Chapter 46

SIDE: Luna & Yomi (Yomi's Perspective)

Master has gone to the underground dungeon where Count Filere is.

The information we gathered from other nobles is that "Count Filere has been acting strange recently."

He is apparently greedy, corrupt, and a model of what a noble should not be, but there are times when he acts strangely normal.

Moreover, when asked about it later, he sometimes doesn't remember.

It's as if he becomes a completely different person at times.

From this, it can be inferred that Count Filere may have been brainwashed or controlled by someone.

Master must have realized this possibility instantly and went to advise the king.

However, there is one thing that concerns me. Just because Master told the king, would the prime minister take Master to Count Filere's place?

If he were to bring knights or soldiers, it would make sense, but he took Master along for some reason.

Even though Master has the strength to defeat a Horn Chimera, it still feels off.

"Hey Yomi, don't you feel a bit suffocated?"

When Luna said this, I thought about it and felt slightly suffocated.

"Yeah, I do feel that way."

"Also, the other nobles seem to be feeling unwell. What's going on all of a sudden?"

Indeed, looking around, nearly half of the nobles are swaying in their chairs.

Some are even being tended to by nobles who still seem to be in better condition.

Was there something that caused food poisoning...?

As I started to wonder, the prime minister returned.

As soon as he entered the hall, he ran to the king, and we followed discreetly.

"Your Majesty, actually, Count Filere was killed by someone in the underground dungeon."

"What?! What about the guards? Have the knights been sent to investigate?!"

"The guards were also killed by someone. The investigation has already begun."

"I see... Report back as soon as you find out anything."

"Of course."

The king and the prime minister were talking, but Master was nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me, where is Master?"

"Oh, Aul said he had something to do and left for a moment. He should be back soon."

...Would Master go somewhere without telling us?

Something seems suspicious.

Still, I suddenly feel unwell. What's going on?

Looking around, most of the nobles have collapsed.

"Your Majesty! Something is wrong! The nobles are all collapsing!"

"Ugh...?! What's happening, suddenly I can't breathe..."

Even the king? What's going on?!

As everyone's condition worsened, a cool voice was heard.

"Oh? To still be conscious, you must have remarkable stamina. An ordinary person would struggle to maintain consciousness. Impressive, I must say."

The voice came from the prime minister.

I can't speak well due to the suffocation, but it's clear that he's the culprit.

"You... you're the culprit!"

"Yes, that's right. I've been waiting for this moment. It took years of hard work to become prime minister and gain the trust of the nobles to move more freely. Some nobles were aware of my activities and investigated, but they never discovered me. Once trust is gained, it's surprisingly hard to be suspected."

So, he was the real mastermind! Then, what about Master?

"Where is Master...?"

Luna seems to be thinking the same thing. But I don't think Master would lose to such a person.

"Aul is probably running around the capital right now, looking for Duke Listenia. Even if he finds him, Cerus will delay him, so he won't arrive soon."

Who is Cerus...? But if he doesn't come soon, it's very dangerous.

We have Perfect Heal in our rings, so we can recover, but it's uncertain if it will work...

If we don't do something, we might be killed by this person.

We need to buy time for Master to arrive...

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Hehehe, in about an hour, all the nobles here will die. I have some time, so I'll tell you as a parting gift."

An hour?! We don't have much time! Thanks to the status resistance from our earrings, we're still okay, but for how long...

"I hate this country. I was born in a poor village. The village was so poor that living was a daily struggle. Yet, the lords and nobles exploited us and treated us like livestock. Despite this, my parents and I managed to live and cherish our small happiness.

When I turned 10, a noble who visited the village for an inspection took a fancy to my mother and offered to reduce the village's taxes if she became his concubine. My father strongly protested, but he was executed for disrespect. The villagers sold my mother to save the village, but the taxes didn't decrease; they only increased. I hated both the villagers and the nobles. When I protested with the village chief, I saw my mother's decapitated body in the town square of the noble's city.

...I lamented this injustice. What makes nobles so great?! Why must I suffer like this?! ...I studied in many cities to change the country and eliminate the nobles. By the time I was 15, I had acquired knowledge that no one could match. I was recognized for my intelligence and adopted into a duke's family. From there, I absorbed the manners, thoughts, and knowledge of the nobility, and it took 35 years to reach this point. While trying to change the country, I discovered a truth."

"...What is it?"

"My blessing is 'Disease.' I've never been sick since receiving this blessing. I thought it only prevented me from getting sick. However, as prime minister, I gained access to information known only to the royal family.

The existence of the Evolution Gem. This gem could elevate a blessing to the next stage. I've been trying to change the country, but I concluded that a reset of the noble class was necessary. I hypothesized that my evolved blessing could control diseases. I started researching and experimenting with my blessing. During my experiments, I discovered that I could control diseases to some extent even without evolution.

For experiments, I sometimes caused diseases in crops in remote villages. The recent illnesses in the capital are also due to my experiments. Most people in the capital are now seriously ill. Experiments require sacrifices, but it ends today. The red-winged one who brought the Horn Chimera to the capital is probably suffering now. ...Oh, it seems you're starting to get sick. I have no grudge against you, but please die here."

This is bad... I'm losing consciousness... There's nothing I can do...

"Perfect Heal"

"What?! A top-tier healing spell?!"

"You were the mastermind all along. You made us bring the Emperor Dinosaur. Filere, not Feeral. ...I felt something was off when I first saw you, but I thought it was just my imagination."

"Oh, nostalgic. So you are one of the survivors of the Sixths' trash. I thought I had killed them all... I was surprised by your healing spell, but I must ensure you both die."

