LIGHTNOVELWORLD chapter 225
The Source of Contamination (7)
I was about to interrupt what seemed like an abrupt remark.
But I was left speechless by Talphon’s question that hit right at the heart of matters.
“That ring and sword cannot be used by anyone who is not from the Kingdom of Wederos. However, you suffered from Dephacian Syndrome. Typically, Westerners who live in eroded lands don’t easily contract that disease.”
“…”
Is that so?
Incompatible reactions occurring simultaneously must have aroused suspicion.
“You saw correctly. Just as you guessed.”
Well, there’s no delaying it any longer.
“The Duke of Bagland, the beggars gathered in the slums. And perhaps not even the survivors of the Kingdom of Wederos. I come from a completely different world.”
“Is that so?”
Talphon swallowed deeply.
“It doesn’t matter how you think about it. You might feel disgusted that I intentionally aided Lilpeton. But for me, there was simply a reason to do so.”
“…”
“If you find it hard to believe, that’s fine. However, I need to know about the Kingdom of Wederos by any means necessary.”
—Thud.
He placed before him the extinction plan for the Kingdom of Wederos that he had been holding.
“You feel like I’ve approached Lilpeton with ulterior motives and deceived you? I understand. But even if I’ve become someone untrustworthy in your eyes, I’ll find out what I need through trade if necessary.”
There is no kindness without a price.
No. Perhaps kindness itself may not exist at all.
To be coldly rational about it, this is normal.
One should never expect help from those around them.
Unless it’s through some form of transaction.
At that moment, Talphon grinned slyly.
“Don’t be so rigid. Do you think I’m going to reprimand you over this?”
He closed the document without even looking at it as I extended it toward him.
“What does this mean?”
“I mean, no—we mean—Lilpeton has received great help from you. Perhaps because we met on a path from which there was no turning back, we were able to pause and reconsider our steps. In that sense, where you’re from doesn’t matter; you’re simply a precious benefactor and a dear friend.”
“What if I tricked you into believing me?”
“Hmm. I suppose one could think that way. If it’s to investigate and immerse ourselves deeper into our Lilphet, then it makes sense.”
Yet, contrary to the words spilling from my mouth, Talphon held no suspicion of me at all.
“The pure scent of mana emanating from you cannot be obscured by such trivial lies. No, even if that weren’t the case, I’ve observed you for some time now. So I have no doubts.”
Honest. Steady. Brave yet intelligent.
However, at times reckless and blunt, giving off an air of unease.
That was his candid impression of me as he looked my way.
“It would have been better if you were a survivor from the Kingdom of Wederos. But even so, I still consider you a friend. I’m not sure how you feel about it though.”
The hand he had withdrawn from the plan was now extended toward me.
“Karsein. I don’t want to lose a wonderful friend I’ve made after such a long time over something so trivial.”
Toward me.
Hoping I’d take that hand while looking into my eyes.
He waited patiently.
Reluctantly, I grasped his hand.
“If I keep thinking like this every time, I might get blindsided again,” I said to Talphon.
“Heh. As for being blindsided, I’m not one to fall behind either. You must have heard about what we endured at the hands of those imperial nobles through your fiancée?”
Ah, that’s right.
Now that I think about it; they were Westerners after all.
“Well then… let’s get to the point. The Westerners have always undertaken missions to eradicate monsters; it’s almost an understatement to say that’s our calling. However—eleven years ago—we were helplessly overwhelmed by their sudden emergence.”
“Helplessly overwhelmed…?”
“The number who perished back then… You might not grasp its magnitude fully without specifics: out of twenty tribes, yours is the only one that survived.”
“…!”
That level of loss is beyond mere defeat.
It’s as if they were slaughtered en masse.
“The monsters were far stronger than anything we had faced before. Each individual was at least twice as powerful, and the sheer numbers were beyond imagination, forcing the tribes to unite in urgency. Without the combined strength of four or five tribes, we wouldn’t have been able to hold our ground.”
However, Talphon adds that there were those who managed to endure even without uniting their forces.
“…Are you saying that was the Kingdom of Wederos?”
“Yes. The Kingdom of Wederos was the strongest among the westerners who led the charge against the monsters. It wasn’t just a tribe; it was a kingdom.”
“Then why did the Kingdom of Wederos fall? That doesn’t make sense.”
Didn’t they say that four or five tribes needed to join forces to withstand them?
Yet Wederos stood alone against these beasts.
