Chapter 68

The next day.

The master, with a solemn expression, greeted Arnold and me as we visited the inn. As soon as we sat on the sofa, he began speaking without any preamble.

"Annet, my granddaughter, developed autodestruction disease shortly after her fourth birthday."

Annet, the granddaughter mentioned in the journal.

I, who was not yet prepared, was taken aback and my gaze wandered. At that moment, I inadvertently caught sight of Arnold's profile next to me on the sofa, but his expression was unexpectedly calm. Or perhaps, compared to me, he had already prepared himself.

"At first, there were small burns on her fingertips. Her parents—my daughter and Annet—were puzzled... It took a while to realize it was autodestruction disease."

Burn marks are a common symptom of autodestruction disease. However, it would be extremely difficult to immediately recognize that a small burn mark was a sign of a serious illness in one's grandchild. It would be natural to think that it was an injury sustained somewhere without notice.

The master lowered his head and continued.

"I realized something was wrong about a year after the onset. ...Annet's fingertips caught fire."

Fingertips catching fire. An unmistakable sign of the onset of autodestruction disease.

Unconsciously, I gripped the hem of my clothes tightly.

"When I realized something was clearly wrong, I used my position as a royal alchemist to read through documents from all over the world and finally found a disease with similar symptoms. —It was autodestruction disease."

After saying this, the master took a sip of tea as if to catch his breath.

What must the master have thought when he realized his granddaughter was suffering from a serious illness? —What must Arnold have thought when he realized his sister had autodestruction disease?

"Since then, I recorded the progression of the disease in the journal. The journal Laura found is one of many."

Saying this, he handed me a bag. I reflexively accepted it, and inside were dozens of journals.

The journal I found clearly started and ended in the middle. I had suspected there were other journals that recorded the progression of the disease, but I never imagined there would be so many.

Reading just one journal had drained me both physically and mentally. The thought of reading all of them was overwhelming. However, they were valuable materials. There might be hints for future treatment hidden in them. There was no option but to read them.

After placing the bag I was given to the side, the master spoke again.

"I divided the progression of autodestruction disease into three stages. The first stage involves burns and fingertip fires, as well as symptoms similar to a cold. The second stage involves larger fires and intense heat that causes the body to scratch itself raw. The final third stage: burns spread all over the body, the skin rots, and eventually, the bones and organs are burned away—leading to death."

I felt Arnold's body stiffen beside me. Glancing at him, I saw a deep frown on his forehead.

The symptoms of autodestruction disease described by the master were far more poignant than the cold, printed records. The master had witnessed the progression with his own eyes. Though his tone was calm and concise, his expression betrayed a deep sense of regret.

"Annet died the day after her fifteenth birthday. From the time I realized it was autodestruction disease until her death, it was ten years."

According to the few records available, some patients lived for about forty years after the onset. The duration from onset to death varies, so it's unclear how much time Elvira has left.

She might live for another forty years, or her condition might suddenly worsen and she could die tomorrow. I have set a line in my mind to stay until Lukas's departure. That line is approaching, and I am gradually becoming anxious—but it's also possible that Elvira's life will be extinguished before that.

"In the last year, she could barely move, and everything she touched would catch fire from the flames on her body. She couldn't even wear clothes. I spent nights by the spring, administering recovery potions."

Imagining the scene from his words, a chill ran down my spine.

If her body was constantly at risk of catching fire, it would be impossible to sleep in a bed. It made sense to take care of her near a water source to minimize the fire. However, the imagined treatment scene was so tragic that I bit my lower lip.

Prescribing recovery potions to heal her burning, rotting skin, only to have the fire mock her efforts by burning her skin again. What a desperate scene.

If I had known the symptoms of autodestruction disease, I should have been able to imagine this. However, my thoughts did not reach that far. I wasn't taking the disease lightly—perhaps, without realizing it, I had been "restraining" my imagination to avoid being overwhelmed by the painful reality.

