers, why they had a Dagon
girl with them, why she called Hajime daddy, why a rabbitman was traveling with
them, or why the black-haired woman seemed so happy to be insulted. What he did
know, though, was that there was still hope left. And that very hope was what allowed
him to hold his head high as they continued their journey…
After a short drive, the walls of Ankaji shimmered into view. They were truly a sight to
behold, towering higher than even Fuhren's impressive ramparts. The walls and
buildings were all built from the same milky-white material, a stark contrast to the
brown that surrounded them.
One other thing of note was the pillars of light that jutted from the walls at regular
intervals. The pillars of light curved into each other and converged high in the sky,
creating a dome that covered the city. Whenever anything hit the dome, ripples spread
from the point of impact, as if someone had thrown a stone into a pond. It made for a
wondrous sight.
From what Hajime could tell, the dome seemed to protect the city from the elements.
The desert experienced fierce sandstorms every few months, so the dome was a
necessity for the people living there. It turned raging storms into merely a cloudy day
for the city's residents.
Hajime and the others approached the city gates, which were enshrouded in the same
veil of light. It stood to reason that even the gates would need to be ensorcelled if they
wanted to be sure of keeping sand out of the city. The gate guards had been mildly
surprised to see Brise, but their reactions had been far more subdued than most
people who saw it for the first time.
Ankaji's plight was likely occupying most of their attention. They were barely focusing
on their job. When they saw their lord sitting in Brise's backseat, however, they
instantly snapped to attention.
Ankaji's gate stood at a higher elevation than the rest of the city. Apparently that had
been done on purpose so that the first thing visitors would see was the entire city in
all its splendor.
The great oasis lay to the east, sparkling in the early afternoon sun. Great big palm
trees grew all around it. They were the first bit of green Hajime had seen since
entering the desert. Small canals branched out from the oasis, crisscrossing the rest
of the city. Though it lay in the middle of the desert, it seemed most people traveled
by boat. More trees dotted the streets, and there were entire squares that had been
converted into gardens.
To the north was the city's agricultural district. Hajime had read before that many fruit
species thrived in Ankaji's warm climate. And it seemed that had been no
exaggeration. The fruit groves stretched on past the horizon, further even than Hajime
could see with his Farsight. To the west was the royal palace. Unlike the milky-white
stone that seemed to be favored in the rest of the city, the palace was made of pure
white marble. It set it apart from the rest of the city, which likely had been the
intention of the architect. However, the effect was ruined somewhat by the crude
rectangular buildings that surrounded it on all sides. Hajime assumed they were other
administrative buildings.
Despite being in the middle of a desert, there was more water here than Hajime had
seen in any other city.
"It looks… amazing."
"Yeah… It's a beautiful city."
Hajime and Yue muttered, stunned. The others all exclaimed in awe as well.
"But… it feels empty," Myu said quietly. She was right. Despite its magnificent
appearance, an air of gloom hung over the city.
Normally, the city squares would be bustling with traders haggling over fruit and fish
prices and tourists exploring the city's marvels. Right now, however, the streets were
practically empty. Everyone was hiding in their houses, as if waiting out a storm. An
eerie silence filled the streets.
"I wish I could have shown you what the city looked like before the plague struck. At
any rate, my apologies, but we have no time to waste. I promise I'll show you around
the city once this crisis has been averted. For now, though, we must make for the
palace. I need to report to my father."
Hajime nodded, and the party headed toward the palace.
"Father!"
"Bize! What happened… Wait, what in Ehit's name is that!?" The party had been able
to head straight to the audience hall without being asked any questions thanks to Bize.
Though he was still weak from the poison, it seemed Lanzwi had forced himself to
continue working, using a combination of healing magic and guts to maintain
consciousness.
His son had gone out to request aid just yesterday. That wasn't nearly enough time to
make it to the capital and back. However, what surprised Lanzwi's more than his son's
early return was the state he was in.
It was only natural. After all, Bize was floating in the air.
To be precise, he was lying on a Cross Bit that was floating in the air.
Though he'd managed to recover a little during the car ride to Ankaji, he was still in
no state to walk.
Kaori had offered to lend him her shoulder, but he'd refused, giving excuses like "I
couldn't possibly ask one of Ehit's chosen warriors to carry me…" Hajime hadn't liked
the bashful look he was giving Kaori, so he'd interrupted them by forcibly putting Bize
on a Cross Bit.
