How a Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

Book 15: Chapter 8

One week later...

Hilde and Brad came to the governmental affairs office to report on how things had turned out. For some reason, Merula was also with them.

The quarantine period had ended for those involved at this point. People had been investigating Gerulas route in the meantime, but there were no new infections in the country. Even Gonzales, who had clearly had contact with him, was fine. This all seemed to indicate that this disease really didnt pass from person to person.

Liscia and Hakuya joined up shortly, then Hilde first explained how Gerula had died, and how Brad had performed an autopsy in accordance with his will. While it had been at his request and signed off on by the Spirit Kingdom King, it still felt...awful.

Unable to bear the silence, I asked, His death wasnt in vain, right?

Hilde nodded. Of course not. We learned many things from his body. Including how pernicious this disease is.

Well...thats good then. And what of his body?

We secured the samples we needed, and I embalmed him, Brad answered. Externally, it should be in good condition. Id like you to return it to the bereaved.

Its an infected corpse, right? Dont we need to cremate it?

This isnt the kind of disease where someone could get the infection from a cadaver. It shouldnt be a problem.

Oh, yeah? Did you find something out then?

Hilde and Brad both nodded with pensive looks on their faces.

Between how Sir Gerula had described his symptoms to us and what Brad found from investigating his body, there were discrepancies in our findings. Simply put, what Sir Gerula felt and was actually happening didnt always match.

What does that mean exactly?

This disease has many symptoms, but... Hilde started, flipping through some papers she was holding.

Probably clinical records.

Ah! Heres an example, she continued. He said he was itching or had stabbing pains in his skin. If you went purely by what he told me, I would have assumed it was some kind of toxic reaction.

Wait, like hed been poisoned?

It isnt a disease? If this is because of a monsters poison, that would explain why it only affected warriors...

No, we cant say that for certain. In my investigation, I found nothing wrong with his skin. It was the organs that had taken the real damage. I feel like the symptoms are close to those of a parasitic infestation, Brad added.

Hilde nodded. In the interview, it seemed like poisoning of some sort. When we examined the body, it looked more like a parasitic infestation. That being the case, we should assume both were happening at the same time. The parasites inside his body were releasing some kind of poison.

Which means...what we need isnt an antidote, but a deworming medicine. If we dont deal with the parasites, we cant solve the fundamental problem, I said, but Brad shook his head.

A dewormer isnt going to cut it. That only works when the bugs are in the digestive organs anyway. Unfortunately, I didnt find any there.

Huh? Where were they, then?

Thats what we brought Merula here to explain, Hilde said, ushering her forward.

Sir Souma. You asked Genia to investigate magicium, right? I know because I was there at the time.

Ah, yes, thats true.

When the possibility arose that magicium was nanomachines, I had asked Genia and Merula to prioritize researching curse ore, which might be a mass of them.

Healing magic is the work of nanomachines inside the body. When I heard that idea, I had questions, and Genia and I talked about it. If the magicium or nanomachines is inside the body, where is it?

Where?

I think that the smaller they are, the less impactful they can be. In order for something small to exert a large power, it would take a large number of them gathering together. In order to heal wounds, the magicium in the body would need to be gathered quickly. In other words, there needs to be some kind of large path. And if were talking about pathways laid out across the entire body...

Merula slapped her hand down on a diagram of the human body she had prepared.

The blood vessels. Magicium is flowing through our blood. Thats my and Genias idea.

I see...

Nanomachines circulate through the body in the bloodstream, huh? Depending on how you look at it, the idea of a foreign object like nanomachines in your bloodstream could be chilling, but if this world was in the far future, maybe it was possible.

Merula continued, And now we have this disease, the Spirit Kings Curse. It makes the infected unable to use magic, and causes healing magic to no longer work on them. This could be seen as having an effect on the magicium in their body. And we believe that magicium is in the bloodstream.

So, basically, the bugs are in their blood, Hilde concluded, pulling out two little bottles containing dark red liquid. One is Sir Gerulas blood, violated by the Spirit Kings Curse. The other is Madam Merulas healthy blood. With my third eye, I was able to see bugs squirming around.

Bugs in the blood... Ah!

Like blood flukes or rat lungworms!

What are those? Liscia asked.

They caused endemic diseases in the world I came from. The parasites entered the body through the skin, lived and bred in the blood vessels, eventually eating away at their host until the person died... Its a horrible disease. There are definitely parasites that can live in the blood vessels.

Merula nodded at my explanation. I dont know the specific case youre talking about, but if you say that bugs in the blood could be affecting magicium, I can understand how that might cause poisoning symptoms. If magicium is so small even the three-eyed race cant see it, then we dont know what its made of. And if they lose their proper function and become foreign bodies floating through the body...

