"Lishia-san and Pascoe Rush have arrived at Togo Pass."
Koushin, the magi-brain dedicated to surveillance, relayed the report to Laojun.
『I received word from Spica 7. They are visiting in an official capacity as Ambassadors of the Klein Kingdom.』
"So it would seem. However, Lishia-san’s physical condition appears poor."
『Hmm, that is problematic. Is it mere fatigue, or perhaps an illness?』
If it were an illness, they had to consider the risk of a contagion.
Jin had recently brought Barrow and Belle to Kaina Village; that had turned out fine only because Belle hadn’t been carrying anything infectious. Had the situation been different, it could have led to a catastrophe.
『While sterilization and disinfection can be handled with magic, allowing Lishia-san to enter Kaina Village in her current state would be a mistake.』
Laojun drafted several potential solutions and selected the most effective one.
『Land T, S, and R: proceed to the site immediately.』
The three units of the Land squad assigned to the vicinity reached the highway connecting Togo Pass to Kaina Village within two minutes.
『Activate Stun barrier.』
"Ah..."
"Ugh..."
The barrier’s intensity had been calibrated to induce unconsciousness painlessly. Furthermore, it did not affect the horses, allowing the golems to target the humans with surgical precision.
Land T and S caught the two as they collapsed.
Supporting the unconscious pair, they led the horses back to the rest hut. Land R took charge of the pack horse.
『Now then, first, we shall administer medicine to Lishia-san.』
Laojun instructed Butler B to select a dose of recovery medicine with the effects of Medicare from the supplies kept at Jin’s castle and deliver it at once.
Butler B arrived on-site in approximately ten minutes.
In the interim, the Land units examined the two humans and transmitted the data to Laojun. Using his fundamental medical knowledge, Laojun provided step-by-step instructions for a diagnosis.
『As I suspected, Lishia-san is suffering from some form of infection. The cause remains unknown, but we shall begin by disinfecting their belongings and...』
Laojun recalled that within the archives of Jin’s knowledge, there were mentions of diseases called "avian influenza" and "Echinococcus."
『The horses and the pigeons... the pigeons are suspicious.』
Inside the birdcage carried by Lishia’s horse, both pigeons had their feathers puffed out.
Birds typically ruffled their feathers when they were cold or unwell. Since these birds were relatively hardy against the cold, it was safe to assume they were sick. Jin had learned this well while raising chickens at the orphanage, and that knowledge now belonged to Laojun as well.
『Administer the medicine to the pigeons as well. I am unsure of the exact dosage... let us start by mixing three drops into their water. As a precaution, do the same for the horses.』
Recovery medicine was administered to Lishia, Pascoe, the two pigeons, and the three horses. The effect on the animals was nothing short of miraculous; the pigeons stopped puffing their feathers instantly, and the exhausted horses were suddenly brimming with energy.
The two humans had not yet awakened from their stupor, but Lishia’s fever appeared to have broken.
『Now for sterilization and disinfection.』
He had the Land squad unpack all of their luggage. Then, he adjusted light magic to generate intense ultraviolet radiation—a spell developed by Jin called Black Light.
While originally intended to identify minerals that fluoresce under UV light, Laojun intensified the output to give it a powerful germicidal effect.
Since he couldn’t subject the humans or their clothing to the same radiation, he instead sprayed them with a recovery medicine imbued with a disinfection effect and then dried them off.
With that, his concerns were largely alleviated.
Rather than using ultraviolet light, the Land and Butler units used their internal heat generation functions to raise their own body temperatures to 200 degrees Celsius, effectively self-sterilizing.
As an additional precaution, Laojun decided to tighten the monitoring of the health of the residents in Kaina Village. Having proven that the illness could be cured with recovery medicine, he felt much more secure.
『This should suffice. Now, before they wake, transport them to the Erme River.』
With Lishia’s fever gone, Laojun felt a weight lift from his shoulders; even if a new sickness emerged, they now knew how to treat it.
On his orders, Land R, S, and T hoisted the confused, struggling horses onto their shoulders and took off toward the pass. They streaked across the landscape at speeds exceeding 120 kilometers per hour.
Butler B followed close behind, carrying Lishia and Pascoe on his shoulders.
It was 5:00 PM when Pascoe Rush woke up in his saddle.
"Ugh... Did I fall asleep?"
He shook his head, trying to clear the lingering haze. As his consciousness sharpened, the memories of their journey returned.
"T-That’s right! Lady Fahlheit!"
He looked ahead and saw Lishia. She was slumped over her horse’s neck, appearing either asleep or unconscious.
