Chapter 90 – Relief Operation
Jayr POV - Tortus, Gruen Desert - 2013
Right now, Hajime is leering at the groaning young man, whose body bent into < shape as a result of Hajime's stomp, and Kaori, raises a surprised voice, because of his action, "H-Hajime-kun!!", but Hajime focuses on the young man as he wants to know what is going on, thus he starts to interrogate the young man, but the young man is still in a stunned state.
Then after a few seconds, as soon as he regains his senses after being trampled by Hajime, he doesn't even look at us surrounding him and stares at the vehicle behind Hajime, blinking in confusion, at the same time, Kaori roughly explains how we found and saved him, and after hearing that we are his benefactors he bows his heads as he gives his thanks.
But because he is still recovering from his previous condition, the young man, though he regained consciousness, can't stand straight, furthermore, because of the danger of dehydration due to the desert's temperature and his considerable sweating, we decide to lay the young man into the vehicle and give him some water to drink.
And once he recovered enough, he introduces himself, "First, let me say my appreciation for your help. Thank you very much. When I thought I was going to die in this state… Ankaji would be finished. My name is Bize Feuward Zengen. Son of the Dukedom of Ankaji's ruler, Lanzwi Feuward Zengen!", after hearing that I nod while thinking, 'The Dukedom of Ankaji is located in the Gruen Desert of Tortus. It is responsible for transporting all of the marine goods that came out of Erisen to the Heiligh Kingdom. In other words, by being the main supplier of food from the northern part of the continent, Ankaji holds the monopoly. It is quite an important place...'.
While I was thinking that, Kaori gives a simple introduction of everyone present, and once he hears that Kaori and the others are some of the "God's Apostle" and someone summoned from a different world, and that Hajime and his group is made up of Gold-ranked Adventures, leaves Bize so astonished that his eyes almost pop out.
And he suddenly starts to pray to the heavens, more specifically to the Goddess in front of him, Kaori, who is dumbfounded by his response, but the next moment, Hajime urges him to tell us the situation while leaking a little of his killing intent, making Bize clear his throat and soon he starts to finally tell us his story while still being drenched in sweat because of Hajime's pressure.
And so Bize tells us his story, four days ago, people that started collapsing with a high fever of an unknown cause began appearing one after another in Ankaji.
It was really sudden, with more than 3,000 people out of 270,000 falling unconscious in the first day, and those with similar symptoms reaching 20,000 people.
The medical center was filled instantly, and it continued to fill up the communal center, the medical personnel was treating the patients while looking for the cause of the disease, but, they could only delay it without curing any.
While it happened, the number of patients kept increasing one after another, and before long, the disease infected also the medical personnel.
The number overwhelmed the magic users capable of delaying the disease, and under such chaos, dead finally appeared among those who didn't receive the treatment in time, and despair shrouded the people due to the fact that people died only after the second day they were infected.
Within those, one pharmacist accidentally used, Liquid Judging, on the drinking water, and the result shocked them, as they found out that the water contained poison, which resulted in the rampaging of magic power, and at once, a survey team was formed.
They examined Ankaji's only water source, the oasis while assuming the worst situation in their mind, and as they thought, the oasis had been polluted.
Naturally, such an oasis is a lifeline for a country located in the middle of the desert, so the guarding and maintenance were strictly managed by the one in charge, it isn't an exaggeration that it is impossible to take out the guards of Ankaji and poison the oasis with all the measures they had prepared to protect it.
The survey team could only tilt their heads in confusion without finding any lead of who, how, and from where, but more importantly, because the stock of water from two days ago was not plenty, they didn't have any more water to use, thus, it resulted with them having no other ways to save those infected from drinking the polluted water.
However, it isn't like there isn't any other way to resolve this, there is a method to heal those infected.
The method needs a mineral called Serene Stone, it is a special mineral that carries an effect to calm the magic power's activity and a small amount of this valuable mineral can be harvested in the northern rock zone near Gruen Great Volcano.
If the Serene Stone is made into powder and drunk, it would be able to calm the rampaging magic power inside the bodies of the infected, but even so, the northern rock zone was too far that it needed at least one month of travel using a carriage.
