QualiA – Chapter 9: Oya? Trouble has arrived ②

We were in a dim room where there’s the smell of medicinal plants filling it and many extravagant decorations around the place, but the reason why it feels so meek must be because of the mood in that room.

“—This is His Majesty, Tortemi Dilba Motoyasu.” (Niva)

What Niva-san pointed at was one man who is lying on a bed.

His cheeks are bony, and his ashen face tells that his state is not good.

This is the room of the king.

Currently, the only ones allowed in this room are royalty and related people, but for some reason, I am in there. I thought there would be problems when we arrived at the door, but maybe the maids guarding here are personal ones of the queen, they let me in just by seeing my face.

In the past, the ones guarding the room were the personal royal knights of the king, but they are presently stationed to guard the royal castle. I thought it should have been fine for them to continue being the guards of the king, but the prime minister apparently had complained saying that ‘it is an inefficient use of valuable human resource’ and stuff like that.

Saying something like guarding the king is a waste of resources…that bald geezer can really speak.

“This is pretty terrible…” (Makoto)

“…Yes. His condition went bad around half a year ago, but he pushed himself…and around two months ago, his condition worsened and he has been bedridden since then.” (Niva)

The breathing of the king is steady, to the point that it wouldn’t be strange if he were to enter eternal sleep at any moment.

“And so, what’s the reason I was called here?” (Makoto)

“A message from Ohi-sama.” (Niva)

She fixes her posture and stands upright.

“—[Please save my husband]—” (Niva)

And Niva-san slowly lowers her head deeply.

“…Please save him, huh.” (Makoto)

I scratch my head and ask Niva-san.

“This may not be the best moment to ask this but, doesn’t the King have siblings?” (Makoto)

Maybe she was already expecting this question, she didn’t get flustered at such a question and silently shook her head to the sides.

“There’s not. If there were an illegitimate child, it would be creating a big uproar right now after all.” (Niva)

“Ah, right. The previous king married deeply in love.” (Makoto)

“That’s right. It is not possible for that person to have an illegitimate child.” (Niva)

Meaning that if something were to happen to the king, this country will truly be in trouble. I can understand the desperation of the queen. I can painfully understand the feeling of not wanting to lose someone you love.

“But why plead for help from me?” (Makoto)

“Ohi-sama said that Makoto-sama’s power has been increasing by a lot these past few days.” (Niva)

“The magic eyes, huh.” (Makoto)

Magic eyes are troublesome.

“But you don’t know if I have the power to save someone. In the first place, what happened to his doctor?” (Makoto)

“That part is apparently ‘instinct’. Also, the doctor mostly just administers medical treatment and is shut in his room all the time. He is developing a new medicine for His Majesty.” (Niva)

“And it doesn’t seem like it will bear fruit?” (Makoto)

“…That’s right. But the current state of matters is that that’s the only thing we can do.” (Niva)

Looks like they are quite cornered.

“Even though he is in such a precarious state, do you really think I can do something about it?” (Makoto)

“Ohi-sama believes in you. In those eyes of yours when you said ‘I don’t want to regret anything again’.” (Niva)

(“Of course I would save them.”)

(“If there’s someone that’s suffering right in front of me, I would want to save them…. I don’t want to regret anything again.”)

“I don’t think a person like you, who can speak in front of Ohi-sama without hesitation and say whatever you want, is an ordinary citizen. And Ohi-sama says that you are a person that possesses strength superior to that of the Demon Lord. I believe in those words.” (Niva)

“Superior to the Demon Lord, huh… Then, don’t you think that I would be bringing you harm?” (Makoto)

“I trust Makoto-sama.” (Niva)

Showing a smile here is not fair.

Niva-san, what a scary girl!

“Ohi-sama said that she will offer you her everything. She said that if you were to wish for her life, she would happily offer it to you. Of course, I plan on accompanying her.” (Niva)

“I don’t need that.” (Makoto)

Something so heavy.

Even so, after showing me this much resolve, I can only yield.

I know of a king that, even when he was sick, he grieved the fate of his country, and reached the end of his life within disappointment; I know of a spirit girl that wished to live, but because of her cursed body, that wish couldn’t be fulfilled; I know of a robot boy that lived smiling in a life that he knew would be short.

I wanted to save them.