That cant be good for us, yeah.

I was kind of convinced. I didnt know what the nanomachines would be made of, but if it was metal, leaving it to float through the body could cause a toxic reaction.

Theres a history of cadmium causing itai-itai disease, and organic mercury causing Minamata disease too... It was still vague, but we were starting to see the full picture of the Spirit Kings Curse here. No, wait...

If you knew what the parasites were, couldnt you treat them, Hilde?

I seemed to recall that if we knew what the nature of the parasites was and the damage they were doing, it was supposed to be possible to treat them with light magic. And she might be targeted by theocracies as a result.

Ever since Id received that report, I had given the light mages who wanted to become doctors in our country medical training, and worked to increase the number of people who could do the same things as Hilde. While it was still secret, their numbers were steadily rising.

Hilde shook her head in disappointment. Even with my magic, I couldnt treat Gerula.

It seems most likely that Madam Hildes magic uses the magicium inside the body to eliminate parasites. Once that magicium has been rendered inactive by the bugs...I think theres nothing left that we can do, Merula explained.

I see...

It was too late for Gerula, then, huh? No... But still...

If they still have limited symptoms, couldnt we save them? If the magicium in their body still works, couldnt it be used to eliminate the parasites?

Yes. Its possible, Merula agreed with my speculation.

Gerulas death wasnt in vain by any stretch. I felt like we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now.

So, Your Majesty! Hilde suddenly moved up real close to me. In order to confirm that, would you let us go where the patients are?

Seeing how serious she was, I scratched my head.

I understood how she felt, and I saw the necessity. When I consider the risk of anything happening to the two of them, I cant give my assent so easily.

We understand how you feel, but we cannot allow that, Hakuya said as I was thinking about it. You are the two leaders of the Kingdoms medical world. It would be a great loss if anything were to happen to either of you. What if there was an outbreak here while you were away? You wouldnt be able to treat it, Madam Hilde.

Hilde was quick with a retort.

That will be fine. One of the kings key policies has been to increase the number of people who can cure parasitic diseases with light magic the way I can. Ill explain everything about these bugs before I go, so even if there is an outbreak here, they should be able to treat it.

But

No, in this case, I think we should do as Hilde says, I said, cutting off Hakuya, now that I had my thoughts sorted out.

Hakuya stared into my eyes.

Are you sure thats all right, sire?

With a disease like this, our first steps will be crucial. We couldnt be careless before we knew the nature of it, but now Hilde and the others have figured it out. If we know what were up against, we should deploy everything we have and try to wrap things up as soon as possible.

If you mess up the initial response, youll constantly be on the back foot. That was something the history of my past world had taught me.

Hilde and Brad nodded firmly.

The kings got it right, Hilde said. Times our enemy in the fight against a disease like this.

Yeah, Brad agreed. Fortunately, now that we know what type of disease it is, we can keep the people treating it safe. Black-robed Prime Minister... Could you leave this to Hilde and I?

At this, Hakuya finally gave in and nodded.

I understand. I lack the knowledge to handle medical issues to begin with, so I will defer to your and His Majestys opinions.

Sorry, Hakuya. You had to make the objection because I was slow to decide, I confided.

Dont worry about it. Thats the prime ministers job.

And so, it was decided that Hilde and Brad would go to the site. Once they were prepared, Id send them first to the port city that Fuuga had given us, and then have him help get them to the Father Island.

The question is who to send with them...

Dont tell me youre planning to go too, Souma? Liscia asked, looking incredibly worried.

In order to wipe away her concerns, I put my hands on her shoulders and silently shook my head.

No, I cant go with them right now. It would let me make political decisions on the spot if they become necessary, but...I think theres other stuff Ill need to be doing. Things only I can do, probably.

Really?

Yeah. But, like I was saying, I want to send our best team. So, for a start, I want Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga there.

Tomoe... she gasped, shocked. Youre sending the children?! Isnt it way too dangerous?!

With a stern expression, I nodded and said, Yeah. I know its dangerous. But... Hilde, since this disease only affects warriors, you theorized that it came from the monsters they fought, right?

When I turned the question to her, Hilde nodded.

Huh? Oh, yes, thats right. When you consider that the parasites live in their blood, I think that contact with monster blood is what causes the infection. Its possible that the parasites entered through their skin after all the spatter from slashing and stabbing monsters got on their bodies.

In that case, to prevent the spread of the infection, well want to know what monstersno, if we think using the MPI system, it might be better to ask the monsters with what part. We need to figure out the answer immediately. To that end, Ichihas knowledge as a monster specialist, along with Tomoes ability, will be effective tools.

I get that, but...why Yuriga? Liscia asked.

