The Black Death (1)
The Black Death (1)
"Alright, everyone. I have some sad news. Professor Haspelt has been sent on a long-term assignment and won't be returning for a while."
Professor Herlein, standing at the lectern, delivered the news with a bitter expression. I could scarcely believe my ears.
"How long will it take?"
"At the earliest, she won't return until the end of this semester."
Was I hearing things?
The idea of Professor Herlein standing in Professor Haspelt's place was the stuff of dreams. The Haspelt reign of terror had, for a brief moment, lifted, and as I privately rejoiced, the morning assembly began.
"There isn't much to the assembly. Well, originally, I was going to teach you how to hunt magic beasts on the mountain behind the school after your exams. But, as you all know, the back mountain is currently off-limits."
"Then what will we be doing?"
"For now, the school administration is planning laboratory tours."
Laboratory tours, huh.
"Put simply, you'll learn by observing the research topics of other professors. If things go well, you could even continue your studies after graduation. Is anyone here interested in pursuing graduate studies?"
Most of the students, myself included, shook their heads. In this day and age, a bachelor's degree already made you highly educated. Who would willingly pursue a master's or doctorate?
That was why I did it. I leaned over to give a word of warning to the friend sitting next to me, to keep her from walking down a dark path.
"Rote, put your hand down."
"Why?"
"I'm saying this for your own good...."
Rote shook her head as if she couldn't understand me. Her eyes were full of sincerity. It was as if she was saying, 'How pitiful you are, not knowing the joy of academics!'
Please.
"Miss Saliere seems quite interested. Excellent, I'll contact an acquaintance and arrange a special laboratory spot just for you. Would you like to try contacting them?"
"Really? Thank you!"
Ah.
I gave up.
**
[TIP : You cannot return to your original world until you master all Magic Arts.]
[◆ Progress]
[Fire Magic : 992/1048]
[Water Magic : 415/992]
[Earth Magic : 569/1005]
[Air Magic : 151/824]
[Unclassified : 16/149]
[You've learned most of it at this point.]
With the development of Flare complete, picking up the remaining Fire Magic was a piece of cake. I had actually finished it sooner than planned, so taking a short break wouldn't disrupt the schedule.
Even I didn't want to push forward blindly without pacing myself, only to trip over a stray rock. Wouldn't it be pathetic to die from overwork before even returning to my original world? I didn't think it was possible to master an entire branch of Magic Arts in a single semester anyway.
Looking at the state of affairs both inside and outside the country now, the probability of the Empire collapsing before I even graduated was higher. For a safer school life, I couldn't neglect the task of creating a weapon capable of handling an Extinction-class magic beast.
I especially needed to think carefully about how to operate the tokamak for testing fusion stability.......
— Bzzzzzz.
Slap!
I couldn't concentrate because of these goddamn mosquitoes.
"Do we have any insecticide?"
"Heh, do you think insecticide would work on a magic beast?"
"If we don't have any, we can just make it now."
Maybe everyone's like this, but I was the type who, ever since the old days, couldn't work in peace unless I hunted down and killed every summer mosquito I saw. Being bitten and itchy was miserable enough, but seeing those bastards follow my carbon dioxide and dive-bomb my ears or nose made my blood boil so badly I'd lose all focus.
Unfortunately, insecticide technology in this world was extremely rudimentary. Chemical insecticides wouldn't work on mechanical magic beasts anyway, and their exoskeletons were tough enough to survive unless you literally grabbed and crushed them. In a sense, they were even worse than Earth's mosquitoes.
But that didn't mean there was no solution whatsoever.
"Where are you going?"
"The club room."
I slid the door open and headed for the Alchemy Club's supply closet. I grabbed a few sheets of Magic Paper and some solenoids, then sat down in front of the workbench.
Rote had been dragged off by Professor Herlein, so only Frey and I had come. There were other members, but since they were upperclassmen, we just ignored each other and worked on our own projects.
"Do you know how a mosquito is structured?"
"You're asking the obvious! It's a machine!"
Right, a machine.
Beings made of iron and electronic circuits.
When I thought about it, the perfect counter to these magic beasts was none other than me. The Unique Magic Art I used allowed me to manipulate the opponent's Magic Circuit at will.
Circuits where mana flowed alongside electrons, waves made of mana, objects composed of mana. My Supreme Unique Magic, 'Element Operation,' was effective not only against Low-Grade Magic Beasts but also against high-class ones. If I made a scroll modeled after it, my calculations told me that catching a single mosquito would be simple.
It wouldn't even take that long. I sat Frey down beside me—she was staring at me with curious eyes—and designed a simple little project.
[◇ Item Creation : Electromagnetic Pulse Generator (Small)]
[Element Classification : Unknown]
"You said yesterday while drinking that you were going to trap Flare with a tokamak or something. Are you not doing that?"
"I'll do this first. It won't take long."
This was a major priority.
First and foremost, I needed to get some mosquito repellent into the dormitory.
**
─ SYSTEM : The <Black Death> event is in progress.
