Dark Noble 83

Chapter 83 The Territory’s Illness

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 Two days later, on Thursday. In the meantime, I’d been holding Meer and going over the documents from White Lily Cafe.

 The progress was made when I visited the student council room on Thursday evening. When I went to the student council, Lana approached me quickly.

 ”Alba, can I talk to you for a bit?”

 ”What is it?”

 Lana glanced at the other student council members. Then, she pulled out an envelope from her bag.

 ”I’ve compiled the documents regarding that matter. If possible, could we discuss it in a quiet place…”

 ”Ah, I see…”

 It’s about her family, I thought. We excused ourselves from the other student council members and left the room.

 The school’s cafeteria and others were still open in the evening. So, we chose a quiet spot among them and ended up alone.

 At the classic brown-themed cafe terrace, I faced Lana. The coffee here is dramatically bad, so I hardly ever come here.

 ”Phew… I prepared everything, but it took a lot of time. Not just my family, but also the illness of the people in the territory…”

 The envelope was quite thick. I added sugar, and milk to my coffee, and then lemon juice to my mouth and took a sip… It’s terrible.

 ”Let me take a look.”

 I received the envelope from Lana and read its contents. Although the format was slightly different from Claire’s father’s, it was a proper medical record.

 ”I rewrote it neatly, so it should be easy to read.”

 ”Yes, thank you. It’s very easy to read.”

 The beauty of the handwriting and the font was impressive. It must have taken a lot of effort to rewrite it this neatly… It seemed like Lana was willing to go that far to entrust her hopes to Midnight Fangs.

 ”Hmm…”

 I started reading the medical record from top to bottom. I skipped the detailed treatment and progress, focusing on grasping the overall illness for now… But as I read on, I became engrossed in the medical record.

 ”This is…”

 The documents included Lana’s family, relatives, and even people from the same northern territory. However, only Lana’s family had detailed records. The information about the people in the territory was just a rough outline based on hearsay.

 However, the symptoms are quite similar among everyone. The initial symptoms are anemia, nausea, and constipation. The digestive system and blood vessels are deteriorating.

 It’s the same as Aide’s.

 From there, it progresses to headaches, joint pain, and worsening of the stomach, intestines, and kidneys. It also affects the mind, and eventually, paralysis of the limbs sets in. In the final stages, it’s a complete failure of the internal organs, centered around the digestive system….

 Each person’s detailed symptoms are different, but the direction of the symptoms written in the data is consistent.

 And this direction is very similar to Aide’s. Too similar.

 ”…How is that?”

 ”……”

 Of course, Lana’s data also includes the doctor’s diagnosis.

 ’Patients with these symptoms have been regularly seen in the same region. The records date back over a thousand years.

 What’s strange is that when the disease seems to have spread, new patients suddenly stop appearing.

 And for about the last 100 years, there were no patients, but recently, patients have been appearing sporadically.

 There’s no expectation of a complete cure with medication or magic medicine, only treatment. Generally, leaving the region can prevent the worsening of symptoms, even if it’s not a complete cure.

 From this, it’s thought that some kind of pathogen is periodically contaminating the region.’

 The unknown cause is the same, but the regional factor is strongly suspected… or so it seems. Aide is different, though.

 According to Claire, there’s no one else at White Lily Cafe with the same symptoms as Aide. The symptoms are similar, but… I had an idea.

 ”Just wait a minute, please.”

 ”Oh, yeah.”

 I took out Zarek’s material list from my bag. The materials on this list have no relation to Lana, but it’s still suspicious.

 ”Is there anything on this list that you recognize?”

 ”Hmm… frozen lizard tails, Fly Piranha fangs… I don’t know any of these. Ah, but I do know this. It can be found in my territory too.”

 Lana pointed to ‘Moon Moss’.

 Ah-ha! A common point, a connection was here too!

 ”Can you tell me more about this ‘Moon Moss’?”

 ”It’s found in my territory, near rivers with abundant water. The quantity is small, though. We used to dry it and use it.”

 ”…Hmm, hmm.”

 ”I was also taught by the pharmacist in my hometown. I still use it a lot, especially during festivals and when I catch a cold. As a local herb…”

 Lana trailed off. I could vaguely see the reason why. I cut in.

 ”The medicinal effect is almost nonexistent, right? It’s only rooted in folk remedies.”

 ”Yeah, that’s true… but people who really know their stuff don’t use it as medicine. There’s a demand for it as a spice, though…”

 Lana glanced towards the school building.

 ”I only learned about it after I came here, but in my territory, it’s actually highly valued. However, in the capital, it’s treated like a mere trinket, which left a strong impression on me.”

 ”I understand… thank you.”

 It seems that Lana’s territory still frequently uses it. That brings one thing to mind.

 ”But why are you so concerned about Moon Moss?”

 ”…I’m not entirely sure myself, but for now, I’m still harvesting about the Moon Moss.”

 ”I see.”

 ”But, please stop using it immediately.”

 I said it in a strong tone. The cause-and-effect relationship is unclear, but it’s hard to think it’s unrelated. And if it’s just a habit, it’s better to stop it.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.