Were sending them to Fuugas territory, after all, I said, scratching my head. If his little sister is around, that should keep his people in check. Even if some of the men are uncooperative because they look down on the kids, shell be able to keep them in line. And if the opposite happenslike if someone who understands Ichihas value tries to kidnap himthey wont be able to take drastic measures that would risk angering Yuriga.

I see... So youve thought this through... Liscia seemed to understand it intellectually, but was still worried.

Ill send bodyguards for the kids too, of course... Hakuya.

Yes.

Im sure theres going to be the need for someone to make political decisions over there. Would you go, and chaperone the kids while youre at it?

Hakuya seemed a little surprised when I asked that.

Me?

Im uneasy about sending my prime minister to the site of an epidemic, but could I ask you to handle it?

If that is your command, sire. Its certainly true that if one of us goes to the site, we can avoid any delays in decision making. However, you were just saying there are things youll need to do. Is it all right for me to be away from the castle?

Yeah, that wont be a problem. Er, well... Itd be reassuring to have you here, but I can use Julius as a sounding board too. Lets have everyone do what theyre best suited for.

Very well. Ill accept the job.

Good. The teams been decided then.

Well then. Hilde, Brad, and the team of doctors made up of their apprentices will be going to the port city on the west coast together with Prime Minister Hakuya and the three kids, Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga. Inugami and some other Black Cats will be going as bodyguards too. Oh! What about Hilde and Brads daughter? Do you want us to take care of her here at the castle?

Hilde and Brad looked at one another before shaking their heads.

Theres no telling when well be able to come back. Well take Ludia with us, I think, Hilde said.

If we take the right precautions, we can minimize the risk of infection, after all, Brad agreed.

Looks like theyll be taking her along. Ludia was about a year older than Cian and Kazuha. Theyd probably be worried about leaving her with us too long. If that was their decision, I was fine with it.

Now, with all this hashed out... Its time for those of us staying behind here to get to work.

Liscia. Send an emergency messenger to Julius and have him report to the castle for duty.

At the house of the Lastanian royal family, right? Ill get that done.

And Hakuya, before you go, contact Kuu in the Republic and Shabon in the Archipelago Union to set up a broadcast meeting.

Understood.

Okay, that was our general policy more or less set. I rose and said, All right, everybody, lets give this everything weve got.

Yeah!

Roughly another week later...

Whoosh... Rattle... Woosh... Rattle...

Its the sea...

It sure is...

Tomoe and Yuriga were standing together on the pier in the port town given by the Great Tiger Kingdom. They could hear the sound of the waves, and small boats moored nearby shaking as they rose and fell on them.

Yuriga spread her wings and flapped them.

I like looking at the sea, but I hate the sea breeze. I felt the same way in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago too. My wings feel all sticky.

Jeez, Yuriga. Were not here to play around, you know?

Yeah, I know... So, wheres Ichiha gone?

Gathering information on the monsters with Mr. Hakuya. They say they want to find out what monsters causing this. Theyre hoping to have some ideas before we go to the Father Island.

Yuriga grinned at Tomoes explanation. Well, your ability isnt so useful until we go where the monsters actually are, huh?

Murgh... You say that, but youve got nothing to do either.

Im doing my job just by standing right here. Its what your brother asked me to do.

Before their departure, Souma called Yuriga aside and asked her to keep a keen eye on Tomoe and Ichiha and protect them to make sure that none of Fuugas men mistreated them. At the time, shed asked, So, um... If anything does happen to them, what will happen to me?

Well...if anything does, I wont be able to let you stay in this country anymore. We might get into a head-on confrontation with Fuugas country over it, after all.

Y-Youd go that far...

Well, Im trusting it wont come to that though, Souma replied curtly.

His eyes didnt give off the usual laid-back impression. They were the eyes of a king who wouldnt hesitate to let his power do the talking. Yuriga understood quite well how much he cared for his family, and just how much laying a hand on any of them would enrage him.

R-Right! Obviously, Ill look after them for you. I still want to learn here, and I dont want to be chased out either.

That answer had made Souma mellow out.

With a slight bow to Yuriga, who was younger than him, and a lower social stature, he said, Please take care of them.

Yuriga sighed as she remembered this.

I still want to stay in his country, huh? Just how long will all this be able to last?

She wasnt as good a student as Ichiha or Tomoe, but Yuriga was cleverer than her years showed, and knew exactly what position she was in. Shed likely be able to stay with them until she graduated from the academy. But what about after that? What would happen to her then?

Yuriga was one of Fuugas few relatives. As the younger sister of a king, it was easy to see shed be used in a political marriage. That was a given for the royal families of this world, and Yuriga agreed it was only natural. But...she had to wonder where shed be married off to. Who Fuuga saw as his enemies and allies would likely change that.