Hajime wasn't jealous of Bize. That was what Kaori had thought, but in truth he just
didn't want to have to deal with people being jealous of her affection for him. He'd
already had enough of that with Kouki and Hiyama.
Bize clung to the Cross Bit, afraid of falling off, as he explained what had happened to
his father. Once he'd explained the situation, a butler came and gave him a small vial
of powdered stillstone. The stillstone, combined with Kaori's healing magic, was
enough to get Bize back on his feet. He wasn't fully recovered just yet, but it was still a
far cry better than how he had been minutes ago.
The biggest issue was that this still hadn't cured him. The stillstone could suppress the
symptoms, but the root cause of his mana going berserk, the poison, was still running
through his veins. Though it was possible his body would eventually be able to expel
the toxin. All they could do for now was wait and see.
"Alright, let's get moving. Kaori and Shea, you two go check up on the patients. Take
all the empty magic stones with you. The rest of us are going to get the city some water.
Lord Lanzwi, is there a wide open space anywhere in the city? At least two hundred
square meters large, if possible."
"Huh? Oh yes, there's one in the agricultural district…"
"That's where we're headed, then. Shea, once the magic stones are saturated, bring
them over to Yue."
Hajime swiftly gave out orders. His plan was simple. Kaori would use her Sanctorum
to drain the infected people's mana just like she had to Bize. Then, she'd siphon that
mana into the empty magic stones Shea would bring her. Once they were full, Shea
would pass them to Yue, who'd use the mana to create water.
Hajime would then use his Transmutation to create a makeshift reservoir to store all
of that water in, after which he would start investigating the oasis. If he could analyze
the poison he'd solve the city's problem first. If he couldn't, he'd head to the volcano
like he'd originally planned. Simple, but efficient.
Everyone set about their respective tasks.
Kaori and Shea headed off to the makeshift hospitals that had been set up near the
palace, while Lanzwi, along with his guards and attendants, led Hajime, Yue, Tio, and
Myu to the largest open area in Ankaji.
The open field was over three times as large as Hajime's minimum specifications had
been. The area was normally used to grow crops, but it had been left fallow this year
to let the soil replenish.
Lanzwi still wasn't convinced Hajime could do what he claimed. If it turned out it was
all some sort of elaborate trick, he would order Hajime executed on the spot.
His town was in desperate need of water, and he had no time to waste on charlatans.
He'd only agreed to this crazy idea at all because he had no better options.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Lanzwi's suspicions proved unfounded.
Though there was no wind, Yue's hair started to flutter. The air became so saturated
with mana that it glowed gold.
Yue was using one of the spells she'd created with the ancient magic she'd acquired.
"Asura." A swirling black sphere appeared above the empty farmland.
The sphere stretched and flattened until it had morphed into a rectangle 200 square
meters in size. After a brief pause, the rectangle silently sank into the ground, crushing
the earth beneath it.
A massive depression formed where the rectangle had been.
Asura had gouged the earth with such force that it caused a localized earthquake. The
shaking stopped relatively quickly, the earth's cries of protest fading away.
In an instant, Yue had created a massive reservoir to store all the water she was about
to summon.
Hajime snuck a glance at Lanzwi and saw that his jaw was nearly hitting the floor. Him
and his attendants were flabbergasted by what had just happened. They were all at a
loss for words, which was the only reason they weren't screaming in shock.
Yue breathed a tired sigh. She'd only unleashed Asura at half strength, so it hadn't
drained all of her mana. However, it had still taken a lot of effort to cast.
She could replenish her mana using the jewelry set Hajime had given her, but she
wanted to save what was stored in there for the volcano. There wouldn't be any time
to restock in between, so the more she used now, the less she'd have later. And since
she wasn't in the middle of a fight, she had the time to replenish her mana using an
alternate method.
Yue let her body fall backward. She didn't bother taking a falling stance or anything.
After all, she knew she wasn't going to hit the ground. As she'd expected, Hajime
caught her in his arms.
He lifted Yue up and turned her around. Yue smiled faintly and wrapped her arms
around Hajime's neck.
She brought her face close to his—
"Thanks." Then bit into his neck.
