Chapter 188
I exhaled while looking out of the carriage.
[Haa…]
This is what happened until noon.
This morning, the day of Nambonan’s departure, I went to the mansion to say goodbye to Anna.
Last night, Raeve came to the Mayor’s residence to sleep with me, so this was my first visit to the mansion during my stay in Nambonan.
Perhaps the maid’s sermon had worked for Anna, and she felt a little left out.
But that’s just until I activate the phony magic, and once it’s a little sparkling, the rest is sticky and sweet.
Our mouths were wet with saliva, and after exchanging lots of intense and rich kisses, we returned to the Mayor’s residence.
Before I knew it, Raeve had woken up and was waiting for my return, and as soon as she saw me, she pressed her big breasts against my cheek. It seems that she had completely grasped that I am a boobman.
Last night, I was so full that my penis felt worn out, and even though I had four shots injected into each vagina, I couldn’t stand my morning erection. I didn’t have to put up with it.
The inside of Raeve’s vagina, which was half full of semen that had been poured in a few hours ago, somehow felt as bad as when you put on a pair of sea pants that you’ve used once and left them half-dried without washing. However, while I was shaking my hips, my brain was filled with pleasure and I stopped worrying about it.
In the end, the first and second cumshot of the morning belonged to Raeve.
Even if it’s a little unreasonable, it might have been better if I brought Raeve along to Newnelly. If I had insisted, she would surely have followed me.
When I thought about touching that attractive woman’s body again for a while, my dick seemed to be trembling due to withdrawal symptoms.
However, it’s too late now that I’ve already left.
I let out a deep breath again while recalling the feeling of numbness left in my hands.
[Young Master, a Knight has come to greet you.]
The maid who was standing by responded to the voice that came from outside the carriage and informed me of the situation.
[Very well.]
Although the Quordenze territory does not have a toll tax, every time I entered the knight territory, I would be greeted by a Knight or their representative.
I don’t know how many people have left Nambonan City, and a greeting unit has arrived after crossing the Knights territory.
To be honest, getting off the carriage and listening to the Knight’s long welcome message was quite troublesome. It’s fine if it’s only once and done, but I kept hearing the same thing over and over again.
[This time, please come to the land that we will take care of and rule…]
As I had imagined, the greeting was very polite here as well. Polite and long.
While listening to the Knight’s talk, I had a different part of my brain thinking.
This time, I had something I wanted to stop by, so I decided to return to Newnelly City by a different route than usual.
Since it is a route that is not usually chosen, I think that even the Knights who pass through are thinking of giving a proper greeting here.
I was prepared for the greeting to take a long time, and since it would be a slightly detour route, I had even left Nambonan much earlier than planned.
However, when I remember Raeve’s body, I wondered if it was worth the detour in the first place. It wasn’t necessary to take a detour, so I think it would have been better to stay in Nambonan City for a little longer, giving priority to mating.
However, I couldn’t say sorry to the civil officers who took the trouble to adjust the schedule for me.
“And the Knights who came to say hello are welcome!“, I was greeted with such a feeling, and my conscience was stung when I thought about how I should have refused.
I want to be a little more outrageous Noble.
[…Then please, I will guide you.]
After the super long greeting from the Knight who governs this land, he moved to the front of the carriage to lead the way.
He is a Knight who governs this part of territory. After hearing about my visit, he seems to have made various preparations. Thankfully.
When I returned to the carriage, I suddenly noticed the carriage behind me. Koharii was in a slightly smaller carriage than this one.
For the time being, the military officer advised me not to enjoy car sex with a woman who wasn’t even a servant in the carriage because we were moving around with a group of ordinary soldiers.
By the way, it wasn’t a particular problem with Rose. The soldiers say it’s “manly” to rape the enemy general Rose in a carriage.
Luckily, my erection still hasn’t recovered due to being expended on Raeve in the morning. For the time being, it was a needless worry.
[When do you expect to arrive?]
This time, we chose a route through north to south along the Amelia River on the west side of the Quordenze territory.
Currently, the carriage is moving eastward away from the river, but until just a little while ago it was moving right next to the river. On the opposite bank was the Spierzeig territory.
Due to its location, this area was also the area where collateral relatives of the Quordenze family once rebelled. They were in a position to receive interference because it was adjacent to the Spierzeig family… I mean the Kingdom of Voistra.
