Evidence (1)
"Argh... Forcing myself to walk has my whole body screaming."
If I had to describe the pain... well, how should I put it? It felt as though every single muscle in my body was throbbing in deep, pulsing agony. The ache was bad enough that I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and collapse into an endless sleep, making every step an absolute ordeal. Still, somehow or another, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. There was work to be done.
"Hyung-nim. Wouldn't it be better to reconsider, even now?"
"Cut the chatter and just keep leading the way, you punk."
"Still... I'm deeply worried. You went toe-to-toe with Shanberesh in that state."
"Cain."
I called his name quietly, meeting the anxious look he cast my way with a steady, warning glare.
"*Ahem*... Understood."
In truth, I had to admit luck was on my side. I had learned about the magic tool the shopkeeper showed me earlier today, and the moment I stepped outside to buy it, I ran straight into Cain. Thanks to him, I managed to avoid the prying eyes of the other students, and with his help, I was able to secure the necessary funds. I understood why Cain was on edge, but every passing second right now was worth more than gold.
"By the way, Hyung-nim. I was hesitating to ask earlier, but... what did you mean when you said you'd create evidence for us?"
"Ah, that?"
Hmm. What should I do? If I told him right now, Cain might lose his mind and start jumping for joy. In that case...
"I'll explain once we get inside."
"Hyung-nim?"
There was no sense in counting our chickens before they hatched. Caution was still warranted, especially since Lumia's exact condition had yet to be verified. Glancing at Cain's bewildered expression, I feigned impatience and nudged him to hurry up and support my shoulder.
Deep down, of course, I harbored that very expectation. If Lumia made a full recovery, I was certain Cain's remaining life wouldn't turn dull and hollow like it had in the past. For now, though, we would have to wait and see.
"H-Hello... Sunbae-nim."
Seeing Lumia again after all this time, she looked far more haggard than before. Her body, which had at least shown faint twitches of movement in the past, was now as emaciated as a dry twig, and the voice that managed a greeting was dreadfully cracked and hoarse.
How much time has passed since then?
No, there was no need to calculate. Even a rough estimate told me the last time I saw her was before the Schytz Great Subjugation Campaign began. I reached out to examine her body, only to realize I had skipped an essential courtesy. I immediately pulled my hand back and turned my head away. Knowing how monumental Lumia's existence was to Cain, it was careless of me to rush in without thinking.
Even so, Cain forced himself to clear his throat and steady his voice.
"It's all right, Hyung-nim."
He granted me permission to check Lumia's condition. Yet as he did, his eyes were clouded, submerged in a hollow, bottomless grief.
"...You've braced yourself for the worst, haven't you?"
"Yes. Honestly, Lumia's condition was like this even before you woke up, Hyung-nim."
His gaze was terribly vacant. It was like watching a passenger aboard a sinking ship, waiting to be swallowed by the boundless sea with nowhere left to run. Now I could see it clearly in his eyes. Having firmly accepted that no matter what anyone did, Lumia's health would never improve, his eyes were all the more sorrowful.
It was truly a blessing that I hadn't let him get his hopes up prematurely. Braced himself? What utter nonsense. The very moment Lumia's death became a certainty, Cain would begin to crumble right before my eyes. He claimed he was prepared, but having stood right beside him in the past, I knew better than anyone that he wasn't.
Swallowing a grim sigh, I gently lifted the blanket to inspect Lumia's blue spots. The vivid, swirling marks were already on the verge of swallowing one of her hands, right where her major mana circuits resided.
Just as I expected... Lumia's infection has reached the terminal stage.
The Lemterte Plague progressed through four distinct phases: early, mid, late, and terminal. In the early stage, only spots appeared. In the mid stage, the mana circuits gradually deteriorated, and upon entering the late stage, the spots warped into distinct spirals as the circuits were nearly destroyed. And then came the dreaded terminal stage.
Once an infection reached this point, no medicine in the world could cure it. The mana circuits were completely ruined, and the Devourers multiplying within the body craved mana so intensely that they gnawed through anything containing even a trace of it. The host had their blood drained, suffering hypothermia, acute anemia, and an array of agonizing symptoms as they edged closer to death.
Once the parasites sensed the host's demise, the vermin would bore gaping holes through the human abdomen to escape, spreading their fluids once more to infect new victims. The vicious cycle simply repeated itself.
In other words, treatment was only viable up to the late stage, when medicine could still be absorbed. And even then, with Professor Dahlia herself performing the operations on late-stage patients, the mortality rate hovered near sixty percent, making the weight in my chest heavier still. If Lumia died like this, Cain would... turn back into that helpless, hollow shell of a man. A fool who cared about nothing in the world, consumed entirely by the desperate need to fulfill Lumia's dying wish.
Terminal patients had no future. Countless thoughts crossed my mind, including whether I should find a different patient instead... but that left a bitter taste in my mouth. It simply wasn't my style. Resigning oneself to an inevitable fate? To hell with that.
"Whew... Fine. You never know until you try."
Given that I had administered emergency treatment before the Schytz Great Subjugation Campaign, it was only natural that she had stalled at the terminal stage. Looking at it positively, the mere fact that Lumia was still holding on was proof enough. Lumia had endured far longer than the standard grace period, and I had intervened early on.
"Hyung-nim? Isn't that... the artifact said to trap time...?"
"If you're believing urban legends about people dying from this, wipe it from your mind. It's pure nonsense."