Drops of blood spilled forth. Yue ran her tongue down Hajime's neck, making sure to
lap up every last bit of his blood. Yue had always acted more mature than her
appearance would suggest, but she looked downright seductive when she was
drinking Hajime's blood.
The bloodsucking went on for a good few minutes. The way Yue moaned softly
between gulps made it almost seem like a sexual act. Despite the fact that having your
blood sucked should have been something to fear, most of the men were watching
Hajime with a look of longing on their faces.
Only Lanzwi had the presence of mind to maintain an austere expression. He
recovered from his surprise and organized his thoughts. His breathing was labored
and his eyes slightly bloodshot, but surely he wasn't thinking of anything lewd.
Off to the side, Tio watched with an ecstatic expression on her face. She at least still
had the presence of mind to cover Myu's eyes, though. Some things were too
stimulating for a four-year-old girl to see.
Myu squirmed and complained, but she couldn't break free from Tio's boob prison.
Once her mana was fully replenished, Yue removed her fangs from Hajime's neck. She
looked up at him and kissed him, her lips still stained with his own blood.
The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes for a few seconds until a loud cough
brought them back to reality. Lanzwi couldn't bear to see much more of this or his selfcontrol would crumble too. Hajime and Yue smiled awkwardly at each other… before
turning away from the group and kissing again.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Whether we can see you or not isn't the problem here. There's
a mountain of things I'd like to ask about the bloodsucking and all, but first could you
get us that water you promised!?"
Lanzwi was so nonplussed that he dropped his regal facade for a few seconds. Hajime
and Yue shrugged their shoulders and reluctantly got back to work.
Hajime hopped down into the reservoir and brought Brise out of his Treasure Trove.
He drove it around the reservoir, using his Ore Desynthesis skill to separate out the
components of the soil that could absorb water from those that couldn't. Once that
was done, he coated the surface of the reservoir with a thin layer of metal.
After he finished coating the floor, Yue stuck her arms out and cast a high-level water
spell.
"Tidal Wave." As the name suggested, Tidal Wave was a spell that blasted its opponent
with a wave of water.
Normally, the wave wouldn't be that huge, but Yue's spells were on a completely
different level than those of an average mage. She summoned forth a wave 150 meters
wide and 100 meters tall. It flowed into the reservoir, filling it up a few centimeters.
The reservoir was large enough to hold 200,000 tons of water. Yue repeated the
process multiple times, stopping every so often to suck Hajime's blood. But he didn't
have an infinite supply of blood, and by the time Yue had gotten the reservoir half-full,
he was starting to get anemic.
If he lost any more, he'd probably faint. Fortunately, it was then that Shea came
running over. Her arms were laden with magic stones Kaori had filled. Though she'd
only drained a little from each patient, she'd already gone through thousands of
people. Altogether, it was quite a lot of mana. What was even more impressive was
that it had only been two hours since Kaori had started draining people. It was easy to
forget because of how ridiculous Hajime and the others' abilities were, but Kaori was
pretty overpowered herself.
Shea handed Yue all of her magic stones and ran back to help Kaori. A few hours later,
the reservoir was filled to the brim with pure, drinkable water.
"This is unbelievable…" Lanzwi muttered to himself. He was staring at a reservoir of
water nearly as large as the oasis itself. And it had been made from nothing in the span
of a few hours. He didn't even know what to say.
"This should last you guys for some time. All that's left now is to investigate the oasis…
If we can't purify it, then you should send a messenger to the capital for help. The
water here should be enough to sustain you until then."
"O-Okay. There's still a mountain of questions I have for you, but… thank you. Truly.
You've saved my people. Let me guide you to the oasis."
Lanzwi still hadn't completely recovered from his shock, but he knew now that Hajime
and his friends were people he could trust. He no longer suspected them of having
ulterior motives.
The party headed east, toward the great oasis.
They arrived at a vast sparkling expanse of pure blue water. It was hard to believe
something that looked so clear was poisoned. However…
"Hm?"
"Hajime?"
Hajime narrowed his eyes, focusing his gaze on a certain location. Yue tilted her head,
noticing the slight shift in his demeanor.
"It's just, my Demon Eye sensed something… Duke, what areas did your investigation
team check?"