The house of the Knight who came to say hello earlier was also one of the Knight houses that rebelled against the main family following the collateral line. It’s been several decades since my grandmother’s purge drama, but even now, compared to other Knights, there are some who are treated one rank below.
Even if there is an indulgence that after the purge, he left his parents’ house and joined the main family and appointed a military officer who had faithfully followed my grandmother as the head of the family, the sins of the family itself are not completely wiped out.
[They say the view gets better around that hill, maybe you can see it from there.]
The maid said so and pointed at the window on the front side of the carriage. There was still some distance, but I could see a small hill ahead.
[I see. That sounds interesting.]
The carriage rocked for a while.
Meanwhile, I began to feel an indescribably unpleasant feeling.
It felt like I’d been shown a picture of food waste thrown into a triangular corner, and just looking at it made me sick and nauseated.
And I guess that this is not from the sense of smell, but the discomfort caused by the sixth sense, the sense of magical power.
[Don’t you feel strange?]
When I called out to her, one of the two maids riding in the carriage stiffened her face. She looked pretty sick.
However, the maid nevertheless behaved stubbornly, opened the carriage door, checked ahead, and gave some instructions to the driver who was holding the reins. Then, the carriage began to move like drawing a curved fan and stopped when it turned sideways to the direction of travel.
After that, the maid said in a slightly low voice when she opened the door in the direction of travel of the carriage.
[……..Please look. That discolored part that you can see in the distance is the land defiled by mature magic beasts. This was supposed to be a regular basin, but such pollution exists in places.]
Until now, I couldn’t see well due to the height of the window, but now that the door is open, I can see well below.
The carriage seemed to be climbing a small hill, and when I looked down at the open door, I could see the scenery below.
After going all the way down the gentle slope, there was a mottled patch of dark purple earth that looked like an amoeba writhing around.
The tainted color seems to be eroding over a fairly wide area, at least in the range that can be confirmed from the rectangular view of the door, the scale cannot be grasped.
[Is that the corrupted land?]
Corrupted Land.
It’s the land contaminated by mature magic beasts.
Oddy used to say that. A long time ago, there was a hot spring in the Quordenze territory. However, due to the effects of land contamination by mature magic beasts, it is no longer possible to enjoy the hot spring anymore.
The area where the hot spring is said to have been is the place we visited this time. A mature magic beast that appeared about 100 years ago caused a large-scale disaster in this area.
For the time being, I have some knowledge about the magic beast disaster in the Quordenze territory.
In the warehouses of Newnelly Castle, not only administrative documents left by civil officers at the time, but also paintings depicting the appearance of magical beasts are left.
The painting left behind by the Quordenze family depicts a magical beast spreading toxins over the earth.
To sum it up, it’s a giant salamander. The slimy body and limbs, and the flattened face that looked like a tsuchinoko were very similar.
However, its skin was pure white, and it had a mouth so large that it could probably swallow an elementary school gymnasium in one bite.
A monster that has fully matured transforms its body into a gigantic one.
The personalities and characteristics of mature magic beasts differ greatly from individual to individual.
This giant salamander magic beast is said to be a magic beast that likes to pollute extremely small areas.
As it moved around, it spewed out a bluish-purple mist from its huge mouth as if it were sighing, polluting the earth.
For that reason, even now, nearly 100 years have passed, there is still corrupted land in this area.
Corrupted land from normal mature magic beasts will naturally be purified in a few years, 10 or 20 years at the most, as long as it is not repeated. It is unusual for a single mature magic beast to make a land remain contaminated for 100 years.
It can be said that it was a magical beast with a very troublesome characteristic, as if all its stats were focused on polluting the land. Is it something like a pollution-specific type?
[It’s a much more poisonous sight than I imagined.]
I spoke my impression out loud.
Even with this, 100 years worth of water should have been naturally purified, but it’s so ominous that it’s hard to believe.
It’s scary just to imagine how intense the pollution was when the giant salamander magic beast was rampaging in real time.
It was this polluted land that I wanted to take a detour to see.
[…what’s wrong, are you feeling sick?]
I called out to the maid who was waiting in front of the door. It’s not to the point of vomiting, but she’s sick enough that the corner of her lips twitched when she smiled.