Moreover, Ankaji's adventurers, especially those capable of entering Gruen Great Volcano, harvesting the Serene Stone, and safely returning, had already fallen to the disease, so it was necessary to ask for help from the Kingdom.
They requested help and asked for water that could temporarily relieve 270,000 people in the Dukedom of Ankaji, in addition to powerful people capable of going to the Gruen Great Volcano, however, it was not easy to arrange powerful people capable of doing that.
And even though the request from the Dukedom could not be disregarded, the Kingdom choose to investigate Ankaji's current condition first, furthermore, the Kingdom also deliberately made the procedures as slow as possible to delay as much as possible, that's why, his father the Duke, thought it was necessary for Bize to be the representative and directly ask for reinforcement.
And after telling us all this, Bize ends with, "Father, mother, and my little sister were infected, too, and although they managed to recover using the stock of Serene Stone in Ankaji, they were in a truly weakened state, so much that they were incapable of going to the nearby city much less to the Kingdom. That's why I am the one that left Ankaji yesterday along with bodyguards to ask for help. At that time, I didn't have any of the symptoms… but, in the end, I have been infected too. The time of appearance of the disease likely differs depending on the individual. I was agitated by this situation… my family falling sick, the duchy that fell into disorder, and how the Kingdom was delaying sending their rescue. It is also necessary to procure Serene Stone. And even right now, the lives of Ankaji's people are perishing… And I was unable to help!".
And even though he couldn't yet put strength into his body, Bize put strength into his fist and hit his thigh in frustration.
He seems to have a strong sense of responsibility towards the people as the next Lord of Ankaji, he might also be mortified by how his bodyguards were annihilated when the Sandworms attacked, then Bize looks at us and bowing his head he says, "… I want you, no, I request you as the formal representative of the Lord of Ankaji Dukedom. Please lend me your strength".
Silence filled the surroundings for a while, as the sound of sand carried by the wind and hitting the windows greatly resound.
Yue, Shea, Myu, and Kaori look at Hajime, with Shea, Myu, and Kaori carrying a clear hint of their desire to help, especially Kaori that as a healer couldn't disregard such situation, however, the most direct is Myu who asks while looking at him with the ultimate weapon, the puppy eyes, "Papa~. Won't Papa help him?", to which Hajime can only shrugs his shoulder and mutters reluctantly, "It can't be helped", making Shea and the other chuckle, while I whisper "Tsundere...".
Then I catch everyone's attention by saying, "Well... Hajime and his group plus the Hero Party had planned to go to the Gruen Great Volcano anyway... Helping Ankaji doesn't change anything, and we still have to wait a few days for the full moon to appear...", then a joyful and hopeful Bize says, "With Hajime-dono's class being Gold, I wanted you to gather Serene Stone from the Great Volcano first, but it is necessary to go to Imperial Capital first to secure our water. Can this movement-type artifact be used by someone else other than Hajime-dono?".
But before Hajime could reply, I say, "There is no need for that, the water situation can easily be fixed. And using Hajime's vehicle will take too much time... I speak for experience but travelling this desert even in a comfortable vehicle is boring, so... Porta! (Gate!)", and I raise my hand opening a spherical hole in the space, and on the other side of that hole, is a familiar sight that makes Bize exclaim in wonder, "A-Ankaji!? How is this possible!!? What kind of magic is this!?".
Even Hajime, Yue, Myu, and Shea are surprised by my display at least until Hajime simply asks, "Age of God Magic?", to which I nod and reply, "Yup, in fact, is the one that you will learn in Gruen Great Volcano, Spatial Magic", then pulling up Bize like a sack of potatoes, I quickly move through the gate, followed by Eri, Tio, Freid, the Hero Party, and in the end, Hajime's group.
Jayr POV - Tortus, Dukedom of Ankaji - 2013
On the other side of the gate, within the fluttering brown sand, we see the Dukedom of Ankaji, which just like the Independent Merchant Republic of Fuhren, is surrounded by a wall, a milk-white one in this case.