“If they had that kind of power, surely they could have fended them off. They shouldn’t have had to perish—unless there was a compelling reason…”
“You’re correct. Karsein.”
“What?”
“The Kingdom of Wederos made sacrifices for two reasons. The first is that once they stepped aside, it was obvious that the monsters entering would slaughter the Empire’s citizens without hesitation. Their path of attack included House Bagrand.”
House Bagrand—the family with perhaps the most territories and home to countless Imperial citizens.
“To save them, it’s almost as if Wederos sacrificed itself. But there’s another reason.”
Talphon pointed his index finger at me.
“To save you—the youngest prince of Wederos—they sent you off to House Bagrand.”
“…!”
I tried to uncover the truth by investigating the Kingdom of Wederos.
My head is starting to ache from a story more complicated than I imagined.
– “This plan… we can read it. However, it will take some time to decipher.”
What was presented seems like it will take quite a while to return.
If I piece together what I heard from Talphon, it goes like this:
Eleven years ago, a sudden onslaught of monsters.
The deaths of countless Westerners and the sacrifices of the Kingdom of Wederos.
And intertwined with their sacrifices… were the Duke of Bagrand and Karsein.
“This is no longer… just a game setting.”
It’s not merely a setting; it’s part of the backdrop.
A massive narrative thread that has been passed down through events from the past up until now.
Such things are nearly impossible to uncover through mere investigation…
‘No. Still, this is something I must look into.’
▶EX Episode. Traces of the Kingdom of Wederos are in progress.◀
▶Obtain information related to the Kingdom of Wederos.◀
▶You can gain what you desire each time your achievement level reaches its maximum.◀
[ Current Achievement Level: 75% ]
“Ah, cold.”
A chill touched my cheek. Startled, I turned my head sharply in that direction and found Harnié smiling with fox-like eyes crinkled in delight.
“You were quite surprised, weren’t you? Ahaha.”
“…You’re playing some strange tricks.”
“But when I see you just sitting there, I can’t help but want to tease you a little.”
Harnie handed me a drink.
So that was what had brushed against my cheek earlier.
“I think after this symposium, I’ll probably break my personal record.”
“Is that so?”
“…Isn’t your reaction a bit underwhelming?”
“Uh… Congratulations?”
She pouted her lips slightly.
“That’s not it; it’s because of you that this happened. There’s no way I could have done it alone. So asking for something in return shouldn’t sound strange at all.”
“Oh. What do you mean? You don’t need to worry about it.”
While I did help Harnie, the truth is that I gained more from the situation.
Thanks to bringing in the soil, we easily completed the clue-and-prove event.
And with the information provided by Harnie’s Plesia faction, we gained another significant advantage in yet another clue-and-prove event.
Having received assistance twice in those events means that no matter how much I’ve explored and offered help, it’s not really comparable. In fact, if one were to look harder, they might find even more opportunities.
– Tap.
Once again, the cold drink touched my cheek.
“Oh.”
“I really don’t like that. Think about it some more. You never know!”
…Even if you tell me to think about it, there isn’t exactly anything worth hoping for.
Now that the symposium has identified the main culprit behind the pollution of the Shatren territory, I only need to prepare loosely until the final day. Any missing information can be obtained from Ferdi.
The issue of division among the people of the territory is similar. It can be contained with Dyke and Talphon’s agent abilities, and we just need to coordinate with Brem and Trisha to adjust the soil recovery rate so it doesn’t deteriorate too much.
If there’s something absolutely necessary, it would be information related to the Kingdom of Wederos, but they said they don’t know anything about that.
I didn’t want to borrow money from her at all. This was a principle I had decided to resolve on my own.
‘Is there something persuasive…’
Hmm.
I pondered for a while, but no answers came forth.
In that moment, Harnie made a suggestion.
“It seems like you’re not coming up with anything… um, then… can I decide?”
“Of course.”
“Well then…”
She blinked at me while casting a sidelong glance before cautiously broaching her idea.
“After this symposium ends, we’ll go on a trip together. So… I’ll give it to you then.”
What will she give me after it’s over?
…What could it be? I’m not sure what to expect here.
Is she planning on giving me chocolate like before?
No. That wouldn’t matter if she gave it now… and I doubt Harnie would be satisfied with something like that anyway.
“Oh well! See you then! Will you get mad if I forget or miss out?”
“Um… yes.”
Harnie abruptly turned away as she pressed for my promise and left.
I have no idea what they intend to offer me.
-Ding!
