Chapter 82
The previously peaceful expedition suddenly became shrouded in tension.
“It’s a little ridiculous to call it peaceful while we’re right in the middle of a monster-infested forest…”
Even I felt the thought sounded awkward. But until now, we had explored the forest without incident—this was the first real problem.
One of the knights, about to go on a reconnaissance, suddenly collapsed.
All the members of the scouting party rushed to him in surprise. Fortunately, he opened his eyes again quickly.
He had now returned to the base and was being questioned by the Duke.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with him physically?”
“He said he feels no discomfort. And just in case, you even used your healing magic, so he should be fine.”
“Then that’s a relief….”
As soon as we returned to the base, the Duke first brought Jonathan to me so I could heal him.
After casting Heal on him, I checked the progress of the Spread the Blessing quest.
Spread the Blessing III (Linked)
Quest Rank: Normal
Time Limit: 23 days
Faith comes from miracles. Offer the blessings of the Amur religion through relief activities. — Heal 50 people (46/50)
Note: Failing to complete the quest within the time limit will result in a penalty.
Penalty on failure — ‘Sugarcane’ seeds will be destroyed.
Every time a person is healed with Heal, the quest window shows the number of people healed. But the number hadn’t changed at all.
This meant that Jonathan, the one involved in the incident, had no injuries.
It could have been simple fatigue, but it had only been two weeks since the expedition started.
For a knight in an elite corps, who might be on expeditions lasting several months or even over a year, collapsing from fatigue at this stage was unlikely.
Moreover, Jonathan had been speaking normally with his companion Zeke just before he collapsed.
He had simply fallen over, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“…For a healthy person to collapse all of a sudden, something must have gone wrong.”
A wave of unease washed over me, and I looked down. The safety provided by those around us had been so comforting that I had momentarily forgotten the forest’s dangers.
The monster forest was a place full of unknown risks. That fact hit me again.
“Why did he collapse? Was he attacked by a monster? But all the other scouts were fine…”
It was also strange that no one noticed any attack.
Even if there was no trace, these were elite knights who had faced countless dangers. And Edwin had been there, too.
If magic had been involved, Edwin would surely have sensed it.
“…Magi? Could it be the influence of Magi?”
The only reasonable guess was that Jonathan might have collapsed under the influence of Magi.
Magi was still poorly understood due to its dangerous nature.
What was known was that exposure to Magi could cause mental disturbances. The information we had discovered while exploring the forest was based on light exposure; it was unknown what prolonged contact could cause.
Before any danger could manifest, Duke Blake would have destroyed the Magi with his sword, or after the Saint joined, the Magi could be purified to prevent harm.
“I must have purified the Magi, so there shouldn’t have been any danger. But…was there really none?”
What if traces of Magi remained?
What if those traces subtly affected the knights, and Jonathan was the one most influenced?
What if…
Just what if.
“…If my purification was incomplete, then I…”
“Nee-san!”
Before I knew it, a weak voice escaped me in anxiety. Edwin shouted sharply.
Startled, I turned to see my younger brother gripping my shoulder with a firm expression.
“Don’t say that. Your purification was perfect.”
“But Edwin…”
“Every time you purified Magi, the crimson energy vanished without a trace. There is no way there could be any leftover remnants—it was a complete purification.”
“…”
“The Duke will agree with me. This incident has nothing to do with you.”
“Indeed,” the Duke confirmed.
While listening to my brother’s words, the tent flap at the barracks opened and the Duke entered. Naturally, attention turned to him.
“Your Grace… what about him?”
“Jonathan’s body is fine. He’s returned to his unit.”
“Is the interrogation finished? Do we know why he collapsed?”
The Duke paused briefly, seeming to think carefully before answering.
“I don’t know.”
“…Excuse me?”
“He said he was simply talking with Zeke. Then, after briefly closing his eyes, he found himself collapsed.”
This matched exactly what Edwin had explained to me.
Jonathan was known to be a diligent person. He wouldn’t lie, especially in front of the Duke during an expedition.
Thus, it meant there was no way to know why he collapsed.
“……”
“……”
Edwin and I were silent.
There were too many inconsistencies to simply attribute it to a minor physical condition.
A healthy man collapsing mid-conversation with a companion, in the middle of a monster forest…
There was clearly an unknown danger, and I wondered if we could continue this expedition.
“…He said he smelled fishy water.”
Then the Duke spoke in a low, meaningful tone.
“Fishy water?”
“Before losing consciousness, faintly. He remembers nothing else, only that smell. A dark, damp, musty stench.”
“…”
It sounded like a riddle.
While I pondered, Edwin spoke.
“I don’t recall any source nearby that could have produced that smell.”
“And when we asked Zeke, he said the same. Even when we sent additional people to check, there was no place that could smell like that.”
“…Then it’s likely Jonathan lost his memory due to some reason?”
It seemed so.
Something must have happened connected to that ‘fishy water’ scent, causing him to lose memory.
“…Was it a shock?”
What could have possibly happened to Jonathan in that brief moment, in front of others, to make him lose his memory?
It was utterly puzzling.
“Edwin, could it have been an illusion magic?”
“That’s the most likely explanation right now… but if that were the case, it’s strange I didn’t notice it. There are two possibilities, though.”
“Two possibilities?”
“One, Jonathan was affected by illusion magic somewhere else, triggered later.”
Edwin’s first hypothesis seemed reasonable.
However…
“…But illusion magic is usually instant-acting, right?”
“Exactly. Unless it’s a poisoning spell, illusion magic rarely has delayed effects. If he had been under magic, it’s unlikely I wouldn’t have noticed.”
Delayed-effect magic is tricky to create, so there’s little reason to impose such a condition on illusion magic.
The Duke, observing, asked:
“And the second?”
“The second…”
Edwin hesitated, furrowing his brow.
“The second is that it was magic of a level I couldn’t detect.”
“…If even you couldn’t notice it, how strong would that be?”
“Well… at least the level of my teacher, the Magi Tower Master.”
“……”
“……”
Neither the Duke nor I could respond further.
If Edwin couldn’t notice it, that meant an extremely dangerous magic could be nearby.
Silence fell. No one spoke.
“Let’s give up on this expedition.”
Finally, Edwin broke the silence.
