CH 62

People infected with a strange illness are isolated in a building owned by His Highness Ash.

When you hear the word isolation, you might think they are being confined, but in reality, it is a little different.

Not only are medical services provided, but a system is in place for comfortable living, including food, clothing, shelter, and entertainment, with consideration given to any inconvenience.

It is all thanks to His Highness Ash’s thoughtfulness.

He even rented rooms for us to use for work and prepared materials that could be used for transmutation.

He thinks of everything in detail.

“His Highness Ash looks tough, but he’s actually very meticulous, isn’t he?”

“That’s just how he is, my brother.”

The three of us were walking through the town.

It wasn’t just a casual stroll around the town, we were heading towards a certain place.

Although the city is beautiful, I can’t say I don’t want to do some sightseeing.

“…No one’s here.”

“Yeah.”

I don’t feel like playing when I see such a bleak view.

We quickened our pace.

Our destination was one of the buildings owned by His Highness Ash.

This is where those who have been infected with the strange disease and have passed a relatively long period of time have been living.

Inside was very beautiful and white, and it was quieter than the plain-looking streets.

Rooms were prepared for each of them, and they were living inside.

“Hello.”

No answer.

While they were not dead, it was clear that they were in a dangerous condition.

Their breathing was shallow and short.

They had a continued fever, and their physical strength was rapidly being depleted.

The thorn emblem was already trying to cover their whole body.

“How terrible.”

“Yeah. Aria, let’s go check on the others.”

“…okay.”

I wanted to do something here.

Suppressing that feeling, we go from room to room.

Everyone had serious symptoms, and we couldn’t hold a decent conversation.

“This is the last room.”

“If we could at least talk to them a little…”

“Yeah, but…”

It was difficult.

Fusaki-kun had also only mentioned it with little expectation.

We opened the last door and greeted them.

“Hello.”

Then——

“Welcome…”

An answer came back.

The person lying on the bed in the sickroom was looking at us with vacant eyes.

We hurried to the bedside.

“Excuse me for intruding suddenly. I am Aria, a Transmutation Master dispatched from the royal palace.”

“… A Transmutation Master…”

“Yes, can I ask you a few questions?”

“…Ah, sure.”

He answered in a vacant manner.

He wasn’t fully conscious.

His eyes were half-closed, almost as if he was about to fall asleep.

He would not be able to answer long and complicated questions.

With that understanding, I decided to ask only one rough question.

“Have you noticed anything different since you got sick? If you have, even something small, please let me know.”

“What I’ve noticed is… it’s hot, I feel tired, and it’s dark.”

“Dark?”

I understood his statement from the fever and fatigue.

But, dark?

I hadn’t heard of such symptoms.

Could it be that it was related to his vision?

As I was thinking, he continued to speak.

“I have dreams…”

“Dream?”

“Yes… it was a dream. In a dark forest, there was a pitch-black lump… and it slowly approached me. That thing was… a monster.”

“A monster?”

After that, the man fell asleep.

I called out to him, but he didn’t wake up.

It seems his physical limit has been reached.

He won’t wake up for a while.

No, maybe there’s a possibility that he won’t wake up at all…

“Thank you very much.”

I bow to him and leave the room.

Then I hurried back to the mansion and told His Highness Ash what he had said.

“A monster… he said that, right?”

“Yes.”

“We heard it, too. There’s no mistake, Brother.”

“I see, a monster…”

His Highness Ash thinks hard with a troubled expression.

If I simply say that it’s just a dream, that’s all there is to it, but I intuitively felt that it was not unrelated.

Perhaps not just me, but Yuren-kun and Fusaki-kun, and even Prince Ash, will twist their heads around the words he left behind.

“Is it possible that monsters are related to this disease?”

“Yes, I also think so. There have been many diseases that have spread due to monsters.”

“I see. It does overlap with the time when the number of monsters increased. Maybe their increasing violence is not unrelated either.”

Saying this, His Highness Ash stands up from his chair.

“I’m going to deal with the monsters now. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“By ‘deal with the monsters,’ do you mean go and defeat them?”

“Yeah, but no matter how many I defeat, they just keep multiplying. It’s really troublesome.”

His Highness waves his hands in frustration.

The story about the increasing number and violence of monsters is worrisome.

“Um, if it’s possible, could you bring the corpses of the defeated monsters?”

“Hmm? Yeah, sure. That’s an easy task.”

“Thank you.”

“Take care, brother.”

“Yeah.”

And so, His Highness Ash goes out to defeat the monsters.

We head towards the prepared room and face the Transmutation Circle.