The Sleeping Devil

"Sigh... It has become troublesome."

Sergio couldn't dismiss the story he heard from Dior a few days ago as mere idle talk.

When he heard that Sheriel had advised against bloodletting for the maids, his thoughts were initially only about the curse on Sheriel. But he had a foreboding feeling about the reasons behind it.

Diseases are considered as one of the afflictions caused by impurities. For example, a common cold would be such a case.

The magical power of wind becomes tainted with impurities and harms people.

Normally, one is protected by their own healing abilities, but when fatigue or a decrease in physical strength lowers their healing power, they catch a cold due to the faint impurities that exist everywhere. The person who catches a cold then amplifies the impurities, and those nearby also catch a cold. To some extent, that's what a disease is known as.

However, Sergio was starting to accept the idea that diseases could be transmitted through blood.

There were several diseases that couldn't be explained by impurities. One of them would be the Eiro disease. Eiro disease mostly spreads in brothels, and it is said that it is contracted by clients who have had encounters with the prostitutes in the same establishment, rather than the prostitutes themselves.

It has been suggested that it is the grudge of the prostitutes that turns into impurities and is directed towards the clients, but that explanation alone wasn't enough.

However, if what Sheriel said is true, that it is transmitted through blood, then everything would make sense.

With a feeling close to conviction, Sergio immediately had all of Dior's maids examined, and now he held the document containing the results in his hand.

It wasn't Eiro disease, but there was someone with an even more troublesome disease...

"Zaris, how is this person doing now?"

"They were moved to the remote tower before coming here with the document."

"I see. Ah, it's a different tower than Sheriel's, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Even so, Late Disease (Chibyō) is quite troublesome...

Late Disease is said to have an incubation period of several months to several years after contracting the disease. But once it manifests, the person dies within about three days.

It was revealed that Late Disease had spread within families, and there were discrepancies in the timing of deaths within the same family. This fact was discovered because there was a Gift holder who could appraise the disease during that time.

Fortunately, thanks to the magic left behind by that Gift holder, it became possible to identify the disease. However, it was a rare and peculiar illness, and since there were no conscious symptoms until the onset, unless someone in the family died from Late Disease, the disease would never be discovered.

"Does this maid have any connections to that merchant?"

"We are currently investigating, but the possibility seems low. Just to be sure, arrangements have been made for the evaluation of this person's family as well."

"I see. We'll have to identify anyone the maid has had contact with involving blood in the past few years. Sheriel mentioned blood, but considering the Eiro disease, it could be bodily fluids."

It's not a story one would usually tell children, but it seems it's necessary to inform Dior and Didier and have everyone in the castle evaluated.

Nevertheless, it's a relief that Dior hasn't contracted anything. Late Disease usually wipes out an entire family, so if Dior had used that maid's blood, they would have surely...

If it's discovered before the onset, it can be suppressed at the temple, but then Dior and Sergio wouldn't be able to be together anymore. That would be more painful for Sergio than tearing himself apart.

What kind of talent does Sheriel possess? She's a strange child, but she doesn't give off a dangerous vibe.

Sergio felt a sense of obligation to protect Sheriel based on intuition, but he didn't have any further interest in her.

Two years ago, he took her in by paying a large sum of money, driven by a mix of compassion for Claude, the family's rules, and the instinct he felt when he first saw her at the venue.

The extent of his concern for her, as he had told Didier, hadn't changed even after two years.

About two weeks later, a report came from his subordinate who had been investigating the infamous foreign merchant.

"Excuse me. I have returned."

"Thank you for your hard work, Georges. So, what did you find?"

Georges, Sergio's aide, submitted several documents and straightened his posture.

"We were able to trace the merchant's whereabouts, but he died in the neighboring country, Taria. It seems that he had committed fraud everywhere and incurred a lot of resentment. The daughter of one of the affected merchant families stabbed him to death."

"What happened to that daughter?"

"Yes, since Taria allows vigilante justice, she was interrogated and then released. She has now moved to another country. Apparently, the girl was sold to a brothel with her mother, who later committed suicide. The father attempted vigilante justice once, but he was defeated and killed on the spot."

I see, in that case, vigilante justice would be applicable. However, the timing seems too convenient.

As Sergio listened to Georges' report and glanced through the documents, he felt something artificial about the date mentioned.

"So, he met with Dior, left Orausteria immediately, and arrived in Taria. And on the night he arrived in Taria, he was stabbed to death. This doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"There are other suspicious points as well. The merchant had mercenaries in his employ and had connections with nobles in the neighboring country. It appears that the target, who was originally a commoner's daughter, wasn't an easy person to kill."

Hmm, indeed, it seems so.

Georges' documents included the combat abilities of the mercenaries and even the names of the suspicious nobles in the neighboring country. From there, an image of a despicable man emerged. With connections to the nobles, it's likely that the incident involving the slain father was also covered up.

"He happened to drink near the brothel where the daughter worked, happened to leave the establishment during her break, happened to witness the mercenaries extorting money from a passerby in a back alley, and happened to find the fraudulent merchant alone, where the daughter happened to discover it and stabbed him with a knife."

It's too perfect for a coincidence. It's written that she "found her hated enemy outside and, in a frenzy, searched for a weapon and stabbed him to death." Considering the incident in Orausteria...

"We need to investigate this matter further. However, I doubt we'll find that girl. Her identity will be thoroughly concealed to avoid retaliation. Please dig deeper into the surroundings of this fraudulent merchant."

"Understood."

As Georges left, Zaris, the chief aide, prepared a warm cup of tea.

"Sergio-sama, I would like to strengthen the security of the castle. May I have your permission?"

"Yes, please. Also, I need to move my body a bit as well. I can't afford to become sluggish from just doing desk work. I won't be able to respond properly in case of an emergency."

Rather than spending his time dealing with such uninteresting documents, Sergio wanted to freely swing his sword and move his body.

As Sergio stood up, ready to leave, his shoulder was firmly held from behind.

"No, Sergio-sama, you'll be fine. Please focus on your work."

"Sigh... Having an excellent aide like you sometimes causes me trouble..."

The one who was truly facing difficulties was Zaris.