Pascoe hurriedly pulled his horse alongside hers and shook her shoulder.
"Lady Fahlheit! Lady Fahlheit!"
"Nnh..."
"Thank goodness! Lady Fahlheit, you’re awake!"
"Uuu... Where are we?"
Lishia sat up, rubbing her temples as she surveyed their surroundings.
"This... appears to be the Erme River. I suppose... we must have dozed off just as we started down the pass, and the horses brought us the rest of the way. I feel surprisingly refreshed, though."
Pascoe nodded in agreement.
"Yes. It’s quite embarrassing, but it seems I dozed off as well. We have these clever horses to thank for getting us here safely. More importantly, I’m just glad to see you’re feeling better, Lady Fahlheit."
The Land squad, hovering nearby with their Stealth functions active, observed that the two had reached the exact conclusion Laojun intended. They immediately relayed the success to him.
『It seems to have gone perfectly. Stay with them until they enter the village.』
Laojun took satisfaction in the success of his measures and decided that this entire incident was something he simply had to report to Jin.
"...By the way, Lady Fahlheit, what is that building?"
Towering against the backdrop of the twilight sky was a structure unlike anything they had ever seen. It was, of course, Jin’s castle.
"I’m not sure... I don't believe it was here the last time I visited."
Pascoe did the math in his head and was struck by disbelief. Lishia’s last visit to Kaina Village had been in December of last year. That meant this massive edifice had been constructed within the last five months.
"Is it even possible to build something like that in just a few months...?"
The truth was that it had taken only a few days, but they had no way of knowing that.
"In any case, I’m sure the Village Chief can explain everything."
With that, the two crossed the bridge, passed the shadow of the castle, and entered the village proper.
"Oh, if it ain't the tax collector lady!" a voice called out.
"Ah, hello. Er... Rock-san, was it?"
"Yeah, that’s right. What brings ya here today? It’s a bit early for taxes... wait, we don't have to pay the kingdom anymore, do we?"
"Yes, about that. I’m actually looking for Jin-san. Do you know where he is?"
When Lishia asked, Rock made a conflicted face.
"Jin? Well, he’s always poppin' in and out. As for when he’ll be back next... could be today, could be tomorrow, could be the day after..."
"...So you don't actually know?" Lishia said, her eyes narrowing with a look of mild exasperation.
"Yeah, pretty much," Rock admitted with a bashful laugh.
After hearing from Rock that the Village Chief hadn't changed, Lishia headed straight for his home.
"My, my! Lady Fahlheit, welcome back. And welcome to you as well, sir."
Giebeck greeted the two in front of his house.
"Giebeck-san, it’s been a long time. I’ve come this time as an official Ambassador of the Klein Kingdom."
Lishia dismounted and offered her greetings. Pascoe followed suit, introducing himself.
"I am Pascoe Rush, guard to Ambassador Lishia Fahlheit."
Giebeck bowed respectfully.
"You must be exhausted from your journey. Where would you like to stay? With us? Or perhaps at Jin-dono’s castle?"
"If it’s not a bother, I’d prefer to stay with you, Village Chief..."
Hesitant to stay in a strange, unidentified fortress, Lishia chose the familiar option.
"Understood. Please, come inside. I’ll see to the horses....Hey, Barbara!"
Giebeck called toward the back of the house, and Barbara appeared.
"...Ah! Lishia-san!"
"Barbara-san, it’s been so long!"
"Barbara, I’m going to hitch the horses. You show Lady Fahlheit and Lord Rush to the guest room."
And so, Lishia finally reached Kaina Village.
"...As I thought, there's nothing quite like a hot spring."
Barbara and Lishia were soaking together in the warm water. However, Lishia soon noticed that something was off about her companion.
"Barbara-san, you seem a bit down. Did something happen?"
"Eh?! N-No, it’s nothing," Barbara replied hurriedly.
"It’s clearly not 'nothing.' We’re friends, aren't we? You can tell me."
At Lishia’s insistence, Barbara hesitated, then finally relented.
"I guess... Lishia-san, you live in the royal capital, don't you?"
She paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Um... do you know of a place called the Raglann Company?"
"Yes, I know it well. They installed a pump at my father's house, and we even bought one of their stoves."
"I see... T-Then, do you happen to know if there's a man named Erik working there...?"
Seeing the way Barbara asked, Lishia seemed to sense the underlying feelings.
"I’m sorry. I’ve never actually stepped inside the shop myself, so I don't know."
"I see..."
Barbara’s shoulders slumped again. Then, she murmured quietly to herself.
"...Maybe I should try going to Alban."