Whoever concocted that absurd rumor was truly despicable. If Lumia dropped dead right after using this, I'd fry my fingers in boiling oil on the spot. This would serve as more than enough evidence. Now, the next step.
"Cain. Get on top of Lumia right now and pin down her limbs."
"What? What do you mean...?"
"This is going to bring unbearable pain, and she'll thrash violently. If she moves, I won't be able to treat her properly."
"Tr-Treatment? Right now...!"
"Whoa, whoa. Don't lose your head. All I'm saying is that I'll try everything within my power."
"Even that is enough...! Please, I beg of you!"
Right. There were three distinct reasons for doing this. First, rather than giving up on Lumia and selecting another patient, curing her would leave undeniable, irrefutable evidence. Second, if even a terminal patient could be cured, public perception of the Sirens would be completely overturned. And third, on a personal note... the sight of a man shattered by Lumia's death was like watching a rotting, hollowed-out tree trunk. I refused to let Cain go back to being that man.
"────!!!!"
The moment the medicine trickled down Lumia's throat and I infused my mana, she began writhing in sheer agony. The Devourers inside her body were likely thrashing in blind fury, biting and tearing at everything in sight. That meant we had only a single chance.
"Cain, don't let go! If you slip, it's really over!"
"Understood!"
I could only pray that the method I had used when treating Charlotte would work just as effectively on Lumia.
One day passed.
Two days turned into three, and by the fourth day, a cure still had not been developed.
The root cause of the Lemterte Plague was a parasitic demonic beast nesting inside its host. In simple terms, one might think it sufficient to ingest medicine that killed the beast, but because it was an organism living inside the host, any treatment inherently harmed the human body as well. If a lethal poison potent enough to eradicate the beast was ingested, the human would perish alongside it; conversely, if a milder concoction was used, the Devourers survived unscathed. Having adapted to the human body, the parasites developed an immunity comparable to that of their host.
"Mistellis leaf? Not this either... It breaks down from human body heat alone..."
Vials of medicine stood lined in endless rows before Dahlia's workbench. She had grasped the underlying principle, yet finding an herb with such therapeutic efficacy—or even isolating a similar compound—was proving nearly impossible. She was managing to buy time by prescribing mana-neutralizing agents with minimal potency, but sixty percent of the current patients were already exhibiting mid-stage symptoms.
"We can't delay any longer. There's no other choice."
Muttering that it was unavoidable, Dahlia prepared to increase the concentration of the existing mana neutralizer, resigning herself to imposing significant risks on the human body. Just then, a visitor arrived at her laboratory.
"Cain? What brings you here?"
"I brought an herb that can cure the Lemterte Plague."
"...!"
Dahlia was already aware that Tembris was extraordinary, having gained widespread acclaim by slaying elite demonic beasts and subjugating Shanberesh. So this is Tembris. Even when faced with components requiring such impossible conditions, it seemed they somehow managed to track them down. However, verification was mandatory. Telling him to wait a moment, Dahlia began her analysis.
A short while later...
Dahlia realized that something utterly incomprehensible had landed in her hands.
"It doesn't cause any harm whatsoever to the human body...?"
Its active components targeted only the Devourers nested within the human frame. Seeing this blue flower that acted as if it were the parasites' natural predator, Dahlia had to ask.
"Where did you get this, Cain?"
"To explain the details... you'll need to meet one more person. Would that be acceptable?"
"Of course. You can bring them here anytime."
"...No, bringing them here is impossible. If you wish to meet them, Professor Dahlia, you'll have to come in person."
Noticing a subtle air of secrecy radiating from Cain, Dahlia immediately shed her lab coat.
"You mean I have to go there myself."
"Yes."
"Then of course I will. How could I not?"
She agreed without hesitation. Both as a dedicated researcher and as a physician committed to saving lives, she had to uncover the truth behind this substance that held the lives of the Principality's people in the balance.
"Very well. Then please change into clothes that won't stand out and follow me."
Following the boy who had brought the medicine in secret, Dahlia walked for a long time. What greeted her at the end of their journey was a small house built far out of sight.
To think there's a house in a place like this...
The dwelling stood in complete isolation, as if intentionally constructed to avoid discovery by the outside world. A location severely impoverished and thoroughly inconvenient. With a house standing in such a place, her questions only deepened. When the door opened, Dahlia finally understood why.
"Hello. Is it all right... if I call you Professor Dahlia?"
"Y-Yes... of course, child."
Startled by the trembling voice of the young girl, Dahlia felt her own voice waver. She stepped closer to get a better look, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. There was no mistake. It was just as she had seen from afar.
"I see... That's why..."
A wanted fugitive. The only unfound scion of the Penarive baronial family, who had been branded criminals for aiding the Sirens. With Lumia Penarive hidden here, Cain's insistence on bringing her in secret made complete sense.
Though she understood that much, her thoughts were still far from settled. Beside Dahlia, another female student's voice rang out.
"This herb is Hyplisia, which only the Sirens can cultivate. And the medicine I'm holding is the proof."
"Senia...?"
"Lumia is the first patient to be cured with this medicine. As evidence, the recorded footage inside this lens preserves the symptoms she suffered."
The three of them were essentially asking Dahlia one thing: Could this be enough to clear the false charges pinned on the Sirens right now?
Of course, the mastermind behind the entire plan was nowhere to be seen.