[…I apologize for showing Young Master an unsightly side. I’m not used to seeing a corrupted land…]
Apparently, not only she, but also the horses that pulled the carriage felt something. When the driver ordered the horses to move toward the polluted area, they stopped and would not move.
By stopping once, he may have thought that he didn’t want to get any closer to the contaminated area from here. Even horses don’t like it.
When the Knight who was leading had a conversation with the driver, he came in front of the carriage with a horse.
[Young Master. If you don’t have a horse that is used to the filthy soil, they will be too wary to advance. If you are going to go ahead, I would like you to use the horse that I prepared.]
[We’ve come this far. I want to see it from a little closer. Get ready.]
[Yessir.]
I decided to leave the maid who seemed unwell in the carriage. She said she would follow me, but I didn’t feel comfortable looking at her wrinkling her brows like that.
By the way, I also decided to let the unit that I’m leading to rest on the hill.
There’s no point in taking the soldiers with me for my personal business.
I got off the carriage and got on the horse that the Knight had prepared, probably raised in this region.
It seems that the escort, another maid, and a civilian with a Knight will follow on foot. Only two people, me and the Knight, were on horseback.
[Are you okay?]
Although the maid I left in the carriage looked exhausted, the maid who came with me had a relaxed expression.
[Yes. I feel a little strange, but I don’t feel particularly uncomfortable. I’m a serf after all.]
According to this maid, it appears that only lords would feel disgusted by the corrupted land.
This indescribable feeling of discomfort…the presence of a stench that you can’t smell is magical in nature.
As for Highlords, we won’t be affected to the extent of feeling sick due to our overwhelming magic power.
On the other hand, the serf’s sense of magic is so poor that it’s hard to tell whether or not they have it. So although there are individual differences, most people don’t feel anything. It’s not something that has clear malicious intent like murderous intent, so it’s probably hard for serfs to perceive it.
However, even a Lord-class person with half-baked magic sense would still feel sick when sensing this evil aura. I wonder how the knights and escorts felt right now.
But, it’s also a matter of getting accustomed to it. After a while, they will naturally get used to it.
In the summer, public toilets have a strong pungent odor that makes you feel sick immediately after entering, but you will get used to it as you squeeze out your stool there. It’s kind of like that.
As we progressed while listening to episodes related to the corrupted land from the Knight, we arrived at the point where the soil became contaminated in a few dozen steps.
Even though the horse was accustomed to the corrupted land, it seemed that it didn’t want to go any further, so it stopped without giving any particular signal.
[It’s clearly separated in color. Is that the boundary with the corrupted land?]
The ocher color of the earth and the black purple of the corrupted land makes for a clear boundary. A long time ago, I saw an image on the Internet where the colors of the water were beautifully separated at the confluence of two rivers. The feeling is somewhat similar to that.
[It looks like that on the surface, but the place where we’re standing is actually part of the corrupted land already.]
Saying that, the Knight picked up a long metal stick that was set on the side of the horse and looked like something Sanzo would be holding. Then, he stabbed it into the ground while riding.
“Goin!” A dull sound like a compressed earth rumbling resounded, and a fissure 3 meters long, 30 centimeters wide, and 3 meters deep had formed in the ground where the stick had been pierced. It’s the activation of magic.
[Look. It’s still dozens of steps away from the highly corrupted area, but you can see that the underground is already contaminated.]
[I see, this is easy to understand.]
Except for the ground that the Knight opened with magic, the ground is normal soil up to about 1 meter from the ground, but it starts to change color around that area, and from about 2 meters below it is completely black purple. The sign of corrupted land.
[Even if the surface of the earth is purified, there are still many underground areas that are contaminated. Because the water veins are also polluted, the effects are more widespread than they appear.]
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
[How deep is the contamination?]
The Knight answered my question briefly, saying he didn’t know. I don’t think any of us have researched it before.
[Lords, including myself, have an aversion to digging up the corrupted land. For commoners, digging takes time. And if someone magicless touches the corrupted land directly, it may cause sickness. There’s no way they’ll be willing to do such a dangerous act without a profit that matches the risk…]
[So, the answer is a no.]
It was corrupted down to several meters below. The arms of the people hired for the investigation would have rotted away, leaving 10 people unable to work satisfactorily. That’s the end. …..Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a noble sacrifice for the sake of science.
