The Water That Should Heal
The Morning in Arcanretia usually came loud. Bells rang, followers shouted blessings, and Aqua received praise before she was fully awake. Today was loud too—but something underneath it felt wrong.
Ruko noticed it first while walking through the main street with Kazuma. People were still smiling, still chanting, but their steps were slower. A man leaning against a wall wiped sweat from his forehead despite the cool air. A woman sitting on a bench pressed a hand to her stomach, face pale, trying to laugh it off as fatigue.
Kazuma frowned. "Is it just me, or does everyone look like they pulled an all-nighter?" "It's not just you," Ruko said calmly. His voice was normal, but his eyes were already moving, taking in details. "It's seems they're getting weak. Like theirs no injured. Just drained in sickness."
"We better go to Aqua so she can know what is going on here," Ruko stated. "Yeah it's seems like this is not a good time for downsides." They went we're there many crowd we're being in worst ways. And by there they see Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness. Ruko shouted. "Hey guys what is going on here!"
"Oh hey Ruko, Kazuma. I'm not sure myself since ever that I saw everyone outside seems different. So I just came here to see what's the problem." Aqua stated. "Yeah like Aqua said, even though..." Megumin pause for a moment.
"I'm not sure what's going on but we need to go we're they end up this way." Darkness blunted. "Yeah I just ask someone and he said it was the hot spring. That is were we should go." "Yeah what Ruko said that is were we should go so let's move there see for ourselves!"
They reached the public hot spring plaza, the pride of Arcanretia. Steam rose as usual, but the place was quieter than it should have been. A few people sat at the edge instead of soaking. One man stepped out of the water, staggered, and had to be caught by a nearby Axis follower.
Aqua strode ahead, hands on her hips. "Alright, everyone, line up! Goddess Aqua is here to bless—" She stopped. Her expression shifted. Not panic. Not fear. Confusion. "…That's strange."
Kazuma immediately looked at her. "What is?" "The water," Aqua said slowly. "It's not dirty. It's not cursed. But it's not clean either."
Megumin leaned closer to the spring, careful not to touch it. "That's a very unhelpful explanation." Aqua knelt and dipped her fingers into the pool. The moment she did, her brows furrowed. "This shouldn't be possible." Darkness tilted her head. "Impossible.. how so?"
Aqua stood up. "My divine authority should purify this instantly. But it's resisting. Like it's being overwritten." That word made Ruko's attention sharpen. "Overwritten by what?" he asked. Aqua hesitated. "Something persistent. Something that doesn't disappear when you scrub it away."
Kazuma crossed his arms. "You mean something like poison." Aqua snapped her fingers. "Yes! But not normal poison. This is… layered. It's soaking into the source." As if on cue, a shout rose from the far end of the plaza. An Axis follower collapsed, foam at his lips, though he was still conscious. Panic rippled through the crowd.
"He just drank the water!" someone yelled. Ruko moved without raising his voice. "Kazuma, keep people back from the springs. Megumin, no explosions. Darkness, crowd control." Darkness straightened immediately. "Understood."
Kazuma blinked. "Since when did you sound like a team leader?" "Since now, and it's not the time for that." Ruko replied, already walking. He crouched near the edge of the spring, pulling a small vial from his pack. He dipped it carefully, watching the liquid inside react. It shimmered faintly, then dulled.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "This isn't natural." Aqua knelt beside him. "You can tell?" "I can tell it doesn't belong here," Ruko said. "This isn't something dumped in. It's something that's been feeding." Megumin frowned. "Feeding?"
"On time," Ruko said. "But it seems neglected."
Aqua's face darkened. "Someone poisoned my city." Kazuma grimaced. "Don't say it like that. You'll just makes it worse." "It is worse," Aqua snapped. "This water is connected to the waterfall upstream. If the source is compromised—"
"Then everything downstream is too caught up in it," Ruko finished. Silence followed. Darkness broke it. "So this wasn't an accident." "No," Ruko said. "It's seems we're dealing with deliberate. Slow. Smart certain creature." Aqua clenched her fists. "A Demon General." Megumin's eyes widened slightly. "You're sure?"
Aqua nodded. "Only one of them would dare poison a holy land indirectly. Someone who knows fighting me head-on would fail." Ruko straightened, his expression steady. "Poison slime." Aqua looked at him sharply. "You know?"
"I know the type," Ruko said. "They don't rush. They wait for systems to fail on their own." "And I watch Konosuba so yeah I know. But ...it seems my memory gets hazy when I wanna know the situation without getting to conflict." Ruko thoughts.
Kazuma exhaled. "Great. So we're being killed politely, oh i love NOT." More people were sitting now. Some vomiting. Some too weak to stand. Axis followers tried to keep morale up, but their voices shook. Aqua stood, her usual confidence gone, replaced by something heavier. Responsibility.
"I can slow it," she said. "Purify what's already affected. But I can't reach the source from here." Megumin crossed her arms. "Then we go to the source." "The waterfall," Kazuma muttered. "Of course it's the waterfall then what could it be." Ruko nodded. "That's where this started. Or where it's anchored."
Aqua looked at him. "You're injured from Beldiaa month ago. You should stay since you take long to recover." Ruko met her gaze evenly. "If I stay, I worry. If I go, I act. Pick one." Kazuma sighed. "I hate that I agree with him." A priest ran up, panic clear on his face.
"Lady Aqua! People are getting sick faster now!" Aqua closed her eyes briefly, then opened them with resolve. "Seal off the springs. No one drinks the water. I'll handle the rest." She turned to the party. "We head upstream. Now."
As they moved out, Ruko walked beside Kazuma. "This Demon General," Kazuma said quietly. "Why didn't he show himself." "That's the point," Ruko replied. "It seems power doesn't always announce itself." Kazuma glanced at him. "You're way too calm about this."
Ruko shrugged lightly. "I don't plan to panic. It wastes energy. We're already behind." Ahead of them, the sound of rushing water grew louder. The waterfall loomed in the distance, mist rising into the air.
Ruko felt it then—a faint pressure at the back of his senses. Not danger yet. More like a presence that knew it had been noticed. "Yeah," he murmured under his breath. "You're there. You son of a bitch and we will end you." Whatever was poisoning Arcanretia wasn't finished. And it wasn't running. Jjut waiting for the right time to strike.