The outer wall and buildings are all milky white in color, which creates a beautiful contrast with the brown-colored outside world.
However, what is different from Fuhren are the pillars of light coming from the enclosing, irregular-shaped wall, which climbed towards the heavens, the pillars of light joined together in the sky, forming a gigantic dome, covering the entirety of Ankaji.
At times, it is like the surface of water that has something thrown into it, ripples are appearing, creating a mysterious and beautiful spectacle, 'Apparently, this dome is preventing sand from entering the city, and although large sand storm sometimes appears in the time of the full moon, the dome made sure that none of the sand entered Ankaji, making only appears like it is cloudy outside... Still, this is quite nice to look at!'.
After a few minutes of walking, we enter Ankaji from the shining, huge gate, and while walking through it, I hear Kaouki mutter in wonder, "Even a magic barrier was erected on the gate to not let sand enter...", meanwhile, I notice that the gate guards are surprised by seeing such a big group waking through the gate, but they didn't have the energy to question us and easily let us pass because of the gloomy atmosphere surrounding Ankaji, 'They seem to have given up...', However, when they finally notice the future lord, Bize walking with us they stand in attention, seeming to regain their energy as soldiers.
It seems that Ankaji's entrance gate is located at a higher elevation, it is built in consideration of letting visitors enjoy Ankaji's beauty.
The oasis in the east is glittering while being reflected by the sunlight, and a lot of lush green vegetation is growing around it, surrounding it.
The water from the oasis is flowing within the town like rivers and there are small boats moored here and there even though it is in the middle of the desert.
Lush green plazas are set up around the town which makes one understand just how spacious the city is.
On the north is the farmland, where I can see numerous fruits growing as far as my sight can see.
To the west side is a big, palace-like building with pure white color, unlike the other buildings which are milky white.
The impressiveness and scale made one understand that this is the dwelling of the Lord, and I also notice boorish-looking buildings that are lined up around the palace in order which is likely to be the government ward.
Looking it up close I can't help but think, 'This is a charming country for sure... And even if it is in the middle of the desert it gives me a similar vibe as Venezia (Venice), it is full of water...', at the same time, I hear Eri beside me mutter, "It's beautiful...", meanwhile Bize explains, "Normally, this place would be actively doing business for fruits since it is the relay point from the Coastal City of Erisen. Moreover, it is a popular place for sightseeing and should've been filled with vigor and clamor. But now, it is covered in a gloomy atmosphere".
And looking around, I see that it is indeed true, there are only a few people on the street and no store is in business, all of the doors are firmly shut, as if they are quietly waiting for the storm to pass, crouching, absolute silence rule the town, making almost appear like a ghost town.
Then Bize continues, "… I wanted to show our country filled with vigor to you all. Unfortunately, we aren't in time for that. So, let me guide you around myself once everything is solved. For the time being, let's go to my father. He is in the palace", and hearing that we all nod at his words and follow him, as we continue to advance with the oasis as the background, and after a few minutes we finally enter the palace using Bize's face as a pass, then we enter the Lord's, Lanzwi's, office.
Once inside I quickly notice that the Duke is quite weakened, but he had used a lot of healing magic and medicine to keep going, and now is working with a lot of vigor, but at the same time, Bize shouts, "Father!", surprising his father, especially since he expected him to be still on his journey to request help sho he stands up and yells, "Bize! You, what are you doing here!?", and the still slightly weakened Bize quickly starts to explain to his father the situation.
Once he was done and we have the full support of Bize's father, I enter my doctor mode and start to organize everyone, "Well then, we should get going. Kaori, Eri, and I will go to the medical center where the patients are, I will remove the toxin from their bodies and bring out the excess Magic Power, while Kaori will use her magic to heal them. We will also bring along some of Hajime's Magic-Crystallization Stones. The rest will be securing the water and will deal with the thing poisoning as from what I was able to gather from the toxin it is for sure some kind of monster, as it is both biological and magical...", then I stop for a moment, look at Lanzwi and ask, "Lord, is there a broad space around 200 meters on all sides at the lowest?".