But I didn’t have the power to save them.

Even if I wanted to save them, I couldn’t do anything.

“Aah, geez! I get it.” (Makoto)

Now that I have obtained the power to save people, I decided on doing things in a way I won’t regret it. There’s no assurance that I will definitely be able to save them, and death is something that everyone arrives to equally.

But I have already stopped tip-toeing the issue with that as an excuse.

I will do the best I can, and even if the result of that is the worst, I think that this will connect to a new smile in the future.

“I will say this beforehand. My way of doing things is probably different from the one of this world. Is that okay?” (Makoto)

“I trust both Makoto-sama and Ohi-sama.” (Niva)

“There’s nothing as heavy as irresponsible trust though. —I now have a lot of things I want to ask the Queen, so it looks like there’s the need for some lecturing.” (Makoto)

“That will only be a reward for her, you know?” (Niva)

An unexpected declaration of being an M <masochist>.

“She is truly a pitiful queen.” (Makoto)

“I can’t find words to refute that.” (Niva)

I think you are quite the serious case too though.

“But she is an incredibly kind personage… Really…a kind one.” (Niva)

“…I see. And so, the symptoms of the king, or more like, what’s the name of the disease?” (Makoto)

Niva-san showed a smile that had many emotions mixed in as tears flowed down her cheeks, but that was only for an instant. She quickly returned to her usual cool face.

“His Majesty is afflicted with the Tesranga disease. It is a disease that withers the muscles of the whole body, and in time, brings death.” (Niva)

“Tesranga disease, huh.” (Makoto)

[Akashic Library – Activate. Search: Tesranga Disease.]

[A disease that withers the muscles of the whole body and eventually brings death.
There’s no medicine for it, and it is commonly known as an incurable disease.
Early symptoms that can be seen are that the articulations won’t work well, there’s numbness in the limbs, and as the condition worsens, it will be difficult to walk.
The first case was discovered in the Tesranga region of the Motoyasu Kingdom, hence the name of the disease.]

“No medicine for it, and it is incurable… Seriously?” (Makoto)

“Makoto-sama, where did you get that information fr—” (Niva)

“Please leave the prying for later.” (Makoto)

First, there’s the need to ‘see’ it with my own eyes.

The reason I asked for the name of the disease was because it would be easier to deal with in case there’s inconsistencies.

Now then, what results will I get? While thinking that, I use [Analyze].

By using an inherent ability of ‘Analyze’, Vital Scan, I can pass magic power through the whole body of the target, and confirm the results on the invisible window.

…Looks like a pretty dangerous state.

Vital Scan can display the target in three different stages.

When the target’s health is normal, it will display as Blue Zone; in diseases and dangerous states, it is displayed as Yellow Zone; when it is a state where the target is in danger of dying, it will be showing as Red Zone. By judging in what area the target’s state is in, I can tell their health.

Right now the King is in the yellow zone that is closing in to the red zone. From the experiences I have had, I would say he won’t be lasting more than a month.When I check him further, I notice that there’s something abnormal showing in my invisible window.

“……Oi oi.” (Makoto)

[Pathological change found –Searching for symptoms……match found.]

[Loroad Virus.]

“Hey, Niva-san.” (Makoto)

“Yes, what is it?” (Niva)

“Do you know about the Loroad Virus?” (Makoto)

“!!! That’s…!” (Niva)

Looks like Niva-san knows of it.

“Around ten years ago, a self-made poison was used to perform a mass murder, and the doctor who was given the capital punishment the ‘Lunatic Loroad’ was the one who created it.” (Niva)

“Tch, it was a doctor? So, what did you guys do to deal with it at that time?” (Makoto)

“It was self-made, so there was no time to make something to counteract it, and in that time, the victims all died. After that, all the poison was disposed of, and the recipe was incinerated.” (Niva)

“Meaning, there’s no antidote. Who was the one who disposed of the poison?” (Makoto)

“The cabinet minister that had unified the medical departments at that time. But that person is already dead.” (Niva)

So the person that disposed of them is not here anymore. Moreover, because it is self-made, there’s no antidote for it.

[Akashic Library – Activate. Search: Loroad Virus.]

