I infused my gloves with magic and placed my hands on the ground.
Ants roaming nearby changed their direction and started climbing onto my gloves.
Even after shaking them off once, the ants crawled back up my hands.
"Are the ants corrupted too?"
"Yes."
Even in the protagonist's visit, corrupted insects didn't appear. The protagonist, disguised, inspected several restricted zones and simply fought corrupted vertebrates.
"Good thing we came. Let's figure out why the insects are corrupted."
"You think they didn't experiment on insects too?"
"There could be many reasons."
Is there really a need to catch and experiment on moths and ants, not just a few but in groups?
There might be reasons we don't know, but it makes more sense to see the entire region as contaminated.
I brushed away the ants and gathered some soil. The soil clumped between my fingers, not separating easily.
"It's very wet."
"Looks like the rain hasn't dried up yet. Plus, there's a swamp nearby."
This complicates things.
With the tiny amount of remaining magic, it's hard to tell if this came from corrupted animals or if it's evidence of an attempt to contaminate the area.
"Let's head to the swamp."
After walking for a while and catching a pile of corrupted rats, we finally reached the swamp.
Sitting on the bank, I dipped my hand into the water and felt a different current around my fingertips.
Leo murmured.
"The soil here isn't in good condition. It's a wonder it hasn't spread further."
"The swamp must be the cause."
That's how it was in the novel.
I stood up and walked along the long, narrow swamp.
As expected, with each step, I saw corrupted animals half-submerged and dead in the swamp.
Sitting by the bank again, I placed my wand on the surface of the swamp and channeled divine power to purify it.
Without eliminating the monsters, regular purification would be needed, but for now, this will have to do.
The problem is that while the swamp remains unchanged, the insects are corrupted, unlike in the novel.
So, the insects weren't corrupted by the swamp.
'The novel is already changing bit by bit.'
Now, I've gathered all the information I can here.
"Leo, let's head back."
"Already?"
"I need to investigate more. Some animals occasionally breach the barrier, so insects might too."
"Since this is a low-level restricted zone… it's possible."
Leo answered nonchalantly but then frowned, speechless.
"Surely there have been instances of bugs biting people and causing issues. Let's find out when those problems occurred."
* * *
"Strange symptoms?"
"Yes, has anyone reported any unusual symptoms within the last month? Mysterious illnesses or sudden, brief pains are fine too. Any stories about insects or bugs, no matter how trivial, please tell me everything."
Back at the office, I opened my notebook, ready to jot down the caretaker's words.
"Nothing specific… Oh, about insects, I heard complaints about mosquitoes flying around in the cold weather. People were grumbling about fall mosquitoes being itchier than summer ones."
This place is the northernmost part of the empire, so the weather feels like deep winter by the last week of October.
Not suitable for mosquitoes.
"Anything else?"
"Not that I know of, no."
I closed my notebook and stood up.
"Thank you for your time. We'd like to look around the village…."
Just then, the door burst open.
Uniformed people entered and lined up against one wall.
Their presence made the caretaker freeze and stand up hesitantly.
The newcomers bowed politely to Leo.
"Welcome to Mepen, Your Highness the Crown Prince of Bavaria."
* * *
"…This is awkward."
Once the visitors left, Leo muttered in a low voice only I could hear.
He indeed seemed bewildered.
He never announced his visits to avoid situations like this.
The sudden arrivals were from the baron's household in this region.
Since the baron was away on military duties, his aides came to pay their respects to the visiting noble.
We followed their suggestion and moved to the baron's mansion to hear more.
While drinking tea with one of the aides, I brought up the same questions I asked the caretaker.
The aide stroked his chin, pondering.
"Strange symptoms… Well, one of the mansion's servants has developed a severe skin condition."
"When did this start?"
"About two weeks ago, I heard."
"Was it caused by an insect bite?"
"Yes, it happened after being bitten by a bedbug, and the blisters haven't healed yet. I learned about it when I introduced a doctor the other day."
I nodded and noted this down.
'It's hard to pinpoint.'
Minor symptoms are usually ignored, so it's hard to remember them specifically.
"Is there a problem in the contaminated area?"
"We're just investigating. Thank you."
At that moment, someone knocked and entered.
"Sir Heinz has arrived."
"Oh, I need to step out briefly. Please make yourselves comfortable."
"Of course."
The aide left, leaving a silence behind.
I reviewed my notes and spoke to Leo.
"This isn't easy."
"Indeed. There are many suspicious stories, but it's hard to be sure they're due to corrupted insects."
"Hmm…."
What should we do next?
Leo quickly continued.
"Let's walk around the village. If insects have come this far, they've likely reproduced a while ago. We need to find out where and if there are signs of contamination."
"That's our best option."
We need to move quickly as we have to return to school in a few hours.
I stood up but stopped immediately.
Leo turned back when he didn't hear my footsteps.
"What's wrong?"
