By Zephyria 
“An altar that can control zombies?”
Rubel, as he always did when explaining something to me, spoke in a low, pleasant voice. As the child’s eyelashes fluttered, my gaze lingered on his neat brow.
“When we entered the hall with that altar, remember? There was blood underneath and various magic circles all around. Two or more of them were similar to those etched onto the bodies of the zombified monsters.”
“…Ah.”
When I looked at monsters, I assessed their size, attack patterns, and the optimal cutting points for neutralization.
Meanwhile, Rubel had examined and memorized the shapes of the drawings and letters etched onto the monsters’ flesh. I knew the child had a broad perspective, but I was once again amazed.
“But, Rubel, you’re not a wizard, so how…”
“If I were a wizard, I would have known the function of each magic circle. I just memorized the entire shape. I planned to ask Young Lady Philodendor about it later.”
“Are there no wizards in Yulan?”
“There are wizards. But… there are no black magicians. Black magic is also a lost art…”
I understood the unspoken words the child was hiding.
The Empire was currently engaged in combat with black magicians.
Even black magicians with clear identities were being cautious to avoid the Empire’s suspicion. It was natural for any wizard we didn’t know personally to hide whatever they knew. Most of the wizards dispatched to Yulan would likely be the same.
My gaze fell again on Rubel’s lips, which curved into a wry smile. Looking into the child’s deep, dark eyes, I asked again.
“…Yes. And then?”
“We saw unfinished zombies and newly created zombies in that hall, and as soon as the hall collapsed, the zombies that attacked the Duke Grimsbein Family lost their strength. I believe that suspicious altar was the control mechanism itself.”
“…Hmm.”
“The Origin of the Ninth God is human. Let’s assume the altar can be restored even if it collapses. The Sun God ordered the death of thirty black magicians, but even after killing four of them, no unusual phenomena, no mana displacement due to Divine Power, occurred.”
“Yes.”
“So, I think one of the black magicians who escaped is carrying the Origin of a God. For example… that black magician who is said to be unconscious. The Sun God doesn’t know the names of those who don’t believe in him. So, perhaps he didn’t know which one of them was the Origin?”
It was a plausible hypothesis.
Rubel waited silently, perhaps to give me ample time to think. Wanting to hear more, I reached for the child’s hand.
“Then now we…”
“It’s right to ask the gods about the affairs of gods. If my prediction is correct, Young Lady Philodendor should be at the Sanctuary of the Sun right now. Perhaps she will have a separate conversation with the Sun God and send us the answer?”
“…How do you know that?”
“Immediately after parting with the Sun God, Young Lady Philodendor went to that cave while planting Manastones. In a crisis, nothing is as noticeable as one’s own mana. And if you follow the Manastones, you would have reached the Sun God’s domain, where you can receive the Sun God’s help, within a week.”
“…Hmm.”
“I suspect she’s probably anticipating our arrival in Yulan by now.”
I hadn’t realized Rubel trusted Marianne this much.
Yes, if she had moved only as far as the Sun God could reach… that made sense. The thought of Marianne boasting loudly about her accomplishments and feeling proud made me feel proud and satisfied in advance. It was amusing and cute, so I let out a small laugh.
Just then, with a soft rustle, the child brushed his hand through my hair.
I knew Rubel had sat by the bedside, but I only now noticed he had come so close.
He smoothed my bangs, which should have been scattered over my forehead, with his fingers. I stayed still, wondering if he was checking my temperature. But something… felt strange. The child’s hand moved across my forehead and temples, then cupped my cheek. I stopped laughing without realizing it.
Rubel remained silent, not continuing his next words. I stared blankly as the child’s black eyes grew even darker. As he parted his beautiful lips as if to say something, then closed them tightly, and swallowed hard.
Unable to bear it, I sat up.
“…I need to do Breathing and regulating energy.”
“…Huh?”
“I need to do Breathing and regulating energy. It’s a well-established fact that mana strengthens the body when it circulates, and I can’t just let time slip away like this, and also…”
“…Ah.”
“I think I’ll get better faster this way.”
I knew my voice was faster than usual.
Rubel’s face slowly turned red. The child’s cheeks first flushed like apples, and his neck turned a deep crimson, visible even through the low-cut shirt. Looking at him like that, I felt he was capable of causing trouble, not once, but twice.
Hurriedly, I went down to the floor and sat. Rubel, after watching me for a moment, moved to the desk.
Even after I assumed the Lotus Position, the child’s gaze remained on my cheek. I spent a long time just breathing. Fortunately, I had plenty of time. I barely managed to calm my breathing, and then calmed it again, letting the scratching sound of the pen fade into the background.
I earnestly wished for Ranunculus, whom I had sent off yesterday, to arrive sooner.
❖ ❖ ❖
I did Breathing and regulating energy, ate, did Breathing and regulating energy, and ate again.
After dinner, feeling uncomfortable lying down immediately after eating, I asked to sit opposite the child on the sofa. On the table were two slices of cake topped generously with sweet, yellow fruits that only grew in Yulan. The white cream and sweet fruit paired wonderfully, delighting my tongue.
While I was doing Breathing and regulating energy, Rubel brought up a topic he had heard through his own inquiries.
