The Villainous Young Lady Would Even Risk Her Life for Her Beloved ～ Her Fiancé, the Prince? By All Means, Please Be Happy with the Heroine! - Chapter 1.38

Fred did not return with the knight who delivered the letter, nor with Damian. Given Fred’s health, the original plan was for him to stay near his uncle’s residence if he couldn’t make it back by evening. So, this was expected, but…

(If he hasn’t returned, doesn’t that mean there’s still a possibility!?)

Damian looked somewhat pleased.

“Lord Luke seems to be quite busy at the moment. He has requested two to three days to thoroughly examine the matter.”

As the knight who had worked hard to deliver the message reported this, everyone’s attention remained fixed on the letter—even Lady Lias.

“What does it say!?”

Luca leaned in eagerly, waiting for Lord Finley to finish reading.

*”First, I conducted a preliminary internal examination. This does not appear to be a case of ‘storage organ’ deterioration due to aging. Regarding the ‘mana storage organ,’ there’s too much to discuss in a letter, so we’ll talk later.

I once heard of a treatment for this phenomenon in the northern nations. However, it’s still just an idea, and I’ve never seen it successfully applied.

Liddy, your insight is impressive as always! I will verify the leakage points as soon as I finish my current tasks.”*

It seemed he had written down only the key points in a hurry.

“He also asked me to pass along a message—‘Send my regards to Liddy and Luca!’”

The knight, who seemed aware of the general content, smiled warmly. Fred’s hope was not yet lost.

If this wasn’t a result of aging, then there might still be a solution. Everyone’s eyes lit up at the possibility. However, Lady Lias had an unreadable expression—was she happy, anxious, or simply unable to believe it?

“And this is for you, Madam.”

It appeared to be a letter from Fred.

*”Mother, I assume by now that our little scheme has been discovered. If you must scold someone, please let it be me alone.

Finley, the knights, even the servants—everyone is aware that I have not yet given up. They are all indulging my selfishness.

Please allow me to act freely for a little longer. I swear this will be my final struggle.”*

Lady Lias lowered her head and pressed her fingers to her forehead, as if trying to suppress her emotions. She was deliberately hiding her tears from us.

“…We forced him to give up, didn’t we? We did something cruel…”

“But after seeing my brother’s condition, everyone was worried about the future. We had no choice! No one is to blame…”

No one was at fault, and yet… they didn’t want to simply accept that conclusion. Even if it was messy, they wanted to keep fighting.

“Our mothers’ letters haven’t arrived yet… What should we do?”

I also wanted information from my mother, who oversaw the Healers’ House.

Everyone was growing impatient.

“There’s a bookstore in town that carries ancient texts. They also seem to stock foreign books, particularly from the northern regions. We should check there first.”

Jeffrey had been paying close attention to the town’s layout.

“We could also place a request at the guild to find someone who can translate. There may even be someone with expertise in medical matters.”

That was a good point. There had been similar request postings, and many adventurers from the northern lands were around. It might work.

“It may or may not be relevant, but the appraiser at the monster trade depot, Ford, is supposed to provide me with information on creatures linked to the cause of Ice Stone Disease.”

That information would likely arrive today. Even small steps forward mattered.

“Shall we hold a discussion after dinner? Ford’s recommended ingredients should be arriving as well.”

Lady Lias had regained her usual composed expression.

“That sounds like a good idea. Thanks.”

Leonhart smiled faintly. We were all still growing, and after an energetic day, we were absolutely starving.

Dinner was incredible.

The harpy meat recommended by Ford was slow-cooked until tender, seasoned with bold flavors reminiscent of Chinese cuisine. It was likely an influence from an adventurer’s travels.

(Lias’ territory is the best!!!)

Even without Lord Finley here, I didn’t want to leave. After just two days, I was completely captivated.

◇◇◇

“In total, we confirmed fifteen individuals—three from within the castle, one from a weapons shop, two guild staff members, and nine adventurers. We investigated their activities before contracting Ice Stone Disease and their recovery processes.”