Yuriga glanced at Tomoe.

This girl would no doubt be putting down roots in the Kingdom of Friedonia. Based on the way she was acting lately, she might take Ichiha as her husband. Lucy and Velza would likely live in this country too.

When the time comes, where will I be, and who will I be with? When she thought about it, frustration welled up inside her. What am I even thinking about...?

If shed just blurt it all out, maybe it would be easier for her. But she couldnt tell Tomoe. Their positions were too different, and moreover...it just rubbed her the wrong way.

If Im looking for someone in a similar position... Oh! Suddenly, someone flashed through Yurigas mind. A lovely lady who had married the current king for political reasons, but still shone brilliantly even now. Tomoes adopted big sister. When we get back...I think Ill talk to her about it...

Suddenly, a voice called out, Ships coming!

Looking out to sea, Yuriga could see the sails.

Theyre here, Yuriga.

I know. Were going to go greet them.

The two of them hadnt just been killing time at the pier. Today, the first batch of patients from the Father Island was arriving, and they had been tasked with greeting them.

Theyre all people with relatively light symptoms, right? Tomoe asked and Yuriga nodded.

Yes. And those in positions of leadership in the military. Without them, their units wont function, so...

As the large ship arrived, Yuriga thought, Sir Shuukin must be on this ship.

The ship landed, and Tomoe and Yuriga rushed to its side. The cargo was already being unloaded. Stretchers with four handles were being lowered from the side of the ship by rope.

Weve got sick men on there! Easy does it! an energetic young woman shouted up above.

Tomoe and Yuriga looked up to see a beautiful woman with clear white skin and pointy ears standing there.

An elf? Tomoe wondered.

Must be one of those high elves from the Spirit Kingdom, right? Yuriga replied.

As the two were talking, the elf woman jumped down from the ship. Despite the height, she landed agilely and stood in front of the two surprised girls.

Children? Were unloading the patients, so you should stay await...you have wings.

The elf womans eyes widened. Yuriga was miffed about being treated like a child, putting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.

I am Yuriga, younger sister of Great Tiger King Fuuga. And this is Tomoe, adopted sister of King Souma of Friedonia.

H-Hi, Tomoe stammered with an awkward smile.

The elf woman reacted with surprise and hurriedly bowed. Ah! I-I apologize! I am Elulu, daughter of Spirit Kingdom King Garula! I apologize for treating you so rudely when I didnt know you were foreign princesses!

Um, its okay... You dont have to be so polite. Youre a princess too, Ms. Elulu, Tomoe said. She wasnt fond of being treated so reverently.

R-Really? Elulu raised her head.

Yurigas anger seemed to have subsided by this point, and she asked, So, Madam Elulu. Is Sir Shuukin aboard this ship?

Huh? Oh, yes. If youre looking for Lord Shuukin...

Im right here, Lady Yuriga.

A hand reached out of the stretcher that had just been lowered, and it waved to the three of them. Yuriga rushed over, and there was Shuukin, looking much paler than the last time she saw him.

Sir Shuukin...

Ah ha ha... Its been a while, Lady Yuriga. Im glad that you seem to be well. Sorry you have to see me like this.

No... Dont be...

Shuukin was acting cheerful, but his expression couldnt fully hide the fact that he was suffering.

Yuriga didnt know what to say. As she struggled for words, someone planted their hands on her shoulders. Turning to look, she saw it was Tomoe, who nodded with a soft smile on her face.

Looking at Shuukin over Yurigas shoulder, Tomoe said, Hello, Mr. Shuukin. Im Yurigas friend, Tomoe.

Sir Soumas little sister. I remember seeing you at a distance during the demon wave. I apologize for causing the men and women of the Kingdom of Friedonia trouble because of my own shortcomings this time.

Dont say that! You did a great job as my brothers representative! Yuriga protested, and Elulu emphatically agreed.

Thats right! You saved me many times, Lord Shuukin. And not just me. The only reason we were able to liberate the Father Island at all was that you and your men fought so hard.

Elulu took Tomoes hands, holding them tight as she bowed to her.

So, please, if theres anything I can do, Ill do it. People of Friedonia... Please save Lord Shuukin.

Im not the one you should be saying that to... Tomoe got flustered by Elulus desperate appeal.

However, when Tomoe felt the hands she was holding start to tremble, she came back to her senses. Seeing someone who was more uneasy than she was, she decided she shouldnt worry the girl any further.

Tomoe squeezed Elulus hands right back.

But Dr. Hilde and Dr. Brad have my brothers trust, and Im sure theyll do something about the Spirit Kings Curse. So its going to be fine.

Right! Elulu did her best to smile.