“Naturally… there are no rumors about Yulan’s Divine objects being lost. They say only Divine Blood can handle Divine objects, so such rumors are widespread… If rumors of lost Divine objects spread, the foundation of the kingdom would be shaken.”
“Hmm.”
“But I didn’t think the Sun God would lie about the Divine objects, so I looked into Yulan’s sea legends and whether any bad rumors had circulated in Yulan’s seas over the past ten years.”
“Sea… rumors?”
“Yes. The Sierran Empire obtained Divine objects that can regulate Mana Concentration by being situated right under the Yuil Mountains. So, I thought Yulan’s Divine objects might help in controlling the sea.”
I had thought about finding the Divine objects, but I had never thought about it in the same way Rubel did. I was simply amazed. I felt foolish, having thought that since Rubel was a Prince of the Empire, I could just storm the royal palace and bring up the topic of Divine objects.
Regardless of my thoughts, the child continued his explanation in a calm tone.
“So, I found out that roughly three years ago, the number of shipwrecks in Yulan’s seas began to increase.”
“…Is that unusual?”
“It is unusual. The continent is shaped like this.”
Rubel drew a rough sketch on the table with his index finger. The continent looked like a very thick, exaggerated human character, or perhaps like a rounded triangle with its bottom pressed down and crumpled. At some point in the past, this continent had looked like a butterfly…
To the left was the Shatun Desert, and to the right was the Sierran Empire. Between them were five kingdoms… The pressed-down part at the very bottom was Indus Bay. Rubel drew a line with both index fingers across the eastern and western seas, made them meet in the middle, and then pushed both fingers inward as if into the triangle he had drawn.
“The currents originating from the East Sea move westward like this, and the currents originating from the West Sea move eastward like this. The two currents collide just below Indus Bay, and their forces cancel each other out, so the waves entering Indus Bay are low and not threatening. The fish brought by both currents are always trapped in the fishing grounds, so the catch is abundant.”
“Hmm.”
“Furthermore, there are no reefs in Indus Bay. Only fine sand and mud. Yulan people call this a blessing from the Saras River.”
“A blessing from the Saras River?”
“The God of the River. A gift bestowed upon humans by the god who loves peace and tranquility.”
The First Goddess was said to be in the Magic territory beyond the Yuil Mountains, trying to stop the Ninth God.
The Second God, the Sun God, was struggling in the Shatun Desert, and the Third God, Oasis, had followed the First Goddess to the Magic territory.
The Fourth God, the God of Records and Lakes, was said to be wandering the human world.
Then, was the God of the River the fifth or sixth?
Rubel gave me ample time to think before continuing his explanation in a calm tone.
“The East Sea and South Sea are relatively difficult for sailing, so even the Sierran Empire catches most of its large sea fish from Indus Bay. The East Sea has too high waves, and the South Sea has too many reefs and islands.”
“…I heard the Duke Valentia Family also sails ships.”
“That’s natural, as the Duchy of Valentia includes the islands of the South Sea. It’s a different situation from Yulan. In Yulan, people sail even if it’s just a small wooden boat they made themselves, as long as they are over fifteen.”
“…Hmm.”
“So, Yulan people believe that ships that run aground are lured by mermaids.”
“…Mermaids?”
In the fairy tales of the Sierran Empire, heroes ascended the Yuil Mountains to save the world. This was because the Sierran Empire was situated directly beneath the Yuil Mountains. The people of the Empire believed dragons lived in the Yuil Mountains and desired heroes to defeat the monsters descending from them.
And in the land of Yulan, there were many stories of heroes who explored across the sea since ancient times. Yulan’s heroes would kill monsters that crawled up from the sea, receive help from mermaids while crossing the sea, or find treasures in enchanting palaces deep beneath the sea.
Didn’t Marianne also excitedly chatter about the rumors of Heterogeneous Races in Owen’s land?
The most common Heterogeneous Races appearing in continental fairy tales were dragons, elves, dwarves, and mermaids.
Then… what should we do now?
Fortunately, I didn’t need to ponder this matter further.
“So, we’ve decided to first check how many people claim to have been lured by mermaids, the total number of shipwrecks, and in what order they occurred chronologically. It’s just a hypothesis, but just in case.”
“…Hmm.”
“So, tomorrow, I plan to meet some merchants from the Empire who are active in Yulan’s capital. Of course, the informants from the Nobility Yearbook are good at secretly gathering information…”
“They would only be interested in the movements of nobles.”
“Naturally.”
Rubel set down his glass again. A wry smile appeared on the child’s face.
It was the same in Owen. The informants from the Nobility Yearbook were extremely sensitive and meticulous about the daily lives and relationships of nobles, but neglected information about mercenaries or commoners. This was due to the limitations of their information-gathering methods. The more I experienced things, the more frustrating I found it.
“Coincidentally, Baron Bicov contacted me first, saying he had something he wanted to report. He’s likely closer to the fishermen of Yulan, so I want to hear the rumors among Yulan’s commoners.”
“May I accompany you?”
“Yes. There won’t be any need to draw swords, so let’s go together. Still… we must always be mindful and careful.”
“Yes, I will.”
We tidied up our sleeping arrangements and lay down side by side.
The child, afraid he might touch my arm while I slept, lay down to my right and tried to sleep. I thought we could just use separate beds, but I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I let it be.