By Zephyria 
The carriage passed dozens of low-lying farm buildings and stopped in front of the largest one.
As soon as we got out of the carriage, we saw the old man and his family prostrate on the ground. I was inwardly surprised, as I hadn’t seen anyone show such deep reverence since my rebirth.
In the past, most of the people Sierren encountered on her journeys with Rubel held at least a Single-rank title. When I traveled alone, my own title wasn’t high enough to warrant more than polite courtesy. For some reason, I felt uneasy.
Did Rubel, who held my hand as we stepped out of the carriage, feel the same? The child looked at them with narrow eyes, straightened his clothes, and immediately commanded, “Get up.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, Your Highness. We are overjoyed to be able to serve you. Although our preparations are insufficient, inadequate, inadequate…”
“Not at all. Thank you for such a warm welcome when we arrived so suddenly.”
The village chief, who stood up with a deep bow, had a beaming smile.
Just as I wondered what this was all about, I noticed the laborers moving luggage casting envious glances at the village chief. I also spotted his wife, standing beside him, holding a money pouch identical to the one Ivan had shown me previously.
They must have given him a lot of money…
Now, I couldn’t tell if the village chief’s reverence was for the wealth or for the Prince from a neighboring country. Regardless, he continued to fuss over us with a wide smile.
Rubel then offered, “We are about to have a late dinner. Would you care to join us?”
“…M-me, me, me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Yes! Of course! It’s an honor of a lifetime. Absolutely.”
“If you have a wife and children, they are welcome to join as well.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
The village chief’s face brightened considerably. His children and grandchildren exchanged glances, their excitement palpable. Since all our children remained composed, I also saw no reason to object to Rubel’s invitation.
The village chief’s house had two stories, with a large dining hall containing a table that could seat about twenty people. Rubel sat at the head of the table, with the village chief’s family and our party seated opposite each other on either side.
The soft food filling the table was not the work of the village chief and his wife, but of the cook who had accompanied us. The village chief and his family, who had hesitated to eat even when Rubel offered, soon began tasting the food and exclaiming in admiration.
The village chief’s grandchildren, around ten years old, devoured everything served to them. At first, the village chief’s children were mortified by their children’s behavior and kept glancing at us, but after we pushed a few plates towards the children, they smiled shyly and finished their own meals.
It was only as the meal was nearing its end that I understood why Rubel had insisted on dining with the village chief.
“So, this fog that has started to appear… it began after the Lake of Memories froze?”
“Yes, yes. That’s right. It started in December… about 5 years and 4 months ago. Before that, the fog would sometimes thicken in winter, but never this much. Of course, we never saw fog in the middle of the day or in the evening.”
“And how did you know the Lake of Memories had frozen?”
“Fog often occurs near water… so I went to check, just in case, and found out. I’m almost seventy years old, and in my entire life, I’ve never seen the Lake of Memories frozen solid like that.”
…Frozen solid?
The Lake of Memories we had seen had only a thin layer of ice. Spring was approaching. Was it because of that? Or was there another reason?
“Does it get better in the summer?”
“No. It’s terrible even in the summer. If it were just fog, we’d be lucky. It rains incessantly, and the crops just melt away. It’s maddening. It’s a problem all four seasons.”
“…Then, how do you get food?”
“That’s the thing… it’s not that we’re terribly short.”
The village chief’s wrinkled face contorted awkwardly. He blinked with an anxious expression and lowered his voice.
“Since then… animals have been born at an insane rate.”
“…Animals?”
“Yes. Human children don’t, but animals give birth to an enormous number of offspring. Animals raised for grazing can still be kept even if the crops don’t grow… so now we eat more meat than grain. Even eating chicken, sheep, and goats three meals a day, we can at least survive.”
“…Really? That’s… a strange phenomenon.”
“Strange is an understatement. Sheep and goats normally take about five months to give birth to one or two lambs, don’t they? But they’re giving birth to four or five lambs almost every two months. Even with such premature births, both the mothers and the newborns are healthy and energetic.”
“…”
It wasn’t just strange. It was impossible.
Samantha Andrei put down her cutlery. Bailey Barton, sitting beside her, squeezed her hand to stop her from saying something. Marianne’s gaze snapped to Rubel. When Rubel gave a short nod, granting permission to speak, Marianne quickly opened her mouth.
“May we perhaps see the livestock pens?”
“Yes? Yes, of course. You mentioned you would be going to the Royal Palace, Your Highness and your party, so we would be grateful if you would see them and pass on our words. Ah, I don’t mean to presume to ask a favor, but…”
“I understand your feelings. How could you not be worried? Caring for the people is the duty of the royal family. The Royal Family of Bivan is eager to hear your voices, so I will speak on your behalf.”
