Chapter 57: On the Mysterious Illness
The night of the entrance exam, I was in my room crafting porcelain jars and dishes using the Conversion skill.
As a minor noble family, we rarely have guests. I don’t mind if people look down on me, but I can’t tolerate anyone disrespecting my father.
That’s why I’m creating porcelain jars and dishes, along with glassware like cups and plates, to stock our Ashud estate. These are rare items that most other nobles don’t possess.
[Level up!]
[The skill Conversion has leveled up!]
“Oh, finally leveled up, huh?”
It had been a while since I last received a system message for leveling up.
This put me at level 200. I was eager to report this to Deuro-sama, but I restrained myself.
[Conversion Level 5: Allows the conversion of the target’s rank.]
Wait, what?
What is this…?! Oh no, no, no, no, no! This is insane!
This isn’t something I can just casually test out. Still, it might be useful against the Lightstar family. After all, I wouldn’t feel guilty about using it on them.
Oh, right—Jais is rank F with the Blessing of the Farmer
. Since F is the lowest rank, there’s no way to lower it further. However, the current head of the Lightstar family is rank B with the Blessing of the Swordmaster. If I ever meet them, I might just try it out.
The following day, Lord Dardale came to visit. He lived in the neighboring former baron’s residence, and we’d even removed part of the wall to allow direct passage between the two properties. So, calling it a “visit” felt a bit excessive.
Lord Dardale appeared slightly troubled as he asked for advice.
“What seems to be the matter?”
“Well, lately, many people, especially in the eastern regions, have been complaining of poor health. I thought I’d consult you, Toma-sama.”
When he mentioned the eastern regions, a particular incident immediately came to mind.
There was a time when the Ashud estate's brewery had been vandalized, and poison had even been added to the ingredients. During that event, some of the brewery’s sake mold had been stolen.
The sake brewed with that mold wasn’t immediately harmful if consumed in small amounts. However, drinking too much could cause vision loss, joint pain, and fatigue.
None of these symptoms were life-threatening, and the toxins would naturally leave the body after five to ten days of abstaining from alcohol. It was almost like a warning message to heavy drinkers: “Moderation is key.”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Could you cure the people suffering from this condition?”
“That’s easier said than done…”
“Toma-sama, I believe that if you could cure Lady Brunhilde’s illness, then you can also bring peace to this mysterious disease in the east.”
It’s well known that my grandmother had been on her deathbed before recovering and regaining her ability to walk. Naturally, Lord Dardale assumed I’d done something miraculous.
Although this blind faith was troublesome, it also presented an opportunity.
“Doesn’t healing magic from the priests work?”
“It provides temporary relief, but sadly, the symptoms return after two to three months.”
Healing magic isn’t a panacea. While it’s effective for injuries, it has limited use for illnesses. In this case, since the cause is likely the stolen sake
mold, it’s less of an illness and more of a poisoning issue. Even if detoxification magic worked, the symptoms would reappear as long as the poisoned sake was being consumed.
“For now, tell me about the timeline and symptoms.”
“Yes. The exact start is unclear, but complaints of poor health began increasing last winter.”
That coincides almost exactly with when a new sake appeared in Viscount Fayatt’s territory. It’s highly likely that this sake was made using the stolen sake mold.
“The symptoms include vision loss, joint pain, and fatigue.”
The symptoms match those caused by the stolen sake mold. The cause seems almost certain.
“What about the age group and gender of the afflicted?”
“Symptoms appear across all age groups, but primarily affect individuals in their late teens and older.”
This makes sense. There’s no legal drinking age in this kingdom, but children generally don’t drink much alcohol. So, the symptoms starting in the late teens checks out.
“About 70–80% of the afflicted are men.”
Women also drink alcohol, but men tend to consume more. Since lighter drinkers are less likely to show symptoms, the higher percentage of men makes sense too.
“Are there other regions besides the eastern territories where these symptoms are occurring?”
“Quite a few people in the royal capital have also reported these symptoms.”
I nodded thoughtfully.
“You were planning to visit the main temple after the academy’s entrance results are announced, correct?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“During that visit, could you arrange for those experiencing recurrent symptoms to gather? A group of a few dozen people would suffice.”
“Understood. I’ll make the arrangements. Please, I beg for your help.”
Lord Dardale bowed deeply before leaving.
“Well, let’s see how this plays out…”
While waiting for the entrance exam results, I spent my time on daily routines and sightseeing around the royal capital.
Prices in the capital were significantly higher than in the Axel territory. For example, a jar of salt (about one kilogram) cost 3,000 G in Axel but went for 5,000 G here. Bread that cost 10 G in Axel was 15 G in the capital.
Other goods were similarly inflated, ranging from 1.3 to 2 times more expensive.
The prevalence of noble estates in the capital also seemed to drive up prices. However, in areas less frequented by nobles, goods could be bought much more cheaply.
I also noticed that many carriages in the royal capital now had wheeled tires, a technology produced in Axel. Most carriages in Axel had already adopted these tires, and it seemed they were selling well here too.
On the day before the results were announced, our family had dinner at the Bayerlein ducal residence.
The Bayerlein estate was located on the east side of the noble district, quite far from the Roxfall residence.
“Traveling from the Roxfall estate to the academy must be inconvenient. It would be better for you to stay here at the Bayerlein estate,” my grandfather suggested.
“That sounds wonderful!” my grandmother chimed in.
The two of them seemed determined to have me board at their residence.
It was true that commuting from the Bayerlein estate would save considerable time. However, if I moved in, the temple knights would inevitably follow. My grandfather dislikes the temple and wouldn’t allow a barracks for them to be built on his estate.
Buying a neighboring property was also out of the question, as this area was dominated by upper-class noble residences.
This would undoubtedly lead to disputes.
“Rosemary would be thrilled as well,” my grandmother added.
Rosemary, the daughter of Alexander-sama, was my cousin. She was currently 13 and enrolled in the academy’s Magic Course. However, I doubted she’d be “thrilled,” considering she didn’t seem to like me much.
“I wouldn’t call it thrilling,” Rosemary muttered, turning away with a pout.
This was only the second time we’d met since I arrived in the capital, and her attitude hadn’t changed since our first encounter.
“Don’t say that, Marie,” my grandmother scolded.
“I don’t care,” she replied, standing up and leaving the dining room.
She was at a difficult age, and since her behavior didn’t affect me directly, I decided not to dwell on it. Alexander-sama and his wife, Theresia-sama, apologized profusely, but I assured them it was no trouble.
In any case, I had no intention of accepting the proposal. If anything, I’d prefer to stay in the academy dormitory. Not that I planned to do that either.
I politely declined the offer, explaining that my father had renovated the Roxfall estate in the capital for me, and it would be wasteful not to use it.