Wind of the Plague (4)
Somehow, they had followed him all the way here.
Trailing him had never been their original intention, but watching Junon march forward with such a heavy, brooding expression had only deepened their questions with every step. And so the pursuit continued. Fortunately for them, Professor Muniher was not inside his personal tent.
Fewer watching eyes meant they could eavesdrop on the conversation without being noticed.
"How is it, Charlotte? Can you hear what they're saying?"
"Um... we're too far away, so I can barely make anything out. Maybe I should get off your back and we can sneak a little closer...?"
"Can't be helped. I only carried you on my back so we wouldn't get caught, but... ugh, let's just inch forward a little more."
Was drawing closer truly the right thing to do? To two girls desperate to ease the debt weighing on their hearts, such doubt had not yet crossed their minds.
The moment the footsteps ceased, Professor Muniher turned around and asked what brought him here. His posture carried the quiet certainty of someone who knew exactly who would come.
"...Did you know all along?"
"Know what?"
"There is no need to play dumb, Professor. Do you really need me to say it out loud?"
Yet unlike Professor Muniher, whose every move brimmed with calculated composure, Junon possessed no prepared defense. Even though past memories etched far broader and deeper knowledge into his mind, he could not simply speak his thoughts at will. And Muniher seized relentlessly upon that very opening.
"I haven't the faintest idea. You will have to explain it to me yourself."
"..."
How much time slipped away in heavy silence? Though Junon might not have noticed the passing seconds, it was more than enough time for another question to follow. Deep down, the professor had been waiting for the boy to broach the topic.
The Lemterte Plague. You sought me out because you know something about it, didn't you?
Despite being given ample time, Junon kept his silence. Muniher knew there was a reason behind the grim shadow on the boy's face. Just as Dahlia had observed, here was a youth who remained utterly unfazed by alchemy or the grotesque sight of human viscera. With a boy whose past life was impossible to even fathom, one had to tread with utmost caution.
At last, grinding his teeth, Junon's voice broke the quiet.
"You already know, don't you? That the Lemterte Plague is spreading because of those Scourges! That the subjugation force is already infected because of those mana-devouring vermin!"
As if laying bare the truth that could no longer be avoided, his voice climbed higher.
"You know full well we must prepare right this second, so why haven't you issued orders? Even if it shatters the soldiers' morale, isn't that information that must be delivered immediately?"
Junon believed it was not too late. He wanted every member of the force briefed on countermeasures and warned about the plague, invoking the very vigilance Professor Muniher had preached during the end-of-term evaluations, start-of-semester evaluations, and the newly introduced phantom sparring sessions.
Yet that desperate plea only solidified another conviction within Muniher.
"Oho. You speak as though you knew from the start."
"I-I didn't know beforehand! It's just that, after fighting those rats...!"
"A curious claim, given that you had Mistellis prepared alongside mana-imbued throwing weapons. The same goes for your Anti-Cast. Isn't your preparation far too tailored for this exact crisis?"
In dealing with the Scourges, identifying them as rodents and preparing Mistellis had ironically become a giveaway. Furthermore, Anti-Cast was an extraordinarily potent technique against the beasts; as supreme commander, there was no way Muniher could fail to notice.
"If you reveal the truth to the soldiers now, wouldn't you—the sole person who seemed to know in advance—become the target of their blame?"
"...!"
Junon's pupils trembled violently.
His lips, poised to demand the reasoning behind such a decision, froze rigid, incapable of uttering a sound. Junon was not foolish enough to keep babbling after having his secrets laid bare. Step by step, Muniher unraveled everything.
"The swarm of Scourges that ambushed the rear could never have been held off by your strength alone. That is an indisputable fact to anyone who saw it."
Yet compared to the main force, the rear vanguard was splattered with a remarkably tiny amount of bodily fluids—save for one single person: Junon.
What that circumstance implied was obvious.
"You understood how the mana circuits of those Scourges—no, what must now be called Devourers—operate, and you knew the transmission vector of the Lemterte Plague. That is why you took the brunt of it upon yourself. Am I mistaken?"
"..."
Junon's parted lips sealed tightly shut. Struck right where it hurt, with the truths he had fought so hard to conceal laid out one after another, not a single excuse remained. Muniher let out a soft chuckle and offered one more remark to the boy, who had averted his gaze in futile avoidance.
"Even knowing all that, it was not a situation you could have resolved. Considering that deserters broke rank, it is a miracle that the damage stopped where it did."
"Professor..."
Gripping the boy's shoulders as Junon raised his head, Muniher spoke with quiet gravity.
"Bear in mind that this is not your fault. You did your absolute best, throwing yourself recklessly into harm's way to minimize the casualties among our allies. Because I saw the marks of that sacrifice, I chose not to spread word."
Reiterating that this disaster was far beyond what Junon could shoulder alone, the professor worked to lift the crushing weight of guilt from the boy's chest. He refused to let a single person become a scapegoat, nor would he allow a capable individual to be alienated and despised for doing what was right.
Junon. You are a commander capable of making independent judgments in an emergency to safeguard your troops. I cannot afford to lose someone like you.
The soldiers may have let their guard down, but to Muniher, Junon was far more precious. He would never regret this choice.
"It is about time we return. Back to the Principality."
Before they knew it, the rain had tapered off.
Once the soggy earth began to dry, the march that had been stalled by the downpour could resume. Just like the fierce squall that had poured and then subsided, the brand of malice that had nearly fallen upon Junon would not reach him. The journey home would proceed without disturbance.
"There was no need for all that..."
"Yeah... Shall we head back too, Charlotte?"
"Okay."
