kscans

Chapter 240 - Episode 28: Part Two, The Worst Risk

"To do this all the way out here. And why is it just us," I asked Maytyl on the second floor of the lab.

After Crenne greeted her, Maytyl took the bundle of papers and her expression changed. She left the lab with Crenne without a word, apparently heading for the Imperial carriage Crenne had arrived in.

Then, as soon as she returned to the lab, she summoned only me and Alfina to this room. At Maytyl's request, even Fulsy, whose room it was, had left.

This was clearly no ordinary matter. I could only assume some major development related to the calamity had occurred in the Empire. And just when we had finally decided on a strategy. I hoped it was something within our ability to handle. Still, whatever this information from the Empire was, I saw no reason to hide it from Fulsy or Noel at this point.

"…Let's have them look at the data first, shall we. Crenne."

"Y, yes."

Crenne was clearly hesitant to follow the instruction. I thought she was quite loyal to Maytyl.

"I believe I told you our policy."

"…Understood."

Crenne spread several sheets of paper out before us.

The first few were the familiar data on magical fluctuations over time. Next came data on individual magic sources. They were labeled with sample names like "pen" and "desk."

Following that were papers with branching lines and names written beside them. A family tree, perhaps. …Could this be.

"What I am about to explain is derived from old and extremely incomplete information, and is by no means conclusive…"

"Crenne. Ricardo has no need for such roundabout talk."

"…Understood. This is the material Lord Ricardo requested. In other words, it is the result of an investigation into the cause of the disappearance of the Empire's ancient dragon's eye users."

Crenne began her explanation. It was a family tree of the dragon's eye users. There were also records of the magic tools the users had employed, and the magic levels in the tree rings of trees believed to have been felled in the same era.

I realized they had applied the method we used to measure long-term magical pulse cycles for our calamity analysis. That's right, the Empire's dragon's eye users were said to have died out about a hundred years ago.

At that moment, a deep chill ran through me. To tell only me and Alfina this meant…

"This investigation revealed that the disappearance of the dragon's eye users can be broadly divided into two patterns. The first is a gradual loss of aptitude. The second is…"

As if to affirm my worries, Crenne continued, her expression grim.

"And that is the conclusion of our investigation so far."

Crenne finished her explanation. There were times when several lines of dragon's eye users had died out simultaneously. In those cases, the number of successors with the aptitude did not gradually decrease as was normal. They vanished suddenly. The users themselves tended to live as long as ordinary people, or even longer. This was likely a result of the care they received due to their status.

But the users' family trees ended there. In other words, they left almost no children.

"When I asked before, you said it seemed fine…" I groaned.

"At that point, we had almost no past magical pulse data. After utilizing your method to investigate in detail, we learned that the last users were, in several cases, exposed to strong magical pulses. In addition to the crimson magic, there were also faint traces of purple magic."

Crenne's voice was devoid of emotion. I timidly looked at the girl sitting beside me. Her face was ashen, like wax, and her hands were trembling.

Why. I had considered the possibility. Drawing an analogy from radiation, I had thought that strong magic might damage stem cells, starting with the reproductive cells. That was why I had asked Alfina about her hair, and why I had looked into the lifespans of past Oracles.

"Ah!"

An image of the X-ray of the Magic Insect Dagobard had shown me at the palace that afternoon flashed in my mind. Among stem cells, reproductive cells are special. In insects, for example, the future reproductive cells are selected early in embryonic development, chosen from cells containing a specific substance within the egg. In mammals, too, their fate was determined quite early. What if a substance that reacted to magic was involved.

This was an effect of the magic itself, completely separate from the strain on Alfina's brain from processing the prophecies' vast information. That was a possibility. No, such reasoning didn't matter now. What I needed to think about was…

I desperately scanned the data before me. Thankfully, they had even investigated the duration of exposure to the strong magic and the approximate age of the individuals.

If that was the case, there was still hope. Even now…

"…So, what will you do, Ricardo?"

As if reading my mind, Maytyl asked.

"Isn't it obvious. Alfina is not to set foot in the lab again."

Crenne's data was, as she herself said, rough. It was difficult to judge its statistical significance. But the longer the years of exposure to strong magic, and the older the person, the more the likelihood of their lineage ending seemed to increase. Considering the energy of the purple magic, one couldn't be optimistic, but Alfina was still young, and it hadn't been long since she started handling the crystal. There was still a chance.