A man, likely a direct subordinate of the Margrave, read aloud from a document. This was the list I had requested—those who had been diagnosed with Ice Stone Disease and treated. I needed to compare them to Fred, who seemed to be suffering from lingering effects.

“As Lady Lydiana suspected, all of them had previously stayed in the royal capital before falling ill.

Among them, eight never received healing magic—not necessarily because they didn’t need it, but due to financial constraints.”

That was common. Those eight had recovered with deworming medicine instead of healing magic. The fact that so many were adventurers made sense—they were often weakened by injuries, making them more susceptible.

“Four received healing magic once.

One received it twice.

Two received it three times.”

Fred had said he had undergone the treatment seven times—far more than anyone else.

But if I pointed that out, I would have to acknowledge that Sophia, Roddy, Shelley, and I had all received the same or even higher amounts of healing magic.

“Were they all treated by the same healer?”

“No. Two main healers were involved—Sir Gaucher, the exclusive healer for the Lias family, and Sir Frey, who primarily treats adventurers in the castle town.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t met the head healer yet.

“My apologies. Gaucher is currently in the castle town, focusing on treating victims of a rogue wyvern attack. He will return tomorrow.”

The Margrave seemed remarkably calm about it. Did it not cross his mind that something might happen to us?

No—he probably assumed that with me here, any emergency could be handled. It was a logical conclusion, though his slightly awkward expression…

I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed.

As long as others were being helped, that was what mattered.

“Understood. Could you ask each healer to quantify the total amount of healing magic used? Simply comparing the number of treatments isn’t sufficient—I’d like to see the actual differences in magic expenditure.”

“Understood.”

“Additionally, if possible, I’d like to know how much mana was injected into each patient during treatment.”

“Of course.”

Even in a world of magic, it was rare to receive this many healing treatments or to have mana repeatedly infused in such a short span of time.

That made me even more certain—Ice Stone Disease had to be the key factor.

“Next, Ford, it’s your turn.”

“Yes, then… let me explain.”

Ford, who had gathered the data, stepped forward. His face brightened with relief—perhaps he hadn’t realized that so many people were working together to find a treatment for Fred.

Fred was truly cherished by many.

“This monster occasionally appears in the northern countries and is known as Kimoma.

It has not been discovered in our nation yet. However, if its larvae are indeed the cause of Ice Stone Disease, then we must assume that it is already here.”

Even Ford, an expert, admitted that he had no knowledge of the creature’s early life stages. He couldn’t identify it just by looking.

“However, Ice Stone Disease does not exist in the northern nations, correct?”

It was a natural question. I had been wondering about the same thing.

Leonhart had asked, but he and Jeffrey had likely already investigated whether Ice Stone Disease existed in other countries. I had caught Jeffrey browsing foreign medical texts in the library several times, and he had always dodged my questions. He had been concerned about the disease ever since both my mother and Jeffrey’s mother had fallen ill.

“There have been no cases in humans. However, similar incidents have been observed in monsters.

After death, the parasite remains inside the body, feeding on the corpse until it matures. Once fully grown, the adult Kimoma emerges. The fact that the deceased were cremated this time was likely the greatest miscalculation for these creatures.”

A shiver ran through the group. No one had considered how these parasites would eventually make their way into the world—using human mana as a breeding ground.

“This must be reported to the royal capital immediately.”

“…What?”

“There must be noble families that do not practice cremation. We need to confirm the situation as soon as possible.”

Lady Lias immediately summoned a maid and began preparing a letter.

“What about an illustration?”

“Yes! Right here.”

Its roots looked like the legs of an insect—likely how it moved. A large flower bloomed atop a short stalk. If it remained still in the forest, it would be difficult to distinguish it from an ordinary plant rather than a monster.

“How large is it?”

“In the northern regions, they are typically about the size of an adult’s palm. However, since the discovered specimens have all been small, the fact that it parasitized a human this time suggests it could have grown significantly larger…”

I knew that already. I had seen it in the original story.

“What kind of attacks does the mature form use?”

“It preys on those who approach it unknowingly, dissolving them from within.”

A literal man-eating plant.

“I’m glad we had this discussion after dinner,” Luca muttered.