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Chapter 313

Even if Berner once suffered from an epidemic, it was not a small-scale territory.

The problem was that this territory was a commercial city.

The damned hydra’s poison, once it spread, would follow to the end and annihilate life.

There was a high possibility that the hydra’s poison had already spread across the continent.

In other words, this damned poison had already spread throughout the empire.

How many people would die if left alone like this?

At least one thing was certain.

If this situation was not resolved immediately, a bloody storm would sweep the continent.

It might look like a light matter, but it was undeniably serious.

Still, the situation was not entirely at its worst.

“At least the fact that it can be detoxified alone is a huge merit.”

“The place where the poison is strongest will surely be where the creature is hiding. Judging from all the circumstances so far, it’s obvious that it’s hiding somewhere near Berner.”

The closer to the hydra’s hiding place, the more severe the poisoning symptoms would be.

A member of the Moon Watchers had dropped dead because he had approached the hydra.

The first step was to search the areas where symptoms were most severe and find the hydra to tear it apart.

Once the main body died, Parcola poison would gradually weaken and eventually stop causing symptoms.

However, those who had been exposed for a long time near the main body sometimes did not lose their symptoms even after the hydra died.

At such times, what they needed was an antidote.

The Moon Watchers seemed to be preparing at least the solution of killing the hydra before things got worse.

But fundamentally, they seemed to recognize that many people would die no matter what.

It was decided that I would go to Berner territory alone.

Regardless of my certainty that the hydra’s poison could not affect me, it would not be good if others were exposed to it.

Melissa wrote a letter to her friend in Berner and handed it to me.

“Be careful. I’d like to stop you… but who knows how many people might die.”

It must weigh on her heart that it was her friend’s territory.

Even if the hydra were successfully slain, the people of Berner would in effect all be dead without an antidote.

“Don’t make such a fuss. I’ll go and settle this quickly.”

Hadn’t I already seen a hydra melt and die in my own poison?

There wasn’t really much reason to call it dangerous.

While the Moon Watchers was discovering the hydra, they were preparing an antidote.

Once they found the main body, I would go and slay it.

The hydra’s by-products that resulted from the process would be mine to take.

“Father.”

At that moment, Grivy tugged on my sleeve and looked up at me.

“What is it?”

“This. A gift.”

With a face full of nervousness, Grivy took a small box out of the bundle carried on their back and held it out.

“A gift.”

What the child handed me, so nervously, was wine.

And not just any wine—it was a very expensive, famous high-quality vintage.

“I heard about it. They said you really like this, Father.”

“Ah…”

I let out a short exclamation.

It felt like being struck on the head with a hammer.

Almost instinctively, I reached out and embraced Grivy.

How much effort must this small body have put in, saving allowance coin by coin in a piggy bank, just to buy this gift?

“Thank you. This is really something I needed.”

It wasn’t just about the money.

This kind of luxury wasn’t something you could simply go out and buy—it required real effort.

Thinking that Grivy must have broken open the piggy bank they had carefully filled through errands and chores made my heart ache warmly.

“Sur and Serqet also worked hard to save.”

“Yes. Thank you, Sur and Serqet too.”

–Piiik!!

The fiery little chick flapped its wings with a cry, and Serqet rolled on the ground with an unreadable expression.

While I was floundering in this strange, moving feeling, Grivy carefully pushed me away.

“There’s still more.”

“Hm?”

“This is Melissa’s gift.”

Grivy rummaged through their pocket and took out a small accessory.

“My goodness… this is the one I once said looked pretty…”

Melissa widened her eyes and muttered, tears dropping down her cheeks at the same time.

“Grivy… you’re giving this to me?”

“Yes. A gift. Thank you for raising Grivy.”

Grivy’s pronunciation slipped a little.

In fact, Grivy was a spirit, so they could have survived on their own without anyone’s care.

And yet, Grivy said such words.

Whatever true meaning lay behind them, that wasn’t what mattered.

Melissa, overwhelmed with emotion, embraced Grivy tightly while sobbing.

“My goodness… thank you so much, Grivy. I’m grateful too, for you being here.”

“Uuuh… Grivy still has to give more gifts.”

Brushing off Melissa, Grivy rummaged through the bundle again and handed out presents to Luna, Arsha, and others who often spoke with Grivy.

Luna looked oddly pleased, and Arsha was delighted like a child.

But in the process, perhaps thinking Grivy was hogging all the credit, Sur boldly stepped up and presented a gift of their own—that was another story.

And so, leaving behind Grivy and the spirits, I prepared to teleport to Berner territory.

Of course, I didn’t forget to bring a large barrel of mana-infused crude oil, which seemed necessary for making the antidote.

Without it, creating the antidote would have taken much longer.

But then, someone stopped me.

It was Luna.

Without a word, she hugged me from behind and buried her face against my back.

“Why.”

“Just… I feel uneasy.”

“What are you uneasy about?”

“The leader of the Moon Watchers.”

Luna casually tagged along.

“The leader? Why?”

“Well… Leon flirts around everywhere, so who knows.”

“I doubt it. At least the sort of thing you’re worrying about won’t happen. Lispa Elde was a special case.”

“You’re not wrong.”

She answered calmly.

“Don’t be afraid. Do you think I’d look at anyone else but you?”

“….”

“Be confident. Show them the dignity of the official wife.”

“Pffft…”

At my remark, she burst into a laugh.

Then she slowly pulled back.

And then—

Smack!!

She grabbed my arm, spun me around, and pressed her lips to mine.

It was our first kiss.

“…Huh?”

