Chapter 29 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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I wrapped mana around my glove and placed my hand on the dirt ground.
The ants crawling nearby changed direction and scurried about before suddenly climbing onto my glove all at once.
Even after I shook my hand once, the ants climbed back up onto it.
"The ants are contaminated too?"
"Yeah."
No contaminated insects had appeared even during the protagonist's visit. He had sneaked around some restricted areas while hiding his identity, and back then, he had just gleefully beaten down the contaminated vertebrates.
"Good thing we came. Let's figure out why the insects are contaminated."
"You don't think they experimented on insects too?"
"There are all sorts of possibilities."
Would they really go out of their way to catch moths and ants and bring them back for experiments? And not just one or two, but whole swarms?
Sure, there could be reasons we don't know about, but it was more reasonable to assume the entire area was contaminated.
I brushed away the ants and swept up some dirt from a spot without them. The soil clung together stickily between my fingers without falling apart.
"It's pretty moist."
"Guess the rain hasn't dried up yet. There's a swamp nearby too."
This was a problem.
With the mana diluted by being washed away by water, it was impossible to tell if this came from contaminated animals or was evidence of an attempt to contaminate the area itself.
"Let's check out the swamp."
After walking for a while and catching a pile of contaminated rats along the way, we finally reached the swamp.
Sitting on the embankment, I dipped my hand into the swamp, and a different energy swirled around my fingertips than before.
Leo muttered,
"The mud here isn't right from the start. It's a miracle it hasn't spread farther."
"The swamp's the source."
It had been that way in the novel too.
I stood up and walked along the swamp, which stretched out like a stream.
Sure enough, with every step, I saw contaminated animals half-submerged in the swamp, dead.
Sitting back on the embankment, I pressed my wand to the swamp's surface and channeled divine power to purify it.
Unless we eradicated the demonic beasts at the root, we'd have to purify it periodically, but for now, this would do.
The issue was that the swamp was unchanged, so why were insects contaminated unlike in the novel?
Which meant the insects weren't contaminated by the swamp.
'The novel's already starting to change bit by bit.'
I'd gotten all the information I could here.
"Leo, let's head back."
"Already?"
"I want to do some investigating. Animals occasionally slip through barriers sometimes, so insects could too."
"This is a low-grade restricted zone... Yeah, they'd get through easy enough."
Leo answered nonchalantly, then furrowed his brow as if he couldn't stop there.
"Some bug that bites people must've gotten out and caused trouble. Let's find out when the problems started."
* * *
"Strange symptoms?"
"Yes. Has anyone complained of odd symptoms in the past month? Even unknown illnesses or sudden pains that came and went briefly. And anything about insects or bugs, no matter how minor—tell me everything."
Back at the office, I opened my notebook, ready to jot down the administrator's words.
"Nothing like that... Oh, about bugs, I did hear someone griping about mosquitoes out in the cold weather. They were complaining like crazy about why autumn mosquitoes itch more than summer ones."
This was the empire's northernmost tip, so from late October—right now—it already felt like midwinter.
Not exactly mosquito weather.
"Nothing else?"
"Not that I know of."
I closed my notebook and stood.
"Thanks for your answers. Mind if I take a quick look around the village...?"
Before I could finish, the door burst open.
People in uniforms filed in and lined up against one wall.
The administrator froze, stood awkwardly from his seat at their arrival.
The people bowed politely toward Leo.
"Welcome to Mephen, Your Highness, Crown Prince of Bayern."
* * *
"...This is awkward."
Once the others had stepped out briefly, Leo muttered just loud enough for me to hear.
He really did look flustered.
We'd avoided mentioning our visit anywhere to prevent exactly this.
The sudden arrivals were retainers from the local baron's family.
The baron himself was away on military duty, so his aides had come to pay respects to the visiting noble.
We moved to the baron's manor as they suggested, to hear more while we were at it.
Sipping tea with the aide, I brought up the same questions I'd asked the administrator.
The aide stroked his chin, drawing out his words.
"Strange symptoms... Hmm. One of the manor servants' skin conditions did worsen."
"When did that start?"
"About two weeks ago, from what I heard."
"Any bug bites?"
"It came up after that, but there was talk of bedbug bites with blisters that haven't healed yet. I introduced him to a doctor the day before yesterday."
I nodded and scribbled it down.
'Not easy to pin down.'
Mild symptoms get brushed off, hard to remember specially.
"Any issues in the contamination zone?"
"Just investigating. Thanks."
Then someone knocked and entered.
"Sir Heinz has arrived."
"Ah, I'll step out for a moment. Make yourselves comfortable."
"Yes."
Silence fell after the aide left.
Reviewing my notes, I turned to Leo.
"This isn't straightforward."
"Yeah. Lots of suspicious stories, but hard to confirm if contaminated insects caused them."
