Three days had passed since
Nanahoshi still hadn't regained consciousness.
The cause of her coughing up blood remained unknown.
After it happened,
In the meantime, I gathered everyone else and explained the situation—that Nanahoshi had taken a turn for the worse, that she'd coughed up blood and collapsed after I'd cast detoxification magic on her, that she was currently receiving treatment in the infirmary, and honestly, the whole thing was so sudden that even I didn't fully understand what was going on.
The others were confused, but they more or less accepted my explanation.
Right now, Nanahoshi was being treated by Yuruzu of Atonement.
Yuruzu of Atonement possessed the ability to heal.
It was the power to transfer another person's stamina or health to someone else.
Because this ability operated on entirely different principles from detoxification magic, it could supposedly cure illnesses that detoxification magic couldn't touch—at least to some degree.
However, she couldn't do it alone and said she needed someone's cooperation.
Sylphie volunteered without a moment's hesitation.
Sylphie was laid down beside Nanahoshi, and the treatment began.
But even as Nanahoshi drifted in and out of consciousness, her face was twisted in anguish and her coughing wouldn't stop.
"Karonthe. What do you make of it?"
Perugius observed the scene and ordered one of his subordinates to examine her.
Karonthe of Insight.
She had the ability to see through other people's abilities and hidden truths.
She apparently also had the power to discern the nature of illnesses like this.
Think of it like an X-ray ability.
She looked over Nanahoshi's condition and shook her head.
"Yuruzu's power alone won't be enough for a full recovery."
"Then search the archives."
"Understood."
With that, Perugius and his subordinate began searching for a cure and a diagnosis.
They were apparently comparing Nanahoshi's symptoms against documents in the archives.
I offered to help, but Perugius flatly refused to let me in.
Of course, all the while Yuruzu's treatment continued, and Sylphie didn't come out of the infirmary either.
As a result, I was left with absolutely nothing to do.
Now, it wasn't like I just sat around doing nothing for three whole days.
I went back home once and explained the situation to
Roxy sprang into action the moment she heard.
She contacted the school to file for a leave of absence, took care of explaining things to the family, and told me to leave the household matters to her.
I think she was much calmer about it than I was.
Maybe she was just used to this kind of situation.
In the end, she took care of everything while I did practically nothing.
I told
Even so, once I got back, there was still nothing for me to do.
The only thing I could do was pray for Nanahoshi's safety.
"…Will Nanahoshi get better?"
I wasn't the only one at a loss for what to do.
He was in a chapel-like space inside the fortress, offering prayers with complete devotion.
"All is in accordance with the will of Lady Millis," he said, hands clasped and eyes shut tight.
Turning to God in times of trouble.
I'd never believed in gods to begin with.
The only people I trusted in this world were the ones who'd helped me.
But I understood perfectly well that praying to Roxy or Sylphie right now wouldn't even serve as a comfort.
"…"
I suddenly remembered a movie I'd seen a long time ago.
A famous film about aliens invading Earth.
The aliens overwhelmed humanity with their superior science and tried to wipe them out.
But in the final act, all of their machines abruptly stopped.
It turned out the aliens had zero resistance to Earth's common cold, and they all died from it.
Nanahoshi was a tripper.
She was different from me—a reincarnator.
She didn't age, she apparently had no mana, and she couldn't use magical implements of any kind.
Maybe it wasn't just mana she lacked—maybe she had no immune system either.
No, if that were the case, she probably would have ended up like this much sooner.
It had been eight years since the teleportation incident.
Eight years since Nanahoshi came to this world.
It was way too late for this.
"…"
That girl.
Was she going to die…
How did it come to this?
--- On the fourth day since Nanahoshi collapsed, we were summoned to the Round Table Room.
All of Yuruzu of Atonement's fellow familiars were assembled there, excluding Yuruzu herself.
And Perugius stood before them.
He alone sat in an especially large and ornate chair while the familiars stood behind him.
"Please, take your seats."
Silveriel gestured for us to sit, and we obeyed.
Sylphie was still away helping Yuruzu with the treatment, so there were seven of us present.
"Miss Nanahoshi's illness has been identified."
Once we were seated, Silveriel stepped forward and made the announcement.
They'd finally figured it out.
"Miss Nanahoshi's illness is called Drain Disease."
Drain Disease.
I'd never heard of it.
I looked around and, sure enough, nobody else knew about it either.
Even Cliff, who seemed like he knew the most about medicine among us, shook his head in bewilderment.
"It is understandable that you are unfamiliar.
