The Goblin Incident and the Arrival of the Centaurs
Bad situations always escalate quickly.>
The newspapers were packed with stories of people suffering from some unknown plague.>
I sipped my warm tea and spread the paper out on the desk.>
Headlines jumped out at me.>
Plague spreading… authorities rushing to find countermeasures>
Health authorities vow to secure a cure at all costs>
Healing potions in short supply… where are the mages>
The strange illness had started with a simple stomachache.>
People went to the hospital complaining of mild abdominal pain, but soon dehydration, fever, and vomiting followed.>
At that point, they still thought it was a common disease.>
But it didn’t take long for the nightmare to become reality.>
Red spots appeared on people’s skin, and they cried out in pain as if something alive was gnawing at their bodies.>
The spots swelled, burst, and spewed pus and blood, while the skin began to rot.>
Muscles beneath the skin decayed along the nerves, and those who lost all sensation could no longer be considered alive.>
Even in the midst of unbearable pain, once sensation vanished, they simply trembled like puppets soaked in blood.>
Anyone who saw their faces melt and collapse realized this was no longer a simple plague.>
The Disease Control Bureau assigned code 217 to the illness.>
Any code beginning with 2 is reserved for diseases that cause inevitable death due to unknown causes.>
In other words, anyone showing these symptoms would die.>
People began to call it “Monster Disease” and started trembling with fear.>
* * *>
Time passed in a blur.>
The magic stone transceiver rang.>
It was Marian.>
“Senior, I’m afraid I can’t make it in today. Uugh.”>
The call cut off mid-sentence with Marian’s pained groan, and a new incoming call followed.>
This time it was Frida, the department head.>
“Mister Blood. Uugh, I have an order to investigate the goblin residential area. Uugh, just a moment. I’ll call again.”>
“But, I’m in a situation right now… Ah! Uuugh… Mister Blood, you look into it. The data… I’ll send it. Ah!”>
The call became impossible to continue.>
“Are you all right, Department Head?”>
“Uugh… ah!”>
“Just a moment. I’ll text you instead.”>
After that, Frida sent a message via the magic stone transceiver.>
Note: Sending messages through the magic stone transceiver requires defeating every irregular sensitivity keypad.>
If you fail, you’ll receive something like this.>
“Mister Blood. Goblin investigation. If you need anything, tell me.”>
Frida’s order was to investigate the goblin residential area, Scrap Ville.>
Scrap Ville is a mocking nickname for the filthy goblin slums.>
‘Are they blaming goblins for the Monster Disease?’>
That couldn’t be.>
Again, goblins don’t have that level of intelligence.>
But the desperation in her text made me pause for a moment, and right then the office door opened.>
A familiar face.>
“You’re on vacation today, aren’t you?”>
“Given the seriousness of the situation, I came in anyway.”>
It was Piaget, the office manager.>
Fortunately, he looked healthy.>
“Examining Officer, what is the government’s position on the Monster Disease?”>
Piaget set his bag down and took a cold bottle of water from the drawer, drinking it in one gulp before asking.>
“You’ll have to ask the person in there.”>
I pointed at the door.>
There stood a young woman with only her head poking out.>
* * *>
There are a few principles to follow when investigating a crime.>
First: Don’t destroy the evidence.>
Second: Don’t believe everything anyone says.>
Third: If you don’t know, ask an expert.>
For the goblin case, a staff member from the Health and Sanitation Bureau was dispatched.>
She was both an authoritative expert on the disease and a civil servant specializing in public health administration.>
The surface reason for requesting a Health and Sanitation Bureau employee was the need for an epidemiological investigation into the goblin living quarters.>
Because people were currently blaming goblins for the disaster of the Monster Disease.>
But in reality, it was to learn more about the Monster Disease itself.>
The Monster Disease was spreading at an unstoppable rate.>
Hundreds of people died every day.>
The hospitals were packed to capacity.>
The same went for the temples.>
It was a disaster situation.>
The Health authorities were the ones receiving every arrow of blame in this disaster.>
And they needed someone else to blame for the arrows aimed at them.>
Perhaps they were hoping to find a broken victim who wouldn’t even realize they themselves had been pointed at.>
And the health authorities’ bloodline was cursed.>
“Hello there.”>
A shy cat-like person poked her head out.>
They had dispatched a greenhorn.>
“Is this the Zeo Blood Investigation Office?”>
A young demi-human woman with only the tip of her triangular ears poking out, unable to show her full face.>
“I’m Miko from the Environment and Safety Division of the Health and Sanitation Bureau.”>
“…Miko?”>
“Is my name a bit unusual?”>
“No, it’s not…”>