As Shuukin watched them warmly, he said, I see youve made yourself a good friend in the Kingdom, Lady Yuriga.

I just cant get away from her. Thats all, Yuriga said, looking away peevishly.

Shuukin chuckled. A bond is a bond either way. If I were with my friend, Fuuga...I could run ten thousand miles. Heres hoping I can run together with him again.

Shuukin looked up to the heavens as he spoke. Yuriga shrugged.

Im sure you can. Didnt you hear what that little kid was saying? Then, putting a hand on her hip and thrusting her chest out, she said, Well, maybe its hard to sense this without actually living there, but the Kingdom of Friedonias potential is incredible. If theyre serious about this, Im sure youll be fine.

Its an amazing country, huh?

Im always writing to my brother to make sure he doesnt underestimate them.

And so, Shuukin was moved into the treatment facility at the port city, with Tomoe, Yuriga, and Elulu in tow.

A research facility was established at the port city. Here, Hakuya and Ichiha kept records of the various dead monsters sent from the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan. They also cross-referenced which monsters were fought by those who had contracted the Spirit Kings Curse.

In another room in the facility, Brad was performing autopsies on monster remains, and using a microscope to search for the parasites responsible.

On the table in front of Ichiha and Hakuya was a lineup of monsters that Ichiha had drawn based on the accounts of patients whod fought them.

Looking down at them, Hakuya finally picked out two.

I think these are the most suspicious.

Yeah...I agree, Ichiha replied with a nod.

The two chosen were a snail ant, which was a large ant with a spiral shell for its midsection, and the snail bee, which had a spiral shell on the part with its stinger. A common feature they had was their distinctive spiral shell.

Ichiha collected all the pictures of insects with similar characteristics, saying, Now that weve gathered all these accounts, we can see there are a lot of monsters with this spiral shell trait. And mollusks are famous for causing illness if not properly cooked.

Hilde was telling me thats also the work of small bugs...parasites. And then there were those endemic diseases His Majesty mentioned. There were mollusks involved with them too.

Before Hakuya and the rest were sent to this port city, Souma had told them that the Spirit Kings Curse had some things in common with a disease from his old world called schistosomiasis, which was also caused by parasites in the blood. He talked about a case where parasites in the river used mollusks as an intermediary host to eventually infect farmers working in the mud. Souma had gone to the Sugiura Memorial Museum in Showa Town with his social studies class, and he had to write a report about it after, so he remembered a lot of the details.

Memories from when youre little really stick with you. I thought writing that sort of report was just a pain back then, but you never know whats going to come in handy... Souma had said earnestly. And so they kept that in mind too.

Hakuya touched his chin as he thought. The Spirit Kings Curse is likely caused when warriors fight insect-type monsters with the shell trait and get their fluids on them.

Thats right, said a third voice.

Turning towards the sudden inclusion, they saw Brad had come in wearing his white coat while carrying Ludia on his back. Not a lone wolf and cub, but a doctor and baby.

Brad produced two vials from his coat pocket and laid them down on top of the monster drawings. They were filled with fluid and had little things inside them.

One of those is the parasites that came out of a patient who died of the Spirit Kings Curse. Theyre big enough to be seen with the naked eye, right? Hilde says they match the ones in Gerulas blood that she saw with her third eye.

I see. So then these are...

The parasites that cause this disease?

Hakuya and Ichiha both let out a sigh as they looked at those parasites, each no larger than a grain of sand. They were small enough that Ichiha, who always wore glasses, struggled to see them. It was hard to believe this organism was the cause of so many deaths.

Its inconvenient not having a name for them, Brad continued. They are bugs that hide in the blood vessels, eating away at our magicium... Lets call them blood-borne magic-eating bugs. And we found what seems to be magic-eating blood bug larvae in the dead bodies of monsters.

Having said this, Brad showed them the other vial. It looked similar to the others, but this time it was hard to see anything other than liquid inside. Ichiha squinted but couldnt make out anything.

The larvae...are in there?

They are. But theyre only large enough that someone with good vision might just barely be able to make them out. Its only with the three-eyed races third eye or a microscope that theyre easily visible.

Brad picked up the vial between his fingers. The monster I found these in had a spiral shell, like you said. The infection is caused by contact with fluids from monsters with them...just like you were thinking.

Is it possible for there to be person-to-person transmission? Like if we touched someones infected blood... Ichiha asked.

You dont want to try it, thats for sure. Brad crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. But it seems like there are practically no cases of transmission that way. Even if you come in contact with their blood, so long as you wash and disinfect yourself afterwards, there shouldnt be a problem. The risk to those who get covered in monster fluids during battle and then dont clean themselves is far higher.