Gah... I recovered once, but my body is getting heavy again. I can't concentrate... I can't cast spells...

Master, help us...

"Then I'll kill you both at once!"

The knife aimed at Luna and me, but I can't move my body.

Ah, if Master were here, he would do something. I wanted to hear his voice one more time.

"Luna, Yomi! I'm heading to the castle now! Don't die until I get there!"

Suddenly, I hear Master's voice, which I wished to hear again. Master, come quickly!

Clank!

The automatic multi-barrier blocks the incoming knife as usual.

...

Silence and the prime minister's surprised face. I forgot about the barrier, but it was supposed to activate.

"Magic barrier artifact?! What a cursed thing!"

As he says this, a black mist envelops us, and I feel unwell. My skin seems to be turning red and black.

"This... can't be..."

"This is the Rotting Disease, said to have destroyed a country in the past. Your skin will turn red and black, and eventually, your body will rot away. The only way to stop this disease is to defeat me. What will you do? Will you let it go?"

My body won't move... It's hard to stand, and I fall to my knees. I didn't expect the evolution of a blessing to be so terrifying.

"Hey, Prime Minister, what are you doing to my companions?!"

The familiar and beloved voice echoes in the hall.

"Mas... ter!"

"Hehe, you're late, aren't you...!"

Master has come. But Master is in danger too! This disease is truly terrifying! I have to tell him!

"A... this..."

"It's okay, Luna, Yomi. I won't lose. I'll defeat him soon, so just wait."

Hehe, as expected. Master is so reliable, even at 10 years old.

SIDE: Aul

I'm running on the rooftops toward the castle.

I have a good idea that the prime minister is the culprit.

I activate the secret function I secretly added to Luna and Yomi's earrings. By infusing magic, I can hear the surrounding sounds from their earrings.

From what I hear, the prime minister is indeed the culprit.

Moreover, the evolution of a blessing is way too overpowered! Controlling diseases, what kind of stats is that...?

And with a disease, a barrier won't be enough to stop it.

"Then I'll kill you both at once!"

This is bad!

I immediately use a voice transmission artifact to call out to them.

"Luna, Yomi! I'm heading to the castle now! Don't die until I get there!"

I hear a clank! sound right after that.

What the heck! He tried to kill them with a knife! Don't scare me like that!

Alright, the castle is just a bit further!

When I enter the castle, all the soldiers are down and on the verge of death. I didn't notice because I came through the roof, but the usual noise of the capital is absent, indicating that the entire city is affected by the disease.

By the way, why am I fine? Maybe it's due to my level and blessing?

When I reach the hall, I see Luna and Yomi's skin turning red and black.

"Hey, Prime Minister, what are you doing to my companions?!"

"Mas... ter!"

"Hehe, you're late, aren't you...!"

You went this far to stop the prime minister. All because I was deceived by him...

"A... this..."

"It's okay, Luna, Yomi. I won't lose. I'll defeat him soon, so just wait."

"You arrived quickly. ...What happened to Cerus?"

"He's dead."

"What?!"

"He drank the Mad God Water. It cost me a lot of time, but..."

"Mad God Water... It's all your fault. If you hadn't interfered, the reset of the country would have been perfect! The Horn Chimera, the Stampede, the Red Dragon! You interfered with everything! Do you know how much effort I put into this? A 10-year-old brat, don't get too cocky! Die from the Rotting Disease!"

As the prime minister raises his hand, a black mist envelops me, but I manage to dodge it.

I can't dispel it with magic because my magic power is almost depleted, so dodging is all I can do.

"Die quickly!"

However, I can't dodge the black mist coming from both hands and get hit.

"Hahaha! Now you're finished! From the looks of it, you're quite exhausted from the battle with Cerus! This will reset the country...? Why aren't you falling?!"

Despite being hit by the black mist, I feel almost no ill effects.

...Oh.

I remember, before I reincarnated, I told the goddess this:

"I want a healthy body. I hate being sick."

"Why aren't you affected by the disease! My blessing is the strongest evolved blessing! I am the chosen one!"

Even if his current blessing can control diseases, my body is a special creation of the creator god. I am immune to diseases, or rather, I cannot be affected by them.

In other words, I am the only "natural enemy" of this person in this world.

"Sorry, but it seems my body is a special creation of the creator god."

"What?!"

He keeps sending the black mist, but since it doesn't affect me, there's no need to dodge.

I take out a staff from my storage and concentrate.

《Staff Technique: Spear Form: Secret Thrust》

This technique quickly pierces the heart and stops its movement, inducing a state of apparent death. Essentially, it causes a heart attack by artificially inducing ventricular fibrillation.

With my magic power almost depleted, I used a simple technique, but the prime minister, as an individual, wasn't that strong and couldn't react at all.

The prime minister slowly collapsed to the ground.

To ensure he doesn't die in a state of apparent death, I encase him in ice magic and coat him thinly with magic.

"Phew... That's one part done."

As the prime minister is in a state of apparent death, Luna and Yomi's skin is returning to normal. It seems the disease caused by the blessing has been lifted.

Checking the surrounding nobles, they seem unconscious but are breathing, so they should be fine.

"Ugh..."

It seems the king is conscious. I have no choice but to use the little magic power I have left to cast a simple Heal on him.

...Ah, no good. My head is spinning. It seems I'm completely out of magic power.

"Luna, Yomi... Sorry, but I need to sleep for a bit..."

And with that, my consciousness faded.

The crop disease in the area near Oren Village was caused by the prime minister.

I'll update this bit by bit.

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