I froze in place, eyes wide.

Though we had touched lips before, we had never kissed like this—the shock was overwhelming.

Perhaps the result of her impatience.

By this point, I almost felt thankful to Lispa Elde for sparking the sense of crisis.

Blushing red, with her eyes cast downward, she mumbled in a small voice.

“When you come back, I’ll do it again. I’m the official wife, so I can at least do this.”

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“Just once and that’s it?”

“I’ll do the rest after you return.”

Her face crimson, she stammered and ran away.

“…I’ll be back soon.”

No more words were needed.

* * *

The air of Berner territory carried the faint poison I had expected.

Green-headed poison. It was called Parcola poison.

Most of the townsfolk had already been exposed long enough that their symptoms were worsening.

Left alone, not only would the territory be destroyed, but anyone who passed through would suffer horrible damage.

Finding the hydra was the top priority, of course, but the Moon Watchers seemed to be handling the search.

As for me, I intended to crush the havoc the creature had caused.

“Lord Leon. It’s been a while.”

Naturally, if one wanted to take any action in Berner, one had to consult with the one managing the territory.

Surprisingly, Lilia Berner’s parents were, once again, abroad.

At present, it was Lilia Berner herself managing the territory.

She greeted me with a weary face upon hearing of my visit.

Lilia Berner.

Melissa’s academy friend, who had withdrawn to marry, but whose fiancé caused trouble and died, leaving her to lose the man she loved in a single day.

Seeing it now, Berner territory felt truly tumultuous.

“You look very tired. Are you feeling alright?”

“Thanks for asking. I think I’m okay. Lately I’ve been feeling weak and have had trouble sleeping.”

It seemed symptoms were already beginning to show in her as well. Updates are released by novel•fire.net

I got to the point.

“This is a letter from my sister, the Duke of Cascadia.”

“Melissa… thank you, Lord. But if it were just contact, we could have used an artifact…”

“What’s happening here isn’t a simple matter.”

At my words, she gave a bitter smile and read the letter.

The letter contained no mention of the hydra.

Just a brief greeting and that I could provide help with what was happening in Berner.

“Melissa worries too much. Heh.”

She seemed to think the hydra’s poison was just a mild illness.

Indeed, Parcola poison resembled disease on the surface.

From the townspeople’s symptoms, it might look like nothing more than a seasonal flu—but only briefly.

Within a week, the stench of corpses would fill the territory.

The problem was that Berner was a commercial city.

Countless merchants passed through daily, and if the city were locked down for even one day, both the city and the merchants would suffer huge losses.

Lockdown?

Immense losses were inevitable.

The Moon Watchers had chosen not to reveal the truth, judging that if word of the hydra spread, chaos would become uncontrollable.

According to Meryl Dyne of the watchers, the members stayed outside the poisoned zone to avoid exposure, and only the captain, resistant to the hydra’s poison, had gone in to search for the creature.

The watchers had opted for complete secrecy, but I would not.

At the very least, Lilia Berner needed to know the reality.

Would she panic?

That only happened when there was no solution to the hydra’s poison.

“This is no small concern. If neglected, this could become a continental catastrophe.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Yes. What’s happening here is not a simple epidemic.”

Her face darkened at my words.

“What… do you mean?”

“The Hydra of Ten Thousand Poisons. Have you heard of it?”

At my question, her eyes widened.

“The mythical ancient monster… the nine-headed serpent?”

“You know it well.”

“Why… why would you mention a mythological beast here…?”

As if she understood what I meant but couldn’t accept it, she muttered and trembled.

“N… no, right? There was already a big incident before. Not again?”

“Sadly, yes.”

Expressionless, she rubbed her face with both hands.

For a refined noble lady to do such a thing meant she had no composure left.

“So… what you’re saying is… right now that hydra is releasing poison into Berner territory…?”

“You see clearly. The green-headed poison, Parcola poison, is spread throughout the city.”

I told her the characteristics of Parcola poison.

A contagious toxin.

Once poisoned, normally impossible to detoxify, and once afflicted, death was certain.

A plague that spread endlessly under the guise of contagion.

If the hydra lived, even the mildly poisoned would eventually die.

If slain, those lightly poisoned might survive, but those like the townsfolk of Berner, deeply poisoned, would still die.

“You must be joking. There may be a mild sickness in Berner, but no one has shown poisoning symptoms…”

“Normally, yes. But the hydra doesn’t follow ordinary rules. The illness you’ve seen—that’s the early stage of poisoning.”

At my explanation, she staggered as if dizzy.

Her servant quickly supported her.

“My lady, you must keep your composure.”

“Thank you.”

Perhaps because she had endured a great tragedy before, Lilia composed herself quickly.

“Lord… are you speaking the truth?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Why would a hydra be in Berner…”

“That must be investigated later. For now, something more important.”

“What is it?”

“Even if the hydra is slain, the townsfolk are deeply poisoned. None will survive.”

Her face turned pale at my words.

“How could such a thing…”

“That’s why I can be of help.”

“You, Lord…?”

“Yes. The issue is that they are poisoned by the hydra’s toxin.”

“Then…”

“Then if we detoxify it, that solves the problem, doesn’t it?”

“Easier said than done… is that even possible? Legends say even ancient heroes could not detoxify the Hydra of Ten Thousand Poisons…”

“It’s fine. I’ve already slain one.”

At my words, the parlor door burst open.

“I’ve heard enough nonsense. To spew such lies endlessly! Calling the sickness here the doing of some mythical beast? You fraud!”

A man I had never seen before suddenly appeared.

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