This is a disease from the distant past, from an era when humans possessed far less mana than they do today.
According to records, many children were born without mana back then, and without exception, they all contracted this disease around the age of ten and lost their lives."
It did match Nanahoshi's situation, more or less.
She wasn't ten years old, but it had been eight years since she came to this world.
And she had no mana…
Either way, it seemed it wasn't Sylphie's fault.
Thank goodness.
"According to the documents, those who lack mana have a weak capacity to neutralize mana that enters their bodies from the outside.
Over a period of roughly ten years, mana slowly accumulates and becomes a disease…"
Those without mana had a weak ability to neutralize it.
I didn't quite get it, but it sounded like mana had its own good bacteria and bad bacteria.
People who had mana could let the good bacteria in their bodies fight off the bad ones, but those without it just let the bad bacteria build up unchecked.
Of course, I had no idea how reliable those documents were.
Still, it was a plausible explanation.
"Does the document not say anything about a cure?"
"It does not. It states that the disease was eradicated approximately seven thousand years ago, when humans' mana grew stronger."
Seven thousand years ago—that would have been around the time of the First Human-Demon War.
If I remembered right, the war had lasted nearly a thousand years.
War drove all kinds of progress.
Humans must have found some way to strengthen themselves.
And as a byproduct, the disease was wiped out.
That was certainly possible.
But seven thousand years ago…
If it was that far back, it was no wonder there were so few surviving records.
Just knowing the name of the disease might have been a miracle.
"So what do we do now?" I asked.
"Stall for time."
It wasn't Silveriel who answered.
It was Perugius, settled deep in his chair.
"I will use the Time Scapecoat's power to put Nanahoshi's time in stasis."
The moment Perugius declared this, a man stepped forward.
He wore a mask with a protruding mouth piece.
More like a gas mask than a long-nosed one.
So he was the Time Scapecoat.
If I remembered correctly, he had the ability to freeze the time of anyone he touched.
He'd be frozen too in the process, but using that power meant Nanahoshi wouldn't suddenly die or have her condition worsen.
We had no idea how long he could keep it up, and it wasn't a fundamental solution, but still.
"I see. And after that?"
"I'll contact people on the surface and have them search for a cure."
Yeah.
That sounded like a workable plan.
With Perugius's name backing the request, nobody should dare refuse.
"Though I can't say for certain how many people out there will actually try to help Nanahoshi."
"With Your Majesty the Dragon King's prestige, surely they'll manage something?"
"Nanahoshi and I are nothing more than business partners. I won't go so far as to owe someone a favor to save her."
Wasn't that a little cold?
But I didn't know enough about the relationship between Nanahoshi and Perugius to stick my nose in.
"Don't misunderstand. As long as she's in my fortress, she's a guest, and I'll provide the bare minimum of help.
But I won't go beyond that.
My sole purpose in life is to find Laplace and defeat Laplace."
He was saying that with his job of watching Laplace, he couldn't afford to spend any more effort than necessary.
If he asked someone for a favor, he'd owe them.
If he owed them, he'd have to repay it.
And this was a cure for a disease that had been lost for ages.
What the other party would demand in return would be huge.
Perugius had no obligation to go that far for Nanahoshi.
No—I should say he had more than fulfilled his obligation.
He was keeping Nanahoshi alive and maintaining her condition.
He was saying he wouldn't do anything beyond that, but if there was someone who wanted to help her, they were free to try.
I didn't think he was wrong.
"…Are you going to abandon Nanahoshi?!"
It was Cliff who shouted.
Cliff surged to his feet and yelled at Perugius.
"I never said I was abandoning her."
"Liar! You've got this incredible fortress, and you command familiars this capable! If that's the case, you must be able to find a cure!"
At Cliff's words, Perugius's eyebrow twitched.
"There is no law that says the capable must be the ones to search."
"Don't be ridiculous! It's the duty of those with power to help the weak!"
"Hmph. Don't shove those wretched Millis Church doctrines down my throat."
"What did you say?!"
I could tell Cliff was speaking purely from emotion.
He was a follower of the Millis Church.
The Millis Church was very similar to Christianity.
They probably did have doctrines about lending a hand to lost lambs in need.
But saying that to Perugius was a mistake.
Perugius operated by his own convictions.
He'd been pursuing a single goal for four hundred years.
Sure, Perugius probably wanted the knowledge Nanahoshi had researched on otherworld summoning.
But that didn't rank above Laplace.
It was nothing more than a hobby or some side project.