[Details : The 'Black Death' on the Arens Continent is an infectious disease that causes the body to turn into black stone and pig iron before death.]
This world's Black Death was different from Earth's plague. Aside from the body turning black before death, the two had nothing in common. Because of that, one had to be careful not to pick the wrong countermeasure just by looking at the name. Of course, Vermel had played the game that this world was based on countless times, so overcoming a trial of this level wasn't difficult for him.
It was just the timing that was the problem.
'Flare really was the issue.'
Aether had developed Flare far too quickly. She hadn't even monopolized it; she'd just released it for free.
Now, countless beams of light would fly across the Northern Front, and the battlefield would shift in the Empire's favor. Before long, the mages would advance to the First Defense Line where the 'Iron Magic Tower' was located.
That was the trigger for the <Black Death> trial. Sensing a crisis, the magic beasts would hold a council and adopt a plan to strike at the Empire's overall national strength. They would use a biochemical weapon called the Black Death.
The magic beast named the Black Death would also strike the academy. Since the game's setting was the academy in the first place, it wouldn't be much of a trial if it didn't hit there.
Of course, the game wasn't structured to be completely hopeless, so keywords for creating a cure for the Black Death existed inside the academy.
The moment all classes ended, Vermel sprinted toward the nurse's office.
"Hmm, what brings you here?"
Her two-toned hair, a blend of yellow and green, was reminiscent of the leaves growing in the Great Forest; the sight stirred a strange sense of kinship within Vermel, an elf himself. A crisp citrus scent filled the air of the nurse's office.
"Are you injured somewhere?"
Sepia Gliston.
It was nothing short of luck that the continent's top-tier healing mage lived right here at Tillet.
'In reality, she was placed here by the developers to help players break through this trial.'
"Teacher Gliston, I have a favor to ask."
"Hmm, I wonder what a fellow elf would ask of me? How curious."
Sepia's eyes sparkled as she hummed a tune. A clear energy radiated from her gaze, which seemed to contain chloroplasts.
Vermel handed a stack of papers to Sepia.
"What's this?"
"I hope you'll read this book."
"...Okay, and then?"
"I hope you'll make the medicine written here."
The stack of papers he offered was something Vermel himself had compiled using in-game knowledge. To put it simply, it was a strategy guide for the First Trial.
Although Vermel lacked professional medical knowledge, he had more than enough knowledge about this game. Naturally, he also knew the exact method Sepia would use to create a cure right after the incident broke out.
Most importantly, this world operated on a setting where illnesses were treated with magic when an epidemic swept through, so even if Vermel had graduated from medical school, he'd likely have no advantage over this world's healing mages.
"A method to treat a disease where the skin turns black?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, mixing yuzu tree bark extract with a drug called kanirin.... It also says that using specific components from white mold and Ruqueti mushrooms would produce an anti-ironification effect.... How interesting."
Sepia examined the book Vermel had given her closely. After reading it for a long while and nodding to herself, she closed the book and spoke.
"Is there a reason you're giving this to me?"
"I recently learned that this disease is spreading rapidly."
Of course, that was a fabrication. Even though the Black Death trial had started, the magic beasts hadn't made their move yet. He was merely receiving advance information through the system window.
"We never know if something similar might happen in the capital city. You're the only physician I know, so I'm conveying this to you like this."
"Hmm. You could always go and consult with a specialist in infectious diseases or clinical pathology."
'That's because you're the leading expert in that field.'
Vermel swallowed those words. He had known for a long time that Sepia was sounding him out.
"More than anything, there are many compatriots in the capital."
Compatriots. Elves often called each other compatriots when nothing special was happening. They were a race with that strong a sense of kinship.
"Ah, of course! I can't just stand by and watch my compatriots die from such a disease. So that's why you came to find me."
Seemingly satisfied, Sepia let the issue drop. Vermel gave his teacher a polite farewell and exited the nurse's office.
─ If the Black Death event occurs, you must seek out and consult Sepia Gliston.
That was the only official route provided by the developer. Only then would the First Trial end and all blockades surrounding the capital city be lifted. If you delayed too long otherwise, it would be a Game Over.
But.
─ SYSTEM : To unlock the Happy Ending, do not allow anyone from the academy to die.
In the original story, no matter how fast you found Sepia, at least one person would die in the interim. This was the blind spot. Vermel needed one more weapon.
'Quarantine' involved securing means to prevent the disease even before developing a cure.
<Black Death>
[Details : Cause of Outbreak ─ The primary vector of the Black Death is the mosquito. Not only mosquitoes, but all blood-sucking Low-Grade Magic Beasts can be the first cause of the Black Death.]
It was currently the early part of the academy phase. Even if you announced that mosquitoes were the cause of the Black Death, it would only raise public awareness at best; it was impossible to block all the vectors. In the end, someone at the academy was fated to die.
'Don't let a single one die....'
The Happy Ending condition was absurdly strict.
But it wasn't an impossible level. Vermel decided to try out a new build he'd just put together.
Vermel opened the door to the club room and walked in.