Chapter 96

In one of the rooms at Daikiju, a group of retainers with serious faces had gathered.

Sola and Sania were sitting on the bed.

"Lord Trynen has returned."

Luly, who was supposed to be at the entrance, entered the room.

Sola turned his gaze to Luly and, with a serious face like the other retainers, opened his mouth.

"Bring him here immediately—"

"That won't be necessary."

Chaf, who followed Luly into the room, cut off Sola's words.

Seeing Sola sitting on the bed, Chaf furrowed his brow.

"I heard you collapsed, but it seems to be true."

"Yeah, it's like this for both Sola and me. Chaf, are you feeling any discomfort in your body?"

In response to Sola's question, Chaf looked at his arm.

The part where he had been hit during the morning match with Felix was bruised.

Knowing that this discomfort was different from what Sola was asking about, Chaf shook his head.

"I'm fine."

"Is that so? Your limbs aren't getting cold, are they?"

"You're being repetitive. I haven't felt anything unusual."

Chaf tilted his head.

He remembered shaking hands with Sola to check if his arm had any strength that morning.

Sola's hand had been slightly cold.

"Is there a connection between the collapse of the Kleinzelt Viscount and the coldness in your limbs?"

When Chaf connected the two and asked, Sola nodded with a serious face.

"There's no definitive proof yet. But if my suspicions are correct, it's a serious problem."

Sola looked regretful and continued speaking.

"—It's poison."

Chaf, who doubted his ears at the word Sola uttered, involuntarily looked at the cook, Cole.

Cole's excellence in the kitchen, though understated, was unparalleled.

It was unlikely that he would overlook the presence of poison.

Sola sighed.

"Cole is not involved. In fact, it's probably not a planned act."

Chaf turned his gaze away from Cole and furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?"

When Chaf asked, Sola seemed to be concerned about Sania.

Sania nodded with a wry smile.

Sola exhaled irritably and answered Chaf's question.

"They call it the 'Black Claw of Beastmen' in the kingdom. But I will call it—"

Ergot, Sola said firmly, defying the kingdom's name.

From the intense gaze, it was clear that he intended to call it nothing but ergot.

Chaf felt a rapid dryness in his throat from the tension.

The Black Claw of Beastmen, or ergot, as Sola called it, was—

"A disease that causes your limbs to rot and fall off if you keep ingesting it..."

Chaf muttered.

Sola shook his head calmly.

"This disease is not contagious. It's understandable to see it as an epidemic because it tends to occur in groups."

The Black Claw of Beastmen, or ergot, is a microorganism that parasitizes wheat.

If ingested chronically, it starts with coldness in the limbs and dizziness, leading to limb necrosis due to blocked blood vessels and eventually causing a stroke. Ultimately, it results in death.

It's a troublesome fungus that parasitizes wheat and can be unknowingly ingested if the wheat is milled and consumed.

If the amount is enough to cause acute symptoms, the bread will show discoloration, so people will avoid eating it. Therefore, most cases are chronic poisoning.

Since it primarily affects wheat and rye, which are commonly consumed, chronic poisoning cases tend to cluster in one area, leading people to mistake it for a contagious disease.

Sola struggled to explain.

He couldn't prove the existence of the fungus. Even if he showed it under a microscope, it would likely be dismissed as a trick.

However, Chaf seemed to understand that the cause was wheat.

"Is the wheat contaminated with ergot the only one we are eating?"

Before answering Chaf's question, Sola looked at Zess.

He signaled with his eyes for Zess to block the entrance to the room.

"What are you doing, Kleinzelt Viscount?"

Seeing Zess leaning against the door, Chaf looked puzzled.

Sola crossed his arms and took a deep breath, as if forcing out words he didn't want to say.

"The rye flour we are eating is imported from the Bertsch Margraviate. Most of the people in the domain are also eating the same. There have been a few mild cases reported."

Chaf raised his eyebrows.

He turned to leave the room but stopped when he saw Zess still blocking the door.

"Kleinzelt Viscount, your subordinate is in the way. Move him."

Uncontrollable anger seeped into Chaf's voice.

Zess, undaunted, continued to block the door.

Ignoring Chaf's demand, Sola spoke up.

"Chaf, calm down."

"Calm down? Are you telling me to stand by and watch the people of the domain be poisoned, Sola Kleinzelt!"

Sola's expression didn't change at Chaf's angry outburst.

"Chaf, listen carefully and think. Where did the poisoned wheat come from? Where else can we import wheat from?"

Faced with a series of questions, Chaf's frustration grew.

"The source of the poisoned wheat is the Bertsch Margraviate. Other import sources are—"

He closed his mouth and clenched his teeth in frustration.

Sola sighed and continued.

"There are no other import sources. Even if we collect the poisoned wheat, we can only import new wheat from the Bertsch Margraviate. Think about what would happen if distrust towards the Bertsch Margraviate arises now."

The food self-sufficiency rate of the viscounty is still low.

Without imports from the Bertsch Margraviate, we can't get wheat or any other crops.

The people would collapse from malnutrition.

It would also impact the smoked white birch timber trade, a pillar of the economy.

We cannot direct the people's dissatisfaction towards the Bertsch Margraviate.

Even if it's the truth, there are things we cannot tell the people.

Chaf searched for words to counter.

But he couldn't find any.

Chaf directed a hostile gaze at Sola.

"Are you going to let the people of the domain die, Kleinzelt Viscount?"

The moment Chaf scolded, Luly clicked her tongue loudly.

"Can't you think a little? If you can feed yourself with justice, explain that justice."

Luly's tone was exasperated, pointing out the reality.

Chaf turned around with an angry expression.

Gorge stepped between the two glaring at each other.

"It's best to stop here. Chaf's words are a kind of truth, after all."

"...Hmph, I understand."

Luly muttered unhappily and turned her back on Chaf.

Seeing Luly, who rarely snapped, Chaf finally realized.

No one was satisfied with the current situation.

"...You're a child."

Lazette muttered to herself.

"This is not the time to vent your anger."

Lazette turned her gaze to Chaf.

"Lord Sola is not giving up on collecting the poisoned wheat. He needs time to act so that suspicion does not fall on the Bertsch Margraviate. Fortunately, this disease will naturally improve if the consumption of poisoned wheat is stopped."

Listening to Lazette's explanation, Chaf looked at Sola with suspicion.

"It's about the Bertsch Margrave. If he hears about the poisoned wheat, he will send safe wheat immediately. But we need a reason to collect the poisoned wheat scattered throughout the domain. What do you plan to do?"

Sola simply responded with one word.

"—The Prisoner's Dilemma"