What measures can be taken to prevent infection? Hakuya asked.

Well... First of all, you could stay away from them. Fighting up close with these monsters is dangerous. If you really have to fight them, then ideally you want to finish them with ranged attacks, at a distance where their fluids wont get on you.

It seems theyre already doing that, but Ill let them know to take special caution with monsters that have spiral shells.

Also, if you get fluids on you, wash and disinfect anywhere it touches immediately. If you leave it as is, you run a higher risk of infection.

Understood, Hakuya said, nodding. Sir Ichiha.

Right! Ill go let the people from the Great Tiger Kingdom know! Ichiha replied before running off.

Brad scratched his head as he watched him go. Turning to Hakuya, he said, Still...I know I shouldnt say this, but I never expected to find the cause so easily... This would never happen with a normal disease.

Youre probably right. It seems a lot of things came together to help us out. We had you, who is familiar with the inside of the body; we had experts on monsters; Hilde, who can remove parasites with magic; His Majestys knowledge of a disease in his former world; and...

And someone who donated his body to the cause.

They both looked pained as they remembered Gerula, who had fallen victim to the disease.

Yes... It was all thanks to this confluence of events.

So it only worked out by coincidence, huh?

Perhaps. However, without His Majestys decision to pursue medical development, Madam Hildes and your assistance, and the contribution of Gerula, who wanted to save his homeland, such a coincidence wouldnt have happened. Even if it was the result of chance, our will to overcome diseases is what brought it to fruition.

Youve got that right.

Brad was often a contrarian, but on this, he readily agreed.

Patients from the Father Island afflicted with the Spirit Kings Curse were arriving at the medical facility in the port city. These were ones with relatively minor symptoms, and would be experimental subjects to test the efficacy of the treatment Hilde had discovered.

The first subject was going to be Shuukin.

Ive heard the reports from Yuriga, so its not like I dont trust the Kingdoms medical science, but I dont want to test anything on my men when I dont know the risks. Besides, if I show them that Ive accepted your treatment, my quick-tempered lot will be more willing to submit to it too.

Shuukin was lying in bed as Hilde examined him. Tomoe, Yuriga, and Elulu were watching at a distance. Yuriga seemed unsteady on her feet, and Tomoe had to help her to stand.

Are you okay, Yuriga?

Ungh... Im a little dizzy, but Ill be fine.

Hilde made a shallow incision in Shuukins arm with a scalpel. Shuukin didnt bat an eye at it, but all three of the girls gulped. Hilde immediately began using light magic on the wound. It was a little small and shallow, but it took far longer than normal to heal.

Your case is fairly advanced, Hilde said with a sigh as she examined him. The blood-borne magic-eating bugsokay, apologies to Brad, but thats way too long. Im just going to call them magic bugs... Anyway, the magic bugs have damaged the magicium in your blood pretty badly. If I was going to exterminate them with just the magicium you have left, it would take a long time. Considering your symptoms, thatd be the death of you.

Is...that right?

If I did it the normal way, yes. Honestly...since were trying to test the safety of this, Id have preferred a subject who had somewhat lighter symptoms, she grumbled.

Shuukin laughed. Sorry for putting you out like this. But Lord Fuuga entrusted me with those men. If this body of mine is no longer fit to stand on the battlefield, then let me offer it up as a test subject.

I hate the way you warriors think... But if thats what youre going to say, Im going to take you up on it.

With that, Hilde produced a large bottle containing a dark red liquid, causing Shuukins brow to furrow as he saw it.

What is that?

The blood I took from that girl over there, Hilde replied, pointing to Yuriga. Shuukins eyes went wide.

From Lady Yuriga?!

Yeah. The method Ive developed for treating the Spirit Kings Curse involves identifying the magic bugs in the blood and using an awareness of where they are to control the magicium in the body to eliminate them with light magic. If I know what effect the magic bugs have on the body, I can treat the other symptoms too, but...Brads still busy dissecting cadavers and looking into that. Thats why Ill be focusing on eliminating the magic bugs for now. If your magicium has been thoroughly destroyed, though, I cant do it... Which is what this is for.

Hilde held up Yurigas blood for Shuukin to see.

Ill give you a transfusion from this girl, whos of the same race as you, and supplement your magicium with hers. Ive already checked that shes a viable blood donor for you.

N-No! How could I make you shed the blood of my lieges sister?!

Shuukin was hesitant, but Yuriga, despite seeming somewhat anemic, waved her hand as Tomoe helped her stand.

Oh...dont worry about it, Sir Shuukin. My brother needs you on his path to supremacy, and its no big deal for me to give up a little blood for that.

Lady Yuriga...