The Duke thinks about it for a few seconds before he says "Hmm? Um, though there's one in the farming area…", I nod and continue issuing my orders, "Then, other than me and Kaori, Hajime and the rest will go there. I'll use my Spatial Magic to send Yue the Magic-Crystallization stones if they are full, and she will use the excess magic power to create a temporary water reservoir with your help... then you will go to the oasis to deal with the source of this problem".
After I'm done giving my instruction, everyone nods and starts to move.
Hajime POV - Tortus, Dukedom of Ankaji - 2013
We move toward a corner of the farmland area in the northern part of Ankaji, followed by Lanzwi, Bize, and a bunch of barely standing guards, while walking, my thoughts start to wander, 'In the end, I meet him once again, and even at my current level, he is still stronger... Hell, his Magic Power is out of proportion, until now I thought that mine was enormous, but his... is at least three times mine, moreover, that isn't even his strongest force, he is a Saint, which means that he has mastery over Cosmo, I do not know at what level he is but if he mastered the 7th sense, then no one can be his opponent! The Saints of that level fight at lightspeed, lightspeed! I can barely react to that speed in my Limit Break combined with Quick Step! Luckily, he isn't my enemy...'.
After a while, we finally reach our destination, the chosen plain is almost 600 meters from all sides, and Bize is currently explaining that normally, it is the place where a certain crop is grown, but it is now in its resting period, perfect for what we intend to do.
Just before we start I can feel the dubious Duke's gaze as he stares daggers at us, he probably feels that Jayr's plan is an impossible one, but the next moment his doubting gaze instantly turns into an astonished one as Yue uses her magic "Asura!" and soon a black, swirling orb immediately appear above the farmland where her right hand is outstretched.
That orb changes its shape above the farmland, into a thin square that spread horizontally until it reaches around 200 meters in length, then, after a moment of stagnation, it falls to the ground without making a sound and casually crushes the ground.
The ground sinks due to the terrific pressure, and the earth shakes strongly, almost like a meteor impacting the earth, it is as if the ground itself is screaming.
After a moment, the 200 meters on all sides of the farm that had received the supergravity pressure formed a huge reservoir of 5 meters in depth.
I sneak a look at Lanzwi and his subordinates, and every single one of them has their jaws dropped so far that their jaws might have dislocated, their eyes are wide open and seem to pop out, the impact is too strong, and that turned them speechless, it seems that all of them are shouting, "Whuuaaaattt—!?", in their minds.
At the same time, having activated the Age of Gods magic with half of its output, Yue lightly exhales, and although her magic power is exhausted by suddenly consuming a large amount of magic, her expression did not change since she feels only slight tiredness, seeing that I think, 'Though it would be okay if she took the magic stored inside Magic-Crystallization stone, she is clearly thinking of keeping the magic power inside the Magic-Crystallization stone as much as possible because we are going to challenge Gruen Great Volcano after this.'.
Yue's body is swaying as if she was about to fall, and eventually, with a thud, Yue's body leans on my arm, and from behind her, I embrace Yue a little, and lift her, embracing her from the front and see that Yue is smiling in joy, and answer my embrace by wrapping her arms on my neck.
Following that, she says, "…Thank you for the treat", then, she bits my neck and starts to suck my blood to replenish her Magic Power, blood flows from my body to Yue, who absent-mindedly with moistened eyes, is licking my neck multiple times while making small, lewd, gasping sounds made everyone present forget to question Yue's race.
All but the Lord, I notice that he has recovered from his astonishment and staring daggers at us, at the same time, I notice that Shea is completely blindfolding Myu from behind because it is too early for her to see such a scene, while she is clearly showing sign of jealousy.
The young Dagon complains, "Myuu can't see~", as she is hugged from behind and can't resist since her head is wrapped by Shea's huge breasts.
After some time, Yue finally finishes converting my blood into Magic Power, and quietly separate from my neck after she gives me one last sensual kick, then she kisses my lips, and again I get lost in her charming crimson eyes, but soon we are interrupted by Lanzwi and his men's coughs, that make us realize that maybe we overdid a little, and we start to look at each other with wry smiles, then, as if nothing happened we turn around and begin to kiss once more.