On the other hand, if you ask me to prepare a person who can use healing magic and check it out, I don’t think that’s the case. As a knight who manages the land for his master, there should be plenty of other things to do.
[Then, are you not doing any research on the corrupted land?]
[Maybe once every three months, We recorded the distribution of the corruption on the ground. Compared to the past, the polluted areas are getting smaller and smaller. Please see here, I have brought a copy of the record.]
I had informed them in advance that I would be visiting the polluted area. But, the Knight even prepared the materials in advance. I received a bundle of papers from a civil officer that the knight brought along and checked the contents.
[Maps? …..Isn’t this part filled with ink the part where the corruption is visible on the surface?]
[As Young Master can see, this is the part of the map where we are currently standing.]
It’s good that the civil officer with the Knight pointed out the points on the map, but I honestly don’t know much about this area.
When I looked at the second map, the base map was the same, only the ink was applied differently. Apparently, the map seems to be using a common one.
[The topmost piece of paper is the oldest contamination map that remains as a record. These are the records for every 10 years, making it easy to see the transition of purification.]
As I flicked through the map, I could see that the ink area was getting smaller and smaller.
The oldest record is about 100 years old. Compared to this, it was enough to judge that it has shrunk to less than 1/5 of the initial outbreak.
As I was comparing the maps, the Knight started explaining as if he had matched it.
[There are only a few serious contaminations left, including this one. I think that the corrupted land will probably disappear from this area in a few decades, and I will do my best to make it happen.]
After confirming to some extent, I returned the maps to the civil officer.
[You were keeping good records.]
[This is the duty given to our family about 100 years ago. It is said that the order was given directly by the Head of the family at that time, who is also Young Master’s ancestor.]
At that time, it was not long after the Quordenze family unified the mainland.
In the end, the army was exhausted due to the unreasonable expansion, and the giant salamander magic beast that appeared in this area could not be subjugated. In a sense, the corrupted land that remains to this day can be said to be self-made.
Whether the Head of the family was enthusiastic about research, or whether it was just an idea, whatever he was thinking when ordering the Knight family to take a record of the corrupted land, it seems that the Knight doesn’t know either.
[Except for the first time, we were not ordered to report to Newnelly, so I don’t think it was for research purposes. Even now, after taking the record, it is just stored in the warehouse of the mansion. …What do you think was the purpose, Young Master?]
With a lack of information, it’s impossible to make any big inferences.
I just say the first answer that comes to my mind.
[Isn’t it for self-discipline?]
As for what kind of person the Head of the family was at the time, I only have the knowledge that I’ve read in books handed down by the Quordenze family. However, I think that he was quite capable because he took over the mainland unification project and made it happen.
Although the mainland was unified, the disaster of the mature magic beast could not be prevented.
If you are a competent person, you will be able to face failures without looking away, accept them correctly, and make use of them next time. The Head of the family at that time must have deeply regretted the monster disaster, thus he asked the Knight family to make a contamination map, confirmed how serious the damage was caused, and decided to admonish himself.
It’s the most likely story.
Or rather, that’s all I can think of. I’m not an Esper.
[…I see. I also surmise so.]
The Knight seemed to accept my answer.
Well, it’s possible that the Head of the family at that time left a diary or something, so if I have some free time, I should check it out.
More than that, when I heard the Knight’s story, I had one thought.
[By the way, about this map, I’d like to have a copy of it later. Of course, it’s everything, including the records so far. It looks like it’s going to be a valuable document about magic beast disasters, so I’d like to have a copy.]
If the data recorded every three months for about 100 years, a simple calculation would be about 400.
The transition of contamination and purification over such a long period of time would be a first-class record. In order to avoid the loss, like being burned in a fire, it is information that you’d want to keep in multiple places, not in one place.
[In addition to the map I brought this time, there is also a written report by a civil officer who is in charge of recording, so if Young Master wants to preserve it, I will prepare a copy of that as well…]
As expected, it’s not just maps. It seems that there will be quite a number of them if you include them, but I reply that I want them all.
[As soon as the manuscript is finished, I will send it to Newnelly Castle. …..Is it okay if I send the part to be created in the future as well?]
[It will be troublesome to send it every time, but if you can bring a year’s worth of records together when you visit the castle at the beginning of the year, that will be fine.]