“When my mom was a nurse, she went to a demi-human village for a mass vaccination and met my dad, a picture book writer, and ended up having me there. She wanted me to grow up to be the most beautiful child in the world, so she named me Miko.”>
“…Are you kidding me?”>
Piaget muttered absentmindedly while listening to Miko’s story.>
It was irritation at the Health and Sanitation Bureau, which wasn’t cooperating properly.>
But for Miko, it probably felt like an attack on herself.>
I was worried she might just leave, when…>
“No joke. I’m going to work with you guys, so I need to remember the name properly. I introduced myself so it would stick in your memory.”>
She didn’t seem like the usual type.>
Her large amber eyes sparkled as she smiled broadly.>
“Then shall we do a formal introduction? I’m Miko, a professional hired for the Monster Disease Investigation Project. I graduated top of my class from the Empire University Department of Magical Biology and hold a PhD thesis on micro-magic biology. And this is the material I prepared.”>
She held out a short, thick stack of documents with her small hands.>
Piaget reached for it, but she pulled it back and stared at him intently.> >
“My name is just my name? What about yours?”>
Her momentum was strong.>
“Ah… I’m Piaget, the office manager.”>
“Nice to meet you, Manager. Call me Dr. Miko for short.”>
“…Yes, Dr. Miko.”>
Miko had clearly taken the early initiative.>
“I’m Zeo Blood, the examining officer. Since we’ve introduced ourselves, shall we look at the material?”>
“Sounds good.”>
The documents Miko handed over contained analysis of the Monster Disease’s spread and the death toll statistics.>
“Is it contagious?”>
“Contagiousness hasn’t been confirmed yet. There haven’t been any cases of infection during treatment.”>
Unfortunate but fortunate.>
But when Miko continued explaining, it seemed the good news ended there.>
“What’s the mortality rate?”>
“After five days from the first symptom, red spots appear. If you miss that window, you can’t recover even with healing potions.”>
“Why is that?”>
“The red spots seem to penetrate the muscles and destroy nerve cells. So if the damage is too severe, even healing magic can’t regenerate it.”>
The Monster Disease destroys human nerve cells.>
I remembered a photo of a boy who had kept a calm expression even when his finger was cut off.>
But this was the Gilorian Empire, where magic is real.>
There is a holy blessing that can revive the dead.>
I asked right away.>
“Can’t that be regenerated with a holy blessing?”>
“Holy blessing is a universal magic key?”>
Miko answered with an incredulous expression.>
She crossed her arms and continued.>
“It depends on how much the nerve cells are destroyed. If 65% or more is ruined, it’s too late. Even holy blessing can’t restore it.”>
“So you die?”>
“Yes, in seven days.”>
“From the moment the nerve cells are destroyed?”>
“No. From the moment the symptoms appear.”>
We had seven days left.>
The Monster Disease destroys human nerve cells.>
And at an incredibly fast rate.>
This leads to the destruction of peripheral nerves and rapid collapse and twisting death.>
“What’s the cause?”>
“It hasn’t been determined yet.”>
Miko, who had been confident until now, drooped her triangular ears.>
She seemed frustrated too.>
“Has the direction of the Health authorities’ investigation been decided?”>
“The Health authorities are investigating the possibility of curse magic or artifacts. Currently, the spreading area is exactly A-3 District of Clovan City.”>
Miko’s finger pointed at a part of the map.>
Clovan City A-3 District.>
That’s where we are right now.>
It houses the main institutions of Clovan City, the capital of the Gilorian Empire, including the Capital Defense Command.>
It includes the goblin residential area, Scrap Ville.>
If people learn this, they’ll commit mass lynching against the goblin village.>
We have to stop that before it happens.>
Perhaps Marian and Department Head Frida could also be swept up and die in the epidemic.>
“Among the Monster Disease victims so far, how many are goblins?”>
“Zero.”>
Goblins live with all sorts of illnesses due to their fragile environment.> >
Yet in this disaster, there wasn’t even a single infected goblin?>
Did some goblin really do something terrible?>
‘But why goblins?’>
There’s no criminal motive.>
Now that they’ve finally been recognized as part of the Gilorian Empire, what gain would they get from spreading an epidemic?>
In reality, goblins are a race that barely survives by doing odd jobs in Clovan City.>
If the city stops, goblins would have to squat down and suck their thumbs too.>
Because they can’t do independent economic activities.>
Above all, what kind of shamanism do goblins perform?>
It’s unimaginable.>
Most of them are illiterate.>
We need to look at it differently.>
‘If someone did this on purpose…’>
Doesn’t that make sense?>
They could secretly cast curse magic on goblins and shake the foundation of the Gilorian Empire.>
‘But only in this exact area?’>
We’re stuck there.>
The target of curse magic can be chosen, but you can’t set a curse zone along the map’s border like a ruler.>
‘There must be another reason.’>
I stared at the map intently.>
Clovan City A-3 District.>