"What you're saying is that you're going to abandon Nanahoshi! If you're going to help her, see it through to the end!"
"Cliff, stop!"
The instant Cliff kicked his chair and stood up,
She gripped his shoulder firmly, restraining him.
"Cliff, I understand how you feel, but please restrain yourself."
"…"
"I don't want to lose you over something like this."
I looked around and saw all eleven familiars on guard.
Perugius watched the half-crouched Cliff and twisted his lips into a mocking smile.
"If you've got complaints, why not do something about it yourself? Your god probably says the same—something about not relying on others to help people, yes?"
"Damn it…"
Cliff made a bitter face and sank back into his chair as though collapsing.
He didn't really want to pick a fight with Perugius either.
He'd just gotten caught up in the moment, thinking that someone as powerful as Perugius could do anything, that he would surely help.
"Phew…"
What were we supposed to do?
I wanted to save Nanahoshi.
But I had no idea how.
Looking at Ariel and the others, they seemed to feel the same way.
Aisha knew Nanahoshi too, and she'd be devastated if she died.
And if Nanahoshi died like this, Sylphie would probably blame herself.
Was there something—anything—I could do?
Was there really nothing?
"Excuse me."
The door to the Round Table Room opened.
It was Yuruzu of Atonement.
She faced us and spoke.
"Miss Nanahoshi has regained consciousness."
The moment I heard that, I shot to my feet as though pushed.
"Wh-What's her condition?"
"Her surface-level symptoms have improved."
"Surface-level?"
"Yes. The mana that had accumulated due to Drain Disease mutates the body and causes illness, so we were able to cure the illness itself."
Hearing that, it sounded a lot like AIDS.
The coughing up to now must have been one of the symptoms.
The detoxification magic had fixed the surface-level illness, but it hadn't gotten to the root cause.
"Is there… any way to extract the mana from her body?"
"That is impossible for me."
"Then is there anyone who can?"
Yuruzu slowly shook her head at my question.
"I see…"
There had to be some way to draw the mana out of her body.
Using a magical implement, for example.
Technology had surely advanced far more in the seven thousand years since.
But what could I do?
Would a mana-absorbing stone work?
No, those weren't designed to draw mana out of a body.
But it didn't feel completely impossible.
Could I make one?
But how long would it take to craft?
And I wasn't even sure it would work.
Damn it.
"Anyway, I'm going to check on Nanahoshi."
When I stood up, the others rose to follow.
--- The infirmary was cold and bleak.
The furniture wasn't much different from the guest rooms.
But the stone walls were bare, and there were no windows.
Near the center of the room sat what looked like an operating table, and a cabinet held knives and bandages.
"…"
Nanahoshi was in the corner of the room.
The blood she'd vomited had been cleaned away, and at some point she'd been changed into something like a hospital gown, so she looked neat enough.
But there was no life in her.
"Nanahoshi, are you okay?"
When I asked, she glanced over at me and said: "Do I look okay?"
"…"
She didn't.
Her face was deathly pale, and dark circles hung under her eyes.
Anyone could see she was in terrible health.
Did the Atonement ability take a toll on the patient too?
The other bed was empty.
Sylphie had been carried to a guest room just before we arrived.
I'd checked on her while she was being transported, and she looked worn out too.
For the past four days, Sylphie had been participating in the treatment.
She hadn't gone without food or water entirely, but the physical toll must still have been enormous.
"They said they can't cure the disease," Nanahoshi said.
"Yeah, I know."
I sat down in the chair beside the bed.
Lady Yuruzu apparently hadn't tried to hide the nature of the illness.
"You'll get better soon enough."
"No way in hell am I going to get better."
With that, Nanahoshi turned away.
She faced the wall and went silent.
Maybe that had been a irresponsible thing to say.
I wasn't sure what the right words even were.
"…"
After I fell silent, Ariel and the others began speaking up, one after another.
Some tried to comfort her, some told her to stay strong, some insisted she would definitely get better.
The words varied, but they were all meant to encourage.
But at a time like this, those kinds of words might actually make things worse.
For someone truly suffering, nothing was harder to hear than hollow platitudes.
"…"
Eventually, the words ran out.
Nobody could say anything more to Nanahoshi, who showed no reaction.
A heavy silence dominated the room, and an oppressive atmosphere settled over us.
"Well then, Nanahoshi. I'll be returning to my room for now. I'll come visit again."
Starting with Ariel, one by one they filed out of the room.
Cliff was the last to remain, but Elinalise urged him along, and he left.
