Chapter 222 - Interlude: Adventurer’s Guild Journal ~The Day of Calamity - And Then~
[Month Day: ○月△日]
Morning, no special notes.
Coputi stock is slightly concerning.
In the afternoon, many members complained of illness, and the guild began to empty out.
The number of people walking outside also decreased, and many children and elderly people were apparently being transported to the church.
All the women handling the reception desk also started complaining of illness, so I sent them home early.
The guild was no longer functioning, in a state of being open yet closed.
And I myself started to experience a severe headache.
I managed to endure the nausea and closed the guild, but by then, not just the guild but the entire city was dysfunctional.
I noticed too late. No one could deal with this situation anymore.
My vision blurred.
At first, I thought it was some kind of plague, but it seems to be mana depletion.
The Tree Spirit, who is fond of me, is desperately trying to suppress mana emission, but the emission won’t stop even then.
The mana concentration in the atmosphere seems to have drastically dropped. No, mana is draining from my body as if it’s being sucked away.
What on earth is happening…
At this rate, all living things will…
————
[Month Day: △月◇日]
I never thought I’d be able to continue writing this journal.
Those who survived must have a duty to record what happened.
I regained consciousness ten days after that day.
Even after I collapsed in the guild, the decrease in atmospheric mana concentration apparently didn’t subside and continued for nearly a week.
Eventually, the mana concentration gradually recovered, but everyone who regained consciousness, including myself, was in a state of starvation and dehydration.
In my case, the Tree Spirit must have given me water little by little. I remember the collar of my jacket being completely soaked.
Eventually, I was able to move, and what I saw when I left the guild was…
My feet naturally carried me to the church, and there I finally met other living humans. Everyone was in a similar situation to me, despairing at the state of the city, and had come to the church.
As time passed, more survivors gathered at the church.
Each person reunited with acquaintances, embracing and rejoicing.
When I reunited with my subordinates from the guild, I too could not hold back my overflowing tears.
The only saving grace in this calamity was that no fires broke out. That might also be thanks to the spirits.
And because no fires broke out, we had no trouble securing food for the time being.
Though I felt a pang of guilt, we procured food from houses whose owners had died, stockpiled it at the church, and distributed it.
Many people knew that I was the Guild Master, so I was entrusted with its management and redistribution.
The collected food was enough for approximately two weeks. The people here were gradually recovering, and it would be possible for them to go hunting.
On the following day, Viscount Wolkelst, who governed this land, appeared with his subordinates and announced that if anything was lacking, it would be provided. He had apparently stockpiled various supplies for disasters. I had thought he was a dubious lord until the calamity, but it seems he was competent after all.
Three days later, the Winged Folk appeared.
They stated that "the Dragonkin and the races under their protection would support the recovery from the calamity."
Apparently, the Winged Folk and Dragonfolk, being flying races, were already searching for disaster victims.
Those found would be evacuated to the nearest city, but they asked if it was alright to guide people here, which I, of course, approved.
Now, it was important to gather as many people as possible. Fortunately, the houses were intact…
One month later, Viscount Wolkelst and I, for some reason, were to discuss matters with the Dragonkin. I thought there were more suitable candidates, but given the designation from both the Viscount and the Dragonkin, I could not refuse.
In the discussion with the Dragonkin, the first thing we were told was the cause of the calamity.
A large-scale experiment, using state-of-the-art magic facilities, was conducted east of the Wolkelst Territory, even further beyond the Grania Territory. It ran out of control and caused the calamity.
That experiment was to collect atmospheric mana and create a giant artificial magic crystal. Its rampage nearly drained all the mana from this planet.
It was the White Dragon Princess and her affiliated dragons who stopped that rampage. They poured their vast amount of mana into the device all at once, forcing it to stop due to overload.
However, the cost was immense, and the White Dragon Princess, who poured in the most mana, fell into a long slumber…
The immense magic crystal that had accumulated vast mana was shattered by the Moon White Goddess and scattered across the world by her three sister goddesses. This was to ensure the calamity would never be forgotten.
And the Viscount and I were commanded to establish Wolkelst as a nation.
They said, "If people increase and gather too much, calamity will strike."
We were to be divided into three nations: the developing Wolkelst Territory (ours), the granary Grania Territory, and the Marsis Territory with its Grand Cathedral. We were to monitor each other…
The Viscount consented to this. It seemed there was no option to refuse in the first place.
And I, too, would now be involved in its founding.
From now on, as a nation and as those who know of the calamity, we must pass this down to future generations.
However, it will require some time to tell the unvarnished truth of what happened.
Both the Viscount and I know "who caused the rampage."
If this were to become public now, the grief and anger of those who lost family and friends would be directed at them.
This matter should be revealed someday, when a nation where everyone can live and smile, having overcome this calamity, has been established…
Recorded by: Eric Amiera
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[Update History]
2/16 Episode 183: Negotiations Begin with Proper Etiquette ~ Up to this episode
This concludes Chapter 5, "Clouds Gathering, Dragons Changing."
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