▶Episode XI. The source of contamination is in progress.◀
▶Prove and condemn those who contaminated Shatren at the 21st Eastern Nobility Meeting.◀
▶Increase the development level of the Shatren territory and achieve a score above the set threshold.◀
I must not forget.
That is a secondary matter, while the main episode constantly threatens my life.
With it becoming increasingly difficult to gather information related to the Kingdom of Wederos, I need to focus on resolving the given episode for now.
“Summer is slowly approaching.”
Feeling the sticky humidity that signals summer’s arrival, I picked up the report on Shatren territory.
***
Before I knew it, we had crossed into week seven from week six.
Even by this time, there was still no deciphering of the plan’s contents. Talphon was struggling quite a bit and asked me to wait a little longer; there was nothing I could do about it.
In that time, soil recovery efforts were underway in Shatren territory.
Outwardly, it might seem like the residents are still divided, but ever since they learned about external fertilizers being applied, they have united under my directives without hesitation.
Additionally, some fields had already taken measures to accelerate their recovery process; all that remained was waiting for announcement day to arrive.
This waiting period mostly turned into training sessions with Pollux during our newfound leisure time.
“…Your growth rate is monstrous. Ever since awakening your mana, you’ve changed beyond recognition.”
Indeed.
I’m surprised myself.
I thought it was just a test, so I brushed it off, but I never expected that you, Pollux, would have risen to the level where we could actually fight.
■Karsein Bagrand■ – 18 years old
Lv. 63
▶Your accumulated SP will automatically be used for ??? stats!◀
▶Strength 6.48
▶Agility 7.70
▶Endurance 8.00
▶Health 6.33
▶Immunity 1.60
▶??? 63%
I hadn’t been closely monitoring the changes in my stats, but it seemed that consistent training had indeed led to an increase in them.
Of course, Pollux is one of the strongest warriors among the Westerners; if he were to fight seriously, I would still find myself at a disadvantage.
After all, he wasn’t designed as an NPC meant to be defeated.
This game may be a piece of junk by some standards, but it was undeniably infused with fantasy elements.
At its core lies a system designed for player growth—mana awakening exists as a foundational stepping stone for advancement. The degree of familiarity with handling that mana is indicated by proficiency levels and leaves room for further growth.
However, I’ve now started hitting my limits.
Even with this intense training regimen, my stats aren’t showing significant changes like they used to; and while experience does accumulate over time, the growth potential offered by the game’s system cannot be overlooked.
To prepare for Episode Three coming up later on, I need to start cultivating that power I’ve held within this game from now on.
And… finally soon enough I’ll need to put that strength into action as well.
There are plenty of reasons why I must build up my power.
Pollux listened to my story and nodded, then immediately began to explain.
“First, let’s talk about the West. The strength of the Lilepten tribe lies in their sense of smell. You know this well, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“The tribes in the West each possess powers related to their senses. Yarick confronts with blades, while we Lilepten can smell mana. Lindel even interprets sounds outside the norm to hear the whispers of mana. Other tribes are similar; we all read emotions through mana. However—”
He pointed at his own eyes.
“Vision is different. Only one tribe—no, one kingdom—can truly see.”
His finger that had been pointing at Pollux now directed towards me.
“The threads of mana you see? That is the power of the Kingdom of Wederos.”
The threads of mana had appeared since I defeated Scorpion King.
But only a couple of people had mentioned seeing these threads…
“Were you told by Talphon?”
“Yes. It was conveyed somewhat unintentionally, but it seemed important nonetheless. Talphon was also the first to notice you as an outsider.”
I see now; there was a reason he hadn’t said anything when we met again.
I wondered if Pollux could provide insight about Wederos since he too hailed from the West.
But that thought led nowhere.
“It might be fair to say it possesses a power befitting your master. You should train that aspect further. Of course, since it’s a power exclusive to Wederos for us, helping may be difficult.”
After giving me that advice, Pollux lightly patted my shoulder and walked away.
Eyes that read the flow of mana—a vision specialized in it—the strength unique to Wederos.
With no information on this front available, I had no choice but to awaken this knowledge on my own.
A few days passed after that.
Week 7 also flew by, and the time was drawing near.
▶ Episode XI. The Source of Contamination is Underway. ◀
▶ The final presentation date has arrived! ◀
▶ At the 21st Eastern Nobility Conference, prove and condemn those who have tainted Chatrain. ◀
▶ Raise the development level of the Chatrain territory to achieve a score above the set threshold. ◀