Of course it’s not something I want to subscribe to.
The primary purpose is backup, so even if it’s lost for about a year, the damage won’t be that bad. Perhaps.
[Then, at the beginning of next year, I will be at the castle with the records for the remaining three times this year.]
It seemed that they had already conducted a survey this year.
[Ah, please do… Also, apart from the records, I’d like a little sample of the corrupted land. Please put it in a wooden box like this and send it to me.]
Since I’ve come all the way here to see the sights, I need souvenirs.
This much, I gestured with my hand, about the size of a one-door refrigerator.
According to what I hear, even small insects such as flies and mosquitoes hate the corrupted land.
Small bugs are very annoying.
Because the Highlord’s body always emits a small amount of magical power, flies and mosquitoes can only approach within a certain distance. It’s good not to be bitten by mosquitoes, but it’s very distracting because they’re constantly flying around. Especially in the summer, it’s frustrating when you notice that the snacks on your desk are full of bugs.
Sadly, the buildings on the Eruo continent aren’t as airtight as they were in Japan in my previous life. So, the insects that are attracted by lighting magic and the likes could enter fairly easily.
It would be nice if someone could develop an insect repellent magic or a moth-attracting magic. But, unfortunately there seems to be no such convenience.
That’s why I wanted an item like a mosquito coil or insect repellent spray.
I don’t feel much disgust towards corrupted land, so I’d like to try it out at the pioneering association to see if it can be used as an insect repellent. Even if it fails, the capital is free, so there is no problem.
[The…corrupted land?]
[I’m not in a hurry, but I’d like you to send it before summer. At that time, I’ll have to ask you to send it to the Pioneering Association in Newnelly. As expected, there will be many people who won’t like it if I bring it to the castle.]
Newnelly Castle is crowded with Lords, so if you bring a wooden box full of corrupted soil, you will surely get a displeased look. If you do poorly, you will be thrown away.
In that case, it would be better to send it to the pioneering team from the beginning. For a serf, as long as you don’t touch the filthy soil with your bare hands, there will be no particular effect.
I gave detailed instructions to the civil officer who was taking notes next to the Knight about the shipping method and destination.
[By the way, can’t we get a little closer to the corrupted land?]
[…I don’t really recommend it. Horses won’t like it, and if you let them walk in highly polluted soil, their hooves may rot.]
Even though they wear horseshoes, they still come into contact with the soil as they walk, and it is said that the poison of the corrupted soil can enter from there.
[I don’t have a hobby of bullying horses, so I guess it’s a no.]
[Thank you for your understanding, Young Master.]
I made a proposal to get closer to the corrupted area, but I started to feel that just looking from afar was enough.
Honestly, I don’t want to get off my horse and approach on foot.
Even if you’re wearing shoes, it’s a little creepy to stand on the dark purple ground that looks like it’s dripping with evil juice.
It’s the same as walking in mud just because you’re wearing boots.
[Young Master, if I may, why would you want to see the corrupted land?]
The Knight asked such a question on the way back to the carriage waiting on the hill.
I see. It’s certainly not interesting to watch. Of course he couldn’t understand why a young nobleman would go out of his way to come and see it.
Actually, I didn’t have much of a reason.
In other words, the main reason was that I just wanted to go sightseeing.
I had heard many rumors about the severity of the damage caused by mature magic beasts, so I wanted to confirm with my own eyes just how severe the damage was in reality.
In my personal opinion, I’m glad I came to see it.
The continent was greatly devastated by the turmoil that began with Saint Navenpos, and mature magic beasts appeared one after another in various places.
Unlike all priests, the central government of the sacred city of Maguaose is that of nobles who live rooted in their local land. While the hometown is invaded by such ugly filth, it is likely that the priest is disgusted.
It is understandable that Krado Zeldomitra advocated breaking away from the rule of the priests and the independence of the nobles, and that the Levios family ran into a hard-line anti-priest path.
By seeing the corrupted land, I feel like I was able to understand a part of the pride of the nobility.
Even if I was asked about my mental attitude as a Noble in social gatherings in the Royal Capital, I think I would be able to behave with confidence.
[The current Quordenze territory has little to do with the contamination of mature magic beasts. I wanted to see it before socializing in the capital. It wouldn’t look good if I was the only one who didn’t know about the corrupted land.]