As they went, I heard Elinalise murmur, "…There are simply no words."
That was exactly right.
And I stayed behind.
I wasn't even sure myself why I did.
But I felt like I needed to stay by her side a little longer.
I had a vague sense that leaving her alone would be dangerous.
"…"
But I had no words either.
Facing someone who was sick.
Facing someone who might not be cured.
Anything I said would sound like a hollow platitude.
Nanahoshi had to be scared.
The summoning magic had been going well.
It had hit a snag at the first stage, but the second and third stages had gone smoothly.
From what Perugius said, the fourth stage seemed to already have an established method.
The fifth stage was still unknown, but it was a natural extension.
Another year or two, and she'd be able to go home.
She'd been thinking that, and then suddenly she was told she had cancer.
Cancer wasn't the death sentence it used to be, but it was still a disease with a high fatality rate.
It wouldn't have been strange if she'd started raging again.
But if this really was an incurable disease—if there really was no future left for her—then maybe raging would be fine too.
I'd stay with her through it.
Find some way to blow off steam…
"I was never really that healthy to begin with, you know."
When I didn't say anything, Nanahoshi spoke up with a sigh.
Her voice actually sounded more energetic than I'd expected.
But it was clearly forced.
"I wouldn't say I was sickly, but I caught a cold at least once a year."
She started talking in a trickle.
I decided to just listen.
"My grades were good, but I wasn't exactly athletic. If anything, I was more of an indoor person."
"This world doesn't really have advanced medicine, does it?"
"You know, the people here—they don't even wash their wounds! Maybe it's because they have magic, I don't know. But there are tons of people who end up dying or losing limbs because they left things too late. It's ridiculous. Just rinsing a wound with clean water could prevent that."
"After I realized I couldn't use magic, I was pretty careful about prevention. I avoided places with lots of people so I wouldn't catch anything. I didn't eat food I couldn't identify."
"Sure, I probably looked unhealthy from your perspective, but I was exercising in my room and doing what I could to take care of myself."
"Because if I got sick, I might not be able to get cured."
"Actually, I always figured that if I ever did get sick, I probably wouldn't recover."
"Because whatever I caught would be something from this world that I'd never heard of…"
"…Anyway, this world is totally weird, isn't it?"
"There are beasts so huge they could crush you under their own weight, and whether it's magic or what, they completely ignore the laws of physics."
"Well, yeah, when I first got here, I thought it was a little exciting."
"I play lots of games, and I don't dislike swords and magic. It would've been a lie to say I wasn't thrilled."
"There were even times when I envied you,
Nanahoshi stopped mid-sentence.
Her shoulders trembled.
She slowly turned toward me.
Her face was crumpled and twisted.
Her bright red eyes were brimming with tears.
"I don't want to die."
A tear fell.
The dam broke.
"I don't want to die in a place like this!
I don't want to die in this weird world!
Why!? Why me!
It's not fair!
Hey, did you know!?
Nothing about me has changed since eight years ago!
I haven't grown taller, my hair's exactly the same!
I get hungry, I eat, and I poop, but my nails don't grow and I don't even get my period!"
Nanahoshi grabbed the nearest water pitcher and hurled it.
The pitcher smashed against the wall with a loud crash, shattering and flooding the floor with water.
"I'm not from this world!
I'm not alive in this world!
I'm like a walking corpse!
But why—why does only the disease part work on me!?
It's not fair!
Why do I have to go through this!?!
I don't want to die!
I don't want to die in this bizarre world!"
Nanahoshi sobbed and screamed, tears streaming down her face.
"Because I haven't even had my first kiss!
There's someone I like, and I can't even tell them I love them!
I'm jealous of you, Rudeus!
You look like you're having fun every day, your life is so fulfilling!
What gives!? Your dad died!? Your mom is sick and it's hard on her!? So what!? That's fine!
But as things stand, I'll never even see my dad one last time!
And even if I die, my mom won't even know about it!
I want to see them! My dad! My mom!
Do you remember? That morning.
Dad said he'd be coming home early.
Mom said she'd grill saury for dinner.
I told Dad it was fine to be late because friends were coming over, and I complained to Mom that I was tired of saury…
Why did I say those things…
I'm sure Dad and Mom are worried about me.
I want to see them. I want to go home.
I don't want to die.
I don't want to die in a place like this…*hic*…*hic*…"
Nanahoshi hugged her knees and buried her face in them.
There were no more words.
All that could be heard was sobbing.
Just the sound of hiccupping sobs and heartbroken crying.
