"!"
When exactly had they appeared?
Reiko felt immense mana emanating from the two figures now standing before her. The fact that she had failed to sense their approach at all was startling.
She braced herself, falling into a wary defensive stance.
The man—a member of the demon race—raised a hand to restrain her.
"Don't be so hasty. We have no intention of fighting you," he declared. He was short but possessed a stocky, rock-like build. His hair was cropped close and was pitch-black, as were his eyes. "In the first place, a land with such low free ether is hardly to our taste."
For the demon race, a lack of free ether was akin to thin air. While not fatal, it certainly made any exertion difficult.
"Then why are you here?" Reiko asked, her question piercing straight to the point.
"Heh. Would you believe me if I said it was simply for an investigation?"
"An investigation?"
"That's right. While free ether is generally thin in these parts, there is supposedly a singularity somewhere," the woman answered this time. She was also of the demon race—tall and thin, with pitch-black hair reaching down to her ankles. Like the man, her eyes were as dark as the abyss.
"A singularity?"
"Heh, yes. A singularity. Something exists there that shouldn't. It seems the free ether is concentrated in that one spot... The northern region where we live has high concentrations of ether, but it's so cold. A place that's both warm and rich in free ether would be ideal... Do you happen to know anything about it?"
Upon hearing this, Hourai Island immediately flashed through Reiko's mind. She did not let it show on her face.
"...I don't know. And even if I did, I am under no obligation to answer you."
"Oho... heh-heh, hee-hee-hee! I like you. I like your answer. How admirable."
The female demon writhed her body as she let out a mocking laugh.
"Were you the ones who cast the barrier?" Reiko asked, ignoring the woman's display.
The male demon took the question. "Hmm? No, no. That barrier has been here from the start."
According to the man, an illusion barrier had been active over the skies of the Leonard Kingdom for over a hundred years.
"I don't know who cast it or for what purpose. It doesn't cause us any harm, so it doesn't matter."
"I see."
Since it wasn't a priority, Reiko set the matter aside.
"That man... Laldus, has been spreading a plague. I will see that he takes responsibility."
Reiko took a firm step toward the unconscious Laldus. However, in an instant—by some means she couldn't track—the two demons were suddenly standing in her way.
"Oops, we can't let you do that. After all, he's one of our few compatriots."
"Tell you what—as a tribute to your strength, I'll give you a little information instead."
"...In that case, do you know about the disease Laldus spread?"
Reiko judged that obtaining information was currently the most valuable path. Though she doubted they would be entirely honest, she decided to press them.
"You mean the 'magical consumption fever'?"
"Y-yes."
The bluntness of the answer caught Reiko off guard, causing her to momentarily falter.
"It's a trivial illness among our kind," the female demon prefaced before launching into a detailed explanation of the disease.
"...Essentially, the more mana a person has, the milder the symptoms. For a human with little to no mana, it’s usually fatal." She clapped her hands together and cackled. The gesture grated on Reiko's nerves.
"...Go on."
"Oh, sorry, sorry. Anyway, the point is that it's a disease that devours the mana in the victim's body. Once it runs out of mana to consume, well, it starts devouring what you might call 'life force.' Once it reaches that stage, it's too late." She cackled again.
"Bemiaruche, that's enough," the male demon interjected, seemingly tired of her antics. The woman, Bemiaruche, finally stifled her laughter.
"Fine, fine, Dogmaralud."
She then proceeded to divulge the specific information Reiko needed.
Birds could also contract the disease, but they did not die from it; they eventually recovered. Transmission from birds to humans occurred through contact, as did human-to-human transmission. However, it did not spread from humans back to birds.
Depending on an individual's magic pattern, some people were entirely immune. Those who were infected once and survived would never catch it again. The incubation period was a minimum of two days and a maximum of five. The more mana one possessed, the longer the incubation; the less mana, the shorter it became. Those with extreme amounts of mana would not develop symptoms at all.