[Young Master, don’t you know?]
[Even in the Kingdom’s five major Noble territories, the problem of magical beasts should be more serious than in the Quordenze territory.]
I continued without waiting for the Knight’s reaction.
[I hear that the Zeldomitra territory still bears the scars of mature magic beast attacks from the turbulent times. For the people of the Zeldomitra family, the terror of the corrupted land must be familiar to them.]
Actually, I’ve heard that it’s a territory prone to famine. And that’s why they spend all their time fighting wars of aggression against free cities in search of promising land.
Their thirst for a clean land should be much stronger than Quordenze’s.
[If you cross a large river, past the Adellahan family, the land of mist spreads out. The city of Zareazelia, their home base, serves as a huge stake against the invasion of magical beasts, literally stopping them at the water’s edge. They must be very aware of the threat of magic beasts.]
The Adellahan family has many achievements in subjugating monsters.
I think that the system that emphasizes military affairs is also a manifestation of the determination to protect the land and with that, the people of the territory.
[The Milendorva family is the same in that they are troubled by mature magic beasts coming from the land of mist. It is said that due to the tidal currents, mature magic beasts can wash up from the north. By the time we were able to confirm their appearance, the ocean had already been polluted. It’s spreading, so I’m sure they hate it.]
In the northeastern part of Milendorva territory, there is a strait that separates it from the Land of Mist.
Due to the tidal currents here, it is rare for mature magic beasts from the field of the land of mist to wash ashore.
The place of occurrence is outside the territory, and it is a land with no administrator. Therefore, they can’t complain to anyone, and have no choice but to subdue the things that flowed ashore.
[The Levios family has dealt with many mature magic beasts that invade from the north, just like the Adellahan…]
However, because it is located downstream and close to the sea, the width of the great river is much wider, and compared to the Adellahan territory in the upper reaches of the great river, the number of mature magic beasts that cross the river seems to be small.
There aren’t many mature magic beasts that can cross the wide river. Of course, there are exceptions, but just a few. Even the giant salamander magic beast that polluted this land was said to have originated from Spierzeig territory beyond the great river.
[After all, it’s because of the evil of the magic beast Yersinia. Right now, the Levios family should be the noble family that pays the most attention to the occurrence of magic beasts.]
The great disaster that shook the continent, the magic beast Yersinia, occurred from a field near the Royal Capital Levios.
Of course, it’s difficult to forget such an event, even if you want to.
Considering this, the Quordenze territory, which has only a number of polluted areas like the one we visited this time, is extremely blessed in terms of magic beast disasters.
This fact itself is something that nobles should be proud of, but the fact that they have never seen a polluted land is not very pleasing because it can be considered as ignorance. I want to hear them saying [Didn’t Wilk-dono ever see the filth? Don’t you know how dangerous mature magic beasts are? Uwah, you grew up in a good place~] while I look down from above.
Just the other day, I fought a mature magic beast that appeared near Newnelly City, but because I killed it too quickly, I didn’t feel that much fear about soil contamination.
[Compared to the great nobles that I will meet at social gatherings in the Royal Capital, maybe I don’t know the true terror of mature magic beasts…that’s what I was vaguely worried about. It was helpful to have your guidance this time.]
As a member of the Quordenze family, I can’t afford to be disrespected while attending the social gatherings of the royal capital.
I felt that what I learned from seeing the contaminated land will be one of the supports when I speak out in the future.
[If I was able to be of service to the Young Master, it means more than anything.]
Besides, I continued.
[I wanted to see with my own eyes what would happen if I failed to fulfill my duties as the guardian of the land of Quordenze. I think this is my duty as the next Head of the family.]
“Oh…”, voices leaked out from the surrounding people.
When I glanced at the maid, her eyes sparkled and she stared intently at me.
She looked pretty and had a nice body, so I thought I’d hold her even when I had free time while traveling. If this leads to [nice sex with a respected Young Master], it’s worth saying embarrassing lines.
When I returned to the carriage, the other maid, who had been looking pained earlier, was waiting with a clear face. Apparently, she had already gotten used to the corrupted land.
The voices of the military officers could be heard from outside announcing the end of the rest to the soldiers, and the knights began to move forward to lead the way.
Thus, my business was over, and the carriage started heading towards Newnelly.