"According to the report, they examined the oasis itself, the rivers that split off from it,
and the nearby wells. They also examined the underground reservoir. I'm sure my son
already told you what we found. The underground reservoirs were the only places that
hadn't been poisoned. Basically, we examined everything within a few meters of the
oasis. Though we haven't explored the bottom of it yet."
"Is there an artifact or anything sitting at the bottom of the oasis?"
"Huh? No. We use a few artifacts to secure the oasis, but nothing's been placed inside
the oasis itself. Normally, the barrier artifact we have in place would make it
impossible to pollute the oasis. This is the first time something like this has ever
happened."
The barrier artifact Lanzwi was referring to was known as the Judgment of Truth. It
was also the source of the dome of light that protected Ankaji.
It allowed things essential for life, like air and water through, while keeping sand and
other nuisances out. The wielder of the Judgment of Truth decided what could and
couldn't pass through it. Not only that, it could be used as a sensor. Like its barrier
component, what it was set to detect was up to its wielder. As it incorporated dark
magic into its design, the Judgment of Truth could even be set to react to certain
thoughts.
In other words, if Lanzwi had set it to detect anyone who meant the oasis harm, it
should have reacted when the person who poisoned the oasis entered the city. That
was if Lanzwi had set it like that. Only he knew how he'd formatted the Judgment of
Truth. At present, security around the oasis was thin. It had already been polluted, and
so many people were going to and from the oasis that Lanzwi had seen little point in
keeping a tight guard around it.
"Huh. So what's that, then?"
Hajime turned away from Lanzwi, who was clenching his fists in frustration, and
pointed to the center of the oasis. His Demon Eye had sensed something emitting
mana from the bottom of the oasis.
Lanzwi looked up in surprise. He couldn't believe there was something he wasn't
aware of inside there.
Hajime walked up to the water and pulled out something shaped like a water bottle
from his Treasure Trove. He then started pouring mana into it. Once he was done, he
casually threw it into the oasis, backing up toward Yue as he did. Lanzwi shot him a
questioning stare, but Hajime didn't say anything. Just as Lanzwi was about to run out
of patience, there was a huge explosion and a massive pillar of water erupted from the
center of the oasis. Lanzwi's jaw dropped open.
"Tch, it's faster than I thought… Or wait, maybe its defense is just really high?"
Hajime pulled out a dozen more of his water bottle-shaped explosives and tossed them
into the oasis. A few seconds later, another massive spout of water erupted from the
center of the oasis.
What he'd thrown were actually custom torpedoes that he'd designed. He'd made
them in preparation for their expedition into Melusine. According to Miledi, the
sunken ruins were, shockingly, underwater, so Hajime had designed a few prototype
torpedoes. And this mystery object had seemed like a perfect test dummy. So far, it
appeared while their firepower was sufficient, his torpedoes were lacking in speed
and tracking capabilities. Guess I need to refine my design.
Hajime had added ore enchanted with Sense Presence and Tracking into his
torpedoes. Once they locked onto a target, they would chase after it until they got
within the blast radius and then explode. Right now he'd had them lock onto whatever
that mysterious thing in the water was.
"Hey! What are you doing, Hajime-dono!? Ah, you just destroyed the pier! I can see
chunks of fish floating up from everywhere! The whole oasis is turning red!"
"Tch. Still not good enough? Fine, maybe fifty will do the trick…"
Hajime ignored Lanzwi's anguished screams and stepped forward, preparing for an
even grander attack. Lanzwi's guards clung to Hajime, begging him not to do it.
They couldn't see the thing Hajime was trying to destroy, so to them it looked like he'd
just suddenly started throwing explosives into the oasis. He'd already destroyed the
pier and killed countless fish, and they needed to stop him before the damage got any
worse.
As the Judgment of Truth didn't react, Lanzwi could tell Hajime wasn't trying to harm
the oasis. However, that only made his destructive actions more confusing. Regardless,
Lanzwi and his guards had a duty to protect the oasis.
Annoyed, Hajime brushed Lanzwi's guards off. But before he could throw his next
batch of torpedoes—
"Ah!?" Countless tentacles of water suddenly shot out of the oasis and headed straight
for Hajime.
Hajime pulled out Donner and Schlag and started shooting them down. Yue froze as
many of them as she could, while Tio evaporated the rest with fire magic.
Lanzwi stared, slack-jawed at the surprising chain of events that had unfolded one
after another. Infuriated by Hajime's constant bombardment, the water rose up.