[A type of nerve poison developed by the Lunatic Loroad that had been working at Motoyasu Kingdom.
By spreading a diluted sample of it, it can infect in a variety of ways like: through air, consumption, and contact.
It relaxes the muscles of the body, numbs them, and then, the muscles will wither and the whole body will stiffen.
When the symptoms worsen, it will be difficult to walk, difficult to breath, and will lead to death.
It is not known how to make it. There’s also currently no antidote made for it.]

I once again do a Vital Scan on the King’s body, and when I look deeper into his state, it was confirmed that he really is being afflicted by some sort of poison. It hurts to say this, but most of the things made from alchemy are done by mixing, and are stirred with magic power. Because of that, it is impossible to identify each ingredient used.

But it is fortunate that we were able to gather this much information from the Akashic Library with its information gathering. That’s why I was able to tell the difference.

My medical knowledge is despairingly low, but by simple comparison of both diseases, I can tell that their symptoms are similar.

“Niva-san, how do you guys normally diagnose the illness of a patient? With magic?” (Makoto)

“No, we don’t use magic. It is mainly with an interview and through palpation. If there were a healing magic user, we would be able to ‘see’ the disease, but sadly to say, there’s not a single one in this country.” (Niva)

“Are there few healers?” (Makoto)

“Yes. There’s currently only three who are confirmed to be.” (Niva)

Seriously? So healing magic was that scarce in this world.

I myself can’t use healing magic. I tried real hard to learn it in the world where I was a sage, but I apparently didn’t have compatibility with healing magic. But in that world, as long as you are compatible, anyone can use it. That’s why, when I saw babies that were not even a year old using healing magic, I remember I felt like I was tearing up a bit.

But I soon reshaped my thinking.

In the first place, with the experiences I had until then, my body had changed to one that didn’t have much need for healing. And before that one, I was in a world where I polished my alchemy. The many healing items I created with alchemy served as substitute for healing magic plenty well.

It is pointless to pray for what you don’t have. After I had that breakthrough, I learned the magic of all elements and all ranks. Receiving the license to begin my own discipline from my master while she made an amazed expression was a nice memory.

…Anyways, see, huh.

With the healing magic I know of, you can’t ‘see’ the disease. The most it can do is learn about which disease it is. By using magic power as your eyes, you can tell them apart.

When thinking of it in that way, I can understand why the healers this world, that are able to ‘see’ the disease with their healing magic, are scarce in numbers.

“From the three, there’s the Garusha Empire at the north where one of them works as an imperial court mage; the other one is travelling the whole world; and the last one is in the Ushtolma country at the west, but that person is the daughter of the beast king.” (Niva)

“So a princess…wait, Ushtolma?” (Makoto)

The country that the prince Felness is studying abroad at is Ushtolma. And the Motoyasu Kingdom needs a healer…

“Oi oi, could it be that the reason why he is studying abroad is because…” (Makoto)

“…For the sake of saving His Majesty. The prince himself wished for this.” (Niva)

“But the other side is still not allowing it, right?” (Makoto)

“The Beast King, Kido-sama, treasures his daughters a lot… He specially dotes on the healer, princess Rosary. Even if our countries are in a friendly relationship, to give us the princess would be…” (Niva)

“Ah, it is okay. At this occasion, the matters of the countries are of no importance.” (Makoto)

Problems come from every nook and cranny. But right now’s not the time to be thinking about those matters.

If they do their diagnosis through interviews and palpation, I have no choice but to doubt the possibility of a wrong diagnosis.

But it is hard to condemn that person for getting it wrong. With so many matching symptoms, moreover, one of the possibilities is a disease that is currently not even known if it exists anymore, you would naturally diagnose that it is the Tesranga disease and no one would doubt it.

If the perpetrator poisoned the king knowing this, it would mean that it is a person that knows well about the symptoms of the poison.

“More importantly, from what I see, the cause of this is the Loroad virus and not the Tesranga disease.” (Makoto)

“No way…” (Niva)

“…Woah there. Niva-san?” (Makoto)

I supported the body of Niva-san that seemed to be falling from losing strength in the legs, and had her sit at a seat close by.

“I-I’m sorry.” (Niva)

“No, don’t mind it.” (Makoto)

Niva-san was heaving with a pale face, and she tried to slowly stabilize her breathing.