The initial symptoms began with a feeling of weakness followed by a fever. Up to this point, the disease could be cured. In the next stage, intense pain would rack the entire body, and by then, the victim was beyond saving. The cause of death was almost always cardiac arrest.
The most effective healing magic was 'Medicare'. However, it was useless unless applied continuously for several minutes. If a person was infected but not yet symptomatic, a few seconds of 'Medicare' was sufficient. Finally, the root cause of the disease itself could be neutralized and rendered harmless by healing magic like 'Medicare'.
There was no guarantee any of this was the truth.
"...It's all real, you know? Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"It is the truth," Dogmaralud guaranteed. "Since we can't have you knowing all our secrets, we cannot allow you to use 'Trans Info' on him. This is our compromise."
"You speak of the disease so casually... then why did he do something as reckless as spreading it?" Reiko asked.
"That's simple. Because Laldus acted on his own. He is still young and lacks judgment. To make matters worse, he's quite powerful, which makes him a bit of a handful to manage."
"Then spreading the plague was not your intention?"
"Exactly. That said, we have no intention of helping you treat it, either."
As Dogmaralud spoke, he vanished from before Reiko's eyes. Before she could react, he was already standing over the fallen Laldus, hoisting him onto his shoulder.
"No... are you saying you can use spatial teleportation?"
"I don't intend to tell you that much. In any case, we're taking him with us. Even a fool like this is a compatriot we can't afford to lose."
"Bye-bye, cutie. We're heading back to our country."
Bemiaruche blew a kiss to Reiko.
"...Wait! I still have questions!"
But her pursuit was met with a cold rejection.
"We have no intention of laying everything bare. This is where we part ways."
Dogmaralud unleashed a spell toward Reiko.
"gravita."
Reiko leaped backward the moment she sensed the magic, but the spell's area of effect was wider than she anticipated, or perhaps it possessed a homing property.
"This is...!"
Earlier, gravity had been increased to slow her down, but this time the effect was the exact opposite. Her weight had been almost entirely stripped away.
Her specific gravity was now nearly identical to that of the surrounding air. Had she merely become a little lighter, she might have moved with even greater speed, but this was far too much. She couldn't get any traction; trying to kick off the ground was like trying to jump while floating in water.
As Reiko struggled with her lack of weight, the three demons vanished into thin air.
'Reiko-san, Laldus's magic pattern can be traced. For now, you should be satisfied with the primary objective.'
Advice from Laojun reached her.
"...I suppose you're right."
Whether because the demons had left or because the spell's duration had expired, Reiko's weight gradually returned to normal. The effects of the magic faded completely after about fifteen minutes.
"...I must return immediately."
Reiko dashed back at full speed toward the Pegasus 1's position. As an extra precaution, she raised her internal body temperature, performing sterilization on her own frame as she ran.
Dashing through the darkness at over 200 kilometers per hour, she reached the craft in less than a minute.
"Onee-sama, are you unharmed?"
Luna and Soleil met her at the Pegasus 1.
"We were on high alert because we detected a powerful mana reaction."
Land 1 and Land 2 had apparently been patrolling the area on foot and returned from the shadows.
"...I believe I have managed to fulfill my duty. Let us return."
As previously arranged, Reiko used a Warp Gate to return directly to Hourai Island. Meanwhile, Soleil, Luna, Land 1, and Land 2 returned aboard the Pegasus 1.
'Reiko-san, thank you for your hard work.'
Laojun greeted her as she arrived back on Hourai Island.
"I feel a bit frustrated. It feels as though those demons simply toyed with me," Reiko confessed.
'I understand your feelings. However, the primary objective has been achieved. There is likely no lie in the words of those demons.'
"Onee-sama, their information didn't conflict with the fragments of my remaining memories. I believe they were telling the truth," Anne added.
Hearing that, Reiko finally lifted her downcast face.
'My Lord is waiting in the research lab on the second floor. He has been worried ever since he heard you were having a difficult time. Please, go and show him that you are safe.'
"Yes!"
Upon hearing those words, Reiko rushed out of the Warp Gate room and ran toward the second floor where Jin was waiting.