Seemingly defying gravity, it created a mound ten meters high.
"What… in Ehit's name…" Lanzwi's hushed voice carried surprisingly far.
The water morphed from a mound into a horrific creature. Numerous tentacles
wriggled all over its body, and there was a glowing red mana crystal at its center. It
resembled the slimes Hajime had seen in video games.
However, its size was on a completely different level. It was ten times larger than any
slime Hajime had ever seen. Also, the slimes Hajime remembered hadn't possessed
the ability to manipulate water. Nor had they shot water tentacles at people.
"What… What kind of monster is this? Some kind of… Bachulum, maybe?" Lanzwi tried
to make sense of what he was seeing. Bachulum was the scientific name given to the
slime species of monsters in Tortus.
"Well, it doesn't really matter what it is. That's the thing that's polluting your oasis. Its
unique magic probably has something to do with releasing toxins or something."
"That would certainly make sense. Still, how are you going to defeat it?" The Bachulum
had been attacking continually, even while Hajime and Lanzwi had been talking.
However, Yue and Tio had kept its tentacles at bay.
Hajime, too, had been firing Donner and Schlag continually while talking. He was
trying to find an opening to shoot the Bachulum's core, but it kept moving around
inside the slime, making it hard for Hajime to get a clear shot. It was as if it had a will
of its own.
Lanzwi had gotten so used to being surprised that Hajime's insanely powerful
artifacts, his guns, didn't even faze him. Instead, he calmly asked whether or not
Hajime had a plan to deal with the Bachulus.
"Hmmm… Ah, don't worry. I've got it."
Hajime barely registered Lanzwi's question and gave a perfunctory reply. His entire
focus was on the whizzing mana crystal inside the slime. After a few seconds, he
holstered Schlag and held Donner with both hands.
Then, he wrapped his left arm around his right, bent his left elbow, and spread his feet
slightly apart, with his right foot slightly in front of his left. He was copying the Weaver
Stance he'd seen back on earth. If he wanted to get the mana crystal, he'd need ungodly
precision.
Hajime's eyes were as sharp as a hawk, and he'd finally grasped the crystal's
movement patterns.
He held the stance for a few seconds, silently waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Bang! A single streak of light trailed through the sky. The mana crystal moved directly
into the bullet's path, as if it had been magnetically pulled toward it.
It was a clean hit, and the crystal shattered into a thousand pieces. With the slime
dead, there was nothing left to control the water. It fell back into the oasis with a
splash. Waves of water rippled out from the point of impact, as if signaling an end to
the town's pollution problem.
"Is it over?"
"Should be. I don't sense any mana in the oasis anymore. Though I don't know if getting
rid of the monster also purified the water."
Lanzwi couldn't believe Hajime had solved their crisis so easily. Ankaji had been on
the verge of ruin and he'd just waltzed in and fixed everything. One of his attendants
hurried over to the water and appraised the oasis' quality.
"How is it?"
"The water's still polluted…"
Lanzwi had been hopeful, but his attendant shook his head. People who'd drank
directly from the oasis had gotten sick as well, so everyone had known it was poisoned
from the start. Still, it was disappointing that killing the slime hadn't also purified the
water.
"Now now, there's no need to feel so depressed. Now that the source is gone, poisoned
water will stop spreading everywhere. The underground reservoir should still be
clean, so if you dispose of all the infected water you can replace it with that. Then,
you'll have your old oasis back." Tio tried to comfort Lanzwi and the others. Their
gloomy expressions perked up a little, and they started thinking about how to revive
their city. Their determination and unity showed Hajime just how much the citizens
and their lord cared about the city. Even in these dire straits, no one was thinking of
abandoning Ankaji.
"But just what kind of monster was that Bachulum-like thing…? Was it some new
species that found its way to the oasis through one of the underground tunnels?"
Lanzwi tilted his head and stared at the oasis.
Hajime was the one who provided him with an answer.
"It was… probably the work of the demons, right?"
"Demons!? Hajime-dono, you must have some basis for making that accusation, right?"
Lanzwi quickly recovered from his initial surprise and pressed Hajime for more
information. After seeing how swiftly Hajime had dealt with both their water issue
and the monster, Lanzwi had a lot of respect for him. Never again would he doubt
Hajime's abilities.