“It is okay now.” (Niva)

“I see. Then, who else was involved in that time’s poison incident?” (Makoto)

“The current knight general, Gallahard-sama, was the captain of the first knight division, and was tasked with capturing the perpetrator. The magic division leader, Makirus-sama, was leading the magic corps that were serving as support in the backlines. Prime Minister Erac-sama was the one in command of this whole operation.” (Niva)

Two people I know have been named out. Is it settled then?

“Is there people that oppose the king?” (Makoto)

“If we disregard how influential they are, then yes, there are a good amount.” (Niva)

“Is this kingdom okay? But the reason why you so readily knew this…Niva-san, is a specialty of yours information gathering?” (Makoto)

“Yes, despite my looks, I am good at gathering information.” (Niva)

“I see. With Niva-san as a member of the intelligence group, huh…” (Makoto)

“Makoto-sama has a keen eye.” (Makoto)

I see, so that really was the case.

Niva-san’s mannerisms and the presence she had was clearly not that of a normal maid. Just as I thought, she was in the intelligence division.

“Then, of course you would also know the maids that were assigned to the heroes, right? Those maids, who was the one who selected them?” (Makoto)

“Erac-sama. Because of this, we decided on assigning two maids for each of them.” (Niva)

I see. The baldy, huh.

Niva-san knows who those maids Erac chose as personal maids for the heroes, so she proposed to go in pairs, huh. But this also means that the other side knows about Niva-san and the others. Looks like a variety of trouble.

And that means that baldy is pitch black.

“And so, this opposing faction, who is the leader of them?” (Makoto)

“Prime minister, Erac-sama.” (Niva)

“It is true that he is a big fish. But the reason why you can’t do any moves on him even when you already know is because you don’t have any evidence?” (Makoto)

“…That’s right. He has been involved in many sides of the underworld, but we couldn’t trace them back to the prime minister in any of them.” (Niva)

So that baldy is good at cutting his lizard tail.

“More importantly, is it possible to cure His Majesty?” (Niva)

“It is not possible to do so right away. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he has any other diseases, so he should be able to recover once we get rid of this poison. I say that, but time is the issue.” (Makoto)

“…Is that so.” (Niva)

“I do plan on alleviating the effects of the poison with medical treatment in the meantime, but…” (Makoto)

If I don’t have the undiluted solution of the Loroad virus, I can’t analyze the ingredients and create an antidote.

If it were a normal disease, a wonder drug would do the job, but a self-made poison is a different story. There’s individual differences in their ingredients, and even a wonder drug can’t completely recover him. In order to cure him completely, there’s the need to obtain the undiluted solution of the poison.

Also, I thought about using something to relieve the symptoms a bit, but it only lasts an hour, and I don’t have the leeway of time to administer it to him every hour, so I have no choice but to abandon that thought. Sorry, King.

“In order to make an antidote to completely get rid of the poison, we will need the undiluted solution of the Loroad virus. The one who has the chance of having it would be Erac.” (Makoto)

“No…the one who has the chance of having it might be Makirus-sama. That person has a scary adherence to magic, alchemy, and things that have piqued her interest. It wouldn’t be strange if she were to have it hidden. Loroad was a doctor who made a name for himself as an alchemist after all.” (Niva)

“I see. Even so, they do say that the drive of a woman is scary, but…” (Makoto)

“Putting it as ‘ambition to better oneself’ would make it sound nice, but she kicks others down, and there’s rumors saying that, at times, she would even use her own body to fulfill her own selfishness.” (Niva)

Looks like it is more likely to find it with her than with that baldy.

They were talking about something when we were summoned, so them being accomplices should go without saying at this point.

“Then first, about the medicine, what is the personal doctor of him having the King drink?” (Makoto)

“The doctor said that it was medicine to delay the progress of the disease and to help as nourishment, but should I ask the doctor again to confirm?” (Niva)

“No need… I may be a bit late in asking but, is that doctor trustworthy?” (Makoto)

In this kind of events, the first one to be suspected is the doctor.

“No problem in that. The doctor is the brother of Ohi-sama.” (Niva)

“…Huh?” (Makoto)

“Her Majesty’s brother, Dorui-sama, is the one who is serving as the personal doctor of His Majesty.” (Niva)

To think the brother was.