But then the Duke exclaims, "No, no, no, you should do it where we can't see… I also have various guesses about that thing, the bloodsucker, but for the time being, I want you to do the thing that should be done… Rather, shouldn't you be the one who understands it the most!?", so we stop, shrug our shoulders in reluctance, then we leer at Lanzwi and his men, who are showing clear irritation, and begin to finish our work
I go into the reservoir and take out Brise, the four-wheeler magic vehicle, from Treasure Box, and using the land-leveling function installed in Brise, I use Mineral Isolation and coat the surface of the reservoir with metal so that water wouldn't be absorbed by the ground.
I get out after finishing coating the reservoir, and Yue thrust out her arm and uses Water Element Magic to instantly fill the reservoir, "Tidal Wave!".
It is one of the high-ranked, Water Element Magic which creates a massive wave to crush the enemy, for an ordinary magic user, though it is called a huge wave, it would only be around ten to twenty meters, squarely, however, the number changed once Yue used it.
A tsunami with a width of 150 meters and height of 100 meters is created, immediately flowing into the reservoir, and in the middle of it, Yue sucks my blood many times to replenish her magic power to continue to fill the reservoir, and thus, as much as half of her magic power is saved.
However, there is also a limit on how much blood I have, and I'm quickly reaching my limit, but luckily a spherical hole in the space opens next to us and from the other side of it Jayr throws the Magic-Crystallization stones he took with him before, full of the excess magic power of thousands of patients.
Seeing just how much Magic Power is in the stones I can't help but think in wonder, 'Not even two hours had passed since Jayr and Kaori went to the medical center, but in such a short time, they were able to treat such a large number of patients. For sure they are also cheat-like existences.
With the Magic-Crystallization stones in her hands, Yue starts to cast the spell "Tidal Wave" in rapid succession, and before long, the forty thousand square meters reservoir is filled with fresh, unpolluted water.
Dumbfounded, Lanzwu is staring at the surface of the water before him, reflecting by the sunlight and glittering just like an oasis, and mutters, "…Such a thing…", but I ignore his speechless state, and say, "It is enough for now. Next, I am going to examine the oasis… if I don't come to understand anything, then it is okay for you to ask for water from the Kingdom at that time", hearing that the Duke regains his bearing, and changing his attitude, he thanks us and says, "Ah, yeah. Well, I have a lot I want to ask… but thank you. You have my gratitude. With this, my people won't die from dehydration. Also, let me guide you to the oasis".
And so we all move straight toward the oasis, and once there, I see that the oasis is beautifully glittering, reflecting the sunlight, and it doesn't seem to contain any kind of poison, however, just like Jayr deduced, there is something inside the water something that can't escape my Demon Eye.
Yue notices my change and tilting her head she asks, "...Nn? ...Hajime?", so I explain, "Jayr was right... My Demon Eye is reacting to something just now...", then I look at the Duke and ask, "Lord, to what length has the survey team examined it?", to which he replies, "… I am certain it was the substances inside the oasis and the river flowing from it. They also investigated the substance in various wells and the underground river. The water's substance was just as you heard from my son, but no abnormality was found in the underground river. Moreover, the range of examination was only several tens of meters from the oasis. The bottom of the oasis itself hadn't been examined".
Then I walk near the oasis and take out a 500ml pet bottle-shaped metal object from the Treasure Box, a Magic Torpedo, and supplied it with magic power, next, I casually throw it into the oasis and calmly move away from the oasis and stand next to Yue, waiting for it to impact with the target.
Following that, Lanzwi finally can't hold back his curiosity anymore and moves to ask me what is in the water, but right at that moment, a huge explosive sound ring out accompanied by the oasis spouting a huge column of water, leaving the Duke and his subordinates once again slackjawed and pop-eyed.
At the same time, I use my Demon Eyes to check the situation, then I click my tongue and say, "Tch, was it evaded? …No, it must be because it has high defense, huh?", saying so, I take out ten of the same thing and throw them into the oasis.
Following that, after several seconds, huge explosions and huge columns of water appear all over the oasis.