第１８８３堀：お世話と襲撃の結果 (Part2)
"Yes. Thanks to the medical team led by Enola, the patients have managed to cling to life. However, those who had already passed away are being brought back as remains. Finally, while we haven't grasped the full details yet, some of the patients I spoke with are suffering from clouded consciousness, or seem hollow and unclear in their thinking."
Naturally.
Having seen their companions suffer such a fate, and having endured it themselves, it would be a stroke of luck if they hadn't suffered a mental breakdown.
"As for their transfer, they are currently admitted to the hospital at the southern fortress, just as planned. Beyond treating their injuries, we determined that until we can gauge their mental state and ensure they are somewhat settled, we should avoid any unnecessary contact with others. In the northern town, the residents' emotions are running high, and the military could easily spiral out of control if we aren't careful."
Naturally.
Even if they aren't residents of Oe, seeing fellow demi-humans reduced to such a wretched state makes it impossible to ask them not to harbor hostility.
"Who is currently in charge of the southern fortress hospital?"
"Yes. Enola-sama is the director, and I am serving as her assistant. Currently, Enola-sama is attending to the patients around the clock."
I see. So that’s why Riel came instead of Enola.
It’s only natural, I suppose.
"Understood. After this meeting, I will be inspecting the southern fortress hospital as well, so please send word ahead."
"As you command."
Well, that’s just like Rurua.
Since Enola hasn't called for reinforcements, there likely isn't a crisis, but Rurua wouldn't be able to just leave it alone.
"I'm counting on you. There might be something they're lacking, after all."
"Yes. Leave it to me. Also, I would like to confirm, what is the status of the medical treatment in the northern town? I heard Hairen-sama had returned to Weed?"
Ah, that.
We had discussed how to keep Hairen from going rogue.
I was worried about it, too.
The result...
"Yeah. If she heard how the demi-humans were being treated, she would have charged in on her own. Since things have stabilized, I had her return to assist at the church in Weed. It’s not wrong to say the children are calling for her, and with Lilishe also heading north, she headed back quite obediently."
Everyone nodded at Yuki's words.
There was no reason to disagree.
Certainly, Hairen would likely pull off a good result one way or another, but the amount of support we would have to provide to get there...
No, I should say, the amount of cleanup.
The fact that it’s a "good result" even including that is just...
"I believe that judgment was correct. If it were Hairen-sama, she would have likely hit it off with Archbishop Dodona and gone on a rampage..."
At Rurua's words, that scene immediately comes to mind.
Hairen is, if anything, a martial type who survived the chaos of war.
"I see. Well, there’s a lot to cover, but let’s move to the next topic. By seizing the Clearstream Church, we were able to confiscate their documents. Of course, we are sharing them with the Giadana Kingdom side, but we have kept proper records."
Saying this, he projected images of the documents.
"There are some things still under analysis, but it is certain that the Clearstream Church was gathering demi-humans and, for some reason, collecting magical power from blood into magic stones—a phenomenon that was occurring in the Haiden region. There were a fair number of the actual items, and we secured three of them."
"In other words, are they Dungeon Cores?"
"No. They aren't just Magic Gears meant to summon degraded monsters. They are treated like artificial magic stones that truly soak in blood to store magical power."
"Artificial magic stones... Come to think of it, didn't we make something like that? I believe it was for home appliances..."
Just as Seraria began to recall, Riel spoke up.
"You mean batteries, right? The ones for converting magical power into electricity."
"Yes, that. Does that mean they’re the same?"
"They are the same in the sense that they store magical power, but they aren't being used to convert it into electricity. I don't really know what they're using them for. Even from the documents, the Giadana Kingdom is nothing more than a branch office for the Clearstream Church. They received orders to create them, but the 'why' is a mystery. Well, the Giadana Kingdom will likely continue their investigation, but there is still much we don't know. I will keep everyone updated if we learn anything else, so I’m counting on you all."
And so, it feels like the situation in the north is beginning to move. With Vilia and the others saying they are heading to the Iana Kingdom, we can't take our eyes off this.
Yuki basically does what he can on his own, which leaves the members who want to take care of him feeling dissatisfied.
And what we gained from the church raid is almost identical to what was happening at the Haire Church.
Now then, what exactly is lurking in the shadows?