"Leo, you'll have to go alone."
"What now? What about you?"
"I have something to do here."
There's a more efficient way than going around myself.
* * *
"Sir Nikolaus, we've already seen over 100 people."
"Close the doors for now."
I couldn't keep being called an attendant or the blue-eyed hunter, so I created an alias.
I secured a room in the old monastery now used as a school.
'...Well, calling it a room feels off.'
It's technically a room, but it's big enough to give a speech to about 500 people.
All I needed was a desk and two chairs, so they gave me an unnecessarily spacious place.
"Testing, testing."
...
As expected, it echoes.
I immediately got up and requested a room change.
The baron's aide, who had been smiling proudly, looked a bit flustered but guided me to a room on the opposite side of the corridor.
It was the size of a classroom, with a table and chairs for meetings.
"This is nice. I'll take this room."
"Are you sure it's alright to have you in such a small space?"
"I prefer this over the previous one."
They probably wanted a more photogenic location for media coverage, but I can't conduct effective investigations in an echoing room.
The aide nodded reluctantly, seeming a bit disappointed.
"Then Sir Nikolaus, I'll let them in now."
"Yes."
Shortly after, an old man carefully opened the door and sat down in front of me with a look of reverence. He clasped his hands together and muttered something.
"Thank you, thank you, sir. God's blessing will be upon you."
"…Ah, yes. Thank you."
I struggled to hide my surprise and managed to respond.
It's a bit bewildering, but there's a reason for such words.
The people here have no access to magic, let alone divine power, except from outsiders.
And I plan to purify people with divine power from now on.
This was a decision to draw in those experiencing unusual changes recently.
Even those without any ailments might come just to experience purification by a cleric—since using divine power qualifies me as one.
There's no problem with that since it was the intention.
Focusing on treatment could create psychological barriers for those with mild symptoms, so it's better to approach this as religious charity rather than magical medicine.
After seeing over fifty people, I requested a break and reviewed the records.
'One case of skin disease from a tick, four people bitten by mosquitoes.'
The tick case isn't an issue.
But the latter needs attention.
Since being bitten by a mosquito two weeks ago, the skin turned a bruised purple and then returned to normal after two days.
"Let's resume."
I swallowed a headache pill and called out.
A young man entered with a baby in his arms.
"Hello, sir."
"What brings you here?"
"My baby's skin condition is quite bad. I came hoping you could take a look."
He showed me the baby.
'Hmm.'
The skin was a troubling blue-gray, and there were pus-filled areas at the joints.
Judging by the color, it resembled the symptoms described by the person bitten by a mosquito.
"I've been consulting a doctor for a week, but no medication seems to work. They suggested magical treatment, but the cost is an issue…."
Reciting the purification spell in my mind, I infused divine power into the baby's pulse. One arm gradually regained its original color as the blue hue faded.
The young man, who had been looking gloomy, furrowed his brows and took a deep breath.
"…!"
"It's likely a problem caused by magic."
Adjusting the strength to avoid damaging the organs, I slowed the process, and the blue tint spread back across the skin.
After a lengthy struggle, I finally succeeded in removing the corrupted magic from the baby's entire body.
The young man, holding his now healthy baby, exclaimed.
"Thank you! Thank you so much. I don't know how I can repay you…."
"Just answer my questions. Have you seen any mosquitoes?"
"Mosquitoes? Yes. They survived until now. I thought they were dead, but they reappeared. Last week, the villagers gathered to clear the stream area."
"When did the mosquito issue start?"
"I don't remember exactly, but it was around St. Luca's Day."
Mid-October.
About two weeks ago.
This is the fifth person to tell the same story.
"That's detailed enough. So, did the number of mosquitoes decrease?"
"No. There weren't many to begin with, so they decided to leave them alone. Even after cleaning up the stream, nothing changed…."
That won't do.
I couldn't help but laugh quietly.
They need to burn the entire restricted zone, not just clean the surrounding swamp.
I hadn't thought much of the temporary skin color changes, but seeing the baby's condition made me rethink.
'This could spread widely if used properly.'
It's a useful matter.
From Pleroma's perspective.
If they can inject the experimental drugs or magic into insects instead of just contaminated magic residue?
Or, if they can intensify the magic contamination dozens of times to use as a weapon?
It would be a tremendous boon for Pleroma and a turning point for the church's success, while the empire would be sacrificing the nation as a testing ground for some pseudo-religion's quest for the formula of eternal life.
'The scale is bigger than I thought.'
And that means the rewards for solving this large-scale problem will be significant too.
While I'm not interested in the empire's well-being handled in this manner, it's worth solving.
If done right, it could become Nikolaus's first major achievement, solidifying his support base.
Ding―!
'Route 1 — Starting "Chapter 4. Constant dripping wears away a stone (2)"'
「 Chapter 4. Constant dripping wears away a stone (2) 」