"I understand how you feel. But you understand the situation, don't you…"

"I'm the one who assesses the situation. By my authority as the Kingdom's representative—"

I planted my hands on the desk and stood up. But my sleeve was tugged from the side.

Alfina looked straight at Maytyl. The girl who had been trembling just moments ago now had the resolute bearing of royalty.

"Alfi—"

"I will continue to fulfill my role as the Oracle Princess, just as I have been."

Alfina made her declaration before I could stop her. She would cast aside the possibility left to her for the sake of her duty.

"No. I can't allow it."

"Ricardo-kun. I am fine."

"No, you're not fine at all!"

I couldn't help but yell at Alfina. But she just shook her head apologetically. An awkward silence fell over the four of us.

"I will entrust this information to you for a while. You two should talk it over. Tell me when you reach a conclusion. We promise to offer all the cooperation we can. …………However, we cannot wait that long."

"But, Your Highness…"

Crenne tried to object to Maytyl's quiet pronouncement.

"Crenne. This was my personal investigation. It's fine. If Ricardo gets stubborn on me, then it's all over."

Maytyl said. I silently gathered the documents and left the room without a backward glance. Alfina bowed to the two of them, then followed after me.

◇◇

Inside the carriage returning to the grand duke's residence, Alfina and I sat in silence. As a little of my composure returned, I began to understand the severity of the situation. Even so, I repeatedly tried to find a reason in my mind to persuade Alfina.

"Ricardo-kun. I was originally supposed to serve in my role as Oracle until I was thirty. Besides, this matter won't cost me my life."

Alfina said slowly. But she was just trembling with a pale face a moment ago.

"If I were to abandon my duty here, I would truly lose everything. Myself, and my precious friends. And you too, Ricardo-kun. If that happened, I would never be able to forgive myself."

She continued, her words showing a powerful resolve.

"Thanks to you, Ricardo-kun, I was able to accept what happened with my father and mother. You connected me with so many friends. When I entered the academy, I never thought I would be able to spend such happy days. So, this is enough."

Alfina finally smiled, her face serene. It wasn't enough at all. Why did Alfina have to be the one to bear the brunt of the calamity. I was supposed to be here to prevent that…

"I am sorry, Ricardo-kun."

"Why are you apologizing, Alfina. I'm the one who made the mistake…"

Alfina shook her head.

"You were trying to protect me from this too, weren't you, Ricardo-kun. I was the one who didn't listen."

Alfina's voice was pained. For a moment, I didn't understand what she was saying.

"That's wrong. My worry at that point was baseless. You made the right choice, Alfina. If you had listened to me and done nothing, everything would have been beyond saving by now."

I stated it as a fact.

If Craig and the others had been wiped out by the adult insect attack in the eastern Empire, we would never have obtained the crucial information about the calamity's true nature. The radar for monitoring the Blood Mountains and the purple magic generator would likely still be incomplete.

I was the one who was wrong. It was fine that I considered the possibility of this problem arising. But why did I leave it to others. It was a delicate issue, true. But I only pointed out a vague possibility to Luiza and Crenne, and then felt relieved when they reported that things seemed fine.

I hadn't properly faced the risk. For example, I should have been able to make something like a protective suit against purple magic. Whether there was a problem or not, that would have made a huge difference.

I made that judgment because my thoughts were warped by my possessiveness toward Alfina and my own inferiority complex. That's why I can't protect the happiness of Alfina, the one person I should have protected most.

"Please, don't get it wrong. I was mistaken, and you corrected my mistake, Alfina."

I repeated myself once more. There was absolutely no way that what Alfina did was a mistake. Alfina, who had been startled by my vehemence, showed a look of relief.

"I am glad. You acknowledge me as your partner, then. As your partner, I will say this. You should understand the current situation, Ricardo-kun."

"That, is…"

I fell silent. Events were beginning to move on an unimaginable scale. Spanning two nations, we had come this far with the cooperation of many people. Even so, we were in a precarious situation where we didn't know if we had enough time, or even if we could win. One wrong step, and human society would be destroyed.

And near the front lines of it all were me, Alfina, and our friends.

If we were to remove Alfina now, it would likely place everything in an extremely dangerous state. Alfina's words from before were an inescapable reality.

"Tomorrow, let us inform Her Highness Maytyl that we will proceed as before. …………However, before that, would you grant me one selfish request?"

Alfina asked as the carriage passed through the gates of the grand duke's residence and slowed down.