Was there a need to prolong this? Rubel wiped his mouth with his napkin, signaling the end of his meal. Everyone followed suit, tidying their mouths and taking a sip of water. After allowing sufficient time, Rubel calmly looked around and said, “Since the topic has come up, would you show us now? Can you guide us?”
“Yes! As it happens, we have several sheep that are pregnant right now. But, even though they are animals, they become quite sensitive before and after giving birth… I’m afraid if too many people enter the pen at once, the sheep might get startled and cause a terrible scene…”
“I understand. I will be accompanied by two guards and two wizards, so do not worry.”
“Thank you, thank you…”
The village chief offered his thanks repeatedly.
I subtly sent a Sound Transmission to Marianne.
[Do you feel any Contaminated Mana in this area?]
Marianne shook her head. Then, she mouthed, And you?
I also shook my head. While I had felt that the Mana concentration was denser than Sierren’s as we walked from the carriage to the village chief’s house, and during dinner, I hadn’t found any particularly dark corners.
Feeling puzzled and anxious, I instinctively reached for Rubel’s hand and grasped it. The child held my hand tightly for a moment before letting go. Though I knew he was trying to maintain his princely dignity, I felt a pang of disappointment.
Including the village chief, five people were walking according to his guidance. Rubel, myself, Samantha, Marianne, and Boulder.
It was natural for me to stay by Rubel’s side, and it was also natural for the two curious wizards to accompany us. Samantha, being more skilled than Benjamin, stayed by his side under the guise of protection. The remaining knights and laborers were to be given rooms by the village chief’s family.
Behind the building, three tents were lined up, forming the size of the livestock pens.
We stopped as soon as we entered the pens.
It was pitch black. Even though the village chief at the front, and Samantha and I standing beside Rubel, held three lanterns, the inside of the pen was dim.
The bright yellow lanterns cast fleeting glimpses of dark, wriggling shapes before disappearing.
Only by enhancing my Eye Force could I barely make out the forms of the animals. With every faint rustle, Marianne’s shoulders would flinch. Rubel took a moment to compose his breathing and calmly asked, “…Are there no white sheep?”
“Ah… In Bivan, we primarily raise black goats. Many sheep are also black. There’s a superstition, or perhaps a prejudice, that their meat is firmer and healthier than white ones.”
“…I see.”
A few animals, awakened by our presence, looked at us with bright yellow eyes. In the utter darkness, it looked like only eyeballs were floating, a truly grotesque sight. The village chief, unfazed, led us forward to a particular stall in the pen.
“We usually give pregnant sheep or goats their own stalls and plenty of straw. Since we have no straw to use as fodder now, we’re giving them blankets made of wool.”
Lying on its side on a white blanket, a sheep bleated a soft, pained sound.
It was a ewe whose belly was so swollen it looked like it would give birth any moment. The sheep, finding it difficult to stand, could only lift its head to look at us.
The fluffy black wool of the sheep might have seemed cute if seen in daylight. However, the sheep’s glistening yellow eyes and the scent of Mana emanating from it prevented any such sentiment. I gripped Rubel’s arm and pulled him behind me. The child readily hid behind me.
“What do you see?”
“Yes… I can feel… Contaminated Mana.”
“You can…?”
I turned my gaze to Marianne. She seemed to feel the same, as she was looking back at me.
Marianne spoke with a look of exhaustion. “…It’s faint. It’s like an Aventa Bump Medium before it’s buried in the ground, I’d say.”
“…”
“I’d like to see it give birth if possible. Do we have time?”
“We have enough time for that.”
“Then, sir, is this the only pregnant sheep?”
The village chief, not understanding what was being asked, looked terrified. With a pale face, he nodded and looked at the sheep lying down with a troubled expression. The village chief stammered, “Is… is something wrong? Is it magic, or something like that? Contaminated, uh, Black Magic?”
“We don’t know yet. It doesn’t feel like a very strong energy… For now, the village chief and his family look fine. If possible, I’d like to see it in a brighter place… Would it be alright to move these sheep into a room? Will the sheep get too scared?”
“We’ve often brought them into rooms when it’s too cold or too hot, so it’s fine. We have a room set aside as a birthing room, so we can put the sheep there… Ah, do you need to do it right now?”
Marianne pondered for a moment and shook her head.
“No, some preliminary preparations will be needed. It would be best if you could guide us to the birthing room first. You can move the sheep in when it’s light outside.”
“Yes…”
My gaze lingered for a moment on the village chief’s thoroughly intimidated shoulders. Marianne told him to go rest while she and Boulder prepared the Magic Circle, and he agreed, following the guidance to a room. It had been a long time since Rubel and I had been assigned separate rooms. It was natural, yet it felt very awkward.