The major buildings there.>
Research institutes.>
University facilities.>
Various shops.>
Parks.>
Water sources.>
And one knight’s memory rose in my mind.>
An unidentified corpse that appeared at the water source in Clovan City A-3 District.>
There was definitely a clue here.>
I stood up from my seat.>
“The material briefing isn’t finished yet.”>
“Let’s talk while walking.”>
Piaget was already standing by the door, carrying a large bag.>
* * *>
Our destination was the water source management office in Clovan City A-3 District.>
The total population of Clovan City is around 100 million.>
One-third of that population receives water from the water source in A-3 District.>
It’s where the drinking water for Clovan City’s citizens comes from.>
It manages water quality rigorously and doesn’t easily allow others to access it.>
It was said that a few years ago, crazy fireworks people had caused a huge fuss by holding a fireworks festival near the water source.>
Thanks to that, Clovan City went into chaos, and to reinforce border security, sand was piled up.>
In fact, they built an entire mountain from scratch.>
Rumors said that 2,000 druids had been mobilized just to create a mountain surrounding the entire water source.>
We had to get to the water source quickly and check it with our own eyes.>
But…>
“We can’t enter.”>
The police had blocked the carriage with a car at the entrance to Scrap Ville.>
The shortest way to the water source was through the goblin residential area, Scrap Ville.>
“I’m a Capital Defense Command examining officer.”>
Showing my identification didn’t help.>
“Look for yourself. The vigilantes are blocking entry.”>
At the entrance, angry crowds had gathered.>
They surrounded Scrap Ville, pouring out curses and throwing stones.>
“Goblins, leave the city immediately.”>
“Goblin hotbed of crime and bacteria. I can’t live like this.”>
“Goblins, go back to your homeland, the labyrinth.”>
Behind the vigilantes holding banners, several people were throwing fireballs.>
“Kyaaak. Fire, the house is on fire, the house is on fire. Kyaaak.”>
“Water, water, water. Kyaaak.”>
The goblins hurriedly poured water on the fire.>
But the goblin houses made from scrap metal caught fire even with a small spark.>
Beyond Scrap Ville, black smoke rising into the sky was visible in places.>
“Those goblin bastards are holding a curse ritual to kill all of us!”>
“We have to rush in and kill them all right now!”>
The vigilantes had lost their reason to anger.>
Their violence was growing thicker by the second.>
Even…>
“Hey! There’s a goblin locked in a narrow alley being beaten.”>
Miko pointed at a small goblin child who hadn’t been able to enter Scrap Ville, trapped in a tight alleyway.>
Several vigilantes with clubs walked toward the child.>
Some swung fists, some threatened with spears.>
“Ah… ugh… Mom…”>
The child finally broke into tears.>
Searching for their mother.>
The child’s eyes were filled with terror.>
The surrounding police just watched.>
“Len!!!”>
A voice tore through the air.>
A woman stretched her arm toward the child and shouted.>
The goblin child’s mother couldn’t escape because a huge iron gate set up by the vigilantes was blocking her way.>
She twisted her body and screamed at her child.>
We couldn’t leave it like this.>
“Just a moment.”>
I went to the crying little goblin child who had gotten down from the carriage.>
“Who are you?”>
One vigilante blocked me roughly.>
“I’m a Capital Defense Command examining officer.”>
“And?”>
“What crime did this child commit that you’re imprisoning and using violence on?”>
“What? Imprisonment? Violence? Look at this person. Can you take responsibility for that? Eh? You said you’re an examiner, right? That’s slander on my honor. Slander!”>
I couldn’t help but laugh.>
“Laughing now? You don’t know who I am?”>
The male vigilante glared and rolled up his sleeve.>
His eyes seemed to feel the gazes of the others watching him from behind.>
Both words and actions were exaggerated.>
I took one step forward to speak, when…>
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.>
Heavy sounds rang out.>
Like rocks collapsing.>
No, like the ground splitting.>
Everyone’s eyes turned toward one place.>
The sounds grew louder, and with swirling dust, massive figures appeared on the horizon.>
“Centaur!”>
Someone shouted.>
A half-human, half-horse figure with a fierce expression ran forward, kicking the ground with powerful muscles.>
The massive figures narrowed the street like lightning.>
A group of centaurs.>
The vigilantes hesitated, seeing the approaching centaur group.>
“Wh-what?”>
“Why are the centaurs here?”>
As the centaur group got closer, the vigilantes stopped in place.>
The leading centaur among them stopped, then slowly stepped forward.>
His muscular body glistened in the sunlight, and his mane fluttered in the wind.>
He held a high spear in one hand and said in a low voice.>
“What’s happening in our homeland?”>
The deep voice of the man, who appeared to be one of the centaur leaders, echoed.>
The centaur, who was once the owner of old Clovan City and the ruler of the plains, had returned.