You should be grateful for the situation, and accept it with grace. It was a stroke of good fortune that there was a healthy member of the same race here to act as a donor... Some lives couldnt be saved even after coming up with this method, Hilde said, her expression clouding. It was all too late for the high elf patient we saw back in the Kingdom. The only other high elf there wasnt a blood-type match for him, so we couldnt even have tested this method. Although, with the organ damage he had already suffered, it would have only extended his life a little at most... His name was Gerula Garlan.

Huh?! Uncle... Elulu murmured.

Hilde lowered her eyes before responding. He was...a relative of yours?

Yes. He knew he didnt have long, and was looking for a way to use what life he had left. I see... So he passed away in the Kingdom, then...

Elulu looked down as tears filled her eyes.

In an uncharacteristically gentle tone, Hilde said, To that end, he passed away with one of his own kind watching over him, and a peaceful expression on his face. It was only thanks to him offering up his body that we uncovered the true nature of the disease, and I was able to come up with this treatment.

My uncles death...wasnt in vain then? Elulu asked, looking up, and Hilde gave her a firm nod.

Id never let it go to waste. None of us would.

Sniffling, Elulu replied, Right!

It sounds like Ill have to be prepared too, then, Shuukin said, exposing his arm with a look of determination. Princess Elulus uncle gave his life to help find this treatment. If my body can be the one that proves its effective, I couldnt be happier. Lady Yuriga, I will be borrowing your blood.

With Shuukins resolve set, Hilde began the treatment. First they extracted some of Shuukins blood, then transfused Yurigas healthy blood into him. Because blood couldnt be preserved for as long as in Soumas old world, time was of the essence. And so the blood was transfused. Hilde also used light magic to eliminate the blood-borne magic-eating bugs.

Shuukin sweated heavily throughout the procedure.

He didnt seem to be in pain, but the feeling of something messing around inside his body was unpleasant. It was exhausting too, and eventually he passed out like someone had flipped an off switch.

Two hours went by...

Hilde used light magic on every blood vessel in Shuukins body. She sent an image of the magic bugs to the magicium inside the body, and then they destroyed them. There was no standard for how many it might be safe to let escape, so she was as thorough as she could be.

After a long time, Hilde stopped casting magic on the body.

Please...let this work.

And then, making another incision on Shuukins arm, she tried casting light magic on it. When she did, it still healed slowly, but faster than before, showing that the magicium in the body was functioning properly.

Whew...

Hilde collapsed into a chair, exhausted.

Um, Doctor. Will Lord Shuukin... Elulu asked, unable to wait any longer.

I cant say for certain until Ive had time to observe, Hilde said, waving her off. But this should have eliminated the magic bugs in his blood. Id say we can call it a success so far.

Really?! Thank goodness! Elulu cried out with glee, gently taking the sleeping Shuukins hand.

With a sideways glance at her, Hilde let out a great sigh.

For now, I think its safe to say weve established a treatment. If it can be treated when its advanced this far, then we should be able to treat the others with comparatively light symptoms without even needing a blood transfusion. But I hear theres still far more patients on the Father and Mother Islands.

Hilde leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

It took all this time and effort just to treat him. Much as I hate to admit it, I cant handle all of them with just the doctors weve brought with us... No, even with all the doctors in the Kingdom, it still wouldnt be enough. What can we do...

It will be okay, Tomoe said, leaning in to peer at Hildes face. Big Brother stayed in the Kingdom because he said there are things he needs to take care of. Im sure he has an idea. So...its going to work out.

Heres hoping... Hilde replied, smiling wryly at Tomoes total belief in her big brother.

One week later...

With the treatment of the first batch of patients at the port city complete, they were all on the way to recovery. Shuukin had had the heaviest symptoms, and even he had recovered to the point where he was doing training as a form of rehab. When Shuukin stood up and got out of bed on his own, Elulu jumped into his arms in glee.

And now, on this day, Prime Minister Hakuya; Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga; Hilde the doctor; Brad the surgeon; Shuukin; and Elulu were gathered in one room to discuss the current state of things and what they were going to do going forward.

How about we start with the condition of the patients? Hakuya suggested.

Thats no problem, Hilde replied. Theyre all on the way to recovery. Even the one with the worst case of it, whos right here with us.

Thanks to you, Doctor, Shuukin said, bowing his head. For some reason, Elulu, who was next to him, bowed hers too.

With a wry smile at the two of them, Hilde told Hakuya, For now, I think we can safely say that weve established a treatment for the Spirit Kings Curse. The light mages with a knowledge of medicine should be able to perform it the same as I did without any problem.

Thats a relief to hear, Hakuya said with a nod before looking to Brad. Now, what can you tell us about the blood-borne magic-eating bugs...the magic bugs?