Having overheard the conversation from nearby, the two girls exchanged nods and turned away. Their decision not to face Junon directly was born of the same sentiment. Of course, on their way back to their tents...
"You two. Care to explain where you've been wandering off to?"
"S-Senia..."
"W-Well... ahaha..."
"Didn't I specifically tell you never to let anyone else know?"
"Eeeek! We're sorry!"
They were subjected to an endless earful from Senia, whose smile was sunnier than ever even as a massive vein throbbed against her temple.
Though orders had been given to prepare for departure, the rush felt unmistakable. Rather than backtracking, Muniher insisted that the force needed a brief reorganization before subjugating the remaining demonic beasts, and the expedition began its withdrawal toward the Principality.
The return march was an unobstructed highway.
The moment their boots crossed the border, soldiers could return to the embrace of families who had waited in agonizing suspense, clinking glasses with comrades who had survived the fray and slipping back into daily life. Yet that comfort was nothing more than painted fruit; before long, the insidious symptoms of the Lemterte Plague would reduce the Principality to ashes.
I genuinely did not know whether Professor Muniher keeping the secret was the right call.
"Hyung-nim."
While my thoughts churned in turmoil, Cain sidled up and spoke quietly.
"What if someone sees you? Why are you striking up a conversation so casually?"
"It'll be fine. We're at the very tail of the line, Hyung-nim. Nobody will notice."
I supposed that was true. For a subjugation force eager to reach home a single second sooner, no one cared what went on at the rear.
"You knew all along, didn't you, Hyung-nim?"
"Knew what?"
"That divine power is effective at driving away the Lemterte Plague."
Indeed, that was what Cain was asking—wondering if I had sent him to Team Tembris knowing that very fact so Lumia's condition could improve. Then, he bowed deeply, lowering his head.
"...Cain."
"I came to thank you properly. Thanks to you telling me to join that team, Lumia's condition has been steadily getting better."
"That wasn't my doing. Your teammate handled it."
"Even setting that aside, I never had the chance to properly thank you for helping us in the first place. Lumia told me to be sure to pass along her gratitude the next time I saw you."
Cain had never possessed this kind of personality. He was an unyielding guy who simply did his duty, rarely showing emotion to others. I hadn't expected him to bow his head and express genuine gratitude like this. Was it because of Lumia?
Leaving that aside...
...Was this truly something to be thanked for? Lumia had not been cured; her symptoms had merely been alleviated. Knowing that the infection would only return to its original state as time passed, I had done nothing deserving of praise.
"More importantly, Cain, you're standing out far too much right now."
"Pardon?"
"You seem to have forgotten the promises you made."
"Ah..."
Letting out a faint sigh, Cain seemed to recall the four conditions as he straightened his back and looked back toward the main column. Addressing me as 'Hyung-nim' instead of 'Sunbae-nim' was one thing, and while it might pass as an ordinary upperclassman-underclassman exchange, all hell would break loose if certain members stationed near the center looked back—especially a certain Miss E or a certain Miss A.
"Still, I want to call you Hyung-nim. Using the rear guard watch as an excuse should be fine enough."
"..."
This kid had a stubborn streak of his own. Knowing I couldn't dissuade him, I let it be.
"By the way, Hyung-nim. There is one thing I've been curious about."
"Ask."
"Why do you try so hard not to keep any comrades or friends around you?"
It was a surprisingly sharp question for mere curiosity.
"You keep your distance as if trying to avoid any connection with others, pushing them away with curt, sharp words."
"You're jumping to conclusions, Cain."
"I can say it with certainty because of my own experience. Pushing people away like that doesn't suit you, Hyung-nim. Your words may sound harsh, but your actions are far too kind..."
"Drop it. I'm sick of people acting like they know me."
"Hyung-nim..."
Leaving Cain behind, Junon walked ahead alone once more. Yet even that departure told the same story. If he were truly fed up and brimming with annoyance, he would have shoved the person away. If he truly wished to end the conversation, he could have bumped his shoulder against Cain's as he passed, making his displeasure known in his own way.
He had done neither.
Because he was not truly sick of it at all.
Watching Junon walk alone along the side of the trail after pretending to be irritated, Cain murmured softly under his breath.
"Hyung-nim... you are someone who deserves to be welcomed, not despised."
No matter how fiercely he pushed people away, the nature that drew them in was simply far too strong.
If one had to name the most treacherous stretch on the journey back through Schytz Province, Mount Utulum stood undisputed at the top. The mountain was rugged enough that simply traversing it demanded an arduous march, but the sudden downpour had made the trek twice as exhausting.
"Ugh... Can't we just rest for a minute...?"
"I know it's tough, but aren't we falling too far behind? What if we run into demonic beasts...?"
"Come on, they've all been cleared out. Besides, taking a slow breather now is how we stay ready in case something does happen."
A march grueling even for seasoned soldiers felt all the more punishing to academy students. Before long, the gap widened until the main force vanished from sight—and right then, an abrupt tremor began to rumble through the earth.
"Whoa, whoa...?! What's with this earthquake all of a sudden?"
"...Something's wrong."
"Hey, who cares? Just watch your footing so you don't get hurt. We've got to party our heads off once we get back."
"No, this is seriously bizarre! An earthen slope collapsing into a landslide would make sense, but there's no way an earthquake could happen here..."
I shared the exact same thought.
While mudslides were common in this area, an earthquake was an entirely unnatural disaster. If so, what had caused this tremor?
The answer burst forth right before our eyes.
—Squeeeeeeak!
"Everyone, battle stations!"
Rats, after all, were creatures that lived by burrowing through the earth.