"Hmm..."
What to do.
Leo continued right away.
"Let's at least patrol the village. If insects made it this far, they've been breeding for a while. We need to find nests, check for contamination signs."
"No choice, I guess."
We had to head back to school in a few hours—better move fast.
I started to stand, then froze.
Leo turned when my footsteps stopped.
"What's up?"
"Leo, you go alone."
"What now? You?"
"I've got work here."
There was a far more efficient way than wandering around.
* * *
"Sir Nikolaus, we've already passed a hundred people."
"That's enough. Close it up."
I couldn't keep getting called an attendant or blue-eyed hunter, so I made up a pseudonym.
I'd borrowed a room in the old monastery now used as a school.
'...Not sure you can call it a room, though.'
It was a room, but... big enough to gather 500 for a speech.
Just needed a desk and two chairs, but they gave me this absurdly spacious place.
"Ah, ah."
...
Echoes.
I stood immediately and requested a different room.
The baron's retainer, who'd been smugly smiling beside me, looked flustered and guided me to a room on the opposite corridor.
It was classroom-sized, with a reception table and chairs.
"This'll do. We'll take this one."
"You're sure such cramped quarters are acceptable...?"
"Much better than the last one."
They'd probably picked the first for good press photos, but a place where every sound echoed wouldn't work for proper investigations.
The retainer nodded reluctantly, looking disappointed.
"Very well, Sir Nikolaus. Sending people in now."
"Yes."
Soon, an old man cautiously opened the door, sat before me with an awestruck expression, clasped his hands, and muttered something.
"Thank you, thank you, sir. May God's blessings be upon you."
"...Ah, yes. Thank you."
I barely managed a reply, failing to hide my surprise.
A bit startling, but there was a reason for such words.
Locals rarely encountered magic except from outsiders, and divine power even less.
And I planned to purify people with divine power from here on.
It was a ploy to draw in those who'd experienced recent odd changes.
Of course, no one was deathly ill, but some might want a cleric's—divine power meant priest to them—purification anyway.
That was the point—no issue.
Focusing on healing might raise psychological barriers for mild cases, so framing it as religious charity beat medical magic.
After over fifty people, I called for a break and checked my records.
'One tick-related skin issue, four mosquito bites.'
Ticks were fine.
But the latter bore watching.
Bitten by mosquitoes two weeks ago—skin turned purple like a bruise, then back after two days.
"Let's resume."
I swallowed a painkiller and called out.
Soon, a young man entered, cradling a baby in his arms.
"Hello, sir."
"What brings you here?"
"My skin's not great, but actually, could you look at my baby?"
He showed me the infant.
'Hmm.'
The skin was discolored an ugly bluish-purple, pus filling the joints.
Color-wise, similar to the mosquito bite cases.
"It's been a week since we saw a doctor, but no medicine helps. They say magical medicine's needed, but cost is an issue..."
I recited the purification rite in my head, then infused divine power into the baby's pulse. The blue tinge drained from one arm, slowly restoring normal color.
The young man, dour-faced throughout, furrowed his brow and gasped.
"...!"
"Looks like mana contamination."
I modulated the power to avoid organ damage, but slowing it let the blue spread back.
After a fierce struggle, I finally purged the contaminated mana from the whole body.
The young man clutched his now-healthy baby and cried out.
"Thank you! Truly, thank you. How can I ever repay...?"
"Just answer my questions. Seen any mosquitoes?"
"Mosquitoes? Yes. They didn't die off this year—still around. Or thought they died, but they came back... So last week, villagers scoured the riverbanks."
"When did mosquito talk start?"
"Don't remember exactly, but around St. Luke's Day."
Mid-October.
About two weeks ago.
Fifth such story.
"That's detailed enough. Did it reduce them?"
"No. Not many, so folks said leave 'em. Even after fixing the river, no change..."
Fat chance.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
They needed to burn the whole restricted zone, not tinker with river swamps.
Brief skin discoloration? No big deal before. But the baby's state changed my mind.
'Play this right, and it could spread huge.'
Useful.
From Pleroma's view, anyway.
If post-experiment, contaminated mana residue wasn't it, but drugs or spells used on insects directly?
Or contaminate mana dozens of times stronger for a weapon?
Pleroma's jackpot, church's turning point. Empire? Handing the country to a cult chasing eternal youth formulas for revival experiments.
'Bigger scale than I thought.'
Solving this massive issue would yield big gains too.
I didn't care about the empire's welfare with their handling, but worth tackling.
Could make it Nikolaus's first achievement, solidifying support.
Ding!
Starting 'Route 1 ― [Chapter 4. Dripping Water Hollows Out Stone (2)]'.
「Chapter 4. Dripping Water Hollows Out Stone (2)」
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