My lips trembled. Faced with bottomless despair and deep darkness, I shook my head to dispel the scene that had flashed through my mind.

The master closed his mouth, as if to signal the end of the story. He looked at us, silently asking if we had any questions. I knew this was a rare opportunity and that I should ask questions quickly, but the fear of being confronted with such a desperate reality made me unable to speak.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. I sipped the tea to moisten my throat. Just as I was about to speak, Arnold, who was sitting next to me, asked a question first.

"...At what ages did the symptoms of autodestruction disease progress to the second and third stages?"

His voice did not tremble, but it was unusually stiff, as if he was suppressing his emotions.

"The second stage was just after ten years old, and the third stage was about a year before she passed away... around fourteen. After transitioning to the third stage, as I mentioned earlier, she could barely lie in bed."

Arnold quickly followed up with another question.

"What treatments were tried?"

"All the treatments I could find at the time. I also visited the country of Neit regularly, seeking the power of the spirits."

The name "Neit" sounded familiar. It was probably a term from "Last Brave." However, it wasn't a significant country in the main story, as I couldn't recall any information about it.

I lowered my head, resting my chin in my hand, thinking.

"It's a country where elves live."

Arnold promptly provided a concise explanation.

A country where elves live. That explanation helped me "remember."

Yes, Neit was the country of elves that I visited in a side event to deepen Elvira's character. Elves live in villages around the world, where they live together. One of these villages grew into a country, which became Neit.

Not all elves belonged to Neit. In fact, Elvira's hometown was a small village in this country, Ostrichia, where she met her relatives—though, to reiterate, Arnold, her brother, did not appear in that event. The event progressed, and I vaguely remember hints about Neit's existence.

I only received hints and never actually went to Neit. From a meta perspective, it might have been too much effort for the staff to create a country for a side story that didn't connect to the main story. However, the setting was created.

"Elves are said to have spirits as their ancestors. Thinking that spirits, who possess powers beyond humans, might help, I visited Neit multiple times, but they never lent me their power."

The image of the spirit's water came to mind. The master had also sought help from the spirits in the past.

It's still unclear whether the spirit's water is effective against autodestruction disease. However, it reinforced the idea that this disease, which burns the patient's body with their own strong magic, is a serious illness that can only be treated by "non-human, transcendent beings."

Since the cause is the patient's own magic, there are limits to external intervention. There is no known method to remove the magic that is inherently part of the human body. It is indeed a troublesome disease.

The master took a deep breath and said in a slightly higher tone than before.

"After Annet died, my daughter followed shortly after. I lost all my energy and resigned as a royal alchemist, moving to the village of Eme."

The story of what happened afterward, told in a somewhat rushed manner, was too heavy to brush off lightly. The master had lost everything and come to the village of Eme.

Did the "mixing grandma" in "Last Brave" have such a hidden backstory? I had thought of her as just a convenient character who mixed recovery potions. It might be rude to think this, but I wished that the "mixing grandma" in "Last Brave" was just a "mixing enthusiast" with no dark past.

"I thought those days were long in the past, but I never imagined I'd be recalling them in this way."

The master looked at me with his red eyes and chuckled. I couldn't nod or respond with a smile.

His red eyes passed over me and focused on Arnold.

"Arnold, what is your sister's name?"

"Elvira. Elvira Roco."

The master repeated "Elvira" several times, as if savoring the name on his tongue. His expression was like that of a loving grandmother cherishing her precious granddaughter.

"Let me know if there's anything I can help with. I couldn't find a cure for autodestruction disease, but perhaps you two can..."

Saying this, the master looked at Arnold and me in turn, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes. Perhaps at that moment, she saw the future beyond us.

Addendum:

In the activity report, we have published the character illustrations of Laura, Lukas, and Arnold, drawn by Hanakanzashi, who was responsible for the illustrations in the book version.

Please take a look if you are interested.