Netros was in an even worse state.
In addition to the bruises and lacerations covering his entire body, the bones in both his legs had been crushed, and his fingernails and toenails had been entirely torn away.
Nurse Alpha and Beta had provided emergency first aid immediately after the two were brought to Nidou Castle, so they were no longer in immediate mortal danger. However...
"...This is too cruel."
Even Elsa was visibly incensed.
"I have learned... very clearly... that one must not... confuse individuals with their race."
"Yeah, you're right. It's just as you say, Elsa. For now, we have to heal them."
"Un."
Just as Elsa prepared to cast her healing magic, Jin stopped her.
"Wait, Elsa. You should use this."
Jin handed her a healing magic tool that he had asked Reiko to fetch.
"Ah, this is..."
It was the same magic tool that had played a vital role during the magical consumption fever incident. It had been on loan to Lishia and her companions since then.
Because Völlig Genesen consumed a massive amount of mana, Jin wanted to use the tool to assist the casting and lighten the burden on Elsa. Since the tool was only being used as a mana source, the fact that its programmed spells were limited to internal medicine was no obstacle.
"Völlig Genesen."
She started with Istalis. As a pale light enveloped her, the skin discolored by internal bleeding returned to its natural hue, and her open wounds sealed shut. It was a perfect harmony between Elsa's power of visualization and the magic tool's capabilities.
"...Amazing..."
Watching from the side, Sion was wide-eyed with awe.
In a matter of seconds, Istalis's skin was restored to a pristine state, free of any blemishes. Her labored breathing finally settled into a peaceful rhythm.
"Next is him."
Elsa reset the broken bones before casting Völlig Genesen once more. Her movements were now those of a veteran healer. Soon, Netros's external injuries were also fully mended.
"The difficult part... is the poison."
"Yeah, you're right. Reiko, can you handle this?"
"Yes, Father. Analyze."
Reiko began a detailed analysis of the toxins remaining in their systems. She was far more adept at this kind of precision work than anyone else. After examining Netros as well, she reported her findings.
"...I have finished. The substance used appears to be sulfur dioxide."
Sulfur dioxide, a volcanic gas also produced by burning sulfur, was the same gas Saki had accidentally inhaled in the past. It attacked the lungs and led to respiratory failure. They had likely only survived because of the inherent physical resilience of the demon race.
"They used something horrific. They clearly didn't care if their prisoners lived or died."
Since chemistry was not a developed field in this world, refined anesthetic gases like chloroform or dimethyl ether did not exist. However, sulfur dioxide—sulfurous acid gas—was easily produced by burning sulfur, making it a known poison even in the Kingdom of Franz.
"Furthermore, there are residues in their stomachs that appear to be from mushrooms."
Jin immediately suspected poisonous mushrooms. Some varieties possessed toxins strong enough to cause a loss of consciousness and were used as paralytics in this world.
"I see. Thank you, Reiko-chan. Entgiften."
Elsa had previously used Extraction to pull arsenic from Marquis Gaylen Theoderic’s liver, but this time she employed Entgiften. It was a supreme-level spell designed to decompose toxic substances within the body.
Elsa had constructed this supreme detoxification magic herself, using the "Detox" spell developed by Sally as a foundation and integrating the Craft Magic principles of Extraction and Decomposition. It was a testament to how much she had grown as a magi craftsman and a healer.
"...Genesung."
Once the toxins were neutralized, she cast a supreme-level internal-medicine spell. With this, the two patients were officially out of the woods. It would still take a few days for them to regain their strength and for their nails to grow back, but the organ failure caused by the poison had been averted.
"Sister... Netros..."
Sion stared anxiously at the two, who still hadn't regained consciousness. Jin decided to leave the nursing duties to Sion and Lucas.
"Have them drink this little by little to replenish their mana."
He placed several bottles of Hourai Island's special Persica juice by their bedsides. Then, Jin turned to Land 1 and ordered him to increase the security.
"Looking at Sion, I feel like we don't have much to worry about, but after what those two went through, we can't be too careful."
They had been subjected to brutal torture; it would be only natural for them to wake up with a deep hatred for humanity.
"You know, Elsa... I wonder if conflict will ever truly disappear."
Jin found himself sighing a lament to Elsa as they stood together.
"...Un. It's sad... but..."
Elsa knew the general history of Jin's original world. Even there, international tensions never faded, and localized conflicts were constant.
"I don't want to believe... that it's just human nature... but..."
It seemed Elsa shared his sentiment.
"I think I'm starting to understand why the Predecessor shut herself away on Hourai Island."
How wonderful would it be to stay on an island with friends who understood you, spending your days making whatever you liked? But Jin had already forged too many connections in this world to walk away.
"I have to at least make sure Kaina Village is never threatened..."
Accompanied by Reiko and Edgar, Jin and Elsa returned to Hourai Island.
"A weapon that makes magic unusable? How is that different from a Magi-Jammer?"
"A Magi-Jammer interferes with the effect of an incantation. What I'm envisioning now is a weapon that can actually nullify magic itself."
Jin began to explain a concept he had been mulling over for a while.
"If you can do that... it would be incredible. But... how?"
The idea was beyond Elsa's current reach.
"Well, look, for example..."
Wind created by wind magic is a localized phenomenon. It only occurs because there is a force capable of manipulating air molecules. Water magic is the same; it works because a force acts upon water molecules. Fire magic is no different—fire is simply superheated air, and that heat is converted mana. But it is that same 'force' that allows the caster to launch it or shape it into a spear. Finally, the force used in earth magic to dig holes or crush rocks is the same.
"What do you think this 'force' actually is?" Jin asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"...I don't know."
"...I give up."
When neither Reiko nor Elsa could find an answer, they both raised the white flag.
"I think it's something like psychokinesis."
It’s invisible, yet the caster can change its direction and magnitude at will. In other words, a 'force' controlled by 'intent.'
"You could almost say that magic can't exist without it."
"Certainly."
Elsa realized that even in healing magic, it was this 'psychokinesis' that directed where the spell should focus its power.
"The term 'psychokinesis' sounds a bit suspicious where I come from, so we could just call it 'mental power.'"
Intent equaled the mind.
"...Un. I understand."
"To get back to the point, I suspect that the medium that transmits this mental power is actually free ether."
"I see. Jin-nii, you really are amazing."
"Father, that is a brilliant insight!"
Edgar remained silent. Unfortunately, the complexity was a bit too much for his control core to process.
"If we can understand the principle of how mental power originates from the caster and propagates as magic—or even if we can just grasp the mechanics of the phenomenon—we can move forward."
Jin then proceeded to lay out his full theory.
"A caster has their own unique mana within their body. They can alter this mana with their will. Just as vocal cords vibrate to produce a voice, and that voice travels through the air as sound waves, magic is refined within the caster's body and transmitted through space. I believe that free ether acts as the medium for magic to be 'transmitted.'"
"Yeah, that certainly seems plausible. Jin-kun, as impressive as always."
Jin turned at the sound of the voice to see Toa Eschenbach and Stearena Gamma approaching.
"I agree with that theory," Toa continued.
"Jin-kun, if you were going to talk about something this fascinating, you really should have called us!" Stearena added with a grin.
Faced with their enthusiasm, Jin scratched his head and began the explanation from the beginning for his new audience.