“But Dorui-sama has been passing sleepless nights for a week already in the creation of a new medicine… Please, Makoto-sama…” (Niva)

Niva-san lowers her head.

“Please help Dorui-sama.” (Niva)

It is the simple words that reach my heart the most, geez.

Meaning that, just as the queen, Niva-san also has a person she wants saved. That’s why they are so desperate.

“For now, that Dorui-san, can you guide me to his place?” (Makoto)

“…Yes. It is over here.” (Niva)

Wiping the faint tears in her eyes, Niva-san shows a smile and leads the way, leaving the room.

☆☆ ★★ ★★ ★★ ☆☆  

The white and clean wall had one paper posted on it, and the floor had stains of many weird different colors.

A liquid of many colors that was surrounded by many machine parts was poured, and a strange smell filled the place.

“…So this didn’t work either, huh.”

Without even flinching at that smell, the man was staring at the document, then, entrusted his body to the back of the seat, and looks up at the ceiling.

Untrimmed beard, ruffled hair, and the lab coat he has most likely been wearing for several days already has been dyed in many colorful patterns.

“At this rate, His Majesty will…”

He mutters this, and as if inspiring his weakening self, he stands up from his seat.

His job is being a doctor. And, within the royal castle, this room is the closest to the king’s room.

The personal doctor of the Motoyasu Kingdom’s king, Dorui Barone Kashnars.

The brother of the current queen, Caril, and considered the number one doctor of the Motoyasu Kingdom. He is called a skilled doctor, but Dorui himself doesn’t acknowledge that, and works hard to improve everyday. But his hard work isn’t flourishing at all, and he is honestly losing spirit.

Developing a cure for the Tesranga disease has been a long time dream of doctors.

A medication to delay the progress of the disease had been made a few years ago. But it didn’t reach complete recovery, and even till this day, there’s no cure.

“Damn it… Just what is it…what is it I am missing?” (Dorui)

For around a week, he has been concentrating in creating a new medicine without sleep, and because of his crankiness due to lack of sleep, he is attacked with the urge of throwing his lab tools, but he is managing to hold it back.

“Dorui-sama, it is Niva.”

In that moment of his, he heard someone knock the door, and from the other side, he heard a familiar voice.

“It is open, enter.” (Dorui)

Unable to find a reason as to why she would visit at this late of an hour, he decided to just let her in for now, and when she entered, she didn’t do so alone.

“Uwa, it stinks.”  

“Indeed. This is quite… I will ventilate it.” (Niva)

Right after entering, the man immediately says something rude, and the maid, who received those words with a slight giggle, opened the windows.

Seeing this sight, Dorui thought something was strange.

“Hey, Niva.” (Dorui)

“What is it, Dorui-sama?” (Niva)

A person that is normally far from the word ‘smile’, that’s Niva.

This girl that he knows since childhood and have been like siblings has only shown her real face to her master, the queen. Some people call her ‘Steel Mask’, but she is currently looking lively.

Seeing this strange sight, Dorui rubbed his eyes, and after a moment of silence, he directs his gaze at the other person.

“Ooh… You are using quite the nice tools. As expected of the personal doctor of the king.”

Looking at the lab tools in the room, the black haired man lets out a voice of admiration.

His face is regular. In terms of age, he is probably around his twenties. He isn’t that tall, but it is not as if he is short either; he is average height. The kind of guy that his characteristic trait is to not have characteristic traits.

“Please don’t loiter around too much.” (Dorui)

“Oops, sorry about that. You were using quite the unusual method of production, so it piqued my interest, you see.”

Those words pulled Dorui.

“Are you an alchemist?” (Dorui)

“Hmm, you could say…I probably am.”

The man scratches his cheek indecisive. Dorui looks at this suspiciously and then asks Niva.

“What brought you guys here at this hour? Did something happen to His Majesty?” (Dorui)

“No, His Majesty was silently sleeping.” (Niva)

“I see… Then, what business…before that, who is him?” (Dorui)

Saying this, Dorui faces the black haired man.

“He is Kamiuchi Makoto-sama. Caught in the hero summoning and self-proclaimed ‘ordinary citizen’.” (Niva)

His little sister explains casually.

“…Huh?”

Dorui lets out a dumbfounded voice, and then looks at the man that lowered his head and said ‘nice to meet you’.

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