"…"
It pierced my chest.
I understood Nanahoshi's pain.
If this had been right after she arrived in this world, her words probably wouldn't have resonated with me at all.
I want to see them. I want to go home.
I want to see my family.
Even if she'd said that to me back then, I wouldn't have understood.
I might have thought she should just forget about that and enjoy this world.
But now it was different.
I understood the feeling of wanting to go home, of wanting to see the people you loved.
The little everyday moments—that's what truly mattered.
Once they were gone, there was no getting them back.
…
Once they were gone, there was no getting them back.
That warm family we'd had in
From now on, I had to protect my family and my life.
Sylphie, Roxy, Lucy.
If I were separated from any of them, it would be agonizing beyond words.
If any one of them disappeared, I would search for them with every last ounce of my being.
And if I, as I was now, suddenly returned to my original world—even if I could use magic there just like here, no matter how much praise and adoration I received—I would think of nothing but getting back to this world.
"*Hic*…*hic*…"
Nanahoshi hugged her knees, trembling.
She hadn't made any effort to get close to Cliff,
But she'd always listened to what I had to say.
She'd granted my requests, and she'd come to the events I organized.
Looking back through my memories, she'd rarely ever treated me harshly.
Whenever Nanahoshi and I spoke in Japanese, she always seemed happy.
For her, being able to talk to someone in Japanese might have been her only comfort.
"Someone…please help me…"
At Nanahoshi's small voice, I stood up.
--- When I returned to the Round Table Room, Perugius was still there.
None of his other attendants were present.
It was just Perugius, as though he'd been waiting for me.
"What is it?"
"…I want to act as well. I'd be grateful if you could provide support at a level that doesn't interfere with Your Majesty's duties."
When I said this, Perugius nodded with great solemnity.
"Oh? You're going to act, are you? Very well. I too would find it…distasteful if Nanahoshi were to die."
"Thank you."
But what should I actually do?
A disease eradicated seven thousand years ago—and its cure.
I had absolutely no leads.
It was a certainty that detoxification and healing magic wouldn't work.
If they could, Perugius would have already used them.
Magical implements.
I wasn't sure if this was possible either.
If we were talking about affecting something inside the body, Cliff's magical implement was the closest thing.
But right now, Cliff's creation was tailored exclusively for Elinalise.
They were adjusting it little by little based on her condition.
It was showing results, but it wasn't finished.
Perhaps with enough gradual adjustment, it could work on Nanahoshi too and suppress the disease.
But Nanahoshi probably didn't have the time needed to examine her body, monitor changes, and fine-tune it.
She'd coughed up blood this time.
The surface symptoms were cured, but it would surely relapse soon.
And next time, it might be instantly fatal.
Besides, while her time was frozen, no experiments could be performed.
Magical implements were out.
Making one eventually would be fine, but right now we needed something with more immediate effect.
A cure.
Did anyone know of one?
For example,
Would either of them know?
I couldn't contact Hitogami.
If I fell asleep tonight, he might offer some advice in a dream.
But I couldn't reach out to him on my own.
"Perugius. Is there any way to contact the Dragon God, Orsted?"
"Impossible. I don't even know where he is."
So I couldn't reach Orsted either.
"Though he probably wouldn't know either. He only appeared about a hundred years ago. Even if he's a wise man, he wouldn't know about a disease from seven thousand years ago."
So Orsted was around a hundred years old.
I'd thought he'd live longer, but compared to Perugius, he was still young.
Well, still far older than me, though.
"I see. But if we're looking for someone who might know about things from seven thousand years ago…"
Wait.
Seven thousand years ago.
There was someone.
Someone who could have lived that long.
She didn't seem particularly knowledgeable about diseases, but…
Listening to what she had to say wouldn't cost anything.
"I have one person in mind…"
"Oh?"
Of course, I didn't even know if I could find her.
The last time we'd met, it had been pure coincidence.
We'd happened to meet, and then gone our separate ways.
There was no connection between us.
But I had to do something.
If I did nothing, nothing would happen.
"Would it be possible to send me to the Demon Continent?"
"The Demon Continent? What do you intend to do there?"
I'd only met her once before.
Roxy had apparently met her too, but I had no idea where she was now.
But I'd known her name since long ago.
Back when the Fittoa Region still existed, I'd studied history and committed it to memory.
I'd never forgotten her since that one meeting.
"I'd like to visit the Demon Emperor, Kishirika Kishirisu."
Seven thousand years ago.
The name of the person who had sparked the First Human-Demon War.