All we know so far is you can get infected with them by touching the fluids that come out of the spiral shell part of a monsters body, Brad replied, crossing his arms. But when you consider the almost total lack of infections coming from patients, I think the magic bugs only have the power to infect humans when theyre covered in monster blood.

Is this that intermediary host thing that His Majesty told us about?

Yeah, thats probably it.

Souma had told them about Japanese schistosomiasis. It was an endemic disease from the world he came from, and it infected people through mollusks that lived in the rice paddies and rivers. In the country Souma lived in, they had overcome the disease by preventing the mollusks from reproducing and eliminating the environment that allowed the parasites to exist.

Its not clear if the demon wave caused preexisting parasites to change inside the bodies of the large number of monsters it produced, or if they existed in the monsters bodies all along. The one thing we do know is that to stop the chain of infections, we need to completely eliminate the monsters with spiral shells that are causing it.

Ive reported that to our forces on the Father Island. Theyre to make eliminating any spiral shell monster their top priority. They have strict orders to do so from a distance; defeating the enemy with long-ranged attacks or magic, and avoiding contact with their blood.

Elulu nodded at Shuukins explanation.

Ive given the same report to my father, the Spirit Kingdom King, on the Mother Island. I think that should help lower the rate of new infections, but... Elulus expression darkened. There are still a large number of people suffering from the Spirit Kings Curse on both islands. Could you possibly perform the Kingdoms medical treatment on all of them? Please!

Elulu bowed her head and Shuukin joined her.

Im asking you too. Please save my wounded soldiers and the high elves.

That seems to have been His Majestys intention all along... Hakuya said.

Hilde began vigorously scratching her head.

But the patients on both islands vastly outnumber this first group, right? And from what I hear, many of them are in even worse condition than Sir Shuukin was. I already told little Tomoe and her friends this, but we dont have nearly enough people to handle them all with just the doctors we brought here. Even if we brought every light mage in the Kingdom with medical knowledge, it still wouldnt be enough.

Also, it would be inefficient to bring them all to this port. Theres no telling how long it might take if we only brought them in batches as large as we can house here, and we dont have enough blood for Hildes treatment either, Brad added, pointing out further problems. He looked at Yuriga. We got lucky that her blood happened to match Shuukins, but if it hadnt then his treatment would have been delayed further... Well, if it came to it, wed have relied on using blood from another race.

Hm? Its possible to do blood transfusions between different races? Hakuya asked.

If youre asking if its possible...then, yes. Even if peoples races are different, so long as the blood types match, there is no problem with doing a transfusion, but...the medical society doesnt encourage it, Brad answered awkwardly.

Why is that?

A little knowledge can lead to rampant superstition. Blood transfusion isnt an established medical practice outside of our country. What do you think would happen if it became known that you can transfuse the blood of a long-lived race like the elves into humans? What if that started a baseless rumor that doing so could extend a persons life or restore their youth?

I see... Id rather not think about it. Hakuya got depressed when he considered what would happen.

Hunts for members of the long-lived races, completely disregarding their rights, and trafficking in their bloodevery illegal method might be tried. The long-lived races wouldnt just take it, of course. In the worst case, it could develop into a civil war.

Brad nodded. Let me just tell you straight up, their blood doesnt have that sort of effect. But if people are ignorant, they wont believe you when you tell them. We should save transfusions from other races until the people have been enlightened as to how it works.

You make a good case... It would be advisable to stick to transfusions between the same races until then. That being the case... Should we go to the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, where there are members of the same race, in order to treat them?

Hakuya brought his hand to his mouth as he thought, looking at Tomoe.

If I recall, you and your friends are on summer vacation right now, correct?

Yes. We have about another month.

Its kind of a problem that I havent even touched my assignments yet... Yuriga said, getting dispirited. If I dont get them done, Im in for more remedial lessons...

Hakuya thought for a short time, and then made his decision.

Yes, lets go to the Father Island and treat the people there. Since Shuukin has recovered, well want him leading his men to prevent further infections.

Sure! Thank you, Sir Hakuya!

Thank you so much!

Shuukin and Elulu were overjoyed, but Hildes expression was still grim.

Im fine with going there, but that doesnt change our shortage of staff.

Ah, as far as that goes, I suspect... Hakuya began to say, but hadnt even finished before it happened.

A messenger rushed into the room, handing a letter to Hakuya.

Its a report! It came from the Kingdom of Friedonia, by messenger kui! Its from His Majesty!

Oh! Let me see it.

Hakuya accepted the letter and looked through it. When he was done, he let out a sigh of relief. Everyone could immediately tell that it wasnt a negative report.

Looking around at each of them, he said, The manpower shortage is resolved. Lets head to the Spirit Kingdom at once.